Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

Ying Shaoyang gave the order indifferently. The Demon Refining Tower was a trial ground he had built by combining formations with the souls of captured demons and monsters, based on the settings in some cultivation novels. It could improve combat skills and temper one's will. For these Taoists who lacked combat experience, it was a good opportunity and a reward for their active cooperation.

Chu Yi accepted the jade slip with both hands and responded respectfully.

"The slave obeys the order!"

He then turned around and strode quickly toward the Martial Pavilion.

After arranging the uses of these fox spirits and Taoist priests, Ying Shaoyang turned his gaze back to the distance, continuing to ponder how to better utilize the gains from the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio world, and how to deal with the potential differences in time flow between different worlds.

The development of Daqin requires a more stable pace and more efficient use of resources.

Chen Ping sighed inwardly as he was stared at by Yuan Hu's sharp, piercing gaze, which seemed to penetrate his very soul. He knew that it would be difficult to dispel the other party's suspicions with just a few words.

He subtly distanced himself from Yuanhu, keeping what he considered a safe distance, while his internal magical power circulated silently in preparation for any unforeseen events.

Yuan Hu was also filled with doubt and uncertainty. The person in front of him had an endless stream of methods, some of which even defied common sense. For example, the Daoist techniques that seemed to involve space and time were indeed not something that ordinary cultivators could possess. His claim of being the reincarnation of a Great Sage seemed to have some basis.

However, his mediocre performance in the early stages was vastly different from the strange methods and astonishing remarks he suddenly revealed later, which made Yuanhu feel that this person was very likely pretending to be weak while actually being strong, and deliberately hiding his true abilities.

This contradiction made him doubt Chen Ping's identity and unable to make a decision.

Not only Yuan Hu, but also Huo Yinyang, Zhou Guihuang and others on the side had great doubts about Chen Ping's identity.

His behavior was so different before and after that it inevitably made people wary.

Chen Ping sensed the increasingly heavy atmosphere and scrutinizing gazes around him, and knew he had to do something to shift the focus, at least to stabilize Qinglong, whose attitude seemed rather ambiguous at the moment.

He turned his gaze to An Hanyan, who had a complicated expression in the distance, and said in a pretentious tone.

“Fairy An, the connection between you and me is profound, as you will know in the future.”

Then, he looked at the Azure Dragon hovering in the air, its dragon might faintly visible. With a flick of his sleeve, the cloud-shaped magic weapon radiating nine-colored light floated lightly towards the Azure Dragon.

"This item is called the 'Nine-Colored Cloud Ladle'. It contains a trace of auspicious cloud energy, which may be of some benefit to your nurturing of your dragon essence. So I will reward you, my little dragon, to play with."

His actions, seemingly casual, were actually a deliberate attempt to create an image of superiority and bestowing favors upon his juniors, in an effort to reinforce his persona as a "reincarnation of a great being."

Huo Yinyang's sinister voice rang out.

"Wang Dasheng? Heh, what a grand title! Your words and actions are inconsistent, which is hardly convincing. May I ask which Great Sage you are, descended to the mortal realm?"

He directly pointed out the core doubts.

Chen Ping sneered inwardly. He hadn't expected to fool any of these cunning old foxes. His goal had always been clear: to intimidate the strongest and most undecided Qinglong, making him hesitant to attack him. Faced with Huo Yinyang's questioning, he merely glanced at him indifferently, offering no direct answer, displaying an air of disdain.

However, Chen Ping's feigned attitude completely enraged Yuan Hu, who was already burning with murderous intent! In his view, the more mysterious and unpredictable Chen Ping appeared, the greater the threat he posed, and the less he could be allowed to live!

"You're playing tricks! Die!"

Yuanhu let out a sharp howl, and the enormous phantom of the fox ancestor behind him, exuding an ancient and desolate aura, suddenly solidified. An invisible, terrifying shockwave, targeting the very essence of the soul, swept towards Chen Ping like a tidal wave! This was the fox clan's innate divine ability, specializing in attacking the soul, making it impossible to defend against!
Chen Ping was prepared. Just before the attack hit him, his figure blurred, and he narrowly avoided the core area of ​​the soul impact.

Although he himself was quite resistant to attacks on the soul, he did not want to take Yuan Hu's angry blow head-on.

"Hmph! You can dodge it once, but can you dodge it ten or a hundred times?"

Yuanhu sneered, his claws waving repeatedly, creating invisible spatial ripples that attempted to completely seal off and imprison the space around Chen Ping.

Yuanhu's spatial sealing ability is indeed extremely strong; if it were an ordinary eighth-level cultivator, they would probably be unable to move by now.

However, Chen Ping's understanding of spatial rules far surpasses that of his peers, and in some aspects, he is even comparable to some experts who specialize in this field.

His figure moved like a ghost, weaving through the spatial net laid out by Yuan Hu. Every time, he narrowly avoided the blockade at the last second, his figure flickering and causing Yuan Hu's continuous attacks to miss.

This scene, witnessed by Huo Yinyang, Zhou Guihuang, and others, increased their trust in Chen Ping's identity.

