Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 281 Is he really that kind?
"I see."

Xiao Chen nodded: "No wonder so many body cultivators have suddenly appeared."

He had previously thought the increase in sea fish was the reason for the ruins.

But upon closer reflection, the number of sea fish has only increased in a few days; how could there be enough time to cultivate so many late-stage Golden Core cultivators?

Since they are a hybrid of sea creatures and have been nurtured using secret methods, it makes sense.

However, Xiao Chen thought for a moment and asked, "But I wonder if they have given any information on how many similar cultivators the sea race has secretly trained?"

As I said before, don't underestimate a Golden Core cultivator.

Despite its large population, the Compassionate Sea has several thousand Golden Core cultivators on both the Buddhist and Taoist sides combined.

However, overall, the Golden Elixir remains an invaluable backbone force.

"Well... they don't have much information about it either."

The Sword Pavilion True Inheritor shook his head: "However, according to their descriptions, they had seen quite a few companions before, at least several hundred."

Since they are assassins with no potential, they will naturally not tell you the truth about certain things.

However, we can still deduce a general situation from the clues.

"Furthermore, they don't know much about the outside world either."

The true disciple of Jianlu continued, "Normally, they train on islands in the outer sea, and when they do come out, it's always to follow orders."

"On the contrary, those masked traitors provided two clues."

"The first clue is that it is said that some of them have infiltrated the western side of the Compassion Sea and colluded with some local small families."

"We obtained supplies and cover by secretly supporting them."

"There are even rumors that some traitors went to the Storm Sea further west on special missions."

He paused, giving Xiao Chen some time to organize his thoughts.

He then continued, "The second clue is that they revealed that the sea race is preparing to launch a series of actions against Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the near future."

"One of them was asked to provide a box pass for the Tingtaohai Auction."

"There was another guy who was ordered to go to the outskirts of the Bitter Silence Temple to participate in setting up the array plate for a fourth-order grand array."

As its name suggests, Kuji Temple is a force within the Buddhist community.

However, the difference is that a manpower shortage occurred more than two hundred years ago.

Currently, there is only one fourth-level cultivator in the temple, and that is the contemporary Zen Master Kuji.

If anything were to happen to him, Kuji Temple would essentially be defunct in name only.

Without the protection of fourth-tier cultivators, it is not much easier for successors to collect breakthrough spiritual items than for independent cultivators.

Even if some legacy or personal connections remain, it is difficult to make up for it.

And coincidentally, Xiao Chen had seen the Bitter Tranquility Temple on that parchment map just two days ago.

Its position is exactly on the red line extending from the nautilus.

In other words, if the sea creatures were to clear a path for the giant sea beast, they might actually ambush and kill the Zen Master Kuji.

"Such a thing actually happened?"

Xiao Chen suppressed his inner thoughts and deliberately showed a surprised expression: "What a coincidence."

"After I entered the secret realm, I also encountered a cultivator wearing a bronze mask."

"We happened to seize a route map from him."

As he spoke, Xiao Chen took out the parchment scroll: "Now it seems that the other party has grand ambitions, and we must be on guard!"

He voluntarily unfolded the map for everyone to read and memorize.

Then he handed it to Arhat Fazhao: "Now that things have come to this, please take this picture back to Pudu Temple and make preparations as soon as possible."

Although this matter is not directly related to Xiao Chen, he could have completely ignored it.

Moreover, all the major powers have intelligence networks, so they may have known about it long ago.

However, since he is now in the ocean of compassion, he will inevitably be indirectly affected if there is any violent turmoil or change in the situation.

Even if it's not as serious as a fire at the city gate affecting innocent bystanders.

But it's not a good thing overall.

Since Xiao Chen happened to encounter the monks of Pudu Temple inside the ruins, he simply took the opportunity to deliver a message.

Having an extra piece of duplicate intelligence wouldn't be a problem, but if we happen to miss this message, the situation could become unpredictable.

"Such a thing is true?"

Arhat Fazhao was astonished when he saw the parchment scroll; it was clear he had been completely unaware of it before.

Upon noticing the three giant sea beasts, he frowned deeply and his face darkened.

He then took out the Spirit-Nourishing Treasure Box and carefully put away the sheepskin scroll.

He then bowed deeply in gratitude: "Thank you for informing me, Benefactor Xiao. I will certainly bring this sea chart back to the temple and explain to all the Zen masters that this is all thanks to you, Benefactor!"

Xiao Chen waved his hand: "It was nothing, no need to be so polite."

He took out the parchment scroll, not because he cared about any merit.

The only hope is that Pudu Temple can stand tall and withstand this storm.

Try not to let the ocean of compassion descend into chaos, lest it implicate him.

After all, to be fair, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have a hard time dealing with that giant octopus that was nearly three thousand feet in size.

"Tap Tap!"

