The elderly man in gray was filled with a brimming spirit, letting out a roaring laughter, "Little girl, your cultivation partner is truly a coward, deserting you in a crucial moment! Perhaps if you two had faced me together, you could've resisted for a few rounds, but now, you can only be broken one by one! I'll capture you first, then tear your cultivation partner to pieces!"

Immediately after, a colossal black claw stretched out, striking towards Chu Ruolin.

Confronting the early-stage Foundation Establishment old man before her, Chu Ruolin's icy gaze was filled with murderous intent and rage.

Shu Han, who had already fled several hundred steps away, silently apologized in his heart.

"Sorry, with my life hanging by a thread, I had no choice but to use you. I know you're not simple, you surely won't be easily killed by that old ghost."

Suddenly, he felt the shock of a violent collision behind him.

Shu Han opened the map, planning to find another mine tunnel far from this location to hide again. However, soon he heard the voice of the old man in gray coming from behind.

"You little rabbit, wait for me!"

Shu Han's back went cold, and he broke into a run. Did Chu Ruolin in white fall so quickly?

"Wait for your death!"

But then, he suddenly found that he was unable to move his feet. Despite controlling his Flowing Boots, pinching the Wind Control technique, he should be fleet-footed, taking ten steps in one stride, yet he not only did not move forward an inch but continued to be pulled backward. At this moment, he saw faint glowing threads entwining his body, dragging him backward.

This force was irresistible, he felt like a leaf being swallowed by a whirlpool, and even struggling in vain was useless.

"What?!"

Shu Han was terrified, when did the gray-robed old man have such a technique? If he had such a terrifying technique, why didn't he use it earlier? Why did he chase him all this way with such a painstaking effort?

The pull was getting stronger, the surrounding scenery began to rush by rapidly, in an instant, Shu Han was dragged back into the massive mine cavern he had just been in. At this point, he found the gray-robed old man had been beaten into a mess, his body also entwined by the glowing threads. And the source of those many threads was surprisingly Chu Ruolin, hanging in the center of the mine cavern!

A terrifying aura rippled wave after wave throughout the mine. Shu Han was completely stupefied as he looked toward Chu Ruolin. She was also a Foundation Establishment power! Moreover, her Foundation Establishment aura was steadily climbing. The old man in grey was terrified to his core, murmuring, "Early Foundation Establishment... Mid Foundation Establishment... Mid peak... Late Foundation Establishment... Heavens, her aura is still rising! Who on earth is she?"

Hearing the old man's words, Shu Han realized he had just escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's cave!

Late Foundation Establishment! This was beyond comparison, it was suicide!

Chu Ruolin in white was perched high above, coldly observing the ashen-faced old man and youth below. Her white veil fluttered along with her rising aura, intermittently revealing her startling visage.

"You've angered me, you're both doomed!"

As her words fell, the glowing threads that entwined the two tightened immediately. The fragile threads instantly became as sharp as blades, the next moment ready to tear Shu Han to shreds.

Fear gripped Shu Han's heart, he immediately stimulated the Eight Treasure Kirin Armor to its full power. The eight-colored treasure light erupted, but the threads paid no heed to the treasure light's defense, cutting through the Eight Treasure Kirin Armor as if it were tofu. The armor immediately shattered into fragments on the ground, and the next moment, it would be Shu Han's body that turned into fragments.

This is the end of me!

However, the next moment, a five-colored brilliance converged in the mine. The old man's voice sounded again.

"A Core Formation expert has visited this mine, what a rare guest! But your action has disturbed the balance of my layout! I'd rather you leave the mine and let these youngsters fight."

Chu Ruolin stared at the head formed by the five-colored light, speaking coldly, "Hand over the top-grade spirit stone to me and I'll leave this place. If not, I'll turn this place upside down to get you out!"

The old man burst into laughter, "A little girl dares to ask me for the top-grade spirit stone! Your fluctuating cultivation level is not enough to make me take real action. Since you want to stay and play, I'll give you the opportunity, but your cultivation level must be suppressed!"

