Looks Unlike A Human... Worldly Guest

Objectively speaking, searching for Fourth-Order Yin Spirit in the dense fog is indeed quite difficult.

Especially since Fourth-Order Yin Spirit still possess a certain degree of consciousness, it becomes even more difficult.

If they act too powerfully, it will be obvious at a glance that they are not easy to deal with.

The other party wouldn't be foolish enough to run out and die; instead, they would take advantage of the fog to hide quietly.

Treading Frost True Monarch suspected that the two Fourth-Order Yin Spirit were deliberately evading his search.

He had searched almost the entire east side since morning, but hadn't seen a single trace of it.

And he wasn't the only one.

The Surging Wave True Monarch, who arrived later, and the Purple Sun True Monarch and others who entered the fog to help, all encountered similar situations.

Although the Yang Qi of Nascent Soul True Lord is more abundant, making it easier for him to attract Yin Spirit.

However, not only were they surrounded by spiritual light, but the slight fluctuations naturally emitted by their personal Spirit Artifact were enough to deter any prying eyes.

As Spirit Body with a certain level of intelligence, those two Fourth-Order Yin Spirit were well aware of the principle of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

They would rather wait a little longer than take the risk.

Both being fourth-tier beings, and given that the mist undoubtedly belongs to the Yin Spirit, this place is their home turf.

Although Treading Frost True Monarch once almost brushed past one of the Fourth-Order Yin Spirit, the two were at least three zhang apart at their closest point.

However, he ultimately failed to notice the other party's presence and unknowingly missed the opportunity.

Unfortunately, those two Fourth-Order Yin Spirit were very patient, determined to pick on the weak and never make a move until they found a suitable prey.

Oh, what a coincidence! A short while later, they actually encountered a golden opportunity.

A Newly Promoted True Monarch who looked exceptionally young was seen walking alone in the mist, searching for Yin Spirit.

He exuded a vitality far exceeding that of ordinary people; his fiery energy, accentuated by the mist, resembled a small furnace with two legs.

Especially in the eyes of Yin Spirit.

It was like a whole roasted lamb on the move, or a plump roasted suckling pig... in short, an unparalleled delicacy that fell from the sky.

The more crucial point is that this kid doesn't even carry Spirit Artifact with him!

They didn't cast Defensive Spell from a distance to erect colorful Spiritual Power Barrier to guard against possible sneak attacks.

It's like a fish with its bones removed or a shrimp with its shell peeled; just looking at it makes your mouth water.

If Human Race cultivator encountered such a situation, they might be wary and suspect that the other party was deliberately feigning weakness to lure them in.

However, although Fourth-Order Yin Spirit possess a certain level of Spiritual Intelligence, it is relatively limited, so they cannot possibly think of so many things.

All they knew was that their chance to launch a sneak attack had arrived!

If we can launch a surprise attack, we might just succeed in one strike.

In fact, the reason why Treading Frost True Monarch and others dared not use themselves as bait was because they were afraid of being caught off guard and ending up in a mess.

However, for Xiao Chen, there were only four words to describe it: fearless and reassured.

That's right, the person brazenly searching for Yin Spirit is none other than Xiao Chen.

"Woo~!"

Suddenly, Yin Wind arose, its sound like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, sending a shiver down one's spine.

As the Yin Wind swept by, a chilling aura swept in from all directions.

The once turbulent sea was frozen into a vast Ice Field in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, the area within a radius of dozens of miles seemed to have turned into Extreme Cold Purgatory.

Even Xiao Chen's hands, neck, and other areas not covered by the Spirit Robe immediately emitted wisps of white steam.

At the same time, he felt as if the surrounding air was frozen by the biting cold, and even the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to slow down considerably.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

At the same time, two almost invisible and colorless streams of Yin Qi shot through the air like sharp arrows.

Moreover, with one in front and one behind, they instantly formed a pincer movement.

It subtly sealed off all of Xiao Chen's escape routes.

