Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Wen Qiang was still worried and pressed Ma Liang for a few more questions.

Ma Liang almost laughed at Wen Qiang's question, but it was precisely because of Wen Qiang's personality that he had the idea of ​​helping him.

Wenqiang breathed a sigh of relief after he had asked all the questions he needed to.

"So this person is actually the senior's junior brother. He should still be on Kui Xing Island. He rented a cave dwelling before. When I passed by a few days ago, I saw that the cave dwelling's restrictions had not been lifted, so he must still be in seclusion."

Upon hearing that Han Li was indeed on Kui Xing Island, Ma Liang said, "Alright, I understand. Since he is in seclusion, there's no need to disturb him."

Without lingering any longer, he soared into the sky and vanished into the horizon in an instant.

The Wen couple quickly pulled Wen Siyue to the courtyard and bowed in farewell, saying, "Respectfully seeing off our senior!"

……

On his way back to his cave, Ma Liang's mind raced: Han Li's arrival in the Chaotic Star Sea meant that the plot in Tiannan had not been altered because of him.

As he was pondering, a sudden commotion arose in the spirit beast pouch, and Jingzhe darted out, hovering beside him and flying alongside him.

Ma Liang chuckled, then leaped onto its head and sat down, patting its back: "What's wrong? Can't even stay a day long?"

Jingzhe raised its head and roared, seemingly in dissatisfaction.

"Alright."

"Han Li will be in seclusion for at least another ten years. We can't just sit here waiting. Besides, there's no need to wait for him. We need to find a place to go into seclusion and try to break through to the Core Formation Realm as soon as possible."

Jingzhe raised its head and roared a few more times, sounding full of complaints, clearly indicating that it was going into seclusion again.

Ma Liang tapped its head impatiently: "Cultivation is a race against time. The earlier you advance, the more time you have left. Once you reach the Core Formation stage, it will be difficult to find suitable resources, and you won't be able to go into seclusion even if you want to."

"Jingzhe, where do you think we should go? Kuixing Island is likely to descend into chaos within a few years; it's definitely not a place for seclusion."

Jingzhe flicked its tail and let out a few more roars.

"Forget it, it's pointless to ask you. You haven't even explored the whole of Kui Xing Island, how would you know about other places?"

The man and the beast chatted casually for a while, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived outside the cave.

Ma Liang suddenly stopped the awakening of insects, and saw an unfamiliar figure standing in front of the cave entrance.

Ma Liang felt a chill and immediately released his divine sense to scan the person.

The outfit looked strangely familiar; it was actually the clothing of the Extreme Yin Island! Then, seeing the man's signature large fishhook, he instantly realized who it was.

"Ugly Crow? How did he find this place!"

In a flash, the whole story came together. Ma Liang gritted his teeth, "That bastard surnamed Gu! I'll remember this!"

Alarm bells rang in Ma Liang's heart, but he instantly forced a smile, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I wonder what guidance this senior has bestowed upon my humble abode?"

Wu Chou scratched his head and looked him up and down.

"You brat, you're Master Tianyuan's disciple, aren't you?"

"It is indeed I, the junior."

Wu Chou clicked his tongue. "Tianyuan Zhenren? I've never heard of that title before."

"My master has always been low-key and dislikes showing off his reputation, so it is normal that you have not heard of him."

Ma Liang answered calmly, then changed the subject, bowing and asking, "May I ask your honorable title, senior?"

Wu Chou laughed, looking up. "Wu Chou of Jiyin Island! I've come here for only one thing."

"What brings you here, senior?" Ma Liang's heart tightened, but his expression remained respectful.

Wu Chou's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Hand over all the storage bags on your person so I can inspect them!"

"Senior, storage bags are the foundation of a cultivator's wealth. Is this how you inspect them?"

Wu Chou's face darkened. "What? You dare refuse?"

As he spoke, he weighed the large fishhook in his hand, his spiritual energy surging, and his aura suddenly became sharp.

Ma Liang stopped feigning politeness with him, patted the spirit beast pouch, and two sharp-armored dragons roared and rushed out, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Hmph! I knew you people from Extreme Yin Island were all bad!"

Wu Chou glanced at the two armored dragons. "Two level-five demonic beasts, not bad. I'll capture you and search your cultivation techniques to examine them closely. I want to see what kind of extraordinary method you have!"

