Why do you think you're the only one with a trump card?
How dare you?
How dare you!
"How dare you, a lowly commoner, insult a member of the Royal Clan like this!"
After catching its breath, the enormous dragon body stood up again and let out three angry roars in succession.
Suddenly, crimson-gold flames rose from its body, igniting its entire flesh.
The flames looked entirely real; those nearby could even hear the crackling sound of fat splattering as the flesh burned.
"Damn you, you lowly commoner! I'll risk my life to make you understand!"
The Flood Dragon stared intently at Xiao Chen, uttering four words: "The King Cannot Be Insulted!"
His eyes were wide open, completely unconcerned even though they were bloodshot and cracked.
His chest heaved violently as he spoke, his tone filled with barely suppressed rage.
Despite possessing Mutated Bloodline and being Great Demon capable of transforming into human form and possessing Spiritual Intelligence, he was forced to kowtow on the ground by a mere mortal.
This is an absolute disgrace!
Utter disgrace!
Since the day it was born, the Flood Dragon had never experienced such humiliation.
This is absolutely unforgivable! Such a thing must be punished immediately, no matter the cost!
Therefore, he did not hesitate to activate his Innate Secret Technique, igniting the dragon blood flowing within his body.
They Sacrifice Flesh and Blood, cultivation, and Lifespan in exchange for temporary, powerful strength.
He wanted to kill Xiao Chen to wash away the humiliation he had just suffered, even if it meant Mutual Destruction.
Under the influence of the secret technique, the pressure emanating from him unexpectedly increased once again.
It created an almost tangible sense of oppression.
All the cultivators present felt as if the air had become thick and viscous, as if it were gradually solidifying.
"Daoist Xiao, run!"
Fa Zhao Arhat immediately warned, "This is the supreme secret technique of the Dragon Clan, sacrificing everything to obtain an attack containing a trace of the Great Dao Phantom."
Even if Nascent Soul True Lord were to arrive in person, we must be extremely careful!
However, just as he opened his mouth...
The Inverse Scale on the Flood Dragon's chest fell off on its own, and then a large number of Golden Rune flew out.
Even the Fa Zhao Arhat was dumbfounded by this scene, not knowing what was going on.
The runes appeared slowly, but in reality, they were distributed across the area according to some mysterious pattern the moment they appeared.
The Flood Dragon, Xiao Chen, and the space within a radius of thirty-three feet were directly separated.
At this point, unless one has the ability to teleport, no one can enter or leave.
"Crack! Boom!"
Suddenly, a large number of dark blue runes appeared around them, which were the Power of Restriction of the ruins.
The reason it suddenly appeared is that this power to cut through space has reached the fourth level, completely exceeding the limits that the ruins can tolerate.
However, those Golden Rune shone brightly, and for a short time, even the Ruins Restriction could not harm them.
"It's over!"
Fa Zhao Arhat immediately clenched his fists, but then helplessly loosened them.
He would spare no expense to help in any way he could.
But these Golden Rune in front of them did not belong to the power of that Flood Dragon at all.
Rather, it was a method used by a Fourth-Order great demon to implant itself into its body before entering the ruins, or even earlier.
After such a restricted space.
Even a life-saving treasure like the Life-Replacing Straw Man couldn't safely carry the cultivators inside away.
In other words, if Xiao Chen couldn't move himself out, he would have to stay inside and endure the extremely violent sacrificial power.
It's important to understand that this life-or-death fighting style is enough to erase the original difference in strength between the two.
Upon realizing this, Fa Zhao Arhat turned his head away in grief and indignation, unable to bear to look any longer.
The result is already quite clear.
Many cultivators couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
Even a prodigy as strong as Daoist Xiao must encounter such a calamity?
He did not lose to his opponent, but in the end, he could not escape the methods provided by his opponent's powerful background.
"Okay, okay, is this how you play it?"
Xiao Chen, however, wore a smile, showing no sign of tension. "I originally thought that although you, this long worm, were a bit arrogant, you still had some backbone."