Suddenly, the sound of hurried running came from down the hillside.

Everyone immediately looked over and saw a young cultivator holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right hand rushing up.

He was immediately startled when he noticed so many people on the hillside.

He hurriedly channeled his true essence into the spiritual shield, summoning spiritual light to protect his body, and became on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy.

However, his action did not cause any tension among the cultivators.

Instead, everyone could tell from the fluctuations in spiritual energy that this person only had the cultivation of the early stage of the Golden Core realm and that the quality of the spiritual artifact he used was also mediocre.

They pose absolutely no threat to them.

"Hey, which sect are you from?"

The disciple from the Sword Pavilion, who was closest to the group, took the initiative to ask, "What brings you here?"

Because the newcomer's cultivation level was too low, he didn't seem like an enemy from the sea tribe.

"It's you! What brings you here?"

Xiao Chen immediately recognized the person as one of the cultivators he had rescued earlier in the palace.

Unexpectedly, he actually followed us.

The speed is really slow. They've already finished fighting here for quite a while, and they're only just arriving now.

"Brother Xiao, you saved me, I've come to help you."

The young cultivator also noticed something amiss and quickly withdrew his spiritual light, explaining, "Although I'm not very strong, more people mean more strength."

"At least I can help restrain one of the heretical cultivators."

He spoke so sincerely that it immediately elicited a burst of laughter.

The other cultivators present were secretly delighted. With Fellow Daoist Xiao's strength, why would he need your help?

"You... are quite grateful."

Xiao Chen was also a bit speechless, but still encouraged him: "However, those evil cultivators are actually sea people, and the problem has been basically solved."

"By the way, I remember you were also a disciple of Yuntao Sword Pavilion, so this should be considered your senior brother."

"You should stay with him from now on and not wander off."

"If any escapees, you won't be able to handle it alone."

Xiao Chen was a free spirit who preferred to be alone and didn't want anyone following him.

"Oh, you're also a disciple of the Sword Pavilion?"

The disciple from the Sword Pavilion was taken aback, not expecting not to recognize his own: "Since you've gotten separated, you can stay by your senior brother's side from now on."

Upon hearing that the problem had been solved, the young cultivator was taken aback.

He immediately sheathed his flying sword and spirit shield, scratched his head, and walked over with a silly grin: "Junior brother greets you... Ah!"

His eyes suddenly widened: "You...you're Manager Zhang from the Punishment Hall!"

“Wang Shichang, a disciple of Lingxiu Peak, greets the steward.”

The true disciple of Jianlu smiled warmly: "Don't be so polite, just call me senior brother."

The reason for saying this is that Xiao Chen has just spoken, so it's definitely not appropriate to put on airs at this time.

On the other hand, he also heard the evaluation of being 'grateful,' which is a very important virtue.

He'll be taking over the Punishment Hall completely in the future, so he can't be without his own people. It's a good opportunity to bring them over and try to train them.

The young cultivator looked at the smiling Steward Zhang and felt somewhat dazed.

The disciples of the Punishment Hall I usually see all have dark faces, from top to bottom. I never knew they had such a kind side.
Then, in a daze, he was pulled aside by his newly acquainted senior brother to chat.

After asking about the situation, Xiao Chen didn't linger.

Instead, they continued to explore the rest of the ruins, while also searching for any remaining survivors they hadn't caught before.

Coincidentally, the palace he had discovered earlier was already the best spot in this ruin.

The remaining areas, though not small, consist mostly of scattered small buildings, similar to the wooden towers on the hillside.

The contents inside are mostly cultivation techniques passed down through generations, or third-tier spirit ores such as gold, silver, copper, and iron.

Over the course of several days, Xiao Chen's biggest gain was actually in the first two days when he captured two traitors who had been hiding.

They seized the magical artifacts and storage rings from them.

"Is there something wrong with how long this ruin lasts?"

As time went on, Xiao Chen felt something was amiss: "Today should be the twelfth day, right? Why is there still no sign of it ending?"

Generally speaking, maintaining a ruin of this size requires a large amount of spiritual energy.

Therefore, the time usually is not very long, except for special cases like the Vast Ocean Secret Realm.

"Hiss~, could it be that this ruin will also be in existence for a year or two?"

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen quickly shook his head, trying to shake the bad thought out of his mind.

Fortunately, it was the fifteenth day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

Suddenly, eight enormous blue beams of light rose simultaneously from near the center of the ruins.

No matter where the monks are located in the ruins, as long as they are not inside a building, they can see them clearly by simply looking up.

"It's finally over."

In the following days, Xiao Chen found nothing of importance except a pile of miscellaneous items.

Therefore, upon seeing the teleportation beam, they immediately rushed to the center.

However, before they could get close to the pillar of light, they encountered a barrier formed by special golden runes.

Those runes were neither common spirit script nor ancient spirit script, but a kind of hieroglyphic script resembling small fish.

