The Overlord of Puluo

Watching Pan Dehai, Gao Shuxia, and Hundred-Eyed Fish chase after Bei Wushuang, Li Banfeng felt deeply conflicted.

Is the contract currently in Bei Wushuang's possession, or is it still inside his home? Is it possible that Bei Wushuang dug out his own contract?

It was actually possible. Doing so would cause Bei Wushuang to lose cultivation power, but if he stayed at home to defend the contract, Pan Dehai's presence meant it was a dead end for him. It would be better for him to take the contract and flee.

If Bei Wushuang really had the contract on him, should Li Banfeng chase after him? But what could Li Banfeng do after? He definitely could not defeat Pan Dehai.

Gao Shuxia was a Wounded Demon Fiend. He couldn't defeat her either. Hundred-Eyed Fish was a roaming aberration. According to the Cook Monster, Hundred-Eyed Fish's cultivation level was far above his own. That meant Li Banfeng had a low chance of defeating her too.

If he followed them now, he would gain nothing, much less something as crucial as the contract. Yet, if he did not go after them, he would not even know whose hands the contract would fall into.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to move, he sensed someone approach. He turned around and saw He Yuxiu running over, panting heavily.

"Big Bro Qi, don't chase him. That isn't the person you're looking for. It's a cucumber!"

A cucumber? Li Banfeng thought in confusion. Then it clicked. "One that Zhang Wanlong grew!"

He Yuxiu nodded and pointed at the sand pit. "The person you're looking for should still be under there."

Zhang Wanlong is truly a resolute person. He actually grew a cucumber person capable of fooling Pan Dehai!

Li Banfeng looked at the sand pit.

He Yuxiu urged, "Big Bro Qi, we need to act quickly. That cucumber won't last much longer."

Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu jumped into the sand pit and looked for the entrance. Then suddenly, the quicksand beneath their feet churned. Bei Wushuang emerged from the sand pit, carrying a bundle on his back.

This was not a coincidence. Bei Wushuang had chosen the perfect moment to escape from his home. He did not know why Pan Dehai, Gao Shuxia, and Hundred-Eyed Fish had suddenly left. However, there was one thing he knew for certain. This was his final chance to escape.

There were still two people before him. One he knew—Meng Yuchun's lover. He did not know the other person.

He had blown up his own hump, nearly losing his life in the process. Then he exhausted the last of his strength in the fight against Gao Shuxia and Hundred-Eyed Fish. Could he still defeat these two people before him? Even if he could not win, he still had to fight. If he were to delay his escape any longer, Pan Dehai might return and seal his fate.

Bei Wushuang had no time to negotiate or test them. He stamped his front hooves and let out a low growl.

"Rrrrrooo~"

He chose the best tactic he had available. Using a Sound ability, he activated the quicksand mechanism, intending to trap Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu there.

The quicksand whirled, pulling Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu into the sinking sand.

Just as Bei Wushuang was about to escape, Li Banfeng's legs trembled. The quicksand beneath his feet split apart, forming a channel. He was using the Wanderlust ability Severing Paths to Forge a Way. Once Li Banfeng broke free from the quicksand, he turned around and kicked the sand, opening a path for He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu also escaped the quicksand. Seeing Bei Wushuang leap up to flee, she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him. The handful of sand was like a shotgun blast, embedding itself into Bei Wushuang's side. He fell back into the sand pit and struggled to get back on his feet.

This is a fucking unreasonable Martial Cultivator!

"Rrrrrooo."

Bei Wushuang prepared to activate the quicksand again. For him, it only required a single growl. He did not believe Li Banfeng could keep neutralizing it with Severing Paths to Forge a Way.

Li Banfeng did not use Severing Paths to Forge a Way. Instead, he growled back at Bei Wushuang. "Rrrrraaahhh."

Li Banfeng's growl disrupted Bei Wushuang's tempo and rhythm, preventing the quicksand from activating.

Bei Wushuang was stunned. Isn't he a Wanderlust Cultivator? He just randomly roared once, and he actually broke a Sound ability? Could it be that it wasn't just a random roar? Could it be that he's also a Sound Cultivator?

Nevertheless, he had no time to keep thinking about it. He Yuxiu had already grabbed another handful of sand and was attacking him with it.

Bei Wushuang was emitting smoke all over his body, and he could barely stand.

He opened his throat and let out another strained growl. "Rrrr. Rrrr."

No matter what Bei Wushuang growled, Li Banfeng responded with something similar. "Rrrrraaahhh."

