Chapter 677 - 143: Geng Metal Core

As Zhang Deming’s words fell, the astonished Guan Yu’s expression twisted, and the puppet instantly shattered. At the same time, in the direction Zhang Deming indicated, the earth roiled as a coffin surfaced.

When Dang Ketao saw this, a look of glee spread across his face. The hot-tempered man was already incensed from the fight. Upon seeing the coffin, he didn’t hesitate for a moment, unleashing a torrential surge of Spiritual Power from his entire body.

With Zhang Deming nearby, he cast aside all thoughts of conserving Spiritual Power. A dense swarm of bizarre Firebirds blotted out the sky as they rained down upon the newly surfaced coffin.

"BOOM..."

"BOOM..."

"BOOM..."

After the violent bombardment, the coffin was obliterated. Guan Yu was already grievously wounded, so it offered no resistance and was blasted into dust by the Firebirds, leaving not a single splinter behind. He died without ever opening his coffin.

Dang Ketao showed no joy after the bombardment, however. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Heh, we’re both practitioners of Summoning. Let’s not bother with these little tricks, shall we?" Zhang Deming said, looking in that direction. "Besides, since I knew you might be hiding your Main Body, it would have been a shame to waste such a perfect opportunity!"

As Zhang Deming spoke, a young man suddenly burst out from the cratered ground and tried to flee without a second thought.

But after only a few steps, his entire body froze. Ruby Vines began to sprout from his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

"AAAAH..."

The grievously wounded Guan Yu clutched his head and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"My apologies. But who told you to bring your Main Body here, and then fight using Summoning Objects? If you’d hidden your Main Body properly, that would be one thing. But now that I’m here to clean up... you can’t blame me for it!"

As Zhang Deming spoke, Guan Yu’s screams gradually died down, and in a moment, he fell silent. At the same time, the Vitality within him began to rapidly fade.

"You young people these days are getting more and more incredible. Especially those from your Spirit Nurturing Peak. It’s enough to make an old man like me feel his age," Dang Ketao sighed, looking at Zhang Deming, who had only just appeared and already ended the battle.

Zhang Deming: "..."

’Senior Brother, are you serious?’

Zhang Deming froze and turned to glance at Dang Ketao.

"Heh, is Senior Brother implying that I was hiding and watching from the sidelines, only to strike from the shadows at the last moment?" Zhang Deming asked.

Dang Ketao faltered. "Er, I was genuinely trying to praise you. Hmm, perhaps my timing and tone were off. By the way, weren’t you providing disaster relief in the Mortal world? What brings you here?"

Awkward at giving compliments, Dang Ketao decisively changed the subject.

Zhang Deming replied, "I was. But you were all making such a racket that I could feel it all the way from Pann City, so I came to check it out. Good thing I did."

Hearing this, Dang Ketao seemed to recall something and gave a wry smile. "That’s rather embarrassing."

Zhang Deming looked puzzled by his words. Dang Ketao paused for a moment before continuing, "Before our teams split up to head to the different prefectures, the Ancestor specifically instructed me to check up on you after my mission was complete."

"He even gave me a Dao Mark Positioning Array Card for you. But look how it turned out... you, my junior, ended up saving me. It’s truly..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Deming said, "Oh, this state I’m in won’t last long, so it’s perfectly normal for Master Dang to be worried about me."

"By the way, Rushuang seemed to have chased after someone earlier. Did you happen to see her?" Dang Ketao asked.

Zhang Deming nodded. "Don’t worry, she’s safe. I also dealt with the one she was chasing."

Dang Ketao was completely taken aback. Although Zhang Deming had played a crucial role in killing the previous two enemies, he hadn’t engaged in a direct confrontation, so it hadn’t revealed his true power.

But the one Rushuang had chased was a genuine Earth Realm Cultivator at their peak!

For someone like that to be dealt with so quickly... it meant Zhang Deming’s current state was more than just a matter of clever techniques.

Seeing Dang Ketao’s silence, Zhang Deming turned back and said, "Senior Brother, if you keep standing there stunned, Fang Qing and the others are going to be in real trouble!"

Dang Ketao snapped out of his daze, levitated into the air, and turned his head to look. In the far distance, following the deaths of the two enemies here, three robots began to flash with red light, initiating a suicidal, frenzied assault.

They were running on overload, completely ignoring any damage they sustained. Fang Qing’s group, who had been barely holding on, was now being relentlessly pursued and attacked, putting them in extreme peril.

Seeing this, Dang Ketao didn’t hesitate. With a slight tremble of the magnificent Phoenix Wings on his back, he transformed into a streak of light and shot off into the distance.

Zhang Deming, however, was in no rush. Swaying, the Vines grew rapidly, enveloping the two corpses that were devoid of any Vitality and turning them into a dense thicket.

A moment later, the Vines dissolved into Spiritual Light and dissipated, leaving not a single trace of the two corpses behind.

Zhang Deming then searched the area but found nothing. He couldn’t even find a single item on the body of the young man who had appeared last—not a storage bag, not even a simple pouch.

Zhang Deming frowned slightly. He glanced at the surrounding cluster of buildings, hesitated for a moment, but decided against going in to search alone.

Instead, he released the enhancement from his Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique. With a flip of his hand, he produced his Identity Jade Pendant, weighed it in his palm for a moment, and hung it from his waist.

’Monk Huixin’s contingent has already seen me. I even fought a major battle in that state, and nothing went wrong, even with so many eyes on me. This should be enough to put the various factions of the Celestial Spirit Sect at ease.’

’So, I can wear this pendant openly now. Once this incident is resolved, my promotion to Peak Master should be announced at a ceremony after I return to the sect.’

After securing the Jade Pendant, Light Wings materialized on Zhang Deming’s back, and he flew off in the direction of Fang Qing and the others.