Chapter 363 ·Explanation and Taking the Blame

The Fog Sea of Tongtian.

“Damn it, someone is targeting the spirit mines!”

“Activate the formations and prepare for battle!”

“Stop mining immediately! All cultivators restore mana and enter the highest state of alert!”

Within the three mined spirit mines, after the Core Formation cultivators stationed there received the transmission talismans, each one’s expression changed as they solemnly ordered everyone into full alert.

The island-protecting grand formations were fully activated.

All cultivators prepared for battle, and even the mining operations were temporarily halted.

The three spirit mines were separated by vast distances.

Thus, the Core Formation cultivators stationed upon each island could only urgently use Thousand-mile Voice Transmission Talismans.

None of them dared move recklessly and instead remained behind to guard the spirit mines.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Fog Sea of Tongtian, the direction in which the Sword Attendant and the Azure-Horned Ox fled led deeper inward rather than toward the three spirit mines.

As the pursuit continued, the Sword Attendant repeatedly used her familiarity with the Fog Sea of Tongtian to engage in mobile guerrilla tactics.

“Good! Very good! Excellent! I never expected a mere early Core Formation cultivator to possess such strength.”

The masked Meng Clan cultivator became increasingly alarmed as the pursuit continued.

This female cultivator was unbelievably strong.

Although part of it stemmed from her being a sword cultivator, an early Core Formation cultivation somehow erupted with combat strength not inferior to a Mid Core Formation sword cultivator.

“Could it be that the Fiend Origin Sword Art is truly this terrifying!?”

At this moment, the figure of Blood Fiend True Person surfaced in his mind.

Back then, they had briefly encountered each other at the beginning of the Secret Realm. He only knew that person’s fierce reputation was infamous.

Under the terrifying sword radiance of the Sword Attendant, the Meng Clan cultivator believed it all stemmed from the cultivation method.

He had not discovered that the Sword Attendant possessed a Spiritual Body.

After all, even identical cultivation methods displayed vastly different strengths in the hands of cultivators with differing talents.

“Cheap servant, you cannot escape! If you obediently surrender now, you can avoid physical suffering.”

As the pursuit continued, the masked Meng Clan cultivator wielded a long blade magical artifact, continuously slashing out enormous blade radiance that carved countless traces through the clouds and mist.

“Moo!”

Although the fleeing Sword Attendant possessed the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body and could fight across minor realms, the gap between early Core Formation and late Core Formation remained immense.

The continuous consumption along the way had already left her panting heavily.

Just as a terrifying blade radiance descended, the Azure-Horned Ox roared furiously. Unable to continue hiding anymore, it unleashed a beam of light directly from its mouth.

“Moo!”

The light beam instantly shattered the blade radiance.

The masked Meng Clan cultivator coldly snorted “beast” while raising his magical artifact to block the attack.

Yet the moment he saw the shattered blade radiance turning into stone fragments from the corner of his eye, his pupils violently contracted.

“Not good!”

Before he could react, the beam had already reached him.

The terrifying explosive force instantly filled him with alarm and fury.

“A Mutated Demon Beast? Impossible!”

Under the beam’s influence, the mana shield before him began turning to stone.

Even the blade radiance surrounding his long blade magical artifact showed signs of petrification.

At this moment, Meng was utterly shocked.

Mutated Demon Beasts were even rarer than Nascent Soul cultivators.

He had lived over five hundred years and met many Nascent Soul cultivators before, but Mutated Demon Beasts existed only in rumors.

This was his first time witnessing one personally.

Yet during this brief opening, a gigantic sword radiance over thirty meters long and flashing with lightning appeared above his head.

Giant Sword Technique.

“I never expected it to actually be a Mutated Demon Beast. But you underestimate late Core Formation cultivators far too much!”

Facing the thunder-infused giant sword descending with overwhelming pressure, Meng roared furiously.

He admitted he had underestimated them.

Just this Mid Third-rank Mutated Demon Beast alone already possessed combat strength comparable to late Third-rank.

But he was no ordinary late Core Formation cultivator.

As he roared angrily, visible strands of white hair began appearing near his temples.

He spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood onto the defensive magical artifact before him.

Instantly, a turtle-shell defensive magical artifact appeared overhead.