At Ma Liang's command, one of the armored dragons roared and pounced on Wu Chou.

Wu Chou sneered, his figure blurred, and he was about to smash down the large fishhook in his hand.

Just as the fishhook was about to touch the dragon's scales, a spatial opening shimmering with purple light suddenly appeared in front of him, and he flashed inside.

In the next instant, Wu Chou appeared out of thin air behind Ma Liang, and the fishhook, accompanied by a strong wind, slammed down!

Ma Liang was prepared and suddenly pressed down on Jingzhe's head. Jingzhe understood and its huge body sank down, its thick tail whipping towards Wu Chou.

At the same time, another armored dragon beside him swung its long tail, and two fierce attacks came at him in an instant.

Wu Chou hadn't expected Ma Liang to be able to predict his attack, but he only paused for a moment before holding the large fishhook horizontally in front of him.

Bang! Awooo—

A piercing roar suddenly erupted, and the tail of Jingzhe was pierced through by the fishhook!

Oh no, Jingzhe's cultivation level is still too weak! He hurriedly shouted, "Jingzhe, quickly return to the spirit beast pouch!"

Jingzhe seemed unwilling, shaking its injured tail, but Ma Liang didn't care and forcibly put it back into the bag.

He then patted his spirit beast pouch, and a fourth-tier flying beast flapped its wings and flew out. Ma Liang leaped onto its back and urged the two armored dragons to charge towards Wu Chou again.

Wu Chou didn't care. He let the two armored dragons charge left and right with fierce attacks. He relied on spatial magic to dodge and maneuver, always fighting without directly confronting the monsters.

Ma Liang immediately unrolled the scroll and completed the inscription of an array in an instant.

Just then, Wu Chou stepped out of the rift again. Ma Liang suddenly raised his hand, and a golden light curtain suddenly fell, trapping Wu Chou and the two armored dragons in the trap.

Trapped in the formation, Wu Chou immediately activated his magic to escape, only to find that the light barrier remained completely still and could not be penetrated at all.

At that moment, a sharp-armored dragon lunged straight at them with its claws.

Wu Chou roared and swung his fishing hook. With a loud bang, the armored dragon was slammed against the array wall, and the entire trapping array shook violently.

"A mere trick!" Wu Chou kicked the armored dragon again, causing the trapping formation to shake even more violently, almost shattering.

Ma Liang dared not be negligent and inscribed two more arrays, layering them over the original array.

Wu Chou was taken aback at first, then a strong interest flashed in his eyes.

"Kid, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve! These methods make me even more determined to capture you!"

Another sharp-armored dragon roared and whipped its tail, lunging straight at Wu Chou's face.

"Hmph, I'm not playing with you anymore!" Wu Chou's eyes flashed with malice as he poured his powerful spiritual energy into the fishing hook. His figure moved like a ghost, instantly circling around to the back of the sharp-armored dragon's neck.

puff!

A flash of cold light, and the sharp tip of the fishhook pierced the gaps in the dragon's scales.

The Sharp-Armored Flood Dragon let out a deafening scream as it thrashed and rammed wildly within the trapped formation.

Wu Chou refused to give up. With a sudden twist of his wrist, a strange purple flame rose from the fishhook and surged into the body of the Sharp-Armored Dragon through the wound.

The purple flames raged wildly inside the demon beast's body, and the Sharp Armored Flood Dragon's struggles became weaker and weaker. In just a moment, it transformed into a sky full of spiritual light with a "whoosh" and completely dissipated into the formation.

The moment the Sharp Armored Flood Dragon's spiritual light dissipated, Wu Chou's feet lost their footing, his body staggered, and he crashed into the array wall with a thud before being bounced back.

He shook his dazed head. "What happened? It just vanished?"

But the remaining armored dragon gave her no chance to breathe, roaring as it pounced again.

"Take care of this beast first, then capture that brat and get some answers!" A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Chou's eyes as he activated his magic weapon.

On the other side, Ma Liang felt a chill in his heart. His opponent was a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and there was no way he could survive a direct confrontation!

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the best is to flee!

His mind raced, and he quickly pulled out a handful of Soul-Gathering Jade Marrow Pills and swallowed them. In an instant, he inscribed five arrays, and layer upon layer of restrictions fell down, completely transforming the original trapping array into a huge golden sphere of light.