Phoenix Hall Master

"Disciple Li Tianming greets the Hall Master."

Li Tianming recognized the person immediately and quickly bowed.

This person was one of the five Hall Masters of Yanhuang Academy, the legendary Hall Master of Phoenix Hall, named Wei Zikun.

Within Yanhuang Academy, apart from the Academy Master and a few figures from the Heavenly Mansion, the five Hall Masters held the highest status and position.

The person before him was the absolute ruler of the entire Phoenix Hall.

Being in charge of Phoenix Hall meant he was definitely young and promising. His age was clearly less than Li Yanfeng's, but he was likely already a top expert in Vermilion Bird Country.

Four years ago, Li Tianming had cultivated in the academy for a year and had barely seen this Hall Master. He hadn't expected him to appear before him the moment he arrived this time.

Of course, he wasn't here for him.

"Mu Wan, is this your new disciple?" The Hall Master of Phoenix Hall glanced at Li Tianming twice.

"Yes, Hall Master," Mu Wan replied respectfully and seriously, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

"The ranking battle is in three days. Although you are older, your strength is still decent. Strive for a good ranking and bring honor to Phoenix Hall."

"After all, the ranking battle doesn't consider age," the Hall Master of Phoenix Hall said.

The trial battle considered age factors and gave appropriate score reductions.

However, for the ranking battle, to ensure unified management, and because the age difference among all junior disciples wasn't too large, the final rankings did not take age into account.

Although Li Tianming was the oldest in the junior class, this wouldn't be a disadvantage; he was actually getting a benefit.

"What are you spacing out for?" Mu Wan shot Li Tianming a glance.

"Replying to the Hall Master, I will naturally do my utmost," Li Tianming said earnestly.

"All five Hall Masters will be present at the ranking battle. We'll see your performance then."

After speaking, the Hall Master of Phoenix Hall turned to Mu Wan with a smile, "Are you ready? The lantern festival is about to begin."

"I'm ready, Hall Master," Mu Wan nodded.

"Go out and relax. Just call me Brother Kun, no need to be formal." The Hall Master of Phoenix Hall said.

"Yes, Brother Kun."

"Please."

The two of them were likely going to the lantern festival together.

The Hall Master had been waiting for Mu Wan for a while when suddenly fighting sounds came from this direction, so they came over.

After driving away Fang Zhao and the others, they naturally had to leave.

As they departed, Mu Wan turned back and shot Li Tianming a discreet glare, signaling him not to cause trouble.

Once they left, only Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chicken remained.

"Feeling sad? That old man is hitting on your Senior Master Mu Wan," Little Yellow Chicken said gleefully.

"You can't tell from this, can you? Senior Master Mu Wan is so respectful to him, she clearly doesn't like him."

"I've heard for a long time that the Hall Master has intentions towards Senior Master, but she has always refused," Li Tianming said calmly.

In fact, Mu Wan probably had some background, otherwise, how could she resist the advances of a Hall Master-level figure like Wei Zikun?

In Phoenix Hall, Wei Zikun had the final say, and Phoenix Hall was practically one-fifth of Yanhuang Academy.

Actually, these matters weren't of much consequence to him. What truly mattered was the ranking battle in three days!

At that time, all five Hall Masters would be present.

Many top figures from Yandu would be watching the battle on the Yanhuang Battlefield.

The scene then would definitely be more than ten times livelier than the trial battle!

Even high-ranking figures from the Vermilion Bird Royal Family, Thunder Venerable Mansion, Heavenly Mechanism Palace, Starry Sky Merchant Association, and others would descend upon the Yanhuang Battlefield.

After all, the younger generation of their families was engaged in a battle that concerned their future and reputation.

How the junior class ranking battle was decided, and who would become the First Disciple, was the most anticipated event of the year in the entire Vermilion Bird Country.

After all, the youth were the future, the guarantee of family inheritance.

For these prestigious families to have a long-lasting legacy, geniuses had to emerge generation after generation.

How to determine if geniuses were emerging? It was simple: the Yanhuang Academy ranking battle!

Even geniuses from the Heavenly Mansion like Lin Xiaoting and Mu Qingqing would likely be present, watching from a private room!

For this ranking battle, Li Tianming once again devoted himself to cultivation.

He was exceptionally diligent. He could have let Little Yellow Chicken lead the cultivation while he enjoyed the process, but he didn't.

Every step of his growth these days had been solid, all for the purpose of having a stronger foundation in battle.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two and a half days had passed. Tomorrow was the ranking battle that would shake the entire city.

Li Tianming naturally did not forget his promise to his mother.

He wouldn't have time tomorrow, so he planned to bring his mother over tonight.

Tomorrow, she'll be able to watch me fight for her with her own eyes.

This is extremely important to Li Tianming.

This might be his only chance to enter the Heavenly Mansion, and his primary goal there is to cure his mother's illness. He hopes she can witness it.

With her present, perhaps he can unleash two hundred percent of his combat power!

He'd been busy cultivating and hadn't gone back to see Wei Jing for several days.

"I wonder if she's gotten used to living in Yandu these past few days."

Li Tianming had hired an auntie to take care of her daily needs. If not for the torment of her injuries, Wei Jing should have been living quite comfortably.

At night, Li Tianming passed through a deep alleyway.

His newly purchased house was not far from Yanhuang Academy; it would take him about half a quarter-hour to get back.

These past few days were the lantern festival in Yandu, so the streets and alleys were lively, filled with song and dance, presenting a scene of prosperity and happiness.

