Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 285 Aren't you afraid of angering His Highness the Golden Phoenix?
Because the malevolent energy in Zhiyi Cave was too dispersed, Xiao Chen stayed for several more days.

"After one last wave, that should be enough."

It was clear that the evil energy was no longer seeping out of the rock wall.

Xiao Chen decided to leave once he had finished cleaning up the remaining parts of the outside area.

He picked up the gourd and glanced at it: "Hmm, it's only about one-fifth full. Looks like I can use this gourd to collect other evil energy next time."

During his use, he discovered that the Xin Jinbao gourd actually contained a hidden world inside.

Not only does it have a large storage space, but it also comes with a layer of restriction that can separate and store the internal evil energy.

In other words, if Xiao Chen encounters other malevolent energies in the future, he doesn't need to worry about not having enough space or the inability to coexist with them.

It must be said that such a customized magical artifact has no other functions.

However, it is indeed very well designed for specific purposes.

However, just as he was climbing up the cave floor, collecting the last wave of malevolent energy as he prepared to leave...

Suddenly, they heard footsteps that didn't belong to them coming from inside the cave.

“Tap~tap~tap!”

The footsteps grew closer and louder.

Immediately afterwards, a tall, slender figure emerged from around the corner.

He wore a pair of red-soled high-top boots with auspicious patterns, and a long, plain black linen robe, topped with a square bronze mask.

He held a bronze lamp in his left hand, which surprisingly dispelled the surrounding evil energy.

In his right hand, he held a flying sword, which he immediately raised and pointed at Xiao Chen.

"who!"

The newcomer shouted, and there were faint fluctuations of spiritual energy around him. Then, the pressure of a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage poured down.

Judging from their posture, they would take action immediately if things went wrong.

However, before Xiao Chen could answer, the other party paused.

He then withdrew his oppressive aura and slightly adjusted his stance: "You are... Fellow Daoist Xiao?"

His gaze fell on Xin Jinbao's gourd.

A different meaning suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised to see the bronze mask suddenly appear in front of him.

No, the sea creatures actually sent other people to collect the evil energy.

Fortunately, he rushed over as soon as he heard the news; otherwise, if he had been delayed, he might not have made it in time.

Moreover, Pudu Temple is far too unreliable.

Despite setting up a blockade outside, it was still so easy for someone to sneak in.

But then again, it seems he also sneaked in?

That's fine.

"Hahaha!"

The newcomer looked Xiao Chen up and down, then burst into laughter three times, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, everyone outside says you are the successor of a reclusive Daoist lineage, but they can't find out your origins no matter what they do."

"I never expected that you would also join the sea tribe!"

"If I had known that Your Excellency Jinluan had made two arrangements, I wouldn't have had to come in such a hurry."

He had heard of Xiao Chen's reputation before and was very curious about this suddenly rising newcomer.

The ocean of compassion is neither small nor large.

There's no reason for a force to be so obscure as to be able to cultivate such powerful cultivators.

This wasn't just a question he was puzzled by; many powerful forces couldn't understand it either.

But now, he has finally discovered the 'truth' about it: the support of the sea creatures!

Hmph, what reclusive genius? He's nothing but a traitor just like him.

To put it bluntly, everyone is a lackey of the sea tribe. It's just that Xiao Chen happened to be chosen and gained more support. There's no real difference between them.

Moreover, he had also heard that after merging with the bloodline of the sea race...

Although they can gain strength surpassing that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators, they will forever lose the hope of breaking through to a higher realm.

From this perspective, Xiao Chen was nothing more than cannon fodder.

That pales in comparison to his limitless potential for the future.

Ok?
Xiao Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked down at the Xin Jinbao gourd in his hand.

He immediately realized that the other party seemed to have misunderstood his identity.

Realizing this, he immediately went along with it and began to probe for information: "What's so strange about that? As the saying goes, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on."

