bù guò gāng cái de huà ， bìng wú xū jiǎ ， xiàn zài táo zǒu ， yǐ wéi shí wǎn le ， yǔ qí rú cǐ ， bù rú zài diān liáng yī xià lǎo mó de shí lì 。
不过刚才的话，并无虚假，现在逃走，已为时晚了，与其如此，不如再掂量一下老魔的实力。
However, what he said just now was not a lie. It is already too late to escape now; it would be better to reconsider the strength of this old demon.
bié kàn lín xuān sì hū bèi zhuī dé láng bèi yǐ jí ， qí shí yì zhí yǐ lái ， tā gēn běn jiù méi yǒu shén tōng jǐn chū ， bì jìng yǔ wàn shòu zūn zhě fēi yǒu shì dí ， liǎng gè rén de hé zuò gēn běn jiù bù kě néng jìn xīn jié lì 。
别看林轩似乎被追得狼狈已极，其实一直以来，他根本就没有神通尽出，毕竟与万兽尊者非友是敌，两个人的合作根本就不可能尽心竭力。
Although Lin Xuan seemed to be in a desperate situation, he had never fully exerted his full power. After all, he and Master Beast were enemies, so their cooperation could never be wholehearted. Perhaps halfway through the battle, he might end up being bitten by the beast. Although such a possibility was slim, it wasn't entirely impossible. Therefore, Lin Xuan decided to strike first and take advantage of this old demon.
shuō bù dìng dòu dào zhōng tú ， fǎn ér huì bèi wàn shòu fǎn yǎo yī kǒu ， suī rán zhè zhǒng kě néng xìng bù dà ， dàn bìng fēi yì diǎn yě wú a ， suǒ yǐ lín xuān gān cuì xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng ， jiāng wàn shòu nà lǎo jiā huǒ ， gěi hěn hěn lì luán yòng le yī bǎ 。
说不定斗到中途，反而会被万兽反咬一口，虽然这种可能性不大，但并非一点也无啊，所以林轩干脆先下手为强，将万兽那老家伙，给狠狠利圞用了一把。
In other words, he had not taken this old demon seriously in their fight.
huàn jù huà shuō ， tā gēn běn jiù méi yǒu yǔ dú luán lóng lǎo zǔ rèn zhēn dǎ guò 。
换句话说，他根本就没有与毒圞龙老祖认真打过。
If the opponent had personally arrived here, Lin Xuan would have no such thoughts. However, with just a possessed body, it was an excellent opportunity for him to test his strength.
rú guǒ shì duì fāng qīn shēn jià lín cǐ chù ， lín xuān zì rán sī háo yě bú huì yǒu zhè zhǒng xiǎng fǎ ， bù guò qū qū yí gè fù shēn zhī tǐ ， zhèng shì shēn liàng zì jǐ shí lì de hǎo shí jī 。
如果是对方亲身驾临此处，林轩自然丝毫也不会有这种想法，不过区区一个附身之体，正是身量自己实力的好时机。
After all, challenging across levels was nothing new to Lin Xuan. He was confident in his divine treasures and techniques. If he could eliminate this old demon, that would be the best outcome; even if he failed, without Red Leaf as a burden, escaping alone should not be too difficult.
bì jìng yuè jí tiǎo zhàn duì lín xuān ér yán ， bìng wú mò shēng zhī gǎn ， tā duì zì jǐ de shén tōng bǎo wù yě dōu xìn xīn shí zú ， rú guǒ néng gòu miè shā lǎo mó ， zì rán zuì hǎo bù guò ， jí shǐ shī bài le ， méi yǒu hóng yè zuò tuō yóu píng ， jǐn shì zì jǐ yī rén de huà ， xiǎng yào táo zǒu ， nán dù yīng gāi yě bú huì hěn dà 。
毕竟越级挑战对林轩而言，并无陌生之感，他对自己的神通宝物也都信心十足，如果能够灭杀老魔，自然最好不过，即使失败了，没有红叶做拖油瓶，仅是自己一人的话，想要逃走，难度应该也不会很大。
By prolonging their confrontation, even if they lost, there would still be more time to talk.