As he finished speaking, the face made of spirit energy transformed into a giant hand, mercilessly smashing down toward Chu Ruolin in white.

"How dare you!"

Chu Ruolin retaliated fiercely, pushing back the falling giant hand.

In an instant, blinding radiance filled the entire mine, a terrifying aura pressed down, Shu Han quickly curled up, deploying his Extreme Cold Mystical Iron Shield to protect his body, just managing to resist the spiritual pressure erupting from their battle.

When the pressure dissipated, Shu Han rose to his feet and saw a white figure falling from mid-air. The spirit energy once again transformed into the old man's face, roaring with laughter.

"Girl, you are far from being my match! I'm issuing a new task now. If any insignificant ant doesn't want to participate in this killing competition, just kill this woman in white. I, myself, will escort you out of the mine and gift you five thousand low-quality spirit stones!"

Chu Ruolin in white quickly sat cross-legged, a mouthful of fresh blood she couldn't help but spew out stained her white veil. Now, her aura was really suppressed, even to the point where she was in the twelfth layer of the Qi Refining stage, without any Foundation Establishment period's power.

Seeing this, the old man in grey got up laughing heartily, looking maliciously at the seated Chu Ruolin, "Who would have thought, I, Old Black Claw, would be able to kill a Core Formation cultivator one day!" He turned to Shu Han, shouting, "Hey, lad, both of us were nearly killed by this Core Formation cultivator. How about we put down our enmity for now, team up to kill this woman, and I won't move against you anymore!"

Shu Han also laughed, "That's exactly what I wanted! In that case, please make the first move, senior, and I will provide support from the rear."

"Good! Let's do this!"

Saying this, the old man in grey extended his black claw toward Chu Ruolin who was in meditation.

However, Shu Han was behind, commanding the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation, turning it into a giant sword, directly slashing toward the grey-clothed old man's neck.

The grey-clothed old man's forward black claw was a feint. Suddenly, a small sword sheathed from his hairpin met Shu Han's giant sword.

Clang!

The two swords collided, neither able to overpower the other. Both of them retreated after their unsuccessful attacks, shouting in unison.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"I knew it! You old ghost (kid), you've got no good intentions!"

Shu Han sighed deeply, "It seems neither of us trusts each other. Before other cultivators come, let's just settle this directly!"

The old man in grey smirked, "Kid, your proposal suits me just fine! If you wish to die, how can I not oblige?"

"Let's see who's really courting death!"

Shu Han pulled out his trump card, the Four Phases Array Plate, from his storage bag and firmly stomped it on the ground.

Crash!

Four mid-grade spirit stones flowed out in a line, falling into the four slots of the Four Phases Array Plate. Immediately, a vast amount of spiritual power burst out from it.

The grey-clothed old man was taken aback.

"Four mid-grade spirit stones, kid, you're so rich?"

Shu Han laughed wildly, "Old dog! You're still oblivious as death approaches! Four Phases Array, execute!"

With that, he slapped his hand on the Four Phases Array Plate, and a dazzling spiritual light exploded from the plate.

The grey-clothed old man was frightened by Shu Han's wild words and immediately urged all his strength to activate the power around him. Black energy enveloped him in an instant, and the black little sword also began to spin at his brow. However, after waiting for a while, he found that nothing came out of the strange magic tool. The old man couldn't help but scoff, "Boy, stop trying to scare..."

Boom!

A massive pressure came from the sky, and the grey-clothed old man was unable to resist instantly, directly being forced to kneel on one knee. He looked up in horror to see four layers of intricate array patterns intersecting above his head, rotating around each other like a grinding wheel, gradually compressing his living space.

The grey-clothed old man was greatly frightened, his power and defenses were being rapidly erased. He was unwilling, not understanding how this Qi Refining stage boy had such a strange magic treasure!

