Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Tinos clearly sensed the danger as well.

He narrowed his eyes, and the blue flame in his palm contracted instead.

All the flames were forced into the beast's head.

The beast head changed from semi-transparent to a nearly solid dark blue, and the surrounding air was scorched, creating distorted ripples.

"very good."

"I'll see if you'll still be so stubborn after I break your arms and legs."

Xilun did not respond.

He slowed his breathing even further.

A surge of energy rose from the soles of his feet, traveled down his legs into his waist and abdomen, and finally converged in his hands holding the gun.

The iron spear is too light.

Then he would not directly confront Tynos in a contest of strength.

The Azure Ember Fire can burn energy.

Then minimize external attacks and focus on close-quarters combat using the Overturning Sea Technique.

Tinos was arrogant and believed that Silen was powerless to resist.

This is the biggest flaw.

The layout of the corridor flashed through Xilun's mind.

To the left is a courtyard, and to the right is a stone wall.

Thirteen steps behind them stood a stone pillar that had been corroded by the Azure Flame.

The two people behind Tinos were both at the third rank, but they might not dare to attack at the same time in full view of everyone.

As long as the first strike avoids the direct confrontation with the Azure Flame and gets within three steps of Tinos, Xilun will have a chance to unleash the Breath of the Styx.

A skilled user of the Styx Breath can erode the life force of a third-tier extraordinary individual in a short period of time.

No matter how powerful Tinos is, he cannot be completely unaffected.

That moment of hesitation is the opportunity.

There were only about ten steps between them.

Their forces collided continuously.

Blue sparks and tiny water droplets exploded in mid-air.

The surrounding disciples held their breath.

A steward from the equipment workshop rushed over, and his face immediately turned ugly when he saw that the person who had done the attack was Tinos.

"stop!"

"Private fights are prohibited in the inner courtyard corridors!"

Tinos didn't even look at him.

"Get out of here."

"Whoever dares to stop me today will be punished along with me."

The steward of the equipment workshop paused in his steps.

He was merely an ordinary third-tier official responsible for maintaining order in the workshop, and his strength was far inferior to that of Tinos.

Moreover, Tinos's teacher was always protective of his own.

Even if he intervenes now, he may not be able to stop it.

Xilun's grip on the gun slowly tightened.

He did not place his hopes on others.

There should never be the courage to entrust one's life to another.

Tinos also lost patience.

"Since you won't take it off yourself, I'll just do it off myself."

boom!

The deep blue beast head suddenly leaped out.

The blue embers streaked across the corridor, leaving behind large patches of charred marks.

Tinos moved closely following the flames.

He was faster than the beast head, his right palm hidden behind the blue flames, aiming straight for Xilun's chest.

This palm strike won't kill immediately.

But it was enough to break his sternum, rendering Siron completely unable to resist.

There was no fear in Siren's eyes.

Only absolute calm.

Just as the blue flames engulfed his vision, he did not retreat, but instead took a step forward.

The ball of the foot landed.

A ring of dust silently dispersed from the ground.

The power of the Overturning Sea Technique was transmitted layer by layer from the large tendons, and the iron spear suddenly thrust out close to the body.

There was no violent outburst.

There was only a thin, almost invisible layer of water around the gun.

A wisp of bluish-white lightning energy was hidden deep within the watery light, and it thrust straight towards Tinos's palm with the tip of the spear.

Thunderous Spear Technique.

The water flow precedes the movement.

Lei Jin hid behind.

Tinos's eyes turned cold.

"You dare to show off your mere rudimentary spear skills in front of me?"

His five fingers were bent.

The blue fire beast's head suddenly turned and bit the iron spear.

Chi Chi!

The surface of the standard iron gun turned red instantly.

The blue embers spread rapidly along the spear shaft, attempting to burn away the power of the Overturning Sea Technique that Xilun had poured into it.

Tinos then swung his palm past the spearhead and continued striking towards Xilun's chest.

However, the iron spear that was bitten by the beast's head suddenly lost all its power.

Xilun voluntarily released his right hand.

The gun barrel slid away following the direction of the blue flame.

Using the gun as cover, he pressed his body close to Tinos's arm.

The distance between the two instantly shrank to three feet.

Tinos saw Siren's eyes, which were very close to his.

There was not a trace of panic in those grey-blue eyes.

A strong sense of unease suddenly arose in Tinos's heart.

Xilun opened his mouth.

A wisp of black mist, colder than death itself, was rapidly gathering between his lips and teeth.

Breath of the Styx!

Although Tinos did not know what kind of magic this was, his body instinctively issued a frantic warning.

You must not be touched by that black aura.