ér yǔ duì fāng jiāo shǒu ， jí shǐ bù dí ， yě yīng gāi jǐn liàng jiāng shí jiān tuō yán cháng yī xiē ， zhè yàng hóng yè cái yǒu zú gòu de shí jiān táo tuō ， zhǐ yào tā huí dào chéng zhōng ， nà lǎo guài wù yǒu suǒ gù jì ， yě zhǐ yǒu tú huàn nài hé ， xiǎng lái jué bù gǎn gōng rán qiǎng rén de 。
而与对方交手，即使不敌，也应该尽量将时间拖延长一些，这样红叶才有足够的时间逃脱，只要她回到城中，那老怪物有所顾忌，也只有徒唤奈何，想来绝不敢公然抢人的。
Lin Xuan's thoughts flashed through his mind as he restrained himself from making any moves.
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， lín xuān xīn zhōng yǐ yǒu dìng jì le ， suàn suàn shí jī chà bu duō ， shì gāi zháo shǒu zhǔn bèi yī xià le 。
脑海中念头转过，林轩心中已有定计了，算算时机差不多，是该着手准备一下了。
The light faded, revealing the repulsive face of the old demon. After entering the fourth tier, demons could shed their animal forms and take human shapes, but this process was uncontrollable. Thus, whether they looked beautiful or ugly was left to fate.
xī le kǒu qì ， lín xuān hún shēn shàng xià ， tū rán qīng guāng pēn bó ， suí hòu yòu huà wèi le wǔ cǎi liú lí zhī sè ， kě pà de líng lì fēng yōng ér chū ， tiān dì dōu wèi zhī biàn sè ， yí gè gè jù dà de xuán wō ， zài hǎi miàn chū xiàn le 。
吸了口气，林轩浑身上下，突然青光喷薄，随后又化为了五彩琉璃之色，可怕的灵力蜂拥而出，天地都为之变色，一个个巨大的漩涡，在海面出现了。
But generally, dragons, as celestial spirits, had fine appearances regardless of gender. The old demon's appearance was a testament to his abilities.
suí hòu kuáng fēng zhòu qǐ ， jù làng tāo tiān 。
随后狂风骤起，巨浪滔天。
Seeing Lin Xuan calmly blocking the path, the old monster showed a hint of surprise on his face. As an ancient creature who had lived for tens of thousands of years and recognized countless individuals, he had never seen someone as bold as Lin Xuan before. According to logic, after seeing his strength, the other should have fled in terror, but why was there still the胆ness to block him?
jīn mù shuǐ huǒ tǔ ， wǔ luán xíng yuán qì ， yì qǐ zài tā de shēn luán tǐ zhōu wéi huì jù ， bì yàn qí lín jiǎ yě fú xiàn ér qǐ ” yī dào dào gāng fēng guā guò ， lín xuān shēn chù xuán wō de zhōng xīn zhī chù ， kàn shàng qù jiù fǎng fú shàng gǔ zhàn shén sì de 。
金木水火土，五圞行元气，一起在他的身圞体周围汇聚，碧焰麒麟甲也浮现而起”一道道罡风刮过，林轩身处漩涡的中心之处，看上去就仿佛上古战神似的。
Could it be a trap?
suí hòu tā lüè yī pán xuán ， shēn shǒu zài yāo jiān de xū yú dài yī pāi ， wēng míng shēng dà zuò ” shù yǐ qiān jì de yù luó fēng chéng qún ér chū ， huà wèi yī duǒ guǐ yì de chóng yún zài qí tóu dǐng xuán fú 。
随后他略一盘旋，伸手在腰间的须臾袋一拍，嗡鸣声大做”数以千计的玉罗蜂成群而出，化为一朵诡异的虫云在其头顶悬浮。
The old demon shook his head. Even though his power was only one-fifth of his true form, his divine sense remained unaffected. There were no signs of any cultivators within a ten-thousand-mile radius; he had no allies.
zhè zhǒng mó chóng suī rán shàng wèi chéng shú ， dàn sì yǎng le zhè me jiǔ ， yě bìng fēi duì dí de shí hòu jiù fā huī bù chū yì diǎn zuò yòng 。
这种魔虫虽然尚未成熟，但饲养了这么久，也并非对敌的时候就发挥不出一点作用。
"Good, good, your courage is impressive and even this old demon admires you. I can appreciate you. However, don't think that you can defeat me. Master Beast has already died, but I can still offer you a path to survival," the old demon said with interest as he crossed his hands behind his back.
fǎn zhèng xū yú dài zhōng hái yǒu hěn duō ， jiù xiān ná chū yī bù fèn dàng zuò fú bīng suàn le 。
反正须臾袋中还有很多，就先拿出一部分当作伏兵算了。
"Oh, are you going to ask for my surrender again? You won't be interested in self-destruction," Lin Xuan thought with relief when the old demon didn't attack. Prolonging this confrontation suited him well.
