Chapter 418: The Treacherous Bastard

After all seven confinement arrays were fully set up, everyone stood at the edge of the protective barrier, waiting for Miao He's command before rushing into the confinement arrays to seize the True Spirit World.

Xuan Chengzi transmitted a voice message to Ding Huan: "Stay behind me when we move in. If anyone tries to block me, hold them off."

Clearly, in Xuan Chengzi's eyes, Ding Huan could at best block just one opponent.

"Alright, Uncle, rest assured. Go get the True Spirit World—everything else is my job," Ding Huan replied firmly.

"Competition begins." With Miao He's command, two or three dozen people surged into the chain of linked confinement arrays.

As soon as Ding Huan entered, his spiritual sense detected everyone hastily setting up various confinement and killing arrays—even a Strangling Array had appeared.

Array flags were planted throughout the hall, creating a dizzying spectacle.

In fact, setting up another confinement array atop someone else's was far more difficult.

Either the effect weakened, or you ended up helping someone else. If your array skill was even slightly lacking, you couldn't even complete it.

What shocked Ding Huan even more was that he saw a man frantically setting up a Level Four Strangling Array.

What an evil bastard—a Level Four Strangling Array could easily kill most people here.

Was it necessary to set up a Level Four Strangling Array for seizing the True Spirit World? Shouldn't it be a Level Four Confinement Immortal Array? This Wang Ba is definitely no good.

Ding Huan quickly realized the man setting up the Level Four Strangling Array was the same one he'd judged as the worst—from Xianwu Palace.

At first, this guy had looked utterly innocent, entering and setting up a barely passable Level Two confinement array.

Even the Shen Zhen Men disciple who'd set up a Level Two confinement-killing array earlier had, upon entering, started with Level Three confinement and killing arrays.

Ding Huan was speechless—by this logic, Xuan Chengzi ranked sixth, maybe even seventh.

"Puff!" A spray of blood exploded—Ding Huan saw the pale-faced Xianwu Palace cultivator already kill a disciple of Yihai Palace, his face utterly expressionless.

This guy is truly shameless.

While killing, he deliberately set up a concealment array so no one could tell who did it.

Ding Huan remembered clearly: before the competition, everyone agreed not to kill. Now it wasn't "don't kill"—it was "don't kill too few."

Once someone was killed inside the confinement arrays, everyone went mad.

Another disciple of Tianxuan Sword Dao was locked in place by Xianwu Palace's pale-faced man, who showed zero mercy.

After trapping the Tianxuan Sword Dao disciple, he used a concealment array to seal his own space, then slashed his long sword straight across the disciple's throat.

This wasn't about blocking opponents—it was pure assassination.

Ding Huan sneered inwardly: Is this guy trying to kill everyone he wants to, then let others take the blame?

Without hesitation, he cast several array patterns, cleanly dismantling the man's concealment array.

As the pale-faced Xianwu Palace cultivator's sword cut across the Tianxuan Sword Dao disciple's throat, the surrounding space suddenly became perfectly clear.

"Chong Qingyun, you're asking for death—you dare kill my Tianxuan Sword Dao disciple?" Fan Zhi roared in fury, hurling his treasure at the pale-faced Chong Qingyun.

"Chong Qingyun, you killed Zhu Aiting of Yihai Palace too, didn't you? Your Xianwu Palace is truly shameless—every time trash comes out, it's from your sect. A thousand years ago it was like this, and now it's still like this—die!"

As a man from Yihai Palace roared in rage, his treasure also slammed toward Chong Qingyun.

Chong Qingyun's face turned even paler, a flicker of fear appearing in his eyes.

How could this be?

He'd set up a Level Four Concealment Immortal Array—how could anyone here break it?

There must be a top-tier array master here—he dared not stay another moment and rushed forward.

First, get the True Spirit World.

Ding Huan knew these Level Three and Two confinement-killing arrays meant nothing to Chong Qingyun, but how could he let this bastard seize the True Spirit World and the immortal crystals?

Without hesitation, he planted several transient confinement array patterns to block Chong Qingyun, then dashed forward himself.

To Ding Huan, these Level Three confinement arrays were as good as nonexistent.

In just a few steps, Ding Huan reached the center of the great array, scooped up all the immortal crystals, and seized the True Spirit World.

He wouldn't hand over the immortal crystals—but he couldn't keep the True Spirit World.

Once you showed interest in that thing, trouble would be immense.

After completing this, Ding Huan returned to Xuan Chengzi's side. Whenever someone set up a confinement array to block Xuan Chengzi, Ding Huan immediately intervened.

He occasionally tossed out array flags to help Xuan Chengzi break through.

Xuan Chengzi was extremely satisfied with Ding Huan's performance.

At this moment, the array patterns Ding Huan had used to block Chong Qingyun vanished—Chong Qingyun accelerated.

On his path, Level Three confinement arrays could be broken with just a dozen array flags; Level Two confinement-killing arrays didn't even need breaking—he simply stepped over them.

As a Level Four Immortal Array Master, these Level Two and Three confinement and killing arrays offered him almost no resistance.