The moment the giant sword carrying thunder force collided with the turtle shell, a terrifying explosion erupted.

The shockwave scattered the surrounding clouds and mist.

Even the seawater below was blasted into an enormous crater.

“Crack!”

A piercing sound echoed out, causing the masked Meng Clan cultivator’s pupils to contract.

Facing the combined strongest attacks of the Mutated Demon Beast Azure-Horned Ox and the Sword Attendant—

His defensive turtle-shell magical artifact had actually developed a crack.

“Damn it! That surnamed Lin hid himself too deeply. He actually possesses a Mutated Spirit Beast as well. No wonder he rose from a first-rank rogue cultivator to this point!”

The Meng Clan cultivator roared inwardly.

At this moment, he no longer cared about exposing himself and directly unleashed the cultivation method divine ability he had deliberately concealed all along.

Boom!

A terrifying explosive shockwave swept outward, and the sea surface itself erupted into towering waves.

“Cheap servant!”

A sinister voice echoed through the air.

Meanwhile, the Sword Attendant grunted under the explosive shockwave, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of her lips.

She instantly recalled her twin flying swords before continuing her escape together with the Azure-Horned Ox.

“I want to see exactly where you think you can run!”

His identity now exposed, regardless of whether the other side had truly recognized him or not, the Meng Clan cultivator pursued while the killing intent in his eyes deepened even further.

Today, this cheap servant had to die.

And so did this Mutated Demon Beast.

Since he had already offended the man surnamed Lin, there was no longer any room for reconciliation.

One pursued while the other fled.

Although the Mid Third-rank Azure-Horned Ox possessed formidable combat strength, speed was not its specialty.

Furthermore, the Meng Clan cultivator had already reached peak late Core Formation many years ago. His strength was far from ordinary.

“Moo!”

The Azure-Horned Ox rampaged wildly through the clouds and mist.

Meanwhile, the Sword Attendant atop its back removed medicinal pills from her Storage Pouch and swallowed five pills in one breath.

At the same time, she also fed five medicinal pills to the Azure-Horned Ox.

“These are mana recovery pills refined by Master. Continue forward. There’s an island ahead where the Twin-headed Tiger has established a formation to receive us.”

When encountering robber cultivators within the Fog Sea of Tongtian, there were seemingly three directions for escape.

The first was one of the three nearest spirit mines.

The second was Bibo Island.

The third was the even more distant Five Dragon Island sea region.

Yet none of these three destinations were actually close.

The calm Sword Attendant had already thought of another safe location the moment she began fleeing from the ambush.

She secretly used a Thousand-mile Voice Transmission Talisman to contact the Twin-headed Tiger within the Fog Sea of Tongtian.

The Twin-headed Tiger raced toward her direction while simultaneously locating a suitable island midway to establish a formation.

As the pursuit continued, even the Meng Clan cultivator gritted his teeth.

This female cultivator was even more familiar with the Fog Sea of Tongtian than he was.

Sometimes she passed islands where Sinister Spirits gathered, deliberately disturbing them to create interference.

Other times she plunged into the sea below where demon beast groups lurked.

“How can a mere early Core Formation cultivator know the terrain of the Fog Sea of Tongtian this well?”

Moreover, how long had she even been at Core Formation?

At that instant, the Meng Clan cultivator immediately thought of Lin Chang’an, the Formation Master, while faint traces of regret surfaced within his heart.

A Mutated Demon Beast.

And this personally raised concubine whose strength was astonishing.

Lin Chang’an likely hid far more secrets than expected.

“We must eliminate the roots completely. No future trouble can be allowed!”

Although some regret surfaced, it only strengthened his determination.

Neither the Sword Attendant nor this Mutated Demon Beast could be allowed to survive.

“I want to see what you’ll use to block this!”

As they flew at extreme speed, violent rainstorms descended from the heavens.

The Sword Attendant and the Azure-Horned Ox streaked through thunderclouds in Escape Light.

“We’re almost there. Just ahead!”

A flash of light appeared within the Sword Attendant’s eyes.

On the distant barren island barely visible ahead, the Twin-headed Tiger had already been waiting for a long time.

Yet at this very moment, a sudden sense of danger struck.

