Wouldn't That Anger Lord Jin Luan?

Because the Sha Qi in Zhi Yi Cave was too dispersed, Xiao Chen stayed for several more days.

"One last wave, and that should be enough."

It was clear that the Sha Qi was no longer seeping out of the Rock Wall.

Xiao Chen decided to leave once he had cleaned up the remaining area outside.

He lifted the gourd and glanced at it. "Hmm, it's only about one-fifth full. Looks like I can use this gourd to collect other Sha Qi next time."

During his use, he discovered that the Xin Metal Treasure Gourd actually contained a hidden world inside.

Not only does it have a large storage space, but it also comes with a layer of restriction that can separate and store the internal Sha Qi.

In other words, if Xiao Chen encounters other Sha Qi in the future, he doesn't need to worry about not having enough space or the energies being unable to coexist.

It must be said that such a Custom Spirit Tool, although it has no other functions...

However, it is indeed very well designed for specific purposes.

However, just as he was climbing up the cave floor, collecting the last wave of Sha Qi as he prepared to leave...

Suddenly, they heard footsteps that didn't belong to them coming from inside the cave.

"Thump-thump-thump!"

The footsteps grew closer and louder.

Immediately afterwards, a tall, slender figure emerged from around the corner.

He wore a pair of red-soled high-top boots with auspicious patterns, and a long, plain black linen robe, topped with a square bronze mask.

He held a Bronze Lamp in his left hand, which surprisingly dispelled the surrounding Sha Qi.

In his right hand, he held a Flying Sword, which he immediately raised and pointed at Xiao Chen.

"Who goes there!"

The newcomer shouted, and Spiritual Power faintly fluctuated around him, followed by the overwhelming pressure of Golden Core Great Perfection stage.

Judging from their posture, they'd act immediately if things went wrong.

However, before Xiao Chen could answer, the other party paused.

He then withdrew his oppressive aura and slightly adjusted his stance. "You are... Daoist Xiao?"

His gaze fell upon Xin Metal Treasure Gourd.

A different meaning suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised to see the Bronze Mask suddenly appear in front of him.

No, the Sea Race actually sent other people to collect the Sha Qi.

Thankfully, he rushed over as soon as he heard the news; otherwise, if there had been any delay along the way, he might not have made it in time.

Moreover, Universal Salvation Temple is far too unreliable.

Despite setting up a blockade outside, they managed to sneak in so easily.

But then again, it seems he also sneaked in?

That's alright then.

"Hahaha!"

The newcomer sized Xiao Chen up and down, then burst into three loud laughs, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Daoist Xiao, everyone outside says you are the Hidden Dao Heritage Successor, yet they can't find any trace of your origins."

"I never expected that you would also join the Sea Race!"

"If I had known that Your Lord Jin Luan had made two arrangements, I wouldn't have had to come in such a hurry."

He had heard of Xiao Chen's reputation before and was very curious about this suddenly rising newcomer.

The Compassion Sea is neither small nor large.

There's no reason for a force to be so obscure as to possess the ability to cultivate such powerful cultivators.

This wasn't just a question he was puzzled by; many powerful forces couldn't understand it either.

But now, he has finally discovered the 'truth': the support of the Sea Race!

Hmph, what reclusive genius? He's nothing but a traitor just like him.

To put it bluntly, everyone is a lackey of the Sea Race. It's just that Xiao Chen happened to be chosen and gained more support. There's no real difference between them.

Moreover, he had also heard that after merging with the bloodline of the Sea Race...

Although they could gain strength surpassing that of ordinary Golden Core cultivator, they would forever lose any hope of breaking through to a higher realm.

From this perspective, Xiao Chen was nothing more than cannon fodder.

That pales in comparison to his limitless potential for the future.

Um?

Xiao Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked down at the Xin Metal Treasure Gourd in his hand.

He immediately realized that the other party seemed to have misunderstood his identity.

Realizing this, he immediately seized the opportunity and began to probe for information. "What's so strange about that? As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on."

"On the contrary, you, fellow Daoist, were also given a mission and were rushed here at the last minute to collect the Sha Qi?"