"On the contrary, you, fellow Daoist, were also given a mission and were rushed here at the last minute to collect the evil energy?"

"The magical artifact you have is quite useful, unlike the secret technique I was given, which I had to practice on the spot."

Hearing Xiao Chen mention the two points in his words: arriving suddenly and the secret technique.

The visitor immediately felt completely at ease, because this was almost exactly the same situation he had encountered.

So I relaxed my guard a lot.

He then began to think about how to use this information, while casually replying, "Of course, this magical artifact of mine was unearthed from ancient ruins."

"Where the spiritual light shines, one is immune to all poisons and evil spirits cannot enter."

“Throughout the entire ocean of compassion, it contains only the finest and most precious things.”

However, after hearing his introduction, Xiao Chen was somewhat disappointed.

If it only has these two functions, then it's really a bit of a waste for me.

I originally thought I could get a new useful magical artifact, but now I can basically consider sending it to an auction and selling it for spirit stones.

"I see. Fellow Daoist, you are truly skilled."

Xiao Chen changed the subject: "However, I have collected most of the evil energy here. I was originally planning to leave, but I didn't expect to run into you, fellow Daoist."

"It's not easy to meet someone who shares the same interests; this can be considered fate."

"I wonder what you've been busy with lately, friend? Is there anything I can help you with?"

However, the other party did not respond.

He simply stared at Xiao Chen, then chuckled softly, "Hehe, there's no need for help. Everyone can just do their own tasks."

"However, Fellow Daoist Xiao, going out without a mask is really too careless."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen frowned slightly.

What does this mean? Did I ask too hastily and arouse his suspicion?
However, he smiled slightly on the surface, appearing quite natural: "Sigh, collecting evil energy in this lousy place takes too much time, and carrying that thing around is too troublesome."

"I originally thought that Pudu Temple was blocking the sea outside, so I took it off temporarily to let it get some fresh air."

As he spoke, he pulled out a captured mask from his storage ring and waved it in his hand.

However, he was wrong; the other party didn't care about that.

After seeing the mask, he only glanced at it casually and didn't check it carefully at all.

Instead, he stared into Xiao Chen's eyes and said directly, "Nowadays in the Sea of ​​Compassion, Fellow Daoist Xiao is quite famous!"

"Who would have thought that you were secretly colluding with the sea creatures and even working for them!"

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you don't want this secret to be known either, do you?"

what?
His words caught Xiao Chen completely off guard.

You're a traitor, is that something you should be saying?
On the surface, we're all in the same boat.

You're threatening me with this? Aren't you afraid your identity will be exposed too...?

Suddenly, Xiao Chen realized that because of the mask, he didn't know who the other person was.

The other party had figured this out, which is why they dared to use it as a threat.

It's too much trouble to use pleasantries; let's just take action.

However, just a moment before Xiao Chen made his move.

The newcomer suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please don't act rashly!"

"I'm not exaggerating, but I'm fully confident that I can leave here safely."

"I'm not a big eater, how about you hear my terms?"

"Of course, you can choose not to believe me, then come and try it."

Xiao Chen smiled and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, let's give it a try!"

You said it yourself, so I'll grant your request.

A smile appeared on the other party's face: "Very good, since Fellow Daoist Xiao has agreed..."

His smile suddenly froze halfway through his sentence.

He originally thought that Xiao Chen's nod meant he had compromised, but he didn't expect him to turn on him and attack.

"Crack!"

Before the remaining phantom in front of him disappeared, the sound of the spiritual energy barrier shattering rang out from in front of him.

"Boom!"

The jade pendant at the newcomer's waist flashed, immediately unleashing a powerful shockwave that exploded between the two, pushing them both away.

With this force, the two widened the distance between them again.

"Xiao Chen, are you crazy?!"

The other party roared, "Who gave you the audacity to kill someone to silence them? Even if you're not afraid of your identity being exposed, aren't you afraid of angering Lord Jinluan?"

He dared to make threats not only because he had a trump card to save his life.

