As soon as He Qiang took a step, he felt a cold gaze fall on his back.
He froze, slowly turning his head to meet Xiao Chen's ambiguous, smiling gaze.
There was no warmth in that smile; instead, it carried a hint of malicious calculation that made him feel uneasy.
"Xiao Chen, what... what are you going to do?"
He Qiang subconsciously took a step back, his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist, but his tone carried obvious fear.
He couldn't forget the ruthlessness with which Xiao Chen had crippled Zhao Lie's arm with a single shot half a month ago. He was only at the second level of the Creation Realm; how could he be a match for Xiao Chen?
Xiao Chen raised his chin, his gaze sweeping over the five dark vortexes. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable sense of pressure: "These vortexes look dangerous. Go down and scout ahead first."
"I'm not going!" He Qiang refused without even thinking, shaking his head vigorously.
"Go yourself! Why should I go and die?"
He cursed Xiao Chen inwardly for being treacherous, knowing full well the whirlpool's depths yet using him as a scapegoat.
Seeing Xiao Chen's eyes darken, He Qiang quickly mustered his courage and shouted, "Xiao Chen! Don't go too far! Even if you take me down, you might not be able to escape unscathed!"
"With so many people watching, if you make a move, do you think Elder Zhao and the city lord will let you off?"
"Aren't you afraid that if we join forces, you won't get any benefits and will instead lose your life here?"
As he shouted, he quickly glanced at Zhao Lie not far away and the city lord engaged in fierce combat at the entrance of the valley.
Zhao Lie was glaring fiercely at Xiao Chen, clearly hoping someone would teach Xiao Chen a lesson.
Although the city lord was dealing with the giant star beast, he was still able to keep an eye on the commotion here.
He Qiang felt that with these people around, even if Xiao Chen was strong, he wouldn't dare to really attack him.
But Xiao Chen completely ignored his threat. The smile on his lips vanished, and with a gentle clench of his right hand, the Dragon Spear instantly materialized.
The silver-white gun gleamed coldly, its tip pointing directly at He Qiang: "I have no interest in wasting my breath on you. Either jump yourself, or I'll throw you down."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Chen suddenly moved!
He was incredibly fast, leaving only a faint ink-colored afterimage, and rushed to He Qiang in an instant.
He Qiang's pupils shrank suddenly, and he hurriedly drew his sword to defend. He poured all the spiritual power of the second level of the Creation Realm into the sword, and the sword light was shimmering with turbid spiritual light as he slashed towards the tip of Xiao Chen's spear.
"bite!"
A crisp clanging sound rang out, and He Qiang felt a tremendous force travel along the blade, his arm went numb instantly, and the long sword almost flew out of his hand.
Before he could adjust his posture, Xiao Chen suddenly flipped his wrist, and the tip of the spear, like a snake flicking its tongue, bypassed the blade and went straight to his throat.
The cold tip of the gun pressed against his skin, and the biting chill instantly spread throughout his body. He Qiang was so frightened that his whole body stiffened, and he didn't even dare to breathe.
“One round…” Lu Duxian stood to the side, dumbfounded.
He knew Xiao Chen was strong, but he didn't expect him to be this strong. He couldn't even use a single move against He Qiang, who was at the second level of the Creation Realm.
Lu Yuexi's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Xiao Chen's tall, straight back, a complex emotion flashing in them.
She felt that He Qiang deserved it, but she couldn't help but marvel at Xiao Chen's unfathomable strength.
Zhao Lie stood not far away, watching He Qiang with a gun pointed at his throat, his eyes filled with resentment, but he dared not take a single step forward.
My injuries haven't fully healed yet; going up there would only be humiliating.
He Qiang's face turned pale, his lips trembled, and all his previous arrogance was gone: "Xiao... Xiao Chen, let's talk this out... I... I'll go scout ahead, okay?"
Xiao Chen didn't speak, but with a slight flick of his wrist, he gently lifted the gun barrel, instantly flipping He Qiang over.
Before He Qiang could land, Xiao Chen lightly kicked him in the back, while simultaneously slamming his spear into He Qiang's lower back.
"Thump!"
He Qiang felt a force coming from behind him, and his body flew uncontrollably toward the nearest dark vortex.
Terrified, he struggled wildly in mid-air, screaming, "Xiao Chen! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Help!"
But his shouts were quickly drowned out by the vortex's suction. Everyone stared intently at the vortex.
As He Qiang's body approached the vortex, there was no tearing or screaming as expected. Instead, he was silently swallowed by the vortex without even a trace of struggle.
In the blink of an eye, He Qiang's figure completely disappeared into the dark vortex, leaving only the vortex still absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy without any unusual movement.
The entire venue fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the five vortexes, their eyes filled with astonishment and doubt. What happened to He Qiang after he went in?
Is he dead or alive? What lies hidden within the vortex?
Xiao Chen sheathed his spear, his gaze calmly fixed on the vortex, but his mind was racing with thoughts.
Judging from He Qiang's reaction after being sucked in, the vortex doesn't seem to have any direct lethality.
Seeing that the vortex did not react after swallowing He Qiang, Xiao Chen turned to Lu Duxian and Lu Yuexi and nodded: "There is no danger, come with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he moved and flew towards the vortex where He Qiang had disappeared.
Although the vortex had a strong suction force, it did not carry any killing intent; it was more like a gentle teleportation channel.
Lu Duxian and Lu Yuexi exchanged a glance and quickly followed. Lu Yuexi was still somewhat uneasy, her fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes.
But then they saw Xiao Chen pause at the edge of the vortex, as if waiting for them, so they relaxed and sped up to catch up.
Seeing this, He Qun, Zhao Lie, and the others behind them, though wary of Xiao Chen, were even more determined to seize the treasures behind the vortex, and gritted their teeth as they flew towards other vortexes.
He Qun chose the vortex on the right that glowed with a faint red light, while Zhao Lie stared at the black vortex in the very center, his eyes filled with a sinister glint.
Clearly still harboring resentment towards Xiao Chen, but daring not to provoke him at this moment, he could only secretly vow to find the treasure first and then seek revenge on Xiao Chen.
The moment Xiao Chen stepped into the vortex, he felt a gentle suction force enveloping his body. There was no tearing sensation; instead, it felt like being enveloped in soft spiritual mist.
The darkness flashed by, and the next second he felt a rich spiritual energy rushing towards him, indicating that he had arrived in another space. He stopped and waited for Lu Duxian and his sister to catch up.
…………
In the mortal realm, several strings of freshly picked spiritual fruits were drying in front of Lin Zhou's bamboo house. However, Lin Zhou had no intention of enjoying them. Instead, he stared at the pillar on the couch inside the house, his brows furrowed tightly.
The pillar on the tatami lay sprawled out, a trace of drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth, snoring loudly, sleeping soundly.
However, upon closer inspection, one can see that beneath his skin, a pale golden energy is slowly surging, like a dormant volcano.
Each surge caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly; this was an energy fluctuation unique to cultivators at the Dao Proving Realm.
However, Zhu Zi had only broken through to the Creation Realm half a month ago, and now he has already jumped to the Proving Dao Realm. Such a speed of improvement can be described as defying the heavens.
However, this incredible speed harbors a deadly hidden danger.
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