Chapter 658 - 262: Ruan Lingchun’s Astonishment and Her Offer of a Map
Chapter 658: Chapter 262: Ruan Lingchun’s Astonishment and Her Offer of a Map
"Ahem, ganging up on someone two-on-one, bullying the weak... Isn’t that a bit much?"
Hearing that there was a Dao Crystal as a reward.
Xiao Chen immediately turned back, took a step forward, and shielded the female cultivator behind him.
Ruan Lingchun’s call for help had worked. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
There weren’t many cultivators in the Cangran Secret Realm to begin with, and even fewer would have made it to the Blood Vine Forest at this time.
She had been forced all the way to the edge of the swamp, and despair had just begun to set in.
Luckily, heaven always leaves a path. She was given one last chance at survival.
But the next moment, she stared dumbfounded at Xiao Chen, who had sauntered in front of her.
’Oh no. Don’t tell me I’ve run into one of those naive young masters from some family, the kind who just left home and knows nothing about the world.’
’Where’s your Body Protection Technique?’
’Where’s your Defensive Spiritual Artifact?’
’Who in the world taught you to walk up to an enemy empty-handed like this, without a single thing out?’
’What are you planning to use to stop them?’
’Your words? Or are you banking on your reputation?’
A thousand thoughts flashed through Ruan Lingchun’s mind. She subconsciously took a step forward, ready to help buy some time.
’Wait, what if he’s working with them?’
She hesitated for a moment before making a move.
But she still chose to expand her Protective Profound Light, shielding Xiao Chen.
’It’s already come to this, anyway. What’s the point in worrying?’
If he really was their accomplice, she’d have no chance of escape against the three of them. If it was a trap, so be it.
On the other hand, if he was just inexperienced, her actions might buy him enough time to cast a Defense Magic.
In a flash, Ruan Lingchun quickly made the optimal decision.
At the same time, she didn’t forget to call out a warning, "Be careful, Fellow Daoist! Quickly, bring out your Spirit Shield for protection!"
However, to her surprise, Xiao Chen just smiled faintly and didn’t follow her advice.
Even more unexpectedly, the attack she had anticipated never came.
The moment they saw Xiao Chen, the two cultivators who had been chasing her actually put away their Spiritual Artifacts and stopped in their tracks.
’Wh-what’s going on?’
Ruan Lingchun was dumbfounded. They hadn’t been this reasonable when they were hunting her down just moments ago. Why the sudden change?
’Could it be? Is Xiao Chen really from some major power?’
She quickly took another look at the man’s clothes and appearance.
For Ruan Lingchun, judging a strange cultivator’s general background by their attire had practically become second nature.
First, Xiao Chen wore a simple Feather Robe with no obvious Badge.
Second, he had no expensive accessories from head to toe, except for the three Storage Rings on his fingers.
’He looks like a Loose Cultivator no matter how you slice it.’
Ruan Lingchun’s brow furrowed. After reconsidering, her conclusion was exactly the same as her initial, subconscious judgment.
’But are there really Loose Cultivators this formidable in the Compassion Sea?’
’Why have I never heard of him before?’
Just as Ruan Lingchun was reeling in shock, the two cultivators across from them exchanged a look.
Immediately, grave expressions appeared on their faces.
The two of them were actually True Disciples of the current generation of the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion. They had recently followed a sect elder to Red Flower Island and had even participated in the arena challenges.
Therefore, they recognized Xiao Chen at first sight.
Right now, both of them were filled with frustration.
’Why did we have to run into another cultivator here?’
During the chase just now, the two had intentionally forced Ruan Lingchun to the edge of this swamp.
Thanks to the detailed map from their sect, they knew this was a particularly long stretch of the swamp.
Under normal circumstances, no cultivator would choose to pass through here.
But this time, of all the luck, they ran into someone who didn’t take the beaten path.
If it were just that, it would have been fine.
If it had been anyone but Xiao Chen—any other cultivator. They could have flashed their identities and used the golden reputation of the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion to persuade the person to back off. Or, they could have relied on their combined strength as martial brothers to solve the problem with force.
For either scenario, they were completely confident.
But of all people, it had to be Xiao Chen, the heir of a Hidden Sect who had recently made a name for himself across the Tingtao Sea.
Whether in terms of background or strength, they didn’t have the upper hand.
They communicated briefly with their Divine Sense.
One of them took the initiative to remove his mask, holding his sword and cupping his fist. "Greetings, Xiao. I am Mei Zhanpeng, a True Inheritor of the current generation of the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion. I am not a Tribulation Cultivator."
"What’s happening today is a private grudge."
"I ask that you not aid a villain in their evil deeds."
As he spoke, he intentionally revealed the mark on his Flying Sword.
Spiritual Light immediately formed the image of a white, billowing cloud, proving his identity was genuine.
When Ruan Lingchun saw this, her heart skipped a beat.
Although she knew that any cultivator who could enter the Secret Realm was no simple character, she never expected her pursuers to be Sword Pavilion True Inheritors.
Characters like them were often even more difficult to deal with than Golden Core deacons.
They were essentially Nascent Soul seeds cultivated by a Major Sect, and most of them had a Nascent Soul True Monarch as their master.
In terms of both personal strength and background, they stood at the apex of all Golden Core Cultivators.
Cultivators from families, like Ruan Lingchun, might seem to have a respectable status, but in reality, they were worlds apart from people like them.
More importantly, cultivators like these were often extremely protective of their reputations.
Since they had already committed to robbery and murder, they would definitely clean up all loose ends to ensure no one would ever know.
’Things have come to this... I’m afraid there’s no way this will end peacefully today.’
’I’m afraid even Xiao Chen will be dragged into this because of me.’
’If I had known this would happen, I would have just kept quiet.’