For Xiao Lin, the greatest harvest of this expedition wasn't gold or pills—it was becoming a Spirit Array Master.
If given a choice between an immediate, side-effect-free breakthrough to the Dou Zun realm or becoming a Spirit Array Master, Xiao Lin would choose the latter without a second thought. Opportunities to break through levels are many, but in the current era of the Dou Qi Continent, this was likely the only chance to master the lost art of the Spirit Seal.
Unless he could become a Dou Di, nothing rivaled this inheritance. Therefore, handing it over to a bandit like Ying Changkong was mathematically impossible.
Xiao Lin weighed the consequences. If he went all out to kill the Dou Huang, he risked drawing the eyes of the Soul Hall. However, he knew from his Suhui (transmigrator's memory) that Hun Tiandi was still recovering from wounds sustained a thousand years ago. The Soul Clan was currently in a "low-key development" phase.
Thirty years until the plot starts, Xiao Lin calculated. Even if they notice a ripple in this backwater empire, they won't send a Dou Zun or Saint. The Gu Clan is watching them too. If I have to show my hand to protect my path, so be it. But... I'd rather kill this bird without showing my face.
In Xiao Lin's mind, Ying Changkong was already a ghost. He just hadn't stopped breathing yet.
While Xiao Lin was busy calculating, the rest of the Jia Ma coalition was drowning in cold sweat.
"Xiao Lin, what's the move?" Nalan Jie whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "We won't pry into what you found in that tower, but that man is a Dou Huang. Even if we all charge at once, we're just offering him a buffet. And he has the Luo Yan army at his back. This is a dead end."
As a fellow genius who had reached the King realm at thirty, Nalan Jie knew the crushing weight of the hierarchy. To him, the Dou Huang realm was a mountain that touched the stars—immovable and terrifying.
Mu Chen stepped closer, his face grim. "Xiao Lin, if it comes down to it... just give him the scroll. You can't hold a treasure if you're a corpse. You're a genius; give it up now, and you'll surpass him in twenty years. Don't throw your life away for a piece of paper."
Mu Chen's advice was practical, but it lacked the bond of brotherhood Nalan Jie shared. Nalan Jie wanted Xiao Lin to choose; Mu Chen wanted him to survive.
Xiao Lin didn't answer them directly. Instead, he looked at the other Dou Wangs present—the Imperial protectors, the Yun Lan elders, and the veterans like Feng Li and Yan Shi.
"And the rest of you?" Xiao Lin asked. "Are you truly ready to hand over your storage rings? I know you didn't bring your entire life savings into a ruin, but there's still a fortune on your fingers. You're okay with a thief taking it?"
"What choice do we have?" Yan Shi sighed, a bitter smile on his face. "We don't have a Sovereign on our side today. We take the loss, pay the 'protection fee,' and live to fight another day."
The consensus was clear: Broken Wealth to Ward Off Disaster.
On the opposite side, the Luo Yan forces were gloating. They hated Ying Changkong, but seeing him hold a knife to Jia Ma's throat was the best entertainment they'd had in years.
Xiao Lin's eyes flickered with a hidden azure light. "I have a plan," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "It might reduce our losses and maybe... just maybe... clip that bird's wings. But I need absolute cooperation. Who's in?"
"A plan?" Mu Chen's eyes lit up. He remembered the "Intel Clan Mission" where Xiao Lin's tricks had turned a disaster into a slaughter. "Brother Xiao, you have another 'Ghost Idea' ?"
Xiao Lin didn't smile, but the corner of his lip twitched. He gathered the Dou Wangs and Dou Lings into a tight circle, shielding their voices with a thin layer of soul power. As he whispered his instructions, the expressions on their faces shifted from skepticism to shock, then finally to a fierce, desperate hope.
"It's insane," Nalan Jie whispered. "But it's the only way," Yan Shi countered, his eyes hardening.
The "Dead-Man-Walking" plan was in motion. The Dou Huang in the sky was still counting down his incense stick, unaware that the "ants" below were currently building a trap designed to swallow a Sovereign.
