Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

At that moment, Randall suddenly laughed.

"What a coincidence, I heard that Junior Brother Xilun and Tinos don't get along very well."

He slowly rose, pulled the dark gold longsword stuck in the ground, and the frost on the blade gleamed coldly in the dim blue firelight.

"I also don't like Tinos."

Everyone was taken aback.

Xilun looked at him.

Randall appeared calm, yet there was an undeniable sharpness about him.

“I know he has a grudge against you,” Randall said. “I have one against him too.”

"you?"

"Our two families are sworn enemies."

Randall spoke casually, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"That old man from the Tinos family killed members of my Rand family at sea years ago. Later, the two families fought for decades over trade routes and territories, resulting in countless deaths. When I came to the monastery, I was no match for him, and I usually didn't like to get close to him."

He paused, a slightly self-deprecating smile appearing on his lips.

It's not that I'm afraid of him, it's that I don't want to give him a chance.

Xilun nodded.

Tinos has completed the sixth stage of the Golden Lightning Vortex Technique, placing him among the top ten in the Inner Academy.

Although Randall is ranked tenth, there is still a considerable gap between him and Tinos.

"But things are different now." Randall looked at Siron. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"If you want to go to the Blackwater tributary, I'll go with you for a while. If the two of you go together, you'll at least have some way to protect yourselves if you encounter Tinos. Even if you're really outmatched, you won't be left without even a chance to crush your identity token."

Xilun did not agree immediately.

He doesn't like to entrust his life to others.

But Randall had left a good impression on him at the previous second gathering point.

The other party is straightforward, has sufficient strength, and does indeed have a conflict of interest with Tinos.

Moreover, once you enter the Blackwater tributary, the environment itself becomes the biggest enemy.

Having another reliable companion is not a bad thing.

"Alright," Siren said, "but once inside, each of you must save your own life."

Randall burst into laughter.

"That suits me perfectly."

The two decided to set off, and the atmosphere in the camp suddenly became subtle.

Some people think they're crazy.

Some people had shifty eyes, clearly considering whether to follow behind and try to take advantage of the situation.

But most people simply watched in silence.

They may not dare to enter, but they cannot deny that the choices made by Xilun and Randall at this moment are the most fundamental difference between the strong and ordinary people.

True strength is never about being unafraid of death.

Rather, even after recognizing the danger, they are still willing to take that step for a better view.

""

Over the next half hour, people kept coming.

The first to arrive was an inner court disciple who had seen Xilun outside the Linglong Tower.

He bowed deeply to Siron, thanking him for saving Angel in the nameless canyon.

"Senior Sister Angel has already returned to the outer perimeter," the disciple said. "She asked me to thank her for you when I see her."

Xilun simply nodded.

Then two more people came. One brought a bottle of Deep Blue Potion, which was specially designed to resist water pressure, and the other brought a piece of parchment with a simple route drawn on it.

"Senior Brother Xilun, this medicine is from home. It should last a while."

"This is the path my brother drew when he crossed the Blackwater tributary. It may not be accurate, but you can take a look."

Someone else placed a fragrant pill that could temporarily dispel pollution in front of Xilun, looking somewhat reserved.

"Senior brother, please accept this."

Xilun looked at these things and remained silent for a moment.

He is not used to accepting kindness without reason.

But he also knew that these people were not giving alms.

Some people do it out of admiration, some out of gratitude, and some simply want to do their part, however small, for those who dare to move forward in this oppressive environment.

"I'll take the medicine and the route," Siren said. "Keep the rest for yourself."

The disciple who delivered the medicine visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Be careful, senior brother."

Xilun put the deep blue potion into his pocket and then unfolded the parchment to take a look.

Several dangerous spots were marked on the paper with messy handwriting.

Elena stood to the side and rewrapped the bandage around his left shoulder.

Her movements were very light, her long silver-gray hair falling down and brushing against the back of Xilun's hand.

"Don't push yourself," she whispered.

"Um."

Don't try to fool me.

"I don't."

Elena looked up and glared at him, but seeing that he still looked serious, her frustration only intensified.

This person is always like this.

Even though they were going to the most dangerous place, they made it sound as calm as if they were just going for a walk in a martial arts training ground.

She wanted to say that she would go too.

But reason told her that her affinity for water was far inferior to that of Xilun.