"Get out of here!"

He roared.

The green flame in his palm suddenly exploded, and a terrifying shockwave, carrying corrosive flames, swept in all directions.

Xilun's robes fluttered in the wind.

The sea monster's blood-red cotton coat hidden beneath the long robe glowed with a dark red light.

He did not back down.

Beneath the skin of his right arm, several thin, bluish-black lines slowly opened as if they were alive.

Sensing the aura of a powerful enemy, the remnant of the evil god began to stir with excitement, attempting to break free from the suppression of the profound yin chill.

Xilun's eyes were cold.

He would never use such dangerous power in a normal fight.

But Tinos had made it clear that he intended to break his arms and legs and forcibly take the blood-stained clothes.

To back down now would be tantamount to handing your life over to the other party.

A wisp of black death energy spilled from Xilun's mouth.

The plants and trees in the corridor withered and turned yellow instantly.

Tinos's expression finally changed.

He no longer intended to hold back, and his left palm also ignited with blue embers. The two fiery palms crossed, ready to severely injure Xilun on the spot.

Just as the two forces were about to collide, an aura even more intense than the furnace fire suddenly rose from the depths of the workshop.

Boom!

The entire mountainside trembled slightly.

The stone door to the underground furnace chamber remained closed, yet an invisible spear-like intent had already pierced through hundreds of feet of rock, locking onto the corridor from afar.

The blue embers in Tinos's hand suddenly stopped.

The Styx Breath between Xilun's lips and teeth was also violently suppressed by this spear intent.

Immediately afterwards, Swein's deep and cold voice came from underground.

"Who dares to harm my disciple?"

The deep sound penetrated the layers of rock walls and echoed loudly in the corridors.

The sound was not loud.

But to everyone's ears, it sounded like a heavy iron spear piercing down from the sky, nailing itself deep into everyone's heart.

The burning blue embers, which had been blazing just moments before, suddenly froze.

The almost solidified, deep blue beast head seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, its ferocious maw stopping three feet in front of Xilun. The edges of the flames trembled violently, then collapsed inward inch by inch.

Tinos's expression changed drastically.

"Elder Swain?"

His pupils constricted, and the anger in his eyes was instantly replaced by astonishment.

Isn't Swain currently forging weapons in an underground furnace?

Once the underground fire in the workshop is ignited, it is crucial to avoid distractions.

This time, in particular, the materials for three weapons with completely different properties are being smelted. If not handled carefully, hundreds of pounds of precious materials will be completely turned into scrap iron.

Tinos had anticipated this, which is why he dared to block Xilun outside the workshop.

But he never expected that Swain, separated by hundreds of feet of rock, could perceive the conflict in the corridor so clearly with just a single spear thrust.

What he found even more unacceptable was that sentence.

disciple.

When did Siren become Swain's disciple?

"impossible……"

Tinos stared intently at Xiren, his face revealing undisguised shock for the first time.

The inner court disciples watching the battle were equally silent.

Several disciples who knew Swain exchanged glances, all seeing horror in each other's eyes.

Swain holds an extremely high position in the Holy Light Monastery, and his strength is among the top of the fourth tier.

More importantly, he has always been very strict in accepting apprentices.

Even if an ordinary third-level disciple knelt outside his cave, he might not receive a single word of guidance.

Over the past decade, Swain has only taken on two personal disciples, one of whom is Bruno, a third-tier extreme realm cultivator.

Now there's another Xilun.

And this happened without any prior notice.

Xilun's eyes flickered slightly, and the black deathly aura that had gathered between his lips and teeth slowly dissipated.

He didn't relax immediately.

Tinos was too close to him.

If the opponent were to suddenly attack in a fit of shock and anger, this three-foot distance would be enough to instantly kill a third-tier expert.

Xilun stepped his right foot back slightly, his palm loosely clenched, ready to reclaim the iron spear that had been torn apart by the blue flames.

Tinos also noticed this subtle movement.

His face turned pale and then flushed.

Even though Swain had spoken, Siron still wasn't entirely convinced that the situation was safe.

This almost instinctive wariness only fueled Tinos's anger.

It was as if, in Xilun's eyes, he had always been nothing more than an enemy who could launch a sneak attack at any moment.

"Elder Swain."

Tinos took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and bowed towards the depths of the workshop.

"This person destroyed the Blue Tide Sword that rightfully belonged to me, and just now he used some evil magic on me. I just want to capture him and interrogate him according to the rules of the inner courtyard."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the surrounding disciples immediately turned strange.

The Blue Tide Sword that rightfully belonged to him?

That sword was clearly a trophy that Siron had taken from the corpse of Blue Sword Hogg.