Hey, have you decided yet? The time for a stick of incense is almost—"
Ying Changkong watched the Jia Ma experts huddling, assuming they were finalizing their surrender. But before he could finish his threat, the unexpected happened.
SHOO!
A streak of light, propelled by vibrant Dou Qi wings, tore through the sky, heading away from the ruins at maximum speed. Ying Changkong froze in mid-air.
Someone ran? But why only one? He looked down. The rest of the Jia Ma coalition remained stationary, as if they had been abandoned. Then, a voice amplified by Dou Qi echoed from the horizon, clear and provocative.
"The inheritance I hold contains every secret of this entire realm! If you want it, come and take it!"
Ying Changkong's eyes nearly popped out. He's actually taunting me? He faced a split-second dilemma: stay and squeeze the storage rings out of the hundreds of "ants" below, or chase the one "Golden Goose" who held the true prize. For a bandit leader, the choice was elementary. The common loot of the many couldn't compare to the singular, high-level inheritance of an ancient sect.
"Hmph! Consider yourselves lucky for now!" Ying Changkong snarled at the Jia Ma group. With a violent flap of his dark wings, he vanished into the distance, a sonic boom marking his pursuit of Xiao Lin.
Back on the ground, the Jia Ma coalition breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Dammit, we're still too weak," Nalan Jie spat, his fists trembling. "Even at the King realm, we're helpless against a Sovereign. I hope Xiao Lin has a miracle up his sleeve."
Nalan Jie had vehemently opposed Xiao Lin's plan to act as bait. But Xiao Lin was stubborn. He knew that if he fought here, his Eight-Star Dou Huang strength would be witnessed by thousands. By leading the bandit to a secluded area, he could "process" him in private.
Mu Chen acted quickly. "We need to move. Now! If that bandit kills Xiao Lin and returns, we're dead. Don't let Xiao Lin's sacrifice be in vain!"
The Jia Ma group began a disciplined retreat. On the opposite side, Yan Penghong tried to rally the Luo Yan forces to intercept them, but he hit a wall of apathy. Ying Changkong's reputation as a ruthless bandit had backfired; two-thirds of the Luo Yan experts, including a Dou Wang from the Jin Yan Sect, refused to do his "dirty work." They had no desire to die in a grudge match just to help a man who had likely robbed their own families in the past.
Miles away, Xiao Lin was "struggling."
He purposely slowed his flight, panting and flaring his wings erratically to simulate exhaustion. In reality, he was carefully leading Ying Changkong toward a desolate, craggy hill he had scouted with his soul power.
Acting is a lifestyle, Xiao Lin thought.
Ying Changkong, seeing the gap close, let out a sadistic laugh. "Run all you want, brat! Can a King truly outrun a Sovereign? Falling Eagle Strike!"
The Dou Huang unleashed a blast of cyan energy—a massive, taloned eagle made of wind—that tore through the sky toward Xiao Lin's back. Xiao Lin "barely" managed to brace himself, letting the blast impact his back to propel him downward.
BOOM!
Xiao Lin crashed into the side of the small hill, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. He slumped against a rock, feigning a desperate struggle for breath.
Ying Changkong landed seconds later, retracting his wings with an arrogant flourish. "Not running anymore? You had quite the mouth back there. Did you really think you were special?"
Xiao Lin looked down, his face hidden by his hair, a chilling, razor-sharp smile spreading across his lips. This was the perfect spot. No witnesses. No survivors. He began to gather the starlight energy in his palm for a fatal God-Slaying Finger.
But just as Xiao Lin was about to flip the script and vaporize the bandit, his Heavenly State Soul twitched.
Another aura was approaching—fast. Faster than Ying Changkong. Faster than any Dou Huang he had sensed so far.
This wasn't part of the plan. A third party, someone with power that eclipsed the "Black Eagle," had detected the commotion and was changing course.
Xiao Lin's smile vanished. Another shark in the water? This is getting crowded.