Without hesitation, the Sword Attendant instantly released seven layers of mana barriers behind her.

“Moo!”

Years of tacit understanding caused the Azure-Horned Ox to react instantly as well.

Roaring furiously, its four hooves stomped through the air, unleashing terrifying mana shockwaves that formed a powerful defensive shield around them.

“Stay behind for me!”

An angry roar erupted from behind.

At this moment, the Meng Clan cultivator’s face had become pale like gold paper, and even more strands of white hair had appeared atop his head.

Strands of black light shot forth like torrential rain before converging together into a single black flying needle.

“A flying needle magical artifact!”

The Sword Attendant’s face immediately turned pale upon seeing this.

Flying needle magical artifacts were renowned for their terrifying penetration and shield-breaking capabilities.

The black light was so fast it could barely be seen before already arriving before them.

The Sword Attendant’s seven mana shields were instantly pierced through.

The Azure-Horned Ox roared furiously as its mutated petrification defensive shield managed to endure for only several breaths.

A piercing buzzing sound echoed out.

Then came a sharp crack as the defensive shield shattered.

“Die!”

If previously the Meng Clan cultivator had wanted to capture them alive, now he only desired to exterminate them completely.

Cold light flashed in his eyes.

This Black Blood Divine Needle was originally a treasure he and his wife had obtained within the Secret Realm.

It was one of their ultimate hidden killing moves.

They had even used this magical artifact to kill a late Core Formation cultivator without suffering injuries themselves.

“Moo!”

As the defensive shield shattered, the Azure-Horned Ox roared furiously.

Yet the black light was simply too fast.

Disbelief still filled the Sword Attendant’s pupils as the black light already struck her chest.

The next moment, lightning flashed.

A phantom armor projected a thin yet incomparably tough dragon scale armor.

The Sword Attendant was directly smashed backward by the enormous force, crashing toward the barren island in the distance.

Amid roaring impacts, the treasure armor emitted mournful sounds as the Sword Attendant’s body crashed directly into the cliffs below.

“A protective inner armor!”

Witnessing this scene, the Meng Clan cultivator became both shocked and enraged.

How could a mere early Core Formation cultivator possess so many protective treasures?

First a Mutated Demon Beast.

Now a protective inner armor.

Lin Chang’an absolutely possessed some enormous secret.

“We absolutely cannot leave survivors.”

In the blink of an eye, the Sword Attendant crashed into the barren island’s cliffs.

The Meng Clan cultivator coldly shouted while releasing his flying sword magical artifact, transforming it into countless sword radiance that rained downward.

“ROAR!”

Just as the Meng Clan cultivator rushed into the island while unleashing sword radiance to eliminate all traces, a tiger roar suddenly echoed beside his ears.

At this moment, the Meng Clan cultivator’s eyes remained cold.

The roar of the Sinister Spirit Beast King did not startle him. At most, he assumed this island was merely a spiritual island where Sinister Spirits gathered.

Yet amidst the tiger roar, the suddenly appearing formation barrier caused his expression to drastically change.

“How is this possible!”

The sudden development filled him with shock and fury.

How could there possibly be a formation trap here?

Impossible!

This place gathered Sinister Spirits and was not one of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s spirit mines.

The other side should not have had time to establish formations here.

Yet the instant the formation barrier appeared, it gave him no time to think further.

Three Sinister Baleful Corpse Puppets overflowing with baleful aura burst from underground.

Their eyes toward the cultivator within the formation overflowed with greedy bloodlust.

“Moo!”

Within the rubble, the Azure-Horned Ox’s eyes had become bloodshot as it unleashed a roar powerful enough to shake mountains and earth.

“Cough cough!”

Within the ruins, the Sword Attendant coughed out a mouthful of black blood.

Although protected by the defensive inner armor, the black needle attack had still pierced through the defense.

“It’s poisoned!”

The battered Sword Attendant gritted her teeth while several antidote pills flew from her Storage Pouch.

Had her master not refined this protective inner armor from the Thunder Flood Dragon’s scales—

And had her half-human half-demon physique not granted her exceptional vitality—

She would have truly fallen here today.

At this moment, her eyes overflowed with killing intent.

In all these years, she had never suffered such humiliation before.

