"Sotis, I can hardly tell who I am anymore. Am I Wu Lu from Bi Luo Cave, Nanchenzi from Fengshan Temple, or Luo Yao from the Fire Yuan Sect? Every so often, I have to practice different techniques in the disciples' quarters of various sects, never daring to relax for a mont, fearing that my Concealnt Technique might fail and I’d be discovered," Wu Lu said with a bitter smile.
"I've had enough, Brother Yuan, really had enough. All these years, the only person I can call a friend is you. Heh, let be honest with you. Do you rember when we were beast slaves in the Great Mountain Range, and you found suffering from the aftereffects of the Concealnt Technique? I wanted to kill you then, just like I did with anyone who discovered while I was undercover. But when I tried to use the Fire Pattern Iron to lower your guard, you told you saved people not for repaynt."
Wu Lu pointed at Yuan Ming and suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he bent over, before continuing:
"Tell , how can there be such a foolish person? Clearly captured just like the rest of us, with lost mories, seeing no hope or future, only being strung along by false promises, enduring the tornt as a beast slave, yet still holding onto a shred of kindness, willing to save a stranger without expecting anything in return. Such a person doesn't need my hand to kill; they could easily die in the mouth of so demonic beast any day."
Yuan Ming looked at Wu Lu and calmly said, "But that person survived."
"Yes, who would have thought? That fool I spared on a whim not only survived but also displayed great power, rescuing another fool trapped in a cage. Perhaps it was destiny," Wu Lu said, his smile fading. "Brother Yuan, I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to live like this. I want my freedom. I betrayed my family, but in the end, Elder Niu Mian caught . He seems to be plotting sothing in Zhao Country and has no ti for , so he handed over to Elder Hai for punishnt in this mine."
"I didn't participate in the battle at the mine because I was afraid of leaving traces. If Niu Mian ca and found out I was connected to you, it would cause you trouble. Now that the mine is destroyed, it has nothing to do with . Although Niu Mian and Elder Hai are acquainted, they won't co looking for you. Just rember, if you ever encounter them, don't ntion or the mine."
Yuan Ming nodded and asked, "Brother Wu, are you planning to flee and live as a fugitive?"
"Yes, but don't worry, Brother Yuan. With my skills, no one can find if I want to hide. It's a pity that we brothers finally t, but now we must part again. Who knows when we'll et again?" Wu Lu sighed, then took out two jade slips and handed them to Yuan Ming.
"These two jade slips were hastily recorded during the chaos. One contains my Concealnt Technique, called the 'Concealnt Art.' You ntioned it when we first t, but I couldn't give it to you because of my family. Now, there's no such concern. The other is a secret technique from my family, called the 'Hidden Vein Condensing Elixir Art,' which can increase the probability of forming a Golden Elixir but requires the 'Concealnt Art' as a foundation. It's best to practice the forr before considering the latter."
Yuan Ming didn't take the jade slips but suggested, "Brother Wu, with my current strength, I can even kill Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Why don't you co back to Quicksand City with ? Even if Niu Mian finds you, with my help, it would be better than facing him alone."
Wu Lu smiled but shook his head. "No need, Brother Yuan. You have your own path to follow. How can I burden you? Besides, I'm not only escaping my family's pursuit but also seeking an opportunity to form a Golden Elixir. If I succeed, I might co back to ask for your help to settle the score with my family."
Seeing Wu Lu's determination, Yuan Ming stopped persuading him and accepted the jade slips.
Wu Lu continued, "By the way, there's sothing else I need to tell you. Do you rember after the battle at Bi Luo Cave, I said I was going to see the sea and ended up in Haiyan City? Actually, I wasn't just there to enjoy the scenery. I heard that soone had seen Penglai Island there."
Yuan Ming was surprised. "Penglai Island? One of the three Eastern Sea islands said to produce elixirs of immortality? Isn't it said that no one has ever found its exact location?"
"That's what I thought too. When I went to Haiyan City, I found it was just a rumor and let it go. But in recent years, I've heard more and more news from the Eastern Sea about cultivators seeing a shadow or it disappearing when approached. The truth is unclear, but one thing is certain: sothing big might be happening in the Eastern Sea. If you have ti, Brother Yuan, you could go and check it out."
