192: The prelude to Chapter 192 was too long.

Director Shi Lei followed Lin Ming and Old Madam Zeng into the City Lord's Mansion, filled with doubt.

The three of them arrived at the main hall.

Tang Jingming, the City Lord, was sitting inside the main hall, seemingly unsurprised by their arrival.

"Mr. Lin, what brings you here?"

Tang Jingming asked.

"City Lord Tang, can you explain why you are cooperating with people from the Soul Refining Sect?"

Lin Ming looked at Tang Jingming and asked.

"The Soul Refining Sect? A demonic sect?!"

Director Shi Lei reacted quickly upon hearing the name.

Isn't the Soul Refining Sect a demonic sect?

"Mr. Lin, have you made a mistake?"

Director Shi Lei immediately looked at Lin Ming and said.

In his view, there must be some misunderstanding regarding his Senior Brother cooperating with a demonic sect.

"Mr. Lin, I fear there might be some misunderstanding here?"

Tang Jingming said with a look of confusion.

He didn't know anything about cooperating with demonic cultivators.

"A misunderstanding? Since City Lord Tang believes it is a misunderstanding, then can you let us take a look underground?"

Lin Ming looked at Tang Jingming with interest and said.

You won't let us?

Then I will just throw the evidence in your face.

Lin Ming knew quite a bit about their cooperation, details, and so on, from Deputy Hall Master Shi Yong's memories.

Finding the so-called evidence from that would be the simplest thing in the world.

Underground?

Upon hearing these two words, Tang Jingming's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

However, this scene was caught by Lin Ming.

"Very well, if Mr. Lin wants to see, then go ahead."

Tang Jingming stood up to welcome them.

"Please follow me."

Tang Jingming stood up and walked past the three of them.

Director Shi Lei was the first to follow Tang Jingming; he still did not believe that his Senior Brother was involved with the demonic sect.

He preferred to believe that this was actually just a misunderstanding.

Old Madam Zeng did not move; her gaze remained on Lin Ming, following his lead in everything.

Seeing this, Lin Ming followed in Tang Jingming's footsteps.

Following Tang Jingming, they arrived in a spacious room.

They saw him open a wooden door, revealing a passage leading to an underground room.

Tang Jingming walked inside, and the three of them followed him into the passage.

"What is this?"

Director Shi Lei saw it; he saw the statue located in the underground secret chamber, and he also saw the mysterious array patterns surrounding the statue.

"Bang..."

The passage was sealed. They saw the passage behind them close as a stone door fell from above, shutting the path.

"Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

Director Shi Lei turned to look at the stone door, and he immediately had a bad premonition.

"The Yin-Void Array of the Soul Refining Sect."

Lin Ming looked at the array patterns in front of him and said.

"It seems Deputy Hall Master Shi Yong died at your hands."

Tang Jingming looked at Lin Ming and said expressionlessly.

"He's not dead yet, he still has a breath left."

Lin Ming said.

"Senior Brother, did you really cooperate with the Soul Refining Sect?"

Director Shi Lei finally understood at this moment; he looked at Tang Jingming in disbelief and said.

He still found it hard to believe.

"Junior Brother, I can no longer see the path ahead in my cultivation."

Tang Jingming shook his head and said.

He had spent hundreds of years languishing at the Spirit Storage Ninth Heaven.

He could not see the path ahead, nor could he see the Bitter Sea Realm.

He was about to die.

"So, the Soul Refining Sect promised to help you achieve a Breakthrough to the Bitter Sea Realm, right?"

Lin Ming said.

"They can help me become a Kuhai Master and allow me to live longer."

Tang Jingming said coldly.

These words basically confirmed his collusion with the Soul Refining Sect.

"It's just a pity; if you had arrived a little later, I would have already achieved a Breakthrough."

Tang Jingming shook his head.

His judgment had been flawed.

He had not known that the Zeng Family's backer would be Yuanxu Mountain.

He also hadn't expected Lin Ming's strength to be so great; even Deputy Hall Master Shi Yong, of the Soul Refining Sect's Twelve Halls, was no match for him.

He had underestimated Lin Ming's strength.

If he had known this, he would not have taken action against the Zeng Family for the time being.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a regret pill in this world.

"Senior Brother, just because of this, you cooperated with a demonic sect!"

Director Shi Lei said to him.

"Junior Brother, can you accept your path of cultivation coming to an end?"

Tang Jingming said.

Upon hearing this, Director Shi Lei fell silent.

To be honest, he was also somewhat unwilling to accept that.

"At least I would not cooperate with a demonic sect."

Director Shi Lei said after a moment of silence.

"Junior Brother, you are still not persistent enough."

Tang Jingming shook his head.

His words were full of disappointment.

"That's enough."

Lin Ming interrupted the conversation between the two Senior and Junior Brothers.

"You should know the consequences of cooperating with a demonic sect."

"Hmph..."

To this, Tang Jingming only let out a cold snort.

The next second, a cold aura emerged from the Yin-Void Array.

Immediately after, the statue also emitted a cold aura.

An attack from the level of the Divine Soul.

In an instant, Director Shi Lei and Old Madam Zeng were controlled by it, their expressions gradually becoming numb.

"Become the nourishment for my cultivation."

Tang Jingming said coldly.

The consequence would be for these three to become the nourishment for his own cultivation, helping him step into the Bitter Sea Realm, and then he would leave Dongchuan City and Yuanxu Mountain as quickly as possible.

This was a plan he had devised on the spot after learning that Lin Ming had not died at the hands of Deputy Hall Master Shi Yong, but had instead killed him.

Lin Ming, at a high stage of the Spirit Treasury, being able to kill Deputy Hall Master Shi Yong of the Bitter Sea Realm, must have paid a considerable price.

And since he had come knocking again, why not kill him and let him become nourishment for his cultivation?

This idea was solidified when Lin Ming suspected he was colluding with the demonic sect.

Since he was courting death, he would certainly fulfill his wish.

A spell was cast from Tang Jingming's hands.

In an instant, the statue moved.

Or rather, the eyes of this humanoid statue moved; its tightly closed eyes opened, and an even more powerful force emerged from within, attacking Lin Ming.

It wanted to completely control Lin Ming.

"Boring."

Lin Ming said slowly.

With just these two words, he dispersed this force.

"Pfft..."

A mouthful of blood spewed from Tang Jingming's mouth.

He took a few steps back in disbelief.

Director Shi Lei and Old Madam Zeng were immediately freed from control.

A look of fear appeared on their faces, and they subconsciously took a few steps back.

"Impossible!"

Tang Jingming shouted.

Why, why was it ineffective against Lin Ming?

"There is nothing impossible."

Lin Ming chuckled.

This statue must be the Soul Statue of the Soul Refining Sect, and the identity of this Soul Statue was the founder of the Soul Refining Sect, Ouyang Sheng.

This statue probably consumed many people's living souls, and Tang Jingming used it to launch a Divine Soul attack at the level of the middle stage of the Bitter Sea Realm.

It was just a pity he had encountered him.

"It's not over yet."

Tang Jingming quickly calmed down.

His attack was not over yet.

Several drops of essential blood were forced out of his hands, and these drops of essential blood merged into the statue.

A dark red light immediately radiated from the array patterns.

"The wind-up is too long."