I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 234 Old Friend
Outside Huanshou Mountain, several figures appeared on the shore. One of them, a young and handsome man, said anxiously, "Fifteenth Uncle, the Dark Soul Incense on Xiao Jiu's body disappeared here."

This person was none other than Jiang Shihua, an old acquaintance of Chen Ming. The Dark Soul Fragrance he mentioned was a special kind of fragrance that ordinary people could not smell, but a certain kind of spirit bird was extremely sensitive to this scent and could smell it from a great distance.

Therefore, this became one of the methods the Jiang family used to define the status of their own members.

Uncle Fifteen was a man with a cold and stern expression. He looked quite young, but high-level martial artists naturally age slowly, so it was difficult to judge his age from his appearance.

"The thief actually knows how to conceal the Dark Soul Incense; he's clearly no ordinary person. However, anyone who dares to harm a member of the Jiang family, no matter who they are, must die!"

This man's name was Jiang Mingtong, ranked fifteenth, and he possessed a second-grade cultivation level. He happened to be visiting a friend nearby.

This morning, he discovered the coded message left by the Jiang family requesting help and rushed over immediately. Upon learning that Xiao Jiu had gone missing, he was furious.

The Jiang family is one of the three great families in Jiangzhou, with a prestigious reputation. Within Jiangzhou, someone actually dared to provoke the Jiang family, and one can imagine the anger in his heart.

A friend nearby said, "Brother Mingtong, don't be anxious. Brother Shaohong is a local landlord; he might have some clues."

Looking at the endless reeds, Yao Shaohong pondered, "Deep in this lake, there is a mountain called Huanshou Mountain, which is occupied by a group of river bandits. I've met the bandit leader once; he's a third-rank cultivator. Although he's a river bandit, he never robs the local people. I heard he goes to the neighboring Xia Prefecture to rob merchant ships. He has quite a reputation for chivalry in the area. Perhaps we can ask him for help."

Jiang Mingtong's eyes flashed, and he said, "That would be perfect. Please lead the way, Brother Yao."

He knew in his heart that Xiao Jiu's disappearance here was most likely related to that group of river bandits.

First, put pressure on them and get Xiao Jiu back.

If Xiao Jiu disappears without a trace, then let these bandits pay with their lives!
Among those present were three of his close friends, who shared similar interests and abilities and were collectively known as the Four Friends of Dongchuan.

The four of them are second-rank officials, and as long as they don't encounter a first-rank official, no one can withstand their combined attack.

"Walk."

The group of six, led by Yao Shaohong, headed towards Huanshou Mountain.

……

Inside the cave of Huanshou Mountain.

When Du Rusong's figure vanished into thin air, Chen Ming cursed inwardly, "What a rip-off!" but dared not move.

He could feel a chilling intent locking onto him, and any movement would surely unleash a thunderous attack.

He had interacted with and even fought several first-rank experts, so he was naturally familiar with their attack methods. Therefore, he was waiting, waiting for an opportunity.

The opportunity will come soon!
Chen Ming was able to remain calm, but Tao Zhiquan, who was standing next to him, couldn't hold back and was the first to run away.

What a fast movement!
His eyes narrowed. He didn't know how strong this constable was, but his skill in escaping was first-rate. In terms of movement, he was only slightly inferior to him.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast Tao Zhiquan is, how can he outrun the sword intent?
A flash of cold white light streaked past, and Tao Zhiquan, who was about to escape the cave, was pierced through the heart. He didn't even utter a sound, and his figure became even faster, successfully flying out of the cave.

"Humph!"

Xie Jianqiu sneered, "He's been hit by my sword, he can't get far. Guang'er, chase after him and kill him."

He looked at the remaining five members of the Six Doors with a cold gaze.

The only solution right now is to kill all of these people and then forcibly use the Jiang family daughter we kidnapped yesterday to replenish her energy and heal her injuries.

Although it was a pity, he had to recover his strength before Du Rusong left the secret realm and then kill Du Rusong here.

Once the secret of the secret realm is exposed, he absolutely cannot keep it. That would be tantamount to cutting off his path to the Divine Realm, which is something he cannot accept.

To obtain a secret realm—what an incredible stroke of luck that is!
Xie Jianqiu believes he is destined for greatness, and this belief only grows stronger after his escape from prison.

In the five hundred years since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, how many people have been able to escape the Six Doors Prison?
"Now, it's your turn!"

Xie Jianqiu raised his hand and unleashed five sword beams, which struck at the five lackeys of the Six Doors present.

Facing a first-rank expert, Zhu Wanlin and the other three fought desperately, using their most trump card to save their lives.

Chen Ming disregarded everyone else and drew his "Mingfeng Sword," ready to take the blow head-on.

Facing a top-tier expert, running away is useless; doing so would lead to the same fate as Tao Zhiquan. There is no other way but to take the hit head-on.

Unless his primordial spirit is stronger than that of a first-rank expert, an attack from a first-rank expert is unlikely to miss. The primordial energy possesses sentience and can track the enemy on its own.

"drink!"

Chen Ming raised his sword to meet the cold sword energy head-on. Before the sword energy even arrived, he felt a sharp pain in his head and an icy chill that seemed to freeze his vital energy and consciousness.

