Would He Really Be That Kind-Hearted?

"I see."

Xiao Chen nodded. "No wonder so many Body Cultivator have suddenly appeared."

He had initially thought the increase in Sea Fish was the reason for the ruins.

But upon closer reflection, the number of Sea Fish has only increased in a few days; how could there be enough time to cultivate so many Late-stage Golden Core Body Cultivator?

Since they are a hybrid of Sea Race and were nurtured using Secret Method, that makes sense.

However, Xiao Chen thought for a moment and asked, "But I wonder if they have given any information on how many similar cultivators the Sea Race has secretly trained?"

As I said before, don't underestimate Golden Core cultivator.

Despite its large population, the Compassion Sea has several thousand Golden Core cultivator on both the Buddhist Dao sides combined.

However, overall, the Golden Core remains an invaluable backbone force.

"Well... they don't have much information about it either."

The Sword Abode True Disciple shook his head. "However, according to their descriptions, they had seen quite a few companions before, at least several hundred."

Since they are assassins with no potential, some things will naturally not be told to them truthfully.

However, we can still deduce a general situation from the clues.

"Furthermore, they don't know much about the outside world either."

The Sword Abode True Disciple continued, "Normally, they train on the islands in the Outer Sea, and when they do come out, it's always to follow orders."

"On the contrary, those masked traitors provided two clues."

"The first clue is that, it is said, some of them have already infiltrated the western side of the Compassion Sea and colluded with some local small Lineage."

"We obtained supplies and cover by secretly supporting them."

"There are even rumors that some traitors went to the Storm Sea further west on a special mission."

He paused, giving Xiao Chen some time to organize his thoughts.

He then continued, "The second clue is that they revealed the Sea Race is preparing to launch a series of actions against Nascent Soul True Lords in the near future."

"One of them was asked to provide VIP Room Token for the Listening Wave Sea Auction."

"There was another guy who was ordered to go to the outskirts of the Bitter Silence Temple to help set up the array plate for Fourth-tier Grand Array."

As its name suggests, the Bitter Silence Temple is a force within the Buddhist Sect.

However, the difference is that a manpower shortage began more than two hundred years ago.

Currently, there is only one Fourth-Order Cultivator in the temple, and that is the contemporary Bitter Silence Zen Master.

If anything were to happen to him, Bitter Silence Temple would essentially be defunct in name only.

Without the protection of Fourth-Order Cultivator, it is not much easier for successors to collect Breakthrough Spirit Item than for independent cultivators.

Even if some legacy or personal connections remain, it's difficult to make up for it.

And coincidentally, Xiao Chen had seen the Bitter Silence Temple on that parchment scroll nautical chart just two days ago.

Its position is exactly on the red line extending from the Nautilus.

In other words, if the Sea Race were clearing a path for the Giant Sea Beast, they might actually ambush and kill the Bitter Silence Zen Master.

"Such a thing actually happened?"

Suppressing his inner thoughts, Xiao Chen deliberately feigned a surprised expression. "What a coincidence."

"After entering the Secret Realm, I also encountered a cultivator wearing Bronze Mask."

"We happened to seize a Route Map from him."

As he spoke, Xiao Chen took out the parchment scroll. "It seems that the other party has grand ambitions; we must be on guard!"

He voluntarily unfolded the map for everyone to read and memorize.

Then he handed it to Fa Zhao Arhat: "Now that things have come to this, please take this picture back to Universal Salvation Temple and make preparations as soon as possible."

Although this matter is not directly related to Xiao Chen, he could have completely ignored it.

Moreover, Great Powers have Intelligence Network, so they might have known about it already.

However, since he is now in the Compassion Sea, he will inevitably be indirectly affected should the situation undergo drastic changes or upheavals.

Even if it's not as serious as a fire at the city gate affecting innocent bystanders.

But it's not a good thing overall.

Since Xiao Chen happened to encounter the monks of Universal Salvation Temple within the ruins, he simply took the opportunity to deliver a message.

