Chaos Seed Green Lotus, True to Its Reputation

"Heh! Die?" Lu Zhige laughed disdainfully, then his tone turned vicious. "Brat, I already gave you a chance to beg for mercy. You're the one who didn't know how to cherish it, so don't blame me for being ruthless."

Xiao Yao seemed completely unaffected, replying calmly, "Mm. I hope you're not just all talk."

"Damn it!" Lu Zhige's anger flared.

Before reaching the peak of the ninth level of the Sea Opening Realm, no one had ever dared speak to him like this.

And now, some brat whose hair had barely grown in dared say such things. He felt humiliated, and he would make the boy understand what pain truly meant.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The nails on Lu Zhige's hands extended thirty centimeters, incomparably sharp and gleaming with a crystalline sheen.

A cultivator beside him asked in astonishment, "Senior Brother Lu, is beast-claw transformation really necessary against a mere brat?"

"In my eyes, he is no longer a brat, but a little bastard challenging my authority." Lu Zhige stared at Xiao Yao, who still looked lazy and unhurried, without the slightest air of facing a great enemy.

The more he looked, the more damn infuriated he became!

Unable to endure it any longer, Lu Zhige gathered the Mana within him and slashed a claw toward Xiao Yao.

A silver-gray wave of light poured forth, shooting straight at Xiao Yao.

Wherever it passed, five deep claw marks appeared in the ground, while falling leaves were instantly shredded into scraps.

Whether by sight or sensation, its might was terrifying.

Qian Ji and the other three trembled in fear, secretly swearing never to anger Senior Brother Lu in the future. Otherwise, their end would surely be miserable beyond measure.

Xiao Yao calmly drew the Taiyan Sword and, accompanied by sharp swordlight, casually swung a slash forward.

Sword Qi surged like a flood, sword waves rolling vast and mighty; it too felt immensely powerful.

Yet in an instant, it was completely swallowed by Lu Zhige's attack. Upon seeing this with his Spiritual Sense, Qian Ji's face broke into a smile as he clasped his hands and praised, "Haha! Senior Brother Lu, that strike was far too ruthless. This brat doesn't even have the ability to resist."

Riiip!

The originally unstoppable claw-light wave was abruptly cleaved in two, and the sharp edge that burst forth in that instant was enough to make one's heart pound in terror.

Lu Zhige focused his gaze and discovered that Xiao Yao was now covered in a faint silver-white glow. At the same time, he realized that the aura emanating from Xiao Yao's entire body was actually denser than his own in his all-out state.

Impossible!

Wasn't this brat only at the peak of the first level of the Sea Opening Realm?

Though he thought so inwardly, Lu Zhige still screamed hysterically, "Lend me your Mana for now, quickly!"

Though Qian Ji and the other three did not understand what was happening, they obediently followed Lu Zhige's orders.

The four of them slapped their hands against Lu Zhige's broad back. Feeling their Mana being transferred into him, Lu Zhige immediately mobilized the Mana within his body and unleashed the strongest move he had ever used.

Dao Integration Tier Spell: Grand Flame Overlord Hand!

His hands were engulfed in crimson flames. The scorching heat burned the luxurious Daoist robe on his arms into ashes, while Qian Ji and the other three standing behind Lu Zhige lacked the Mana to withstand the temperature and collapsed backward one after another.

"Brat, die for me!"

Lu Zhige swung both hands. The blazing flames around them transformed into gigantic crimson palms that hurtled toward Xiao Yao at a howling speed so great it produced sonic booms.

Not a trace of panic appeared on Xiao Yao's face as he shouted, "Phenomenon, appear!"

At once, a haze of chaos emerged behind him. Then, an azure seed fell into it. The seed swiftly sprouted, eventually becoming an azure lotus rooted within the chaos.

Vigorous vitality and vast, surging might transformed into powerful currents of air that radiated in every direction.

"What? Top-tier Phenomenon: Chaos Seed Green Lotus? I'm screwed!"

Lu Zhige's face and lips twitched simultaneously, and he even gave himself a hard slap.

Slap!

It hurt so much!

Only then did he finally confirm that he had not seen wrongly. When he came to his senses and looked again, he found that the Grand Flame Overlord Hand was about to collide with the air currents!

He knew perfectly well that he could not win, but it should at least buy him a little time. Thus, he used the last of the Mana in his body, turned around, and ran desperately toward the rear.

