335: Chapter 330 Only now are you feeling scared?

Xue Mie retreated three steps, his arrogant expression completely gone.

He had lived for thousands of years, yet he had never seen anyone swallow a Heavenly Immortal's Law with their bare hands!

“Only feeling scared now? Too late.”

Su Lin gave Xue Mie no room to breathe. With a sway of his body, he seemed to lose all weight entirely, as if ignoring the high-intensity gravitational pressure of this place, appearing right in front of Xue Mie like a teleportation.

The distance between them instantly shrank to less than half a foot.

Pale with fright, Xue Mie instinctively tried to prop up his protective immortal astral qi and retreat, while his palms frantically gathered his remaining immortal essence, preparing to detonate it at close range.

But Su Lin's movements were countless times faster than his.

Su Lin slowly raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together. With no brilliant light shining, he simply tapped forward unremarkably, landing casually on the center of Xue Mie's brow.

“Freeze.”

As this single word was softly uttered,

Xue Mie's entire body suddenly stiffened. To his horror, he found that the Heavenly Immortal immortal essence surging like a sea within him had ground to a complete halt under this single tap!

The surrounding space seemed to turn into a block of indestructible amber, sealing him tightly within it. He could not move even a single finger, and even rolling his eyes became a luxury.

This absolute suppression was by no means some profound acupoint-striking technique, but rather a complete deprivation of his control over his own body directly from the dual dimensions of space and Law!

“You...” Xue Mie could only make a faint gurgling sound in his throat, his terror-filled eyes staring fixedly at the white jade mask close at hand.

“Since the waters of Tianhai City are so deep, I'll start by testing the depths with you, the bird that sticks its head out.”

Su Lin's voice was as cold as ice, and he exerted a slight pressure with his fingertip.

An extremely overbearing Chaos Divine Sense, which did not belong to this world at all, stabbed mercilessly into Xue Mie's Sea of Consciousness like a sharp scalpel.

Xue Mie's Sea of Consciousness was set up with layers of defensive Restrictions, but before Su Lin's Chaos Divine Sense, which was akin to a high-dimensional crushing force, these Restrictions shattered layer by layer like paper.

A massive and chaotic flood of memory information surged into Su Lin's mind like a tide.

The operational network of the underground Blood Arena, the intricate entanglements of the major forces in Tianhai City, the secret directives of the City Lord's Estate, and the hidden rumors regarding certain Forbidden Grounds of the Taihuang Immortal Domain...

Su Lin rapidly filtered through the information, his brow gradually furrowing.

Just as Su Lin was about to delve deeper to search for information regarding the whereabouts of the other Ascenders, an extremely hidden and powerful self-destruction fluctuation suddenly erupted from the deepest depths of Xue Mie's Sea of Consciousness.

This was a Divine Soul Restriction planted by a higher-stage powerhouse; once the core secrets were touched, it would instantly detonate the host's Divine Soul.

“Trying to silence him?”

Su Lin snorted coldly. Instead of backing down, he increased the output of his Divine Sense, attempting to forcibly seize the final bits of information before this self-destructive power erupted.

“Boom!”

A dull explosion echoed from the depths of Xue Mie's Sea of Consciousness. That Restriction erupted with an extremely terrifying backlash, attempting to strangle the Divine Sense Su Lin had extended into it.

Making a prompt decision, Su Lin severed that strand of extended Divine Sense and quickly withdrew.

At the same time, Xue Mie's body began to swell violently, countless bloody cracks rupturing across his skin as wild energy ran rampant inside him.

“He's going to self-detonate!” Luo Ximei warned loudly upon seeing this.

“Retreat!”

Su Lin barked, his hands rapidly forming hand Seals in front of him.

The phantom of the [Myriad Heavens Star Chart] manifested once more, turning into a brilliant starry barrier that protected Su Hongling, Chu Weiwei, and Yan Rusi within it.

The blinding white light was like a rising sun, unreservedly releasing its destructive power within the cramped underground space. The violent storm of energy, carrying shattered Space Laws, swept outward with unstoppable force. Under the wash of this energy, the walls built of hard black stone and the thick load-bearing pillars engraved with defensive Formation runes peeled away layer by layer like fragile sand sculptures, before being melted by the extreme heat into pools of pungent, dark red lava.

The self-detonation of a Heavenly Immortal Realm Cultivator possessed enough power to completely wipe out all living beings within a hundred-mile radius.

Su Lin stood quietly in place. The golden barrier projected by the [Myriad Heavens Star Chart] in front of him was like a small boat in a raging storm amidst the surging tsunami of energy; though its surface continuously rippled with violent waves, it remained as solid as a rock, firmly blocking all destructive force three feet away.

The deafening explosions lasted for a full half-cup of tea's time before gradually subsiding along with the sound of a massive collapse of the ceiling.

The dust dancing in the air mixed with the scalding steam, blurring the surrounding vision completely.

