In the ruins, the charging herds of bulls had already disappeared.

Iron Hammer glanced over and left after bidding farewell to Lu Ming. He wanted to find his Spirit Awakening Pendant and regain his lost memories. He had to look for Iron Donkey now…

Hence…

Iron Hammer left.

The city of Qing Ming City regained its peace.

Looking at Qing Ming City with downtown at its center, Lu Ming could not come to his senses for a long time.

d.a.m.n. Were the big shots that adamant about changing the landscape of the city?

He turned around and looked behind him. It seemed to be over already?!

Yes.

It was over.

The policemen had been annihilated.

The Spiritualists had been annihilated.

Only a few of them remained in the huge city!

Oh.

That was not right.

He could vaguely hear wails and moans coming from the ruins at a distance. Some of the itinerant cultivators were still alive. However, they would not have any influence on the overall situation.

The catastrophe had finally come to an end.

It was a pity…

Eventually, Lu Ming could not find anyone to seek compensation from.

Right then…

Along with the departure of Iron Hammer, powerful figures who were initially onlookers finally appeared. One by one, the cultivators who had been paying attention to Qing Ming City entered the ruins.

"Nephew!

"I'm your second uncle!

"You…

"How did you injure yourself to this extent?"

An old man was hugging the teenager who had been ravaged by the bulls and crying miserably.

The teenager regained consciousness dazedly and was in pain. Looking at the old man who was shaking him badly, feelings of sorrow and rage gushed in his heart and he pa.s.sed out again on the spot.

Lu Ming was silent.

If he was not mistaken that was the big shot who ran off earlier?

"Are you the one who did this?"

The old man looked at Lu Ming. He was extremely fierce.

Lu Ming rolled his eyes.

Bang!

Bang!

A powerful aura emerged.

The forces behind many people finally appeared.

"What should we do?"

Xia Yu was somewhat worried.

In fact, one could tell what happened at the Restart Array at one glance. However, you can't expect everyone to be as rational as you!

Especially—

When some loved ones were dead!

"It's okay."

Lu Ming patted his shoulder and chose to do what a sensible child would do — Call the police.

"Is that going to help?"

Xia Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't worry."

Lu Ming smiled. "The higher-ups will give us an explanation…"

…

Somewhere.

Zhang Wei glanced at the message that appeared in his hands and contacted his superiors directly.

"h.e.l.lo, I am policeman Zhang Wei, serial number…

"From now onwards, I will explain everything that happened in Qing Ming City…"

…

The policemen arrived very quickly.

As the network was no longer blocked, the detection machine discovered a dozen of powerful figures all at once. They also saw policemen who should not have appeared in Qing Ming City. How could they not be shocked?

Especially…

Since they were already dead!

Hence…

The police appeared in Qing Ming City as soon as possible and then saw the battlefield-turned-ruins… and this unbelievable scene…

"Qing Ming City actually became like that?"

"d.a.m.n! It was fine when I was here two days ago."

"That's right!"

"d.a.m.n it. This is such a major event and we don't even have any news of it at all!"

"We're done for…"

The policemen felt extremely disheartened.

They knew a large-scale calamity had occurred. It must have been an enormous disaster!

Numerous five-star and six-star policemen were involved in it. Who could get away from it? This time, the entire police force might have to be reshuffled!

"Don't worry that much. Save the people!"

"Is anyone still alive?"

"No matter what, someone has to be hiding."

The ruins were enormous.

Lu Ming and the group were currently at the center of the battlefield but there were many others at the periphery who were still alive.

Even though… they were just hanging on.

Some of them were natives of Qing Ming City who were accidentally embroiled in fights. They were hiding in the ruins and trembling. Some were severely injured during the fights and had managed to escape from the calamity at the eleventh hour!

The shocking thing was…

The rescue team found a large number of cultivators after they dug underground!

The truth could not be hidden anymore now that the cultivators had been rescued.

The Restart Array… Spiritualist… Body possession… Legacy… One by one, horrifying words emerged and every cultivator trembled with fear after hearing them!

And…

The various things that happened at the Restart Array!

Lu Yan's earthshaking strike!

The fights and clashes for the legacy!

The Spiritualist's conspiracy and scheme!

And…

Everything that happened in the Divine Weapon Pavilion and Imperial Beast Pavilion!

"Where's that burly man from the Imperial Beast Pavilion?"

"He seems to have left…"

"Sigh, he's not the only one. I saw a few people who quietly left after getting what they wanted. They were the biggest beneficiaries of this huge battle!"

Of course.

In the end…

The one who ended all of this was the big shot who had 'pa.s.sed by'…

"The big shot who rode the bulls?"

