Chapter 277

"Uh… no need for the Old Shopkeeper to act, as long as it can't get off this island." Jiang Yu stared at the trapped destined sword and found she couldn't make it fly out of the thunder net.

"Very good, cooperate with me to drive it out." The Old Shopkeeper formed seals with both hands, and a string of light‑formed sigils struck the blade in an instant.

Jiang Yu discovered that the sigil was actually a type of Chaotic Primordial Seal; she intended to observe it a bit longer, but the Old Shopkeeper urged her to act.

Jiang Tu transmitted voice: "You really gave it to him? Aren't you afraid the fire seed will hold a grudge?"

"I set it free, but who made it throw itself onto the sword again, and look, the perfectly fine azure blade is already feeling like it's being melted."

"If we don't act now, the sword's own fire attribute will be swallowed by it." Even though the Old Shopkeeper didn't ask, Jiang Yu also drove out the fire seed.

The destined sword, which took years to have a master swordsmith forge, she didn't want it to be damaged after only a short use, so she quickly grasped the technique and tried her best to expel the foreign substances from the blade.

With her and the Old Shopkeeper's cooperation, the red fire seed burst flames that shot out of the sword, then immediately shrank, trying to slip out of the thunder net as the blade moved away.

Unfortunately, the Old Shopkeeper's hand was dark, and in an instant he thickened and reinforced the thunder net, making it impossible for it to escape no matter how it struggled, and he sealed it into a specially made fire‑blocking crystal artifact.

Once the lid closed, the fire seed could no longer leap about; it wilted and curled into a small lump.

Then the Old Shopkeeper's voice came through: "After you do a favor for me, you may leave freely."

Those words sounded familiar—what about the female cultivator just now? I want to scorch her hair bald.

Jiang Yu stood not far from the Old Shopkeeper, who also released a refining furnace; she asked Jiang Tu to fill it with ten‑thousand‑year ice crystals while she pressed the water technique to store water.

When the demon kings arrived, she pointed the glowing red destined Thunder Fire Sword from a distance and thrust it into the icy water.

Sizzle

A wisp of smoke rose instantly, the red hue gradually returned to blue, and tiny lightning crackled continuously in the water.

After a moment, Jiang Yu sensed that the blade itself was unharmed, and only after its temperature normalized did she let it slowly surge out.

"Jiang Yu, you're a non‑Thunder‑spirit‑root cultivator, yet you use thunder‑type artifacts and even thunder spells—how strange." Bai Jing leapt over and examined the floating sword closely.

Jiaolong gave her a sideways glance, "What's so strange? Cultivators are living beings; they often carry soul banners to harvest souls!"

"Your sword, how many times can it emit lightning?"

"Compared to the fan just now, how much more powerful is it?"

"…"

The demon kings instantly turned into curious babies, but Jiang Yu saw no surprise in any of their eyes except Bai Jing's.

She cleared her throat lightly and said, "It's just a typical Foundation Establishment level strength."

"Old Shopkeeper, do you know where that person—he's called Nan Su—is hiding now? He can't have left the island, right?"

The Old Shopkeeper raised his hand and pointed to the other end of the island, "This island is under my command; no one can leave."

"Down there, he uses blood vines to conceal his breath; you might not be able to catch him. Really, no need for me to intervene?"

"No need. Let him hide for another day; I want to use the ground to heal my injuries." Jiang Yu didn't want to owe him too many favors.

The Old Shopkeeper gave a slight nod, glanced at Bai Jing, who immediately grabbed Jiang Yu, "Come, let's go to the spirit pool near my cave residence to heal; the aura there is abundant."

"Go to my place; I have a ready-made medicinal field—take whatever you need," the Merman King also extended an invitation.

Jiang Tu sensed that both demons were uneasy and immediately said, "We can open our own cave residence ourselves."

Jiang Yu wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, we'd appreciate the demon king pointing out a quiet place that won't disturb you."

"Preferably, somewhere a bit closer to that Nan Su."