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， lín xuān xiù páo yī fú ， sān zhāng dàn yín sè de fú zhuàn fēi lüè ér chū ， wú fēng zì rán ， huà wèi sān dào cū xì bù tóng de yín máng shè luán rù chóng yún lǐ miàn ， suí hòu nà xiē yín guāng lián chéng yī piàn ， jiāng zhěng gè chóng yún bāo guǒ ， jǐ gè shǎn shuò ， jū rán huà wèi le xū wú 。
脑海中念头转过，林轩袖袍一拂，三张淡银色的符篆飞掠而出，无风自燃，化为三道粗细不同的银芒射圞入虫云里面，随后那些银光连成一片，将整个虫云包裹，几个闪烁，居然化为了虚无。
"I will not leave unless you submit to me. Not only will your life be spared, but you can continue living freely. However, you must obey any command I give without question; otherwise, you will suffer until death," the old demon said as he took out a small wooden plaque with an evil spirit pattern on it.
yǐn nì fú ！
隐匿符！
"Mind Control?" Lin Xuan's pupils narrowed in hesitation. He had no intention of cooperating but was just buying time.
ér qiě shì jiào gāo jiē de nà zhǒng ， dāng rán bú shì fāng shì suǒ de ， ér shì zài wàn shòu de cáng bǎo kù zhōng sōu guā chū lái de 。
而且是较高阶的那种，当然不是坊市所得，而是在万兽的藏宝库中搜刮出来的。
"Hurry and make your choice. If you don't want to scatter your soul, follow my instructions," the old demon's harsh voice echoed in his ears. Although he was confident that Red Leaf would not escape him, he knew that time could bring unexpected changes.
jí biàn shì dòng xuán qī de lǎo guài wù ， zhǐ yào bú shì kè yì yòng shén shí sǎo guò ” xiāng xìn yīng gāi yě fā xiàn bù liǎo zhè chóng yún de 。
即便是洞玄期的老怪物，只要不是刻意用神识扫过”相信应该也发现不了这虫云的。
"Alright, it is fine for Lin Xuan to submit, but there is a question I need you to answer," Lin Xuan said with some reverence.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， lín xuān dà xiù yī shuǎi ， dùn shí liǎng gè cuǐ càn de yuán huán fú xiàn chū lái ， zài tā shēn qián pán xuán fēi wǔ ， kàn shàng qù shēng shì dào yě pǒ lìng rén jīng xīn dòng pò 。
与此同时，林轩大袖一甩，顿时两个璀璨的圆环浮现出来，在他身前盘旋飞舞，看上去声势倒也颇令人惊心动魄。
"Don't waste any more time."
ér lín xuān hái bù bà shǒu ， zuǒ shǒu fān zhuǎn ， yī shì yàng gǔ piáo de zhé shàn yǐ chū xiàn zài zhǎng xīn lǐ miàn 。
而林轩还不罢手，左手翻转，一式样古朴的折扇已出现在掌心里面。
"With your strength, eliminating us should be easy. Why play the role of a fishederman? You were the one who suggested that Red Leaf should join me back then, aiming for conflict between Master Beast and me. This is unnecessary; if you hadn't done this, Lin Xuan would not have been involved," Lin Xuan said with some resentment.
cǐ wù nǎi shì tā zài pāi mài huì zhōng gāo jià suǒ de ” fǎng zhì líng bǎo de wēi lì jué duì fēi tóng xiǎo ěr 。
此物乃是他在拍卖会中高价所得”仿制灵宝的威力绝对非同小耳。
His doubts went beyond just this, but he knew it was pointless to ask why the old demon wanted Red Leaf Island.
zuò hǎo zhè yī qiè hòu lín xuān cái bí jìng de zài yuán dì xuán fú ， děng dài lǎo mó dào lái le 。
做好这一切后林轩才鼻静的在原地悬浮，等待老魔到来了。
"Your confusion is due to bad luck. Indeed, I originally planned for both of you to be destroyed, and then I could reap the benefits. …" The old demon's expression seemed strange as if he had some lingering fear.
