Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun continued, "What's the point of training if you rely on the temple's reputation for everything, and resort to your sect's influence to intimidate others when danger arises?"

"Ask yourself honestly."

He raised the tip of his gun and pointed it toward the cave in the distance.

"That lackey of the Blue Ocean pirates, if he didn't know your identity, would he be so obsequious to you?"

"Is he paying homage to you, Fisher, or to the Sea Demon Temple behind you?"

Fisher's expression changed slightly.

Xilun's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced his heart like a needle.

Since joining the Sea Demon Temple, he has been respected wherever he goes. Merchants and leaders who once looked down on him have now become very courteous to him.

He has always believed that this change is brought about by his own strength and talent.

But now that I think about it carefully, what those people really feared was actually just the temple robes he wore.

Observing Fisher's expression, Xiren knew that the other party had begun to waver.

He calmly added the last sentence:

"Strength is the greatest support, not the temple behind you."

"If you can't even understand this, what have you been cultivating for the past three years?"

Only the sound of raindrops falling could be heard by the lake.

Fisher sat there in the mud, his expression constantly changing.

Xilun secretly tightened his grip on the golden spear.

His attack just now seemed powerful, but in reality, it had already consumed a lot of his strength.

If Fisher continues to press, the outcome remains uncertain.

But Fisher clearly had no intention of taking immediate action.

Xilun's eyes turned cold as he continued to rebuke, "The most taboo thing for a cultivator is an impure mind. You rely on the name of the Holy Temple without realizing it, and now you doubt yourself because you have been defeated by me. You have fallen into a demonic trap."

"If we don't think things through quickly, we'll be vulnerable to the extraordinary delusions sooner or later."

Fisher's body jolted.

Extraordinary ramblings.

This is a danger that no high-level cultivator can avoid.

The more you doubt yourself, the larger the cracks in your mind become, and the easier it is for them to be corrupted and eroded.

Fisher looked down at his slightly trembling hands, his mind replaying Xiren's words.

Strength is the only true support.

Rather than being a temple.

He seemed to have figured something out; his eyes gradually cleared, and he murmured, "So that's how it is..."

A moment later, he stood up, leaning on his long sword, and solemnly bowed to Xilun.

"Been taught a lesson."

Xilun remained calm, simply nodding slightly.

But in his heart, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

They managed to fool them.

The rain by the lake has lessened a bit.

Fisher stood in the mud, his outer robe completely soaked by the lake water, his hair plastered to his forehead, looking quite disheveled.

But the look in his eyes when he looked at Xilun no longer held the hostility he had shown before; instead, it held a complex respect.

In his view, while Xilun's shot that had just divided the water and drawn the lightning was indeed powerful, what truly convinced him was Xilun's remarks about cultivation and identity.

The Heavenly Heart Hall operates in secrecy, values ​​character, and its disciples have mostly ventured out to gain experience alone throughout the ages.

The fact that the person before me was unwilling to reveal his identity, did not wear robes or a token, and even hid in the Holy Light Monastery might not be a trial deliberately arranged by the temple master.

The more Fisher thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

If he wasn't a monster cultivated by the Heavenly Heart Palace, how could a young man in his early twenties possibly master spear techniques, lightning magic, and such astonishing water control abilities at the same time?

"Senior Brother Yi Ze."

Fisher hesitated for a moment, then changed his form of address, saying, "I was rash just now."

Xilun didn't correct him, only saying calmly, "It's good that you know how to be reckless."

Fisher's face twitched.

This senior's attitude is really excessive.

But considering that the disciples of the Heavenly Heart Palace were already few in number and each of them was proud and arrogant, he felt that this attitude was normal.

Xilun turned to look at the cave.

The gray-haired old man was standing near the cave entrance, his face extremely pale.

After the two fought to the lakeside, he originally intended to take the opportunity to capture Elena with his men.

Although Elena was injured, her twin swords were still sharp, and the silver-gray rope was extremely strange. He was unwilling to take the risk before Fisher had determined the winner.

Who would have thought that Fisher, whom he regarded as his patron, would be defeated?

What alarmed him even more was that after the two fought, Fisher actually started calling Siron "senior brother"!

The gray-haired old man had already realized that the situation was not good.

Regardless of whether Xilun was truly a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, Fisher had clearly sided with the other side at this moment.

He was a member of the Blue Ocean pirates.

The gray-haired old man forced a smile.

"Lord Fisher, there is probably a misunderstanding here."

Fisher frowned and looked at him.

"What misunderstanding?"

"This man just confessed that he killed the innocent prince's younger brother. Although that young master is not an important figure, he is still a direct descendant of my Blue Ocean pirates."

As the gray-haired old man spoke, he quietly took a step back.