At that moment, Lu Zhige wished he had four more legs.

Qian Ji and the other three were filled with astonishment. They had never imagined that Senior Brother Lu, who always put righteousness first, would abandon them.

At the same time, the Grand Flame Overlord Hand vanished without a trace the instant it made contact. The overwhelming might of the Chaos Seed Green Lotus immediately locked onto Lu Zhige and Qian Ji's group of four.

Xiao Yao did not hesitate. With a wave of his arm, the azure lotus obediently appeared in his right hand.

Qian Ji and the other three could not understand what Xiao Yao was doing.

Then, as though its trigger had been pulled, the azure lotus fired wave after wave of azure light with thump, thump, thump, as dense as the Leonid meteor shower.

In less than three seconds, Qian Ji's group of four, along with Lu Zhige, had all been riddled full of holes.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission: Kill this group of invading enemies head-on. You have received 1,000,000 Low-grade spirit stones and the Dao Beginning Tier Spell: Rolling Cloud Sword Technique. ]

After taking one look, Xiao Yao felt a little nauseated and could barely stand to look at it.

"If those people from my previous life with trypophobia saw this, they'd definitely feel sick for quite a while."

Just as he finished complaining inwardly, he looked again and discovered that the bodies of Qian Ji, Lu Zhige, and the other three had already vanished.

What was going on?

Could it be that someone had rescued them without anyone noticing?

At that moment, the azure lotus seemed to understand Xiao Yao's confusion. It directly unfurled its lotus leaves and gently brushed Xiao Yao's handsome face.

Feeling this, Xiao Yao turned his gaze toward the lotus leaves. Then, as though realizing something, he looked again at the beautiful azure lotus.

"Azure Lotus, were their bodies destroyed by you?"

The azure lotus nodded slightly. Then, seemingly afraid Xiao Yao would not believe it, it directly released a projection of what had just happened.

The bodies of Lu Zhige and the other four, riddled with holes like sieves, were rapidly eroded by azure light. In the blink of an eye, they had been corroded until not even dregs remained.

Xiao Yao saw even more. He discovered that the souls of Lu Zhige and the other four had also been completely eroded away.

In other words, Lu Zhige and the other four were dead beyond all doubt.

The Chaos Seed Azure Lotus truly lived up to its reputation!

Afterward, Xiao Yao dispelled the Chaos Seed Azure Lotus and Selflessness, then picked up the storage rings Lu Zhige and the other four had dropped.

There were five storage rings in total. After scanning through them, the only thing that truly amazed him was the Sea Splitting Tier Pill: Startling Swan Pill!

After consuming this pill, a Sea Opening Realm cultivator could raise their cultivation by one layer. Most importantly, the increase was solid and genuine, with absolutely no side effects.

Unfortunately, the Startling Swan Pill was only effective the first time it was taken. On the second use, it merely strengthened one's foundation and consolidated one's essence; its cultivation-raising effect vanished entirely!

After adjusting his aura and condition to their peak, Xiao Yao swallowed the Startling Swan Pill in one gulp.

As his cultivation technique circulated and mana guided it, the medicinal effect swept through his entire body, reaching all four limbs, every bone, and the eight extraordinary meridians, instantly bringing the pill's effects to their fullest.

A moment later, Xiao Yao safely advanced to Sea Opening Realm Second Layer Peak Cultivation. His strength grew even greater, and his mana became more abundant.

Rising to his feet, Xiao Yao shook the dust from his body with mana. He observed his outwardly released Spiritual Sense, intending to determine which direction to proceed in, only to discover that his Spiritual Sense had yet to expand to its limit.

Clearly, this was the increase in Spiritual Sense brought about by his breakthrough in cultivation.

He thus expanded his Spiritual Sense to its utmost extent, and then sensed five people barging in.

Upon closer observation, the robes over the chests of the running man and woman bore the Xiao Family Emblem, while the three people behind them wore the Taoist robes of the Spirit Crane Sect.

[Ding! Host, rescuing members of the Xiao family is your duty as the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao family. Therefore, a mission has been issued: Rescue two members of the Xiao family. Upon completion, you may obtain Phenomenon: Moon Rising Over the Sea.]

"System, you're right. Saving members of the Xiao family is a duty I cannot shirk." Xiao Yao put on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance.

In truth, the phenomenon reward accounted for a greater share of what drove him to save the Xiao family members.