As for the rules of the inner courtyard...

When Tinos made his move, the workshop steward had already publicly stopped him, but Tinos himself told the steward to get out of the way.

Now that Swain has stepped in, they're bringing up the rules instead.

There was no immediate response from the underground furnace.

The brief silence gave Tinos a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps Swain only took a liking to Siron's talent for marksmanship and temporarily took him under his wing, without knowing the full story.

After all, he was a direct disciple of the elder.

Even if Swain is powerful, it is impossible to punish him severely without any evidence.

Tinos's eyes flickered, and he was about to continue speaking when a muffled rumble suddenly came from underground.

Boom!

The entire corridor trembled slightly.

A drop of crimson molten iron seeped from a crack in the rock, but instead of falling to the ground, it remained suspended in mid-air.

The molten iron slowly stretched and solidified into a small, crimson gun, only as thick as a finger.

The spear tip was pointed directly at Tinos.

The next moment, the weather above the workshop changed drastically.

The once clear sky suddenly darkened.

The dense moisture in the mountains seemed to be summoned, converging from all directions.

Layers of gray clouds pressed down on the roof of the workshop, while streaks of silvery lightning streaked through the clouds, emitting low, muffled sounds.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled across the mountain ridge.

The water in the courtyard pond moved without wind, and ripples spread outwards towards the corridor.

The moisture on the stone wall condensed into fine water droplets.

Each water droplet reflects the image of a mottled iron spear.

Hundreds or even thousands of iron spears spun gently with the water droplets, their tips simultaneously locking onto Tinos's vital points.

Tinos's body stiffened instantly.

He could feel that if he took another step forward, those gunshots would pierce through his body in an instant.

This is no ordinary marksmanship.

Rather, it was some kind of authority that Swain came into contact with.

Using his own spear intent, he drew upon the water vapor and lightning, briefly transforming the surrounding world into a spear domain.

Tinus had witnessed his teacher wield power.

But that time, standing at a distance, all he saw was an awe-inspiring aura.

Only now, when he became the target of the spear's intent, did he truly understand how terrifying a top-tier fourth-order expert could be.

The body's internal energy felt as if it were being suppressed by an invisible mountain.

The Azure Flame, transformed from the bloodline of the Deep Sea Azure Flame Beast, trembled incessantly, showing no sign of resistance.

The color drained from Tinos's face quickly.

The deep blue beast head let out a silent wail, and its massive body began to disintegrate from the top of its head.

Wisps of blue flame fell to the ground, but before they could even touch the stone bricks, they were completely enveloped by the moisture in the air.

A series of buzzing sounds rang out.

The flames went out.

Only a faint smell of burning and white mist remained in the corridor.

"When did my spoils become yours?"

A calm voice came from the side.

Tinos suddenly turned his head.

Siren had already reached out and grasped the iron spear without anyone noticing.

The red-hot barrel of the gun caused white smoke to rise from his palm, but there was no sign of pain on his face; he simply stared coldly at Tinos.

"If what you say is true, then whoever takes a liking to something gets to it."

"Now that I've set my sights on the Azure Ember Beast bloodline within you, can I also cut open your flesh and extract it?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples felt a chill run down their spines.

When someone else says this, it might just be a threat.

But Siren spoke too calmly.

Those grey-blue eyes even subconsciously swept over several areas of Tinos's chest and abdomen where blood vessels were densely packed, as if judging where it would be most convenient to make the incision.

The veins on Tinos's forehead throbbed.

Normally, he would never tolerate such provocation from a disciple who had only recently entered the inner courtyard.

But now, every drop of water around us looks like a gun.

The moment he makes the slightest move, Swain's attack will come.

"Silon".

Swain's voice rose again from underground.

"Step back."

Xilun did not hesitate.

He carried the iron spear, which was slightly bent by the burning embers, and slowly retreated three zhang.

This gesture softened Swain's tone slightly.

Tinos then took the opportunity to withdraw his strength.

Just when he thought things had calmed down, the small crimson gun that had been hanging in mid-air suddenly disappeared.

An unprecedented sense of crisis exploded up my spine.

Before Tinos could think, he instinctively crossed his arms in front of his chest, and the Azure Embers surged out wildly, forming a thick curtain of fire in front of him.

laugh!

A crimson spear appeared out of thin air in front of him.

There were no earth-shattering explosions.

The tip of the spear lightly touched the center of the blue fire curtain.

The moment they made contact, the power within Tinos surged outwards like a burst dam.

The Azure Ember Fire excels at burning away the opponent's energy.

But at this moment, they were instead ignited by the crimson shadow of the gun.

