99: Chapter 99: What's the difference between carrying one pot and carrying two pots?

He didn't reveal himself immediately.

Instead, he felt a flicker of curiosity.

What was this guy doing here?

"A chance encounter is better than a planned one. Little brother, since we've run into each other, I might as well play along with you."

Wang Ming's figure flickered and vanished from the teahouse.

He turned into an invisible shadow, silently tailing behind Chen Ye.

...

The traveling Chen Ye suddenly came to a halt.

He suddenly felt a sharp sensation of being watched, as if a pair of eyes were pressed right against the back of his neck.

"Strange..."

Chen Ye pretended to browse through miscellaneous goods at a roadside stall, while lowering his voice to ask in his mind, "Elder Ming, do you feel... like someone is watching us?"

There was dead silence in the depths of his mind for a moment before Elder Ming's aged voice rang out somewhat hesitantly.

"Hmm? I just swept the area with my Divine Sense. The surroundings are all ant-like Mortals; I didn't detect the aura of any Cultivator. Perhaps your nerves have been too tense lately, and you're imagining things?"

In Elder Ming's current state as a remnant soul, combined with the limitations of Chen Ye's body, the range of his Divine Sense was extremely limited.

Meanwhile, Wang Ming's Divine Sense was already close to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

The reason Elder Ming didn't notice was simply that Wang Ming didn't want him to.

"Is that so..." Chen Ye frowned and looked around again. It was still a peaceful night market scene with no suspicious people in sight.

"It seems I really am being too sensitive." Chen Ye shook his head self-mockingly, suppressing the unease in his heart. "After all, I'm a demonic Cultivator now; it's normal to be jumpy."

On a distant rooftop, Wang Ming stood with one hand behind his back.

"As expected of a former Child of Destiny."

He gave a light chuckle, looking at the black-robed figure below with an amused gaze. "Even though our cultivation levels are worlds apart and his Divine Sense can't capture my presence, that beast-like intuition can still sense something is wrong."

"Unfortunately, intuition won't save you."

Wang Ming's figure blurred, vanishing into the darkness once more.

As the night deepened, the hustle and bustle of Huadu finally began to quiet down.

At the Hour of the Rat, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

Chen Ye finally moved.

Like a stalking leopard, he silently slipped into a secluded alleyway.

A destitute Loose Cultivator lived here, someone at the Early Stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage who made a living by transporting Spiritual Plants for various pharmacies.

"You'll do."

A red glow flashed in Chen Ye's eyes as his black robes surged, instantly transforming into a mass of black mist that squeezed through the cracks of the window.

Inside the room, the Loose Cultivator was sitting in meditation to Cultivate when he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold sweep over him.

"Who's there?!"

He snapped his eyes open and tried to mobilize his spiritual energy, only to find himself tightly bound by a mass of viscous black Qi.

"He—"

Before his cry for help could leave his mouth, Chen Ye's palm had already pressed down on his crown.

"Spirit Devouring Demonic Technique, Absorb!"

Chen Ye shouted inwardly.

The Loose Cultivator's body withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. His once-full flesh instantly turned haggard, and his life force surged into Chen Ye's body like a bursting dam.

The sensation of that warm current flowing through his entire body caused Chen Ye to let out a comfortable sigh.

In just a few breaths, the Loose Cultivator was reduced to a withered corpse of skin and bones, falling to the ground with a thud, completely devoid of life.

"Phew..."

Chen Ye withdrew his hand. He felt the restless Devilish Qi in his body settle slightly, and his cultivation had made an imperceptible gain.

"It's not enough... this bit of power is far too little."

Chen Ye greedily licked his lips and turned his gaze toward his next target.

His current goal was clear—Core Formation.

But what he wanted to form was not the Golden Core of an ordinary Cultivator.

An ordinary Golden Core was the result of spiritual energy being compressed and liquefied until it solidified into a core, emphasizing balance, peace, and following the natural Dao.

But he, as a demonic Cultivator, was walking a Heaven-Defying path.

He wanted to condense a Demonic Core within his Dantian!

This Demonic Core would use the blood essence and Divine Soul of countless Cultivators as nourishment and endless Evil Qi as its furnace.

Once his Demonic Core reached Major Achievement, his Physical Body strength and spiritual energy explosiveness would exceed those of Cultivators in the same Realm by several times!

...

"Interesting, truly interesting."

On the rooftop, Wang Ming watched the black-robed figure below frantically devouring life force, the look of surprise in his eyes growing more intense.

"The dignified Child of Destiny has actually been forced into becoming a demonic Cultivator?"

Just as Wang Ming was marveling at the scene, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly rang in his head.

[Ding! Choice triggered!]

[Option 1: Be a good person and do good deeds. Help the Child of Destiny by taking all the blame upon yourself to facilitate his path of revenge. Reward: One 'Good Person Card' (With this card, you can enjoy an 11% surcharge on all purchases in any shop).]

[Option 2: Show great mercy and help the Child of Destiny find more nourishment to help him grow stronger quickly. Reward: First Dantian cultivation increased to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage.]

[Option 3: Make the Child of Destiny the scapegoat for you, pinning the blame for the Huadu extermination case entirely on him. Reward: second dantian cultivation increased to the Foundation Establishment Stage!]

Listening to the voice in his head, the corners of Wang Ming's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"System, do you have some kind of misunderstanding of the word 'reward'?"

He couldn't help but complain in his heart.

11% surcharge? A discount?

That's a damn price hike!

Increase first Dantian cultivation to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection?

He was already at the Core Formation Stage!

This was basically asking him to cripple his own martial arts and regress an entire major Realm on the spot!

Wang Ming crossed out the first two options without hesitation.

His gaze fell on the third option, and a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

The second dantian...

Right now, it was only at the Qi Condensation stage, yet it was already comparable to the Foundation Establishment of his first Dantian.

The difference in quality between the two was like heaven and earth!

If this second dantian could also reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, combined with his original Core Formation cultivation...

Wang Ming clenched his fist. "Then my strength would likely explode several times over instantly! By then, even against someone at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, I might not be without the strength to fight!"

"Let Chen Ye take the blame..."

Wang Ming looked down at Chen Ye.

"Since you've already helped me carry one pot, you shouldn't mind carrying a few more, right?"

With that thought, Wang Ming pointed a finger toward Chen Ye.

An invisible Divine Sense mark quietly attached itself to Chen Ye's body.

With this Divine Sense mark, he would be able to sense Chen Ye's exact location immediately within a radius of several hundred miles.

He glanced at Chen Ye one last time before turning and vanishing into the night.

He didn't go far, heading to the wealthiest of the major families in Huadu—the Gongsun Family!

If he hadn't suddenly discovered Chen Ye, this would have been his hunting target for today.

"Though there's a bit less foreplay, it doesn't matter anymore."

Wang Ming slowly descended from the air into the Gongsun Family's courtyard.

Many patrolling guards passed right by him, but none of them managed to notice a person standing there.