Moreover, this person now knew about her master’s Mutated Spirit Beast.

He absolutely could not be allowed to live.

“Mutated Demon Beast, Sinister Baleful Corpse Puppets, Sinister Spirit Beast King, and formations—just who exactly are you people!?”

At this moment, the Meng Clan cultivator was both shocked and furious.

He felt as though he had provoked an enormous disaster.

Could the man surnamed Lin possibly be a hidden agent of the Profound Yin Demonic Sect?

After all, ever since the disappearance of the Sinister Soul Sect, only the Profound Yin Demonic Sect within the Sea Abyss possessed methods involving Sinister Baleful Corpse Puppets.

……

Within the Fog Sea of Tongtian, lightning flashed and thunder roared as a streak of cyan Escape Light raced forward at extreme speed.

Along the way, it completely ignored mana consumption.

Normally, flying with such extreme speed Escape Light consumed enormous amounts of mana, making long-term flight impossible for ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

Yet thanks to the terrifying recovery ability of Lin Chang’an’s self-healing body—

His mana still remained around seventy to eighty percent full.

Finally, after piercing through layer after layer of clouds and mist, Lin Chang’an’s expression suddenly changed.

“Sensed it!”

He had finally sensed the Sword Attendant’s aura.

As Escape Light shot forward like lightning, Lin Chang’an secretly felt irritated.

If given the chance, he absolutely had to obtain a top-tier escape technique.

At critical moments, his Escape Light only relied on his immense mana reserves and the recovery ability of his self-healing body, granting him astonishing endurance.

But in terms of speed, he was not much faster than cultivators of the same realm.

Inside the barren island formation.

Amidst roaring explosions, the Azure-Horned Ox roared furiously, the three Sinister Baleful Corpse Puppets were heavily injured, and even the Twin-headed Tiger staggered while shaking its head.

“You damned bastards! You’re spies of the Profound Yin Demonic Sect!”

Under the rumbling explosions, Meng appeared utterly disheveled, yet his face revealed a trace of unexpected delight.

As long as he brought this information back, even if the Seven Kingdoms Alliance discovered this matter, they would not dare say much.

Not only would he be guiltless, he would even earn great merit.

Although formations surrounded him, he was still an old veteran peak late Core Formation cultivator.

Back then, he had even ventured through Secret Realms.

His experience in breaking formations was absolutely beyond ordinary cultivators.

Under the bombardment of several Third-rank Formation-breaking Talismans, the surrounding formation had already reached its limit.

Dense cracks covered the formation barrier.

Yet at this moment, a cold voice rang out, instantly causing his expression to drastically change.

“Is that so? Then may I ask—who exactly does Fellow Daoist Meng intend to kill?”

As Lin Chang’an’s voice echoed out, his Escape Light had already arrived beside the Sword Attendant.

“Master!”

At this moment, the Sword Attendant’s face was pale, while black patterns spread across her neck.

Clearly, the poison had already penetrated deeply.

“Not bad. Forcing a late Core Formation cultivator into such a state is already commendable.”

Lin Chang’an’s cold gaze swept over Meng.

Meanwhile, the hand embracing the Sword Attendant had already begun circulating mana.

Killing Meng was a trivial matter.

The Sword Attendant’s condition was what truly mattered.

“Lin… Fellow Daoist.”

After seeing Lin Chang’an arrive, Meng’s expression turned solemn.

At this moment, there was no further need to hide anything.

“I never expected Fellow Daoist Lin to actually be a member of the Profound Yin Demonic Sect. Today’s matter is merely a misunderstanding. Since Fellow Daoist arrived so quickly, I presume your mana reserves are already nearly exhausted, correct?”

Meng panted heavily.

The instant Lin Chang’an arrived, retreat already formed in his mind.

Although he did not know how Lin Chang’an arrived so quickly, his own mana had already been depleted by seventy to eighty percent.

“Farewell, Fellow Daoist!”

As he spoke, Meng instantly activated three Formation-breaking Talismans.

In an instant, cracks spread through the surrounding barrier before it shattered.

“Fellow Daoist Meng, if you do not give Lin an explanation today, then it would be better not to leave.”

“Fellow Daoist Lin, if this old man wishes to leave, you cannot stop me!”