In a place like the Blackwater tributary, if she went in, she would likely be a hindrance rather than a help.

She could only suppress her impulse.

"I will stay near the camp," she said. "If you don't come out within half a day, I will go back to find the elder."

Xilun nodded.

"it is good."

Randall finished packing his things and came over.

"Let's go."

Siren took one last look at Elena.

Elena didn't say anything more, but just gripped the silver-gray disc in her hand tightly.

The next moment, Xiren and Randall walked one after the other toward the black slope at the end of the stone plain.

Gray fog churned behind them.

Further away, a tall figure draped in a black robe slowly opened his eyes.

The man sat on a boulder soaked in black water, with six lightning patterns faintly visible around his body.

His gaze pierced through the mist and landed on the receding figures of Xiren and Randall walking side by side into the distance.

Tinos slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Those two damned people, they've ended up together."

The black slope descends all the way down.

The further down you go, the dimmer the light becomes.

At first, we could still see the gray-white sky, but as we walked on, all that remained above us was a dark expanse obscured by a thick fog.

The air was so humid it was almost dripping wet; with each breath, it felt like my lungs were being immersed in a cold, deep sea.

Siren and Randall walked one after the other without exchanging a word.

Both of them were adjusting their breathing.

Randall activated the Ice Breathing Technique, and a thin layer of white frost rose around his body, keeping out the black water and dampness that were trying to invade his body.

Even so, his brows remained furrowed with seriousness, clearly indicating that the environment here was even worse than when he last entered.

Xilun then instigated the Sea Overturning Technique.

His strength was as steady as the tide, and now, with the increase of water vapor around him, he felt as if he were a fish entering the sea.

However, this sea is too dark, too heavy, and too cold.

Every wisp of black water seeping into the air seemed to carry an indescribable sense of death.

The Thunder Dragon Heart of Xilun beats slowly.

The lightning energy traveled through the muscles and bones, gradually eradicating the cold and impurities that had invaded the body.

After walking more than a hundred steps, the slope finally came to an end.

Ahead appeared an astonishingly wide stream of black water.

It does not surge forward.

The water surface was calm and still, like a huge black mirror lying across the cracks in the mountain.

The surrounding rock walls are towering and riddled with holes, from which black water seeps drop by drop and flows into the tributary below.

Strangely, the black water made no sound when it fell.

There was no ticking sound.

There was no sound of flowing water.

The entire place was so quiet it made one's heart tighten.

"This is a tributary."

Randall stood on the shore, his voice extremely low.

Xilun did not get too close.

His brow tingled slightly with heat, and his Thunder Eagle perception spread out, quickly detecting countless tiny and chaotic fluctuations underwater.

It looks somewhat like a swimming fish.

Some, however, are so large that they resemble mountain ridges submerged underwater.

Xilun stared at the black water.

The water was much more viscous than that of ordinary rivers, and its color was not pure black, but rather a mixture of dark red, dark green, and dark gray.

Occasionally, bubbles rise from underwater, and when they burst, a distorted human face is revealed before vanishing without a trace.

"This water can hold its own," Randall said. "Don't touch it directly."

Xilun crouched down, picked up a pebble, and threw it into the water.

As soon as the pebbles touched the water's surface, they seemed to sink into the mud, slowly.

Within a few breaths, the surface of the stone was covered with black spots, and then it silently turned into powder.

Randall's expression darkened further.

"It wasn't this serious last time."

Siren looked up: "The wonderland is changing."

"Yes." Randall nodded. "The closer we get to the end, the more unstable the Blackwater Abyss becomes. The elders have said before that this place is like a living thing. It swallows the dead and spews out things that shouldn't exist."

Xilun seemed to be deep in thought.

He recalled the killing formation at the bottom of the lake on the shore of the sunken star.

I thought of the six-armed, faceless statue's remains, and of the being at the bottom of the sea that had not yet fully awakened.

Wonderland is never a simple little world.

Every place where special rules are formed may hold secrets from long ago.

Randall took out a thin silver needle, pricked his finger, dripped a drop of blood onto his palm, and then used his cold air to condense it into a thin layer of ice film.

"I'll give it a try first."

He threw the ice membrane into the black water.

As soon as the ice membrane floated above the water's surface, it was pulled by an invisible suction force.

