Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The power of the Crimson Star Spear was more terrifying than he had anticipated, but the price was equally horrifying.

That shot almost drained the little strength he had just recovered from his body. The tidal force of the Overturning Sea Technique, the remnants of the Great Thunder Sound, the Xuan Yin chill, and even the Thunder Spirit were shaken into curling up.

His body was like a broken bell that had been forcibly struck.

The sound intimidated the enemy, but it also caused the cracks in the bell to deepen.

Elena gritted her teeth and didn't ask any more questions.

She helped Xilun up, put his arm on her shoulder, and grabbed the golden spear with her other hand.

Hang in there.

Xilun nodded with difficulty, but could no longer speak.

The two did not take the original route.

Relying on her wilderness experience gained from her training at the correctional facility, Elena retreated into the depths of the dense forest along a low-lying muddy ditch washed by rainwater.

She dared not walk too fast, fearing that Xilun's injuries would collapse, but she also dared not walk too slowly, fearing that the old man would realize what had happened.

The rain was icy cold.

Branches scratched her cheeks, muddy water reached the soles of her boots, and Hogg's spoils and the pirate's right ear bag weighed heavily on her body.

Elena had never felt a journey could be so long.

Xilun's legs went weak several times, and she was almost the only one who could support him.

He was frighteningly cold, and occasionally a chilling, deathly aura would emanate from deep within his skin, as if something was wriggling in his wounds.

Elena dared not think about it further.

All she knew was that she had to leave first.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the terrain of the dense forest gradually rose, and the rain was partially blocked by the rocks.

Elena finally found a narrow cave behind a patch of vines.

The entrance to the cave is hidden, and although it is not deep inside, it is dry.

She helped Xilun inside, leaned him against the stone wall, and carefully set him down.

Xilun is already unconscious.

His face was so pale it was almost bloodless, but his lips had an unnatural bluish-black tinge.

Elena quickly took out a healing potion, pried open his jaw, fed it to him little by little, and then moistened his lips with a water pouch.

"Don't die."

She whispered.

"Weren't you good at scaring people just now? Don't scare me now."

Xilun did not respond.

Elena took a deep breath, sat at the cave entrance, her twin swords resting on her lap, and listened to the rain outside. For the first time, a strong sense of unease arose in her heart.

This mission in the dense forest has completely spiraled out of control.

They held in their hands Hogg's corpse, the young master's life, the secrets of their fellow disciples, and a pile of spoils that could attract even more killing intent.

Rainwater fell from the hole, like a blurry curtain.

Elena glanced back at the unconscious Siren.

She suddenly realized that if those people had reacted a little faster, if the old man hadn't been intimidated by the name of the Sea Demon Temple, if Xilun's shot hadn't been so clean and swift...

They are dead now.

But what's worse is...

Those people may not be fooled forever.

The cave was very damp.

Thin lines of water seeped from the stone wall, and occasionally raindrops fell from the cave ceiling, hitting shallow puddles on the ground with a crisp dripping sound.

Xilun leaned against the stone wall, his breathing faint.

Elena stood by his side, and every now and then she would reach out to check his forehead and pulse.

His body temperature is strange.

The outer layer of skin was cold, as if frozen by the cold air, but deep in the chest there was a burning restlessness, sometimes surging, sometimes subsiding.

After Elena administered the second dose of healing medicine, Siron finally showed a response.

His eyelids twitched slightly, and a suppressed groan escaped his throat.

"woke up?"

Elena immediately bent down.

Xilun opened his eyes, his vision initially blurry before slowly focusing.

He didn't immediately ask what had happened, but first looked at the cave entrance, then at the golden spear beside him.

After confirming that the weapon was still there, he asked in a hoarse voice, "How long?"

"Less than half an hour," Elena replied. "We're safe for now."

Xilun closed his eyes and sensed the condition within his body.

It's terrible.

The Red Star Spear nearly shattered a portion of the stable state he had built up over the past six months of recuperation.

The Chaojin River channel established by Fuhai Gong was silted up in many places due to the shock. The evil god's remnant limb deep in his right arm, like a snake smelling blood, was slowly protruding thin threads, trying to repair the crack.

That kind of repair is very effective.

It's also very dangerous.

Without hesitation, Xilun unleashed his Xuan Yin Coldness to freeze the thin threads back into place.

He felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his bone marrow, but he didn't even flinch.

Seeing the cold sweat beading on his forehead, Elena couldn't help but ask, "Was that shot of yours very costly?"

"Bigger than expected."

Xilun's voice was low. "Teacher Lund taught me a spear technique, but I could only practice the form before, not the essence. Just now, a flash of inspiration struck me, and I managed to execute it with some difficulty."