It turns out that the two Fourth-Order Yin Spirit could actually cooperate and attack the same prey together.

Faced with such an attack, most people would inevitably be unable to defend themselves properly.

However, Xiao Chen was already mentally prepared; this was the moment he had been waiting for.

Even before the wind began to blow, he had already activated his true energy to prepare for a counterattack.

At that moment, he decisively thrust out his palm along the direction from which the Yin Qi was coming from. Instantly, raging flames surged forth like Volcanic Eruption, and the rolling heat wave dispelled all the surrounding cold energy.

When the incoming Yin Qi came into contact with the flames, it was like snowflakes falling into a pot of hot oil, instantly melting away.

It didn't even reduce the fire by the slightest bit.

At the same time, Xiao Chen did not pause at all; instead, he instantly unleashed an even faster speed than before, rushing towards that location along with the raging flames.

He had deliberately suppressed his escape speed to appear weak to the enemy.

Now, by unleashing his full power, he immediately startled the two Yin Spirit.

Especially the side directly in front, there was simply no time to make any effective reaction.

Almost instinctively, it drew in Yin Qi, barely forming a hazy, gray protective barrier on its body surface.

Immediately, with a 'crack' sound, the blazing flames easily tore through the barrier, enveloping the Yin Spirit's body in the process.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

After just two soft sounds, it turned into specks of phosphorescent light and dissipated.

"Um?"

Xiao Chen frowned. "There's no Yin Spirit Heart?"

It is said that on average, for every two Yin Spirit killed, there is a chance to obtain a Yin Spirit Heart.

With such a high probability, I still failed to ship the item on the first try. It seems my luck is just so-so today.

No matter, Xiao Chen immediately turned his gaze to the Yin Spirit behind him. "Sky-rushing Palm!"

Seeing that their companion couldn't even withstand a single blow, the opponent immediately turned and fled.

However, now that their location has been exposed, how could they possibly escape?

It only managed to delay for less than a moment before the flames caught up and engulfed it.

Fortunately, as the eerie blue phosphorescent light dissipated, a crystal-clear, Yin Spirit Heart appeared in mid-air.

The surrounding flames churned and surged, seemingly trying to devour the Yin Spirit Heart as well.

However, Xiao Chen reacted even faster, immediately using his Divine Sense to dispel the flames.

Then it flew over in time and retrieved the Yin Spirit Heart.

"Wow, it's actually a little hot!"

The moment he held it in his hand, Xiao Chen clearly felt a burning sensation emanating from the surface of the Yin Spirit Heart.

This heat is certainly not from its own power, but rather from the residual force of the Sky-rushing Palm.

Moreover, the thick fog that was originally filled with Yin Qi within a radius of a hundred miles was completely evaporated during the battle.

If someone happens to be looking down from mid-air at this moment...

Then you can clearly see two particularly conspicuous giant handprints, one on the left and one on the right, appearing in the thick fog.

Each one is hundreds of miles long, truly a spectacular sight.

Of course, the Sky-rushing Palm technique itself is completely insufficient to cover such a large area.

However, due to the doubling of the quality of the true essence, its power was greatly enhanced, and the temperature of the flames was also greatly increased.

In addition, the fog evaporates from a great distance when it encounters high temperatures, which creates battle traces that far exceed the coverage area of Law Technique itself.

Such intense fighting naturally alerted the other True Lord nearby.

However, by the time they arrived, it was already too late; they couldn't even see the scattered phosphorescent lights.

Treading Frost True Monarch was slightly disappointed, after all, he had been searching for almost half a day but still hadn't been able to catch the Yin Spirit in time.

Overall, however, it's a good thing that the threat posed by the Fourth-Order Yin Spirit to the market has been eliminated.

Moreover, he was more concerned about the lingering warmth in the air that had not completely dissipated.

Since defeating the Sea Race, only half a year has passed since we last met, yet Daoist Xiao's mastery of Fire Method has improved significantly once again.