Is this the sword intent of this person?

very scary!
He struggled to circulate the internal energy within his body, only able to use the "Weapon Control Technique." Instantly, the "Phoenix Cry Sword" in his hand transmitted a warmth, instantly dispelling the chill.

boom!
At the same time, the sword energy arrived, its terrifying power causing the "Phoenix Cry Sword" to let out a mournful cry and break in two with a clang.

Chen Ming was thrown into the air and crashed straight into the mountainside, breaking off a rock and burying him underneath.

Not far away, Xie Jianqiu exclaimed in surprise, "A peerless divine weapon?"

He quickly realized what was going on and felt a pang of regret, "It's a pity it's already destroyed."

However, even a peerless weapon broken in two has great value, and one can find a master swordsmith to reassemble it in the future.

Just as he was about to move, his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked out of the cave. He saw a group of several people flying towards him, including four second-rank officials.

"trouble!"

A fierce glint flashed in Xie Jianqiu's eyes. Normally, dealing with four second-rank cultivators wouldn't be too difficult. But now, with his source energy damaged and his injuries compounded, it wouldn't be easy for him to deal with these four.

"First-class?"

The newcomers were Jiang Mingtong and his group. Upon arriving on the island, they found it littered with corpses, realizing something was amiss. Hearing the sounds of fighting, they rushed over and stumbled upon the carnage. When Jiang Mingtong discovered a First Rank expert among them, his eyes narrowed, and he immediately considered retreating.

The others shared the same thought; none of them wanted to risk their lives to save someone.

Jiang Mingtong decisively said, "Senior, we are just passing by. Please continue!"

He was about to leave after saying that.

Just then, one of the third-rank golden-robed figures, who had withstood a sword strike, said, "There is a secret realm here, and this person is within it—"

Chi Chi!

Xie Jianqiu raised his hand and unleashed two sword intents, finally piercing through the shield in the hand of the third-rank golden-robed man.

Unfortunately, the secret has already been exposed.

He looked at the six newcomers and said in a low voice, "You all heard that? Then go die!"

Jiang Mingtong and the others' expressions changed drastically.

The secret realm is the key to unlocking the divine treasure, something that even top-tier experts would fight tooth and nail for.

A secret realm can ensure that a family or sect never loses its Divine Realm experts; this is the secret to the enduring prosperity of a family or sect.

This top-tier expert is actually the master of the secret realm!
It seems he intends to silence them to protect this secret.

Jiang Mingtong shouted, "Don't try to escape! There's no way to escape. We have to fight to the death!"

The other three also realized the danger and drew their weapons.

Xie Jianqiu made the first move, and a great battle ensued.

……

In a secluded corner where no one was watching, Chen Ming crawled out from under the pile of rocks. He glanced at the battle and saw a familiar figure. He wondered, "Jiang Shihua? What's he doing here?"

Judging from appearances, that's a master from the Jiang family.

Regardless, thanks to their arrival, Xie Jianqiu can no longer afford to worry about him, and the opportunity has finally presented itself.

Chen Ming vanished in a flash.

Instead of fleeing out of the cave, he went inside.

Xie Jianqiu was determined to kill and silence witnesses, so he was definitely keeping an eye on the cave entrance. Anyone who tried to escape would be attacked by him.

Chen Ming did the opposite and went inside the cave to see if there was any other exit.

He moved very fast, slipping into one of the passages.

Of those present, some were fighting, some were dead, and some were seriously injured; no one paid any attention to him.

The passageway in this cave appears to have been carved out by hand and looks quite old.

Chen Ming put the broken "Mingfeng Sword" into its sheath, feeling somewhat depressed. Originally, this divine weapon had regained some of its spirituality, but now it was destroyed like this, which was truly a pity.

"You saved my life again."

He silently mourned for a few seconds, then said, "I will definitely avenge you."

Actually, the "Phoenix Cry Sword" wasn't destroyed in that one blow. When the Undying Demon Lord's primordial spirit and that golden flame entered the sword, it exceeded its capacity, causing its durability to drop significantly.

Later, his confrontation with the "Demon Sword Within Reach" only made matters worse.

Just now, the "Phoenix Cry Sword" used its last bit of its original power to help him dispel that chill, and only then did his life come to an end, breaking in two.

Next time I see Yu Haitang, I'll ask her if there's any way to reconnect the "Mingfeng Sword".

As Chen Ming continued deeper into the area, he casually killed any bandits he encountered. Unfortunately, these bandits were not highly skilled, and the experience points he gained were minimal.

He was moving very fast, and there were so many forks in the road that it was like a giant maze. He could barely make out his direction, and the more he walked, the more something seemed wrong.

"This road seems to go all the way down. I guess there's no way out."

Just as Chen Ming was about to change direction, he suddenly heard a sound coming from a certain direction. On a whim, he walked in that direction.

"Someone, help me..."

"Who can help me……"

"No matter who it is, as long as they can rescue me, I will definitely repay them with my body, sob sob..."

"Stop yelling, no one will come to save us."

The voices gradually became clearer; they were the voices of two women.

But why does the first voice sound so familiar?

After a while, Chen Ming arrived at a stone gate. Looking inside, he saw a huge stone chamber with two cages in the middle, each containing a woman.

Is it her?

He recognized at a glance that the one crying loudly was none other than Jiang Yingxue, the little green tea.

No wonder Jiang Shihua was here; he came to rescue her.

(End of this chapter)