Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 333 The Eternal Heavenly Demon Above, Please Save This Disciple from Calamity!
"It's you?"

When Jianying Zhenjun emerged from the spirit shuttle, he saw Xiao Chen floating in the air not far away, with the faint phantom of Xuanwu surrounding him.

If you look a little further away, you can also see three small, dark dots at the horizon behind the other side.

That is the Three Leaf Islands, and also the location of the Zhaokong Sect's mountain gate.

In the past, this distance would have been nothing more than a fleeting moment for a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

However, it now seems to have become an insurmountable barrier.

The moment the True Lord of Mirroring saw the situation clearly, his mind went blank with a 'buzz'.

He couldn't understand how Xiao Chen could appear in this place so quickly.

Previously, after the True Lord of Shadow Observation used this ancestral treasure, the Spirit Shuttle, to escape thousands of miles away, in order to prevent being pursued.

He continued to drive the shuttle at full speed throughout the rest of the journey.

It's important to know that this Spirit Shuttle isn't just capable of unleashing astonishing speed when fully activated.

It's also incredibly fast for everyday travel.

Although the founder of the Zhaokong Sect had limited spiritual materials, the spiritual shuttle was a bit small and not impressive enough to carry around.

In terms of practical function alone, it is in no way inferior to other large shuttles.

Theoretically speaking, even if Xiao Chen had abandoned the fight immediately and chased after him, he shouldn't have been able to catch up at all.

The problem is that the other side arrived at the Three Leaf Islands a step ahead of them.

They even went so far as to break the spirit shuttle, clearly intending to cut off any possibility of them repeating their old tricks and escaping again.

While skillfully conjuring his spirit shield, True Monarch Jianying prepared for any subsequent attacks.

He hurriedly used his true essence to check the damage to the spirit shuttle.

Good news: the damage to the spirit shuttle is not serious; only a small piece of spirit pattern has fallen off, and the subsequent repairs are not complicated.

The bad news is that the piece of spirit rune that fell off was extremely crucial.

Until the repairs are completed, it will no longer be possible to use the spiritual liquid to activate the ultimate state for escape.

It can be said that the part that should never have broken was damaged.

How could this be?
The Mirror Shadow True Monarch's heart sank again. The Spirit Shuttle was clearly equipped with a defensive array, which should have been enough to withstand a surprise attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, Xiao Chen's attack actually penetrated the defensive array directly.

The problem is, didn't he just break through to the Nascent Soul stage not long ago?
Recalling the intelligence sent back by the Wang family patriarch last time, which mentioned a strange talisman, I realized that...

And Xiao Chen's previous use of a secret treasure to counter their ambush.

The only explanation is that he also used additional secret artifacts for pursuit.

Thinking of this, True Lord Jianying couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What a spendthrift!"

Dealing with the sea creatures is one thing, but why waste precious treasures to hunt down the two of them?
What grudge do you hold against each other?
The key question is, is it really worth it?
The True Lord of Mirror Image naturally regarded Xiao Chen as the kind of spoiled brat who relied on the various top-level secret treasures bestowed upon him by his elders to run wild outside.

Because he couldn't imagine that a newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator could catch up with his own Spirit Shuttle using escape techniques.

It can also unleash extremely powerful spells in battle.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please hear me out!"

After clarifying the 'truth', the Mirror Image Master promptly began to persuade: "You and I have no past grudges. We have only become enemies because of our different positions."

"Things have come to this point, there's absolutely no need for us to continue fighting."

“I am fully willing to admit defeat and can lead my sect disciples to apologize to you, fellow Daoist. From now on, I will turn over a new leaf and serve by your side.”

"Fellow Daoist, you may also put away the secret treasure to avoid a futile waste."

"Those valuable methods should be used to fight the sea creatures, why use them on our own people?"

Ok?
Xiao Chen was somewhat puzzled by what he heard.

What are you babbling about?

Who are you guys?

When you betrayed humanity, did you ever think that we were on your side?
Faced with this situation, Xiao Chen was too lazy to waste any more words with him.

He swiftly raised his hand and delivered a slap: "Go ahead and tell those human cultivators who were killed about your repentance."