Having an extra piece of duplicate intelligence wouldn't be a problem, but if we happen to miss this message, the situation could become unpredictable.

"Such a thing is true?"

Fa Zhao Arhat was astonished when he saw the parchment scroll; it was clear he had been completely unaware of it before.

Upon noticing the three Giant Sea Beast, he frowned deeply and his face darkened.

He then took out the Spirit Accumulating Treasure Box and carefully put away the sheepskin scroll.

He then bowed deeply in gratitude. "Thank you for informing me, Benefactor Xiao. This humble monk will certainly bring this sea chart back to the temple and explain to the Zen Master that this is all thanks to you, Benefactor!"

Xiao Chen waved his hand. "It was nothing, no need to be so polite."

He took out the parchment scroll, not because he cared about any merit.

The only hope is that Universal Salvation Temple can stand tall and withstand this storm.

Try not to let the Compassion Sea descend into chaos, lest it implicate him.

After all, to be fair, even Nascent Soul True Lord would have a hard time dealing with that Giant Octopus that was nearly three thousand feet in size.

"Tap tap tap!"

Suddenly, the sound of hurried running footsteps came from down the hillside.

Everyone immediately looked over and saw a young cultivator holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right, rushing up in a hurry.

He was immediately startled when he noticed so many people on the hillside.

He hurriedly channeled his true energy into the spiritual shield, summoning Spiritual Light Protection, and became on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy.

However, his action did not cause any tension among the cultivators.

From the fluctuations in Spiritual Power, everyone could immediately tell that this person only had the cultivation level of the Early-stage Golden Core stage, and the quality of the Spirit Artifact he used was also mediocre.

They pose absolutely no threat to them.

"Hey, which sect are you from?"

The closest disciple from the Sword Abode True Disciple spoke up, asking, "What are you doing here?"

Because the newcomer's cultivation level was too low, he didn't seem like an enemy from the Sea Race.

"It's you! What brings you here?"

Xiao Chen immediately recognized the person as one of the cultivators he had rescued earlier in the palace.

Unexpectedly, he actually followed us.

The speed is really slow. They've already finished fighting here for quite a while, and they're only just arriving now.

"Brother Xiao, you saved me, I came here to help you."

The young cultivator also noticed something amiss and quickly withdrew his spiritual light, explaining, "Although my strength isn't particularly high, more people mean more strength."

"At least I can help restrain one of the heretical cultivators."

He spoke so sincerely that it immediately elicited a burst of laughter.

The other cultivators present were secretly delighted. With Daoist Xiao's strength, why would he need your help?

"You... you do know how to repay kindness."

Xiao Chen was also a bit speechless, but still encouraged him. "However, those evil cultivators are actually Sea Race Sea Race, and the problem has been basically solved."

"Oh right, I remember you were also a disciple of Cloud Wave Sword Abode, so this should be considered your senior brother."

"You should stay with him from now on, and don't wander off anywhere."

"If any escapees, you won't be able to handle it alone."

Xiao Chen was a free spirit who preferred to be alone and didn't want anyone following him.

"Oh, you're also Sword Abode Disciple?"

The Sword Abode True Disciple was taken aback, not expecting not to recognize his own. "Since you've gotten separated, you can stay by your senior brother's side from now on."

Upon hearing that the problem had been solved, the young cultivator was taken aback.

He immediately sheathed his Flying Sword and spirit shield, scratched his head, and walked over with a silly grin. "Junior brother greets you... Ah!"

His eyes suddenly widened. "You... you're Steward Zhang from the Punishment Hall!"

"Wang Shichang, a disciple of Spiritual Show Peak, greets the steward."

The Sword Abode True Disciple smiled warmly, "Don't be so polite, just call me Senior Brother."

The reason for saying this is partly because Xiao Chen just spoke, so it's definitely not appropriate to put on airs at this time.

On the other hand, he also heard the comment that he was 'grateful,' which is a very important virtue.

