Bamboo Mound

Even though Ning Chang pressed the city lord back down to sit, he couldn't stay still. Upon seeing the two wooden pieces, he immediately stood up excitedly again.

"Immortal Master, Zhaoyang City has been waiting for you for so long!"

"Um... let's skip the formalities and talk about the bounty first," Ning Chang reiterated.

Once we've figured things out, it's best to let the city lord get a good night's sleep first, lest he suddenly die here again.

"Since the Immortal Master intends it this way, then I'll get straight to the point." The city lord blinked a few times, adjusting his expression.

"The turtle and the snake had only been lying dormant in the lake before. We simply cleared a path in the mountains nearby, and nothing happened after that."

"Until the day before yesterday, the turtle and snake emerged from the lake together and swallowed several civilians from outside the city. The same thing happened yesterday!"

"Given the size of those two beasts, they certainly didn't devour these people to satisfy their hunger; they take pleasure in cannibalism!"

"I implore you, Immortal Master, to subdue those two beasts. Then, whatever you desire in this vast Zhaoyang City, feel free to take it!"

"Even if none of them meet the Immortal Master's standards, Zhaoyang City is willing to build a temple to worship the Immortal Master!"

The city lord became more and more agitated as he spoke, and eventually knelt down on the ground.

Ning Chang hadn't expected him to do that, and after a moment of stunned silence, she remembered to step aside and help him up from a distance.

"There's no need for that. I only came for those two ferocious beasts. If I had insisted on comparing our names, I would have already made my move."

And that was indeed the case. He had only wanted to see what the strange beast looked like, but halfway there he remembered that the beast's corpse might contain some useful materials.

As for the rewards that come with Zhaoyang City, the best that can be obtained is spirit stones, so it doesn't really matter whether you take them or not.

Before the city lord could lash out again, Ning Chang asked a question:

"When have those tortoises and snakes been coming out these past two days?"

"It's noon now. Noon used to be the safest time. As long as you're not too close to the lake, you can walk there if you're careful."

The city lord spoke at breakneck speed.

"But now, not only are other times the same as before, but at noon, something bad is bound to happen no matter what."

"Noon... No, waiting half a day is a waste of time, and it'll be a bit rushed when we call." Ning Chang frowned, deep in thought.

“Well… if the Immortal Master is pressed for time, I am willing to offer myself as bait to lure those two beasts out!” The city lord, having discerned Ning Chang’s thoughts, immediately volunteered.

"Hmm? Can it still be induced?" Ning Chang asked doubtfully.

The city lord nodded. "That's right! Although those two beasts will come out on their own at noon, they will also peek out and commit violence whenever pedestrians pass by the lake at other times!"

"Alright then, I'll save your life." Ning Chang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement to his proposal.

He can still easily teleport an ordinary person to a distant place, but he doesn't know if there are any side effects.

However, based on some basic physiological knowledge, sudden rapid movement and sudden stop will most likely cause dizziness and vomiting.

Seeing that Ning Chang agreed, the city lord returned to his desk, took out a small booklet, flipped through a few pages, picked up his pen, and asked:

"What title did the Immortal Master use when he accepted the bounty in the capital?"

"Old Biden."

"Old...Bi...Deng...is...ready." The city lord blew on the ink a few times, then dabbed it with his hand before closing the book.

"Immortal Master, we may depart now."

Ning Chang nodded, stepped forward, placed one hand on his body, and led him to the outside of the city gate.

"Wait here for a moment. When I beckon to you, I will go and lure the turtle and snake."

The city lord was wondering why Ning Chang had put his hand on his shoulder when he saw Ning Chang turn to leave after instructing him to stay there. He immediately raised his hand to ask a question.

Then he suddenly realized that he was already standing at the city gate.

"This! This... Haha..." He got excited again and chuckled softly a few times.

"It seems the great threat to Zhaoyang City is about to be eliminated." He sighed inwardly, then stood still, intently awaiting Ning Chang's signal.

After giving instructions to the city lord, Ning Chang began to release his spiritual power onto the lake surface. At the same time, he applied a concealment talisman to himself and, following the sensation of the talisman, contracted his own spiritual power fluctuations.

After all, if those two strange beasts sensed the presence of a Spirit Platform on the shore, they would be more cautious and wouldn't take the bait, which would be troublesome, even though the other party might not take his second-level Spirit Platform seriously.

While arranging his spiritual energy, Ning Chang also refined his specific plan.

“Spiritual power alone probably can’t break through the defenses of the alien beasts, but if they only have physical strength and don’t know how to use spiritual power, then penetration is relatively easy.”

Therefore, first, spiritual energy was infused to mark the location of their heart and brain. Then, under the interference of the bamboo leaves outside, two bamboo leaves were broken and inserted into their bodies.

Then, following the marks of spiritual energy, the bamboo leaves reached the brain and heart with minimal damage, gathering the nerves and blood vessels that were severed from the body, and then enveloping them with spiritual energy.

This way, the integrity of the materials on the beast's corpse can be preserved to the greatest extent possible.

Ning Chang was quite satisfied with his plan. Although he couldn't tell which items were useful and which were useless, as long as he accepted them all, it wouldn't be too difficult to find someone who could authenticate them.

This confidence comes from the capacity of its storage pocket!

Estimating that the spiritual energy arrangement was almost complete, and with the first rays of dawn breaking over the distant mountains, leaving no shadows, Ning Chang turned to look towards the city gate. After finding the city lord's figure, he stretched out his right hand and waved it a few times.

Upon seeing the signal, the city lord immediately ran towards the lake.

Seeing this, Ning Chang also controlled his spiritual power and attached some to him for later teleportation.

As the city lord approached, the once mirror-like lake began to ripple.

The ripples grew stronger and stronger, turning into waves and billows, until finally, in the center of those surging waves, two heads suddenly emerged, bursting forth with towering sprays of water.

Those two heads alone are the size of half a house!

Before long, the bodies of the two strange beasts also surfaced.

The giant turtle was entirely black, with six legs and two tails. Its head and shell were covered with sharp spikes, and a sharp tooth grew between its upper and lower jaws. It looked exactly like an alligator snapping turtle, but it was even more ferocious than any alligator snapping turtle he had ever seen.

The giant snake was coiled on the tortoise's body, with a triangular head, two eyes that were golden and brown, and a black body, with a few strands of yellow and silver connecting its head and tail.

The aura emanating from the two strange beasts had reached the sixth level of the Spirit Platform!

Upon seeing this, Ning Chang immediately moved the city lord, who was standing still, back to the city gate.

However, once the two strange beasts reached the surface, they completely ignored the city lord on the shore and stared intently in Ning Chang's direction.

Even though he tried his best to conceal his aura, the two beasts still easily recognized him and made him their primary target.