Tinos's expression changed drastically.

He tried to disperse the Azure Flame, but found that his own strength was out of control.

It felt like countless red-hot iron needles were piercing through my blood vessels at the same time, and intense pain instantly spread throughout my body.

"what!"

Tinos let out a suppressed roar of pain and staggered backward.

The first step was to completely extinguish the blue embers on his arm.

The second step is to rip a circular hole in the fabric at the chest.

In the third step, Tinos could no longer suppress his surging blood and qi, and he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The crimson spear shadow still hovered three inches in front of his chest.

With each step Tinos retreated, the shadow of the spear advanced.

Like a shadow following you.

Unable to get rid of it.

"Elder!"

Tinos finally panicked.

He could sense that Swain hadn't actually intended to kill him.

But the power contained within the gunshot was seeping into the depths of his body along his energy channels.

If this continues, even if he doesn't die, the Azure Ember Beast bloodline he painstakingly fused with will be severely damaged.

That will directly affect the Star Ring Ranking Tournament three months later.

"Elder Swain, it was an impulsive act on my part!"

Tinos gritted his teeth, his voice no longer carrying the arrogance of before.

"I was unaware that Xilun had become your disciple."

"Please stop, Elder!"

The expressions of those around them were subtle.

Before Siren became Swain's disciple, he could allow Tinos to break his arms and legs at will?

It turns out that the so-called inner court rules of Tinos only consider whether the other party has a powerful backer.

The underground furnace emitted a muffled roar.

Swain's cold, hard voice followed.

"You didn't know he was my disciple, so you were allowed to steal his spoils?"

"If he were just an ordinary outer court disciple, would you be able to suppress him with your cultivation level and arbitrarily ruin his future?"

Tinos broke out in a cold sweat.

The crimson spear shadow moved forward another half inch.

Before the gun even touched his skin, a thin, long bloodstain appeared on his chest.

"No."

"I was wrong."

Tinos's voice was hoarse.

These words seemed to be squeezed out from between the teeth.

Since he became an elder's disciple, when has he ever bowed his head and admitted his mistake in front of so many people?

But the aura of death emanating from his chest was all too clear.

No matter how unwilling he was, he could only swallow it.

"I shouldn't have asked for the Blue Tide Sword and the Sea Demon Blood Cotton Coat."

"It was even more inappropriate to take action in the corridor of the workshop."

"I beg Elder Swain to spare me this time."

As he uttered the last sentence, Tinos's face turned extremely grim.

The two henchmen had already lowered their heads, wishing they could hide themselves in the cracks in the rocks.

Just moments ago, they were referring to Xilun as a rogue cultivator from the outer seas, mocking him for having no powerful backing.

In the blink of an eye, Xilun became Swain's third disciple.

On the contrary, it was Tinos, whom they followed, who was forced to beg for mercy in public by a spear thrust from afar.

"roll."

Swain uttered only one word.

The crimson spear shadow on Tinos's chest instantly dissipated, transforming back into a drop of molten iron that landed on the stone brick with a thud.

But the gunshot amidst the raindrops did not disappear immediately.

Tinos dared not linger any longer.

He glanced at Xilun, a look of shame, anger, and fear flashing in his eyes, before quickly leaving the corridor with his two henchmen.

Their pace was even several times faster than when they came.

He walked several hundred steps before the aura of the gun surrounding him gradually faded.

Tinos stopped at the corner and suddenly slammed his fist into the stone wall next to him.

boom!

Stone dust flew everywhere.

"Swain..."

His chest heaved violently, and his voice was so low it was almost hoarse.

The two henchmen behind him remained silent, too terrified to utter a word.

Tinos recalled Siren's unsettlingly calm eyes.

If Swain hadn't intervened, even if he had been able to defeat Xiren, he would likely have paid a heavy price.

What exactly is that black mist?

Even a tiny spill can kill plants.

Tinos's eyes were gloomy.

However, he no longer dared to attack Xilun in the short term.

He dared not face Swain's wrath until at least the end of the Star Ring rankings.

On the other side of the corridor, the strange phenomena in the world gradually subsided.

The clouds dispersed.

The pool water returned to calm.

The steward of the equipment workshop secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Xilun, and quickly left with the nearby disciples.

When everyone left, the way they looked at Xilun was completely different.

In the past, when they, Xilun, participated in the killing of Hogg, they believed he was just a reasonably strong rogue cultivator from the outer sea.

Looking back now, this taciturn young man was not only ruthless in strength, but also had a teacher who could make the second-ranked student in the inner academy bow his head and beg for mercy.

From this day forward, few in the inner courtyard will dare to provoke him easily.