Chapter 18

He, he, He Tong, do you need— no, no, no need help?

Shen Gongbao looked down at He Tong and asked.

"No need!"

He Tong's cold voice came from afar; the next moment, only see? wings lightly tremble, and in the blink of an eye it arrived beside the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon.

Its wings, like steel blades, fiercely slashed at the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon.

"Clang——"

With a ringing boom, the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon's expression changed, and it was directly blown away.

"How can it be this strong? Is this the power of an Orthodox Sect immortal?"

The Sea of Sin Monster Dragon only felt that the hands gripping its Heaven-Pointing Halberd went slightly numb from the shock.

He knew he had underestimated this little girl before him.

"The key is, that one over there!"

Its gaze narrowed, and the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon looked toward Shen Gongbao, who stood aloft nearby.

Just from the powerful aura emanating from the other, the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon knew at a glance that the other was a Golden Immortal!

At the peak of Mysterious Immortal, only a step away from Golden Immortal.

However, only a true cultivator understands that the gap between those steps is a world of difference.

Golden Immortals are eternal through the ages; with a mere gesture, they can already mobilize a trace of Heaven-Earth Law's power.

Heaven-Earth Laws are the primal force of this world; to fight a Golden Immortal is to fight the world itself.

Therefore, beneath Golden Immortals, it is often heard that someone can rely on magic treasures and techniques to overcome higher-ranked immortals.

But it is extremely rare to hear of anyone who can overcome a Golden Immortal.

Therefore, facing the powerful He Tong and the tiger-eyed Shen Gongbao nearby, the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon had only one thought in its mind—

Flee!

The next moment, only see the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon pouring a large amount of magical power into its treasure, the Heaven-Pointing Halberd.

In an instant, the Heaven-Pointing Halberd multiplied hundreds of times and fiercely slashed at He Tong.

Having done all that, the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon hesitated not at all, twisted its form, instantly transformed into its true body—a poisonous flood dragon—and dove into the sea.

"Boom——"

Faced with this strike where the Sea of Sin Monster Dragon had poured half its power into it, even He Tong was momentarily blown backward, unable to continue pursuing the fleeing Sea of Sin Monster Dragon.

"Want to flee?"

And meanwhile, Shen Gongbao, who had been coldly watching from the side, would certainly not just stand by and let his mission target escape.

Only saw his gaze stiffen; the long whip blades that had been coiled around him flew about, and in an instant they sank into the seawater.

The next moment, accompanied by an earth‑shaking wail, the sea surged up huge waves.

Immediately thereafter, the seawater was dyed red with blood, and a half‑dead poisonous flood dragon slowly rose to the surface.

"Ren, ren, mission accomplished!"

Shen Gongbao's voice remained cold and devoid of any emotion; after all, over the years he had done this sort of thing too many times and had become numb.

"He, he, He Tong, knock off work!"

Shen Gongbao greeted He Tong, preparing to bring the half‑dead poisonous flood dragon back to report.

But the instant he turned his head to look, Shen Gongbao's pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

Because at that moment He Tong was being seized by the throat by someone, unable to move.

"Who are you?"

Shen Gongbao gave the man holding He Tong a cold stare, but as soon as he spoke he was a little stunned, for he discovered that his stutter had miraculously cleared.

However, before Shen Gongbao could ponder why his stutter had suddenly recovered, he heard the man opposite laugh and say: "Second‑generation disciple of the Chan Sect, leader of the Monster‑Hunting Team, Golden Immortal Shen Gongbao, how about we make a deal?"

"A deal? Who exactly are you, and what qualification do you have to trade with my Chan Sect?"

Shen Gongbao said.

"Qualification, huh!"

Ao Yifan said, and as he spoke his right hand gradually eased its grip, He Tong instantly found breathing difficult.

"Look, what a beautiful little crane, but life is just as fragile; only a light force is needed and this slender neck will snap with a crack—tell me, do I have the qualification to trade with you?"

"You dare threaten a Chan Sect immortal?"

He Tong, his face grim, said: "Uncle Master, don't mind me; the Chan Sect must not be insulted, Chan Sect immortals must not be insulted—kill him!"

"You, you, you shut, shut, shut up!"

Shen Gongbao coldly rebuked He Tong, then immediately turned his gaze back to Ao Yifan.

"Speak, what do you want in order to release He Tong?"

"I want it!"

Ao Yifan pointed at the sea demon dragon below and said: "This demon dragon has brought chaos to Chen Tang Pass for ten years, committing countless bloody crimes; its head must be hung on the walls of Chen Tang Pass to warn other monster clans."

"Are you a person of the Yin Shang court?"

Shen Gongbao frowned slightly.

To be frank, these immortals least want to deal with are precisely the people of the Yin Shang court.

There's no way around it; with the Yin Shang dynasty's fate suppressed, even immortals must keep their distance, and even those of the Three Teachings will not lightly provoke the court.

Originally Shen Gongbao thought the other party was just some overseas cultivator, but he never expected them to be a Yin Shang court official.

"It seems the senior martial brother once instructed that in recent years it's best not to get entangled with Yin Shang court folk; looks like today we won't be able to bring this sea demon dragon back."

Shen Gongbao secretly thought to himself.

Immediately, he lifted his head, looked at Ao Yifan and said: "Release He Tong, and I'll give you this demon dragon's corpse."

Martial Uncle!

He Tong panicked; she never expected that her martial uncle would actually trade with the opponent.

Shut, shut, shut up!

Shen Gongbao cursed.

Good, living up to the renowned Shen Gongbao, you're refreshingly straightforward!

After saying that, Ao Yifan looked at He Tong, whom he held in his hand, his finger lightly sliding over her fair cheek.

Little He, you need to learn from your senior brother Duo Duo; sometimes, knowing when to take and let go allows you to go further.

Hmph!

The only response to Ao Yifan was He Tong's cold snort.

Yo ho, just a little crane, yet you have such a big temper!

Ao Yifan's eyes shifted, and he suddenly reached out to pull off the red hair ribbon from her hair bun.

Her black hair scattered, and He Tong anxiously said, 'What are you doing?'

However, Ao Yifan had already withdrawn, playing with her red hair ribbon in his hand, smiling and saying: 'Hehe, just as I thought, a pretty little girl; it's not good to always act aloof—letting her hair down really makes her prettier!'

As he spoke, Ao Yifan reached out with his right hand, and the Sea of Sin Demon Dragon was instantly wrapped by a void force, rapidly contracting into a bead that fell into his hand.

Seeing Ao Yifan about to leave, at that moment countless thunder‑glinting blades shot out from the seabed, enveloping him—these were the blades on Shen Gongbao's Thunder God's Whip.

Heh, Daoist Shen, you're being a bit unfair!

Seeing the blades flying toward him, Ao Yifan didn't panic; he flipped his right hand, and a shining yellow great seal appeared in his hand.

Go!

With a low shout, the great seal expanded in the wind, instantly becoming a hundred‑zhang great seal that slammed downward.

The Heaven-Overturning Seal—how is that possible?

Shen Gongbao almost blurted it out; the next moment, his body trembled slightly, feeling an unstoppable force flow from his own magic treasure into his body, causing his entire magical power to violently surge.