A Kind and Benevolent Elder (Please Favorite During the Recommendation Period! Please Vote!)

After a while, blood seeped from the corner of Chen Huan's mouth. But the view before him suddenly opened up—he had finally escaped the Mountain Forest!

"Hahahahahaha..." Though the Human-Faced Spider was still hot on his heels, Chen Huan felt an immense sense of relief.

Beyond the Mountain Forest, there were at most a dozen or so miles to go before he reached the Netherworld Demon Subduing Array's range.

Once he got there, if the Human-Faced Spider didn't stop, it was as good as dead.

"That little bastard Pei Ling nearly ruined years of my hard work." Chen Huan stole a glance over his shoulder. The Human-Faced Spider's eyes were bloodshot, and it showed no sign of giving up. He couldn't help but sneer to himself. Once I find him again, I'll chop him into pieces and feed him to the Soul Summoning Banner!

"But that little bastard accidentally did me a good turn."

"The Human-Faced Spider still hasn't calmed down enough to weigh the pros and cons. There's a good chance it'll chase me straight into the city's protective array."

"Then I can just collect its corpse. A Foundation Establishment Realm beast—even if the array reduces it to ashes, the tiniest bit left over will still be enough to make me a small fortune... Just what I need to repair the Soul Summoning Banner."

The thought filled him with even greater delight. Even the wounds all over his body seemed to ease.

Just then, a breeze swept in from the side, and City Lord Duanmu appeared in midair.

"City Lord?!" Chen Huan froze. He immediately realized he might not get to claim the Human-Faced Spider's remains after all. But then he thought it over: the Blood Burning Great Method was about to wear off. Even if he managed to reach the array, the Spider might land a desperate blow on him, or some other danger might arise and throw everything into disarray.

Running into City Lord Duanmu now might not be a bad thing.

He put on a smile and hurriedly changed course, calling out as he ran toward him, "City Lord, save me! I don't know why that Human-Faced Spider left its nest, but it's been chasing me all this way. It's exhausted from the long journey—this is the perfect chance for you to strike!"

City Lord Duanmu glanced over him. When he saw the Soul Summoning Banner, a smile immediately appeared in his eyes. "Good."

At his words, delight surfaced on Chen Huan's face, and he sped up even more toward City Lord Duanmu. Then the other man raised a hand and struck down with his palm.

The blow looked light, as if it held no force at all. Yet Chen Huan was sent flying several yards, blood spraying from his mouth! He couldn't even hold on to the Soul Summoning Banner, which flew from his grasp and hit the ground.

"City Lord, what do you mean by this?!" Chen Huan was horrified, though a thread of hope still remained in his heart. If City Lord Duanmu had wanted to kill him, that last blow would have been enough to take his life. Since he was only gravely wounded, the City Lord clearly hadn't intended to kill him.

Thinking this, he studied the other man's expression. City Lord Duanmu ignored his question, his gaze fixed on the Soul Summoning Banner. Chen Huan's face twitched. He was about to say something, but a hand formed of spiritual energy had already risen behind City Lord Duanmu. It seized the banner and held it out before him.

"Good stuff!" The Soul Summoning Banner had been refined by Chen Huan, so it naturally resisted in City Lord Duanmu's hands. It struggled and wailed without pause, trying to fly back to Chen Huan. City Lord Duanmu examined it without taking offense. Instead, he stroked his short beard and praised it. "As expected of a top-grade Talisman Tool! A mere Qi Refining Stage Talisman Tool actually dares to resist a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

"With such a fierce nature, given time, it'll surely become a great aid to its cultivator."

As he spoke, a formation plate appeared in his hand. A streak of Black Light flashed out, enveloping the Soul Summoning Banner. In the space of a single breath, Chen Huan felt as if a steel blade had plunged into his mind and forcibly severed something.

He couldn't help but let out a heart-rending scream!

Then he realized that his connection to the Soul Summoning Banner had been severed completely.

City Lord Duanmu put the Soul Summoning Banner away with unhurried ease. He then pointed a finger, and several vines as thick as bowls suddenly sprouted from the bare ground, binding Chen Huan tightly.

After that, he summoned a mass of Dark Clouds and sat cross-legged atop it, floating in midair as he waited with complete composure.

Before long, the Human-Faced Spider caught up. It sensed the presence of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and hesitated briefly, but instead of retreating, it pressed forward, its ferocity on full display!