"Since he is indeed your senior brother, this matter should naturally be discussed again. I will first send the message back and ask the Crown Prince to personally..."

"Who let you leave?"

Xilun suddenly spoke.

The gray-haired old man froze in his tracks.

He looked at Xilun, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, but dared not show it.

"What else do you want?"

Xilun, carrying a golden spear, slowly walked back to the shore from the lake.

"You led men to hunt me and Elena down, and now you know my identity. Isn't it too late to leave?"

The gray-haired old man's heart sank.

Only a few of them knew about Xilun's previous impersonation of a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple.

If I were allowed to leave, this deception would be exposed immediately if I were to find someone who is truly familiar with the Tianxin Palace and verify the information.

Therefore, he had to kill him to silence him!

With that thought in mind, the gray-haired old man no longer hesitated and turned to rush into the depths of the dense forest.

"Walk!"

The short, stocky man and the woman in blue were prepared and fled in two different directions.

"They're trying to escape!"

Elena rushed out of the cave and immediately called out to warn them.

Fisher's face immediately darkened.

He had just had his inner demons exposed by Xilun and was trying to save face in front of this senior brother from the Heavenly Heart Palace. How could he just watch the gray-haired old man leave?

"Trying to run away from me?"

Fisher stomped his foot, and the wet mud exploded open with a roar.

He chased after the gray-haired old man like an arrow released from a bow, his long sword flashing with a chilling light, and slashed down fiercely from several feet away.

Sensing the murderous intent behind him, the gray-haired old man had no choice but to turn around and fight back.

boom!

The force of the palm collided with the light of the blade.

The gray-haired old man slid back a few steps, a flush appearing on his face.

He was already close to the third-tier extreme realm, and his strength was not much weaker than Fisher's.

However, he had expended a lot of energy chasing after Xiren and had witnessed Fisher's fight with Xiren firsthand, so he had already lost his courage.

"Fischer!"

The gray-haired old man roared, "I am a member of the Blue Ocean Pirates! Aren't you afraid of provoking a conflict between the Temple and the Blue Ocean Pirates by killing me for some unknown figure?"

"Do the pirates of the Blue Ocean even dare to threaten the Temple?"

Fisher sneered and charged forward again, sword in hand.

Two figures rushed into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

The sound of the blade clashing with the palm grew fainter and fainter.

Upon seeing this, the short, stocky man and the woman in blue dared not linger.

Elena had already swung out the silver-gray rope, which, like a living serpent, cut through the rain and quickly wrapped around the short, stocky man's ankle.

The short, stocky man swung his knife and slashed down.

The silver-gray rope, however, nimbly turned in mid-air, bypassing the blade and entangled itself around a large tree nearby.

Elena flicked her wrist, using the rope's pull to leap into the air, her twin swords slashing at the back of his neck.

The short, stocky man was forced to turn around and block.

Seeing her companion entangled, the woman in green not only did not offer any help, but instead fled even faster.

"Ignore her."

Siron's voice came from behind Elena.

"Keep this one for now."

With a light tap of his foot, the golden spear, like a golden lightning bolt, passed over Elena's shoulder and pierced straight into the short, stocky man's chest.

The short, stocky man had just blocked the two swords and had no time to dodge, so he could only hold his thick-backed knife horizontally in front of his chest.

clang!

The spear tip struck the blade.

The thick-backed blade bent instantly.

The short, stocky man grunted, his massive body flying backward and crashing heavily into the tree trunk.

His chest heaved with blood and qi, and before he could even land, Elena's silver-gray ropes struck again, binding his arms tightly.

Elena pulled sharply backward.

The short, stocky man lost his balance and fell into the mud.

Xilun raised his spear to deliver the fatal blow, but a shrill scream suddenly came from afar.

The woman in blue had barely escaped a hundred feet when a blade flashed from the side, cleaving her entire shoulder in two.

Fisher stepped back over the damp branches and, in a swift motion, slashed her throat.

Blood was splattered on the leaves.

The woman in blue clutched her neck and collapsed limply.

Fisher didn't even glance at the corpse, and continued chasing the gray-haired old man with his knife.

Xilun's eyes flickered slightly.

This person moves incredibly fast.

Although Fisher was injured in the battle, his speed was still far beyond that of an ordinary third-tier fighter.

If it weren't for Xilun's surprise attack using the lake and Thunder Spirit, they might not have gained the upper hand in a direct confrontation.

"What are your plans to do with him?"

Elena stepped on the short, stocky man's back and asked in a low voice.

"Kill him."

Xilun answered without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing those two words, the short, stocky man suddenly began to struggle.

"etc!"

