However, it was only a moment before Jiang Ming's gaze moved. He looked at the figures that were rushing over at the front with a strange expression.
"Are they… acquaintances of the people I killed?" he muttered to himself. What a coincidence.
At the same time, the group of fleeing cultivators finally discovered Jiang Ming's figure.
"There's someone ahead. It should be a Foundation Establishment Realm expert!" a handsome young man shouted in joy. His body was covered in wounds, and blood flowed from his nose. His hair was disheveled, and he looked like a beggar.
Even so, the young man was still holding a folding fan in his hand, trying to maintain his elegant and otherworldly aura.
"I'm afraid that Li Qianya will hold onto that folding fan until he dies!" Jiang Ming was rendered speechless. He shook his head.
This young man was Li Qianya, whom he had met once in the secret area where the black sword had been discovered a few years ago. He was a genius from the Mysterious Star Grotto-Heaven and an unparalleled genius among disciples in his generation.
Li Qianya's cultivation had improved over the years. He was almost at the end of the Qi Refinement Realm and was only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Realm. It was obvious that he had suppressed his cultivation for the sake of this trip to the ruins.
Beside Li Qianya were a few other cultivators from the various grotto-heavens and blessed lands. They all had extraordinary auras. However, they were all heavily injured. It was as if they had encountered a powerful enemy.
However, Jiang Ming only glanced at these people and did not bother with them. Instead, he looked at the beautiful woman beside Li Qianya.
The woman was wearing a green gauze dress. She was a delicate beauty, and her body was stained with blood. However, even in this dangerous situation, her eyes were still calm.
"Qi Yue."
Back then, she had appeared with Li Qianya in that secret area. Later, she had left a letter to Jiang Ming, saying that she had taken Lu Xiaoyu to the Chasing Moon Lake to cultivate.
The woman named Qi Yue seemed to have a frail and graceful figure. However, the power of her spells was astonishing. She raised her hand and shot out dazzling lights. With a rumble, they swept toward the enemies and chased after them like a tidal wave.
Jiang Ming narrowed his eyes and saw the runes she formed. The runes emitted an ancient, strange power.
"Perhaps I really need the Chasing Moon Lake's help if I want to translate that jade tablet," Jiang Ming whispered.
During the past few days, he had also studied the hundreds of strange runes on the jade tablet. However, he could not understand a thing.
Even if he wanted to cultivate it, he could not. Currently, the only sect that was suspected to have knowledge of these runes was the Chasing Moon Lake.
"Also, I wonder how Lu Xiaoyu has been doing over the past few years," Jiang Ming said to himself.
"Sir, please save our lives!" At this moment, Li Qianya and the others finally rushed to Jiang Ming and begged him to help.
"We are disciples of the Mysterious Star Grotto-Heaven, the Cloud Dream Sect, and other major factions. If you're willing to help, we will definitely repay you handsomely!" another person begged.
Qi Yue, the genius girl from the Chasing Moon Lake, did not say anything. She threw him a fist-sized purple stone that was suffused with a metallic luster.
Jiang Ming raised his brows and looked surprised. He recognized that this was a rare spiritual material of extraordinary value. Even for cultivators in the Golden Core Realm, it was extremely hard to come across.
"This thing is delicious!" the black sword's voice rang out quietly with a hint of a plea.
Jiang Ming was speechless. The black sword was like a bottomless pit.
However, he remained expressionless. He did not look like Yan Chixia back then. Therefore, Li Qianya and the others naturally could not recognize him.
However, before Jiang Ming could say anything, the people chasing after Li Qianya shouted, "Who are you? How dare you stop the Cangming Grotto-Heaven from doing things? Get lost!"
His voice was like thunder and rolled over. A Foundation Establishment Realm aura burst out, causing Li Qianya and the others' expressions to change slightly.
They all looked at Jiang Ming with hope. He was their only hope of survival.
A look of understanding appeared in Jiang Ming's eyes. No wonder these geniuses from the grotto-heavens and blessed lands were being chased so miserably. It turned out that they had encountered Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. They were really unlucky.
However, they were asking for trouble by charging into this area.
Suddenly, a blinding sword aura shot down mercilessly, enveloping Jiang Ming, Li Qianya, and the others.
"Interesting!" Jiang Ming sneered. He raised his hand and pressed it forward.
"Sir, be careful!" Li Qianya's expression changed slightly, and he quickly warned him. A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator from the Cangming Grotto-Heaven was much more powerful than ordinary individual cultivators.
However, Li Qianya's jaw dropped in shock the next moment.
As Jiang Ming pressed down with one hand, a handprint made out of spiritual energy, that was dozens of feet long, suddenly appeared in the sky and pressed on the sword aura.
The sword aura shattered. However, the handprint did not lose its momentum and whistled forward.
"What?" Not only did Li Qianya and the others widen their eyes, but even the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator from the Cangming Grotto-Heaven who was chasing after them had a drastic change in expression.
"Spare me! I'm from the Cangming Grotto-Heaven!" he screamed.
However, the handprint landed and crushed him mercilessly. Then, it exploded, leaving nothing behind.
Jiang Ming pointed with his finger, and the remaining pursuers were killed in the blink of an eye. Only a pale-faced youth with a buzz cut was left. His body trembled as he stood in front of him. His eyes were filled with horror. He even lost the courage to escape and did not dare make any moves.
"The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the Cangming Grotto-heaven are very bold. I've already killed dozens of your fellow cultivators. However, you still dare provoke me. You guys are really interesting!" Jiang Ming looked at the last young man in the Qi Refinement Realm and smiled predatorily.
This young man was someone he knew. He was Fei Ming, the genius from the Cangming Grotto-Heaven, who had attacked Jiang Ming in the cave where the black sword was found.
Jiang Ming being chased all the way to the ruins where the remnant light of the heavenly tribulation could be seen was all thanks to Fei Ming. It was he who secretly sent a message to call for help.
He did not expect that his former enemy would come knocking on his door today. It saved Jiang Ming a lot of effort.
Fei Ming's pupils constricted when he heard Jiang Ming's words. His entire body was ice-cold, and he trembled non-stop. He looked at the person in front of him with even more terror in his eyes. What kind of monster had they encountered?
Li Qianya and the others were also shocked.
How did he kill dozens of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from the Cangming Grotto-Heaven? How was this possible? How many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators did the Cangming Grotto-Heaven send into this area? Were more than half of them killed by this mysterious cultivator?
Moreover, as Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, the cultivators of the Cangming Grotto-heaven were among the strongest of those at the same level. How could so many of them be killed by one person?
Jiang Ming ignored Li Qianya and the others. He looked straight at Fei Ming and said calmly, "Let me ask you something. Tell me the truth. Otherwise, you'll pay dearly."
Fei Ming's gaze became even more terrified as he nodded his head with great difficulty.
"Tell me everything you've seen in the Black Rock Ruins," Jiang Ming said indifferently. "Also, what is in the deepest part of this snowy valley? Why did the Cangming Grotto-Heaven set up a camp here for decades?"
His voice was faint, and it carried an invisible power that shook people's hearts. He was using the power of his divine will to intimidate Fei Ming and make him tell the truth.
Although Fei Ming's cultivation level was not high, his status was definitely much higher than the cultivators who were guarding the camp.
Jiang Ming had a feeling that Fei Ming knew more about the depths of the snowy valley than the others.