"R-right. There was a rumor going around Qing Ming City! According to the rumors, a powerful figure related to bulls lived in seclusion in Qing Ming City. Unexpectedly, this is true!"

"Good fortune follows disaster and disaster lurks within good fortune."

Everyone heaved continuous sighs.

…

The situation regarding Qing Ming City had temporarily come to a close.

The police displayed the greatest efficiency and sent the strongest lineup in history to stabilize the overall situation. Everyone was arranged to stay in temporary shelters constructed in the suburbs.

"Deploy resources from the few cities nearby where needed! Remember, Qing Ming City's needs are the priority!"

"Understood!"

"Oh, right. Is there enough food?"

"Yes… We counted the number of bulls that died in the ruins. If we use them as a source of food, it's enough to last the entire city for six months."

"Okay."

"Won't they suffer from malnutrition if they just eat beef?"

"Oh… In that case, we can get the Summoners to get some poultry or fish."

The policemen were very serious.

They knew that Qing Ming City's situation would soon be found out by other people. At this time, they didn't dare let any details leak.

Li Jianli and the rest of the group were either dead or injured. Those who were still alive had been restrained.

They needed the truth!

They needed to know who these people were!

Lu Ming and his group recorded their statements and were released afterward. That time, the police took the greatest blame for the situation…

In the past, the police were always the ones who needed an explanation.

That time… the police needed to give everyone an explanation!

Oh. Right.

And the list of names that Zhang Wei had come up with previously…

Some of these people did not enter the legacy site as they were responsible for the processing of data or deductions. Those people did not get away either. They were arrested and sent to the headquarters.

Undoubtedly.

The police force would have to undergo a full reshuffle!

…

True enough.

Merely two hours had pa.s.sed.

The incident in Qing Ming City was propelled before the eyes of everyone through a news report. Almost everyone who saw the news was shocked!

Who would have thought that Qing Ming City would be gone in merely two days' time?!

Spiritualists…

Restart Array…

Each piece of news was shocking and sent chills up their spine.

It was too horrifying!

"They actually kept everyone in the dark!"

"They didn't have a choice. It's a millennium array and a scheme. People plotted all of this a thousand years ago. Who would have expected this? However, this bull-riding big shot is really ferocious!"

"R-right! I heard that he's super awesome!"

Some people were amazed and some were doubtful.

"Are those policemen skiving? They didn't discover that anything was wrong over these two days?"

"Heh, let me tell you. According to my insider news, the police didn't discover the situation this time because they ejected a group of traitors…"

"Ejected?"

"Brother, are you focusing on the wrong thing?"

The Restart Array went viral on the Internet.

It was inevitable.

After all, the only thing that the thousands of commoners in Qing Ming City could do when confined to the temporary shelter was go online! Therefore, they partic.i.p.ated in the various discussions enthusiastically.

"How's the situation in Qing Ming City now?"

"— Ruins, basins."

"What about those fearsome beasts from the Imperial Beast Pavilion?"

"— Either dead or crippled. Some followed the bull-riding big shot and left."

"Is the beef delicious?"

"— Yes it is delicious.

"— Actually it's not very tasty. Although it is premium meat, the five-star beef is alright but six-star beef is a tad tough and hard to bite.

"— Owner of the previous thread, will you boast about this for life?"

…

The First Academy.

The dean had been following the developments in Qing Ming City closely. As the most powerful college in the area, they had also sent their regards and a.s.sistance.

After all…

This was a real calamity.

This despite the fact that he heard that there were very few deaths.

"Get some structural stability architects there. They need these people the most now. Also, Earth Elementalists can help them rebuild their homes…"

"Yes."

The a.s.sistant made the arrangements one by one.

"I hope that they'll be fine."

The dean sighed.

Afterward…

There was a beeping sound.

He glanced at the source and his eyes lit up suddenly. "The report on 'The Qing Ming City Ruins' was already out!

Different from news reports, this was the internal report of the police force. They had done a full investigation and gathered evidence. This was a preliminary version of the complete report!

It was the official version compiled from true accounts!

Shus.h.!.+

The dean opened it and read the sequence of events which had been cleared up…

Oh.

It turned out that trouble had been stirred up by the Spiritualist vocation.

Oh.

It turned out that the police had meddled secretly.

The meddling of these policemen actually disrupted and wrecked the plan of the Spiritualists. Eventually, a vigorous conflict between the two groups ensued…

In the end…

A bull-riding big shot pa.s.sed by and resolved everything.

Well…

It was a very simple report.

In the big scheme of things, this was what had happened. However, no matter who was stirring up trouble, when the dean saw Lu Ming's name…

His expression became somewhat unnatural.