The Treading Frost True Monarch was filled with envy at this progress.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but grow increasingly curious—what kind of Spirit Root did Xiao Chen possess?

Why is it switching between Water Law and Fire Method all the time?

More importantly, their expertise in both areas is truly remarkable.

Could it be that he's actually following a path of Water Fire Dual Cultivation, harmonizing the dragon and tiger?

Upon recalling this, a hint of surprise flashed in Treading Frost True Monarch's eyes.

In fact, not only him, but all the Nascent Soul Cultivator in the entire Compassion Sea were very curious about this.

Generally speaking, even cultivators with Dual Spirit Roots will tend to focus on cultivating one major path based on their own circumstances, and very few people will choose to cultivate two paths simultaneously.

The reason is actually not complicated.

Simultaneous cultivation often means not only consuming twice the resources, but also facing twice the difficulties of cultivation.

If you get stuck at any point along the way, all your previous efforts will be wasted, which basically means that the path to Spirit Transformation is cut off.

In other words, doing so could potentially delay cultivators who were on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation.

This is an extremely risky act, and only those with great wisdom and courage would dare to do it.

However, if we look at this from the other perspective, there is another layer of meaning.

Since Xiao Chen dared to Water Fire Dual Cultivation, it means he had great confidence in his future as a Nascent Spirit Transformation; as the saying goes, Skillful People Are Bold.

Wow, so confident?

From afar, Treading Frost True Monarch saw Xiao Chen standing with a smile on his face and his hands behind his back, exuding an air of confidence and composure.

In a daze, he even seemed to see an air of domineering arrogance emanating from the other person's brows.

In the end, only seven words remained in my mind—"Looks Unlike A Human... a stranger."

After exchanging a few polite words, they chatted about their exploration findings and then collectively cursed the Sea Race.

Xiao Chen also inquired with Cloud Vortex True Monarch about the remnants of the Sea Race.

They learned that no other Sea Race Great Demon had revealed their locations recently.

So he didn't linger and continued on the spirit ship back to the Azure Sea Immortal Sect.

Iron Fan True Monarch somehow got wind of the news.

They were actually waiting for us at the island's edge. "Oh, it's good that you're back safely."

"I hope Junior Brother Ming Xiao didn't cause any trouble for everyone on this trip?"

What a question!

Xiao Chen immediately replied, "Fellow Daoist Iron Fan, you are overthinking this. How could you think that way?"

Then, Iron Fan True Monarch took the opportunity to ask Xiao Chen to stay longer, expressing his strong desire for Xiao Chen to stay a while longer.

Xiao Chen naturally declined politely.

They exchanged a few more polite words.

Iron Fan True Monarch stroked his beard and smiled, "Since that's the case, then I won't insist that Daoist Xiao stay any longer. If you have time in the future, you are welcome to come again anytime."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, according to the proposal of the Peace Conference, all Fourth-Order Cultivator now have the right to enter the ruins for exploration."

"The Golden Sand Ruins will be opening soon."

"I was just thinking of informing you first, fellow Daoist. If you are interested, I can arrange my seclusion time in advance, so as not to be too focused on cultivation and miss the deadline."

The Golden Sand Ruins are located within the Azure Sea.

Xiao Chen had previously seen related records in Ancient Books, which said that it contained several fourth-order spirit mines.

The spirit mine in the very center can consistently produce a special Fourth-Order Spiritual Item that cannot be found anywhere else— Yang Extreme Golden Sand.

In addition, more than one person has mined fifth-order spirit ore in other spirit mines.

It was originally supposed to be a resource-rich Secret Realm.

However, later generations discovered that a sect should have once existed there, leaving behind some incomplete buildings, hence the name Golden Sand Ruins.

"Oh, I wonder how long until the ruins open?"

Xiao Chen wasn't very interested in the Yang Extreme Golden Sand, but he was very interested in exploring fifth-order spirit ore.

Iron Fan True Monarch immediately replied, "If we start counting from next month, it will be nine years and ten months, which means there are less than ten years left."

ah?