"I'm always kind-hearted, I can take you down to meet them for free, no need to thank me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the raging flames crashed into the spirit shield, producing a piercing explosion.

"Wow~!"

A large amount of seawater quickly flowed upstream and into the shield, working together to reduce the power of the flames.

"Tsk, it's even a custom water-based spirit shield, what a hassle."

Upon seeing this, Xiao Chen couldn't help but frown slightly.

Although both Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Golden Core True Monarchs use spiritual weapons, their actual combat performances are completely different.

You could even say they're worlds apart, one in the heavens and the other on the earth.

Ordinary spiritual artifacts that only require a few dozen strands of true essence to activate are beneath the notice of newly promoted Golden Core cultivators with even a little ambition.

However, it is a custom-made spiritual weapon that incorporates various special and rare materials.

It is several times, even dozens of times, more powerful than a high-quality spiritual weapon with two stages of spiritual ascension.

Xiao Chen had been curious for a long time about why there had never been a particularly detailed classification of spiritual artifact grades in the entire Eastern Region from ancient times to the present.

I only recently came across a related explanation while browsing through the Tiangang Sect's collection of books.

There are reportedly two possible reasons.

Firstly, fourth-tier spiritual materials are relatively rare, and once something is used, it's gone.

Therefore, the rare spiritual materials that different cultivators possess are generally quite different.

When it comes to forging, many differences often emerge.

Secondly, starting with the Nascent Soul True Monarch, everyone stopped using spiritual artifacts forged according to fixed templates.

After all, once you reach this level of cultivation, you're either a sect leader or a supreme elder, and even a rogue cultivator is a powerful figure in your own right.

They often make up for their weaknesses or strengthen their strengths based on their own path of cultivation.

A certain magical artifact may seem ordinary to others.

However, in the hands of the most suitable person, it can produce an exceptionally amazing effect.

Therefore, due to the wide variety of customized spirit artifacts and the difficulty in defining the upper and lower limits of the same spirit artifact, there is no spirit artifact grade classification that can be universally recognized.

So they simply summarized them all as the vague term "customized magical artifacts".

Last time, when Xiao Chen was chasing the Wang family patriarch, he encountered a special custom-made spirit shield.

He fought for a full half hour before finally breaking the spirit shield.

If the Wang family patriarch had been wealthier, he would have added a few more rare materials when he commissioned that spirit shield.

Or perhaps he was carrying two custom-made spirit shields at the same time.

Therefore, the final battle will likely drag on for more than an hour, and may even last until Xiao Chen's true energy is nearly exhausted and he is unable to continue the pursuit.

That's why he suddenly remembered this at this time.

It's because the situation we'll be facing this time is pretty much the same.

Heaven knows what True Monarch Jianying was thinking when he incorporated water-based spiritual materials into the spirit shield.

Furthermore, its grade is quite high; even if it's not fifth-tier, it's at least a high-grade fourth-tier.

It can provide particularly effective resistance against fire-based techniques like the Crimson Sky Mountain-Splitting Palm.

In addition, there was also the True Lord of Breaking Illusion, who, although looking fearful, also possessed a custom-made spiritual shield.

If Xiao Chen still uses the Crimson Sky Mountain-Splitting Palm to deal with the two of them.

Then he might really have to face the problem of insufficient total true essence.

Even though he is a newly promoted True Lord and has far surpassed his peers, he is still relatively new to the game and his experience is not yet sufficient.

It seems that the True Lord of Image Observation also noticed this.

His eyes couldn't help but light up.

That's great! His spiritual shield seems to be very effective against the fire magic used by Xiao Chen!
Oh my, this is truly a blessing from our ancestors.

Unexpectedly, this precious ancestral spirit shield came true at this very moment.

"Junior brother, don't panic! Let's stick together and fight the enemy side by side!"

Immediately, True Monarch Jianying excitedly commanded, "With this three-ring heavy water shield, he, a fire cultivator, can't do anything to the two of us."

Of course, he wasn't overly proud of himself.

Instead, he continued to persuade Xiao Chen, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I'll say it again."

"Things have come to this point, there's absolutely no need for us to continue fighting."

