The Space Ring held a good portion of his possessions, all of which were valuable items accumulated over many years; now, they had been brazenly taken away by Li Xiaobai.
However, since Liuren hadnât objected, even if he had a hundred times the courage, he wouldnât dare to act rashly; he could only suffer in silence, like a mute swallowing bitterness without being able to speak of it.
In his heart, he secretly added Li Xiaobai to his blacklist, vowing that if an opportunity arose in the future, he would take his revenge fiercely, letting him know that there were some people one simply couldnât afford to offend!
âWe are both contributing to the frontier battlegrounds. Thereâs no need for thanks between you and me,â
Li Xiaobai remained quite calm, flipping his wrist to put the Five-colored Altar into the Space Ring, then turned his head to look at Cangying, who had been silent all this time.
âCity Lord Mei has finished speaking. Now, itâs your turn.â
âI donât have any secrets. Iâve killed quite a few people and done many evil things. Surely, Young Master Li isnât thinking of having me pay with my life, is he?â
Cangying spoke with rough honesty, his voice somewhat hoarse.
âOf course not. I hear Senior Cang is a cultivator from the Evil Sect?â
Li Xiaobai said slowly.
âIndeed. Is there a problem?â
Cangyingâs eyes were fixed on Li Xiaobai, trying to read something from him, but to no avail; Li Xiaobai appeared entirely natural.
âWhy would an Evil Sect cultivator come to the frontier? Whatâs the motive?â
Li Xiaobai ignored Cangyingâs words and continued to inquire, while Mei Changqing beside him also pricked up his ears to listen carefully.
He also had this same question in his mind but hadnât found an answer. Besides, he had pressed down the doubts in his mind since this person had indeed been a helpful ally.
âCultivators like us guard the frontiers. To die in battle on the sands and contribute to the stability of the human race is an unshirkable duty. Why would we need a reason?â
Cangyingâs gaze was firm, his face full of righteous indignation.
âI admire your integrity, Senior, but previously, in the depths of the frontier, I found some items called âBlood Sacrifice Fragments.â Have you heard of them?â
Li Xiaobai smiled amiably, showing no interest in exposing any lies.
âThis⦠I havenât heard of them.â
A flicker of light flashed in Cangyingâs eyes, his pupils slightly shrinking. The words âBlood Sacrifice Fragmentâ were not something commonly known; a bad premonition rose in his heart.
âIs that so? Thatâs truly a pity. I shattered a total of ten Blood Sacrifice Fragments in the depths of the frontier, and I was actually looking to find their owner to offer an apology!â
Li Xiaobai shook his head and sighed, his face full of helplessness.
âWhat!â
âYou shattered the Blood Sacrifice Fragments, ten whole pieces?â
At that moment, Cangying couldnât sit still any longer. He abruptly stood up from the pool, a look of shock on his face, flames of anger burning in his eyes. Someone who could mention the Blood Sacrifice Fragments, and the exact number of ten pieces, couldnât just be making it up.
The person had truly seen the Blood Sacrifice Fragments and, moreover, shattered them.
Dammit, Cangyingâs cold sweat dripped down in an instant. If he remembered correctly, he seemed to have placed a total of ten fragments, all of which had now been destroyed.
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, his brain in chaos. If that person found out, they would slaughter him!
The others in the pool stared blankly at Cangying, whose emotions underwent such a drastic change. Clearly, he was hiding a major secret, likely related to these so-called Blood Sacrifice Fragments.
Fortunately, he was clothed, which spared him some embarrassment.
âIndeed, Elder Cang, do you now remember the matter of the Blood Sacrifice Fragment?â
Li Xiaobai asked with a smile.
âDamn it, I only released ten pieces, and you smashed them all. If the higher-ups find out, theyâll kill me!â
Cangyingâs eyes were blood red, and this level of intensity in his demeanor hadnât even been displayed when he was attacked by the four cultivators of the plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.
This matter was too significant, and even he was just a chess piece on the board. Now because of him, the entire strategy was being destroyed. Even his toes could figure out what kind of fate awaited him.
âWith me here, no one can kill you.â
Liuren said coldly, staring at Cangying. Nobody could kill under her watch.
âSince the Vice Leader has spoken, then I⦠Iâm sorry!â
Mid-sentence, Cangyingâs eyes suddenly became fierce, and with a flash of bloody light, he shot up into the sky and rapidly fled into the distance.
âBlood Demon Transcendental Venerable!â
âBlood Demon True Resolution!â
âBone Devouring Soul!â
In the void, a colossal blood-red Primordial Spirit stood tall, its numerous tentacles exploding forth, aiming simultaneously at Liuren, trying to entangle her even for a moment.
At the same time, streams of Yin Houl Banners drifted over, white skulls materialized, and a somber grey fog enshrouded the entire hall. A fierce, cold wind howled, accompanied by the wails of spirits, as if it intended to steal away all the joy from the world.
âAdmirable courage.â
Liuren drew a captivating arc with her face and exhaled a breath of golden aura, instantly shattering the Yin Houlâs presence in the void. The grey mist enveloping the hall scattered like smoke and mirrors, and the incoming blood-red tentacles also cracked inch by inch at this moment, turning to dust.
Only a blood-red Primordial Spirit was left undulating in the void.
Liuren plucked a single strand of hair and placed it over her heart, then gently blew on it. The hair grew rampantly against the wind, shimmering with golden light. An entirely new Liuren stepped out, clad in golden armor, looking exactly like the one in the bathhouse.
âGo, capture that person and bring them back.â
Liuren instructed the clone made from her hair, which nodded, and in an instant, vanished from the spot.
Li Xiaobai watched the receding figure. He had seen this technique once before from Ou Yezi of the Holy Demon Sect, but Liurenâs execution of the technique was evidently more sophisticated.
A single hair turning into a replica of oneself and retaining enough strength to crush a Great Crossing Realm Expert was truly inconceivable.
If all the hair on the Vice Leaderâs head were plucked and turned into a Liuren armyâ¦
Li Xiaobai shuddered involuntarily at the thought. The notion was terrifying in multiple senses of the word.
âCould this be the unspoken secret of Aolai Country in the Eastern Sea, the Thousand Forms Technique?â
Excitement flickered in the eyes of Yang Guang, Cai Kunxu, and the others. For them, the privilege of observing an expert of the mainlandâs pinnacle in action was a great honor.
Moreover, if they could glean any insights from it, the benefits would be boundless.
âCity Lord Yang is indeed well-informed to recognize the secret technique of the Eastern Sea. Yes, this is the Thousand Forms Technique. A single hair becomes another self. When mastered, one could have millions of clones. However, the strength of a clone is somewhat weak. Against the likes of Cangying, they could barely manage to win.â
Liuren chuckled gently and spoke slowly.
âThe depth of Elder Liurenâs cultivation is immeasurable,â Yang Guang interjected aptly. âJust a single clone already surpasses an ordinary Great Crossing Realm cultivator. We cannot hold a candle to such strength!â