"Now it seems I completely overestimated you."
He shook his head as he spoke, his contempt evident.
"Still being stubborn even when death is imminent!"
The Flood Dragon had almost completely burned away, leaving only its head and skeleton. "I said I would devour you alive, and I will!"
Having said that, he suddenly pounced on him.
The movement wasn't fast, but it immediately drew upon the raging flames that enveloped him.
For a moment, it was almost equivalent to a Nascent Soul True Lord going all out.
"Sigh, so why do you think you're the only one with a trump card?"
Xiao Chen feigned a sigh and formed a hand seal, "Secret Escape Technique - Front Wheel Turns, Rear Wheel Doesn't!"
These hand gestures and Mnemonic are of little use; he only has two trump cards that he can truly use to deal with this wave of attacks.
They can either use the Small Teleportation Talisman to escape the blockade, or use the Night's Edge to withstand the attack.
Given the current situation, Night's Edge is the obvious first choice.
After all, aside from the variable of the Flood Dragon, the other cultivators within the ruins posed no threat to Xiao Chen's safety.
The reason he needed to wear an extra disguise this time was because the situation was rather special.
If this had happened outside the ruins, he would naturally have had no qualms and could have left directly.
The problem is, it's not time for the ruins to close yet.
Therefore, Xiao Chen will reappear in the ruins after the effect of Night's Edge ends.
Keep in mind that a large group of cultivators were watching the battle from not far away.
He didn't want to reveal his true intentions, nor did he want to kill someone to cover it up, so he just made up an excuse.
To make the performance more convincing.
Xiao Chen even deliberately activated his true essence to form a layer of exceptionally dazzling spiritual light on his body surface, but in reality, it had no practical effect.
"Boom!"
The sky exploded with flames, instantly shattering the remaining spiritual light on the spot.
The entire sealed-off space was engulfed in flames, completely obscuring any view from the outside.
"Boom!"
Upon realizing that Xiao Chen had disappeared, the Flood Dragon went berserk and began to urge its Spirit Fire to burn the entire space with even greater effort.
Although he had lost his sight, he could sense that the Golden Rune around him had not been destroyed.
So that damn guy is definitely still inside, just hiding.
It's most likely some kind of advanced Stealth Technique.
Therefore, the Flood Dragon desperately unleashed its area-of-effect attacks, attempting to injure Xiao Chen in this way.
Of course, all his efforts were in vain.
Xiao Chen did indeed hide, but it was as if he had hidden himself in another space.
No matter how angry or embarrassed the other party is, they cannot harm you in the slightest.
It was quite relaxing and enjoyable.
This was also the first time Xiao Chen didn't need to rush to escape after triggering the Night's Edge.
Instead, they have the leisure to stay put and quietly watch the show.
After all, the opponent had almost burned away all his flesh and blood and Lifespan, and could only last for no more than 15 minutes at most.
"Damn it, where are you? Where have you been hiding?"
The Flood Dragon, sensing its life slipping away, finally panicked.
He attacked desperately, but still couldn't find his opponent; it was as if such a large, living person had vanished into thin air.
"Come out! Come out now!"
"You coward, you wimp, you...!"
In its rage, the Flood Dragon used up the last bit of power it had gained through sacrifice.
Immediately, he felt all life had vanished, and his remaining head became incredibly heavy, so heavy that he couldn't even open his mouth.
"Splash!"
The surrounding Golden Rune were also broken through by the blue Ruins Restriction.
This space was reconnected.
Until all the Golden Rune had exhausted their power and shattered.
Suddenly, something in mid-air distorted, revealing a tall, slender figure.
Everyone immediately looked over and saw that it was Xiao Chen, who had a calm expression, showed no signs of injury, and didn't even need to breathe.
They have experienced such a terrible attack.
He acted as if nothing had happened, a smile playing on his lips, as if he had stood by and watched a farcical spectacle.
The cultivators present were all stunned and stood frozen in place, the entire place unusually silent.
