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第两千五百六十三章 兵不厌诈

Chapter 2563: Deception in Warfare

He couldn't believe that his secret technique, which he had kept hidden for so long, could only hold off the opponent for a moment. Was it destined that he would fall here today?

His heart raced as he thought about the scene of his senior brother and sister being completely annihilated before his eyes. Fear was useless; wouldn't the opponent spare him because of his fear?

Clearly, this was impossible!

To survive, he had to fight for it himself. He sucked in a cold breath, his aura flaring up, and sped even faster towards the small cauldron.

Fighting wasn’t an option; he could only snatch the treasure from the opponent's hands to turn the tide of battle and gain a chance at survival.

From afar, Lin Xuan watched this scene with a sigh. In truth, his plan had been sound. If he were in the other person’s position, he would have made the same choice under similar circumstances.

However, it wasn’t guaranteed that he could escape unscathed. The opponent remained obediently in place, which pleased him greatly. He also felt more confident about Lin Xuan's sincerity and commitment to parting with his human holy body.

"You're not bad, my friend. You didn't take advantage of the situation to attack me. I will honor my promise to let your essence leave later. Now go get the treasure. Although you've lost your physical form for now, this 'Spirit Formula Cauldron' is incredibly powerful and can compensate for your loss."

Lin Xuan heard a voice that was noticeably less menacing than before.

"Alright, thank you, friend. I hope you keep your word and don’t renege on it," Lin Xuan replied, his tone earnest.

"Haven't you heard of the saying 'a promise is a promise'? As a demon lord, what would I gain from breaking my word? You can rest assured." With a wave of his hand, Lin Xuan's face showed genuine sincerity.

Hearing this, Lin Xuan nodded and transformed into a streak of brilliant light as he flew towards the Spirit Formula Cauldron. The demon had agreed to let him take the treasure, so it wouldn't interfere with his actions. To reassure Lin Xuan, it even took a step back.

The distance was only about several hundred feet, and given Lin Xuan's swift movements, he arrived almost instantly.

He scanned the area; the once dense forest of spiritual energy had vanished entirely. The city gate had been destroyed by the corrosive rain that had just fallen. Only the small cauldron, barely a foot high, floated there alone.

The cauldron was ancient in appearance with intricate designs that exuded mystery. It wasn't an ordinary object. Lin Xuan couldn’t believe his luck; it turned out to be a divine treasure from the heavens.

His運道真是不错!

A trace of satisfaction played on the corner of Lin Xuan's lips as he swept his sleeve, releasing a streak of green light that transformed into a shimmering hand. It grabbed the cauldron with lightning speed.

"Hmm?"

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed in surprise; the cauldron was much heavier than expected. He exerted tens of thousands of pounds of force but couldn't lift it. The Spirit Formula Cauldron truly had its secrets.

Without further ado, Lin Xuan took a deep breath and infused more magical energy into his hand. With a light command: "Lift!"

The hand glowed with spiritual light, and faint runes floated from its surface. A creaking sound filled the air as the cauldron rose from the ground, enveloped in green light before shrinking to fit inside Lin Xuan's waist pouch.

"See? I've given you the treasure. Now it’s your turn to fulfill your promise," said the demon lord.

"Fulfill my promise?"

Lin Xuan smiled: "Friend, don't worry. I am not one to break a promise once made. Since I promised, I will keep it. Now, let me release my essence."

The demon lord was overjoyed at this news, his eyes gleaming with greed and delight.

However, the demon's nature was suspicious, so he maintained some caution. But in an instant, all suspicion vanished as Lin Xuan extended a hand and touched his head. A tiny essence of about an inch in size appeared before floating towards his body. It looked like Lin Xuan himself.

The essence shone brightly as it approached the physical form, and with a spell, shrunk into a small storage bag which he held in his hand.

"See? I've fulfilled my promise. Shouldn't you now open this space's exit?" The voice of the essence was hesitant, as if fearing betrayal.

"The demon lord did say so," Lin Xuan replied, his tone filled with confidence: "Wait for me a moment while I merge with the human holy body. Then naturally, your essence will be set free."

"Alright!"

Lin Xuan sighed; now that he had separated from his physical form, he was at the mercy of the demon lord. Under such circumstances, it would be unwise to offend an outsider, but could the demon really keep its word?

With a satisfied expression, Su Yunfei flew over and stopped about ten feet away.

He stared intently at Lin Xuan's floating body. The physical form was still suspended in mid-air, but a faint spiritual light emanated from it—due to the levitation spell. Without an essence, even a great cultivator’s body would be nothing more than a lifeless shell, unable to move or fly.

Lin Xuan's expression was blank as he stared ahead.

"Haha! My luck is truly good; I've obtained the legendary human holy body. With this treasure, I will surely ascend to become a demon lord from beyond the heavens."

Su Yunfei laughed loudly before touching his head, mirroring Lin Xuan’s essence departure. A black light flashed as dark clouds appeared above him and coalesced into a ghastly face.

The face was terrifying, unmistakably the true form of the demon lord.

Laughter echoed in his ears as he transformed into a black streak, flying towards Lin Xuan at an incredible speed.

Possession!

It seemed that everything would go according to plan. Lin Xuan's body would be lost, and his essence’s fate would be in the hands of the demon lord.

But would it really end this way?

All of this was too out of character for Lin Xuan, who always took control of his destiny. Why had he suddenly chosen to submit?

Was there something fishy going on here?

As that dark aura approached Lin Xuan's body, just a few feet away, Lin Xuan’s expression suddenly regained its vitality, and the blank look vanished.

He opened his mouth, spewing out a flame as big as an egg. The flames were multicolored, crystal clear, radiating a terrifying destructive energy.

Phantom Heavenly Fire!

What kind of fool would believe in fate? Lin Xuan's nature wouldn’t allow him to be so foolish; he was merely feigning submission to lure the demon into his trap without realizing it. To make the deception more convincing, he asked for some benefits as compensation for giving up his human holy body.

He had no idea that this would turn out to be a stroke of luck, actually securing an enormous benefit. The Spirit Formula Cauldron was now another significant treasure in his possession.

Lin Xuan then released his essence and set the trap. All he needed to do was wait for the demon lord to step into it.

Indeed, Lin Xuan's essence had left his body, but according to common sense, a physical form should be unable to move. But when had Lin Xuan ever relied on common sense?

Even if two essences separated from their bodies, Lin Xuan’s physical form could still move freely. This was because he simultaneously practiced the extraordinary technique of having one main essence and another.

The purpose was to lure the demon lord into a false sense of security. Sure enough, the demon lord was both surprised and elated but also became careless. After all, even if such an extraordinary technique as dual essences existed, it would be extremely rare among high-ranking cultivators.

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