A Lifeline

Within a hidden, secluded cave.

Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly glanced at the Golden Toad Dharma King, and kept engaging Jin Wanliang in conversation to prolong the time.

But this is a place that inspires despair.

There was no way to escape, and he lacked the ability to escape.

No matter how much he said, Zhang Xuezhou had no way to escape.

There's no need for a fortune to shut him up. Once the time is up, Zhang Xuezhou will inevitably return to reality and lose control of his dream body.

In this situation, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the chances of him kicking the bucket were 100%.

He had no chance of turning Jin Wanliang against the Golden Toad Dharma King; if he wanted to survive, he could only place his hopes on the Golden Toad Dharma King.

"My cultivation level is very low, but I know a Daoist priest with decent cultivation. His cultivation is currently stuck at the Blood Penetration Realm, so his medicine should be a little more effective at healing you!"

Embracing the spirit of sacrificing his friend rather than himself, Zhang Xuezhou betrayed the wooden Daoist on the spot.

Regardless of what nonsense they're spouting, getting out of here is the most important thing; we can worry about what happens later.

At this moment, his survival instinct was no different from Wang Baoli's; Zhang Xuezhou would grab onto any straw he could find to try and see what would happen.

"Our ancestor's injuries won't last until tonight, there's no time to catch that Wooden Daoist," Jin Wanliang said.

"Then I've come at just the right time!"

"Besides, without the help of a secret cave or hidden place to launch a sneak attack, my win rate against cultivators in the Blood Penetration Realm is only so-so. If I encounter some cultivators who have been stuck in the Blood Penetration Realm for a long time, the possibility of my defeat is very high," Jin Wanliang said.

"Then your skills are really not that great," Zhang Xuezhou said disdainfully.

"Who told you to take my natal magic Law Treasure and break my ultimate technique?" Jin Wanliang said painfully, "Just tell me where my treasure robe is, and you'll die a quicker death."

Jin Wanliang had considered a sneak attack and counterattack, but when he recovered and went to the Nine-Foot Daoist Temple to investigate again, the temple was already empty.

Without Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong, there would be Zou Bugui.

In the Nine-Foot Daoist Temple, only a pile of broken bricks and tiles remained; nothing of value was left behind.

In this vast sea of people, the chances of Jin Wanliang finding anyone involved are slim.

He once thought he had permanently lost the precious garment, until Zhang Xuezhou deliberately bumped into him.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou reveals the whereabouts of his treasure, Jin Wanliang believes Zhang Xuezhou can die however he wants, as long as he hands over the heart to the patriarch.

If he were to kowtow three times and bow nine times before Zhang Xuezhou's grave, he would be willing to pay ten thousand taels of gold.

"In short, please do me a favor and let everyone be more at ease," Jin Wanliang said wistfully. "Wouldn't it be better to be honest and open with each other?"

He glanced at the Golden Toad Ancestor at the center of the formation. Having been reminded by the Golden Toad Ancestor's cough, Jin Wanliang knew very well that he didn't have much time left to ask questions.

However, he was not particularly intelligent, nor was he a scholar with exceptional intellect. He could discern clues from the subtle hints in Zhang Xuezhou's words and thus gradually extract the answer through questioning.

While discussing the relevant matters, Zhang Xuezhou steered the conversation off-topic seven or eight times, completely outmaneuvering him and making it difficult to probe further.

"If you don't tell me the whereabouts of the Golden Toad Robe, you'll die with this secret, and a horrible one at that. I won't even clean up your body; I'll just let it rot in this poisonous swamp," Jin Wanliang pleaded. "Why make yourself suffer after death?"

"Tell me how to keep me alive, and I'll tell you where that golden robe is," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Impossible. I can't snatch food from the Ancestor's mouth, nor can I let you leave," Jin Wanliang shook his head repeatedly.

"Let's stay naked for the rest of our lives!"

Zhang Xuezhou adopted a defensive stance.

Even the weakest chicken will struggle symbolically when facing death.

"It's a pity I didn't bring a knife, otherwise I would have stabbed a few holes in my own heart so you couldn't use it to heal your bodies!"

