Lin Xi was already no longer that youngster who had just left Deerwood Town in a carriage, completely oblivious to cultivation.

He was Green Luan Academy’s true heaven’s choice. Through his own choices and hard work, he already comprehended what true cultivation was, already standing in front of the Soul Master gateway for quite some time.

He loved chatting with others, loved listening to stories, loved reading many books, so he already knew that in this world, apart from Windstalkers who could leave their soul force on the runes of arrows for a long time, the Braveslayers who had a unique perception of the world’s vital energy, able to control flying swords across further distances than normal Sacred Experts, in the southernmost Great Mang Dynasty, a Shentu Clan within Purgatory Mountain could use soul force to turn special worldly vital energy into terrifying flames. In Central Continent Imperial City, there was a Grand Secretary surnamed Zhou who could turn heaven and earth vital energy into ice and snow.

…

When the sun set, Lin Xi and Chi Xiaoye’s difficult trek finally reached an end. At the place where the distant flower bed and sky met, there was a streak of black traces.

This was precisely a natural bank formed from the piling of some rotted leaves, dried branches and sludge.

While looking at the distant black traces, Lin Xi slowed down his steps, asking, “From what you said before… once we flee from these mud lakes, we can make a detour around the back of the mud lakes, then pass through Great Magnetic Swamp, it should also be possible to arrive behind this large expanse of mud lakes?”

“You’re worried?” Chi Xiaoye remained silent for a moment, and only then did she quietly speak these words with unclear meanings.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Lin Xi turned around to give Chi Xiaoye a look. “You are also worried, don’t think that I can’t tell.”

Chi Xiaoye took a breath, quickly coughing. “They reside in this side’s underground caves. Even if Yunqin’s military can reach this place, there should be almost no chance of discovering them.”

“That should be the case.”

Lin Xi took a deep breath, and then nodded.

He knew that since Chi Xiaoye made these arrangements, then she obviously had confidence. However, since even an existence like Purgatory Mountain’s Sacred Expert appeared, anything could happen.

These cave barbarians were hidden within the underground caves in the upper reaches, but they might be unable to hold themselves back, sending people to see if they needed to receive anyone. This meant that there was a chance of drawing in Yunqin cultivators or soldiers.

The one who planned to receive that Purgatory Mountain Sacred Expert was definitely not Wei Xianwu or Xu Ningshen, these types of little cats and little dogs. However, even when he and Chi Xiaoye rushed all the way here, there still weren’t really any mishaps, so he just couldn’t shake off the bad feeling he had.

Lin Xi knew that Chi Xiaoye definitely considered these things too, because the reason she chose to move through the riverbed was because she wanted to use this riverbed’s special black floods.

That was why the more reasoning Chi Xiaoye spoke to him, the more he knew that Chi Xiaoye lacked confidence… together with the fact that they already walked all the way here, regardless of whether it was disaster or luck, they had to approach to find out. He thus didn’t say anything else, only speaking a sentence that could bring her a bit of confidence.

He carried Chi Xiaoye forward, only, while walking through the riverside border’s wilderness, he did his best to hide his own traces, walking extremely carefully.

The distance between Chi Xiaoye and himself from the small mounds at the edge of the riverbed grew smaller and smaller. When there was only a few li left, when the sun set, under the last glimmers of dusk, he could already see the giant black pearl-like mud lakes that stretched out one after another without limit.

Sounds of endless thunder suddenly rumbled once more.

He saw that a piece of the mud lake suddenly collapsed, astonishing water rushing out. Then, an even greater burst happened. Water exceeding the mud lake’s surface descended, a terrifying black flood instantly forming.

Because they were already close to the final destination of this trip, Lin Xi didn’t stop to cultivate, only watching this flood that reached high into the air.

…

The jet-black furred, three-tailed little beast was still lying on that mound which was floating like ice.

It only sensed the arrival of night, also feeling even more hungry and helpless. It still couldn’t understand just what kind of world it arrived in, just what it could do exactly. It didn’t know where it was right now, didn’t know that under the push of the lake’s current and the movement of the mud streams, the mound it was currently on already drifted to the mud lake closest to this riverbed.

Suddenly, its bewildered large black eyes became filled with panic.

The water around the floating mound it was on began to flow extremely quickly, battering this entire mound made of dried branches, rotten wood and sludge until it started to spin, this mound becoming smaller and smaller.

Yi…

It suddenly sensed what was about to happen, so it released the first true cry since descending upon this world.

The moment its strange cry that wasn’t all that loud and clear sounded, the floating mound beneath it split into pieces. It was unknown what its four small claws grabbed onto as its small body was swept away by the surging muddy water.

…

Lin Xi looked at this black flood pass by.

He saw that even the water that was normally extremely weak, once it accumulated to a certain degree, it would still display tremendous power and might.

Then, he saw that as the water level dropped, the water leaking out became less and less. Large amounts of sludge and mounds that rushed ashore blocked up the opening again, pushing the lake shore line a dozen or so meters up.

When he saw this miraculous and majestic scene, Lin Xi suddenly gained some insights.

He thought about how these mud lakes were also a ‘large bowl’.

