Cultivation Starts from Farming-Chapter 498 - 266: Wind Night Sword Skill Achieves Mastery; Ancient Sha Immortal City (3)
A moment later.
After a moment, an overwhelming spiritual pressure approached swiftly, like a turbulent tide, almost suffocating.
This spiritual pressure instantly shattered the original din and chaos of the sand sea, as the howling, rampant sandstorm seemed to crash into an invisible and indestructible barrier, halting abruptly.
The particles of sand hung suspended in the air as if cast with the Immovable Spell, forming an eerie and visually striking scene.
The newcomer was a man with a wooden expression. He was tall, exuding an icy aura.
Most striking was his right arm, encased in a mechanical appendage, glinting with a metallic chill. Mysterious runic glows flowed at the joints, making it clear it was no ordinary item.
This man was none other than the City Lord of Ancient Sand City, Gu Yuntao.
"Hmph, boy, surrender quietly; you can’t escape!"
Gu Yuntao’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, accompanied by the unmatched divine sense of the Peak of Core Formation, sweeping over every inch of the nearby area like an invisible net.
Finally, his attention fixed on what appeared to be an ordinary patch of sand.
"As expected of the renowned City Lord Gu!"
A robust voice echoed faintly from beneath the sand. Moments later, the young man, Xu Ping, emerged slowly from beneath the layers of sand.
Xu Ping marveled inwardly, amazed that this person’s divine sense was actually stronger than his own by a few degrees, a force not to be underestimated.
The sand rustled down.
Xu Ping stood tall, dressed in a simple black robe, yet possessing an extraordinary aura.
"City Lord Gu, why are you so relentless in your pursuit?"
"I was merely conducting normal activities and transactions in the city, having committed no acts of evil or harm." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Xu Ping’s gaze rested calmly on Gu Yuntao, without a trace of fear.
"Normal activities, transactions?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuntao sneered coldly, his eagle-sharp eyes glaring at Xu Ping with suspicion and scrutiny,
"You act suspiciously within the Immortal City of Ancient Sand, secretly digging for my intelligence. You dare call this normal activity?"
As a defector from the Hundred Puppet Sect who established his own force in the Wind Country, he was naturally constantly on guard against the prying of various forces.
Recently, he’d sensed someone investigating him in secret, and the appearance of this man seemed so suspect that he assumed this person was here to spy.
"No need to argue, you must be sent by the Hundred Puppet Sect!"
Gu Yuntao’s tone was unfriendly, filled with deep hostility, as if he had already determined Xu Ping was his enemy.
With that, he lightly tapped his storage bag at his waist.
In an instant, light flickered, and a number of varied third-tier puppets materialized out of nowhere, neatly arrayed in front of him.
Among them, a particularly imposing third-stage top-tier puppet drew attention, its runes flashing continually around its body, exuding an aura of powerful and profound spiritual power.
Just standing there, it emanated a sense of overwhelming deterrence.
"A top-tier third-stage puppet, its strength surpassing ordinary Core Formation cultivators..."
"And it seems to possess some intelligence as well. This must be the famous secret technique ’Seed Spirit Puppet Technique’ of the Seed Puppet Sect."
At this moment, Xu Ping felt a mix of admiration and helplessness.
He had never imagined that simply walking normally through the city would lead Gu Yuntao to mistake him for a spy sent by the Hundred Puppet Sect.
"I am truly not from the Hundred Puppet Sect. As for gathering intelligence on City Lord Gu, it is primarily because I intend to engage in a trade with City Lord Gu."
Xu Ping shook his head, then calmly explained.
Although he wasn’t afraid of Gu Yuntao, he saw little point in fighting the man over a misunderstanding.
"A trade?"
Gu Yuntao’s lips curled into a mocking smile, full of disdain, as if silently laughing at the absurdity of Xu Ping’s words.
"Once I capture you and perform a soul search, all will be clear."
In his view, Xu Ping’s explanation was nothing but a lie; only by capturing Xu Ping and performing a soul search could he truly ascertain the truth.
As soon as he finished speaking, his hands moved like shadows, quickly forming seals, as complex and unfathomable spells morphed at his fingertips.
As the spells completed, the initially still puppets sprang to life, launching a fierce attack towards Xu Ping as if directed by an unseen force.
The third-stage puppets moved with precision and coordination, resembling a well-trained, highly disciplined elite army.
The enormous beast-shaped puppet roared skyward, charging at Xu Ping with an unstoppable momentum, its sharp claws slicing the air with a piercing whistle.
The human-like puppet wielded razor-sharp blades, gleaming coldly as it thrust towards Xu Ping’s vital points.
Particularly, the top-tier third-stage puppet, with its stable steps, seemed to magnify its presence with every stride.
"It seems you don’t understand reason!"
Witnessing this scene, Xu Ping’s expression turned instantly grim, a flicker of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
He unhesitatingly lifted his hand to tap at the two spirit beast bags hanging from his waist.
In the blink of an eye, a black shadow shot out like lightning—it was the Water Lake Rat.
Meanwhile, a profound aura of a mature third-rank middle-grade demon radiated from the Water Lake Rat, enveloping the sand sea in a mysterious and potent atmosphere.
Almost simultaneously, a group of Red Flame Golden Beetles swarmed out from another spirit beast bag.
These Red Flame Golden Beetles had been nurtured by Xu Ping for a long time, and nearly all had reached the second-stage upper grade level, with some even advancing to the quasi-tier three level.