At the instant the barrier shattered, Meng roared angrily while fleeing in Escape Light.

At the same time, the Black Blood Divine Needle shot forth.

Seeing this, the Sword Attendant shouted loudly:

“Master, be careful! That needle contains deadly poison!”

The Four Symbols Dragon Scale Armor emitted a faint golden phantom glow.

The Black Blood Divine Needle halted three inches outside the phantom barrier.

A sharp buzzing sound echoed out.

Upon witnessing this scene while fleeing, Meng’s pupils contracted again.

He inwardly became even more certain that Lin Chang’an truly belonged to the Profound Yin Demonic Sect.

Otherwise, how could this man possess so many treasures?

Especially that defensive supreme treasure—it was incomparably precious.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, as a member of the Profound Yin Demonic Sect, perhaps you should start considering how you intend to explain yourself to True Lord Lu and the Bihai Palace.

“Oh right—your concubine is already deeply poisoned. If she is not treated soon, once the poison corrodes her Golden Core, even immortals will be powerless to save her…”

As Meng laughed arrogantly while bluffing, he faced the incoming sword radiance behind him without hesitation.

He directly sacrificed his turtle-shell defensive magical artifact to block behind himself.

Yet just as his Escape Light pierced through the opening in the formation barrier—

And as he glanced back at Lin Chang’an and the others with a trace of triumphant laughter, preparing to flee at full speed—

A terrifying sense of death suddenly surged within him.

“Puchi!”

Three streaks of Escape Light.

As if they had long been lying in ambush outside.

The moment he escaped and continuously defended against the attacks behind him—

His vigilance relaxed for a single instant.

And killing intent erupted!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Meng stared in terror at the three Lin Chang’ans before him.

His eyes overflowed with disbelief.

“H… how is this possible!?”

In that instant—

The Thunder Halberd shattered his mana shield.

The golden Sun-piercing Divine Sword directly pierced through his abdomen.

Immediately afterward, black blade radiance flashed.

And his head was severed.

Then came furious roars from below.

The three Sinister Baleful Corpse Puppets charged upward while roaring wildly.

He helplessly watched as the three corpse puppets greedily hugged and gnawed upon his corpse.

How tenacious was the vitality of a Core Formation cultivator?

At this moment, he deeply experienced it himself.

Even after his head had been severed, his consciousness still remained.

Yet the next moment, an intense tearing pain suddenly erupted.

He stared in terror at the demonic blade in Lin Chang’an’s hand.

“Devouring souls and absorbing spirits… demonic cultivator…”

His severed head visibly began shriveling.

Meanwhile, Lin Chang’an, holding the Blood Fiend Demonic Blade, calmly watched the falling head and mocked:

“Fellow Daoist Meng, I already said you needed to give Lin an explanation.

“With your strength, opening the seal of my demonic blade is hardly an insult to this magical artifact.”

The next moment, a hand abruptly grabbed the falling head.

At the same time, Lin Chang’an began searching through the other party’s memories.

Meanwhile, the newly refined Blood Fiend Demonic Blade in his hand emitted ghostly light.

Not only was it Devouring Souls and Absorbing Spirits—

It was even swallowing the remaining Essence Blood.

As the three corpse puppets greedily devoured the body, vast quantities of Essence Blood flowed from the wounds toward the demonic blade.

The originally pitch-black blade without any luster gradually began emitting faint crimson radiance after tasting blood.

At this moment, memories continuously flashed through Lin Chang’an’s mind.

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes.

“I originally thought this man had discovered the Sword Attendant’s Heavenly Spirit Sword Body. Never would I have expected it to be this!”

At this moment, Lin Chang’an was thoroughly enraged.

Before rushing out, he had even packed away everything within Celestial Spring Peak.

He had practically prepared himself to flee into the Fog Sea of Tongtian and temporarily hide from danger.

After all, once the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body was exposed, even Nascent Soul cultivators would intervene.

There was no way he could protect her.

The battle had ended.

No one could have imagined that a once-renowned peak late Core Formation cultivator would fall so completely.

“Master!”

The Sword Attendant weakly rode over atop the Twin-headed Tiger.

Meanwhile, the three avatars transformed into flowing light before finally returning into Lin Chang’an’s body.