He was using an ability that he had borrowed from the Gramophone using the Deep Court Domain ability. Li Banfeng did not know the Gramophone's Daoist path, so he did not know if the Gramophone's ability could counter Bei Wushuang's. Nevertheless, he decided he would just use it first and see what happened after.

Li Banfeng was very far away from the Pocket Dwelling, so he was actually using a very limited version of the ability. If Bei Wushuang had not been injured, Li Banfeng's two growls would not have harmed him at all.

Nonetheless, Bei Wushuang was barely clinging to life. How could he afford to let Li Banfeng wear him down bit by bit like this?

After several exchanges of growls, Bei Wushuang abruptly fell silent. And the moment the sound stopped, he disappeared as well.

What ability was this? It was the Sound ability Vanishing Without a Sound.

The ability involved the Sound Cultivator continuously using sound during a battle and then falling silent abruptly. All traces of the Sound Cultivator's presence would then disappear along with the sound. It was an extremely advanced concealment ability.

Earlier, when Bei Wushuang prepared to ambush Pan Dehai, he had used Vanishing Without a Sound. Even Pan Dehai had been unable to see Bei Wushuang at the time. Li Banfeng was the only one who had seen Bei Wushuang. He poured a ladleful of golden juice onto Bei Wushuang to allow Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai to track his position on the battlefield.

At the time, Bei Wushuang assumed he had accidentally revealed his tracks. Now he intended to use the same ability to escape, but he had not expected that he would be unable to evade Li Banfeng's eyes.

Li Banfeng once again used Keen-Eyed Perception at maximum power and saw a vague outline of Bei Wushuang. The outline of the humpless camel was too easy to distinguish from his surroundings.

Using Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers, Li Banfeng stomped and caused Bei Wushuang to flip over on the ground.

Bei Wushuang could not figure it out. Meng Yuchun's lover seemed to be his natural nemesis.

Bei Wushuang had Sound abilities, and Li Banfeng did too. Every time Bei Wushuang concealed himself, Li Banfeng struck him accurately. Could it be that he had underestimated Li Banfeng before? Was the truth that Li Banfeng's cultivation level was actually unfathomably high?

While Bei Wushuang was stunned, He Yuxiu threw a handful of sand into his eyes.

It was a devastating attack. Not only was it painful, but it also severely compromised Bei Wushuang's vision. He Yuxiu might be reckless in daily matters, but she knew exactly what methods to use in battle.

A moment later, Bei Wushuang realized that Li Banfeng had disappeared.

Boom!

One of Bei Wushuang's front legs exploded.

Li Banfeng had used the ability that Bei Wushuang feared most, Passing Flowers on Horseback. Fortunately for Bei Wushuang, he possessed a Cloudborne Layer constitution, so the explosion was not as severe as it could have been. Still, he might have survived this time, but it was hard to say whether he could endure another attack.

Bei Wushuang widened his eyes and locked onto Li Banfeng, while He Yuxiu stood to the side, constantly throwing sand into his eyes.

This pair of shameless cheating lovers...

Bei Wushuang had spent his whole life fighting the land deities of the territories around him. What kind of battle tactics had he not seen? Yet, unexpectedly, now that he was in such an exhausted state, he was actually being broken down by such a simple tactic.

"Rooo. Raooo..."

Bei Wushuang tried to counterattack, but another handful of sand struck his eyes, causing him to lose his vision once again. And the moment he lost his sight, Bei Wushuang lost everything. He exploded—all of him.

Among the mangled flesh and blood splattered on the ground, only Bei Wushuang's rucksack remained relatively intact. Without giving it much thought, Li Banfeng picked it up, grabbed He Yuxiu, and ran.

Pan Dehai could return at any moment. If they were to stay too long, they would not be able to leave.

As they ran, He Yuxiu laughed.

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at?"

Did she fall victim to that camel's ability? Has her mind been affected?

He Yuxiu said, "You once said that there are plenty of heroes who have capsized in a gutter[1]. I was just thinking. Does that camel count as a hero who capsized in a gutter too?"

Technically speaking, that was indeed the case.

Bei Wushuang was one of the strongest land deities of the New Lands. In a one-on-one fight, Meng Yuchun was definitely not his match. However, he had suffered severe injuries under the combined assault of Meng Yuchun and Pan Dehai and then fought a bloody battle against Gao Shuxia and Hundred-Eyed Fish, exhausting the last of his strength. That was the reason he finally died at the hands of Li Banfeng and He Yuxiu. The final battle lasted less than a minute from start to finish. It was the perfect example of capsizing in a gutter.

