Qin Ming's eyes widened as waves of astonishment surged within him.

"Fellow Daoist Lin!"

No matter how he tried, he couldn't imagine that the person who effortlessly slew Foundation Establishment Elders like fragile chickens...

...was none other than his old neighbor, Lin Zixiao.

From the moment before that Spirit Feather Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator's death, the last words he shouted...

...revealed that the person was indeed the notorious outlaw jointly wanted by the Spirit Feather Sect and the Golden Cloud Valley.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, how have you been?" Lin Zixiao greeted Qin Ming with a leisurely smile.

Even after slaying a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he remained as calm as ever.

Qin Ming did not lower his guard just because the person before him was Lin Zixiao.

After all, the other party had killed so many without batting an eyelid.

He could strike at any moment without warning.

Moreover, it was clear he came here for Qin Ming, willing to massacre for a purpose.

"Ha ha, Lin... Elder Lin." Qin Ming forced a strained smile.

He was somewhat bewildered, encountering such a sudden situation for the first time, his mind racing.

But.

Qin Ming had absolute confidence in the spell leaf in his hand, engraved with Huangfu Qii's most powerful strike.

Even someone as terrifying as Lin Zixiao probably couldn't withstand it.

His tense heart settled a little.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, your talent in spirit plants is truly exceptional; you've grown a Tier Two Spirit Plant so quickly." Lin Zixiao glanced at Qin Ming's spirit field and spoke calmly.

Unable to gauge the other's intentions, Qin Ming responded cautiously, "Ha ha, just a small trick, nothing worth mentioning. It's far inferior to Elder Lin's Tier Two Array Mastery."

With that said.

Lin Zixiao squinted, examining Qin Ming up and down, seemingly trying to discover something.

A massive Foundation Establishment Spiritual Pressure pressed towards Qin Ming.

Qin Ming circulated his True Qi Blood Spirit, easily resisting the other's oppressive aura, maintaining a composed demeanor.

"Oh?" Lin Zixiao, looking down at Qin Ming from above, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Such a strong Body Refining Technique is truly unexpected, Fellow Daoist Qin."

"Speaking of surprises, Elder Lin is the one who's more unexpected, isn't it?"

"Neither Spirit Feather Sect nor Golden Cloud Valley could have imagined that the person they've been trying hard to hunt is right under their noses." Qin Ming replied while his mind turned fast.

The commotion in the spirit field should have alerted Spirit Feather Sect's reinforcements heading here.

He just needed to buy some time.

Lin Zixiao's lips curved slightly, as if he'd seen through Qin Ming's plan.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, we are old acquaintances, so let's skip the useless chit-chat. I've come specifically to see you this time."

"Has Fellow Daoist Feng visited you at the market?"

"To be honest, if I hadn't exposed myself early to cover Fellow Daoist Feng, I wouldn't have to come looking for you in such a guise."

Qin Ming instinctively felt startled, his mind roughly grasping Lin Zixiao's purpose.

"That's right, Fellow Daoist Feng did come to see me once."

He speculated that Lin Zixiao had secretly investigated Fengg Yuan's whereabouts, which was why he confidently sought him out.

There was no point in hiding it now.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zixiao smiled and asked directly, "Since that's the case... did Fellow Daoist Feng give you something?"

"For instance... something like this."

With those words, he revealed a dragon-shaped token in his spotless hand.

Upon closer inspection, it looked exactly like the one Fengg Yuan had.

Qin Ming had anticipated that this thing would be a hot potato, and now it seemed he was right.

After pondering for a moment, Qin Ming directly and candidly replied, "Fellow Daoist Feng indeed had the intention to trade the token with me."

"However, considering my limited strength and knowing the significant implications of this item, I knew it wasn't something a mere Qi Cultivation Novice like me could handle."

"So, I did not agree to his terms."

"Nor did I accept the token."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zixiao's expression flickered as he scrutinized Qin Ming's honest demeanor, seemingly without lying.

The reason given by the other party made sense too.

"Oh? Really?"

"I'm a bit uneasy, would you let me search your body?"

Qin Ming's heart skipped a beat at the suggestion; his eyes flickered as he refused, "Elder Lin, I must decline such a request."

With that, he tightened his grip on the purple spell leaf, ready to use it and flee at any time.

Hearing Qin Ming's decisive reply, Lin Zixiao's expression shifted several times.

He never expected.

Even faced with someone of the Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Ming showed no fear.

For a moment, he couldn't fathom the other's intentions.

Lin Zixiao thought of something, suddenly lifting the token in his hand and casting a spell onto it.

The dragon-shaped token emitted a golden light that enveloped Qin Ming, accompanied by a resonant hum.

Roar~

Qin Ming panicked and attempted to dodge, but found the light falling on him caused no harm.

In a few breaths.

The golden light receded like the tide, returning to the token in Lin Zixiao's hand.

"Ha ha! So it wasn't on you; it seems I misunderstood Fellow Daoist Qin." Lin Zixiao's smile reappeared as he remarked meaningfully to Qin Ming, "Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any longer. I hope we meet again one day."

After speaking, Lin Zixiao put on a Buddha Mask, casually beckoned, and collected some Array Chess pieces into his hand.

The dark clouds covering the spirit field dispersed instantly.

After that.

He gave Qin Ming a deep look before turning into a shadow, disappearing into the sky.

"Whew~"

"That was really dangerous!"

"Never imagined my everyday neighbor would be the top outlaw!"

This incident served as a wake-up call for him.

In the Cultivation Realm, one should never easily trust anyone.

Qin Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead, breathing a sigh of relief.

At this point.

The Spirit Plant Masters in the spirit field, who had narrowly escaped, trembled as they emerged.

They only saw a black-robed Evil Cultivator wreaking havoc.

The subsequent conversation between Lin Zixiao and Qin Ming was blocked by the array, so they saw nothing.

...

The mask-wearing Lin Zixiao streaked through the air as a black escape light, stopping by a hidden mountain ravine.

Behind a huge boulder.

A Foundation Establishment Elder from Spirit Feather Sect slowly emerged, wearing a puzzled expression, and questioned Lin Zixiao, "Why did you let that boy go?"

"Killing him should have been easy for you, shouldn't it?"

Demonic Qi surged from Lin Zixiao, exuding a formidable aura that forced the Foundation Establishment Elder to retreat several steps.

"Do I need you to tell me how to do my job?"

The Spirit Feather Sect Elder staggered to steady himself, his face pale, not daring to say more.

After a moment of silence.

Lin Zixiao solemnly spoke, "Do you think I didn't want to?"

"Fellow Daoist Qin indeed surprised me as well this time!"

"Now, even I can't see through him anymore."

The Spirit Feather Sect Elder was greatly shocked, showing disbelief, "How could that be?"

"He's at most a Qi Cultivation Stage Spirit Plant Master."

Lin Zixiao originally had no intention of explaining further, but he was intrigued enough to say:

"Heh! I have an artifact that can forewarn danger."

"Just now, it warned me that if I attacked him, I would be the first to die."

"He must have something up his sleeve."

"It's becoming more and more interesting."

Upon hearing this, the Spirit Feather Sect Elder appeared thoughtful, evidently still somewhat skeptical.

His eyes flickered uncertainly, internally speculating.

'Lin Zixiao and that boy have had a connection, saying such nonsense, surely just being soft-hearted.'

After which, they chatted briefly.

Then each quietly went their separate ways.

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