Such exquisite spatial maneuvering techniques are beyond the reach of ordinary eighth-level cultivators, which truly fits the "reincarnation of the Great Sage" setting.

Chen Ping was inwardly groaning. He appeared carefree, but in reality, each dodge consumed a great deal of mental and magical energy.

He knew that if things continued like this, Yuan Hu would eventually find a weakness. He had to take a risky gamble!

After narrowly avoiding another claw attack from the Yuanhu that tore through space, Chen Ping's body trembled violently, and strange chaotic starlight emanated from his body as he uttered a low shout.

"The chaotic starry sky, traversing countless worlds!"

He made a gesture as if he wanted to merge into the void and escape into a deeper, overlapping space.

This is obviously a pretense.

He knew that with the methods he had revealed so far, it would be almost impossible to defeat Yuan Hu, who was determined to kill him, in a direct confrontation, unless he used all his trump cards, such as the Golden Pearl, but that would undoubtedly expose his biggest secret.

What he needs now is a chance to get rid of this entanglement.

Yuanhu was furious when he saw that Chen Ping was about to use that strange spatial escape technique again. His attacks became more and more ferocious. The phantom of the fox ancestor roared and his claws tore the sky, but he was always just a little bit short. Chen Ping dodged it from all sorts of unbelievable angles.

"Yuanhu! That's enough!"

Just then, the Azure Dragon, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, finally made its move! A cyan-gold dragon shadow flashed past, blocking between Yuan Hu and Chen Ping, and released its majestic dragon might, blocking all of Yuan Hu's subsequent attacks.

"Azure Dragon! You actually helped him?!"

Upon seeing this, Yuanhu's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and a surge of grief at being betrayed and incomprehensible anger welled up in his heart.

"Have you forgotten our agreement? Have you forgotten how he humiliated my fox clan?"

Azure Dragon's enormous eyes calmly gazed at Yuan Hu, its voice deep and majestic.

“Yuanhu, this person’s identity is unknown, and he may not be an enemy. Your aggressive approach is not the behavior of a wise man. Moreover, the water-attribute primordial object has not yet appeared in the world. If we start fighting amongst ourselves now, wouldn’t that just allow others to benefit?”

"You!" Yuan Hu was furious, but Qinglong's strength far surpassed his own. A casual strike just now had made his blood boil, and he dared not truly fight Qinglong. With nowhere to vent his anger and frustration, he abruptly turned his head, casting his chilling gaze upon the Zhou family's side, especially Zhou Guihuang.

"Zhou family! If it weren't for your instigation, none of this would have happened! You will never lay a finger on that water-attribute primordial treasure!"

Yuan Hu immediately turned his attention to the Zhou family, believing that they were the culprits behind the situation spiraling out of control.

Zhou Guihuang's face darkened.

"Yuanhu, don't make false accusations! The struggle for treasure is a matter of individual skill; how can you accuse me of instigation!"

The two sides, who were already on edge over the struggle for the water-attribute elemental object, instantly turned against each other and became enemies under the ignition of Yuanhu's rage!

"kill!"

Yuan Hu roared, and the powerful fox clan members behind him revealed their true forms, rushing towards the Zhou family. Zhou Guihuang was not to be outdone, his Yin energy surging, accompanied by ghostly wails, as he met them head-on. The two sides immediately clashed, their supernatural powers colliding, flashes of light exploding, and the scene becoming chaotic.

Taking advantage of the lull between Yuanhu being blocked by Qinglong and the conflict with the Zhou family, Chen Ping breathed a slight sigh of relief, and his gaze met Huo Yinyang's in the distance for a moment.

Huo Yinyang secretly transmitted his voice, which resounded directly in the minds of several experts in the Zhou family.

"This is a rare opportunity. Let's join forces to defeat the Azure Dragon first, and then we can discuss other matters!"

Upon receiving the order, the experts of the Zhou family immediately launched several powerful attacks towards the Azure Dragon Daoist. The Azure Dragon snorted coldly, sweeping its tail to deflect all the incoming spells and magical treasures, but was also temporarily restrained in the process.

Chen Ping and Huo Yinyang found themselves in an unspoken standoff. Their auras locked together, and although they didn't immediately attack, the pressure in the air increased dramatically.

Chen Ping could sense that Huo Yinyang's realm was extremely high, probably close to the peak of the eighth rank, which brought him tremendous pressure.

However, he also discovered that the sword dao rules he had condensed, combined with the sword energy that had begun to merge with the immortal fire, were unexpectedly powerful. Even against Huo Yinyang, he was not without a fighting chance. However, he did not want to fight Huo Yinyang to the death here, as excessive consumption would be detrimental to his subsequent plans.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, finally settling on the barrier formed by Deok-sun's immortal robe that enveloped the entire battlefield. He had to break through this barrier as soon as possible and leave this dangerous place!
With a thought, Chen Ping suddenly sprang up, transforming into a dazzling sword light that shot straight at the slightly fluctuating blood-red barrier in the distance!
"Want to leave? Stay!"

How could Huo Yinyang let him have his way? He had long been prepared for Chen Ping to escape.