After a long while, everyone came to their senses.
They stared at Xiao Chen in disbelief, gasping for breath.
However, this time, everyone felt they had run out of words.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise, confusion, and curiosity, so much so that they didn't know how to start a conversation.
However, due to Xiao Chen's intentional misleading statement and the numerous rumors circulating about him coming from a hidden sect, the situation remained unresolved.
Everyone immediately filled in the blanks in their minds.
Just now, Xiao Chen must have activated a protective Secret Treasure or secret technique bestowed by his Lineage, thus dismantling the Flood Dragon's attack.
Many people even made a point of recalling that Mnemonic.
Although I didn't understand what it meant, I secretly memorized it and treated it as important information.
I plan to report this as a clue to the sect after I return, so that it can be used to investigate and deduce what Xiao Chen's background really is.
However, such efforts are obviously futile; no matter how much they investigate, the truth will not be revealed.
"No... this can't be real, how could this be?"
The Round Stele Arhat trembled and immediately knelt on the ground. "How did it turn out like this?"
His Highness is dead, but he has not yet obtained the Sarira.
"Smack!"
Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard.
"Thump!"
Then, facing the other monks, he kowtowed loudly on the ground. "Fellow monks, fellow monks, I was just confused!"
"They suddenly came to my door, trying to lure me with the promise of breaking through my cultivation level."
"I don't know what happened, Heart Aperture and believed their nonsense."
"Actually, I had already regretted it. I was ready to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, but Fellow Daoist Xiao suddenly appeared, preventing me from speaking."
"Moreover, the Buddha himself said, ' The Sea of Bitterness is boundless, but turning back is the shore.'"
"Fellow disciples, please give me a chance to turn back, give me a chance to get back on track!"
As the Round Stele Arhat spoke, he slapped himself hard in the face, adding a loud thud after each sentence.
Because no true essence was used for protection.
He quickly slapped himself so hard that his cheeks swelled up, and his forehead was covered in bruises.
She didn't even know if it was from the pain or from regret, but she actually managed to squeeze out a string of tears.
"Presumptuous!"
Fa Zhao Arhat glared angrily. "Round Stele, you colluded with the Sea Race, attempting to betray your master and destroy your ancestors, and you still dare to argue!"
"They even dared to use Daoist Xiao as a scapegoat to try and exonerate themselves; it's utterly shameless!"
"Men, seize him and gag him!"
As they were speaking, four Arhat pounced on him and instantly subdued the Round Stele Arhat.
Although he tried to struggle, not everyone can take on four opponents alone.
Therefore, he was pinned to the ground and unable to move on the spot, and a stone was picked up and stuffed into his mouth to stop him from crying out.
"Benefactor Xiao, I will never forget your life-saving grace today."
Fa Zhao Arhat turned to Xiao Chen: "That traitor just spoke nonsense, please don't take it to heart, fellow Daoist."
As he spoke, he bowed deeply, almost touching the ground.
"It's okay, I don't care about these things."
Xiao Chen waved his hand, not wanting to bother arguing with a fool. "He just mentioned the turmoil outside..."
"Um?"
As he spoke, he turned his head to look.
On the other side, three monks wearing Bronze Mask were seen trying to escape.
"Hmph, where do you think you're going!"
Xiao Chen immediately rushed forward.
"You two watch the Round Stele, the rest of you quickly follow Benefactor Xiao, don't let a single evil cultivator escape!"
Fa Zhao Arhat immediately called out and rushed forward after him.
What followed was less of a battle and more of a cat-and-mouse game.
If the remaining heretical cultivators were taken individually and placed in the outside world, they would actually be considered masters capable of dominating a region among rogue cultivators.
However, he was virtually invincible against Xiao Chen.
With the help and restraint of the crowd, it only took a quarter of an hour for all ten evil cultivators to have their limbs broken.
Then the crowd grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him back.
"Daoist Xiao, these are their Storage Ring and Spirit Artifact. Please accept them."
After a quick body search, a cultivator immediately took all the spoils of war.