There were countless visible and invisible streams within, currently continuously seeping into these mud lakes.

Perhaps after a hundred or a thousand years, as the ‘large bowl’ continuously grew bigger, the water level would reach lower and lower. In the end, it would be difficult for this type of eruption to form again, difficult for the normally gentle water currents to possess such great power.

He had ‘two bowls’ within him, so he could store more soul force than others. If he could force the ‘water level’ of the two bowls within him to be a bit higher, making the passage through which soul force rushed out of a bit larger, then the power that instantly erupted will naturally become more astonishing and also greater.

Lin Xi still didn’t know if there were any cultivation methods that could allow him to accomplish these two things in this world, he merely suddenly produced this type of vision.

Right now, he didn’t have too much time to think about this in detail.

It was because the moment this massive black flood passed by, he saw another black tide in his line of sight.

This black tide surged over from all directions, surrounding him and Chi Xiaoye.

What formed this tide were completely quickly moving black armored Yunqin soldiers, these Yunqin soldiers’ black metal armor covered in dragon shaped runes, within their metal military boots were special elastic steel wires that allowed each step to be exceptionally powerful, bouncing along the ground like iron balls flung by catapults.

Lin Xi didn’t move, watching as this Black Dragon Army surrounded both him and Chi Xiaoye.

“Kill me.”

When these Black Dragon Army soldiers suddenly appeared before her and Lin Xi, Chi Xiaoye’s burning body became even hotter, but her lips instead became pitch-black from coldness, this voice sounding by Lin Xi’s ears.

“There is no need… we still haven’t reached the point of despair.” However, what was hard for her to understand was that Lin Xi instead quietly said this in reply.

Then, two figures walked out from the mounds at the limits of this river bank.

When she saw Di Choufei’s two small sword-like, exceptionally thin and emotionless lips, Chi Xiaoye’s body suddenly went rigid, releasing a vicious scream. “Di Choufei!”

“Indeed, I am precisely that Yunqin cultivator you wanted to kill the most… However, you already no longer have the chance to kill me.” Di Choufei sized up this green-pupiled, green-haired young lady, sized up Lin Xi, and then slowly nodded.

“Capture them.”

Huang Huoxiao said coldly. He didn’t want to hear Di Choufei speak meaningless nonsense.

Zheng… zheng… zheng…

Chains immediately flew out from the hands of more than ten Black Dragon Army soldiers, binding up Lin Xi and Chi Xiaoye.

Lin Xi still didn’t move, only calmly looking at Huang Huoxiao and Di Choufei, asking, “Which one of you is from Great Mang?”

“There is only a single traitor who is trying to help an enemy leader escape.” Di Choufei released a cold chuckle.

“Beauty and ugliness, through comparison, are easier to recognize, killing intent also the same.” Lin Xi didn’t deny his words, giving Di Choufei a look, shaking his head and saying, “When I compare you two, he doesn’t have much killing intent towards me, but you are full of killing intent, so he should be the Great Mang individual, but what about you? Why do you want to kill me so badly?”

Di Choufei frowned.

It was because Lin Xi was too smart, and also because Lin Xi was too calm.

Moreover, Lin Xi’s calmness wasn’t feigned at all, this was also something Chi Xiaoye understood extremely clearly. It was also precisely because of this that Chi Xiaoye, even in this type of state, directly bit her lips, not uttering any sounds.

“I believe you do not dare reply before the faces of so many Black Dragon Army soldiers. That is why I won’t speak any more nonsense with you either.”

Lin Xi gave this renowned young general a look and then said, “Goodbye!”

The moment he said goodbye, Lin Xi inwardly said the word return and then he completely pushed the ‘green roulette’ in his brain, returning to ten minutes ago.

…

Both he and Chi Xiaoye returned to the riverbed edge, still far from the limits of the mud lakes, quite far from the place where Black Dragon Army surrounded them.

“Right now, no matter what I tell you, you cannot make any sounds. However, you need to absolutely trust me.”

He took a deep breath, and then began to walk towards the depths of the riverbed, at the same time saying this to Chi Xiaoye with a voice only the two of them could hear.

“I have to protect some of my secrets… but just like how yesterday, I was sure that Purgatory Mountain Sacred Expert was in that spot in the sky, I can tell you that right now, the Yunqin General Di Choufei you want to kill is waiting for us with Black Dragon Army over there, moreover, he already set up a net.” Lin Xi turned around slightly, continuing, “Even if we run right now, we might still be caught by them. However, fortunately, there will soon be a flood, so we still have a path, to jump into the flood… that is why I need to tie you to me, and you need to do your best to suck in more air.”

Chi Xiaoye couldn’t believe this at all. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t even release any sounds.

Lin Xi instead began to run, heading towards an extremely wide deep ravine several hundred steps out.

When he arrived in front of the deep ravine, he stopped, waiting for the incoming flood.

Then, he felt like he had to leave behind a bit of a defeated shadow in the heart of Di Choufei who already became his enemy. As such, he used all of his strength to shout into the distance, “Di Choufei, stop hiding over there already, your mommy is calling for you to go home for dinner!”