He'll be taking over the Punishment Hall completely in the future, so he can't be without his own people. It's a good opportunity to bring them over and train them.

The young cultivator looked at the smiling Steward Zhang and felt somewhat dazed.

The disciples of the Punishment Hall I usually see, from top to bottom, almost always have dark faces. I never knew they had such a kind side!

Then, in a daze, he was pulled aside by his newly acquainted senior brother to chat.

After asking about the situation, Xiao Chen didn't linger.

Instead, they continued to explore the rest of the ruins, while also searching for any remaining survivors they hadn't caught before.

Coincidentally, the palace he had discovered earlier was already the best spot in this ruin.

The remaining areas, though not small, consist mostly of scattered small buildings, similar to the wooden towers on the hillside.

The contents inside are mostly Cultivation Technique Inheritance, or third-tier spirit ores such as gold, silver, copper, and iron.

Over the course of several days, Xiao Chen's biggest gain was actually in the first two days when he captured two traitors who had been hiding.

They seized the Spirit Artifact and Storage Ring from them.

"Is there something wrong with how long this ruin lasts?"

As time went on, Xiao Chen sensed something was wrong. "Today should be the twelfth day, why is there still no sign of it ending?"

Generally speaking, maintaining a ruin of this size requires a large amount of Spiritual Qi.

Therefore, the time usually is not very long, except for special cases like the Vast Sea Secret Realm.

"Hiss~, could this ruin be going to last for another year or two?"

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen quickly shook his head, trying to shake the unpleasant thought out of his mind.

Fortunately, it was the fifteenth day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Suddenly, eight enormous blue beams of light rose simultaneously from near the center of the ruins.

No matter where the monks are located in the ruins, as long as they are not inside a building, they can see them clearly with just a glance up.

"It's finally over."

In the following days, Xiao Chen found nothing of importance except a pile of miscellaneous items.

Therefore, upon seeing the teleportation beam, they immediately rushed to the center.

However, before they could get close to the pillar of light, they encountered a barrier formed by special Golden Rune.

Those runes were neither common spirit script nor Ancient Spirit Script, but a kind of hieroglyphic script resembling small fish.

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be related to Sea Race.

"Hey, I have such a bad temper!"

Xiao Chen immediately raised his hand and struck out with a palm, instantly shattering more than ten runes.

However, the runic barrier only trembled slightly and was not greatly affected.

At the same time, nearby Golden Rune 'swimmed' over and filled the gap.

"Oh no, there's another barrier blocking our way!"

Fa Zhao Arhat and others arrived in time, but they were also stopped outside.

This includes the other cultivators who gradually arrived.

Xiao Chen was still pondering how to resolve the situation, but the key issue was that this matter wasn't worth him actively triggering the Night's Edge.

After all, there's a high chance that Sea Race might be waiting outside the ruins, so we have to be careful.

"All monks, heed my command! Immediately form the Bodhi Sea Opening Grand Array!"

Fortunately Fa Zhao Arhat provided another solution. He immediately directed the other Arhat to set up a formation specifically designed to break the restriction.

Under the combined force of the grand formation, the Golden Rune seemed to have met their nemesis, and were destroyed in large swaths.

Xiao Chen wasn't idle either; he joined in the attack to speed up the process.

With the arrival of more and more cultivators, the barrier was completely shattered in less than an hour.

Next, we stepped into the blue pillar of light one by one.

After a dizzying spin, everyone was teleported outside almost simultaneously.

Due to the previous delay, it has now reached Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Therefore, as soon as he emerged from the ruins, Xiao Chen felt an exceptionally rich Spiritual Qi Tide.

Suddenly, I felt as comfortable as if a cool breeze had suddenly blown through the alleyway on a hot summer day.

"What a powerful Spiritual Qi Tide!"

As Xiao Chen felt the Spiritual Qi washing over him, he couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly and sigh.

However, if he remembered correctly, the current Spiritual Qi Tide was noticeably stronger than it was half a month ago.

Moreover, since last year, the Spiritual Qi Concentration has been increasing every few months.

