The Despicable Capture

Led by several officials, Luo Yingkong entered the grand hall. There, the emperor, clad in dragon robes, approached her, a flicker of greed passing through his eyes as he beheld her.

“Fairy, please, have a seat!”

Some officials stood silently to the side. A maidservant poured a cup of tea and knelt before Luo Yingkong.

“Senior Immortal, you must—”

“There’s no need for further words. Where is this person? I have other important matters to attend to once this is resolved.” Luo Yingkong cut him off directly, her voice sharp with inquiry.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor held back the pleas of his plight and responded directly:

“That evil cultivator is in the rear courtyard. Fairy, you absolutely must apprehend him! We will additionally present you with some spirit stones.”

They understood that wealth was useless to cultivators, and they had accumulated a considerable number of spirit stones over time.

“Oh? How many can you offer?” Luo Yingkong knew that negotiating beforehand yielded far better results.

“Uh… this small nation is poor and backward, with limited resources. Five hundred spirit stones, as a token of our respect…” The Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking. A guard then placed a bag of spirit stones on the table.

Luo Yingkong eyed the spirit stones but made no move to take them. “Five hundred spirit stones? I find your esteemed nation quite prosperous. This palace is no less magnificent than Wu’s, is it?”

The Emperor’s eyelids twitched. He had not expected this person to lack any semblance of a cultivator’s demeanor, brazenly demanding a higher price for his generous offer.

“Eight hundred spirit stones, then. Do you think that is sufficient?”

“I’ve traveled a great distance and must risk my life against another cultivator. Perhaps I should just report the mission as a failure and return…” Luo Yingkong rose to her feet. The Emperor quickly moved to stop her.

“Fairy, wait! If you can kill that cultivator, I can give you one thousand spirit stones. That is our entire treasury!”

“That won’t do. My sect commanded me to capture him alive. If he dies, my reputation will suffer greatly.”

The Emperor gritted his teeth. “Very well. Fairy, please apprehend the evil cultivator as quickly as possible. The one thousand spirit stones will be delivered afterward…”

“No problem. Where was he again?” Luo Yingkong retrieved her sniper rifle, slowly loading the bullets.

“He is in the rear courtyard by the pond. Fairy, when you make your move, please do not harm my imperial concubine…” The Emperor glanced curiously at the sniper rifle she held, speaking respectfully.

Luo Yingkong finished loading the bullets. Her figure flickered, and she vanished from her spot. She leaped from the palace rooftop, moving like an assassin on a mission.

‘Rear courtyard?’

The rear courtyard featured a pond, with palace maids traversing a bridge carrying trays. In the pavilion at the center of the lake sat a man and a woman. Luo Yingkong recognized the male cultivator with a single glance.

A storage bag hung from his waist, and he had long hair. His appearance was quite refined, certainly not resembling a villain. However, Luo Yingkong knew that appearances could be deceiving. Qin Jiu, too, had been outwardly dignified yet sought to harm her.

She lay prone on a distant rooftop, only the black barrel of her rifle exposed. Through the scope, she aimed at the man.

The cultivator seemed to sense danger. He quickly stood, looking left and right with vigilance, yet saw nothing.

“What is it, Senior Immortal?” asked the concubine seated beside him.

“Nothing… perhaps I’m just being overly suspicious…” The man sat back down and continued chatting with the concubine, both appearing quite joyful.

‘You should trust your instincts…’ Luo Yingkong fired a shot towards his dantian. The bullet, empowered twentyfold, roared like a beast, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek!

This time, the man fully realized something was amiss. His divine sense detected the incoming bullet, and in terror, he scrambled to leap away. Yet, no matter how fast he was, he could not evade it.

With a thud, a chunk of flesh was torn from the outer side of his right leg by the impact of the bullet! The bullet continued its flight, carving a deep crater into the stone ground!

“Who’s there?!” The man clutched his right leg, using spiritual energy to staunch the bleeding, his expression tinged with pain. He looked up, scanning left and right.

The concubine beside him gasped in fright and rushed over to check his injury. “Senior Immortal, are you alright?”

