Han Ming entered the secret chamber, fully alert.
Inside, there were only two other people.
"Welcome, welcome," Sun Lingtong said enthusiastically, clapping his hands.
Sun Lingtong sat at the main seat in the center, with a row of three chairs on each side.
On the middle seat of the row to his left sat an elderly man, his face weathered and expression gloomy. He scrutinized Han Ming upon her arrival.
Han Ming’s gaze flickered as she looked at the old man, feeling a sense of familiarity.
She pondered for a moment, then recalled, "That’s the mechanical artisan from the Black Market, the one who sells wish-fulfilling ropes."
"Please, take a seat," Sun Lingtong gestured.
Han Ming sat on the right row, choosing the seat farthest from the others, closest to the chamber’s exit.
"Sun Lingtong, you’ve offered a substantial reward to invite me here. Just tell me what you want," Han Ming said directly as she sat down.
Han Ming, a foundation establishment stage demonic cultivator, was beautiful yet bore a tinge of grayish hue on her face, exuding a constant chill that gave her an eerie, cold beauty.
Sun Lingtong clapped his hands in praise, "Straightforward! Very well, I’ll get to the point."
"I plan to target Sun Lie, and after careful thought, I believe you, Han Ming, are the ideal collaborator."
"Oh?" Han Ming raised her brows slightly. "You’re also after the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill?"
A year ago, Sun Lie had refined eighteen Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills.
After delivering most to the Zhou family, the remainder was quickly up for grabs.
Sun Lie, generous and carefree, was intoxicated at the time and suggested a competition among interested cultivators, allowing the winner to claim all.
Han Ming had been present.
As an outer disciple of the Soul Devouring Sect, practicing the Nine Turns Soul Devouring Art, the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill was incredibly valuable to her.
She had joined the competition, but the intense rivalry forced her to use her demonic arts, killing one foundation establishment cultivator and severely injuring three others.
This incident exposed her identity as a demonic cultivator.
Sun Lie, of course, refused to award the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill to a demonic cultivator publicly, forcing Han Ming to flee.
Ning Zhuo spoke in a raspy, slow voice, "Who wouldn’t want the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill?"
Sun Lingtong nodded, "Indeed, we want even more."
"Sun Lie is a master alchemist who has resided in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for over a year now. Many seek his alchemy services."
"His success rate in alchemy is extremely high, and after completing each commission, he usually has several pills left over."
"I’ve discovered that his storage chamber has racks filled with hundreds of bottles of pills!"
Han Ming nodded slightly, already intrigued.
Her exposure had occurred a year ago, and she had lingered in Fire Persimmon Immortal City out of unwillingness to abandon her pursuit of the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill.
Over the past year, she had gathered considerable information, even attempting to investigate Sun Lie multiple times, all to no avail.
"Sun Lie is at the peak of foundation establishment and possesses formidable combat strength," Han Ming said.
"Moreover, he’s a master alchemist, under the hospitality of the city lord's estate, residing in the Purple Sun Courtyard."
"The Purple Sun Courtyard belongs to the city lord's estate, and its protective formation is connected to the Immortal City Grand Formation."
"Thus, the Purple Sun Furnace within the courtyard can draw upon the endless earth fire of Fire Persimmon Mountain to refine pills."
"Even without considering the courtyard’s guards, the protective formation alone isn’t something we can break through quickly."
"If we end up in a prolonged battle, the city’s guards will surround us from all sides."
Sun Lingtong laughed heartily, "Han Ming, don’t forget which sect I belong to. Take a look at this!"
He pulled out a talisman.
Han Ming’s eyes brightened with delight upon seeing it, "A formation-breaking talisman? Excellent!"
"I agree to this plan."
"But let me make this clear: I want at least three Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills."
Sun Lingtong smiled without answering.
Ning Zhuo snorted coldly, "You must be dreaming! If we give you even one, you should consider yourself lucky."
"Had the planned participants arrived on time, there’s no way we’d be adding an outsider like you at the last minute."
Han Ming’s face darkened, exuding a murderous aura.
Narrowing her eyes at Ning Zhuo, she said, "The last foundation establishment cultivator who treated me this way died a year ago. Another three were severely injured."
Ning Zhuo chuckled coldly, "Do you think this old man is like those weaklings?"
As he spoke, his hair coiled into thick, black whip-like strands that rose like snakes.
From beneath his cloak, several mechanical birds peeked their heads out, with a dozen pairs of lightning-filled eyes inspecting Han Ming.
Han Ming’s heart tightened.
With the Immortal City’s grand formation in place, spell-focused cultivators like her were at a disadvantage in combat.
Physical cultivators, corpse cultivators, beast-taming cultivators, and mechanical cultivators all had a considerable advantage under these conditions.
Though Han Ming couldn’t discern Ning Zhuo’s true strength, she knew he had made a fortune selling wish-fulfilling ropes.
To have amassed so much wealth and survived so long, he was clearly no ordinary cultivator.
Sun Lingtong clapped his hands to ease the tension, "Alright, alright."
"We’re here to cooperate, not to fight each other."
"Han Ming, you come from a prestigious demonic sect and are very powerful. But let me assure you, the Mysterious Puppet Master is not inferior to you."
Han Ming snorted and retracted her killing intent.
Ning Zhuo also let his whips unwind, pulling his cloak back over the restless silent thunderbird flock beneath.
Seizing the moment, Sun Lingtong said, "This time, for our raid on the Purple Sun Courtyard, it will be just the three of us. Each of us is guaranteed at least one Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pill."
"The actual split will depend on our contributions during the action."
"What do you both think?"
Silence filled the chamber.
Ning Zhuo remained silent.
Han Ming pondered.
She didn’t fully trust Ning Zhuo but had faith in Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong was from the Void Sect, a sect as prestigious as the Soul Devouring Sect.
Their statuses were equal.
Sun Lingtong had also run the Black Market in Fire Persimmon Immortal City for years, earning a reputation for reliability.
"He’s the big fish here. If he’s confident about attacking the Purple Sun Courtyard, he must have a solid plan."
"If I miss this chance, who knows how long I’ll have to wait?"
With this thought, Han Ming nodded slightly, her tone icy, "I agree."
Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo finally nodded, "Very well, let’s sign a contract."
Purple Sun Courtyard.
Alchemy Chamber.
Sun Lie and Meng Chong stood before the Purple Sun Furnace.
The furnace, over two meters high, took up nearly half of the alchemy chamber. Its red-bronze body radiated intense heat.
Meng Chong eyed the furnace, still processing what he had just heard, "Old Sun, you want to place me inside the furnace and roast me like an ingredient?"
Sun Lie took a swig from his gourd of strong wine, his cheeks flushed, "Hahaha, that’s right!"
Meng Chong frowned in confusion, "Using a person as an ingredient—this sounds like a demonic cultivation alchemy method."
Sun Lie rolled his eyes, "Demonic cultivation? Righteous path or demonic path, it’s all about practicality."
"What works best, you use it."
"Is there really a difference between orthodox and demonic methods in the path of cultivation?"