It seems that this situation is continuing to worsen.

"Look over there, what's going on?"

Suddenly, a gasp rang out from the side.

Xiao Chen turned his head and looked, only to see that the sea was empty, with nothing at all.

What's so surprising about that?

Etc!

He suddenly remembered: what happened to the two piles of spirit ships that had been moored outside the ruins?

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen immediately looked around.

However, all around was empty, and there was no trace of the spirit ship at all.

All the spirit ships, regardless of their power or size, are gone!

This is a bit outrageous. You have to understand that several major powers specifically left cultivators on the spirit ship to guard it.

Who would dare to attack the spirit ships of all factions simultaneously?

It might have been hard to guess before, but now it seems very likely that it was Sea Race!

"Oh no, could it be Sea Race?"

"Don't scatter, everyone! Fight the enemy together!"

"Fellow Daoists, watch your step! Don't fall into the sea!"

Immediately, shouts arose from all sides, and people huddled together for warmth, seeking out familiar figures.

Some people also considered that Sea Race might be lurking underwater, so they shouted warnings.

However, after a few moments of commotion, everyone realized that there seemed to be no other reaction around them, and it didn't seem like there was an ambush.

That's very strange.

Since those spirit ships were attacked, why wasn't there a follow-up ambush?

You can't exactly say that the other side came specifically for the hearse, can you?

Shouldn't the cultivator himself be the most important?

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, no one understanding what had happened.

"Senior Brother, you've finally come out!"

Suddenly, a figure came running across the seawater from afar; it was a monk dressed in a short shirt.

His eyes were dark, as if he hadn't slept for days.

His face glowed with excitement as he waved vigorously at Fa Zhao Arhat Fazhao, clearly overjoyed.

"Sha Shidi, what's going on?"

Fa Zhao Arhat and the others immediately went to greet them and asked, "How did you come from that side? Where did our spirit ship go?"

Seeing that he had found his own people, the monk immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior Brother, you don't know, on the third day after the ruins opened, a Nascent Soul True Lord suddenly appeared outside."

"Set up formations with Formation Flag around the perimeter of the ruins."

"Senior Brother Mei went to inquire about the situation, but was immediately sent back by the other party, who also told us to take the spirit boat and stay far away so as not to delay important matters."

His words stunned everyone.

What's going on here?

"Since a True Lord has arrived, why is there no one else around?"

Fa Zhao Arhat pressed further, "And what does this have to do with the spirit ship?"

The main problem is that the spirit ships from the Daoist Sect are all gone too.

"Nothing was really wrong at first."

The monk continued, "But not two days later, another enormous Fish Demon appeared."

"Its body is several hundred feet long, twice the size of the largest spirit ship."

"Moreover, as soon as they arrived, they stirred up towering waves that crashed down on all the spirit ships, and even activating the Defensive Formation couldn't stop them."

"Their funeral boats were either damaged, broken, or sunk at the time."

His tone was somewhat bewildered as he spoke.

On the contrary, Fa Zhao Arhat and the others, having learned about the Sea Race, immediately figured out the reason. "And then what happened?"

A look of fear crossed the monk's face. "Then a fight broke out."

"That True Lord was meditating nearby when he was spotted by that Great Demon, and they immediately engaged in a fierce battle."

"At that time, the sky was dark and the Spiritual Qi from all directions was running rampant; I couldn't see anything clearly."

"Senior brother, I... I was scared, so I took the opportunity to run away."

As he finished speaking, he glanced furtively at Fa Zhao Arhat's expression and lowered his head.

But what he received was not criticism.

Instead, he calmly inquired, "Did you clearly see who that True Lord was?"

This question also serves to verify the truth or falsehood of the statements.

"I don't know that True Lord."

The monk shook his head, then explained, "But I saw countless Water Tornado, and several ice wheels hundreds of feet in size."

"There should be... there should be at least seven or eight."

He tried hard to recall and added a detail to prove that he was telling the truth.