Wu Lu then took out a half-black, half-white token and handed it to Yuan Ming. "This is my other identity token in the Dawn Alliance, under the na Wu Chen, a Foundation Establishnt stage cultivator. My family doesn't know about this identity, and the Dawn Alliance only recognizes the token, not the person. Take it; the Dawn Alliance is also offering rewards for information on the three Eastern Sea islands. If you go there and encounter any trouble, you can show the token to avoid so hassle."
"Rember, the leader of the Dawn Alliance's Eastern Sea branch, Pei Jianghai, is a late-stage Golden Elixir cultivator. He's proud and petty, so it's best not to offend him publicly. Other than that, there's not much to worry about. Just one thing: this Eastern Sea matter is causing a stir, and the deputy leader might personally get involved. No one knows his true identity, but it's rumored he has fought with Elental Infant stage cultivators and is incredibly powerful."
Yuan Ming took the token, feeling like Wu Lu was making final arrangents. He sighed inwardly, wanting to persuade him again, but Wu Lu sensed his intention, smiled, and waved his hand. He stepped back two steps and, like a hero in a story, clasped his fists toward Yuan Ming.
"Brother Yuan, all good things must co to an end. Farewell for now. We'll et again in the martial world."
Yuan Ming also smiled and clasped his fists. "Brother Wu, take care."
Wu Lu nodded, laughed heartily, and turned to take out a flying artifact he had scavenged from the chaos. Just as he was about to take off, he heard Yuan Ming ask again.
"Brother Wu, as we part, can you leave your real na?"
Without turning back, Wu Lu said, "Brother Yuan, I was an orphan raised by my family. Though I have many faces, no one ever cared. Only the na Wu Lu matters, for it was Wu Lu who t you and was saved by you. With this, all my other identities vanish. From now on, I am only Wu Lu."
With that, Wu Lu flew off on his artifact, heading out of the mine.
...
After bidding farewell to Wu Lu, Yuan Ming sighed and then got busy.
Although the battle at the mine was won, the aftermath was troubleso.
There were over eight hundred cultivators in the mine. After tonight's celebration, they would go their separate ways, continuing their journeys. Except for Elder Hai's belongings, which no one dared to touch, the storage bags and artifacts of the Returning to Origin Sect disciples, as well as the spirit stones in the mine, were all taken as spoils of war by the cultivators.
However, the most abundant resource in the mine was the ores. Despite the cultivators taking so, a lot remained.
Yuan Ming planned to take these ores out and sell them later for a significant amount of spirit stones.
Before that, Yuan Ming went to the array node in the mine to retrieve the silver token he had placed there.
Then, he began treating Vajra's injuries. As a body cultivator, Vajra's recovery ability was astonishing. With the elixirs Yuan Ming had given him in advance, the injuries from his fight with Elder Hai were almost healed, except for the ice on his arm.
Now that he had ti, Yuan Ming quickly lted the ice after so research.
anwhile, Lei Yu, who had been guarding outside the mine, was called back and put into the spirit beast bag.
Then, he and Vajra found Feng Ling, who had not yet left the mine, and got the beetles he had secretly used during cultivation.
Feng Ling was originally a technique cultivator but was forced to switch to body cultivation. Now, he had no reason to keep the beetles. With his help, Yuan Ming quickly found where the beetles were.
Just as he was about to collect the beetles with Vajra, he learned from Zuo Qinghui that the mortal believers in the mine were looking for him. So, he let Vajra catch the beetles on his own.
Soon, Yuan Ming arrived at the mortal residential area in the northern part of the mine, where Xu Che and Zuo Qinghui were waiting with three mortals.
"Dark Moon God, these are the leaders chosen by the mortal mine slaves here. They want to thank you personally."
In front of outsiders, Xu Che did not call Yuan Ming by na but referred to him as the Dark Moon God.
Yuan Ming nodded and looked at the three mortals.
The one on the far left was a middle-aged man, dark-skinned and muscular, looking very strong.
Next to him was a woman equally robust, with a build that matched the man's, her features showing a certain heroic spirit.
The one on the far right was an elderly man with white hair, thin but with bronze skin, showing signs of long labor in the mine.
"Believers Bai Qi, Rong Zhuang, and Qiao Sabei, greet the Dark Moon God."
Seeing Yuan Ming, the three shouted in unison and knelt down.
Behind them, countless mortal mine slaves also knelt, chanting the na of the Dark Moon God.
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