At this moment, Lin Chang’an looked at the abnormal changes within the Blood Fiend Demonic Blade in his hand and slowly inhaled deeply.

This matter was not over!

The Sword Attendant concerned his path toward Nascent Soul.

The Meng Clan of Bibo Island—

The hatred of obstructing one’s Dao could never coexist under the same heavens!

……

The Fog Sea of Tongtian.

After receiving the news, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance directly dispatched six Core Formation cultivators, all currently flying rapidly through the skies.

“Moo!”

At this moment, a weary ox cry echoed out.

Ahead of them, they finally saw the Sword Attendant and the Azure-Horned Ox battling against another cultivator.

“It’s Fellow Daoist Qiu!”

After seeing the Azure-Horned Ox, the six Core Formation cultivators of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance instantly glared furiously.

Not only had the other side hunted down one of their Core Formation cultivators—

More importantly, the other party was obviously targeting the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s spirit mines.

The three spirit mines now concerned whether the Seven Kingdoms Alliance could truly rise to power.

One could say these spirit mines represented the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s very Dao path.

The hatred of obstructing one’s Dao could never coexist under the same heavens!

“Fellow Daoists, do not let this robber cultivator escape!”

At this moment, although the Sword Attendant appeared battered and exhausted, after seeing reinforcements she inhaled deeply and deliberately revealed a relieved expression of surviving catastrophe.

“Good thief! Stay behind for this old man!”

“Robber cultivator! Today our Seven Kingdoms Alliance will not spare you!”

The six Core Formation cultivators were furious beyond measure.

Especially since two among them were Mid Core Formation cultivators.

Relying on their numerical advantage, they naturally held no fear.

Meanwhile, the masked robber cultivator behind them was naturally Lin Chang’an in disguise.

At this moment, he wielded Meng’s magical artifact while coldly shouting:

“Trash of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance. Just with the likes of you? If this old man wishes to leave, none of you can stop me.”

Among the six stood Xu Lingfeng of the Profound Sound Pavilion.

He instantly unleashed sword radiance while shouting coldly:

“Fellow Daoists, stop holding back! If we fail to kill this person today and establish our authority, then more robber cultivators will target our Seven Kingdoms Alliance in the future.”

“Moo!”

The Azure-Horned Ox roared as a petrification light beam erupted outward.

At the same moment, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance cultivators were utterly shocked.

A Mutated Demon Beast!

Only now did the six fully understand why the Sword Attendant, despite being merely an early Core Formation cultivator—

Even with only a Mid Third-rank Azure-Horned Ox—

Had still managed to fight and retreat for so long against such a powerful late Core Formation cultivator.

As for exposing the Azure-Horned Ox, Lin Chang’an had thoroughly considered the matter beforehand.

A Mutated Demon Beast merely indicated exceptional luck.

Furthermore, everyone knew this Azure-Horned Ox had been raised by Lin Chang’an since childhood.

Such a demon beast could never betray its master.

At most, others would merely envy Lin Chang’an’s good fortune.

For Nascent Soul sects, in the end it was still merely a Third-rank demon beast—not enough to truly matter.

Moreover, with Lin Chang’an’s current strength combined with the Azure-Horned Ox, it instead became part of his symbol of strength.

With Mid Core Formation cultivation, he had now completely stepped into the circle of late Core Formation cultivators.

No one would dare underestimate him again.

Ultimately, with his current strength and status, the Azure-Horned Ox no longer represented danger.

Instead, it became a form of deterrence.

It would also cause many cultivators who had long suspected his hidden trump cards to finally understand exactly what his trump card truly was.

“The Black Blood Divine Needle—who exactly are you!?”

As the battle continued, the moment this masked cultivator unleashed the terrifying magical artifact, everyone became deeply alarmed.

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance was both shocked and enraged.

Some had already guessed the other party’s identity.

Meanwhile, Lin Chang’an, disguised as the robber cultivator, revealed an unwilling expression and gritted his teeth:

“This time your Seven Kingdoms Alliance got lucky. But next time, you won’t be so fortunate.”

After speaking, Lin Chang’an seized the opportunity to flee in Escape Light.

