Whoosh!
While Lin Mo and Qi Heng were talking, an exceptionally burly, blood-red figure streaked in from the outer city and stopped abruptly above the inner city square.
He stood roughly ten feet tall, his entire body shrouded in dense blood energy. He held a palm-sized Bronze Ancient Bell, and crimson mist streamed constantly from his mouth and nose.
It was the half-step Spirit Transformation cultivator who had attacked the city's defensive formation earlier!
"A-Attendant Lu..."
The instant Qi Heng saw him, his pupils contracted, and an unmistakable look of despair rose to his face.
This man was Lu Dingfeng, chief of the City Lord's Manor's four attendants. His cultivation had reached the fourth layer of the Nascent Soul, second only to Qi Heng.
Now that he had become a soul slave, his strength had soared, leaving him just half a step from crossing the threshold into Spirit Transformation. The Bronze Ancient Bell in his hand was a formidable ancient treasure-and Qi Heng himself had given it to him!
"Attendant Lu, do you... do you truly no longer recognize me?"
Qi Heng stared into Lu Dingfeng's eyes, his voice steeped in grief. "We were once as close as brothers, yet now we have become mortal enemies. This was never what I wanted."
"I hope you can regain your senses, Attendant Lu. Don't let this evil art control you. I'm not your enemy, but..."
Boom!
Before Qi Heng could finish, Lu Dingfeng's expression turned vicious. The Bronze Ancient Bell shot from his hand, instantly expanding to a thousand feet across before smashing down toward Qi Heng's head.
"City Lord Qi, get back!"
Beside Qi Heng, Lin Mo barked a warning and swept his arm out.
Whoosh!
The Spirit Plant Altar flew from Lin Mo's sleeve, radiating emerald light. It instantly returned