ér duì fāng de xiāo shù yě fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， bù guò shí jǐ xī de gōng fu jiù chū xiàn zài lín xuān shēn qián shù shí zhàng yuǎn chù 。
而对方的逍术也非同小可，不过十几息的功夫就出现在林轩身前数十丈远处。
"Why?" Lin Xuan looked puzzled.
sú huà shuō ， xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng ， dàn zhè lǎo yāo wù ” jiù suàn zì jǐ shén tōng jǐn chū ， yě jué bú shì kě yǐ bèi miǎo shā de rén wù ， shèn zhì duì fāng shí yǒu bā luán jiǔ yě dōu dī fáng zhe ” suǒ yǐ lín xuān gān cuì yě jiù bù zuò zhè wú yòng de shǎ shì le 。
俗话说，先下手为强，但这老妖物”就算自己神通尽出，也绝不是可以被秒杀的人物，甚至对方十有八圞九也都提防着”所以林轩干脆也就不做这无用的傻事了。
"Hmph, that An elder was supposed to be a puppet for me. However, Master Beast's ambitions nearly ruined my plans, so I had no choice but to eliminate him. But fate played a trick on me; the breakthrough in my cultivation hit a bottleneck, and this possessed body suffered as well. Now it is only at the late-stage Immortal Core," the old demon said with relief.
bì jìng shēn liàng duì shǒu de shí lì zhǐ shì yì fāng miàn ， gèng zhòng yào de shì jǐn liàng tuō yán 。
毕竟身量对手的实力只是一方面，更重要的是尽量拖延。
Lin Xuan was speechless. Although he noticed some inconsistencies in An Elder's behavior, he couldn't just eliminate him without evidence.
zuì hǎo chǎng miàn huà néng gòu duō shuō yì diǎn ！
最好场面话能够多说一点！
Cultivating demons could be dangerous!
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou shǎn guò ” lín xuān jiāng dòng shǒu de yù luán wàng kè zhì zhù le 。
脑海中念头闪过”林轩将动手的欲圞望克制住了。
He realized that in future endeavors, he needed to be more ruthless and decisive; otherwise, such a disastrous outcome would have been inevitable.
guāng huá shōu liǎn ， xiǎn lù luán chū dú luán lóng lǎo zǔ nà lìng rén zēng wù de róng yán 。 yāo zú jìn jiē sì jí yǐ hòu ， kě yǐ tùn qù shòu shēn ， huà wéi rén xíng ， dàn zhè ge guò chéng ， què shì bù kě kòng de ， suǒ yǐ shì měi shì chǒu ， yāo zú běn shēn yě zhǐ yǒu tīng tiān yóu mìng yī tú 。
光华收敛，显露圞出毒圞龙老祖那令人憎恶的容颜。妖族进阶四级以后，可以褪去兽身，化为人形，但这个过程，却是不可控的，所以是美是丑，妖族本身也只有听天由命一途。
"Alright, old demon has explained everything. Now hand over your soul and spirit," the old demon said with a stern voice.
dàn yì bān lái shuō ， jiāo lóng zuò wèi tiān dì líng zú ， bù guǎn nán nǚ ， huà xíng hòu de róng mào dōu bù kě néng wěi suǒ ， dú luán lóng lǎo zǔ néng gòu zhǎng chéng zhè yàng ， yě suàn shì yī zhǒng běn shì le 。
但一般来说，蛟龙做为天地灵族，不管男女，化形后的容貌都不可能猥琐，毒圞龙老祖能够长成这样，也算是一种本事了。
"What if I don't? Will you bite me?"