Xiao Chen almost thought he had misheard.

Are you sure this is going to open very soon?

Goodness, he's genuinely not used to this concept of time.

"Uh, thanks for reminding me."

Xiao Chen replied somewhat uncertainly, "If I have time then, I'll come over in advance."

For him, ten years was clearly a bit too long.

God knows what he was probably doing at that time.

Therefore, I can only keep this matter in mind for now and deal with it later.

After bidding farewell to Iron Fan True Monarch, Xiao Chen returned directly to Secluded Doom Island.

"Bite!"

The familiar Red Thread Bell again.

"You're back."

The greeting was still the same familiar, gentle voice.

But for some reason, Xiao Chen felt that Su Li's tone seemed a little different this time.

Of course, maybe he just hasn't been back for a long time and misheard.

"Did you run into any trouble outside?"

Su Li looked him up and down, making sure there were no obvious injuries, before asking with concern, "Did those elixirs not sell very well?"

"No, the pills are selling very well."

Xiao Chen held up two fingers. "Subtracting the time spent waiting for people to arrive, they were all sold out in just two days."

"And judging by this trend, we shouldn't have to worry about sales next time."

"Guess how many Spirit Stone I earned this time?"

Upon hearing this, Su Li fell silent for a moment.

Someone clearly stated that they would be spending most of the year on the island.

As a result, he went out to sell Clear Dew Foundation Establishment Pill and disappeared for four months.

Those who know might assume something happened that caused the delay, while those who don't might think they forgot the way back.

But no matter what, it's good that they returned safely.

"Since you're so happy, it must be a lot of Little Qian, right?"

After a moment's thought, Su Li tentatively guessed, "I remember you should have refined a hundred batches of spirit pills."

"So, I'm guessing you made a million Spirit Stone this time?"

"Is that right?"

Xiao Chen smiled and gently shook his head, "Wrong, you guessed too little."

Um?

Su Li thought for a moment, then tried holding up two fingers. "Then it should be two million?"

However, seeing the increasingly broad smile on Xiao Chen's face, she immediately realized. "Is two million too low a guess?"

"Could it be that you earned three million Spirit Stone?"

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened. "Does that mean I can earn a full 30,000 Spirit Stone from just one batch of spirit pills?"

"Refining one batch of spirit pills a day, you could earn over Ten Million Spirit Stones a year?"

To be honest, even for Nascent Soul True Lord, this number is simply too large.

Let alone Su Li, even if Treading Frost True Monarch or Iron Fan True Monarch knew, they would probably be so surprised they wouldn't be able to close their mouths.

"Hmm, more or less."

Xiao Chen nodded slightly.

If we don't consider the buy-one-get-one-free offer, then this is indeed the profit margin.

After saying three million, Su Li was still wondering if she had increased it too much.

As it turned out, Xiao Chen actually confirmed her guess.

Now she was completely bewildered.

As a Nascent Soul True Lord, Su Li could naturally recognize that none of the spiritual materials Xiao Chen used in alchemy exceeded the second rank.

Under such circumstances, the elixirs refined from them can still be sold at such high prices.

She simply couldn't imagine how miraculous those elixirs must be to make customers willingly spend so much money.

More importantly, just how skilled is Xiao Chen in Pill Dao to be able to refine such a miraculous elixir?

Thinking of this, Su Li couldn't help but look Xiao Chen up and down again with her beautiful eyes.

By all accounts, the two have already spent quite a bit of time together.

But she always manages to discover one surprise after another in the other person.

Whenever Su Li felt that she might have a certain understanding of Xiao Chen,

Reality will tell her: No, what you've seen is only the tip of the iceberg.

This sense of mystery fueled her curiosity, making her want to learn more about the other person.

However, Su Li suppressed her curiosity and did not ask directly.

She knew very well that every cultivator in the Cultivation World had their own secrets.

She believed that if it was something he could tell her, Xiao Chen would eventually tell her during their nightly campfire chats.

