Chapter 143: Alliance

In an instant, only Xiang Nan and Daoist Santong remained by the lake.

"Leaving them here, aren't you afraid they'll be KO'd by other squads?" Daoist Santong asked, looking at the backs of the departing group.

Xiang Nan turned his head to look at him. "That's why I need to trouble you. Find a way to notify those top experts who have sneaked into Lingxu. Tell them that whoever helps me find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone will be allowed to observe the divine artifact they've been yearning for. Otherwise, even if that artifact rots, molds, and rusts in my dimensional storage, I will never take it out."

"So you're planning to trick all the top experts into going to Spirit-Binding Island? That is quite insidious."

"I am simply pointing out a bright path for everyone. Whether they go or not is entirely their own choice."

...

Night fell.

Lingxu appeared exceptionally serene.

Looking at the twinkling stars in the distance, Xiang Nan's heart was stirred with a tumult of emotions.

He closed his eyes and directed his spiritual sense toward his system interface.

[Atavism Target: Ancient Mysterious Bird]

[Realm: Fourth-Order, Second-Star (Ten Stars is Full)]

[Compatibility: 22%]

[Skill: Mysterious Bird Innate Ability]

[Storage: 1,000 Cubic Meters]

The system's description of the Mysterious Bird's skill was rather vague.

However, as Xiang Nan's level increased, being at the second-star made him clearly feel that he possessed much greater power than when he was at the fourth-order first-star.

This power was very balanced—a more steady and prolonged respiration, a much sturdier physique, and a faster absorption and conversion of spiritual qi...

Even the purple blood within his veins boiled more fervently when activated, capable of erupting with far greater explosive force.

The most obvious change was his spiritual skill, Scorching Flame Wave. It was no longer a searing white, but a red-tinged white, and its flames had upgraded to extreme fire, greatly increasing its lethality.

Being this powerful at the fourth-order second-star left Xiang Nan quite satisfied.

However, heading to Spirit-Binding Island and facing such a completely unpredictable and dangerous place, Xiang Nan only wished he could become even stronger.

For now, with the Heart-Cleansing Incantation, dealing with fifth-order fierce beasts should be sufficient. But as for higher-level ones, it remained unknown.

Moreover, his purpose was to find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone. Spirit-Binding Island was considered relatively small among the various islands in Lingxu, yet its area was by no means small, spanning nearly fifty miles in circumference.

Before entering Lingxu, Mad Yama had once shown everyone a photograph and the size of the Spirit-Suppressing Stone. It was roughly the size of a human heart, radiating multicolored light.

Finding such a tiny Spirit-Suppressing Stone in such a vast place was truly no easy task.

This was why he wanted to lure all the top experts of Lingxu into exploring Spirit-Binding Island.

More people meant more strength, and no matter who found it, they would ultimately have to hand it over to him obediently.

Gathering his composure, Xiang Nan sat cross-legged once again and took out the sixth-order spiritual bead that Yuan Ao had given him.

Ever since his fourth-order atavism, the speed at which he refined spiritual beads had accelerated significantly. He was now able to slowly absorb the power of the ancient wind beast contained within the sixth-order spiritual bead.

The Mysterious Bird's innate ability was related to fire, which had greatly enhanced Xiang Nan's Scorching Flame Wave. If he could acquire the wind beast's spiritual skill, combining wind and fire would make it even more perfect.

...

In a corner of the middle island of Lingxu.

Daoist Santong walked alone along the secluded lakeside.

His pace was unhurried. With a flick of his torch-like eyes in the darkness, he already knew that someone was tailing him.

"Since you're here, why still hide and not show yourself?" Daoist Santong stopped, seemingly waiting for something.

Sure enough, a figure glided out from the darkness—it was none other than the Great Mage who had fought with him that day.

"Santong, you claimed you were playing the double agent, but what on earth is the situation now?" The Great Mage asked, quite impatiently. "More than half of the Lingxu expedition has already passed, and we don't have much time left. How long are you going to keep dragging me along?"

Daoist Santong sneered softly, "If you had any other alternative, you wouldn't have agreed, would you? When it comes to martial prowess, either of us could crush that punk Xiang Nan with a single hand. But our goal isn't just to crush him, is it? Everyone knows he possesses a spatial dimension, and that dimension is the trickiest part—none of us can open it."

"Nonsense!" The Great Mage narrowed his eyes. "You've been following him for so many days, have you made any headway at all?"

Daoist Santong smiled meaningfully. "Hehe, of course there's headway. Didn't he make a bet with Mad Yama? Young people are competitive; he is determined to find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone and win this Lingxu championship..."

Before he could finish, the Great Mage interrupted impatiently, "Hmph! What does any of that have to do with us?"

Daoist Santong rolled his eyes at him and continued, "It has everything to do with us. As long as we find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone, we can demand that he take out the divine artifact for observation."

To his surprise, the Great Mage scoffed, "Observation? I'm afraid you've misunderstood something. That person made it crystal clear that we must acquire that divine artifact. What the hell is the use of just observing it?"

Daoist Santong was practically amused to the point of laughter by the Great Mage's stupidity. "Oh dear me, Great Mage, you're a person of some renown; can you please use your brain? If it weren't for that person's instructions, I wouldn't even bother cooperating with you."

"Stop talking nonsense, what is your actual plan?"

"What plan?" Daoist Santong looked at the Great Mage as if he were an idiot. "You still don't get it? Naturally, we go to Spirit-Binding Island first to find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone, and then demand that he produce the divine artifact. With his mere second-order cultivation, the moment that artifact is taken out of his dimensional storage, is there any chance he'll be able to put it back? Can't you just seize it by force? Don't tell me two fifth-order powerheads can't snatch something from a second-order student!"

The Great Mage finally understood. "Well, we can definitely beat him. As long as the artifact leaves his space, someone like Xiang Nan—I could end his pathetic life with a single punch."

"You..." Daoist Santong sighed, then sneered, "That person only told us to get the artifact. The kid has no grudge or enmity with you; don't go around killing people casually, it's not harmonious! Besides, he's now the Young Master of the Eagle Alliance. If you kill him, the Eagle Alliance will hound you endlessly. Why invite trouble for yourself?"

The Great Mage: "..." That actually sounded somewhat reasonable. Although he didn't care much for an organization like the Eagle Alliance, they had numbers and influence. If they really came looking for trouble, it would certainly give him a massive headache.

Just as the two were discussing, suddenly, a charming yet chilling female voice echoed from the darkness.

"Daoist Santong, you sure are playing this double agent game smoothly!"

With someone suddenly popping up, Daoist Santong didn't look surprised in the slightest.

"Since we're all laying our cards on the table, you've been hiding in the shadows trailing us for days, you might as all come out and get some fresh air."

Sure enough, four dark figures glided out from the surrounding dwarf bushes.

One of them, moving with graceful and alluring steps, was Alice of the Blood League. Ever since her failure in seizing the treasure last time, she had been searching for an opportunity to strike again. Naturally, she wouldn't let slip an opportunity like the Lingxu expedition.

Standing beside her was another top expert from the Blood League who had been plotting alongside her.

On the other side was Yoshino, the ninja who had clashed with Daoist Santong previously.

Yoshino had his face covered as always, revealing only a pair of narrow, cold eyes. Beside him was his companion and subordinate, Shadow.

Clearly, these four individuals had also formed an alliance.