"It sounds like... Frost Bloom Buries the Moon Wheel?"

Immediately, a cultivator speculated. "And the Water Tornado, both of which are the signature Law Technique of the Yi Family Old Ancestor. That True Lord is very likely him."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The monk nodded repeatedly. "He does indeed look like an old man with white hair, even his eyebrows are completely white."

"Ah, I understand!"

Immediately, a cultivator clapped his hands and exclaimed, "It must be a Sea Race Great Demon trying to come and help that Flood Dragon!"

"As it turned out, the Yi Family Old Ancestor learned of the situation in advance, and the reason he came to set up the formation was because he was waiting for the rabbit to come to him."

"Finally, with the Formation Power, we successfully drove them away."

His words immediately caught the attention of many cultivators, who thought they made a lot of sense.

"Fellow Daoist is right!"

Another person chimed in, "Since the Sea Race have made such a large-scale move, our predecessors, with their brilliant strategies, must have already prepared a response."

"It's just that some things are too important to be announced in advance."

The other cultivators nodded in agreement.

Many people even felt relieved, thinking that since their predecessors had made preparations, there shouldn't be any major problems.

A monk from Bitter Silence Temple, in particular, felt somewhat relieved.

After obtaining information from the ruins, he was extremely anxious, but he didn't show it.

Since his predecessors had made preparations in advance, he should no longer need to worry about the safety of Bitter Silence Zen Master.

Xiao Chen, however, felt a growing sense of doubt.

Given Old Dog Yi's character, would he really be that kind?

Could this guy have come specifically for me from the start, only to run into a fourth-tier Sea Race Fourth-Order great demon?

Hmph, if that's really the case, then he truly deserves his bad luck.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen sneered inwardly.

However, this turned out to be a good thing, as it unexpectedly solved the problem of the Sea Race Great Demon coming to meet them.

Otherwise, even if he could escape with the Night's Edge, the other cultivators would likely not survive.

"Benefactor Xiao, the situation is urgent, and this humble monk must return to the temple immediately. I will take my leave now!"

After clarifying the situation, Fa Zhao Arhat gave a few instructions to his fellow disciples and then came to say goodbye to Xiao Chen.

Although it sounds like our predecessors were well-prepared from today's perspective.

However, he still planned to rush back as soon as possible to communicate the latest information and hand over the parchment scroll marked with the Giant Sea Beast.

"Daoist Xiao, I will never forget your life-saving grace. If you ever pass through Thousand Machines Valley in the future, I will certainly treat you with great kindness!"

"Benefactor Xiao, I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks. If you happen to pass by Lotus Temple in the future, I will certainly introduce you to Baozhuang Chan Shi."

"Daoist Xiao, I'm not good with fancy words. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know when you come to the Heavenly Dipper Sect."

The others also took their leave.

In an instant, elite disciples from Great Powers surrounded Xiao Chen.

As a result, the other cultivators in the ruins who were lucky enough to escape the calamity were all dumbfounded.

What's going on?

Even the Sun Family Everyone stared at this scene in disbelief.

What earth-shattering thing has Daoist Xiao done this time?

Sun Haoran, in particular, had received special training from the Sun Family and had memorized the True Disciple of various sects.

Seeing those somewhat familiar faces bowing respectfully to Xiao Chen, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

In the Compassion Sea, there are probably many Lineage that have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years.

None of them have such a vast network of relationships, spanning the southeast, northwest, and transcending both Buddhist Dao.

Any ordinary cultivator could practically roam freely in the Compassion Sea with just this network of connections.

Sun Haoqi, who was standing to the side, originally wanted to take the opportunity to go up with Sun Haoran to express her gratitude.

However, he saw Sun Haoran staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

She bit her lip and finally decided to go alone.

However, this delay allowed Xiao Chen to quickly say goodbye and then use his escape technique to leave.

Although he didn't use his full speed in front of others, he was still incredibly fast.

At least for Sun Haoqi, all she could see was a receding figure.