Well…

It's him again.

Hehe.

He vaguely remembered that this was also the case during the Lunar Shadow legacy.

And…

Eventually, a herd of bulls ended the battle!

Despite the fact that the bulls appeared to be summoned by the bull-riding big shot and did not have anything to do with Lu Ming, based on his understanding…

If this matter did not have anything to do with Lu Ming, he would devour his own shoes.

…

Somewhere.

In the depths of the mountain.

In a tent, a plump figure was weighing the item that he had just gotten…

Hehe.

Three pieces of jade!

Four pieces of bronzeware!

"Xin-er! We've won big again."

The fatty was very thrilled.

He felt that he was favored by heaven.

Seriously…

All the other people who entered the tomb had been eroded by the sinister aura… except for him. Ever since he dug out something by chance, he had a feeling that his fortune had turned around…

Of course.

He was in quite a miserable state when he was being hunted.

Cough.

Sinister aura?

What was that? He had never seen it before!

At this very moment…

He did not notice that two graves were glowing outside the tent. A trace of a cold and chilling aura surged into the tent and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

In the corner of the tent, the eyes of the lady lying there moved slightly.

"Hey. These are antiques."

The fatty was scrutinizing the items in his hands and did not notice that the jade pendant hanging in front of the lady's chest was s.h.i.+mmering.

…

Somewhere.

Lu Yan was sitting cross-legged, faint lights emerging around her.

"— Lu Ming is safe."

A message came.

Lu Yan took a glance at it and a faint smile emerged from the corners of her mouth.

Buzz—

An ice blue glow dazzled.

The self-destructed Sword Embryo gradually materialized in her hands.

The frost sword had returned!

"You're back later than I expected."

Lu Yan's expression was calm.

In normal circ.u.mstances, after her Sword Embryo self-destructed, she would be able to condense it again very soon. However, it was very strange this time. She tried countless times to condense it but to no avail…

It seemed that some interesting things had happened at the Restart Array.

"It seems that you've regained your cognitive spirit."

Lu Yan smiled.

Xiaolan was silent.

"Tell me what happened at the Restart Array."

Lu Yan was calm.

Xiaolan looked at Lu Yan.

Eh?

Lu Ming was safe and Lu Yan looked happy. Seemingly, it did not need to worry about the issue of self-destruction for the time being. In that case, its consciousness should not be a problem?

Also…

It heard from Xiao-Xiaojian that it should take the initiative to mention its good deeds. Otherwise, Lu Yan might not be aware…

Hence…

It described to Lu Yan what happened at the Restart Array and its two self-destructions to save Lu Ming. It was very serious and detailed.

"Life has been tough with you."

Lu Yan patted it.

Xiaolan was touched.

This was the first time that Lu Yan said that it had worked hard?

Oo… Oo…

It was so touched!

True enough, was this because it did not interact with Lu Yan seriously in the past? Seemingly, as long as it could get along well with Lu Yan, it was not impossible to communicate with her…

It suddenly felt that it could have misunderstood Lu Yan.

After all, Lu Yan was not a demon…

Suddenly…

It noticed Lu Yan looking at it in a strange manner.

"M-master?" it gingerly asked.

"Oh, this is no problem."

Lu Yan's expression was calm. "I suddenly thought of a good way to look for information… Since you will recover after you recondense, if I throw you into the opponent's base to gather information, you can self-destruct and then come back and report to me. I don't think anyone will be able to stop you."

Xiaolan had a dumbstruck expression.

Self-destruct…

Explore information?

Its heart was filled with horror and it cried out loud…. Lu Yan was still scary! Oo…. Lu Ming, I miss you.

…

At this moment…

Countless people were paying attention to Qing Ming City.

The higher-ups issued an order to reconstruct Qing Ming City. They requested that everyone a.s.sist Qing Ming City in their reconstruction as soon as possible and would compensate them for the losses!

This was their current priority.

The police force was responsible for the auxiliary operations like compensation for destroyed property…

Alright, they could save the costs of demolition. Mainly, they would compensate them with a new house but some people wanted cash…

For example, Lu Ming.

At this moment…

He was trying to fight for his best interests.

"One million yuan!"

Lu Ming requested without any hesitation.

"Impossible!"

The policeman opposite him wiped his sweat. "One million yuan is too much!"

"Why not?"

Lu Ming was furious. "Do you know how much my shop is worth?"

"Well…"

The policeman wiped his sweat. "According to our understanding, you rented the shop…"

Lu Ming's voice was sullen. "You didn't rescue us in time but you were very fast at finding such information…"

The policeman coughed and pretended that he did not hear this.

The policeman was indeed wrong. Everyone had to take the blame.

