On the other side, when Lu Zhengâs true body captured Yan Hongxia with the gourd and then used the Earth Travel Technique to escape, the two people and the ghost in the front hall were left bewildered.
"Was it you!?"
The man and woman looked at Earth Puppet Lu Zheng, their faces full of shock.
Lu Zheng had been chasing them all the way using the Cloud Technique, and he was quite skilled. So at first, they didnât notice any flaws. But now, looking back, the strength displayed by Earth Puppet Lu Zheng was indeed somewhat different from before.
"It wasnât me!" Earth Puppet Lu Zheng shook his head seriously.
"It was definitely you!" The man glared at Lu Zheng and shouted angrily.
"It really wasnât me!" Earth Puppet Lu Zheng waved his hands repeatedly.
"Then who was that just now?" the woman asked, somewhat exasperated.
On one hand, they had just lost a Copper Mirror, which was clearly a treasure, and on the other, they were now left alone with a heavily injured companion, facing the Ghost King who had lost the treasure. Their lives were certainly in peril.
"I donât know?" Earth Puppet Lu Zheng said with a shocked, bewildered expression, "Youâre so good at Illusion Technique, wasnât it you?"
"What! Me?" The womanâs voice went up an octave.
The next moment, a pale hand gripped Earth Puppet Lu Zhengâs head, gradually tightening, "Who are you? Return the Treasure Mirror, and I will spare your life. Otherwise, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and grind your bones to dust!"
Earth Puppet Lu Zheng looked up and saw the Ghost Kingâs face, devoid of expression but full of anger.
"Really? I donât believe it!"
Ghost King, "..."
Earth Puppet Lu Zheng pointed at the man and woman in front of him, "These two wanted to take advantage earlier. If you deal with them, Iâll tell you who I am."
The man jumped in fright, "Ghost King senior, do not be deceived. Weâre not with him; they were chasing us just now. That woman is a Sword Cultivator from Cloud Ascending Mountain, named Yan Hongxia. If we find her, weâll naturally know who this guy is."
"Wow, didnât expect that. You guys are quite smart." Earth Puppet Lu Zheng clicked his tongue, then looked at the Ghost King, "Cloud Ascending Mountain, do you dare to go?"
The Ghost King remained silent. Though he hadnât heard of Cloud Ascending Mountain, seeing that even a young disciple like Yan Hongxia had such strength, he could guess the entire Sect was formidable.
"If you donât even dare to go to Cloud Ascending Mountain, surely you wonât go to Jinhua Mountain either?"
The Ghost Kingâs face twitched.
He hadnât heard of Cloud Ascending Mountain, but Jinhua Mountain was nearby, and he had certainly heard of the Jinhua Sect.
A Major Daoist Sect with countless old Daoists possessing millennia of Dao Practice â how could he provoke them?
If he just entered the mountain, he might be obliterated by a mere thought from them.
"No, youâre not from the Jinhua Sect, youâre using Cloud Technique." The man immediately realized, pointing at Earth Puppet Lu Zheng, "Are you a disciple of Jizhou Baiyun Temple?"
Because Yan Hongxia was a Sword Cultivator, and Lu Zheng wore a scholarâs robe, he didnât initially consider this possibility. But now that Lu Zheng mentioned Jinhua Mountain and recalling Lu Zhengâs earlier methods, he guessed Lu Zhengâs identity.
"Wow, you guessed right." Earth Puppet Lu Zheng blinked, "Yes, I am a disciple of White Cloud Temple. You can come find me on White Cloud Mountain."
Ghost King, "..."
Like hell theyâll find you! White Cloud Temple has an even bigger reputation than the Jinhua Sect, you know?
The Ghost King looked at Earth Puppet Lu Zheng, a hint of ferocity flashed in his pitch-black eyes, "I donât need to go to White Cloud Temple to find you. With the Divine Thought in your body, I can track you anytime!"
"Really? I donât believe it!"
Earth Puppet Lu Zheng blinked, then looked at the Ghost King again, "You were interrupted in your refining process and lost the Treasure Mirror; shouldnât you need Yang Qi to replenish?"
Just as he finished speaking, the pair of men and women simultaneously stepped back.
"Ghost King senior, we can cooperate. These two canât have gone far. We too have a big grudge with them. Why not join forces to pursue and execute them?"
"Whether you can catch up with me is another matter, but are you sure you wonât head due south to the Southern Border as soon as you leave the manor and flee far away?"
Earth Puppet Lu Zheng blinked, "Why not absorb some Yang Qi first to recover, then extract the Divine Thought from my body to catch me?"
The pair took another step back.
"Ghost King senior, donât believe his divisive words. We were being chased horribly by them before. If Ghost King senior helps us, weâd be glad to eliminate them." the woman said.
"Ghost King senior! Heâs stalling for time!"
The man suddenly said, "They canât have run far; they might still be nearby. Heâs just being unreasonable. If we go out immediately, we might catch up with them without needing to visit Cloud Ascending Mountain or White Cloud Mountain."
The Ghost Kingâs eyebrows perked up.
"Are you sure?" Earth Puppet Lu Zheng looked at the man like he was an idiot, "Did you just not see how we left?"
Earth Puppet Lu Zheng looked at the Ghost King, "This guy knows you canât catch them nor find us; heâs trying to fool you. Once they leave the manor, theyâll surely flee at full speed."
"Youâre talking nonsense!" The man angrily rebuked.
"Whether Iâm talking nonsense, you know in your hearts." Earth Puppet Lu Zheng looked at the Ghost King, "Look at the fight just now, these two only hid in the back shooting cold arrows, youâll know what sort of people they are. With people like this, do you dare to cooperate with them and let them go?"
Seeing the pair about to explode, Earth Puppet Lu Zheng promptly stopped, "Alright, I think my words have already touched your souls. Iâll say no more. You decide what to do; Iâll be waiting for you to find me. Iâm off, see you."
"Hmm?"
The Ghost Kingâs eyes flashed, about to draw out Lu Zhengâs Divine Thought from this body.
But just as he raised his hand, the person before him collapsed, turning into a lifeless earthen puppet.
As for how this Divine Thought vanished, he didnât see it at all.
Top-tier Technique!
The Ghost King took a deep breath.
He also served under a Great Power deep in the Netherworld. Although his own strength was lacking, he wasnât ignorant and knew such a Technique was not something the average person could inherit and use.
Coupled with the Earth Travel Technique...
This person must be something like a core Direct Lineage in White Cloud Temple!
So my Treasure Mirror...
The Ghost King felt his heart bleeding.
Betrayed his master, smuggled into the mortal world, all to refine the Treasure Mirror and be under no one.
Secretly cultivated in the wilderness, ten years of hard work â and just as success was near, the Treasure Mirror was snatched away?
Cloud Ascending Mountain! White Cloud Temple!
All are entities he cannot afford to provoke!
He only hoped they do not recognize the Treasure Mirrorâs mystical power and value, nor hand it over to their Sect. That way heâd still have a chance to steal it back secretly.
The Ghost King grew more and more furious as he thought, looking at the man and woman with fiery anger.
"Itâs all because of you, choosing to run nowhere better than my manor!"
"Ghost King senior!"
"Senior! Please listen to us!"