This was also because they had already considered the pros and cons in advance and were certain that Xiao Chen would not take action directly.

As he said, they had both accepted Jin Luan's mission, meaning that a third person knew their whereabouts.

If he dies here, it will be obvious who the murderer is.

He also specifically emphasized that he had a small appetite, hoping to appease the other party.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Chen didn't play by the rules at all.

If you say you're going to fall out, you're going to fall out.

They didn't seem to care about the consequences at all.

To prevent Xiao Chen from making such an ill-considered decision simply because he hadn't thought things through.

He immediately shouted angrily, hoping to quickly bring the other person to their senses.

After all, although he had a trump card to save his life, he would definitely save such precious things if he could.

"Yinglong Collapses the Mountain!"

However, his answer was not Xiao Chen's compromise, but a martial skill as powerful as thunder.

Now that he's already started, he certainly won't give up halfway.

As for the possible consequences of angering Jinluan.

LOL, who are you trying to scare?
Xiao Chen wasn't afraid of that, after all, he had only pretended to be a traitor and hadn't actually defected to the sea tribe.

Moreover, after leaving the ruins, he estimated that he was probably already hated by the sea creatures.

It wouldn't make a difference if I offended them one more time.

"Wow!"

The hastily cobbled-together spiritual energy barrier was as fragile as a piece of paper and was easily torn apart.

"Swoosh! Bang!"

Immediately following was the sound of skin tearing open, followed by a flurry of flying straw.

"Damn it, another straw doll, so annoying!"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly. Wasn't this thing rumored to be very rare and hard to see normally?

Why is it that he always seems to run into these things?

However, to be fair, the opponent is at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, so it's reasonable that he has some trump cards up his sleeve.

"Cough! Cough~!"

Dozens of feet away, a figure suddenly appeared, clutching his chest tightly. Without hesitation, he pulled out a jet-black talisman.

"Pfft~!"

He opened his mouth and spat out blood from the tip of his tongue, instantly staining the talisman bright red.

Then it transformed into a streak of black and red light, enveloping his entire body, and was about to break through the air in an instant.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to shout, "Xiao Chen, you just wait, this isn't over!"

He was right about that.

Xiao Chen rushed up from the bottom of the cave in time and locked onto it from afar with his divine sense: "It's not over yet, come back here!"

Even before he spoke, he had already activated the mechanical grappling hook.

In an instant, a grappling hook flew out of his hand and rushed over faster than the blood-red light.

He grabbed the other person and brought them back to him.

"Boom!"

Amidst the despair in his eyes, the grappling hook delivered another punch, knocking him unconscious on the spot.

How can we most effectively prevent the opponent from having any trump cards to escape?

Of course, we should destroy his golden core!
Xiao Chen aimed carefully and used his right hand to exert force with his five fingers in a claw-like motion.

"Pfft!"

Instantly, like five sharp knives, they tore through the spirit robe on the opponent's abdomen and grabbed the golden core, crushing it directly.

"It's strange."

As Xiao Chen removed his storage ring, he curiously recalled, "That blood-red light just now, it looked like the Blood Escape Technique?"

Although he didn't get to see the moment when the other party spat out blood essence to activate the talisman, he could still discern some traces of demonic power in the blood-red light.

Make a note of this point of doubt.

He decided to pay close attention to relevant items when searching for clues in the storage ring later.

Of course, things should be done one at a time to avoid confusion.

So Xiao Chen put away the storage ring and the copper lamp that had fallen to the ground.

Continue using the Xin Jinbao Gourd to completely gather all the remaining evil energy in Zhiyi Cave.

This ensures that if Jinluan sends anyone else, they will return empty-handed.

Then he sat down at the cave entrance and began skillfully breaking the restrictions.

"Wow, this design is quite innovative!"

Xiao Chen has seen quite a few storage rings, but the one in his hand is quite different.