jiàn lín xuān shén sè píng jìng de dǎng zhù qù lù ， lǎo guài wù de liǎn shàng yě liú lù luán chū yī sī chà yì zhī sè ， tā kě shì huó le shù wàn nián de lǎo jiā huǒ ， shí rén wú shù ， dà dǎn de xiū shì bú shì méi yǒu jiàn guò ， dàn dà dǎn dào lín xuān zhè yàng de chéng dù ， hái zhēn shì jué wú jǐn yǒu 。 àn lǐ shuō ， duì fāng jiàn shí le zì jǐ de shí lì ， yīng gāi pì gǔn niào liú ， zěn me hái yǒu dǎn zi dǎng zài qián miàn ne ？
见林轩神色平静的挡住去路，老怪物的脸上也流露圞出一丝诧异之色，他可是活了数万年的老家伙，识人无数，大胆的修士不是没有见过，但大胆到林轩这样的程度，还真是绝无仅有。按理说，对方见识了自己的实力，应该屁滚尿流，怎么还有胆子挡在前面呢？
Lin Xuan's lips curled in mockery. He had already pushed this confrontation to its limits.
nán dào shì xiàn jǐng ？
难道是陷阱？
The next move was to break all pretenses and test the true strength of this old demon.
lǎo guài wù yáo le yáo tóu ， shī zhǎn fù shēn zhī shù ， tā de shí lì ， zhǐ yǒu běn tǐ de wǔ fēn zhī yī ， dàn shén shí qiáng dù ， què sī háo yǐng xiǎng yǐng xiǎng yě wú ， fāng yuán wàn lǐ zhī nèi ， dōu bú jiàn xiū xiān zhě ， duì fāng jué bù kě néng yǒu yuán bīng yī shuō 。
老怪物摇了摇头，施展附身之术，他的实力，只有本体的五分之一，但神识强度，却丝毫影响影响也无，方圆万里之内，都不见修仙者，对方绝不可能有援兵一说。
With a wave of his sleeves, the greenish霞light flew out, enveloping the Nine Heaven Bright Moon Ring. The treasure emitted a flickering light as dozens of ice serpents and fire dragons appeared in the sky, circling around him.
“ bù cuò ， bù cuò ， nǐ xiǎo zi de dǎn shí ， lián běn lǎo zǔ yě pǒ wèi pèi fú ， wǒ dào yǒu xiē xīn shǎng nǐ le ， bù guò nǐ bú huì zhēn yǐ wéi ， néng yǔ lǎo zǔ wǒ yī jué gāo xià ， wàn shòu yǐ jīng sǐ le ， bù guò wǒ dǎo shì kě yǐ wèi nǐ zhǐ yī tiáo mìng lù 。” dú luán lóng mó zǔ dào bèi shuāng shǒu ， yòng gǎn xìng qù de mù guāng zài lín xuān shēn shàng sǎo guò 。
“不错，不错，你小子的胆识，连本老祖也颇为佩服，我倒有些欣赏你了，不过你不会真以为，能与老祖我一决高下，万兽已经死了，不过我倒是可以为你指一条命路。”毒圞龙魔祖倒背双手，用感兴趣的目光在林轩身上扫过。
However, this was not over. As Lin Xuan's hands moved rapidly, each dragon transformed into seven, and their pressure did not diminish at all, completely blocking half of the sky.
“ ó ， gé xià bú huì hái shì lǎo diào chóng tí ， ruò shì zì cái nǐ jìn kě méi yǒu shén me xìng qù 。” jiàn lǎo guài wù méi yǒu dòng shǒu ， lín xuān xīn zhōng àn xǐ ， tuō yán shí jiān zhèng hé jǐ yì 。
“哦，阁下不会还是老调重提，若是自裁你禁可没有什么兴趣。”见老怪物没有动手，林轩心中暗喜，拖延时间正合己意。
"Quickly, unleash the power of my Hundred Dragon Fang!"
“ dāng rán bù zǒu le ， zhǐ yào nǐ kěn guī shùn wǒ ， bù jǐn xiǎo mìng kě yǐ bǎo zhù ， yǐ hòu hái kě yǐ jì xù xiāo yáo kuài huó ， dàn duì běn zǔ shī de rèn hé mìng lìng ， dōu bì xū wú tiáo jiàn zhí xíng ， fǒu zé wǒ huì ràng nǐ qiú shēng bù néng ， qiú sǐ bù dé ， ér zuò wèi bǎo zhèng ， nǐ bì xū jiāo chū yī hún yī pò ， rán hòu jiù kě yǐ ān rán lí qù le 。” dú luán lóng lǎo zǔ yī biān shuō ， yī biān shēn shǒu yī mō ， qǔ chū yī bā zhǎng dà xiǎo de mù pái ， háo bù qǐ yǎn ， dàn zhèng miàn què yǒu yī è luán guǐ tú àn 。
“当然不走了，只要你肯归顺我，不仅小命可以保住，以后还可以继续逍遥快活，但对本祖师的任何命令，都必须无条件执行，否则我会让你求生不能，求死不得，而做为保证，你必须交出一魂一魄，然后就可以安然离去了。”毒圞龙老祖一边说，一边伸手一摸，取出一巴掌大小的木牌，毫不起眼，但正面却有一恶圞鬼图案。
Lin Xuan roared as hundreds of ice serpents and fire dragons let out a roar, lunging towards the old demon with claws bared.