Randall's expression changed slightly, and he clenched his fist tightly, unleashing a surge of cold energy that forcefully pulled back the ice membrane.

However, when the ice membrane flew back, only half of it remained.

The remaining part turned black and smelled of decay.

"There's something in the water," Randall whispered.

Xilun nodded.

He sensed it too.

An aura is slowly approaching from beneath the black water.

very slow.

But he was extremely patient.

Like a giant beast lurking in the sea, it has spotted its prey on the shore but is in no hurry to attack.

Xilun gripped the Thunder Spear tightly.

The golden lightning bolt inside the gun trembled slightly.

Randall also drew his dark gold longsword.

Just as the two were on high alert, they suddenly heard footsteps behind them.

The footsteps were slow.

With each step, the gravel on the ground trembled slightly.

"I thought it was someone else."

A deep voice came from the mist, carrying an undisguised chill.

"So it was the two of you."

Silen and Randall turned around at the same time.

The gray mist was torn apart by a powerful aura.

Tinos walked slowly towards him.

He was tall and wore a dark blue robe with fine, flowing thunder patterns on its surface.

Six golden lightning patterns spread from his wrist to his chest and abdomen, emitting a subtle yet unsettling light in the dim mist.

He was followed by a person.

The man had a long, narrow face, held a double-edged halberd, and possessed a formidable aura; he was none other than Roy, ranked fifteenth in the inner academy.

Tinos stopped about ten steps away, his gaze first falling on Randall, then turning to Xiren.

His eyes were indifferent.

Yet it carries a sense of condescending scrutiny.

It was as if the two people in front of him were not adversaries to be wary of, but merely stones that happened to be blocking his way.

"Randall," Tinos chuckled, "You usually run away from me like the plague, so why do you have the nerve to come here today?"

Randall tightened his grip on the knife slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"The Blackwater Abyss is not your private property."

"Of course not."

Tinos's gaze swept over Xiren.

"However, there are some places that not just anyone can come to."

Roy took a half-step forward with a cold smile.

"Sirlen, I've heard you've been making quite a splash lately, defeating Herbert, repelling the three Bazel brothers, and even daring to fight Lancelot. Do you really think you can stand up to Lord Tinos?"

Xilun ignored him.

His attention remained focused on Tinos.

This was the first time he had truly faced Tinos directly.

In the past, although the two sides had met in the inner courtyard, they were separated by distance and their feelings were ultimately only superficial.

Only now did Xiren truly understand why Tinos was able to consistently rank among the top ten in the Inner Court.

The other party's aura was too heavy.

Six interwoven lightning patterns resembled six layers of thunderclouds pressing down on the earth.

Although Tinos did not use much strength, the surrounding mist was already dispelled by the pressure emanating from his body.

Even the ground seemed unable to bear it.

Tiny pebbles rolled outwards one by one, and all the grass and trees were flattened as if they had been crushed.

Xilun's Overturning Sea Technique circulated on its own, and three golden lightning patterns slowly lit up.

The Thunder Dragon's Heart beat faster and faster, bringing with it an almost instinctive fighting spirit.

Strong.

very strong.

Much better than Lancelot.

It is also far superior to the likes of Samuel and Herbert.

This is the true existence of the third-tier extreme realm.

Randall clearly felt the pressure, his expression tightening slightly.

Tinos, however, seemed quite pleased with their reaction.

"Are you two planning to team up against me?"

"Don't get me wrong," Randall said coldly. "I just feel unlucky whenever I see you."

Tinos's smile deepened.

"Still so stubborn."

He raised his hand, and a tiny arc of lightning crackled from his palm.

The lightning bolt struck the ground with a crack, instantly creating a charred crack on the surface of the black rock.

"I didn't want to pay any attention to you."

"But you all insisted on coming here."

Tinos glanced at the Blackwater tributary, then looked back at Xiren and Randall, his tone nonchalant.

"The benefits of the Blackwater Abyss are limited, and there's no need to let irrelevant people take them. Since we've come across it, I'll send you out first."

Randall's eyes were cold.

"You want to drive us out of this wonderland?"

"There's no need to kill you," Tinos said calmly. "Just crush your identity tokens and get out of here. Otherwise, you'll end up in the Blackwater and die a horrible death, causing trouble for the monastery."

Roy grinned and said, "Senior Brother Tinos is kind; don't be ungrateful."