"Barely?" Elena couldn't help but glance outside the cave. "You killed a Tier 3 with one shot."

Xilun said calmly, "I almost beat myself to death too."

Elena was speechless for a moment.

This doesn't sound like a joke.

Xilun raised his hand to his chest and slowly adjusted his breathing.

He used the Moon Memory Meditation Method to stabilize his mental core, and then used the Overturning Sea Technique to guide his remaining strength, allowing his body to enter a near-dormant, ethereal state.

His breathing gradually became thin and long.

Elena could tell he was recovering, so she didn't disturb him any further.

After a while, Xilun opened his eyes and said, "Hopefully, this will fool that guy."

Elena frowned: "Do you think they'll come back?"

"Possibly," Xilun said. "That old man isn't stupid; he was just momentarily frightened by the lightning and his age. Once he calms down, more and more doubts will emerge."

"Like the monastery robe you're wearing?"

"For example, I didn't have a token, I didn't have temple attire, and I escaped with serious injuries."

Elena was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You really studied lightning magic?"

Xilun raised his right hand.

A point of bluish-white lightning reappeared in his palm.

This time, it lacked the previous grandeur, resembling only a tiny fish slowly swimming between the lines of his palm.

"I previously learned a lightning-based breathing technique similar to tempering the body," Xilun said. "Later, I also acquired a lightning spirit technique."

Lightning condensed at his fingertips into a tiny, nascent spiritual form, like a seed of lightning constantly swaying in the wind.

Elena's eyes brightened slightly.

She moved a little closer and looked at it carefully.

"This doesn't resemble the lightning energy condensed through ordinary methods," she whispered. "It's more like the nascent form of a talent."

"It is indeed talent." Xiren didn't go into too much detail, "Unfortunately, it needs constant training to truly unleash its full potential. Right now, it's just a facade, and the effect is very weak."

Elena seemed lost in thought.

A mere showpiece?

She recalled the awe-inspiring flash of lightning in the rain, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Often, a product that looks good can be a lifesaver.

"You really know how to hide things," she said.

Xilun said calmly, "If you want to live a long life, you should always keep some things hidden."

Elena looked at his pale face and suddenly smiled.

"Someone like you, claiming to be a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, does indeed seem quite convincing."

"How is it similar?"

"arrogant."

Xilun glanced at her.

Elena added, "But you're just faking it. Their arrogance comes from the bone; they think everyone should make way for them."

You're different; you just think explaining is a waste of time.

Xilun paused for a moment, then said, "It saves effort."

Elena couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The laughter was soft and was quickly drowned out by the sound of rain.

However, this brief period of relaxation did not last long.

Xilun closed his eyes again and whispered, "I'm going into deep meditation. You will protect me."

"how long?"

"Two or three hours is best," Siren said. "Deep meditation can put the body into a state of tranquility, allowing the breath to operate on its own, which will make recovery much faster."

Elena frowned slightly: "What if the enemy comes?"

"Wake me up." Xiren paused. "If there's no time, you go first."

Elena's face darkened.

"Say it again?"

Xilun opened his eyes and looked at her.

Elena said coldly, "I'm not here to hear your last words. You saved me, I won't leave you in the cave to die."

Siren did not argue.

He simply nodded and then fell into meditation.

The breath gradually became barely perceptible.

If it weren't for the very slight rise and fall of his chest, he would look almost like a lifeless corpse.

Elena sat at the cave entrance, her twin swords half an inch from their sheaths.

She looked up at the rain.

Deep in the mountains and forests, the mist swirls and the shadows of the trees resemble silent black walls.

She suddenly remembered what Xilun had just said: "If you want to live longer, you have to hide something."

She came from a correctional institution and was protected by her father, had a legal system, teachers, and rules from a young age.

Even though she was later entangled by Aldrich and pressured by the Sea Demon Temple, and she loathed the feeling of being oppressed by power, she never truly fell into the mire of the bottom.

West London is different.

He looked as if he had crawled out of mud and blood bit by bit.

Therefore, he knew better than anyone when to follow the rules, when to kill, when to lie, and when to put everything into one shot.

Elena gripped the sword hilt tightly, and the frivolous thoughts that had arisen in her mind due to their closeness gradually faded away.

This person is carrying something very heavy on their back.

It was so heavy that she could feel the coldness as soon as she touched it.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dense forest.

The gray-haired old man led the short, stocky man and the thin-faced woman through quickly.

They did not stop until they were several miles away from the rocky clearing, at which point the old man finally slowed down.

The short, stocky man couldn't help but say, "Elder, are we just leaving like this? The young master is dead; how will we explain this to the innocent Crown Prince?"