"The Spirit Artifact you have is quite useful, unlike the Secret Method I was given, which I had to practice on the spot."

Hearing Xiao Chen mention both his sudden arrival and the Secret Method, he understood.

The visitor immediately felt completely at ease, because this was almost exactly the same situation he had encountered.

So I relaxed my guard a lot.

He then began to ponder how to utilize this information, while casually replying, "Of course, this Spirit Artifact of mine was unearthed from Ancient Ruins."

"Where the spiritual light shines, Immune to All Poisons, and Evil Spirits Do Not Enter."

"Throughout the entire Compassion Sea, it contains only the finest and most precious things."

However, after hearing his explanation, Xiao Chen was somewhat disappointed.

If it only has these two functions, then it's really a bit of a waste for me.

I originally thought I could acquire a useful new Spirit Artifact, but now I can basically consider sending it to an auction and selling it for Spirit Stone.

"I see, fellow Daoist, you are truly skilled."

Xiao Chen changed the subject, saying, "However, I've already collected most of the Sha Qi here. I was originally planning to leave, but I didn't expect to run into you, fellow Daoist."

"It's not easy to meet someone with the same values; this can be considered fate."

"I wonder what you've been busy with lately, friend? Is there anything I can help you with?"

However, the other party did not respond.

He simply stared at Xiao Chen, then chuckled softly, "Hehe, no need for help, everyone just do their own tasks."

"However, Daoist Xiao, going out without a mask is truly careless."

Um?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen frowned slightly.

What does this mean? Did I ask too hastily and arouse his suspicion?

However, he smiled slightly and acted very naturally, "Sigh, collecting Sha Qi in this lousy place takes too much time, and carrying that thing around is too troublesome."

"I originally thought that since Universal Salvation Temple Sea Seal outside, I would just take it off temporarily to let it get some fresh air."

As he spoke, he pulled out a captured mask from his Storage Ring and waved it in his hand.

However, he was wrong; the other party didn't care about that.

After seeing the mask, he only glanced at it casually and didn't bother to check it carefully.

Instead, he stared into Xiao Chen's eyes and said directly, "In the Compassion Sea these days, Daoist Xiao is quite famous!"

"Who would have thought that you were secretly colluding with the Sea Race and even working for them!"

"Daoist Xiao, you don't want this secret to be known, do you?"

ah?

His words caught Xiao Chen completely off guard.

You're a traitor, is that something you should be saying?

On the surface, we're all in the same boat.

You're threatening me with this? Aren't you afraid your identity will be exposed too...?

Suddenly, Xiao Chen realized that because of the mask, he didn't know who the other person was.

The other party had clearly understood this point, which is why they dared to use it as a threat.

It's too much trouble to use pleasantries; let's just take action.

However, just a moment before Xiao Chen made his move...

The newcomer suddenly said, "Daoist Xiao, please don't act impulsively!"

"I'm not exaggerating, I'm fully confident I can leave here safely."

"I'm not a big eater, how about you hear my terms?"

"Of course, you can choose not to believe me, then come and try it."

Xiao Chen smiled and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, let's give it a try!"

You said it yourself, so I'll grant your request.

A smile appeared on the other person's face, "Very good, since Daoist Xiao has agreed..."

His smile suddenly froze halfway through his sentence.

He originally thought Xiao Chen's nod meant compromise, but he didn't expect him to turn on him and attack.

"Snap!"

Before the remaining phantom in front of him disappeared, the sound of the Spiritual Power Barrier shattering rang out from in front of him.

"Boom!"

The jade pendant at the newcomer's waist flashed, immediately unleashing a powerful Shockwave that exploded between the two, pushing them both away.

Using this force, the two managed to widen the distance between them again.

"Xiao Chen, are you crazy?!"

The other party roared, "Who gave you the audacity to kill someone to silence them? Even if you're not afraid of your identity being exposed, aren't you afraid of angering Lord Jin Luan?"

He dared to make threats not only because he had Life-Saving Trump Card his life.