Although it doesn't have the complex restrictions of people like 'Copper King', it is still far superior to those of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, it took him a full four hours to finally complete the refining.

"Wow, it's huge!"

As soon as his divine sense probed into it, Xiao Chen saw an interior space that was even larger than the Vast Ocean Ring.

This special storage ring was actually four zhang square.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the two seem to be only a zhang apart and not very different.

In fact, according to Xiao Chen's visual estimation, its internal space has almost doubled.

The most eye-catching item is a huge alchemy furnace, which is ten feet tall and two feet round, and its whole body is shimmering with spiritual light. It is obviously not an ordinary object.

It doesn't look particularly crowded in the storage ring, but if you take it out, it'll probably be hard to fit it in the cave.

There was also a small alchemy furnace next to it, which made things much more normal.

It is only one person tall and two feet wide, and looks like a spare alchemy furnace.

"Oh my, he's actually an alchemist?"

Xiao Chen was somewhat surprised, not expecting that there would be alchemists who would choose to join the sea tribe.

Generally speaking, as long as alchemy skills are not too bad, alchemists have a fairly good status.

Even rogue alchemists can often make connections with many powerful cultivators and have a wide network of contacts.

The problem is, they actually possess such excellent storage rings and alchemy furnaces.

The other party's alchemy skills shouldn't be too bad either, right?

Although he had some doubts, Xiao Chen still followed his habit and first counted all the spirit stones in his storage ring.

A total of 3,500 mid-grade spirit stones, plus more than 899,000 low-grade spirit stones.

Judging from his wealth, he is definitely not a destitute rogue cultivator.

Out of curiosity, Xiao Chen began to search through the remaining items.

Sure enough, they soon found many elixirs and spiritual herbs.

Among them are seven different types of Tier 3 pills, totaling twelve bottles, and two bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills that look quite fresh.

At the same time, there are as many as 221 third-tier spiritual herbs.

Moreover, they weren't just randomly piled together like the independent cultivators.

Instead, they used jade boxes or wooden boxes to store the items in different categories.

There was even a sealed jade box containing a fourth-tier Righteous Qi Fruit.

"It's interesting."

Looking at these things, Xiao Chen became quite interested and took out all five booklets inside.

The first book is a secret technique used to ward off evil spirits.

The contents are exactly the same as those of the 'Copper Wolf'.

The second book contains a complex formula for an elixir—the Jade Liquid Nourishing Essence Pill.

It is a fourth-tier spiritual pill that can accelerate the refining of true essence by a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

The third book also records a prescription for a pill called Zihai Fuyuan Powder.

As its name suggests, its function is to help Nascent Soul True Monarchs quickly recover their True Essence.

The fourth booklet is noticeably thicker.

Xiao Chen opened it and saw that it was filled with densely packed small characters.

It records some changes in medicinal properties and refining experience summarized during the process of alchemy.

"Oh dear, what are you talking about, alchemy insights?"

Xiao Chen was a little disappointed that he had not found the alchemy technique he had expected.

He originally thought he could find a fourth-tier alchemy inheritance, but it turned out to be just some personal experience.

While it can't be said to be useless, if you encounter a talented alchemist, you can even learn on your own based on their notes and insights.

But ultimately, it still can't compare to a systematic lineage of alchemy.

The fifth booklet is only a few pages long.

Xiao Chen opened it and saw that it contained disassembled array diagrams.

If he had received this thing a little earlier or a little later, he really wouldn't have been able to figure it out.

But not long ago, he had read another book on formations, which happened to contain some of the same formation diagrams.

This is yet another analysis of the formations of the Mozhang Sect.

In addition to dealing with the mountain-protecting formation, the latter half of the text also focuses on how to quickly destroy the protective formation of the Mozhang Sect's alchemy hall.

The location of the alchemy hall's array base is clearly marked.

Simply put, take this item to prepare the corresponding array flags or array-breaking talismans in advance.

