Hearing their words, Chu Xuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Value talent? Take as a disciple? A great opportunity? Their minds were indeed corrupted!
True Master Tiancang, that devourer of men who spared no bones, would never truly value anyone's talent. If he naively believed such words and went to the Reincarnation Tower, he was certain it would lead to his utter doom.
"These two are very close; the distance is minimal, and I can only slightly conceal my aura, not completely hide it," Chu Xuan thought to himself. "If they keep advancing, they are bound to discover me… Now, I must strike like thunder!"
In one hand, Chu Xuan held the corpse tower, and in the other, the ghost tower. Power surged through his right arm as if thunder roared through his veins and bones.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators continued to move forward. The taller cultivator sensed something and silently gestured towards the right side of his stout companion, who nodded silently. Spiritual qi surged within him, his palms reversed in preparation. The frost spell slowly took form.
In the next instant, the stout cultivator suddenly expended a burst of Nascent Soul essence to teleport. His frost sword pierced directly through the rock wall.
The rock wall shattered to pieces. However, instead of the figure they expected, there was only a small, lifeless corpse puppet at the original spot.
The stout cultivator's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned around. Just then, he saw a dark figure burst from the shadows, swinging a natal ghost weapon straight into the mind of the tall cultivator!
The tall cultivator didn't even have time to scream. His eyes bulged out, and he died instantly.
The stout cultivator was horrified and roared, channeling his spiritual qi, "Holy Maiden, run! He has a Ghost King!" With that, he energized his body's spiritual qi into a giant shield to protect himself.
However, the anticipated attack did not come. Instead, the man-snake Ghost King merely sneered.
Behind him, a chilling voice sounded. "I'm right behind you."
A fist, harder than steel and as fast as lightning, shot out. The punch, roaring with a terrifying force that seemed capable of crushing everything, struck fiercely.
The stout cultivator's body automatically radiated a protective light as his natal magic treasure surfaced to fend off the attack. With a loud clang, under the devastating force of the punch, the magic treasure shattered into pieces. The punch continued unabated, crushing the stout cultivator's skull into fragments.
Chu Xuan swiftly collected the remnants of the two cultivators, sorting their possessions with a flick of his hand. In an instant, he consumed more merit to activate the Mahayana Swift Escape, propelling himself deeper into the cave.
He had heard her—Leng Hanshuang had entered the cave. Her Nascent Soul stage escape technique was undoubtedly superior to his. Every second now was incredibly precious!
Moments later, Leng Hanshuang arrived at the scene. Only a pool of blood remained; the corpses of the two Nascent Soul cultivators had vanished. Unable to deduce the attacker's methods from the condition of the bodies, her only clue was the presence of a Ghost King.
"Why would a mere alchemist like He Liang possess a Ghost King? Something is definitely not right here," she thought. "Could he be connected to Huikong, who killed Yun Zhongyu and also had two Ghost Kings?"
Leng Hanshuang's brows furrowed deeply. She felt she was on the verge of unraveling something, but the threads of thought were too tangled to make sense just yet. "He values his life; he wouldn't dare venture deep into the cave. Capturing him will solve everything."
Her plan was straightforward: capture him and extract his memories. That would resolve all uncertainties.
She moved swiftly through the dark cave. As she ventured deeper, the dormant Nether Crocodiles became more numerous. At first, she could quickly dispatch them without stirring others, but eventually, even she could not advance without disturbing a swarm of them.
"Where has this damned man hidden himself?" Leng Hanshuang's expression turned increasingly impatient. She unleashed a blast of frost, freezing several Nether Crocodiles in front of her into ice sculptures. Their life force was extinguished in an instant.
In the shadowy corner, Chu Xuan silently observed the movements of the Reincarnation Divine Sect's Holy Maiden, weighing his options on how to handle her. He had two choices: one, to keep hiding until she lost patience and left on her own; or two, to strike out, aiming to kill or capture her.
"This Holy Maiden of the Reincarnation Divine Sect must have numerous trump cards, possibly even treasures bestowed by an Astral Projection Ancestor. Killing her would surely be difficult," he reasoned. "Even if I managed to kill her by chance, the Reincarnation Divine Sect would definitely be alerted. They would then likely tighten security at the teleportation formations, making my escape impossible. Rather than taking aggressive action, it might be wiser to wait quietly."
Chu Xuan solidified his decision and remained motionless. Although he commanded two Ghost Kings, a Corpse King, and had the strength of the thirty-first layer of body refinement, facing a Holy Maiden with numerous resources at her disposal, he estimated only a sixty to seventy percent chance of victory. Engaging in a battle without certain victory was not a risk worth taking.
However, while he intended to remain hidden, Leng Hanshuang was not about to give him that chance.
"He Liang! Come out! Come out now!" Leng Hanshuang bellowed in rage, casting spells indiscriminately. She had lost her temper completely. What she had thought would be a simple task—capturing someone to vent her frustration—had resulted in the death of her personal guards.
The Divine Guide, a treasure given by her ancestor, was being wasted here. If she failed to capture him, how could she face returning without success?
Her unrestrained attacks quickly stirred the environment. Thunderous noises echoed through the cave, reaching far and wide.
The sound of awakening Nether Crocodiles filled the air. Their crimson eyes snapped open and converged toward the source of the noise.
The rustling of numerous Nether Crocodiles moving rapidly reached Chu Xuan's ears, and his expression changed drastically.
"This madwoman! To force me out, she's willing to disturb the Nether Crocodiles sleeping in this cave!" He realized. She might even draw out the Dark Falcons and Dark Devouring Worms from deeper within.
This could potentially lead to a situation where they both perished.
No, not a mutual destruction.
Chu Xuan quickly regained his composure. As a Holy Maiden, Leng Hanshuang undoubtedly had life-saving measures at her disposal. Her confidence in stirring up the ancient beasts was a testament to that. Faced with a horde of ancient beasts, he knew he couldn't linger without being forced out. What should he do?
Could he escape using the Blood Mirror?
Suddenly, a section of the rock wall in front of Chu Xuan silently vanished. His scalp tingled. Spatial rifts! More and more spatial rifts were appearing. Indeed, disturbing a large number of ancient beasts was leading to an increase in spatial rifts, which would ultimately trigger the collapse of the extraterritorial battlefield.
He must not use the Blood Mirror to leave from here. If he did, he would never be able to return to this world of cultivation for the rest of his life!
The only option left was to kill Leng Hanshuang, burst out of the cave, and escape the battlefield via the teleportation formation.
Chu Xuan took a deep breath. His gaze turned icy.
"I've never liked conflict. Why must you force me?"