"As for me…" Bai Jing's words were cut off by the Merman King, "I just want a place far from us."

Jiang Yu ignored her teasing glance, bowed slightly to Bai Jing, who pouted and whisked the two Jiangs away.

After a short while, they arrived at the other end of the island; Bai Jing, somewhat disinterested, dropped her, "The hillside here, settle wherever."

She said that and was about to leave, but Jiang Yu caught up and gave her several spirit fruits; although only one was eighth‑grade and the rest seventh‑grade, Bai Jing was delighted, as the Dragon Emperor Archipelago had never seen these.

She tossed a colorful sea shell, "It can be used as a transmitting device."

Jiang Tu saw her disappear a few steps away and quipped, "Just one? Who can communicate with her?"

"Later, I'll trade another spirit fruit with her so the two of us can transmit," Jiang Yu soothed it, chose a spot, and used the Thunder Fire Sword to carve out a two‑room, one‑hall cave residence.

Of course, after setting up the defensive array, none of them stayed in the stone chamber; they slipped into the Dragon Pearl to heal.

"Dragon Soul, can you still pinpoint where Nan Su is?" Previously the Old Shopkeeper was present, so Jiang Yu dared not transmit to the Dragon Soul.

"He's only about twenty‑something li away; I sense he's burrowing deep underground."

"He intends to break the seal from the island's core and escape?" The Dragon Soul's tracking seal is a unique secret technique; the floating island's restrictions don't block it, and a half‑broken blood vine does nothing to stop it.

Its prediction was accurate; after Nan Su refined the elixir, he didn't rest but commanded the spirit vine to continuously pierce the earth's soil and stone, then stored the gathered material in a bag, attempting to tunnel through the island's bottom to escape.

One Jiang Yu isn't afraid, but she doesn't believe there are hundreds of Nascent Soul sword talismans; what she fears are the demon kings and that Transcendent‑level Old Dragon King.

"Squeak!" The blood vine, upon hitting an undrillable spot, immediately recoiled to the broken end where its flow was severed.

Yet Nan Su wouldn't agree, tossing a few spirit stones, "We must leave quickly, or our lives will end."

The blood vine swiftly absorbed the spirit stones, indicating it wanted to use blood food to replenish energy.

Nan Su originally killed some Foundation Establishment cultivators on another island to feed it, but now that's gone; after the original arena auction, he stole a few Foundation Establishment pills to feed the blood vine, replenishing its soul banner, "Good, you finished the remaining rations days ago; after we get out, I'll get you more Foundation Establishment blood food."

"Fine," the blood vine, knowing there's no supply for now, took more spirit stones to absorb, then chattered and kept drilling down.

After only a few zhang, its whole body crackled with lightning, and a large section of the vine turned charred black, squeaking in pain.

Fortunately, Nan Su's sword was swift; he slashed off the charred segment and pulled it away from the soil, saving its life, "Damn seal."

In a panic, he fished a tattered talisman from his storage ring, one of the spoils he had previously collected.

He peeled away the soil stuck to the seal, and his cultivation force surged into the talisman, striking the seal.

Clack clack

As the seal flickered, countless lightning bolts swept in, and the broken talisman turned to dust in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Old Shopkeeper at the other end, seeing his futile effort, shook his head and chuckled, "A damaged Break‑World talisman has long lost its world‑breaking power."

The Old Shopkeeper admired Nan Su's frustration for a moment, then shifted his divine sense toward Jiang Yu's cave residence.

Jiang Yu was about to meditate inside the Dragon Pearl when she suddenly sensed the defensive array activate; she darted out of the stone chamber, and within the cave entrance asked, "Who?"

"Me—do you want to kill him while he's ill?"

"The cultivator called Nan Su hasn't been properly nursing his injury," the old shopkeeper refused to admit he was just looking for a spectacle.

"No, Jiang Yu's external wound is not severe, but it has reached the internal organs."

"We can't risk it for a momentary benefit." Jiang Tu pretended to jump out of the spirit beast bag.

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