I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chapter 2368 A Simple Battle
The edge of the island.

Chen Lin stood behind Lu Ming, looking at the void outside the great formation.

It was completely empty; there was nothing there.

But in Tiankai's field of vision, a small bird was perched on a dead branch, constantly preening its black feathers.

The bird was only the size of a palm, and the withered branch was only a section.

If it doesn't move, it looks like a wooden sculpture, and it's hard to notice.

There were no other living beings around.

Inside the grand formation, a feather was floating, containing a unique rhythm. With each sway, the formation would flicker slightly, but no energy fluctuations were emitted.

"That bird is the Manifestation God King of the Heavens?"

Chen Lin exclaimed in surprise.

The commotion that was made on Nana's interface was all because it was just a bird.

However, this does fit the characteristics of creatures in the Nightmare Realm. The more complete the animal form, the stronger it is. I wonder what rules this bird has mastered.

The Nightmare Realm is a branch of the bizarre kingdom.

They must all have similar characteristics.

"That's it. Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; it has already killed three rulers, one of whom was an elder of the Thousand Towers Alliance."

A voice came from behind.

Chen Lin turned around.

There stood a man with a flushed face, so red it looked as if blood was about to drip from it.

"hehe."

Lu Ming also turned his head.

He chuckled and said, "Didn't Island Master Lu make some bold statements before, saying that a little bird was nothing to fear? How come your attitude has changed so quickly?"

"The dissolute king need not mock Lu."

Lu Sheng was not displeased by the ridicule.

He calmly said, "I'm just reminding you not to be careless. There are still tens of thousands of cultivators on this island. If you are defeated, none of them will survive. Moreover, those who remain are all low-level rogue cultivators who are struggling to survive. If you can save them, you should."

"You don't need to tell me that."

Lu Ming gave a soft snort.

"From now on, these people will all be my subjects, and I will naturally protect them."

After saying that, he waved to Chen Lin and the others.

Hao Qi Qianyun said, "Are you ready? It's time to show the strength of the Wandering King! Let's attack together!"

"Your Majesty."

Xiao Lan, who had been completely invisible, stepped forward.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Ming, saying, "Your Majesty is of noble birth; how can you personally lead the army? This humble general requests permission to claim this honor!"

"it is good!"

Lu Ming exclaimed "Good!"

Then a large golden chair appeared out of thin air behind him, and he sat on it, pulling out a command flag from somewhere.

He threw it to Xiaolan.

He shouted loudly, "Xiao Lan, listen to my command! I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Army, to lead the three armies and slay that damned God-King! Do not fail me!"

"Order!"

Xiao Lan took the command flag from her hands.

He waved at Chen Lin and the other three.

"Everyone, follow me! Anyone who disobeys will be court-martial!"

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow.

It was quite unexpected that Lu Ming would back down at this moment, but it was probably not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather that he never intended to take the risk himself.

So they're spending a lot of money to recruit them.

I thought about it.

He did not refute it.

The Zodiac Secret Realm is located in the Mysterious Kingdom, and I definitely have to go in. It's only a matter of time before I face a King-level being. By fighting this low-ranking King first, I can also gain some understanding of the powerful beings in the Mysterious Kingdom.

With that characteristic, even if he's a Xingjun (a powerful figure in Chinese mythology), he should be able to escape even if he can't win a fight.

Once you leave the island's protective formation, you can enter the Zodiac Secret Realm; whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you.

The other three looked very grim.

but.

Neither Yuan Nianzhen nor Xiahou Shenyu said a word.

The two of them had signed a contract with Lu Ming and received huge benefits, leaving them no room to back down.

He could only give Wang Yan a meaningful look, hoping that Wang Yan would dissuade him.

Wang Yan pursed his lips.

For some reason, no objections were raised.

Xiao Lan nodded in satisfaction.

He issued tokens to Chen Lin and the others to exempt them from the island protection formation, then tucked the command flags into his waistbands and flew off to the outside of the island first.

There was no roundabout approach taken.

He pounced straight at the black bird that was still crouching in place, and before breaking free from the formation, a short sword only one foot long appeared in his hand.

His figure had just left the formation.

He then unleashed a sword strike!
The sword light transformed into strands of milky-white silk, instantly forming a large spherical net that enveloped the black bird.

The blackbird remained motionless.

Without even glancing at it, it squatted on the branch and preened its feathers.

"Humph!"

Yuan Nianzhen gave a soft snort.