If nothing unexpected happens, it should be related to the sea creatures.

"Hey, I'm such a grumpy person!"

Xiao Chen immediately raised his hand and struck out with a palm, instantly shattering more than ten runes.

However, the runic barrier only trembled slightly and was not greatly affected.

At the same time, golden runes from nearby areas 'swimmed' over, filling the gap. "Oh no, there's another barrier blocking our way!"

Fazhao Luohan and others arrived in time, but they were also stopped outside.

Including the other cultivators who came one after another.

Xiao Chen was still pondering how to resolve the situation, but the key issue was that this matter wasn't worth him actively triggering the Night's Edge.

After all, there's a high chance that sea creatures might be waiting outside the ruins, so we have to be careful.

"All monks, heed my command! Immediately form the Bodhi Opening Ocean Formation!"

Fortunately, Arhat Fazhao provided another solution. He immediately directed the other Arhats to set up a formation specifically designed to break the restriction.

Under the combined force of the grand formation, the golden runes seemed to have met their nemesis, and were destroyed in large swaths.

Xiao Chen wasn't idle either; he joined in the attack to speed up the process.

With the arrival of more and more cultivators, the barrier was completely shattered in less than an hour.

Next, we stepped into the blue pillar of light one by one.

After a dizzying moment, everyone was teleported outside almost simultaneously.

Due to the previous delay, it has now reached Chenshi (7-9 AM).

Therefore, as soon as he came out of the ruins, Xiao Chen felt an exceptionally rich surge of spiritual energy.

Suddenly, I felt as comfortable as if a cool breeze had suddenly blown through the alleyway on a hot summer day.

"What a powerful surge of spiritual energy!"

As Xiao Chen felt the spiritual energy washing over him, he couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly and sigh.

However, if he remembered correctly, the current spiritual energy surge was noticeably stronger than it was half a month ago.

Moreover, since last year, the concentration of spiritual energy has been increasing every few months.

It seems that this situation is continuing to worsen.

"Look over there, what's going on?"

Suddenly, a gasp rang out from the side.

Xiao Chen turned his head and looked, only to see that the sea was empty, with nothing at all.

What's so surprising about that?

and many more!

He suddenly remembered what happened to the two piles of spirit ships that were originally moored outside the ruins.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen immediately looked around.

However, all around was empty, and there was no trace of the spirit ship at all.

All the spirit ships, regardless of their power or size, are gone!
This is a bit outrageous. You have to know that several major forces specifically left cultivators on the spirit ship to guard it.

Who would dare to attack the spirit ships of all factions at the same time?

It might have been hard to guess before, but now it seems very likely that it was a sea creature!
"Oh no, could it be sea creatures?"

"Don't scatter, everyone! Fight the enemy together!"

"Fellow Daoists, watch your step! Do not fall into the sea!"

Immediately, shouts arose from all sides, and people huddled together for warmth, seeking out familiar figures.

Some people also considered that sea creatures might be lurking underwater, so they shouted warnings.

However, after a few moments of commotion, everyone realized that there seemed to be no other reaction around them, and it did not seem like there was an ambush.

This is very strange.

Since those spirit ships were attacked, why wasn't there a follow-up ambush?

We can't exactly say that the other side came specifically for the hearse, can we?
Shouldn't the cultivator himself be the most important?
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, no one understanding what had happened.

"Senior Brother, you've finally come out!"

Suddenly, a figure came running across the seawater from afar; it was a monk dressed in a short shirt.

His eyes were dark, as if he hadn't slept for several days.

His face glowed with excitement as he waved vigorously at Arhat Fazhao, clearly overjoyed.

"Brother Sha, what's going on?"

Arhat Fazhao and the others immediately went to greet them and asked, "How did you come from over there? Where did our spirit ship go?"

Seeing that he had found his own people, the monk immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior Brother, you don't know, on the third day after the ruins opened, a Nascent Soul True Monarch suddenly appeared outside."

"Set up the array with the array flags outside the ruins."

"When Senior Brother Mei went to inquire about the situation, he was immediately sent back by the other party, who also told us to take the spirit boat and stay far away so as not to delay important matters."

When he said that, everyone was stunned.

What's the situation?
"Since a True Lord has arrived, why is there no one else around?"

Arhat Fazhao pressed further, "And what does this have to do with the spirit ship?"

The main problem is that the spirit ships from the Taoist sect have all disappeared.

"There was really nothing wrong before."

The monk continued to explain, "But two days later, another enormous fish demon appeared."

"Its body is several hundred feet long, even larger than the largest spirit ship."

"Moreover, as soon as they arrived, they stirred up a monstrous wave that crashed down on all the spirit ships, and even the defensive formations couldn't stop it."

“Their funeral boats were either broken, damaged, or sank at the time.”

