Chapter 175: Sowing Discord, Strange Changes in the Soil

"I will make you regret looking down on me!!"

Following a roar from Jiu Hui, his massive snake body lashed out and coiled around.

The look in his eyes as he stared at Lu Ren was filled with an undying, irreconcilable hatred.

Yet Lu Ren seemed completely unsurprised.

He watched calmly, the corners of his lips already curling upward the moment his opponent had launched the attack.

Jiu Hui.

Jiufang.

He was not so stupid as to forget the name of the great monk he had once killed, but he had not expected this snake to brazenly use another person's name and another person's sect to approach him.

Thinking about it...

He must not have been able to reveal his own identity, right? Yet now, he had exposed it!

Clearly, he had been pushed to the limit! Lu Ren dodged the giant snake's attacks while still having the presence of mind to think about other matters.

The distraction on his face was far too obvious! Jiu Hui had excellent eyesight; just one glance filled him with a rage that surged from the depths of his heart, nearly drowning his reason.

"Lu Ren, you deserve to die!"

The snake tail thrashed wildly, attacking everyone present indiscriminately, only carefully avoiding Long Tian'ao.

Long Tian'ao stood amidst the swirling dust, watching the man and the snake locked in battle, his eyes deep and dark, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

But it was a miserable time for the other cultivators.

They had originally been spectators, and whether they were near or far, none of them had ever imagined they would be dragged into this.

The massive snake tail brushed past their bodies or slammed directly into their faces, scaring them into scrambling away in haste.

Unfortunately, their strength had also been suppressed; some could not dodge in time and were smashed into the ground by a single tail strike.

But it was fortunate that...

Jiu Hui's primary target was not them, so most of them suffered at most minor injuries; only a few unlucky ones were severely wounded, unable to even crawl out of the dirt.

As the battle dragged on, they had long since fled to a greater distance, watching this fight that left them somewhat astonished.

Until...

"Let me out!"

"Let me out!!"

Exchanges between experts are often decided by a single move.

Lu Ren had played cat and mouse for so long, but of course, it was not for fun.

In his hand, he held an exquisite Gold Silk Birdcage, and inside the cage was a tiny, emerald-green snake.

That little green snake was rolling around frantically inside the birdcage.

From its mouth came the voice of Jiu Hui.

Everyone present was shocked.

What had happened? How had this battle already ended without them even seeing it?

Lu Ren smiled without a word.

Since it was a Demon Beast... what was there to fear?

... Moreover, he cast a faint glance at Long Tian'ao standing to the side, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile as he said, "Many thanks."

"If it weren't for you, I would have had to expend much more effort to subdue this beast. Since I have subdued it this time with your help, this is your reward."

Lu Ren tossed something casually.

From his Storage Bag, a Profundity Stone, shimmering with a truly soul-captivating light, fell into the hands of Long Tian'ao, who had subconsciously reached out to catch it.

Long Tian'ao was stunned for a moment before he immediately reacted. What was Lu Ren talking about? His face darkened, and he retorted.

"Lu Ren, don't try to pin your filth on me!"

"There has never been any cooperative relationship between you and me!"

He hurriedly tried to explain, but Lu Ren had already begun to laugh, saying calmly: "Enough, stop pretending. He has already fallen into my hands; continuing to act is useless." "If it weren't for you, how would I have known that the true method to deal with him was the formation from just now?"

"It is also thanks to you relaxing his vigilance that you allowed me to successfully set up this formation."

Trapped in the Gold Silk Birdcage, Jiu Hui's body suddenly went still.

He was, by nature, a suspicious person.

The reason he had protected Long Tian'ao was because Long Tian'ao was the descendant left behind by his senior brother, Jiufang.

But he was not his senior brother after all! What Lu Ren said... it was simply too coincidental! Jiu Hui happened to be sensitive, and he could not help but overthink it.

He could barely stop himself from wondering: could it really be a trap set for him?

The look in Jiu Hui's eyes as he gazed at Long Tian'ao gradually lost its warmth.

Long Tian'ao was anxious to the point of desperation. He glared at Lu Ren with resentment and refuted: "Nonsense!"

"I have never seen him before this, so how could I possibly know what his true form is?"

"Oh?"

Lu Ren raised his eyebrows slightly.

He revealed a trace of mockery, as if it were there or not, but this trace of mockery carried the weight of seeing through everything.

"Fine, fine, since you won't admit it, then don't," Lu Ren said casually.

Yet the very fact that he said it this way only served to confirm the truth.

Especially...

Lu Ren shook the Gold Silk Birdcage in his hand repeatedly, revealing a smile as he laughed: "The great monk Jiufang of Tongbei Temple... you really do know how to pretend."

"If it weren't for someone tipping me off in advance, I wouldn't have known you were Jiu Hui, hehe..."

"Southern Continent, Jiu Hui, I will certainly visit your Boundless Sect as well."

In that instant, the pupils of Jiu Hui instantly shrank into straight lines.

He subconsciously looked at Long Tian'ao, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The Immeasurable Gate is not considered an obscure sect name in the cultivation world!

Yet, as it happens...

Lu Ren knows he is from Nanzhou! This could not help but make him overthink.

Long Tian'ao saw him cast his gaze over, feeling both annoyed and angry in his heart, and gritted his teeth as he said, "I never knew you were not from this province!"

Jiu Hui silently coiled his body up inside the Gold Silk Birdcage and did not say a single word; furthermore, the sounds he made inside this Gold Silk Birdcage could not travel very far to the outside world.

Yet, a seed was ultimately buried deep within his heart.

A seed named suspicion.

Long Tian'ao looked at Jiu Hui's appearance, feeling both anxious and furious.

He was clear in his heart.

If Jiu Hui was a gift left to him by his cheap father, then he had to win the person over no matter what; after all, what had fallen from the other party's hands over these past few days was already enough for him to drink several pots! He absolutely could not let Lu Ren succeed! Long Tian'ao rolled his eyes and spoke up immediately: "Lu Ren, setting other things aside, although this senior is a Demon Beast, he is, after all, already registered in our Human Race sect. You cannot just take him away and restrain him so easily!"

"What is this supposed to mean?!"

"If you find any of us present here unpleasant to the eye, could you just imprison all of us as well?"

Inciting the crowd.

He certainly had a knack for it.

However, what made him feel somewhat awkward was that Lu Ren did not even pay him any mind.

"Lu Ren, you..."

Long Tian'ao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but saw Lu Ren's hand lift in an instant.

What? He subconsciously froze for a moment.

Yet he heard Lu Ren say abruptly: "No... this seems... not to be the fire Qi belonging to the Wanzhen Liuli Fire..."

(End of this chapter)