The clearing of monsters proved to be far more troublesome than anticipated.
Shen Muzhi had initially expected to spend a considerable amount of time alone, clearing out all the monsters within this cave. As for whether he would still have the strength to purify the surrounding aura afterward, Shen Muzhi was rather uncertain.
However, now that he was inside the cave, there was no way for him to leave even if he wanted to. The monsters had completely sealed off the exit, as if deliberately trying to suffocate him inside, leaving him no chance to escape.
Fortunately, the radiance from the Karma Fire Red Lotus illuminated the cave to some extent. Although the glow was incredibly faint, it was still much better than complete darkness. Shen Muzhi calmed himself, focusing all his thoughts on dealing with the monsters.
After a period of time, he suddenly noticed that the monsters blocking the cave entrance abruptly parted. Sunlight, not yet fully set, streamed in from outside, illuminating a section around Shen Muzhi. In his daze, he inexplicably thought of the word "hope."
Yet, the moment this thought crossed his mind, Shen Muzhi couldn't help but ponder the source of this hope.
You Siqi and Liu Buli were still a considerable distance away. They possessed no resistance in this regard, so given Liu Buli's personality, even if he grew anxious waiting, he would absolutely not come over to cause trouble.
As for Lu Wuming...
He had explicitly told Lu Wuming to remain in his designated area, clearing the spreading evil energy. How could this be...
Before his thoughts could fully form, a figure appeared at the cave entrance after the monsters dispersed.
Although backlit, the firelight within the cave was bright enough to clearly illuminate the person's face. Shen Muzhi, who was still fending off monsters, couldn't help but freeze, exclaiming in surprise, "Brother Lu? Why are you here?"
Lu Wuming glanced at him, noticing his transformation into a spirit cat, and couldn't help but frown.
He truly detested Shen Muzhi.
Especially when this fellow transformed into a cat.
Because seeing this form always made Lu Wuming uncontrollably recall the way Liu Buli looked the first time he saw Shen Muzhi as a cat.
Lu Wuming still vividly remembered how his master's eyes had lit up at that moment.
His master's eyes had rarely lit up when looking at him, yet they had sparkled when looking at Shen Muzhi. Wasn't that clearly infuriating?
However, fortunately, Shen Muzhi was being somewhat sensible this time and hadn't displayed anything in front of his master. Considering the severe evil energy and malevolence in this place, his master would absolutely not approach, needing to protect that weak human.
Therefore, this form of Shen Muzhi should not have been seen.
His mind raced for a moment, and Lu Wuming felt a slight sense of satisfaction. He gestured with his chin towards Shen Muzhi, completely ignoring the question. Instead, he issued a command to Shen Muzhi first, saying, "When we're done and leave, remember to change back to your human form. If you dare to go back like this, I guarantee I'll chop off your tail."
Shen Muzhi blinked.
He had never expected that Lu Wuming's first words upon seeing him would be this.
However, he had experienced Liu Buli's fondness for cats before and understood Lu Wuming's thoughts perfectly. Shen Muzhi naturally replied, "Don't worry, Brother Lu. Even if you hadn't told me, I would have changed back when we leave this cave. I have at least that much common sense and wouldn't deliberately do anything to displease you."
Perhaps it was because Shen Muzhi had been exceptionally well-behaved during their recent interactions. In any case, upon hearing his assurance, Lu Wuming didn't doubt him further.
He simply nodded with satisfaction and continued, "I've been thinking. If I only cleared the outer areas and left you to handle this central region, no matter how well you did, all the credit would be yours. That wouldn't be right."
He had to appear to have contributed significantly so he could boast to his master upon their reunion.
Lu Wuming's thoughts were quite thorough.
Although the latter part wasn't explicitly stated, looking at his demeanor, Shen Muzhi had largely guessed the truth.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but after a moment of silence, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing Lu Wuming's personality, Shen Muzhi had never imagined that it would be Lu Wuming's personality that saved his life.
While he likely could have cleared the monsters in the cave on his own, the process would have been extremely arduous. With two people, it would undoubtedly be much easier.
Thinking this, Shen Muzhi released his spiritual power again and said to Lu Wuming, "Brother Lu, since that's the case, I truly must trouble you to put in more effort. Let's clear all these surrounding monsters, and then I'll begin the purification. Otherwise, if it were just me, I'd probably need a long recovery period after clearing these monsters before I could purify them."
What Shen Muzhi said was the truth.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuming felt immensely fortunate that he had come.
If it were just Shen Muzhi alone, he wouldn't have cared how long it took, even if it took a hundred years.
But the problem was that Shen Muzhi wasn't alone.
And based on his understanding of his master, Liu Buli would definitely make him stay and help until Shen Muzhi's purification was complete.
Therefore, the longer the purification took, the later he would see his master.
This was something Lu Wuming absolutely refused to accept.
With this thought, the light in his eyes dimmed slightly. When he began to act, his speed and strength increased significantly compared to before.
After a brief period of action, Lu Wuming said to Shen Muzhi beside him, "If you plan to do the final purification, just stay aside and behave. You don't need to expend spiritual power dealing with these monsters; I'll handle them. Conserve your spiritual power, and once I've dealt with the monsters, you can finish the purification quickly. Don't waste my time."