The old man's face was gloomy.

"What do you know?"

The thin-faced woman said in a low voice, "But that kid might not really be a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple."

The old man's eyes turned cold: "Of course I know that's not necessarily true."

He turned to look into the depths of the rain.

"But what if it's true?"

The two fell silent.

The old man gritted his teeth and said, "We will take responsibility for the death of the innocent prince's brother. But if we kill a member of the Holy Temple's direct line, not only us, but even the innocent prince himself might not be able to bear the consequences."

The short, stocky man was still unwilling to give up: "But he was wearing the robes of the Holy Light Monastery."

"That's what makes it even more troublesome," the old man said. "Perhaps it's a disguise, perhaps it's a mission, perhaps the temple and monastery have some secret arrangements. Can you really fathom the affairs of those powerful forces?"

As the three were talking, the rain curtain in front of them was suddenly parted by an invisible force.

A figure slowly emerged from the woods.

That was a man with a knife.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a stern face. He wore a dark blue, almost black robe with silver lightning patterns embroidered on the cuffs, and a sea beast bone token hung at his waist.

Raindrops falling three feet away from him were repelled by a subtle layer of energy.

The man's aura was both calm and sharp.

Like a knife hidden at the bottom of the sea.

The old man paused, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Disciple's robes of the Sea Demon Temple.

for real.

The man with the knife glanced at the three men, then at the bloodstains on their bodies, and calmly asked, "Where is the innocent prince?"

The old man's expression changed several times.

The short, stocky man exclaimed, "Another one from the Sea Demon Temple?"

The man with the knife raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Another one?"

He stared at the short, stocky man, his voice suddenly turning cold: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

The old man's heart suddenly sank, and he vaguely realized that something was wrong.

The man with the knife slowly said, "I am the only Holy Temple disciple who has registered to enter the Black Abyss Forest here."

The old man stood frozen in place amidst the sound of rain.

The woman with the slim face was also stunned.

The old man's throat was dry: "Just now... just now there was one who claimed to be a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple."

The man with the knife's eyes turned extremely cold in an instant.

"Which palace's robes is he wearing? Where is his disciple's token?"

The old man's lips moved.

"He had neither temple robes nor a token, but he..."

"But what?"

"He can condense lightning in his palm," the old man hurriedly said. "Moreover, he's only twenty-one years old, at the third level of cultivation, and he killed one of my third-level servants with a single spear thrust."

The man with the knife paused for a moment.

He then let out a cold laugh.

"Turns out it was a fake."

The old man's face turned extremely ugly.

The man with the knife said, "The disciples of the Sea Demon Temple are few. Although I dare not say that I know everyone, I have at least a record of those who have been sent out for training in recent years."

There was no other Temple disciple here, nor was there any twenty-one-year-old gun-wielding Siron.

The short, stocky man flew into a rage: "That kid lied to us!"

The old man also felt his face burning.

He, a pirate elder who was close to the third level of the ultimate realm, was actually intimidated by a seriously injured boy with just a few words.

But he still remained cautious.

"But he is indeed formidable," the old man said in a deep voice. "That shot... was no joke."

The man with the knife said calmly, "Forbidden burst techniques, blood-burning secret arts, and short-term energy depletion are all possible. Killing one third-tier servant doesn't mean he can kill a second."

The old man's eyes flickered.

The man with the knife continued, "If he were truly a disciple of the Holy Temple, he would have left slowly after defeating you, perhaps even deliberately leaving traces so you wouldn't dare to pursue him. If he were an imposter, he would have fled hastily, and his cover would have been crude."

The old man immediately recalled the image of Xilun standing in the rain.

The other side was incredibly stable back then.

Looking back now, it was precisely because it was too stable that it seemed like it was forcing itself to stay stable.

"Lead the way," said the man with the knife. "I want to see who dares to impersonate a disciple of my Sea Demon Temple."

The old man felt a surge of shame, anger, and murderous intent.

"it is good."

The group quickly turned back.

The rain washed away many traces, but it couldn't wash them all away.

Siren and Elena left in too much of a hurry.

There were trampled grass stems along the edge of the ditch, a torn piece of wire hanging from a low branch, and faint traces of blood on several stones.

The man with the knife crouched down and glanced at it, his sneer growing even stronger.

"A hasty escape."

The old man's face turned ashen.

"Chase."

They followed the trail.

Several times, Elena deliberately left false traces that led them astray, but the man with the knife seemed to be extremely good at tracking and was still slowly getting closer to the cave.

More than two hours later.

Inside the cave, Siron was still in deep meditation.

Elena suddenly looked up.

Amidst the sound of rain outside the cave, there was an additional, extremely light footstep.