Su Lin lowered his raised arm and casually performed a Dust-Cleansing Hand Seal, dispersing the turbid air lingering around him. Looking at the bottomless crater ahead, its edges still dripping with lava, a deep sense of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

Self-detonating just because they can't win—is the mental resilience of immortals nowadays really this poor? They don't even go through a few rounds of torture and interrogation before turning directly into a walking powder keg. It seems the education level in this Upper Realm leaves much to be desired.

Su Lin couldn't help but roast him frantically in his mind. He had originally hoped to pry more information about the high-ups of Tianhai City from this guy named Xue Mie, but the guy was great—the anti-theft System in his brain was tighter than the vault of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce, exploding at the slightest touch, without leaving even a shred of recycling value.

“What a sore loser and a coward.”

Luo Ximei's lazy voice came from the side. With one hand on her hip, her platinum eye peered through the drifting dust, casting a disgusted glance at the bottom of the crater. “He was a Heavenly Immortal after all, yet he died so hideously, not even leaving a single intact bone behind. This venerable one's myriad soul banner is still starving. What a waste of good materials.”

Chu Weiwei stood obediently by Su Lin's side, her small hands clutching tightly to his sleeve. Her pure and sweet face wore a delicate, frightened expression, as if the female demon lord who had been chatting and laughing amidst the poison gas earlier wasn't her at all.

“Revered Master, that was so dangerous just now. That bad guy suddenly exploded. If Revered Master hadn't protected me in time, Weiwei's dress would have been ruined by the fire.” Chu Weiwei lifted her face, her watery purple eyes filled with adoration and attachment. “Revered Master's chest is always the safest harbor.”

The corner of Su Lin's eye twitched slightly.

He looked down at the few dark green poison pellets tightly gripped in Chu Weiwei's other hand. The surface of those poison pellets even shimmered with a terrifying luster capable of melting through the void. He would bet that even if he hadn't stepped in just now, this girl could have wrapped herself in layers upon layers of protective suits made of poisonous miasma at the moment of the explosion.

This yandere disciple's acting skills were truly becoming more and more consummate.

“Old Man! Why did you stop me just now?!”

Su Hongling strode forward from behind, carrying the incredibly heavy [no edge] great sword on her shoulder. Faint gold battle patterns still lingered on her bronze skin, making her look like a human volcano ready to erupt, her tone filled with vexation at not being able to smash the enemy with her own hands.

“A coward like that should have been slapped onto the wall by my sword so hard he couldn't even be scraped off! Now look, he's blown himself to ashes. Who am I supposed to vent all this strength on?”

Su Lin rubbed his throbbing temples.

Going out with these troublemakers was simply more exhausting than taking on ten Heavenly Immortals single-handedly. One had a mind full of extracting souls and refining spirits, one spent every day thinking about poisoning and acting cute, and another only knew how to think with her muscles.

This was practically a Hell-difficulty start, yet he was stuck with a bunch of troublesome teammates who could trigger a massive disaster at any moment.

“Alright, stop complaining.” Su Lin put on a stern face, assuming his authority as their Revered Master. “Although he self-detonated very decisively, at the very last moment before his Sea of Consciousness collapsed, this Revered Master still managed to intercept some useful memory fragments.”

Upon hearing there was information, the female disciples instantly quieted down and perked up their ears. Even Yan Rusi, who had been shivering in the corner all this time, cautiously took a few steps closer.

Yan Rusi's perception of this team had now been completely overturned. She had once thought that as the Saintess of the Hehuan Sect, she had seen enough darkness and madness. But compared to these few, she felt as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

Faced with the self-detonation of a Heavenly Immortal Realm powerhouse, this group of people not only lacked any sense of having survived a disaster, but were actually complaining that the other party hadn't died with enough utility value. Just what kind of divine Sect had cultivated such monsters?

Su Lin quickly organized the information obtained from the soul search in his mind, his expression gradually turning grave.

“The waters of Tianhai City are deeper than we imagined.”

Su Lin's voice echoed in the empty ruins, carrying a chilling intent.

“On the surface, this Xue Mie is the boss behind the scenes of the underground Blood Arena, but in reality, he is merely an evil dog kept in the dark by the Tianhai City Lord's Estate. The current City Lord of Tianhai City, named Golden Immortal Xuanming, is a bona fide Golden Immortal Realm powerhouse.”

At the mention of the words 'Golden Immortal,' everyone present couldn't help but hold their breath for a moment.

Above Earth Immortals and Heavenly Immortals, Golden Immortals were terrifying existences who had truly touched the core Great Dao of this Universe. With a mere gesture, they could destroy stars, and the power of Law they mastered had already reached a state of Perfection.