"But you can't put it that way! He was a hero, and we're heroes too."

He Yuxiu seriously asked, "Then who exactly is the gutter?"

Li Banfeng glared at He Yuxiu, and the two continued running at full speed.

***

Pan Dehai, Gao Shuxia, and Hundred-Eyed Fish were about to catch up with "Bei Wushuang" in the desert when they discovered that "Bei Wushuang" had suddenly disappeared.

Where could he have hidden? Did he use Vanishing Without A Sound?

Pan Dehai shouted sternly, "Bei Wushuang, when you unleashed the insect plague in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, did you ever think this day would come? You're at death's door. How long can you keep hiding? You still refuse to give up?"

Pan Dehai grew drastically in size. Looking down on the surroundings, he intended to use the ability The Weight of Virtuous Prestige to force Bei Wushuang out of hiding.

However, even after waiting for a while, Bei Wushuang still did not appear. Pan Dehai turned around and grabbed Gao Shuxia and Hundred-Eyed Fish.

Gao Shuxia was startled. "Why are you grabbing us?"

Pan Dehai wore a sinister smile. "Didn't I just tell you young ladies that I needed your help leading the way? We'll take another trip to Bei Wushuang's residence. There are also some things I'd like to ask the two of you."

***

On a 500-meter plot of land, Zhang Wanlong held a cucumber and took a bite. From the sound alone, it was clearly crisp and refreshing.

"Fortunately, it came back quickly," Zhang Wanlong said to Little Gen while looking at the cucumber. "If they had discovered it, the two of us wouldn't have been able to escape responsibility."

***

Li Banfeng sent He Yuxiu back to her plot, then he returned alone to the Mountain-Uprooting Lord's cave dwelling and entered the tunnel where the railway platform was being built.

The tunnel looked no different from before. Li Banfeng walked to where he remembered leaving the Pocket Dwelling and stood there for a moment. The gravel beneath his feet suddenly transformed into smooth soil.

"The soil hasn't dried yet. Don't keep stepping on it!" the Pocket Dwelling called out.

Then an entrance door slowly appeared before him.

This was a process of authentication. The Pocket Dwelling confirmed Li Banfeng's identity, and both the railway station and its entrance appeared together.

Li Banfeng entered through the door and tugged open Bei Wushuang's rucksack. Inside was a wooden box and an arched iron deed.

The contract!

Bei Wushuang had indeed dug up his own contract. He had intended to escape with it.

Li Banfeng was overjoyed and checked the contents of the contract first.

On the front of the iron deed, some words had been engraved vertically on the iron: Within 50 kilometers of land, this shall serve as proof of ownership.

There were even traces of blood on the words. The back of the iron deed contained significantly more words, over a dozen lines in total.

The first line read: Bei Wushuang was granted this land.

The second line read: Bei Wushuang defeated the Iron-Armed Youth and obtained 7.5 kilometers of land.

The third line read: Bei Wushuang defeated Duke Fuqi and obtained 5 kilometers of land.

When Li Banfeng read all the way down to the ninth line, he found it read: Bei Wushuang defeated the Mountain-Uprooting Lord and obtained 5 kilometers of land.

Several more lines followed, all recording Bei Wushuang's achievements in battle.

Bei Wushuang truly was a ruthless figure. After becoming a land deity, he fought fifteen battles and never suffered a defeat.

Li Banfeng handed the deed to the Gramophone. "Help me change the Mountain-Uprooting Lord's name."

The Gramophone was delighted to see the deed too. "My darling husband, this worry that has weighed on your heart is finally gone."

The Gramophone's stylus carefully altered the iron deed stroke by stroke, and the name of the Mountain-Uprooting Lord was soon changed to Li Furong.

Li Banfeng was in excellent spirits and prepared to take out his oil can to celebrate.

The Gramophone shouted, "My dear, please wait. It's not a good day for me today. That wretched Hong Ying is just right for this occasion."

Upon hearing that, Hong Ying immediately ran toward the fifth room.

Li Banfeng ignored Hong Ying and headed straight toward the Gramophone with the oil can.

The Gramophone called out, "My dear, don't be in such a hurry. What do you plan to do with the iron deed?"

Li Banfeng froze for a moment and put down the oil can.

1. It’s an idiom that means meet with unexpected failure. ☜