“ jìn hún shù ？” lín xuān tóng kǒng wēi suō ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì yóu yù zhī sè ， dāng rán xīn zhōng shì bàn fēn hé zuò de yì si yě wú ， xiàn zài zhè me zuò ， jǐn jǐn shì wèi le tuō yán shí jiān bà le 。
“禁魂术？”林轩瞳孔微缩，脸上满是犹豫之色，当然心中是半分合作的意思也无，现在这么做，仅仅是为了拖延时间罢了。
The techniques were still the same, but Lin Xuan's strength at the Separation stage was incomparable to that of late-stage Immortal Core.
“ kuài diǎn jué zé ， nǐ rú guǒ bù xiǎng hún luán fēi luán pò luán sàn de huà ， jiù àn běn lǎo zǔ de huà qù zuò 。” dú luán lóng qī lì de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， tā yě bú shì bái luán chī ， suī rán zì xìn hóng yè xiān zi táo bù chū zì jǐ de shǒu lǐ ， dàn sú huà shuō ， yè cháng mèng duō ， shí jiān tuō jiǔ le ， shuō bù dìng huì chū xiàn shén me yì wài biàn gù 。
“快点抉择，你如果不想魂圞飞圞魄圞散的话，就按本老祖的话去做。”毒圞龙凄厉的声音传入耳朵，他也不是白圞痴，虽然自信红叶仙子逃不出自己的手里，但俗话说，夜长梦多，时间拖久了，说不定会出现什么意外变故。
Facing an ancient creature, even if it was just a possessed body, Lin Xuan did not take any chances. He unleashed his most lethal technique.
“ hǎo ba ， yào lín mǒu guī shùn yě wú bù kě ， dàn yǒu yí gè wèn tí hái qǐng lǎo zǔ jiě huò 。” lín xuān huǎn huǎn de kāi kǒu le ， yǔ qì yě dài shàng le jǐ fēn jìng wèi zhī sè 。
“好吧，要林某归顺也无不可，但有一个问题还请老祖解惑。”林轩缓缓的开口了，语气也带上了几分敬畏之色。
However, before he could act, a roar echoed in his ears: "You are asking for death!"
“ nǐ shuō ， bú yào mó mó cèng cèng de 。”
“你说，不要磨磨蹭蹭的。”
Lin Xuan's betrayal had finally enraged the old demon. With a furious shout, his withered hand rose, and a banner appeared in his palm, instantly expanding to reveal countless demonic mists.
However, what he said just now was not a lie. It is already too late to escape now; it would be better to reconsider the strength of this old demon.
Although Lin Xuan seemed to be in a desperate situation, he had never fully exerted his full power. After all, he and Master Beast were enemies, so their cooperation could never be wholehearted. Perhaps halfway through the battle, he might end up being bitten by the beast. Although such a possibility was slim, it wasn't entirely impossible. Therefore, Lin Xuan decided to strike first and take advantage of this old demon.
In other words, he had not taken this old demon seriously in their fight.
If the opponent had personally arrived here, Lin Xuan would have no such thoughts. However, with just a possessed body, it was an excellent opportunity for him to test his strength.
After all, challenging across levels was nothing new to Lin Xuan. He was confident in his divine treasures and techniques. If he could eliminate this old demon, that would be the best outcome; even if he failed, without Red Leaf as a burden, escaping alone should not be too difficult.
By prolonging their confrontation, even if they lost, there would still be more time to talk.
Lin Xuan's thoughts flashed through his mind as he restrained himself from making any moves.
The light faded, revealing the repulsive face of the old demon. After entering the fourth tier, demons could shed their animal forms and take human shapes, but this process was uncontrollable. Thus, whether they looked beautiful or ugly was left to fate.