With a wave of his hand, countless twisted black runes appeared out of thin air, clinging to the sword light like maggots. At the same time, a blood dragon, formed from essence blood and exuding murderous aura, roared and lunged at him from the side!

"Mysterious Yellow Divine Light, Protect!"

Chen Ping gave a low shout, and a thick layer of earthy yellow light appeared around him, temporarily blocking the strange black runes. At the same time, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and a sharp sword aura, condensed with a trace of the golden bead's aura and emitting a dark gold color, burst forth, colliding fiercely with the blood dragon!
scoff!

The dark gold sword energy was incredibly sharp, directly cleaving the ferocious blood dragon in two. Its momentum did not diminish, heading straight for Huo Yinyang's face!

A hint of surprise flashed in Huo Yinyang's eyes; he hadn't expected Chen Ping's sword energy to be so sharp.

He dared not be negligent. A black lotus seat appeared beneath his feet, its petals rotating to form a protective light shield. At the same time, a black orb of light, constantly rotating and devouring light, condensed in his palm, meeting the dark golden sword energy head-on.

boom!
The sword energy and the black light sphere annihilated simultaneously, unleashing a powerful energy surge.

"Gravity rules, suppress!"

Huo Yinyang cast his spell again, and Chen Ping immediately felt the space around him become incredibly viscous, as if he were sinking into a swamp, causing his speed to drop drastically.

Countless eerie black threads extended from the void, wrapping around him like a spider web.

Chen Ping forcefully activated his sword energy, severing the black threads one by one. At the same time, he manipulated the rules of space to resist the suppression of gravity and struggled to approach the barrier.

Just as Chen Ping was about to touch the barrier, a cold light flashed in Huo Yinyang's eyes. His blood-red Taoist robe moved without wind and suddenly expanded, turning into a sea of ​​blood that blotted out the sky and instantly enveloped Chen Ping and a large area around him!

Within the blood-red barrier, a self-contained space exists, completely isolated from the outside. Those outside can only see a churning sea of ​​blood, unable to perceive the specific situation within.

"Oh no! Wang Dasheng has been trapped by that old demon!"

Dongyuan and the others were shocked to see this and tried to help, but they were held back by the Ghost Emperor and the powerful members of the Innate Ice Clan and could not break free.

Outside, the Azure Dragon Daoist transformed into a thousand-foot-tall azure dragon demon, engaging in a fierce battle with Yuan Hu and his fox clan, as well as some powerful members of the Innate Ice Clan. The roars of dragons and howls of foxes froze thousands of miles, plunging the heavens and earth into darkness. Meanwhile, Dong Yuan and his two companions were also locked in a relentless struggle with Zhou Guihuang and his ghostly subordinates.

The entire situation was in utter chaos. Many people still glanced at the surging sea of ​​blood from time to time, placing their hopes on the mysterious "Great Sage Wang," hoping he could create a miracle and break through the blood-robed barrier.

Inside the Blood Sea Barrier, Chen Ping and Huo Yinyang stood facing each other.

All around was a towering wave of blood, the stench of which was overwhelming. Countless vengeful spirits and malevolent souls floated and howled in the sea of ​​blood, disturbing the mind.

Countless blood-red tentacles and sharp blades attacked Chen Ping from all directions.

Chen Ping wielded his sword, annihilating the incoming attacks one by one. The sword light crisscrossed, carving out a small safe zone in the sea of ​​blood.

However, he was not unscathed. Huo Yinyang's attacks were unpredictable and impossible to defend against. A hidden bolt of Yin lightning exploded behind him in the blood wave, causing his blood to surge, his throat to taste sweet, and he couldn't help but spit out a small mouthful of blood.

But his eyes remained sharp, and as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his fighting spirit intensified.

Just then, an ancient blood ship, entirely condensed from dense blood energy and radiating overwhelming malevolent aura, broke through the blood waves like a death ship from the underworld, crashing towards Chen Ping with the power to crush everything! Wherever the blood ship passed, space itself rippled, its power astonishing!

Chen Ping's pupils contracted slightly. Sensing the threat of this attack, he dared not hold back any longer. He took a deep breath, and the sword spirit within his body hummed. An innate sharpness that surpassed ordinary sword intent began to brew! It was one of his trump cards—the Innate Sword Spirit!
However, just before the innate sword soul was about to burst forth from his body, Huo Yinyang's unique sound, with a metallic friction-like quality, came from within the blood ship. This sound resounded directly in Chen Ping's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Young friend Wang, please hold your hand."

Chen Ping paused slightly, holding back his innate sword spirit, and said coldly.

"Old Devil Huo, what trick are you trying to pull now?"

The blood-stained boat stopped a hundred feet in front of Chen Ping, and Huo Yinyang's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of inquiry and solemnity.

"Your sword aura... is very special. It contains a trace of... a sense of destruction that even I find unsettling."

This is something no ordinary swordsman could possess. Who exactly are you?

Chen Ping's heart skipped a beat; he knew it was the special effect of the golden bead's aura merging with the sword energy that had aroused the opponent's apprehension. (End of Chapter)