Chapter 135 - 135: Dream On
When Fang Hong had only ten Wood Escape Talismans left, he sensed that the Qi behind him was gradually moving away, and he finally shook off Elder Lu Qi's pursuit.
Under an ancient tree, a green light drilled out from underground, and Fang Hong's figure slowly appeared.
Fang Hong let out a long breath, relieved that he had prepared enough Wood Escape Talismans, otherwise he would have surely been caught.
"This person has so many evasion talismans; he is most likely that Nascent Soul Elder from the Ten Thousand Talisman Sect, Elder Lu Qi." Fang Hong pondered.
Xiao Yu had mentioned that the Ten Thousand Talisman Sect was proficient in talismans, and besides Elder Lu Qi, he couldn't think of anyone else.
Fang Hong quickly left the spot, not daring to linger, then found a hidden cave and quietly waited to be teleported out of the Immortal Herb Garden.
At this moment, he had only a few Wood Escape Talismans left, not enough to support him in continuing his exploration.
If he risked further, he would very likely fall into a situation with no way out.
On the other side, Elder Lu Qi was standing on a towering ancient tree, his face full of irritation, scanning the forest below with an unwilling expression.
Elder Lu Qi gritted his teeth, a surge of anger building in his heart; he had used dozens of Earth Evasion talismans in a row to chase Fang Hong, yet that brat still managed to slip away, which was truly infuriating.
Elder Lu Qi had no choice but to leave the spot resentfully, thinking that he would find an opportunity to catch Fang Hong later and force him to hand over the treasure.
Several hours later, Fang Hong was still sitting quietly in the cave when suddenly, a soft light emanated from his entire body, drawn by some mysterious power.
The next moment, with a soft "swoosh," he instantly vanished from his original spot.
When Fang Hong's vision returned to clarity, he found himself in an immensely spacious grand hall.
Looking around, he saw that the grand hall was surrounded by tiered, stepped structures, and in the very center was a circular, sunken formation platform, its surface covered with profound and complex formation seals.
However, this formation was clearly not yet activated and remained in a dormant state.
At this time, the grand hall was silent, appearing somewhat desolate.
Fang Hong's position was near a corner, and in his line of sight, he only saw four figures.
Those four were Elder Lin Yi of the Four Seas Sect, a steady nine-level Turtle Demon, an eight-level Golden Armor Crab, and the Nascent Soul Elder Elder Lu Qi of the Ten Thousand Talisman Sect.
As soon as Fang Hong saw Elder Lu Qi, his heart tightened, and his expression immediately became alert.
His mind instantly flashed back to the scene several hours earlier in the Immortal Herb Garden, where he was relentlessly pursued by Elder Lu Qi.
And Elder Lu Qi also saw Fang Hong at this moment; his eyes were gloomy, and a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Fang Hong quickly walked to Elder Lin Yi's side and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Elder."
With Elder Lin Yi, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage powerhouse, present, even if Elder Lu Qi harbored extreme hatred, he wouldn't dare to openly do anything to him, would he?
"Hmm, you actually cleared the first three levels so quickly. Not bad, it's even faster than I expected." Elder Lin Yi glanced at Fang Hong, nodding slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes.
Elder Lu Qi watched Fang Hong return to Lin Yi's side and could only suppress the anger in his heart, temporarily abandoning the idea of questioning him about the treasure, after all, he was not Lin Yi's opponent.
Seeing the opportune moment, Fang Hong asked, "Elder, why is there no teleportation formation to return to the outside world in this grand hall?"
Lin Yi heard this, turned to look at him, and explained, "The teleportation formation is at the end of the fourth level, but the entrance to the fourth level hasn't opened yet. What, you don't want to go and see the fourth level?"
"So it's on the fourth level. Junior's magic power is low, I wouldn't dare to covet any spirit pills." Fang Hong nodded in understanding, responding humbly.
In reality, he had already obtained many treasures in the first three levels of the Dragon Palace, and at this moment, he only wanted to escape safely, find a safe place, and cultivate in seclusion for a period of time.
Lin Yi smiled upon hearing this and said, "You are quite clear-headed. Indeed, the alchemy furnace in that fourth level requires the magic power of a Nascent Soul Cultivator to open; you, a Core Formation Stage cultivator, are indeed powerless. However.."
He changed the subject, his expression suddenly becoming serious, "This situation is different from previous years, and perhaps we will still need your help."
After speaking, Lin Yi's gaze swept over and landed on the two great demonic beasts.
A trace of vigilance and hostility appeared on both the Turtle Demon and the Golden Armor Crab.
Fang Hong instantly understood and asked in a low voice, "Elder is worried that those great demonic beasts will cause trouble?"
"Precisely." Lin Yi sighed softly.
"In previous years when the Dragon Palace opened, these demonic beasts were not involved. Now that they are here, how could they allow us to safely take away the spirit pills? I'm afraid there will be quite a stir when we enter the fourth level."
"So, if there is a conflict, we will need your strength to hold back some of the demonic beasts."
"Understood, Junior will do his best." Fang Hong nodded in response.
Letting those great demonic beasts be dealt with by these Nascent Soul Cultivators was fine; it wouldn't be difficult for him to deal with some smaller demonic beasts.
Fang Hong found a corner and sat down quietly, his expression calm, patiently waiting for the fourth level to open.
Although he did not intend to participate in the competition for spirit pills, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious about the alchemy furnace placed on the fourth level.
The atmosphere in the grand hall was silent, no one spoke another word, and time slowly flowed by in this silence.
Another full day passed, and the silent grand hall suddenly echoed with another spatial fluctuation. A flash of white light passed, and several more figures were teleported in.
This time, those teleported into the grand hall were Zhao Yongxiu from Shadow Demon Island and the eight-level Golden-winged Bird.
As soon as they appeared, they immediately looked around, their gazes vigilant, scanning the Everyone present.
Zhao Yongxiu's gaze inadvertently shifted and lingered on the familiar figure in the corner.
His face instantly darkened, and he stared at Fang Hong with sinister eyes, a surge of anger immediately welling up in his heart.
It was this brat who had taken his Lifebound Treasure, the "Demon Subduing Mountain," and had not yet returned it.
Zhao Yongxiu wanted to step forward to reclaim his Spiritual Treasure, but after taking two steps, he suddenly stopped, his expression fluctuating between cloudy and clear.
If he directly questioned him in front of everyone, a dignified Nascent Soul Cultivator from Shadow Demon Island having his Lifebound Treasure taken by a mere Core Formation Stage cultivator—if such an embarrassing matter spread, wouldn't it become the laughingstock of the entire Azure Wave Sea?
Moreover, Lin Yi, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage expert, was still nearby. The relationship between Shadow Demon Island and the Four Seas Sect was not very harmonious, and it was estimated that Lin Yi would not give him a good face and might even take the opportunity to mock him.
Zhao Yongxiu's old face fluctuated between cloudy and clear. After much thought, he decided to find Fang Hong in private after leaving the Dragon Palace to reclaim his Spiritual Treasure.
He silently walked to another corner of the grand hall, sat down cross-legged, and then quietly activated a secret technique to transmit a message to Fang Hong.
"Junior, this old man acknowledges your strength. Can you return this old man's Spiritual Treasure? This old man will naturally give you appropriate compensation."
Fang Hong heard Zhao Yongxiu's secret message transmission and sneered in his heart.
Did he really think he could get back the Spiritual Treasure he had taken? Dream on.
Fang Hong simply ignored Zhao Yongxiu and remained silent.