Any Golden Core cultivator could easily destroy the protective formation of the Mo Zhang Sect's alchemy hall.

If Xiao Chen couldn't be completely certain of the sea tribe's purpose based solely on the existence of the Yang Stone last time, then...

This time, the evidence is irrefutable.

"But that doesn't make sense!"

Xiao Chen was puzzled: "Why would it be the Ink Peak Sect?"

If this were Yuntao Sword Lodge, it would be perfectly normal; they would be helping that giant octopus clear away obstacles.

Or perhaps they wanted to coordinate with the octopus to complete the attack.

The problem is that the Mozhang Sect is located to the west of the Sea of ​​Compassion.

Theoretically, it belongs to the kind of place that will be affected last, even if the situation collapses.

It's really hard to understand, but fortunately Xiao Chen never dwells on such issues.

If you can't figure it out, stop thinking about it for now. The truth will come to light eventually.

After all, he's not a cultivator from the Mozhang Sect, so there's no need for him to worry about it. At most, he can just give him a reminder when the opportunity arises.

Besides these items, there are also common talismans and spare magical artifacts.

Inside the storage ring were a small perilla leaf box, two special black talismans, two letters, and two spirit-gathering treasure boxes.

Xiao Chen first opened the small perilla leaf wooden box.

Inside was a square brocade handkerchief, only five inches long.

The moment he got his hands on it, he immediately realized it was a talisman!
"Judging from its shape, it should be a defensive talisman, but I don't know its specific grade."

Xiao Chen glanced at it and put it away again: "As expected of an alchemist, this kid has quite a few life-saving items."

Then he picked up the two talismans and looked at them.

"Hmm, why does this rune look both strange and familiar?"

It's normal that Xiao Chen doesn't know much about talisman making and finds it unfamiliar.

Yet, deep down, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the runes above.

"I feel like I've seen similar patterns somewhere before, but it shouldn't be on talismans... Black Abyss Demon Sect!"

Xiao Chen suddenly remembered that the pattern drawn on the talisman head was the symbol of the Black Abyss Demon Sect.

He had seen similar patterns several times before in the jade slips of inheritance, only they were printed on flags or utensils.

Speaking of which, since the inheritance jade slip was used...

Then he can be considered half a successor of the Black Abyss Demon Sect.

As a result, he almost didn't even recognize his own things.

I was too careless when I was studying. I was so focused on finding the location of the evil energy that I didn't bother to memorize anything else.

At this moment, Xiao Chen recalled the Black Abyss Demon Sect and immediately remembered it.

This is none other than the infamous fourth-tier talisman of the Demonic Sect—the Black Abyss Blood Escape Talisman!
It is extremely complex to make, and requires a cultivator to activate it with their own essence and blood before use.

Once activated, it instantly transforms into a streak of blood and vanishes thousands of miles away, beyond the reach of even ordinary fourth-tier cultivators.

Back when the Black Abyss Demon Sect still existed, many demons relied on this talisman to repeatedly escape from the clutches of righteous true lords.

"Fortunately, the mechanical grappling hook also has a stun function."

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen immediately realized that if the other party had just used the talisman to buy time, he would have been in trouble.

Then he took out the second magic talisman and ran away, fearing that he really wouldn't be able to stop the person.

Fortunately, I acted decisively and did not leave the other party any room to maneuver.

However, Xiao Chen increasingly noticed that as their cultivation level improved, cultivators had more and more ways to protect themselves.

Although I managed to catch them this time, the outcome might have been different if they had used one more layer of tactics.

In other words, we need to be more careful in the future to prevent prey from escaping during battles.

It's best to prepare several methods to retain staff, so as to ensure everything goes smoothly.

However, to be fair, these two magic talismans are quite valuable.

Even after Xiao Chen breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, it may still come in handy.

After all, this was originally a fourth-tier talisman, designed to counter Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

This essentially gave him two extra layers of protection.

As I always say, the more life-saving items you have, the better!
(End of this chapter)