This was also because they had already weighed the pros and cons beforehand and were certain that Xiao Chen wouldn't make a move directly.

As he said, they had both accepted Jin Luan's mission, meaning that a third person knew their whereabouts.

If he dies here, it will be obvious who the murderer is.

He also specifically emphasized that he had a small appetite, hoping to appease the other party in this way.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Chen didn't play by the rules at all.

They can turn on you in an instant.

They didn't seem to care about the consequences at all.

To prevent Xiao Chen from making such an ill-considered decision simply because he hadn't thought things through.

He immediately shouted angrily, hoping to quickly bring the other person to their senses.

After all, although he had Life-Saving Trump Card, he would definitely save such precious things if he could.

"Responding Dragon Collapses Mountain!"

However, his answer was not Xiao Chen's compromise, but a martial skill as powerful as thunder.

Now that he'd already started, he certainly wasn't going to give up halfway.

As for the possible consequences of angering Jin Luan...

Hilarious! Who are you trying to scare?

Xiao Chen wasn't afraid of that, after all, he had only pretended to be a traitor and hadn't actually defected to the Sea Race.

Moreover, after leaving the ruins, he estimated that he was probably already hated by the Sea Race.

It wouldn't make a difference if I offended them one more time.

"Splash!"

The hastily assembled Spiritual Power Barrier was as fragile as a piece of paper and was easily torn apart.

"Swoosh! Bang!"

Immediately following was the sound of skin tearing open, followed by a flurry of flying straw.

"Damn it, another Life-Replacing Straw Man! How annoying!"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly. Wasn't this thing rumored to be extremely rare and difficult to see?

Why is it that he always seems to run into these things?

However, considering the opponent is at the Golden Core Great Perfection, it's understandable that they might have some trump cards.

"Cough! Cough~!"

Dozens of feet away, a figure suddenly appeared, clutching his chest tightly.

Without hesitation, he immediately took out a jet-black Talisman.

"Pfft!"

He opened his mouth and spat out blood from the tip of his tongue, instantly staining the Talisman.

Then it transformed into a streak of black and red light, enveloping his entire body, and was about to break through the air in an instant.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to shout, "Xiao Chen, you just wait, this isn't over!"

He was right about that.

Xiao Chen rushed up from the bottom of the cave in time, locking onto it from afar with his Divine Sense: "It's definitely not over yet, come back here!"

Even before he spoke, he had already activated the Mechanical Grappling Claw.

In an instant, a grappling hook flew from his hand, rushing forward faster than the blood-red light.

He grabbed the other person and brought them back to him.

"Thump!"

Amidst the despair in his eyes, the grappling hook delivered another punch, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

How can we most effectively prevent the opponent from having any trump cards to escape?

Of course, we should destroy his Golden Core!

Xiao Chen aimed carefully and used his right hand to exert force with all five fingers, forming a claw.

"Pfft!"

Instantly, like five sharp knives, they tore through the opponent's Spirit Robe at the abdomen, grabbed the Golden Core, and crushed it.

"That's strange."

As Xiao Chen removed his Storage Ring, he curiously recalled, "That blood-red light just now, it looked like the Blood Escape Great Law?"

Although he didn't get to see the moment when the other party spat out Essence Blood to activate the Talisman, he could still discern some traces of Devil Cultivation Method art from the blood-red light.

Make a note of this point of doubt.

He decided to pay close attention to relevant items when searching for clues in the Storage Ring later.

Of course, things should be done one at a time to avoid confusion.

So Xiao Chen put away the Storage Ring and the Bronze Lamp that had fallen to the ground.

Continue using the Xin Metal Treasure Gourd to completely gather all the remaining Sha Qi Zhi Yi Cave.

This ensures that if Jin Luan sends anyone else, they will return empty-handed.

Then he sat down at the cave entrance and began skillfully breaking the restrictions.

"Wow, this design is quite novel!"

Xiao Chen had seen quite a few Storage Ring, but the one in his hand was quite different.

Although it doesn't have the complex restrictions of people like ' Tong Kui ', it is still far superior to those of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, it took him a full four hours to finally complete the refining process.