But generally, dragons, as celestial spirits, had fine appearances regardless of gender. The old demon's appearance was a testament to his abilities.
Seeing Lin Xuan calmly blocking the path, the old monster showed a hint of surprise on his face. As an ancient creature who had lived for tens of thousands of years and recognized countless individuals, he had never seen someone as bold as Lin Xuan before. According to logic, after seeing his strength, the other should have fled in terror, but why was there still the胆ness to block him?
Could it be a trap?
The old demon shook his head. Even though his power was only one-fifth of his true form, his divine sense remained unaffected. There were no signs of any cultivators within a ten-thousand-mile radius; he had no allies.
"Good, good, your courage is impressive and even this old demon admires you. I can appreciate you. However, don't think that you can defeat me. Master Beast has already died, but I can still offer you a path to survival," the old demon said with interest as he crossed his hands behind his back.
"Oh, are you going to ask for my surrender again? You won't be interested in self-destruction," Lin Xuan thought with relief when the old demon didn't attack. Prolonging this confrontation suited him well.
"I will not leave unless you submit to me. Not only will your life be spared, but you can continue living freely. However, you must obey any command I give without question; otherwise, you will suffer until death," the old demon said as he took out a small wooden plaque with an evil spirit pattern on it.
"Mind Control?" Lin Xuan's pupils narrowed in hesitation. He had no intention of cooperating but was just buying time.
"Hurry and make your choice. If you don't want to scatter your soul, follow my instructions," the old demon's harsh voice echoed in his ears. Although he was confident that Red Leaf would not escape him, he knew that time could bring unexpected changes.
"Alright, it is fine for Lin Xuan to submit, but there is a question I need you to answer," Lin Xuan said with some reverence.
"Don't waste any more time."
"With your strength, eliminating us should be easy. Why play the role of a fishederman? You were the one who suggested that Red Leaf should join me back then, aiming for conflict between Master Beast and me. This is unnecessary; if you hadn't done this, Lin Xuan would not have been involved," Lin Xuan said with some resentment.
His doubts went beyond just this, but he knew it was pointless to ask why the old demon wanted Red Leaf Island.
"Your confusion is due to bad luck. Indeed, I originally planned for both of you to be destroyed, and then I could reap the benefits. …" The old demon's expression seemed strange as if he had some lingering fear.
"Why?" Lin Xuan looked puzzled.
"Hmph, that An elder was supposed to be a puppet for me. However, Master Beast's ambitions nearly ruined my plans, so I had no choice but to eliminate him. But fate played a trick on me; the breakthrough in my cultivation hit a bottleneck, and this possessed body suffered as well. Now it is only at the late-stage Immortal Core," the old demon said with relief.
Lin Xuan was speechless. Although he noticed some inconsistencies in An Elder's behavior, he couldn't just eliminate him without evidence.
Cultivating demons could be dangerous!
He realized that in future endeavors, he needed to be more ruthless and decisive; otherwise, such a disastrous outcome would have been inevitable.
"Alright, old demon has explained everything. Now hand over your soul and spirit," the old demon said with a stern voice.
"What if I don't? Will you bite me?"
Lin Xuan's lips curled in mockery. He had already pushed this confrontation to its limits.
The next move was to break all pretenses and test the true strength of this old demon.
With a wave of his sleeves, the greenish霞light flew out, enveloping the Nine Heaven Bright Moon Ring. The treasure emitted a flickering light as dozens of ice serpents and fire dragons appeared in the sky, circling around him.
However, this was not over. As Lin Xuan's hands moved rapidly, each dragon transformed into seven, and their pressure did not diminish at all, completely blocking half of the sky.
"Quickly, unleash the power of my Hundred Dragon Fang!"
Lin Xuan roared as hundreds of ice serpents and fire dragons let out a roar, lunging towards the old demon with claws bared.
The techniques were still the same, but Lin Xuan's strength at the Separation stage was incomparable to that of late-stage Immortal Core.
Facing an ancient creature, even if it was just a possessed body, Lin Xuan did not take any chances. He unleashed his most lethal technique.
However, before he could act, a roar echoed in his ears: "You are asking for death!"
Lin Xuan's betrayal had finally enraged the old demon. With a furious shout, his withered hand rose, and a banner appeared in his palm, instantly expanding to reveal countless demonic mists.