With a flick of her wrist, a miniature Hibiscus Pavilion appeared in her palm, emitting a soft glow. As she chanted an incantation, the miniature pavilion vanished in a flash.

next moment.

It grew to about ten feet in size and appeared above the black bird's head.

The other two were equally diligent.

Xiahou Shenyu opened his mouth and spat out half a feather. Although it was only half a feather, it was incredibly beautiful and exuded a heart-stopping aura.

"puff!"

He spat it out softly.

Half a feather shot out like an arrow toward the blackbird.

Wang Yan made the final move.

He took out a brush and quickly wrote a line of characters in mid-air. The characters then connected end to end, forming a circle, and in a flash, they were on top of the black bird's head.

It was put on directly!

Chen Lin was naturally not far behind.

With a flick of his fingers, streaks of eerie light enveloped the black bird, sealing off any possible space for escape.

The void trembled and radiated light.

however.

Blackbird didn't care at all.

He dodged the Soul-Destroying Finger's lock by flashing his body a few times, and then let the remaining attacks hit him without any resistance.

A situation that made Chen Lin's heart sink occurred.

All the attacks, once they hit, simply passed right through the opponent, as if they had hit thin air.

His Soul-Destroying Finger technique was completely dodged.

"Is that all the tricks you have? I thought you had prepared for so long and would send out some powerful experts. Turns out you're just some small fry. These tricks are no match for this God King."

The blackbird spoke human language.

Then, with a gentle peck, it plucked a feather from the abdomen.

Just like Xiahou Shenyu, with a gentle exhale, the feather flew out.

It's very slow.

Drifting and swaying, it gradually approached Xiahou Shenyu.

But this feather seemed to contain some kind of magic, causing Xiahou Shenyu to freeze in place, a silly grin on his face.

"Stop it!"

Xiao Lan shouted sharply.

With a flick of his short sword, all the sword light rapidly contracted, attempting to restrain the black bird.

Wang Yan's 'character ring' also changed shape again, turning into a curved blade, which slashed directly at the bird's head!
"too weak."

The blackbird sneered.

He still ignored everything and only dodged Chen Lin's Soul-Destroying Finger, and he dodged very slowly and lazily, yet the Soul-Destroying Finger just couldn't hit him.

At this time.

The feather had already drifted to the top of Xiahou Shenyu's head.

"Go away!"

Xiahou Shenyu let out a low shout, and his whole body shone with a bright red light, which condensed into a dazzling flame and burned the feathers.

Simultaneously.

His half-feather also flew back, transforming into a dazzling light curtain to block it.

But none of it worked.

Neither the flames nor the light barrier seemed to affect the feather; it passed through them without any hindrance and landed on Xiahou Shenyu's head.

Xiahou Shenyu's body trembled.

It then began to wriggle rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a small bird exactly like the black bird, the only difference being that it had an extra half-colored feather on its body.

"He's been corrupted! Kill him, now!"

Xiao Lan issued the order.

But it was too late.

Xiahou Shenyu and Wang Yan were very close. After transforming into a bird, Xiahou Shenyu flashed and flew in front of Wang Yan, pecking at him with his beak.

"Humph!"

Wang Yan gave a soft snort.

With a flick of his brush, he touched Xiahou Shenyu's beak, freezing the bird in place.

Followed by.

Countless characters flowed from the tip of the pen, each one as mysterious as a real character, yet somewhat hazy, making it impossible to discern their meaning.

These characters firmly locked Xiahou Shenyu, forming a cage around his body.

"I can't stop! Kill that bird!"

Wang Yan shouted urgently.

Without his prompting, Xiaolan and Chen Lin had already taken action, one on the left and one on the right, each unleashing their strongest techniques.

Chen Lin's aura surged, and his entire being became filled with majesty.

He looked down at the birds from his vantage point.

"You beast, why do you not bow before me!"

"Why don't you worship... why don't you worship... why don't you worship..."

The sounds came in waves.

It awes the soul and has an irresistible force.

The little bird was initially dismissive.

But its body immediately stiffened, its two bird eyes filled with suspicion and fear. It finally stopped acting as if no one was around and began to flap its wings, trying to fly away, but Yuan Nianzhen's miniature building immediately flew above it and landed steadily on its head.

No matter how hard I try, I can't shake them off.

"Why not worship..."

"Why not worship..."

Chen Lin's shouts still echoed.