"Fellow Daoist, I am the City Lord of Luoshan City. The Netherworld Demon Subduing Array lies not far behind me." City Lord Duanmu was unfazed. He cupped his hands from atop the clouds and spoke slowly. "Though I don't know how these juniors offended you, as the saying goes, it's better to untie a knot than tighten it. With your abilities, I imagine you've already killed a few along the way. Now I'll hand this Qi Refining Stage boy over to you as well, and we can let the matter end here—at least for today. What do you say?"

Chen Huan was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. He screamed, "Duanmu Yan! You dare?! A Foundation Establishment Cultivator harming someone in the Qi Refining Stage is bullying the weak! According to the sect's rules, you—"

"Enough noise!" City Lord Duanmu's expression didn't change as he chided him coolly. With a wave of his hand, Chen Huan felt as if his mouth had been glued shut. He couldn't speak another word.

City Lord Duanmu paid him no further attention and earnestly negotiated with the Human-Faced Spider. "Chen Huan may not be enough to make up for your losses, Fellow Daoist, but he's at least a token of my goodwill. You came out of the deep mountains to lay eggs; your vitality must be badly depleted by now. Even if you don't enter the Netherworld Demon Subduing Array, our cultivation levels are similar. Though a demon beast's body is strong, you won't gain much by fighting me."

"And if you attract the attention of an expert from my Sacred Sect, you'll have no chance of survival."

"So let's end this here. It's better for both of us."

The Human-Faced Spider hissed through its mouthparts, its limbs waving in the air as if in refusal.

"You insist on a fight, then?" City Lord Duanmu sneered at the sight. "Do you really think I'm backing down because I'm afraid of you, Duanmu Yan?!"

Before his words had even faded, spiritual energy surged around him. The formation plate in his hand seethed with corpse energy, its killing intent razor-sharp!

For a moment, even the Human-Faced Spider's savage aura was suppressed.

The Human-Faced Spider let out a low growl. Its four pairs of legs dug deep furrows into the ground. When they scraped past rocks, sparks flew, a clear sign of its agitation.

A moment later, it threw back its head and let out a shrill screech, then suddenly spat out a web!

City Lord Duanmu watched calmly.

The web dropped over Chen Huan!

The venom in the Human-Faced Spider's silk burned the skin all over his body in an instant. Though Chen Huan couldn't make a sound, he couldn't help but writhe in agony.

Yet even that wasn't enough to vent the Human-Faced Spider's fury and hatred. It dragged Chen Huan close, and its legs, sharp as knives, severed his limbs in an instant. Then, right in front of him, it began chewing on one of his arms!

As it chewed, its eyes—brimming with murderous fury—remained fixed on City Lord Duanmu.

City Lord Duanmu toyed with his newly acquired Soul Summoning Banner. He wore a faint, amused smile and didn't so much as bat an eye.

The Human-Faced Spider deliberately slowed its eating, finishing Chen Huan's four limbs piece by piece. Seeing that City Lord Duanmu remained completely at ease, it weighed its options again and again. In the end, it angrily flung Chen Huan, now little more than a limbless torso, onto its back and retreated, seething with hatred.

"Farewell, Fellow Daoist." At the sight, City Lord Duanmu also breathed a sigh of relief. He pinched a spell, and Chen Huan, who was on the verge of death, discovered that he could finally speak again. Summoning his last strength, he cried, "City Lord, spare me! Consider the Soul Summoning Banner my gift to you! I'll serve you as a slave... I swear a heart-demon oath to serve you and Senior Brother Mingyan for the rest of my life. I'll brave fire and water without hesitation... Please, City Lord, spare my life!"

"Please show mercy, City Lord!!!"

"City Lord... City Lord, I delivered messages for Senior Brother Mingyan. Senior Brother Mingyan and I were as close as brothers, City Lord!"

"If you spare my life, I'll serve House Duanmu for all eternity!!!"

City Lord Duanmu stood with his hands behind his back, a smile at the corners of his mouth, unmoved.

All hope in Chen Huan's heart was utterly extinguished, replaced by hysterical curses. "Duanmu Yan! You beast!!! As the City Lord of Luoshan City, you should protect the Sacred Sect's disciples, yet you dare openly rob and murder! You'll die a horrible death!!!"

"And you, little bastard Pei Ling!!!"

"The sect's Deacon Hall won't let you get away with this!!!"

City Lord Duanmu treated his words as no more than a mountain breeze, paying them no heed.

He chuckled, swept his sleeve with a lighthearted flourish, and once again turned into a breeze as he returned to Luoshan City.