As he spoke, True Monarch Jianying took out a bell: "I'm not afraid to tell you that this demonic weapon in my hand comes from the once-powerful Black Abyss Demonic Sect."

"Besides summoning the phantom of a demon, it can also stimulate demonic energy to pollute one's true essence and divine consciousness when necessary."

"If you don't want to make peace, you might as well back off today."

"I can be more magnanimous and pretend that what happened when you damaged the Spirit Shuttle never happened."

"But if you continue to use your family heirloom to make things difficult for me, then don't blame me for being impolite."

"Whether to fight or make peace, Fellow Daoist Xiao, you must carefully consider this carefully."

The words of the True Lord of Mirror Shadow were a mix of appeasement and coercion, with the main purpose of hoping that Xiao Chen would back down.

After all, he was not confident that he could break through Xiao Chen's life-saving methods and completely eliminate him.

They also hoped the battle would end quickly so he could return to the sect's warehouse to pack his things.

He knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time; once human reinforcements arrived, he wouldn't have time to evacuate.

However, Xiao Chen did not respond.

Instead, he took out a water-based spiritual object from his bosom, mixed it with a purple-gold Bodhi fruit, and swallowed it on the spot.

Instantly, he was surrounded by an exceptionally rich water elemental energy, and his mind became clearer.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, don't force me!"

The Mirror Image True Lord recognized the Purple Gold Bodhi Fruit and also identified it as a water-based spiritual object.

So I can't understand what Xiao Chen is planning to do with this inexplicable thing.

Why would a fire cultivator suddenly use water-based spiritual objects and enlightenment spiritual objects?
But it was precisely because the True Lord of Shadows could not understand it that he felt even more terrified.

They were afraid this was some kind of special method.

While channeling his true essence to power the spirit shield for defense, he warned sternly, "Xiao Chen, if you insist on a fight to the death, I will use my demonic weapon."

"I know your family background is impressive, but let me tell you, I'm now at my wit's end!"

"If I'm really driven to the brink, I'm capable of anything!"

In any case, True Monarch Jianying has already offended all the major sects of the Compassionate Sea and betrayed the Sea Clan. At worst, he might offend another reclusive lineage.

As the saying goes, too many lice won't bite, and too many debts won't worry you.

However, even though he was already hoarse from shouting, Xiao Chen remained unmoved.

He simply stood still and slowly activated his true energy, then somewhat awkwardly made hand seals, condensing three light blue water needles in front of him.

Ok?
The True Lord of Mirror Image was completely bewildered. After all that, this was all?
He finally understood Xiao Chen's intention. He simply felt that fire magic wasn't working well, so he decided to switch to water magic.

The problem is, look at his clumsy movements and the slow, drawn-out speed at which he casts spells.

It's not hard to tell that this person has just begun their cultivation.

What good is this kind of magic?!
The Mirroring True Monarch almost laughed. Everyone here is already a Nascent Soul cultivator, not a Qi Refining cultivator fighting. Why are you still playing these fancy little tricks?
At this level, if you don't master a spell to perfection, it's basically as if you don't know it at all.

Only after achieving great success can they pose a real threat.

He even suspected that Xiao Chen had been so accommodating to the servants at home that he had no real combat experience.
If that's the case, perhaps I've overestimated the other person's abilities?

A hint of killing intent flashed in Jianying Zhenjun's eyes.

Since we'll be changing our appearance anyway when we get to the Stormy Sea, if possible, we should take a few more storage rings with us before leaving the Compassionate Sea.
He could see clearly that Xiao Chen had four rings on his hand.

However, before he could make a decision, the three light blue water needles finally solidified.

"Phew, this is really exhausting."

Although Xiao Chen had previously studied magic spells, he had not yet practiced them.

With the help of the spiritual object, he focused intently on guiding the water elemental energy according to the instructions.

At the same time, thanks to the Purple Gold Bodhi Fruit and the experience of cultivating the Cold Light Ice Soul Needle, he finally managed to successfully cast the spell.

"go with!"

He pointed forward, and the Azure Wave Penetrating Needle, which had been ready for a long time, immediately shot out.

Upon impacting the spirit shield, it melted instantly, turning into a small droplet of water that attempted to slowly seep into the shield.

