C110 Plague Rat

Ning Qi was at his wealthiest in over a year, now tantalizingly close to affording the 160,000 Moonlight Blade.

He shifted his attention to the raging bull carcass on the ground. "I can't let the raging bull horns and bezoar go to waste."

At Ning Qi's command, Purple tirelessly snapped off the raging bull horns and brought them to his side. Meanwhile, Ning Qi wielded the Dragon Slaying Blade, harvesting both the horns and the bezoar.

Before long, his spatial bag swelled with over a hundred bezoars and more than a thousand pairs of raging bull horns. Selling these to Lvh Liu could fetch him a Profound Rank Supreme Battle Weapon.

"My next objective is to level up to Peak Grand Battle Master and see what advancement mission the system has in store for me."

Ning Qi unfolded a rough map of Tianfeng Forest, scanning for the closest Demonic Beast clans. "The most powerful Demonic Beasts here cap at the Fifth Rank, but there could be undiscovered Sixth Rank ones. Wandering aimlessly could be risky."

"A Third Rank Fire Spirit Fox is tricky to capture."

"A Fourth Rank fire ape, seemingly quite clever. Last time, it even spoke human language, making it a tough opponent."

"Third Rank Plague Rat?"

Considering the notorious swarming nature of rat-type Demonic Beasts, Ning Qi's lips curled into a smile as he decided to target the Plague Rat.

Huangfu Fei had fled for three to four hundred miles without stopping. Glancing back and seeing no pursuit from Ning Qi or the Purple Lightning Bird, he breathed a sigh of relief. Ning Qi must not have detected him.

"In such a short time, he's raised a Fifth Rank adult Purple Lightning Bird. At this rate, I won't even need to bother with avenging Hong San! But he dared to kill Sun Zeshi. If I leak this to the Sun family, Grandmaster Sun himself will surely take action. Then, I can just sit back and enjoy the spoils."

A smug smile played across Huangfu Fei's face.

"Friend, please hold up a moment."

Out of nowhere, a figure darted in front of Huangfu Fei with incredible speed. The overwhelming presence of a Peak Battle King instantly subdued him.

A flicker of caution sparked in Huangfu Fei's eyes. He was in Tianfeng Forest, far from the safety of Jing City. Here, if he ran into a home-invading bandit, his chances of escape would be slim.

"Senior, may I help you with something?"

Huangfu Fei bowed slightly with his hands clasped together in a gesture of respect.

Despite being a Three Star Battle King, he knew better than to drop his guard around a Peak Battle King who was a mere half-step from ascending to Battle Emperor status. In Jing City, of course, the dynamics would be quite different.

"Have you seen this person?"

Pleased with Huangfu Fei's deference, Qiu Wanli allowed a genial smile to surface and produced a portrait of Ning Qi.

Huangfu Fei's demeanor shifted subtly, a detail that Qiu Wanli did not miss. His expression chilled. "Have you seen him?"

After a brief pause, Huangfu Fei replied with due respect, "Indeed, I have. He's about three to four hundred miles back that way." It was then that he realized why this man seemed so familiar.

"Hundred-Headed Devil, Qiu Wanli!"

Recognition dawned on him, and a chill ran down his spine.

Qiu Wanli let out a mocking chuckle, fixing his gaze on Huangfu Fei. "You know who I am, don't you?"

With a forced smile and a nod, Huangfu Fei responded, "Senior Qiu, your renown is unmatched. It would be foolish not to recognize you."

Qiu Wanli's voice turned icy. "Then you shall accompany me."

Reluctance flooded Huangfu Fei's heart. The number of Battle Kings who had perished at Qiu Wanli's hand was legion, with over thirty from the Qintang Empire alone, all for having crossed him. Yet, inexplicably, no Battle Emperor had ever sought to apprehend Qiu Wanli, as if there was an unspoken agreement to overlook his transgressions.

If only Huangfu Fei knew of the Blood Kill Sect's support behind Qiu Wanli, he wouldn't be so puzzled.

"Senior."

In that instant, Qiu Wanli's expression shifted, and a palpable aura of lethal intent emanated from him.

Huangfu Fei swiftly changed his tune, saying, "Then I'll accompany you."

"Is he the Dragon Slaying Marquis from the Qintang Empire? Senior, are you familiar with him?"

Throughout their journey, Huangfu Fei was eager to extract some information from Qiu Wanli.

Qiu Wanli, seemingly unfazed by the Qintang Empire, stated plainly, "Someone's offered me a bounty to take him out."

A look of relief washed over Huangfu Fei's face.

Upon reaching the location where Ning Qi had been, they were greeted by nothing but the carcasses of bulls strewn across the ground; Ning Qi himself was nowhere to be found.

Qiu Wanli's icy gaze fell upon Huangfu Fei.

Sweat beaded on Huangfu Fei's forehead as he explained, "Senior, he was definitely here earlier. He and the Sun family patriarch from Phoenix Capital City, Sun Zeshi, slaughtered these raging bulls. But Ning Qi also had a Fifth Rank adult Purple Lightning Bird and, it seems, he ended up killing Sun Zeshi as well."

"Where's Sun Zeshi's body, then?" Qiu Wanli inquired.

Scanning the area and finding no sign of Sun Zeshi, Huangfu Fei forced a chuckle and replied, "It's possible that Ning Qi disposed of Sun Zeshi's body."

Qiu Wanli spotted the distinctive footprints of the Purple Lightning Bird on the ground. After examining the scene, he confirmed, "These are indeed from the Purple Lightning Bird."

Huangfu Fei hastily added, "He can't have gone far."

"Then join me in the search. Rest assured, once we find him, you're free to go," Qiu Wanli stated.

Huangfu Fei, not daring to refuse, quickly concurred.

Ning Qi stood at the entrance of a dark cavern, reeking of decay and echoing with the cries of Plague Rats. Nestled in the deepest part of the valley, encircled by mountains that shielded it from the sun's rays all year round, the cave's rocks were slick with moisture and moss, a perfect breeding ground for the Plague Rats.

As Ning Qi debated the risks of venturing into the cave, he noticed two dark figures approaching from the sky. Swiftly, he concealed himself beneath the cave's overhang. The two silhouettes paused overhead in the valley sky, but with the rock face hiding him, they failed to detect Ning Qi's presence.

Ning Qi instantly recognized one of the individuals as his nemesis. It was Hong San's master, the Head Chief of the Divine Martial Duke's Mansion, Huangfu Fei!

He then promptly inspected the attributes of the other elder.

Blood Kill Sect: Qiu Wanli.

Rank: Peak Battle King.

Cultivation Technique: Blood Pool Divine Arts of medium Earth Rank.

Martial Technique: Blood Fiend Eighteen Forms, low Earth Rank.

HP: 52,000.

"A Peak Battle King from the Blood Kill Sect, and he's a Qiu? What's he doing with Huangfu Fei?"

Ning Qi had a bone to pick with the Blood Kill Sect, having eliminated both a Grand Battle Master and a Battle Spirit from their ranks. He clearly remembered the Battle Spirit was named Qiu Baishou, sharing the Qiu surname. Could there be a family connection between Qiu Baishou and Qiu Wanli?

With this thought, Ning Qi stealthily made his way into the cave.

Despite having Purple by his side, he was outmatched by a Three Star Battle King and a Peak Battle King. His only option was to steer clear of them for the time being.

"The scent of the Purple Lightning Bird has vanished here."

Qiu Wanli's brow creased as he surveyed the area with piercing eyes, yet Ning Qi's presence remained undetected.