Su Ping had left the scene just about ten minutes ago.
A helicopter, black as ink and with barely any noise, hovered above the mountaintop.
Soon, five soldiers, wearing intelligent combat helmets and exoskeletal support gear, descended from the helicopter onto the ground.
After a detailed search of the surroundings, they realized the scene had been tampered with.
And the most likely suspects... were a group of rats!
From the remains on the ground, they found quite a few rat hairs and droppings.
The team leader reported the findings to his superiors and faintly suspected that these rats might be the same ones that had recently appeared in the city!
After all, it was too much of a coincidence!
"This case is getting interesting!"
Standing atop the mountain, the captain, using the intelligent assistance system, repeatedly watched the abnormal videos that had previously appeared in these woods, his eyes sparkling:
"Compared to investigating those cases where people claim they have encountered, or are themselves aliens, Underground People, Lizard people."
"This case is more to my taste."
"I have a premonition that even if it turns out to be a natural phenomenon in the end, we can still make another episode of 'Voyage into Science'."
"Inform the aftermath team, we'll need new videos for the game advertisement!"
"Then, I request that this matter be prioritized even higher!"
...
Thanks to the early warning from the Spiritual Rats, White and Grey, Su Ping also spotted the helicopter right away.
Seeing its rather sci-fi appearance, Su Ping didn't dare stay longer and immediately activated the Town Return Talisman to return to the Immortal Cultivation World.
Before the fishing point had refreshed.
Su Ping decided not to return to Water Blue Star just yet.
It was to give the other side ample time to deal with the impact caused by this anomaly.
And to give himself time to assimilate the Red Blood Rainbow Carp.
Inside the Cultivation Room at Frost Moon Villa,
With a deafening roar echoing in the sealed space, White and Grey clung tightly to Su Ping's pants in fright.
Su Ping looked at the shattered wooden dummies and nodded in satisfaction.
These dummies were made of Iron Wood, which was even harder than the flesh of an ordinary Body Refinement First Layer cultivator.
Yet, they stood no chance against Su Ping's improved sweet explosives-filled Thunder Fire Pearl!
"This item is very good, I should produce more!"
"Aside from using it for surprise attacks...
"I can also bring back a few controlled elite rats to serve as carriers for suicide attacks!"
"The opponents, having never seen the power of the Thunder Fire Pearl, wouldn't anticipate its terrifying force!"
"No, they wouldn't even expect me to use Spiritual Rats for this kind of suicide attack, what a waste of resources!"
Being a cultivator, Su Ping was well aware that the key to successfully attacking cultivators with Self-Destruction Rats wasn't in the power of the explosives, but in the carrier itself.
Ordinary rats, when facing cultivators of Qi Cultivation, often couldn't even get close.
Under the release of spiritual pressure by a cultivator, even humans would feel weak-kneed and weak-armed.
Not to mention small creatures like rats.
Furthermore, the agility and speed of cultivators far surpassed that of rats.
Keeping up with the opponent without needless losses would require making the rats themselves Transcendent with some resistance.
If it were other cultivators, even if they also studied the same Thunder Fire Pearl and possessed the Beast Taming Technique,
they would be reluctant to use Spiritual Beasts for such tasks.
In the eyes of normal cultivators, it is difficult to breed Spiritual Beasts; one is worth hundreds of Spirit Stones.
Only a madman would use them for such purposes!
Moreover, even high-tier Beast Tamers find it hard to make Spiritual Beasts undertake deadly missions.
However, Su Ping was an anomaly and, leading the rat group with White and Grey, he didn't even need to worry about the burden of contracting more Spiritual Rats.
And since those ordinary rats had turned into Spiritual Rats for a short time, their self-awareness was still budding, so there was no worry about them resisting the command to self-destruct.
"Thunder Fire Pearl successful, next is the Netherworld Fire Technique."
Su Ping soothed White and Grey, then took out a glass bottle from his storage bag.
As he hurled the glass bottle at a wooden figure.
Accompanied by the shattering sound of the glass.
With a bang, a blazing flame burst forth from thin air and soon wildly spread over the wooden figure's body.
Su Ping summoned a water orb and smashed it over.
However, the flame, upon meeting the water, burned even more intensely and released a terrifyingly high temperature!
Even Iron Wood, comparable to steel, spontaneously combusted under this high temperature!
"The robes worn by cultivators in the middle and late Qi Cultivation stage generally possess in-built Water Condensation Technique to counter the most widespread Fire Series spells."
"If Water Condensation Technique encountered my technologically enhanced Netherworld Fire Technique..."
"Hehe, wouldn't that be a sight to behold!"
Su Ping chuckled dryly a few times and then realized that he also couldn't extinguish the flames before him.
He could only wait for them to burn out naturally.
Watching the spreading smoke, he decided to end today's cultivation.
The servants at Frost Moon Manor were curious but dared not probe or ask what their Inspection Envoy was doing.
Su Ping returned to his room.
He took out a Big Bluefish and prepared a sour fish dish to celebrate his successful research on the Thunder Fire Pearl and Netherworld Fire Technique.
Then, relying on the effects of the Big Bluefish and the remnants of the Red Blood Rainbow Carp, Su Ping continued his bath-cultivation throughout the night.
The relentless cultivation had the maid, Ping'er, and other servants feeling sympathy for their master.
And those significant figures in Golden Sparrow City were astonished:
This Inspection Envoy is really working too hard!
Could it be he aims to catch the eye of that Inspection Envoy, to get a chance to return to the Immortal Sect?
Ha! As if it were that easy!
Only the Ji Family, in succession, delivered another batch of medicinal materials.
And when Ji Hu met Su Ping, he even presented him with over ten Spirit Stones.
The importance of Spirit Stones to a mortal family could be seen just from how easily Frost Moon Manor had sold them.
This astonished Su Ping, seeing how serious the Ji Family was about clinging to him!
Su Ping thus reluctantly agreed to Ji Hu's next request, accepting several Ji Family women as maid servants.
Utilizing the obtained medicinal materials, and night snacks of various Bluefish continuing for several nights.
Finally, on the fifth night since returning to Frost Moon Manor from Water Blue Star.
Su Ping let out a low roar as he leaped from the bathroom.
He had successfully entered the Third Layer Realm of Body Refining!
His physique upon leaping had reached the golden ratio, creating the illusion of perfection.
Su Ping slightly clenched his fists and threw a punch into the air.
Bang!
The room echoed with the thundering sound of tigers and leopards!
For a moment.
Su Ping even felt the space trembling from that punch.
"This isn't an illusion!"
"But the effect of one-tenth of the Ten Directions Annihilation Body!"
"Is this Sacred Body related to space?"
"The legendary ultimate technique of the Ten Directions Sect, Ten Directions Annihilation, is indeed a top-tier method of annihilation that possesses the power to obliterate space!"
"It seems it's not just boasting!"
"No wonder those who possess the Ten Directions Annihilation Body can become Saint Heirs! All sorts of superior cultivation techniques and ultimate skills must be linked with this Sacred Body!"