The prosperity of Yandu was something Lihuo City could absolutely not compare to.

While lost in thought, Li Tianming returned home. From a distance, he saw that the lights in the house were completely out, plunging it into darkness.

"Mother went to sleep this early?"

To avoid waking her, Li Tianming quietly opened the door and stepped into the courtyard. The largest room in the east wing was Wei Jing's current bedroom.

However, Li Tianming didn't hear steady breathing. Instead, he heard muffled, distressed murmurs!

Wei Jing was definitely inside, but something was definitely wrong!

Whether it was the discomfort caused by her illness or some other reason, Li Tianming would only know once he went inside.

In the dim night, his eyes couldn't see clearly, but the eye on his left palm had the same vision as it did during the day.

Without a word, Li Tianming pushed the door open.

"Please, don't let anything be wrong."

Honestly, Wei Jing was too fragile right now, so his heart leaped into his throat.

Pushing the door open, Li Tianming was shocked to see Wei Jing lying on the bed.

She was covered by a quilt, seemingly asleep normally, but now she seemed to be struggling, her voice weak and pained.

"What's happening!" Li Tianming's head throbbed.

He hated seeing Wei Jing hurt the most. Hearing her weak, pained voice, he knew she was in immense discomfort.

His heart immediately grew restless.

He quickly appeared beside his mother and threw back the quilt.

The next instant, Li Tianming's eyes widened in disbelief, turning red as ferocious blood vessels spread across his eyeballs.

What he saw was dozens of blood-red, thumb-thick worms crawling on Wei Jing's body.

These worms were disgusting. One end had a circle of teeth, and they were using these teeth to tear at Wei Jing's skin, sucking her blood!

Such a sight felt like it tore Li Tianming's heart in two!

"Blood Nether Worms!"

Li Tianming recognized them instantly. These dangerous and disgusting creatures were enough to make people tremble at the mere mention of them.

The so-called Blood Nether Worms were actually a type of leech that fed exclusively on human blood.

Who put Blood Nether Worms on Wei Jing's body!

Wei Jing had no power to resist. Her Companion Beast was also suffering from the Minor Life Tribulation and was now lying in a corner.

It too was covered in Blood Nether Worms, even more so than Wei Jing.

Who would place such cruel creatures on a defenseless patient!

This scene made Li Tianming feel like he was about to explode. Surging Beast Essence began to swell, and in an instant, his aura became overwhelming.

If he had returned any later, wouldn't he have seen Wei Jing bled dry and dead?

If that happened, he would be filled with guilt for the rest of his life and become a madman forever.

He didn't need to be told; he knew there was another person in the room.

It was this person who had caused Li Tianming to erupt with such intense killing intent.

"Li Tianming, disciple of Yanhuang Academy, you've finally appeared. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

A sinister voice came from behind him.

When Li Tianming turned around, a man wearing a black veil and a black tight-fitting outfit stood in the darkness.

Only his eyes were visible. The most distinctive feature of his clothing was a blood-red, enchanting flower on his chest.

"Blood Flower Hall."

With such an obvious symbol, Li Tianming could naturally identify it.

This was the most terrifying assassin organization in Vermilion Bird Country, operating in the shadows and specializing in contract killings.

They asked for a very high price, but their success rate was also extremely high, earning them a formidable reputation in the assassin world.

However, Li Tianming never expected that this legendary Blood Flower Hall would come after him!

From the current situation, it was clear their target was him, not Wei Jing, otherwise Wei Jing would have already died.

But, to kill Li Tianming, placing Blood Nether Worms on Wei Jing was simply intolerable.

Li Tianming wouldn't ask who had placed the bounty on him, because their fundamental professional ethics dictated absolute secrecy regarding their employer.

In fact, they might not even know the employer themselves, as they were simply assigned tasks.

These assassins never came into contact with the employer.

If they were coming to kill him, they must be aware of his strength, and the assassin sent would undoubtedly be one with absolute confidence.

Right now, he and Wei Jing were in absolute danger; facing such a life-or-death crisis, they might both perish on the spot.

Bounty hunting was the most brutal and heartless profession; no one showed mercy to their prey.

The opponent he faced this time was completely different from the previous ones.

Before, Li Tianming could face them with a smile, but now, death was like a blade pressed directly against his throat.

As the man spoke, Li Tianming saw a giant, fleshy worm lying on the ground.

The worm was as thick as a thigh, wriggling on the ground, with an opening at both its head and tail.

The head opening had rows of sharp teeth, while the tail opening was continuously spewing out Blood Nether Worms, each about the thickness of a thumb.

There were over a thousand of these Blood Nether Worms, and they had already filled the entire room. The eaves, floor, and doorposts were all covered in these grotesque creatures.

That giant fleshy worm was undoubtedly the "Blood Nether Mother Emperor"!

This was a ferocious Companion Beast, not a Fierce Beast.

The Blood Nether Mother Emperor, in terms of both species and attribute, belonged to the special category, a typical dual-special Companion Beast.

Its species was leech, a type of annelid Companion Beast.

Its attribute was the Mother Emperor type, an attribute that allowed it to produce a large number of offspring for attack.

Some Companion Beasts, like ant queens or bee queens, belonged to the Mother Emperor type.

Therefore, this Blood Nether Mother Emperor was a "Mother Emperor type annelid Companion Beast"!

[Important] There will be one more chapter tonight at 12 AM!