His face was buried in the mud and water, and he shouted indistinctly:

"I was only following orders! I didn't kill the young master, and tracking you was also an order from the elders. If you let me go, I swear I will never leak any information!"

Xilun ignored him.

The golden spear pressed down.

The spear tip pierced the short, stocky man's back, pinning him to the ground.

Elena retracted the silver-gray rope, without a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

She turned her head and glanced into the distance; Fisher and the gray-haired old man's presence had already disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"Are you really going to let him go after him alone?"

"Fischer may not be able to kill the old man immediately."

Xilun pulled out the tip of his spear and flicked away the blood that stained it.

"Clean this place up first."

He bent down and searched the short, stocky man, finding a money pouch and two bottles of medicine. He then examined the body of the woman in blue.

Aside from several dozen pounds of cash and a few ordinary but extraordinary materials, there was nothing of great value.

Elena then returned to the cave and retrieved Hogg's hidden body and the pirate's right ear that she had collected.

How are you feeling?

She walked over to Xiren and frowned as she looked at his face.

The battle just now seemed easy, but she knew that Xilun had just woken up from serious injuries and then used the Crimson Star Spear, the Great Thunder Breathing Technique, and the Thunder Spirit in succession. The balance that had just been restored in her body was likely to be disrupted again.

"No problem for now."

Xilun closed his eyes and felt it for a moment.

There was indeed some stagnation in his chest and abdomen, and the remnant of the evil god deep in his right arm was also wriggling slightly, as if trying to take the opportunity to devour the remaining lightning energy.

But the situation is much better than last time.

After using the "Overturning the Sea Technique" to rebuild his body, his control over his body is now completely different from before.

Although the Crimson Star Spear will still bring a huge burden, it will not drain me dry with a single strike like before.

Xilun channeled his profound Yin coldness, freezing the thin bluish-black lines that had appeared inside his right arm little by little.

Then he looked up in the direction where Fisher had disappeared.

"Follow them."

Why?

Elena raised an eyebrow slightly. "Wouldn't it be better to let them kill each other?"

"That old man knows too much; he must die."

Siren said calmly, "Besides, Fisher is already completely convinced of my identity. Keeping him around might still be useful."

Elena glanced at Siron.

"Senior Brother Ize?"

Xilun remained silent.

Elena couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth slightly, but this aggravated the wound on her lip, and she took another deep breath.

"The most mysterious genius of the Sea Demon Temple is indeed quite arrogant."

When you told me to keep an eye on them, I almost thought you'd actually spent a few years in the Temple.

"I took their entrance exam."

Xilun walked forward, spear in hand.

"and then?"

"I was kicked out."

Elena paused in her steps.

Although she already knew the outcome, hearing Xilun say it so calmly still felt somewhat absurd.

A person who was deemed by the Sea Demon Temple to have mixed strength and impure foundation and was expelled from the entrance examination has now managed to deceive a real temple disciple so thoroughly that the other party respectfully calls him "senior brother".

If this matter were to reach the Sea Demon Temple, Fisher would likely become a laughingstock on the spot.

"So you had no idea that the Heavenly Heart Palace Master had taken in a disciple named Yi Ze?"

"have no idea."

"Then you still dare to tell him to get lost?"

Xilun turned to look at her.

"If we don't tell him to get out, he won't believe us."

Elena paused for a moment, then quickly understood.

The Sea Demon Temple is powerful, and its disciples are known for their arrogance.

The more Xilun tries to explain, the more likely he is to appear guilty.

On the contrary, this dismissive and condescending attitude best matched Fisher's imagination of the geniuses of the Heavenly Heart Hall.

Having figured this out, Elena couldn't help but whisper, "Just how many people have you lied to before?"

Xilun remained unmoved.

"I rarely lie."

"Yeah?"

"Survival doesn't count."

Elena watched his retreating figure, momentarily at a loss for words to refute him.

The two followed the tracks in the forest for a distance, and soon heard the sounds of fierce fighting ahead.

The gray-haired old man ultimately could not escape.

On a patch of rocky ground washed out by the rain, he was locked in a fierce battle with Fisher.

The gray-haired old man's palms were bluish-black, and each strike carried a pungent, fishy odor. The surrounding vegetation withered and turned black as soon as it came into contact with the palm wind.

The water shimmered on Fisher's longsword, and the sword's movements were continuous.

The two are evenly matched, and it's difficult to determine a winner for the time being.

Upon seeing Xilun and Elena appear, the gray-haired old man's expression changed drastically, and his attacks became even more frenzied.

"Fischer, are you really going to wipe them all out?"

"Just now you were claiming that my senior brother was an imposter, but now that you know you're no match for him, you want me to let you go?"

Fisher forced the old man back with a single strike, then sneered, "Wishful thinking!"