Xiao Chen shook his head. "Why give it all to me? Let's just split it equally."
However, everyone said they were too embarrassed to take the spoils.
Many cultivators even took the initiative to offer Spirit Stone or third-tier Third-Order Spirit Fruit or Third-Order Spirit Pill they carried with them as a token of gratitude for being saved.
"Daoist Xiao, I only brought 20,000 Spirit Stone with me this time. Please don't think it's too little."
One of the monks patted his chest and assured him, "When I return, I will present you with an even more generous gift."
The other cultivators immediately echoed this, indicating that there would be a reward upon their return.
"Ahem, fellow Daoists, please hear me out."
Xiao Chen coughed forcefully. "I appreciate everyone's kindness, but there's really no need to give me these things anymore."
"The reason I slay demons and monsters is not because I covet everyone's rewards."
He doesn't really need these things anymore.
However, despite Xiao Chen's words, he couldn't stop everyone from surrounding him and stuffing things into his arms.
The key point is that these people meant well, so we can't just take action because of this.
In the back-and-forth pushing and shoving, they truly demonstrated what it means to be outnumbered.
It even made Xiao Chen feel that it was more difficult than dealing with those evil cultivators.
"Alright, alright, if everyone insists on giving, then I thank you all for your kindness."
Two quarters of an hour later, looking at the huge pile of things in his arms and at his feet, Xiao Chen could no longer tell which cultivator they all came from.
Even if he wanted to return them all, he couldn't.
Forget it, there's no need to keep making excuses. Anyway, they gave it to us willingly, we didn't steal it.
To be honest, there were more than twenty Buddhist Dao cultivators present.
With 20,000 here and 50,000 there, they actually managed to raise 765,400 Spirit Stone.
Xiao Chen was stunned for a moment when he was packing up; there was still some change left.
I wonder who it was that took out all the Spirit Stone they carried with them.
As for some Spirit Fruit and pills, they can be worth around 400,000 Spirit Stone.
In other words, the total value of these gifts given to him alone exceeded one million Spirit Stone.
Truly, even if you spend all your money, it will come back again.
It's just that when you're weak, you can't save up money no matter how hard you try.
But when it becomes strong enough, it will come to you on its own.
"Um, is there any fellow cultivator who is particularly skilled in interrogation?"
Xiao Chen brought up the serious matter, pointing to the burly men. "Ask them which faction they belong to? And what's going on outside?"
With so many cultivators around, there's no need for him to do this himself.
"Daoist Xiao, I have dealt with the sect's Punishment Hall many times in the past, and I know a few tricks up my sleeve. You can leave this matter to me."
A True Disciple of Cloud Wave Sword Abode volunteered.
His master is actually the current Elder of the Punishment Hall of the Sword Hut, and their lineage has been passed down for thousands of years, making them absolute experts in interrogation.
"Fellow Daoists, please take a moment to adjust your breathing; it shouldn't be too strenuous."
After obtaining permission, he smiled and clasped his hands in a friendly gesture towards the crowd.
Then he directly pulled out seven different instruments of torture from his Storage Bag.
Without saying a word, he then gave all the heretical practitioners a thorough service from head to toe.
After giving them a strong Show of Force, they began to question each person individually and verify their claims repeatedly.
Since there are quite a few heretical cultivators, this process will inevitably take a while.
Xiao Chen wasn't particularly interested in the interrogation process or the miserable state of those people.
So he stepped a few paces away and began refining the newly acquired Storage Ring on the spot.
We just captured ten evil cultivators, and together with the seven from before, that makes a total of seventeen Storage Ring.
The ten coins that came from those burly men were all of the same shape, with waves drawn in the center.
The other seven are all different, and they look like the rings used by rogue cultivators.
Among them was even a special Storage Ring; upon inspection, one could discover that its restrictions were layered and exceptionally powerful.
It was almost as complicated as the Storage Ring that Xiao Chen had obtained from the ' Tong Kui ' before.