The grey-clothed old man gritted his teeth, directly spitting out a mouthful of essence blood, transforming into a blood mist to wrap around him. In an instant, his magical power greatly increased, actually resisting the grinding of the Four Phases Array patterns.

Shu Han was nervous, the four middle-grade spirit stones on the Four Phases Array Plate were rapidly fading. This meant that the spirit power in them was being quickly consumed.

Under the grinding of the Four Phases array patterns, the grey-clothed old man weakened a bit more. He spat out essence blood once again, and his level of magical power had a temporary rebound.

He was unwilling, thinking if he had known earlier, he would not have provoked this troublesome boy. This strange magic treasure was actually something even he, at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, couldn't contend with. If it weren't for the essence blood he burst out, his body would have been ground away by now. He stared at the Four Phases Array Plate in Shu Han's hand, also seeing the four middle-grade spirit stones rapidly losing spiritual power.

"Almost there! Just need to hold on a bit longer, drain the spiritual power from the spirit stones, then this boy will have no other options."

Finally, he saw the middle-grade spirit stones on the Four Phases Array Plate squeeze out the last bit of spiritual power, and indeed, the pressure on his body greatly reduced. The grey-clothed old man couldn't help but laugh heartily, immediately rising his magical power to counterattack, but what happened next made him feel like his liver and gallbladder were about to split.

Shu Han calmly discarded the four dim middle-grade spirit stones and nonchalantly pulled out another four from his storage bag.

Puff!

The grey-clothed old man spat out a mouthful of old blood. This was not his method of self-destructing essence blood to enhance his magical power, but he was truly infuriated to the point of vomiting blood.

"How rich are you, kid..."

Shu Han laughed heartily, again fully urging the Four Phases Array Plate. The grey-clothed old man finally couldn't hold on, all his black energy was dispersed, and like a dead dog, he was smacked into the stones by the Four Phases Array patterns. Shu Han mentally commanded, and the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation immediately flew over.

The grey-clothed old man didn't even have time to react when he suddenly felt a chill below his neck. His neck was pierced by the Heavenly Sword.

"You stinky kid..."

The grey-clothed old man breathed his last.

Shu Han quickly rushed over, directly putting the body of the black-clothed old man into his storage bag.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a secret delight. He never thought that the Four Phases Array Plate would be so powerful, making an early stage peak of the Foundation Establishment powerless to resist. Moreover, he got a Foundation Establishment stage corpse, which would be useful in the future for his External Incarnation Technique if he could get out. Then he looked at the Four Phases Array Plate and found that a crack had appeared on the edge. This made him heartbroken.

It seems that the owner of Treasure Light Pavilion was right, this Four Phases Array Plate really couldn't be used many more times.

Packing up the Four Phases Array Plate, Shu Han looked at Chu Ruolin who was sitting cross-legged next to him, and immediately had the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation circling beside him.

Feeling Shu Han approaching, Chu Ruolin opened her cold eyes and stared at him, saying icily, "Boy, do you want to make a move against me? Fine, I'm at a disadvantage now, not only severely injured but also suppressed by that old ghost. If you want to make a move, just come and see if you can do it!"

Shu Han squatted in front of her, staring into her eyes, and he felt conflicted.

In the end, Shu Han sighed and said, "Senior, it's true that I was the first to offend, but I was being chased by that old man and had no other way, so I thought of shifting the trouble elsewhere, just seeking self-protection. I hope senior can understand."

"Understand?" Chu Ruolin hummed, "You clearly had the power to kill that man, but you put the blame on me. You dared to be disrespectful and made a move, how can I understand?"

Shu Han scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Well, after all, in order to survive here, I have to reserve some means. Anyway, whatever I do is wrong, it's all my fault, I didn't mean to make an enemy of seniors, nor did I want to take advantage of others' difficulties. So senior, please take care, I have to hide for a while."

Chu Ruolin looked surprised, "Now is your only chance to kill me. If you don't kill me now and I recover from my injuries, you won't have this opportunity anymore! And considering what you did just now, I will not let you go."