"Wow, that's huge!"

As soon as his Divine Sense probed into it, Xiao Chen saw an interior space that was even larger than the Vast Sea Ring.

This unusual Storage Ring was a full four zhang square.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the two seem to differ by only one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) and appear to have little difference.

In fact, according to Xiao Chen's visual estimation, its internal space had almost doubled.

The most eye-catching item was a huge Pill Furnace, which was ten feet tall and two feet in diameter, and its whole body shimmered with spiritual light, clearly not an ordinary object.

It doesn't look particularly crowded in the Storage Ring, but if you take it out, it'll probably be hard to fit it in the cave.

There was also a small Pill Furnace next to it, which made things look much more normal.

It is only about the height of a person and two feet wide, and appears to be a spare Pill Furnace.

"Oh my, he's actually an Alchemist?"

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected that Alchemist would choose to pledge allegiance to the Sea Race.

Generally speaking, as long as their Pill Dao aren't too bad, Alchemist generally have a pretty good status.

Even rogue Alchemist can often make connections with many powerful cultivators and have a wide network of contacts.

The problem is, they actually possess such excellent Storage Ring and Pill Furnace.

The other party's Pill Dao shouldn't be too bad, right?

Although he had some doubts, Xiao Chen still followed his habit and first counted all the Spirit Stone in his Storage Ring.

A total of 3,500 Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, plus more than 899,000 Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Judging from his wealth, he is definitely not a destitute rogue cultivator.

Out of curiosity, Xiao Chen began to search through the remaining items.

Sure enough, they soon found many elixirs and Spirit Herb.

Among them were seven different types of Tier 3 pills, totaling twelve bottles, and two bottles of Foundation Establishment that looked quite fresh.

At the same time, there were as many as 221 Tier 3 Spirit Grass.

Moreover, they weren't just randomly piled together like the independent cultivators.

Instead, they used individual jade boxes or wooden boxes to store the items in different categories.

There was even a Spirit Sealing Jade Box containing a fourth-tier Righteous Qi Fruit.

"That's interesting."

Looking at these things, Xiao Chen became quite interested and took out all five booklets inside.

The first book is a secret technique used to ward off Sha Qi.

The contents are exactly the same as those of the ' Tong Lang '.

The second book contains a complex Pill Formula — the Jade Nectar Nourishing Essence Pill.

It is Fourth-Order Spirit Pill that can accelerate the refining of true essence by Nascent Soul True Lord.

The third book also records a prescription for a Pill Formula called Purple Sea Restoration Powder.

As its name suggests, its function is to help Nascent Soul True Lords quickly recover their true essence.

The fourth booklet is noticeably thicker.

Xiao Chen opened it and saw that it was filled with densely packed small characters.

It records some changes in medicinal properties and refining experience summarized during the process of alchemy.

"Oh dear, it's about Alchemy Experience."

Not finding the Pill Dao he had expected, Xiao Chen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

He originally thought he could find a Fourth-Order Alchemy Inheritance, but it turned out to be just some personal experience.

While it can't be said to be useless, if you encounter a talented Alchemist, you can even learn on your own based on their notes and insights.

But ultimately, it still can't compare to a systematic lineage of Pill Dao.

The fifth booklet is only a few pages long.

Xiao Chen opened it and saw that it contained disassembled array diagrams.

If he had received this thing a little earlier or a little later, he really wouldn't have been able to figure it out.

But not long ago, he had read another book on formations, which happened to contain some of the same formation diagrams.

This is yet another analysis of the formations of the Ink Barrier Sect.

In addition to dealing with the Mountain Protecting Grand Array, the latter half of the text also focuses on how to quickly destroy the Guardian Formation of the Ink Barrier Sect's Pill Refining Hall.

The location of the Pill Refining Hall's Array Foundation is clearly marked.

Simply put, take this item to prepare the corresponding Formation Flag or Formation Breaking Talisman in advance.

Any random Golden Core cultivator could easily destroy the Guardian Formation of the Ink Barrier Sect's Pill Refining Hall.