Blackbird's body trembled incessantly, as if it had encountered an irresistible supreme being, wanting only to prostrate itself on the ground and await its judgment.

Their eyes lit up.

"Let's do it!"

Chen Lin roared.

He knew that his methods wouldn't do much to the other party, as that kind of characteristic had limited destructive power. He immediately called out to Xiaolan and, at the same time, mobilized his soul essence to unleash a thick, dark light with all his might.

"The Sword of Certain Death!"

Xiao Lan didn't need Chen Lin's reminder; she had already thrown the short sword into the air.

She then let out a sharp cry.

As the words "certain death sword" were uttered, a phantom image of a young man in black appeared at the hilt of the sword, resembling a swordsman, and grabbed the hilt.

He gently waved at the little black bird.

The sword flashed.

The short sword struck first, before the Soul-Destroying Finger could reach the black bird's neck.

"puff!"

As blood spurted out, the black bird was decapitated.

Chen Lin's Soul-Destroying Finger struck the headless body, causing the black bird's eerie aura to dissipate rapidly, and it lost all life within a few breaths.

This scene startled Chen Lin.

He didn't believe that a King-level being could be killed so easily, even if the other party's title was seven characters long. A King-level being was a King-level being and could not die so easily.

but.

The facts are right before our eyes.

You can't disbelieve it.

Furthermore, the blackbird's body did not disappear, indicating that it did not escape and was indeed killed.

Chen Lin sensed something.

His eyes flickered as he looked at Xiaolan.

He was absolutely certain that his Soul-Destroying Finger technique hadn't been very effective; the intimidating power and its unique properties only caused the opponent to lose their composure temporarily.

Then.

The decisive factor was the opponent's sword strike just now.

A sword that guarantees certain death!
Chen Lin savored the name.

Although I didn't sense anything mysterious, the fact that it requires me to say the name of the move to activate it means it must be a rule-based skill. Considering the opponent's Dominator cultivation level, such power seems reasonable.

"Come over here quickly!"

Before Chen Lin could think any further,

Wang Yan's cries for help rang out.

The opponent's character cage was already in imminent danger. Xiahou Shenyu, who had transformed into a small bird, was darting left and right, about to break free from it.

"General Xiaolan, what do you think we should do?"

Chen Lin did not act immediately, but instead asked Xiao Lan a question.

No matter what, they were all allies in the same faction. Even if they were corrupted by the strange rules, it was not appropriate to kill them directly. After all, the strange creature had already been killed, so it could no longer pose a significant threat.

"They can't stay!"

Xiao Lan flew over.

Without offering any explanation or hesitating, he thrust his short sword through Xiahou Shenyu.

He then gave instructions to Chen Lin.

"Chen Gongfeng used torture techniques to prevent him from corrupting others!"

Upon seeing this.

Chen Lin could only unleash a few Soul-Destroying Finger strikes to eliminate the opponent's eerie aura.

They're completely dead now.

However, the other party was unable to restore their original body.

It's still in bird mode.

Chen Lin thought to himself that he was a pervert.

The rules of the King-level bizarre creature are too outrageous. As long as you are touched by its aura, you will be eroded by its rules, and even your life form will change. Even the Soul-Destroying Finger could not resolve it.

Moreover, apart from that half-feather, nothing else was left behind; even the storage treasure changed with the change in body shape, turning into bird feathers on the body.

"good."

Xiao Lan looked at Xiahou Shenyu's dead bird and a look of relief appeared on her face.

With a wave of his hand.

He picked up the last half feather and held it in his hand.

"This item is to be handed over to the Xiahou family, so it cannot be considered a spoil of war. You all performed well, and I will report to the King to recommend you for credit when we return."

"Thank you, General Xiaolan!"

Yuan Nianzhen and Wang Yan expressed their gratitude.

They weren't familiar with Xiahou Shenyu, and in battles of this level, death was commonplace, so they felt no sadness whatsoever.

Chen Lin didn't seem sad, but he remained silent because he felt something was off. The battle was too easy, so easy it didn't feel real.

"This should also be a treasure. We should hand it over to Your Majesty along with the corpse of the strange creature."

Xiaolan put away the branch and the black bird whose body and head had been separated.

It flew towards the island.

Yuan Nianzhen and Wang Yan immediately followed.

Chen Lin looked around and used his soul perception to explore the area within a thousand miles.

Nothing was found.

He could only suppress his doubts and return to Deer Island.

"Hahaha!"