Shu Han smiled bitterly, "Wow, then I pray that I won't meet senior in the future."

With that, Shu Han turned and wanted to leave. In theory, Chu Ruolin did have the intent to kill him, and now was indeed a good opportunity to kill Chu Ruolin in return. But he didn't dare!

Shu Han was sure a Core Formation stage senior like Chu Ruolin would have some cards up her sleeve. Even if her magic power was suppressed, even if she was severely injured, if he pushed her too hard, he would definitely lose his life.

Let others deal with her. After all, she was now the target of public criticism, and she certainly wouldn't have time to deal with him.

"Wait!"

Chu Ruolin stopped Shu Han.

"Come back!"

Shu Han shook his head decisively, "I won't come back!"

Chu Ruolin was irritated, she angrily said, "If you don't come back, don't blame me for being ruthless, I'll kill you directly!"

Shu Han immediately turned around and returned to Chu Ruolin's side.

"Senior, you still have your cultivation suppressed, how can you be so overbearing? You should be able to protect yourself. Please don't make things difficult for me!"

Chu Ruolin said, "Although my cultivation is suppressed, and I can't deal with many cultivators, I have more than enough power to kill you."

Next, Chu Ruolin weakly took off her bloody veil, revealing her stunning face. Shu Han was taken aback when he saw her face. He had never imagined that there could be such a breathtakingly beautiful woman in this world. But he quickly shook his head, no matter how beautiful, this was a formidable enemy!

Chu Ruolin scrutinized Shu Han and coldly asked, "Boy, how old are you? What's your name?"

"Senior, my name is Shu Han, and I am twenty years old."

Chu Ruolin frowned, "You are able to fight with a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator at the age of twenty? Are you joking with me?"

Shu Han was at a loss for words and stammered, "This... purely a matter of luck... Senior, how old are you?"

"Eight hundred and twenty-three."

Shu Han: ...

While regulating her breath, Chu Ruolin said to Shu Han, "I see you are cunning, but your heart is not bad, and your strength is considerable. How about this, you protect me in the vein, we will write off the insult you caused me, and I owe you a favor. How does that sound?"

"This... I can't do that!"

Shu Han thought to himself: if I were to protect you, I'd have to be capable of doing that! Everyone in the vein is looking for you right now, how can I be an enemy of so many cultivators?

Chu Ruolin smiled faintly, "I say you can, so you can! Moreover, you don't need to protect me for too long. Just hold on for forty-nine hours, I can recover to the Core Formation stage, easily break through the barrier here, and take you out with me."

"Is... is that possible?"

Suddenly Chu Ruolin's eyes burst with murderous intent.

"Only dead people can refuse me!"

Shu Han almost wanted to cry, couldn't your overbearing attitude be used for self-protection? Why do you have to threaten me?

He reluctantly said, "Since senior has said so, I can only try my best to protect you. The target here is too big, please move with me."

But Chu Ruolin said, "I am concentrating on breaking the restriction that the old ghost put on me and can't move for the time being, you carry me!"

"In that case, I'll take the liberty!"

After that, Shu Han opened the map. The area where they could move had shrunk by a third. He chose a marginal mine tunnel and decided to hide there for a while.

Then he picked up Chu Ruolin and ran.

Chu Ruolin exclaimed, never expecting that this boy would dare to directly hold her in his arms. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "At this time, you still dare to take advantage of me? Can't you carry me on your back?"

Shu Han held back the urge to roll his eyes.

"I thought there is a blind spot behind. If someone attacks from behind, I could still block it for the senior. But if the senior prefers that, I will follow your will."

Shu Han turned his hand and tossed Chu Ruolin to his back, supporting her thighs and sprinting.

Chu Ruolin was even more embarrassed. Having her legs held by someone, and her chest constantly bumping into this young boy made her feel utterly humiliated.

"You might as well hold me in front..."

Shu Han: ...What on earth are you trying to do?