55: Tang Heng rests temporarily in Zhenhai City, while humans and beasts clash on the high seas.

After the caravan had moved far away, the crowd felt a sense of relief and collectively let out a long sigh.

Someone exclaimed in a low voice, their tone trembling slightly.

"Such a powerful aura of cultivation! Could that be an existence above the Spirit Manifestation Realm?"

"My heavens, I recognize him! The person standing at the very front is the renowned Rotten Blade Demon."

"What... How could he appear here? Isn't it rumored that he went to the Snow Region Northern Frontier where the Righteous Path resides?"

"I'm not sure, but the entrance to the Epoch Battlefield will be opening soon. Perhaps he intends to enter the Epoch Battlefield this time."

The crowd chatted for a while as if they had just survived a disaster, then slowly began to disperse.

"They've gone far enough, come out."

"Ugh, two Seniors, please forgive my offense."

Only then did Fang Lianmeng cautiously poke her head out from behind Tang Heng and Yao Yian with hesitation.

A trace of vigilance appeared on her face.

"Do you know who was on that carriage?"

Tang Heng asked. Although he had already gathered the gist from the crowd's conversation, that didn't stop him from asking for more details.

Fang Lianmeng glanced around quickly before cautiously explaining.

"That skinny fellow is the Rotten Blade Demon, one of the Five Young Saints of the Southern Frontier, the five strongest members of the younger generation I told you about at the inn."

"And the guardian behind him is the Grand Elder of the Sacred Corpse Sect, who broke through his cultivation realm half a year ago after blood-sacrificing most of his own Sect."

"I see. But you are also a Disciple of the Sacred Corpse Sect, why are you so afraid of him?"

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him at all."

Fang Lianmeng said this, but her voice trembled slightly.

"Not even a little bit."

Tang Heng's lips curled up slightly, and he playfully teased her: "Ah, why did he suddenly turn around and come this way?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Lianmeng was startled and turned her head sharply.

Seeing no one else, she realized she had been teased by him, and a flush of anger instantly appeared on her face.

"Hey, hey, hey, Senior, he is notoriously cruel."

"Once you learn more about his deeds, your reaction won't be much better than mine."

"Hmph."

After a relaxing bit of banter, the three of them continued with their proper business.

First was the acquisition of intelligence. Following Fang Lianmeng's brisk footsteps, after navigating countless twists and turns, the three arrived at a deep, dark alleyway.

The ground of the alley was damp, as if it hadn't seen sunlight for years. A viscous, unidentified liquid dripped onto the ground, making a faint ticking sound.

A dilapidated wooden house stood in the center of the alley. The color of the wooden planks was long unrecognizable, and the surface was covered in thick moss.

"Little Lianmeng, you've brought customers to your old uncle again."

A small, fist-sized hole suddenly opened in the tightly concealed wooden house, and an old voice drifted out, low and raspy.

"So, you two guests, come forward. What intelligence do you need?"

Tang Heng slightly raised his hand, touching the disguise on his face, feeling internally vigilant, and then slowly stepped forward toward the wooden house.

"I need a map of the Lower-grade Epoch Battlefield."

"A method for obtaining Spirit Manifestation items within the Lower-grade Epoch Battlefield."

"And a ranking list of top-tier Cultivators in the Lower-grade Epoch Battlefield."

There was a moment of silence inside the wooden house, as if time had frozen, and then a voice came out.

"These three pieces of intelligence are not cheap."

"However, this guest, you only need to pay with that Cultivation Technique of yours used for the straw man death-substitution."

Upon hearing this, Tang Heng's pupils contracted.

He slowly put away the straw doll hanging at his waist; he hadn't expected the other party to see through this life-saving item on his person at a glance.

Since the other party could see through his life-saving item at a glance, their cultivation must be extraordinary.

This secret technique was called the Life and Death Raft.

It was a remnant scroll he had obtained by chance when he was young, and it had saved him from the brink of death no less than ten times.

This death-substitution technique was his greatest reliance at the moment. Although using it repeatedly would permanently consume his Divine Soul strength, its value lay in the fact that it could truly save his life.