Luo Yingkong frowned. She leaped to the pond’s edge, gazing at the two figures in the center. “Consort, stay away from him. With me here, you no longer need to serve him.”

“You are a disciple of Hidden Forest Mountain?!” The man recognized her attire and the token at her waist.

“Indeed. Fellow Daoist, you should know not to meddle casually in mortal affairs, shouldn’t you? Come with me.”

“Hmph! When did the people of Hidden Forest Mountain become so despicable, resorting to sneak attacks! What can a mere ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator do to me?”

The man unleashed his full aura, revealing he had reached the fourteenth level of Qi Condensation! However, Luo Yingkong was confident in her ability to deal with him; with a wounded leg, he certainly wouldn’t be able to escape quickly.

“There’s no need for more words, honored sir. If you believe you can defeat me, then make your move!”

The man suppressed the bleeding and instructed the concubine beside him, “Stay far away.”

“Senior Immortal, please be careful…”

The concubine quickly scurried away, allowing the two to engage without restraint.

He suddenly raised his hand, unleashing a fire spell as a test. Luo Yingkong easily dodged it. She could have blocked it with a defensive jade pendant, but it was better to keep her full capabilities concealed.

Raising her sniper rifle, she pointed it. The man sensed danger and, unwilling to be caught off guard a second time, quickly leaped behind a massive rock for cover.

“Freeze!” The man uttered a single word. The pond rapidly solidified into an icy surface. Luo Yingkong launched a fireball at the giant rock, only to see an ice pillar suddenly rise from the ground, blocking the attack.

‘A basic ice spell…’ Luo Yingkong decided to put away her sniper rifle. She wanted to test the gap between her and her opponent, so she unleashed a rapid succession of fireballs into the air!

At this moment, the palace staff in the distance were all watching, though they dared not approach. Seeing the fireballs soar high, they collectively looked up.

“They’re fighting!”

“We should prepare ourselves. If the Hidden Forest Mountain disciple loses, we’re finished. That evil cultivator will surely come for us.”

“What are the Emperor’s orders?”

“Let’s hide first…”

Several fireballs flew into the sky, perfectly arcing around obstacles to strike the man. The fireballs landed continuously, like a rain of fire from the heavens, one after another! The ice surface was riddled with cracks from the explosions, and the rock was shattered to dust!

The man’s figure was exposed in Luo Yingkong’s sight. He held a small shield above his head, successfully deflecting the fireballs’ assault.

“Pierce!”

As the man shouted, sharp ice pillars shot up from the icy surface, appearing incredibly pointed! They aimed to impale Luo Yingkong!

“Try this!”

Luo Yingkong didn’t rush to dodge. Instead, she pressed one hand onto the ice surface, infusing it with abundant spiritual energy!

The man had a bad premonition and quickly ceased his attack, attempting to flash away. But it was too late. The spiritual energy instantly transformed into several currents! The entire ice surface was saturated with electric light!

This consumed half of Luo Yingkong’s spiritual energy. The man was left numb and paralyzed by the electricity, his body firmly stuck to the ice surface.

“A mere low-level lightning spell… you think that can hurt me?”

After the electric light faded, the man shook his numb body, intending to attack again. But his vision suddenly darkened, and his head felt heavy.

“Wh-what… what’s happening? Being shocked shouldn’t…”

“Oh… I forgot to tell you, there was poison on the hidden weapon earlier. It’s quite impressive that you’ve held out this long.” Luo Yingkong walked over with her hands behind her back, looking down at the fallen man.

“I didn’t expect this poison to be so effective on the human body. Come with me…”

“You truly are despicable!”

Luo Yingkong poked several points on his body, sealing his spiritual energy acupoints.

“You said that before, didn’t you? A sneak attack is despicable. Adding a bit of poison still makes it despicable. So, why not be utterly despicable?”

The man’s eyes burned with indignation. To be subdued by a mere ninth-level Qi Condensation girl! He still had some tricks he hadn’t used, yet he had been defeated.

“I can give you the antidote, but you have to come with me. This is my first mission, so please cooperate.”

“Hmph! In this state, do I even have a choice?”