If it encounters enemy true energy expulsion midway, it will explode on the spot, causing secondary damage to the spirit shield.

The True Lord of Mirror Shadow never expected that such a barely executed spell would have such great power.

His reaction was a beat too slow, which resulted in two obvious marks being left on the spirit shield.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this doesn't seem to do much damage. If you concentrate similar attacks on the same spot a few more times, you can pierce two large holes in the spirit shield.

"No, there's something wrong with your spell!"

The Mirror Impression Master immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Although he didn't know the underlying reasons, he knew that such a thing couldn't be allowed to happen again.

Seeing that Xiao Chen was actually trying to use the same trick again.

He immediately called out to True Monarch Powang: "Junior Brother, come with me and stop his attack!"

The two immediately unleashed their spells, attacking from the left and right.

However, Xiao Chen remained calm and methodically used the Azure Wave Penetrating Needle once again.

The incoming spells crashed into the Four Symbols Mountain-Suppressing Barrier, producing a violent sound.

However, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about him in the short term, and it will not have any impact whatsoever.

With the help of the Purple-Gold Bodhi Fruit, Xiao Chen focused his attention and concentrated on casting spells, adding another mark to the opponent's spiritual shield.

After repeating this process only six times, a noticeable crack appeared on the spirit shield.

What terrified Jianying Zhenjun even more was...

With repeated practice, Xiao Chen's movements became faster and smoother, clearly indicating that he was beginning to become familiar with the spell.

Such a rapid pace of progress terrified him.

During a magical duel, one can learn new spells on the spot and unleash their immense power.

This is utterly ridiculous, but it really happened.

The Master of Image Observation was practically going crazy.

Even the True Monarch of Breaking Illusion was dumbfounded, unable to believe that Xiao Chen had actually reached the Nascent Soul stage several years later than him.

"Damn it, you forced me to do this!"

The True Lord of Mirror Shadow could no longer remain calm. His eyes turned red, and he took out the offerings he had prepared earlier from his storage ring.

It consisted of the hearts and livers of a loving couple, the lungs of a father and son, the spleen and kidneys of a mother and son, and a large amount of refined essence blood, all selected from hundreds of Golden Core cultivators.

"By the Eternal Demon King, your disciple offers this sacrifice today, begging for your grace."

The True Lord of Mirroring turned the bell upside down and quickly threw all the offerings into it.

Then, skillfully employing his magical powers, he began the ceremony.

In just a short moment, accompanied by a burst of intense blood-red light, the offerings inside the bell melted into a single mass, transforming into a wisp of pitch-black demonic energy.

"By the eternal demons above, please deliver this disciple from calamity!"

With a loud shout, the True Lord of Mirroring spat out a mouthful of his essence blood, which landed in the demonic energy.

Having received the essence and blood of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, the demonic energy immediately grew several times stronger.

At the same time, a faint connection was established between them.

Finally, the True Monarch of Mirror Image pointed at Xiao Chen, and the demonic energy transformed into a long snake that rushed straight towards him.

The moment the snake's head touched the Four Symbols Mountain-Suppressing Cover, it corroded a large hole and easily burrowed inside.

Then it went straight down the temple and entered Xiao Chen's body.

In the blink of an eye, the entire process took only two breaths.

"Senior brother, when...?"

True Monarch Powang finally realized what was happening and looked at his senior brother in disbelief.

He never expected that his senior brother, who seemed perfectly normal, was secretly practicing demonic arts, and appeared to be extremely proficient in them.

In fact, even when people reach the Nascent Soul True Monarch realm, they don't completely reject demonic arts.

Many cultivators would consider secretly practicing a blood escape technique or a similar life-saving method.

It's just that it won't be used as the main method of cultivation.

However, it is now difficult for True Monarch Powang to estimate how far his senior brother has gone down the demonic path.

"Junior brother, let's not talk about this anymore."

The True Lord of Mirror Image had lost a lot of his essence and blood, and his face was somewhat pale: "I'm keeping some things from you for your own good. I will tell you when the time is right."

"Kill Xiao Chen, then let's go to the Storm Sea."

As he spoke, he cast another spell, preparing to end the battle.