It seems they are the same group.
No wonder ' Tong Kui ' had a map of Giant Sea Beast; it was very likely that Flood Dragon, or something similar, given to him by Sea Race.
But if we look at it this way, the credibility of the parchment scrolls shouldn't be too low.
In other words, Universal Salvation Temple was indeed targeted by the Sea Race.
After all, it is the largest power in the Compassion Sea, and it's likely to be the first to stick its neck out and become a target.
Based on this, it can be inferred that Purified Dust Zen Master may indeed be in trouble.
When he first heard the news, Xiao Chen thought the same as many other cultivators: very few forces could target Fourth-Order Cultivator.
But if the enemy is from the Sea Race, then it's really hard to say.
Heaven knows how many Fourth-Order great demon lurk in the vast, Endless Sea, and more importantly, how many of them have actually come to the Compassion Sea.
If it's a single digit or a dozen or so, that's fine; people at Universal Salvation Temple have a wide circle of friends.
Although it's a vegetarian, it's still not someone to mess with.
But if more than twenty Fourth-Order great demon arrive, we'll probably have to ask the Great Powers of the Compassion Sea for help.
If there were any more, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Now that things have come to this, the Compassion Sea is destined to descend into chaos.
Fortunately, according to the intelligence Xiao Chen has obtained so far, the main danger should still come from the east.
He decided that after leaving the ruins this time, he would go to Armored Dragon Island to hunt Dragon Turtle.
Then, they deliberately stayed away from the east side, waiting for the Breakthrough Spirit Pill to be produced while avoiding danger.
"Alas, it's a pity we're still missing two types of Sha Qi. Where exactly are they?"
Xiao Chen frowned slightly. "And the Nine Aperture Lucid Jade, we didn't find any clues about it in the ruins this time either."
If we can't gather this last material, then the 127 kinds of spiritual materials we've accumulated before will also be useless.
But this last item, somehow, is hidden somewhere.
"Could there be Nine Aperture Lucid Jade hidden inside these seventeen Storage Ring?"
Xiao Chen carefully examined the Storage Ring in his hand, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.
But his reason told him that this hope was not great, even slim.
"Daoist Xiao, they have all confessed!"
The Sword Abode Cultivator ran over with a smile. He had only taken six hours, which was the time it took to break through two Storage Ring, to finish the interrogation.
"Oh, so fast."
Xiao Chen put away his Storage Ring and asked curiously, "Who are they?"
The Sword Abode Cultivator replied, "Those wearing Bronze Mask are either traitors bribed by the Sea Race or voluntarily defected."
"They seem to be a bunch of despicable people who will stop at nothing for profit, willing to be lackeys of the Sea Race."
"According to their confessions, they have many accomplices with similar identities."
"They are distinguished by gold, silver, and bronze masks, but this does not represent their cultivation level; it simply means they are responsible for different types of tasks."
"Bronze Mask are mostly used for tasks that require frequent movement."
"For example, treasure hunting, assassination, defection, transporting spiritual objects, etc."
"The Silver Mask are mostly spies, like the Round Stele Arhat, responsible for lurking in the shadows and working with the Bronze Mask ones from the inside, and betraying them when necessary."
"As for the last type of Gold Mask, it's rather mysterious."
"Those guys know very little, but the one in charge of their operation is a man in Gold Mask."
This structure perfectly matches what Xiao Chen had learned from the ' Tong Kui ' Storage Ring.
In other words, the results of this interrogation should be relatively reliable.
He nodded and pressed on, "And what about those Body Cultivator?"
Upon hearing this, the Sword Abode Cultivator shook his head. "Those people are not Body Cultivator."
"They are all Human-Demon Hybrid specially bred by the Sea Race, and each of them has Demon Bloodline flowing through their veins."
"To increase the Qi and Blood Concentration, he even cultivated a forbidden Secret Method, sacrificing his future Dao Path to cultivation in exchange for strength far exceeding that of ordinary people."
"In terms of function, they are almost like specially trained assassins."