Meanwhile, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance cultivators feared the Black Blood Divine Needle.

They could only helplessly watch the other side escape.

“Damn it! The Black Blood Divine Needle was rumored to have been obtained by the Meng Clan couple within the Secret Realm. Just who exactly is this person!?”

“Once we return, we’ll immediately report this matter to True Lord Lu. This isn’t over!”

Yet just as everyone felt unwilling, terrified screams suddenly echoed from the distant dark clouds.

“The Profound Yin Demonic Sect! You’re Huang Tianxiao!”

“Correct. It is indeed Huang. Today, you interrupted Huang’s corpse puppet refinement. Therefore, your Essence Blood shall feed my corpse puppets.”

“Huang Tianxiao, stop acting arrogant! Do you really think yourself invincible beneath Nascent Soul? Today this old man shall show you what it means for there always to be someone stronger!”

The instant terrifying Sinister Baleful Qi erupted in the distance, the Seven Kingdoms Alliance cultivators did not hesitate in the slightest.

Each one transformed into Escape Light and fled.

A late Core Formation robber cultivator possessing the Black Blood Divine Needle was already troublesome enough.

Now another cultivator from the Profound Yin Demonic Sect had appeared—

And it was Huang Tianxiao, reputed as the number one cultivator beneath Nascent Soul.

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance did not even think twice.

They immediately fled.

The seven cultivators along with the Azure-Horned Ox rapidly flew away in Escape Light.

Two hours later, they finally encountered Lin Chang’an, who appeared to be arriving from the Five Dragon Island sea region.

After meeting once more, the respect within the Seven Kingdoms Alliance cultivators’ eyes toward Lin Chang’an deepened significantly.

With a Mutated Spirit Beast, Lin Chang’an’s strength no longer merely rivaled late Core Formation cultivators.

He had firmly established himself within that circle.

Even the final trace of discomfort within Xu Lingfeng’s heart completely disappeared.

“The Black Blood Divine Needle? And Huang Tianxiao, the number one beneath Nascent Soul?”

Lin Chang’an displayed a face full of confusion and shock.

Everyone immediately explained the Black Blood Divine Needle and everything that had happened previously.

“Master!”

The Sword Attendant deliberately acted weak.

Lin Chang’an immediately removed antidote pills and healing pills.

“Moo!”

Only the Azure-Horned Ox helplessly stared at its master and the Sword Attendant.

Human cultivators were too cunning.

Just like that bad bird, they loved deceiving people.

Yet the next moment, after Lin Chang’an removed a spirit fruit useful for recovery from his Storage Pouch—

The Azure-Horned Ox immediately widened its ox eyes and began mooing repeatedly, venting all the terror and excitement from the earlier battle.

Other human cultivators were the cunning ones.

“The second wave of reinforcements from Bibo Island should arrive soon.”

“Yes. I heard members of the Meng Clan are among them. I say they’re crying thief while playing the thief themselves!”

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance Core Formation cultivators spoke indignantly.

As for suspecting Lin Chang’an?

Not a single person entertained such thoughts.

After all, no matter how strong Lin Chang’an was, he remained only a Mid Core Formation cultivator.

Coming all the way from Five Dragon Island—

He also needed to ensure his mana was not excessively depleted along the journey.

How could he possibly arrive faster than them when they departed directly from Bibo Island?

Furthermore, when they met here, they all saw Lin Chang’an’s appearance of excessive mana depletion.

Thus, not a single person held any suspicion.

Two hours later, after contacting one another through transmission talismans, four more Core Formation reinforcements finally arrived.

Shortly afterward, the group of more than ten Core Formation cultivators grandly returned together to investigate.

In the end, upon a barren island, they only found traces of intense battle.

Sinister Baleful corpse aura lingered everywhere.

As well as a dried corpse lacking a head.

Everyone felt alarmed.

At this moment, no one wished to investigate any further.

Without hesitation, the entire group directly chose to return to Bibo Island.

How long had it been?

And yet a late Core Formation cultivator had already perished just like that?

Meanwhile, throughout the return journey, Lin Chang’an’s expression remained incomparably ugly.

In the eyes of outsiders, after all, his personal concubine had nearly died—

And his Mutated Spirit Beast had also been exposed.