As long as his cultivation was sufficient, weaving straw dolls was merely a matter of time.

If this secret technique were to spread, it would likely cause him great harm in the future.

"Can you change to a different request?"

"Since that's the case..."

The old man in the wooden house pondered for a moment before his voice sounded again.

"Then, this guest, I am very interested in the little friend behind you. Could you introduce us?"

Interest?

Oh no, this old geezer, he isn't a pervert, is he?

Are you a transmigrated priest?

Don't come over here, I'm not that kind of person.

Behind him, Yao Yian was deeply shaken.

He was already cursing in his heart, while simultaneously marking a heavy grudge against Tang Heng.

He was afraid that the other party really wanted to hand him over, and he didn't know what he would face if that happened.

However, faced with this seemingly simple request, a trace of vigilance gradually appeared on Tang Heng's face.

He couldn't help but wonder, had the other party already seen through the true secret of this Puppet?

That absolutely would not do. Even if the death-substitution technique was precious, this Puppet was the true trump card that would allow him to live another life.

After some weighing, Tang Heng made his choice.

"Since Senior requires this secret technique, this Junior will offer it."

With a swish, Tang Heng threw out a scroll of the Cultivation Technique, which landed precisely into the opening of the wooden house.

A moment later, three recorded Jade Slips flew slowly out from the opening of the wooden house.

Tang Heng briefly browsed the contents, and after confirming the information was correct, the three of them retreated from the alley together.

However, shortly after they retreated, the originally dark and cold alley suddenly began to change.

The moss on the surface of the wooden house fell off completely, revealing sheets of flawless white jade.

Ethereal celestial music shrouded the area, and seven-colored precious light flickered, resembling the aura of an enlightened immortal family.

"Sigh, such a good seedling, what a pity that he has fallen into the Demonic Path."

A voice whispered, filled with both regret and surprise.

"If we could obtain this seedling, our Sect's plans would surely be twice as effective with half the effort."

"Forget it."

After collecting the intelligence, they spent another day purchasing some Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and other items.

Next was to properly digest the intelligence and wait for the Epoch Battlefield to open.

"Thank you, two Seniors. May we meet again if fate allows."

Fang Lianmeng waved goodbye to the two and disappeared into the rushing crowd.

Matters had been handled, and all that remained was to quietly wait for the opening of the Epoch Battlefield.

There wasn't much time left, just about three or four days.

Tang Heng rented a room at a high price near the safe zone and sat in meditation to adjust his breathing, striving to focus and adjust his state to the Peak while inside.

Of course, Yao Yian was left in the corner like a statue.

But what Tang Heng didn't notice was that deep in the eyes of this "statue," a strange expression flickered.

At the same time, in another Heavenly Dao world.

Canglan Realm, the far northeastern direction of Donglin Prefecture.

The sky and sea were the same color. A huge figure suddenly leaped out from the surging sea surface.

It was a snake-like Yao Beast with a strange appearance.

On its head grew ferocious Dragon horns, its back flaunted two pairs of huge wings, and a pitch-black steel giant tail hung behind it.

Besides that, it surprisingly possessed a face mimicking a human, wearing an ambiguous expression.

On both sides of its massive body, there grew two arms as dexterous as those of the Human Race.

Its right hand tightly gripped a huge precious sword, the blade shimmering with a cold light under the sun.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Yao Beast flapped its wings and flew out, its ferocious roar tearing through the air, the sound shaking all directions.

Monstrous pressure swept over like a storm, and large areas of thunderclouds immediately condensed over the originally calm sea.

Boom, boom, boom!

Thunder rumbled, and lightning tore across the sky.

Within these thunderclouds, a fiery red figure slowly emerged.

"Little Loach, why aren't you planning to keep running?"

The fiery red figure spoke in a mocking tone, as if disdaining the ferocious Yao Beast before him.

Roar, roar, roar!

This Yao Beast seemed unable to respond with words, only able to open its bloody maw and let out a deafening roar, terrifying sound waves rippling through the air.