If Xiao Chen couldn't be completely certain of the Sea Race's purpose last time based solely on the Yang-Preserving Stone, then...

This time, the evidence is irrefutable.

"But that doesn't make sense!"

Xiao Chen was quite puzzled. "Why would it be the Ink Barrier Sect?"

If this were Cloud Wave Sword Abode, it would be perfectly normal; they would be helping to clear away obstacles for that Giant Octopus.

Or perhaps they wanted to coordinate with the octopus to complete the attack.

The problem is that the Ink Barrier Sect is located to the west of the Sea of the Compassion Sea.

Theoretically, it belongs to the kind of place that will be affected last, even if the situation collapses.

It's really hard to understand, but fortunately Xiao Chen never dwells on such issues.

If you can't figure it out, stop thinking about it for now. The truth will come to light eventually.

After all, he's not a cultivator from the Ink Barrier Sect, so there's no need for him to worry about it. At most, he can just give him a reminder when the opportunity arises.

Besides these items, there are also common Talisman and spare Spirit Artifact, and other miscellaneous items.

Inside the Storage Ring were a Little Su Ye Wood Box, two special Black Talisman, two letters, and two Spirit Accumulating Treasure Box.

Xiao Chen first opened the Little Su Ye Wood Box.

Inside was a square silk handkerchief, only five inches long.

The moment he touched it, he immediately realized it was a talismanic treasure!

"Judging from its design, it should be a Defensive Talisman Treasure, but I don't know its specific grade."

Xiao Chen glanced at it, then put it away again. "As expected of Alchemist, this kid has quite a few life-saving items."

Then he picked up the two Talisman and looked at them.

"Hmm, why does this rune look both strange and familiar?"

It's normal that Xiao Chen doesn't know much about Talisman Making and finds it unfamiliar.

Yet, strangely familiar feelings lingered about the runes on them.

"I feel like I've seen similar patterns somewhere before, but it shouldn't be on Talisman... Black Abyss Demon Sect!"

Xiao Chen suddenly remembered that the pattern drawn on the talisman was the symbol of the Black Abyss Demon Sect.

He had seen similar patterns several times before in the Inheritance Jade Slip, only they were printed on flags or utensils.

Speaking of which, since the Inheritance Jade Slip was used...

Then he could be considered half a successor of the Black Abyss Demon Sect.

As a result, he almost didn't even recognize his own things.

I was too careless when I was studying. I was so focused on finding the location of the Sha Qi that I didn't bother to memorize anything else.

At this moment, Xiao Chen recalled the Black Abyss Demon Sect and immediately remembered it.

This is none other than the infamous Fourth-tier Talisman of the Demonic Sect— the Black Abyss Blood Escape Evasion Talisman!

It is extremely complex to make, and requires a cultivator to activate it with their own Essence Blood before use.

Once activated, it instantly transforms into a streak of blood and vanishes thousands of miles away, beyond the reach of even ordinary Fourth-Order Cultivator.

Back when the Black Abyss Demon Sect still existed, many Demon relied on this Talisman to repeatedly escape from the clutches of righteous True Lord.

"Fortunately, the Mechanical Grappling Claw also has a stun effect."

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen immediately realized that if the other party had just used the talisman to buy time, he would have been in serious trouble.

Then he took out a second magic talisman and fled, fearing that he might not be able to stop the person from leaving.

Fortunately, I acted decisively, leaving the other party no room to maneuver.

However, Xiao Chen increasingly noticed that as their cultivation levels improved, cultivators also developed more and more ways to protect themselves.

Although I managed to catch them this time, the outcome might have been different if they had used an extra layer of tactics.

In other words, we need to be more careful in the future to prevent prey from escaping during battles.

It's best to prepare several methods to retain staff, so as to ensure everything goes smoothly.

However, to be fair, these two magic talismans are quite valuable.

Even after Xiao Chen breaks through to the Nascent Soul, it may still come in handy.

After all, this was originally Fourth-tier Talisman, designed to counter Nascent Soul True Lord.

Essentially, this gave him two extra layers of protection.

As I said before, the more life-saving items you have, the better!