In less than half a stick of incense, Chong Qingyun reached the center of the hall—and when he saw nothing there, sweat broke out on his forehead.

He'd offended two immortal sects, killed two people, and ended up with nothing.

Ding Huan saw Chong Qingyun reach the hall's center and immediately joined the group breaking the final array.

With Ding Huan's help, soon over a dozen people surged into the hall's center.

Had Chong Qingyun not killed anyone, this matter might have ended here.

First place would have been his.

Now that Chong Qingyun had killed two people, several disciples from Tianxuan Sword Dao and Yihai Palace surrounded him and launched attacks.

Ding Huan tapped Xuan Chengzi on the shoulder and pointed to his feet: "Uncle Xuan Chengzi, look—could this be the True Spirit World? I just saw it pop out during their fight."

Ding Huan's words probably wouldn't fool even a ghost—but Xuan Chengzi's face flushed with excitement.

He snatched the True Spirit World and laughed uproariously: "Ha! The Qingxu Dao Sect has obtained the True Spirit World! Hahaha…"

Ding Huan was utterly exasperated—this pig.

He couldn't take it, but Xuan Chengzi taking it caused zero consequences.

Yet this fool had openly claimed it.

But since everyone has agreed, it's unlikely we can take it from Xuan Chengzi—though this True Spirit World will no longer belong to him.

If he were Xuan Chengzi, he'd have sealed away this True Spirit World and only surrendered it to the Immortal Sect once he was found.

The Immortal Sect would surely grant him many benefits as compensation.

Now, this fellow can indeed gain some benefits—but far too few.

There's also a sliver of a chance the Immortal Sect won't trace it back to Xuan Chengzi.

Because Chong Qingyun was the first to reach the center of the hall, everyone will suspect only him.

Of course, this possibility is slim, since Chong Qingyun can't escape.

Ding Huan didn't take the True Spirit World either, because the chance of secretly embezzling it was minuscule.

The surrounding cultivators had already realized the True Spirit World was indeed seized by Xuan Chengzi, and all ceased their search.

Only the group in the center of the hall was still fighting.

Boom! Boom! Waves of sword qi surged skyward, shattering the entire hall into ruins.

Even with protective arrays here, they couldn't withstand such relentless attacks.

Crack!

The windows of the Ancient Immortal Tower finally shattered.

Several powerful figures rushed over; before they even arrived, they roared from afar: "Who dares cause trouble in the Ancient Immortal Tower?"

The fighters all fell silent. The hall, besides pools of blood and two corpses, was a scene of utter chaos.

Ding Huan secretly admired Chong Qingyun—this fellow, surrounded by five or six opponents, had only been injured, not even broken a bone or strained a tendon—he truly had skill.

Watching the still-overwrought Xuan Chengzi, Ding Huan didn't disturb him, quietly slipping away.

At this moment, everyone's attention was either on Xuan Chengzi's True Spirit World, the fighting group, or the powerful figures arriving from the Ancient Immortal Tower.

No one noticed Ding Huan slip away unnoticed.

…

As soon as Ding Huan left the Ancient Immortal Tower, he swiftly dashed out of the Ancient Immortal Dao City.

Half a day later, Ding Huan restored his true appearance and calmly entered the Dao City.

Back in the Dao City, Ding Huan immediately went to the Ancient Immortal Bazaar.

Sure enough, outside the bazaar, Ding Huan saw a vast square, above which stood more than a dozen temporary halls.

Ding Huan sent a message to Tao Xiaomei.

Oddly, he received no reply from Tao Xiaomei.

What's going on?

Could Tao Xiaomei really have run off over fifteen hundred spirit stones?

He sent several more messages—still no reply from Tao Xiaomei.

Ding Huan decided to sweep his spiritual sense outward, and soon he spotted Tao Xiaomei.

Tao Xiaomei was in the fourth room behind the third temporary hall; her face was pale, and she bore bloodstains—clearly injured.

What surprised him was that inside her room, besides Tao Xiaomei, there were three other people.

This kind of room could indeed house four people, though it was rather cramped.

Logically, since he gave Tao Xiaomei fifteen hundred spirit crystals, even if she wanted to share a room, she should've told him.

Ding Huan arrived outside Tao Xiaomei's room and waved his hand, dispelling all shielding talismans: "Tao Sister, why are there so many people here?"

"Big Brother Ding, they took over my room. This has nothing to do with you—I'll find a way to return your spirit crystals…"

Before Tao Xiaomei finished speaking, a handsome man stood up and waved his hand: "Get out of the way."

Ding Huan didn't move—Tao Xiaomei was flung into the protective array behind the room.

"Are you here to pay off Tao Xiaomei's spirit crystals?" The man glared at Ding Huan sideways, his expression fierce, as if ready to strike at any moment.

"What's going on? Tao Sister, explain. Can someone really seize a rented room here? If there's a rule against seizing rooms, I'll report this to the enforcers."

Ding Huan ignored the man, calmly watching Tao Xiaomei.

Tao Xiaomei shook her head: "It's my fault—I borrowed their spirit crystals, so they took my room."