The fiery red figure was a Cultivator clad in red Qilin battle armor.

He held a long spear in both hands, his gaze as scorching as a raging fire, revealing endless Battle Intent.

"Little Loach, since you aren't running anymore, let us end this boring chase!"

The red-armored Cultivator's voice was filled with coldness and disdain.

Before his words had even faded, his figure had transformed into a streak of fiery red light, charging straight toward the snake-like Yao Beast.

The snake-like Yao Beast felt a strong threat, and a burst of blue light suddenly erupted from its Dragon horns.

It flapped its wings violently, whipping up wild winds and giant waves, attempting to block the red-armored Cultivator.

However, the red-armored Cultivator seemed to have anticipated this. He waved his long spear, and a vortex of flames formed on the sea, directly blocking the surging giant waves.

The distance between the two closed rapidly. The red-armored Cultivator's long spear, carrying monstrous flames, thrust straight at the snake-like Yao Beast's weak point.

The snake-like Yao Beast roared repeatedly, its tail whipping toward the red-armored Cultivator like a steel whip.

At the same time, the huge precious sword in its hand also slashed toward the opponent, carrying sharp Sword Qi.

Clang!

Bang!

Two loud metallic clashing sounds rang out. The red-armored Cultivator's long spear parried the tail and collided head-on with the snake-like Yao Beast's precious sword, stirring up ripples of True Qi.

Rumble!

The sea waves splashed ten zhang high.

The red-armored Cultivator's spear technique was wild and sharp, each strike containing terrifyingly destructive flaming True Qi.

The snake-like Yao Beast resisted with its agile body and immense strength, each of its counterattacks causing the seawater to churn and lightning to intertwine.

The battle intensified. The thunderclouds gathered more densely overhead, and the waves became increasingly violent under the collision of their powers.

True Qi vibrated, and the entire sea surface became the stage for their duel.

The seawater was shaken and splashed everywhere, and lightning fell continuously, illuminating this battlefield.

For a moment, it seemed that even heaven and earth were shaken by it.

The two figures, one large and one small, crisscrossed back and forth on the sea, fighting in an inseparable struggle.

The battle dragged on for a long time, with sunrises and sunsets passing one after another.

Who knows how much time had passed, but the snake-like Yao Beast could no longer parry, constantly being severely injured by its opponent, yet it remained incredibly ferocious.

Finally, the red-armored Cultivator thrust his spear out, the tip piercing through the Yao Beast's head, and a powerful force exploded from the tip, shredding its brain.

The snake Yao Beast fell heavily into the seabed, lifeless.

Lin Ce extended a palm, circulating his True Qi power to fish the snake Yao Beast's corpse from the seabed.

Following that, his True Qi transformed into a giant hand of flame, wrapping around the snake Yao Beast's corpse and burning it to ashes.

However, Lin Ce did not feel much joy in defeating his opponent at this moment; instead, he appeared even more worried.

The seawater polluted by the snake Yao Beast's blood gradually turned pitch black, and a large number of dead fish, shrimp, and even Yao Beasts continuously floated to the surface.

"Its physical strength is not inferior to mine at all. Now, even in a prefecture like Donglin Prefecture, such monsters have appeared."

"Is it true that not even those big shots can stop that matter after all?"

"Forget it, this matter is not something I can intervene in. I must hurry back to report to Young Miss."

Lin Ce performed a hand seal, and a Jade Slip floated out from before him.

Opening the Jade Slip casually, what came into view was a young man with an extraordinary appearance, sharp facial contours, and an air of heroic pride in his eyes.

Below the Jade Slip were rows of notes.

"Huangxuan City, Qin Dong."

"Hmph, his appearance is top-notch, but I wonder how his talent is."

"Oh well, for the sake of Young Miss, I will guide you with a few moves and bestow a few Cultivation Techniques upon you."

"I hope you conduct yourself well and do not disappoint Young Miss."

Lin Ce put away the Jade Slip, then tore through the Void Realm and stepped into it.