Upon seeing Chen Lin and the others return, Lu Ming burst into laughter.

He glanced at Lu Sheng sideways.

He said smugly, "How about it? My generals are not bad, are they? If you had agreed to my demands earlier, we wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties."

Lu Sheng's face twitched twice.

He didn't say a word.

Lu Ming didn't care.

Looking at Chen Lin and the other three, he said, "I will reward those who have rendered meritorious service. Marshal Xiao Lan and Chen Gongfeng were the ones who made the greatest contributions in this expedition!"

"General Yuan's contribution is also considerable, and can be considered a secondary achievement."

"The king offered sacrifices again."

"And General Xiahou, although he died on the battlefield, his merits cannot be erased. All rewards and compensation will be given to his descendants!"

"Steward Hu, draft the imperial decree!"

"exist."

Fatty Hu immediately took out a table, along with a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and listened attentively.

Chen Lin was speechless.

For some reason, Lu Ming is willing to put on such a worldly show. If he's just bored, then he's really being a bit too unreliable.

"General Xiao Lan has repeatedly performed outstanding feats and has been promoted to Supreme General. She has been granted a yellow riding jacket and is now allowed to serve in the Emperor's presence!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Little Lanna bowed down.

At this moment, Chen Lin noticed that as Xiao Lan accepted the 'imperial decree' prepared by Fatty Hu, her aura changed, becoming more profound and powerful.

His eyes flashed.

It seems my earlier guess was wrong. Lu Ming's fondness for making a show of things wasn't out of boredom, but rather a form of cultivation.

Furthermore, this method can also benefit subordinates, allowing their cultivation levels to improve as well.

In that case...

It makes sense that Yuan Nianzhen and Xiahou Shenyu were willing to submit to each other, but there are no free lunches in the world; you have to be alive to get them.

"Chen Lin made a great contribution upon joining the party for the first time, but since he has no official rank, he will not be given a title or reward. Instead, he will be granted 15% ownership of Deer Island, a death-exemption token, a ferry pill, a top-grade rune spirit, three bottles of colorful crystal marrow, and several other treasures!"

Lu Ming rattled off a long list of rewards.

Those around them looked on with envy, but Lu Sheng and another man from another ethnic group didn't look too good.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Chen Lin thanked him with delight.

There's nothing else to it, but the ownership of 15% of Kashima Island is an unimaginable fortune. If he sells it to a powerful force, he won't have to worry about cultivation resources for a long time.

of course.

It's probably not going to be sold; Lu Ming wouldn't agree.

Even if he receives the profits every year, it is still an enviable income, after all, he is just an individual without any family influence, and all the income is his own.

General Yuan, receive your appointment!

"Your subordinate is here."

Yuan Nianzhen immediately stepped forward, bowed, and looked expectant.

"For your meritorious service in this battle, you are promoted to Left General and granted the privilege of serving in the Emperor's presence, and of not having to kneel before the King."

"And bestow upon me a Primordial Yin-Yang Stone!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Yuan Nianzhen received the prepared decree, and a strong energy fluctuation immediately erupted from his body. The phantom of Furong Tower appeared between his eyebrows, flashing continuously.

As the illusory image between the eyebrows flickered, the void energy around the island began to churn, and the power of rules crashed against the island's protective array like a tidal wave.

But soon.

The energy fluctuations stabilized, and the surroundings became completely silent.

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Yuan Nianzhen's eyes.

He glanced at Chen Lin, then took the imperial decree and retreated to the back.

Finally, there was Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan is also a retainer, so since he cannot be promoted, I will reward him with one Ferry Pill, one hundred pieces of Variegated Crystal, and one bottle of Floating Light Ink."

This reward is rather perfunctory.

However, Wang Yan did not exert much effort; when he killed the Manifestation God King of the Heavenly Saints, the opponent's attack did not cause any damage.

Trapping Xiahou Shenyu was a matter of self-preservation, and Lu Ming was already being quite generous by offering these rewards.

The bestowal of rewards is complete.

The giant chair behind Lu Ming collapsed on its own.

He took the withered branch that Xiaolan handed him, fiddled with it for a bit, and then threw it to Chen Lin.

"I don't need this, and most people don't need it either, so you can have it!"

Chen Lin hesitated for a moment.

I still took it from him.

He thanked them again: "Thank you for the treasure, sir."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Lin saw the withered branch in his hand seem to light up for a moment, but when he looked at it closely, it became ordinary again.