Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

"What? Does it think I'm food?" Xia Jin sized up the monster hanging upside down on the rock wall.

The way the other person looked at him was clearly the kind of look a predator would give when scrutinizing its prey.

"hiss!!"

The monster opened its mouth, and a long, thin tongue emerged from its mouth full of sharp teeth, trembling slightly in the air, as if savoring Xia Jin's scent. It displayed an extremely human-like expression.

Xia Jin could see clearly that the other party was eager to devour him whole.

"Interesting. But you're probably just staying here to guard the house! A mere ninth level of the Creation Realm dares to set your sights on me!" Xia Jin sneered.

The monster seemed to understand Xia Jin's words. A hint of ferocity flashed in its eyes, and its long, thin tongue suddenly retracted. Its body arched slightly against the rock wall, and its scales burst open, like a venomous snake poised to strike.

However, Xia Jin completely ignored his threatening gesture. He glanced down at the trident stuck less than three inches from his feet, bent down, and casually pulled it out of the ground, weighing it in his hand.

"It's quite heavy."

Then, he looked up at the monster hanging upside down on the rock wall, stretched out his left hand, and beckoned to it with his finger.

"Here, take your things back."

The gesture and tone were as casual as an owner calling their pet over.

The monster was startled by Xia Jin's actions, but he quickly realized that the human in front of him seemed to be toying with him.

Even if it's not among the top in this monster horde, it's certainly not something that can be toyed with at will.

"Hiss!"

A sharp screech rang out, and the entire passageway vibrated with a buzzing sound.

However, its next move surprised Xia Jin.

Instead of lunging forward, the monster released its grip on the rock wall and shot off towards the cave entrance like a black lightning bolt!

It's trying to escape!

A hint of surprise flashed in Xia Jin's eyes, but it quickly turned into a cold laugh.

"You've got some cleverness, knowing you're no match for me, you tried to run away! But think you can escape from me? Impossible!"

Xia Jin pushed off with her feet and instantly chased after the fleeing monster.

The speed of the third level of the Immortal Ascension Realm is incomparable to that of the Creation Realm.

Even though the rules of the Mirage Realm were extremely restrictive, greatly limiting his performance, the difference in their cultivation levels was still undeniable.

The monster had only rushed out less than twenty feet when it sensed Xia Jin's aura approaching from behind at an incredible speed.

Fear finally surfaced in its eyes.

That kind of fear is an instinctive reaction that prey has when facing its natural enemy.

However, it was all too late.

Xia Jin suddenly exerted force with his right hand, and the jet-black trident in his hand became like a black lightning bolt.

The trident was incredibly fast, covering a distance of tens of feet almost instantly upon release.

A dull thud.

The trident pierced the monster's back with pinpoint accuracy, the immense impact sending its entire body flying and embedding it firmly into the rock wall on the left side of the passage.

Black liquid gushed from the wound, splashing onto the rock wall with a hissing, corrosive sound.

The monster was pinned to the rock wall, its limbs struggling wildly, its sharp claws carving deep grooves into the rock, making a piercing scraping sound.

But the trident held it firmly in place, and no matter how much it struggled, it could not break free even a fraction.

Xia Jin walked over unhurriedly. "I already told you to take your things back. Why are you running away?"

Seemingly due to fear, the monster struggled more and more violently, but the trident piercing its body seemed to be suppressing it with an invisible force, causing its strength to rapidly dissipate.

Suddenly, the monster's body shuddered violently.

Immediately afterwards, its entire body began to disintegrate! It turned into thick black mist, preparing to continue its escape.

"Trying to run away?"

Xia Jin's eyes turned cold.

A wisp of almost transparent flame flew out from his body, instantly catching up with the black mist and enveloping it completely.

"hiss!"

A piercing scream erupted from the flames.

In just two or three breaths, the black energy was completely burned away.

The flames slowly dissipated, leaving only a faint smell of burning in the air.

Xia Jin withdrew her gaze, her heart unmoved. It was just a monster at the ninth level of the Creation Realm; killing it was no big deal, not worth keeping in mind.

He looked up at the depths of the passage, his brows furrowing slightly.

Now, he faces a choice.

Should they continue exploring the underground palace, or turn back before the monsters return? After all, he wasn't sure if continuing would actually lead to the so-called treasure.

After hesitating for a moment, Xia Jin made a decision.

If you don't enter the tiger's lair, you won the tiger.

Since we've come all this way, there's no reason for us to leave empty-handed.

He took a deep breath, calmed his breathing again, and quickly made his way into the depths of the passage.

This time, he was much faster.

As Xia Jin hurried along, she also kept a portion of her attention focused on the Eastern Emperor Bell in her sea of ​​consciousness.

However, the Eastern Emperor Bell remained quietly suspended in his sea of ​​consciousness, showing no abnormality whatsoever.

This made Xia Jin feel slightly uneasy, but at this moment, the die was cast and she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue to delve deeper.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the space in front of us became more and more open, and the originally narrow passage suddenly expanded into a huge underground space.

Xia Jin slowed her pace and carefully walked inside.

The sight before him made him pause slightly in surprise.

It was an enormous underground palace.

Even though it has been abandoned for countless years, and even though it is full of ruins, one can still imagine its magnificent grandeur in its heyday.

Xia Jin stood at the entrance, her gaze slowly sweeping across the enormous palace.

But soon, a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

There is nothing here.

Apart from a few scattered, broken statues, the ruined palace was almost empty.