Zhang Xuezhou murmured something, which caused the Golden Toad Dharma King to cough for a while.

"What a pity, you actually won't cooperate!" Jin Wanliang said regretfully.

He was naked, and looking at Zhang Xuezhou was holding a jar, he couldn't help but shake his head.

The ladder of cultivation is difficult to traverse. A skilled Technique Method might be countered by a martial artist, but it is absolutely impossible for them to be countered by a Technique Method who is several levels below them.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't even bring a knife, yet he was swept away by this man in one fell swoop, clearly indicating he wasn't a martial artist.

Jin Wanliang's mouth opened slightly, and as he stuck out his tongue, Zhang Xuezhou opposite him shouted, "I am the greatest under heaven and earth!" and his body vanished instantly.

"So it was you who caused trouble at the Daoist temple!"

Upon suddenly realizing that Zhang Xuezhou had vanished without a trace, Jin Wanliang had already figured out why he had lost the magical duel at the Daoist temple.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't secretly scattered some ashes on him, Jin Wanliang felt he would never have lost the Golden Toad Robe.

"You think this trick will work in our secret realm?" Jin Wanliang sneered, "Look at your feet!"

His words caused Zhang Xuezhou's expression to turn slightly bitter.

While trapped in the mud, no matter how Zhang Xuezhou concealed himself, his body would not transform into air; instead, it would retain its original weight.

This left Zhang Xuezhou with footprints in the mud.

With these trampling marks, Jin Wanliang could directly know his location without needing to detect his invisibility.

"Go to hell!"

Enraged, Zhang Xuezhou smashed the wooden Daoist's jar away, unleashing his strongest counterattack skill.

The Law Treasure jar, which Mu Daoren had repeatedly warned about, brought no surprises.

"Snap!"

The sound of Jin Wanliang shattering as he struck the jar came, and Zhang Xuezhou saw a pile of white powder fall from the jar, causing Jin Wanliang to choke twice before losing all effect.

Zhang Xuezhou had just pounced when he felt a tightening around his waist, and the intense pain made his vision go black so badly that he almost fainted.

The coughing sound grew closer, and Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that Jin Wanliang had brought him closer to the Golden Toad Dharma King.

I have a technique that can suppress your injuries!

Seeing the golden toad transform into an ugly old man with white hair and eagle eyes, coughing up blood while extending its sharp claws to touch Zhang Xuezhou's chest, Zhang Xuezhou used the last of his strength to utter what he considered the loudest sound.

"What?"

The ugly-faced old man pricked up his ears, listening to the faint sound.

"Speak louder, cough cough cough!"

I said...

"Ten thousand taels, move your tongue away... cough cough, I think I heard him use a technique to suppress injuries!"

"Ancestor, he's just a newly Realm Entry cultivator. Even if he knows the corresponding techniques, what use are they? It's easier to just eat him!"

"That's true!"

"Supreme Purity True Technique!"

From the interaction between one human and one demon to the interaction between one human and two demons, Zhang Xuezhou's life was finally temporarily spared from death.

"Do you possess the Supreme Purity True Technique of the Northern Border Military Region?" the Golden Toad Dharma King coughed and asked.

"You're familiar with this technique too?"

Zhang Xuezhou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He didn't know if the Supreme Purity True Technique would work on the Golden Toad Dharma King; it was the only asset he could currently offer.

But the Golden Toad Dharma King's answer reassured him.

"Military regions are the most bloody places, and their techniques for healing and suppressing injuries are more advanced than those of sects and holy sites. The Supreme Purity True Technique of the Northern Border Military Region is not weak; it is a self-defense technique possessed only by the top generals of the Northern Border Military Region. How did you acquire this technique?"

Upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou's words, the Golden Toad Dharma King's pale face regained a touch of color.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou desperately grasped at straws, the Golden Toad Dharma King felt that there was always a way out, and he too grasped at a straw.

After the Golden Toad Dharma King confirmed the matter, both Zhang Xuezhou and the Golden Toad Dharma King were relieved.