If it's something that's not convenient to talk about right now, she's willing to wait a little longer.

Sure enough, the two sat down on the beach in the evening.

Xiao Chen then took the initiative to recount his participation in the Nascent Soul Ceremony and his subsequent investigation into the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon.

"Although the scale was quite grand, the process was extremely cumbersome, and the second half of the ceremony was even a bit boring; I didn't even watch it..."

"You wouldn't believe how heavy the rain was, it was like a celestial river pouring down onto earth..."

"It turned out to be Sea Race's Array Foundation. At that moment, I felt that I was probably about to encounter some kind of conspiracy..."

"That Devil Creature looks pretty powerful, but it's actually nothing..."

Well, the Big Dipper Spirit Fire is an external object, and it's one of the pieces of information that can be discussed.

"Oh right, didn't I pick up a Spirit Artifact from the hall?"

As Xiao Chen spoke, he took out the Hibiscus Golden Hairpin: "Look, this is it!"

"Isn't it pretty?"

"And did you know? This thing is actually a ceremonial object, which is essentially an ornament. And it's clearly more suitable for female cultivators to wear."

"Since that's the case, I'll give it to you."

Su Li was still carefully examining the gold hairpin, silently admiring the elegant and beautiful flowers carved on it.

Hearing this, he was taken aback for a moment, then immediately waved his hand in refusal. "No, no, no, I can't accept something so valuable."

Um?

Xiao Chen looked down at the gold hairpin. "This isn't valuable at all, it's not even worth as much as a magic talisman."

"When you helped me draw the Black Abyss Blood Escape Evasion Talisman before, I wanted to return the favor, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find something suitable."

"I just happened to get this gold hairpin on this trip... Wait, you don't think it's too old, do you?"

Upon closer inspection, this artifact dates back hundreds of thousands of years.

It can't even be called an old model; it's more like a retro style.

"No, I'm not complaining. I really like this gold hairpin."

Su Li quickly explained, "But as you know, I have the Moon Eclipse Curse on me."

"Although it can be somewhat suppressed by Witch Artifact on ordinary days, it will begin to corrode everything around it on the Moon Eclipse Night."

"Over the years, only the personal items I carried when I broke through to the Nascent Soul have remained unaffected."

"Everything else will be affected to varying degrees, even the Spirit-Sealing Sinking Cloud Wood cannot be spared."

Xiao Chen was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this.

He then chuckled and explained, "That's quite a coincidence, this thing just happens to be immune to the Moon Eclipse Curse."

"You don't know, when those people made the ritual artifacts back then, they deliberately added a complex layer of restrictions on the outside. And it's the kind that will slowly revert to its original state if it can't be broken in one go."

"In other words, as long as the Moon Eclipse cannot directly break through the outer barrier, it should be equivalent to having no impact."

ah?

Su Li was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. "Really?"

Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Of course it's true."

"Just try it on first, and we'll see if it works."

He wasn't entirely sure if the restriction would allow him to resist the Moon Eclipse, but it didn't really matter.

At worst, we'll just lose one Spirit Artifact. It's no big deal.

Could he possibly be stingy with such a small amount of Spirit Stone?

Moreover, this gold hairpin was a free find; it cost less than half Spirit Stone to acquire.

"Then... I'll accept it."

Su Li's face inexplicably flushed. "Thank you."

Xiao Chen immediately waved his hand. "Oh, no need to be so polite, it's just a worthless little trinket."

Just consider it interest.

"When I encounter a suitable spiritual item in the future, I will definitely give you a real return gift, at least one that is worth as much as the Black Abyss Blood Escape Evasion Talisman."

Upon hearing this, Su Li blushed and refused, "No need, this is enough for me."

But she doesn't have the final say on this matter.

Of course, Xiao Chen didn't continue. After all, talking without any substance would just be like a conman making empty promises.

Bringing the gifts back directly later would be the truly sincere approach.

He changed the subject, bringing up the incident of encountering Yin Spirit Calamity on his way back.