Xilun finally spoke.

"What if we don't leave?"

Tinos looked at him.

After a brief silence, he smiled.

"Then we'll beat you until you leave."

boom!

The moment he finished speaking, Tinos's aura suddenly erupted.

Six lightning patterns lit up simultaneously.

A massive surge of lightning swept out, as if the entire hillside had been struck by an invisible hammer. The black rock beneath Randall's feet cracked open, and his robes were whipped about by the raging lightning.

Roy moved at the same time.

The double-edged halberd drew two dark arcs, heading straight for Xilun's old wound on his left shoulder.

Clearly, he had already noticed that Xilen had a shoulder injury.

Xilun's eyes turned cold.

The Thunder Spear was raised horizontally.

clang!

The spears and halberds clashed, and a sharp, metallic sound suddenly rang out.

Roy felt an immense, overwhelming force surge through his short halberd, and his arms went numb instantly.

Before the sneer on his face had faded, Xilun had already taken a step forward.

Canglang Step.

The black rocks beneath his feet shattered, and Xilun's figure moved like a wave rushing along the ground. He spun the Canglei Spear, and the tip of the spear trailed out a line of lightning that was interwoven with blue, white and gold.

Roy's pupils contracted sharply, and he hurriedly parried with his halberd.

Ke Xilun's shot did not meet the test head-on.

The gun slid downwards like water, avoiding the blade of the short halberd, and then suddenly sprang up.

Sevenfold Tide Force!

boom!

Roy felt as if a giant wave had crashed against his chest. He let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps, his boots carving two deep furrows in the ground.

He had just regained his footing when he was horrified to find that Xilun had already put away his gun and stood still, as if it had just been a casual strike.

"you……"

Roy's face darkened.

Xilun did not pursue.

Because Tinos has already moved.

A thick bolt of lightning struck down from his palm, moving so fast that it gave no one time to react.

The lightning was not the usual bluish-white, but rather a deep, oppressive gold. As it struck, the air itself emitted a shrill, unbearable creak.

Randall roared and slashed horizontally with his Frost Tide Blade.

The phantom of the ice tiger roared out.

Boom!

Lightning and ice tiger collided in mid-air, exploding into large shards of ice and golden arcs of electricity.

Randall was jolted back two steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

With a casual strike, Tinos had already put him at a disadvantage.

"Randall, you still haven't improved much."

Tinos walked step by step.

With each step taken, the lightning on the ground intensified.

Xilun's fingers tightened slowly around the gun.

He knew that the real battle had only just begun.

At that very moment, a deep, muffled thud suddenly came from beneath the previously silent tributary of the black water.

Boom!

It sounded like a giant bell being struck underwater.

Tinos paused slightly in his steps.

Randall's expression changed drastically.

Xilun's pupils contracted, and he abruptly turned to look at the black water.

The calm water surface was suddenly rippled with dark waves.

In the center of the ripples, a massive, suffocating black shadow was slowly rising.

The black water surged and waves rose suddenly.

The immense and ancient aura emanating from the depths of the water reverberated like muffled thunder, but the few people confronting each other on the shore had no time to delve into what kind of colossal creature was hidden beneath the surface.

Tinos didn't even glance at Xilun. In his eyes, a mere newcomer who had only recently entered the inner court and had some fortuitous encounters was not worthy of being his opponent.

Only Randall, the direct descendant of a sworn enemy family and the tenth-ranked swordsman in the inner court, was barely qualified to let him stretch his muscles.

"Randall, since you insist on courting death, we'll start by collecting interest on your old scores from both families today." Tinos sneered, taking a half-step forward with his tall frame.

boom!

Six dark golden lightning patterns twisted and swirled around him like living things, and the domineering power of lightning and fire swept out, instantly crushing the hard black rock on the ground into dust.

Randall's expression was extremely solemn. He held his dark gold longsword horizontally, and a chilling, frost-white blade aura roared out, attempting to block Tinos's approach.

However, the gap in strength was laid bare at this moment.

Without moving, Tinos simply flicked his wrist, and the golden lightning and fire in the sky transformed into raging waves of air, crushing the frost blades that Randall had unleashed inch by inch.

Amidst the ear-piercing metallic clang, Randall's body shuddered violently, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ground. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and dark red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Too weak."