Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique

"Dharma Treasures!! These two children actually both possess Dharma Treasures. Who on earth are they? Even the core disciples of the Lin Clan do not have Dharma Treasures to protect their bodies; how could they..."

"It really is two Dharma Treasures. One is a golden bronze mirror, and the other is so fast that even I couldn't see what it was; I only caught a flash of purple lightning before it vanished..."

Twelve people stared at Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi not far away in simultaneous shock, their faces filled with disbelief. They never imagined they would encounter two children with protective Dharma Treasures here. One had to know that in the cultivation world, apart from a few Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, only those at the Golden Core Stage would possess their own Dharma Treasures.

Even among the disciples of great clans, unless their talent was exceptionally high, they would not be gifted such items. Take the Lin Clan, for instance: children who possess protective Dharma Treasures from a young age are basically either the direct offspring of the Clan Head or peerless geniuses with immense talent. Even the children of elders are not necessarily blessed with protective Dharma Treasures during the Foundation Establishment Stage, let alone children in the Qi Refining Stage.

After the shock passed, a trace of greed appeared on everyone's faces, even that of the severely wounded Wu Hai. Those were two Dharma Treasures! If these items were in the hands of people at their own cultivation level, they would turn and flee without a second word. But now, the ones holding these two treasures were merely children at the third or fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage; how could they not be tempted?

While the offensive and defensive capabilities of Dharma Treasures are indeed powerful, it depends on who is wielding them. Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang had worked together to severely wound Wu Hai, who was at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage, but how much spiritual energy could they possibly have left in their bodies?

"Damn it! To be wounded by these two brats—I must slaughter these little bastards today! I'll snatch their Dharma Treasures!" Wu Hai cursed while circulating his spiritual energy to heal his wounds, his blood-stained face looking incredibly ferocious.

The eleven people glanced at each other, seeing the greed in one another's eyes. But so what? Who wouldn't be tempted by a Dharma Treasure? What they needed to do now was kill these two children quickly and seize the treasures. As for how to distribute them, that was a matter for later; they would deal with it then.

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi took a deep breath. Looking at the increasingly greedy expressions on the faces of the crowd opposite them, they prepared themselves for battle once more.

They naturally understood the consequences of using Dharma Treasures. They were not ignorant of the principle that "an innocent man is guilty of the crime of holding a jade." But this was a moment of life and death; if they were about to lose their lives and couldn't even protect their companion, what use were these Dharma Treasures?

"Charge!" Following the command of one of them, the eleven people scrambled to rush toward Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang. However, the passage here was relatively narrow, and at most three people could reach the two of them at the same time.

Although these people were greedy, they were not stupid. They had seen how Wu Hai was severely wounded, and even though they judged that the two opponents could no longer use the same move, none of them were careless. Instead, they chose the safest tactic: exhausting the duo's spiritual energy!

They were, after all, cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage or higher; their reserves of spiritual energy were incomparable to those of Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang. Furthermore, manipulating Dharma Treasures required a massive consumption of spiritual energy. They were certain the two couldn't hold out for long. Once that happened, they could obtain the two Dharma Treasures without any effort—why wouldn't they do it?

Bang!

Under the attack of one of the opponents, Qin Lang was knocked back several steps, his entire body trembling, causing his face to turn even paler.

Bu Lianshi on the other side was no better off. The two were being completely suppressed and forced to retreat continuously.

They knew the opponents' intention was to drain their spiritual energy, but they had no other choice. Using the Dharma Treasures again might severely wound one more person, but then what? Once their spiritual energy was depleted, they wouldn't even have the strength to resist.

But if they continued to fight like this, they were merely stalling for time without any chance of victory. Their only hope was for Lin Chuan to wake up; perhaps then there would be a glimmer of a chance. Otherwise, defeat and death were only a matter of time.

Under the pressure of the eleven people, Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang retreated continuously, nearing the entrance of the Lava Cave where Lin Chuan was located. The rolling heat waves surged toward them, adding even more to their burden.

"Damn it, who exactly are these two brats? To think they could hold out for so long. If I weren't afraid they still had a trump card, I would have gone up and finished these two off already!"

"Their spiritual energy hasn't run dry yet. Could it be that they were hiding their cultivation?"

"It can't be hidden cultivation, otherwise they could have killed Boss Wu Hai with that last move. There is only one explanation for this situation—these two brats likely have at least Earth-Grade Low-Rank Spirit Roots, or perhaps even higher!" one of the more knowledgeable cultivators explained with a somber expression.

"What? Earth-Grade Low-Rank Spirit Roots! How is that possible?"

"With such spirit roots, even in a great clan like the Lin Clan, they would be the core of the core disciples. How could they end up in such a state, and how could they possess protective Dharma Treasures? Who are they exactly!!"

Everyone stared in shock at the two children resisting so stubbornly, a chill rising in their hearts. If they were told these two had no backing from a major power, they wouldn't believe it even if they were beaten to death.

"We absolutely cannot let them leave alive, or we will surely face total annihilation!" This was the collective thought of everyone present. Since they had provoked someone they shouldn't have, they had to cut the weeds and pull up the roots to prevent future trouble!

In an instant, everyone intensified their attacks, forcing Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang to retreat repeatedly. Their bodies were now covered in wounds, blood soaking through their clothes. They had almost reached their limit when, suddenly, one of them saw the cave ahead, where a white-haired youth was sitting cross-legged in meditation.

"Look, there's someone in the cave!!"

That person shouted immediately, drawing everyone's gaze toward Lin Chuan. Almost the moment they saw him, everyone understood why these two brats were fighting to the death here—they were protecting this person!

Just then, a figure flashed like lightning, breaking through the defensive line formed by Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi, and dashed toward Lin Chuan. It was Wu Hai, who had been healing his wounds until now.

"Hmph, you want to protect this person? Then I'll kill him first and let you know how weak you are! This is the price of your resistance!" Wu Hai roared ferociously. He reached Lin Chuan in an instant, a cruel smile flashing across his face as he slammed a fist toward Lin Chuan's body.

At that moment, Lin Chuan's body moved slightly. His eyes snapped open, a pair of blood-red irises staring fixedly at Wu Hai standing before him, with two tomoe spinning rapidly within each.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"