“The true purpose of this Blood Arena's existence is not simply to amass wealth,” Su Lin continued to recount the chilling truth. “Through extreme life-and-death combat, they refine the Divine Souls and blood vitality of those Ascenders and low-level half-immortals. These refined essences are ultimately transported secretly to the deep underground of the City Lord's Estate to nourish an ancient demonic plant named the 'Calamity Blood Lotus.'”

“Calamity Blood Lotus?” Chu Weiwei keenly caught the term. Her professional habit as a Medicine Immortal instantly kicked in, and her eyes flashed with an unusual light. “That is a legendary peerless poisonous herb that grows in the center of the primeval battlefield of gods and demons! Just a single petal could poison all living beings in a Small World to death. Why is that City Lord growing such a thing?”

“To break through,” Su Lin sneered. “Golden Immortal Xuanming has been stuck in his current Realm for tens of thousands of years. He wants to use the Origin power that erupts when the Calamity Blood Lotus matures to forcibly break through his Realm barrier. And this demonic plant requires a massive amount of resentment and the blood essence of high-stage Cultivators as nourishment. This is precisely why the survival rate of Ascenders in Liuyun Town and the entire surrounding area of Tianhai City is so low.”

“What a bunch of bastards who deserve to be hacked into a thousand pieces!” Su Hongling clenched her sword hilt, her knuckles popping crisply.

“Aside from the secrets of the City Lord's Estate, I also found the whereabouts of your fellow junior and Senior Sisters.” Su Lin dropped the heaviest piece of news.

At these words, Luo Ximei and the others immediately perked up.

“I saw a wanted poster issued by the City Lord's Estate in Xue Mie's memory.” Su Lin looked at Chu Weiwei and Luo Ximei. “Just three days ago, in the Chaotic Star Sea on the outskirts of Tianhai City, a mysterious female Cultivator holding a Golden Abacus appeared. Relying on an endless stream of Formations and a massive amount of top-grade Magic Treasures, she forcibly blew up three patrol warships of the City Lord's Estate and then escaped into the depths of the Star Sea.”

“Holding the Golden Abacus and throwing Magic Treasures everywhere—that's definitely Sixth Junior Sister, no doubt about it!” Luo Ximei's lips curled into a proud smile. “It seems this girl brought up the entire family fortune of the Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce. Well blown, she really did us proud.”

“Not only that, but the wanted poster also mentioned two other women,” Su Lin continued. “One wore a purple-gold imperial robe and could control nine imperial golden Dragons; the other held an Ice Sword, turning everywhere she went into an absolute domain of ice. The two of them had appeared at the east gate of Tianhai City. To cover a group of captured half-immortals from the Lower Realm, they clashed fiercely with the city defense army, eventually breaking through with severe injuries and vanishing without a trace.”

“It's Eldest Senior Sister and Seventh Junior Sister!” Chu Weiwei anxiously tugged at Su Lin's sleeve. “Revered Master, Eldest Senior Sister and the other are injured! We must hurry to save them!”

Su Lin nodded slightly, a resolute light flashing in his deep eyes.

“Naturally, we will save them. Whether it's Golden Immortal Xuanming or whatever that broken lotus is, if they dare touch my disciples, I will root them out completely.”

He turned around and looked at the metal wall, which had been mostly melted.

“This place is not safe to stay for long. With Xue Mie dead, his life soul lamp kept at the City Lord's Estate will inevitably go out. Before long, the elite army of the City Lord's Estate will completely surround this place. We must leave before they encircle us and head to the Chaotic Star Sea to find Qiuyue.”

“But Revered Master, the passage outside has been completely destroyed by the explosion just now,” Yan Rusi gathered her courage to remind him. She had just looked around, and those elevator Formations and secret passages that originally led to the surface had all been turned to ashes.

Su Lin did not speak. He slowly closed his eyes, and the golden light at the center of his brow began to shimmer faintly.

The [Myriad Heavens Star Chart] inside him was activated once more, and the world tree seedling rooted in his Inner World swayed gently. An extremely obscure yet incomparably overbearing power of Space Law flowed along Su Lin's Meridians to his fingertips.

“Paths are made by walking. If there is no path, I will tear one open.”

Su Lin suddenly snapped his eyes open, pressing his right hand together like a sword, and slashed forcefully at the thick ceiling of mixed rock and metal overhead.

“Open!”

Accompanied by a low shout, an invisible sharp edge soared into the sky. The underground rock layer, hundreds of zhang thick, was like tofu sliced by a sharp blade before Su Lin's Chaos Space Law.

A massive spatial rift, dozens of zhang long and leading straight to the night sky outside, impressively appeared above everyone's heads. Violent void suction mixed with the fresh air from outside instantly poured in.

“Hurry up, let's go!”

With a wave of Su Lin's wide sleeve, a gentle Star Power lifted everyone up, turning into a brilliant stream of light that soared into the sky along that spatial rift, rushing directly out of the ruins of the underground Blood Arena.

When everyone's vision finally cleared again, they were already standing amidst the clouds high above Tianhai City.