"What is happening?"

Zhang Wei, who had heard the news, stepped out.

"I'm applying for damages."

Lu Ming rolled his eyes.

Cough, cough.

Zhang Wei coughed. "Reimburs.e.m.e.nts are not possible. That house of yours is rented… and your lease agreement is six months… the end date of the lease corresponds with when it was destroyed…"

According to his sources, Lu Ming's rental period was almost up…

Why was there a need for reimburs.e.m.e.nt?

He even suspected that Lu Ming had been timing the lease. Otherwise, how could it be that coincidental?

"However…"

After contemplating, he said seriously, "I've requested for special approval to grant you a sum of money to thank you for your contributions to the Restart Array."

Yes.

All of them knew what Lu Ming had done.

Although the person who eventually determined the course of events was the big shot who had pa.s.sed by, Lu Ming had been engaged in the fight from the beginning and his contributions were undeniable, especially his killing of those miscreants…

"Alright."

Lu Ming was overjoyed.

"Do you guys want to be involved in the reconstruction of the new city?"

Zhang Wei asked.

He was certain that Qing Ming City would definitely become stronger after this reconstruction! The old town areas that were difficult to demolish had already been destroyed and in the midst of being rebuilt!

Everything could be planned from scratch!

The then eighteenth-tier city would become a modern one. Over these two days, there were numerous construction companies and investors that came on their own accord…

"No need."

Lu Ming shook his head slightly.

It was good to reconstruct the city but it was a waste of time!

For Lu Ming and Xiaobai, who were in the midst of advancing their cultivation level rapidly, they would lose the opportunity to progress if they were to partic.i.p.ate in the city reconstruction project. They would consider it next time if there was another chance.

As for their future whereabouts…

Lu Ming was deep in his thoughts.

Buzz—

Buzz—

His wristband vibrated.

"Master!"

Li Haoran and the group called him. "I heard that something happened to Qing Ming City…"

He was super frantic.

It was true!

They had been away for two days and Qing Ming City had turned into ruins… He heard that nothing was left of Qing Ming City and there were countless deaths and injuries!

Although they did not feel a lot for this city, Master and Senior Sister were staying there!

"It's not too bad. Although there was a great commotion, both Xiaobai and I are fine."

Lu Ming smiled faintly.

"That's good."

Li Haoran heaved a sigh of relief.

"Where did you go?"

Lu Ming asked.

He had been worried that his disciples would be implicated but did not see them in the crowd. He reckoned that they were away.

"Tian Du City," Li Haoran said, "Zhao Yunshan brought us here to take a look. Hmm… Actually, there's something that I wanted to report to you but I didn't manage to contact you for the past two days…"

"Oh?"

Lu Ming was curious. "What's the matter?"

"It's about the Sword Card Master a.s.sociation."

Li Haoran said quietly, "As the a.s.sociation develops and we also have some conflict with the Card Creators a.s.sociation, we are thinking…

"Perhaps it's better for the a.s.sociation to be independent.

"However, it's too troublesome to be independent. There are many nitty-gritty details involved in various aspects. We thus planned to come to you to a.s.sess the situation before telling you about it!"

Li Haoran said excitedly.

"Oh?"

Lu Ming was tempted. "Was the application successful?"

He was aware that application for the approval and construction of an a.s.sociation required a ma.s.sive amount of funds and these would be approved and disbursed by the higher-ups. They were also very strict in their evaluation.

"No. We've been rejected.

"The higher-ups said that a.s.sociation with a thousand members doesn't have a big enough base and we only have five to six members!"

Li Haoran scratched his head.

Cough, cough.

Lu Ming coughed.

Actually, he had the same thoughts.

How could it be that easy for an a.s.sociation to become independent and apply for a base?!

"However…"

Li Haoran was suddenly very excited. "Junior Brother Zhao Yunshan made a trip in person and made arrangements for the a.s.sociation to be responsible for its own profit and losses. He then bought a branch in Tian Du City that belonged to the Energy Warriors a.s.sociation and turned it into the headquarters of the Sword Card Master a.s.sociation…"

Lu Ming wore a dumbstruck expression and came to his senses only after a long time. "So… You guys bought a property these past two days???"

This was surprising.

He did not expect his disciples to pick a property for the a.s.sociation's base when he was in the Restart Array! In the end, they even finalized all the arrangements!

"Yes, master."

Li Haoran said excitedly, "We also have a headquarters now!"

Lu Ming felt somewhat dazed.

d.a.m.n!

To his knowledge, a.s.sociations that had headquarters were typically colosses with many founding grandmasters…

Unknowingly…

He had actually reached this stage?

I-I'm actually that amazing?!

…