He spoke with a somewhat bewildered tone.

On the contrary, Fazhao Luohan and the others, having learned about the sea creatures, immediately figured out the reason: "And then what happened?"

A look of fear crossed the monk's face: "Then a fight broke out."

"That True Lord was meditating nearby when he was spotted by that great demon, and they immediately engaged in a fierce battle."

"At that time, the sky was dark and the spiritual energy in all directions was running wild, so I couldn't see anything clearly."

"Senior brother, I... I was scared, so I took the opportunity to run away."

As he finished speaking, he glanced at Fazhao Luohan's face and lowered his head.

But what he received was not criticism.

Instead, he calmly inquired, "Did you see clearly who that True Lord was?"

This question also serves to verify the truth or falsehood of the statement.

"I don't know that True Lord."

The monk shook his head and then explained, "But I saw countless waterspouts and several ice wheels that were hundreds of feet in size."

"There should be... there should be at least seven or eight."

He tried hard to recall and added a detail to prove that he was telling the truth.

"It sounds like Frostflower Buries the Moon Wheel?"

Immediately, a cultivator speculated: "There's also the water tornado. Both of these are the signature spells of the Yi family's ancestor. That True Monarch is very likely him."

"Yeah!"

The monk nodded repeatedly: "He does indeed look like an old man with white hair, even his eyebrows are completely white."

"Ah, I see!"

Immediately, a cultivator clapped his hands and exclaimed, "It must be a powerful sea monster trying to come and help that dragon!"

"As it turned out, the Yi family patriarch learned of the situation in advance, and the reason he came to set up the formation was because he was waiting for the rabbit to come to him."

"Finally, with the help of the formation, we successfully drove the opponent away."

His words immediately caught the attention of many cultivators, who thought they made a lot of sense.

"Fellow Daoist is right!"

Another person chimed in, "Since the sea race has made such a big move, our predecessors must have been incredibly resourceful and had a plan in place."

"It's just that some things are too important to be announced."

The other cultivators nodded in agreement.

Many people even felt relieved, thinking that since the seniors had made preparations, there shouldn't be any major problems.

A monk from Kuji Temple, in particular, felt a little more at ease.

After obtaining information from the ruins, he was extremely anxious, but he didn't show it.

Since his predecessors had made preparations in advance, he should no longer need to worry about the safety of Zen Master Kuji.

Xiao Chen, however, felt a growing sense of doubt.

Given Yi Laogou's character, would he really be that kind?
Could this guy have been targeting me from the start, but ended up running into a fourth-tier sea monster?
Hmph, if that's really the case, then he truly deserves his bad luck.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen sneered inwardly.

However, this is also for the best. By a twist of fate, it has also solved the problem of the great sea monster coming to meet them.

Otherwise, even if he could escape with the Night's Edge, the other cultivators would likely not survive.

"Benefactor Xiao, the situation is urgent, and this humble monk must return to the temple immediately. I will take my leave now!"

After clarifying the situation, Fazhao Luohan gave a few instructions to his fellow disciples and then came to say goodbye to Xiao Chen.

Although it sounds like our predecessors were well-prepared in the past.

However, he still planned to rush back as soon as possible to communicate the latest information and hand over the parchment scroll marked with the giant sea monster.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I will never forget your life-saving grace. If you ever pass through Thousand Machine Valley in the future, I will certainly treat you with great kindness!"

“Benefactor Xiao, I am deeply grateful. If you happen to pass by Lotus Temple another day, I will certainly introduce you to Zen Master Baozhuang.”

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I'm not good with fancy words. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know when you come to the Tiangang Sect."

……

The others also took their leave.

In an instant, elite disciples from various factions surrounded Xiao Chen.

As a result, the other cultivators in the ruins who were lucky enough to escape the calamity were all dumbfounded.

What's happening here?
Even the Sun family members stared at this scene in disbelief.

What earth-shattering thing has Fellow Daoist Xiao done this time?
Sun Haoran, in particular, had received special training from the Sun family and had memorized the true disciples of various sects.

Seeing those somewhat familiar faces bowing respectfully to Xiao Chen, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

In the ocean of compassion, there are probably many families that have been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years.

None of them have such a vast network of relationships, spanning the southeast, northwest, and transcending the boundaries between Buddhism and Taoism.

Any ordinary cultivator could practically roam freely in the Sea of ​​Compassion with just this network of connections.

Sun Haoqi, who was standing to the side, originally wanted to take the opportunity to go up with Sun Haoran to express her gratitude.

However, he saw Sun Haoran staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.

She bit her lip and finally decided to go alone.

However, after this delay, Xiao Chen had already used his escape technique to leave after a brief farewell.

Although he didn't use his full speed in front of others, he was still incredibly fast.

At least for Sun Haoqi, all she could see was a receding figure.

(End of this chapter)