However, Xiao Chen's Azure Wave Penetrating Needle was already prepared and landed precisely on the crack from before.

"Crack!"

The crack suddenly widened, and several nearby inscriptions also shattered.

The light on the spirit shield dimmed instantly, and the surrounding countercurrent of seawater lost its pulling force and fell back down.

Without the support of the environment, its effectiveness against fire magic is greatly reduced.

Even now that the spirit shield is damaged, if fire is strong and water is weak, it is very likely that the relationship will reverse and the element of restraint will be reversed.

However, at this moment, True Monarch Jianying could no longer concern himself with the issue of the spirit shield.

He stood there, stunned, staring blankly at Xiao Chen, who was unharmed and completely unaffected.

He muttered to himself, "How could this be? How is this possible? I should have been under the influence of demonic energy, so why is there no reaction?"

His gaze shifted from confusion to understanding, but his tone gradually became frantic.

"I understand, it's all an illusion."

"Hahaha, it's just a trick to fool people. They must have used some kind of hallucinogenic treasure."

"Hmph, I've seen through you completely. You can't fool me!"

Seeing that something was wrong, True Monarch Powang reminded him with concern, "Senior Brother, this is not an illusion. The spiritual shield is about to shatter."

Having lost control, another Azure Wave Penetrating Needle landed precisely on the crack once more.

Finally, the obstructive spirit shield was completely shattered.

However, the True Lord of Shadows ignored this and began to cast spells to try to counter the illusion.

Whether it's silently reciting calming mantras or using soothing magic, they've already fallen into a state of frenzy.

In fact, normally, a Nascent Soul True Monarch would not act in this way.

However, since the True Monarch of Shadow Observation had just established a connection with the demonic energy using his own blood essence, he was also affected to some extent.

If they win the battle, they may only need some time to recover.

However, he happened to encounter Xiao Chen, who completely ignored the demonic energy.

At the same time, he did several almost unbelievable things in a very short period of time.

A series of stimuli, coupled with the side effects of the complete loss of demonic energy, and the effects produced by the demonic energy itself.

A combination of factors finally drove him into a state of madness.

"Senior brother, what's wrong with you? Wake up!"

The True Lord of Delusion stepped forward and stood in front of the True Lord of Mirror Image.

He used his own spirit shield to protect both of them at the same time.

He grabbed his senior brother's arm and shook it hard, saying, "This is not an illusion, senior brother, you are not under an illusion."

He was extremely anxious, after all, he was no match for Xiao Chen on his own.

"Pfft~!"

The True Lord of Breaking Illusion suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and looked down in astonishment.

All that could be seen was that the True Lord of Mirror Shadow had already plunged his hand into his chest and crushed his heart.

"Hmph, Xiao Chen, you brat, you dare to pretend to be my junior brother to deceive me? I've seen through you. Die!"

Not content with that, he flashed a bloody light in his hand and skillfully used the Blood Refining Technique.

He immediately suppressed the True Monarch of Delusion, dissolving his flesh and bones and refining them into a large mass of essence and blood.

Immediately afterwards, True Monarch Jianying plunged into the essence blood, dyeing his entire body red.

"Hahaha, what a comfortable feeling! This is the taste of blood, what a delicious flavor!"

Ok?
This completely insane behavior left Xiao Chen stunned.

Good heavens, were the side effects of that demonic energy really that severe?
However, ever since he acquired the veil, he has never felt anything when faced with similar tactics.

If he didn't have this confidence, he wouldn't have ignored Gangyuan Zhenjun's advice and come over alone to intercept him.

"Therefore, never fall into the evil path, or you will become unhappy."

Xiao Chen sighed. Even if True Monarch Jianying escaped this calamity today, he would eventually fall victim to it sooner or later.

Practicing demonic arts may bring temporary pleasure, but it offers no future whatsoever.

He used the Azure Wave Penetrating Needle technique one last time, ending the pursuit.

After carefully storing their storage rings and spirit shuttles, they turned and headed to the Three Leaf Islands.

Most sects have life tablets that can sense life and death.

If you arrive too late, the disorderly Zhaokong Sect disciples might loot the sect's warehouses and scripture pavilion first.

That won't work!

(End of this chapter)