"I'll tell you, think about who you've offended recently?" Deacon Li's voice echoed again.
"You mean, Young Master Zuo Youren?" Chen Xiao feigned a look of sudden realization.
"You can be taught! No wonder you can draw Level 4 formation talismans at such a young age; your mind is truly sharp. It's a pity, though, that I absolutely cannot let you leave alive today," Deacon Li said with a hint of regret.
"Alas, it's all my fault for being young and impulsive. Now I only beg Deacon Li to give me a quick end, so I can report back to Young Master Zuo," Chen Xiao said with a look of despair, slowly closing his eyes.
"Heh heh, if you don't want to die, I can show you a way out," Deacon Li said with a sinister chuckle.
"Really? Please, senior, guide me!" Chen Xiao appeared pleasantly surprised, his voice filled with ecstatic joy.
"Become my male companion, and I will not only spare your life but also ensure you have food and clothing for the rest of your days," Deacon Li shamelessly declared.
Chen Xiao felt a wave of nausea, nearly vomiting his dinner. He hadn't expected this pervert to have such tastes, but for the sake of his plan, he could only endure it for now.
His face displayed a look of pained contemplation, appearing hesitant.
"Have you decided yet? I'm telling you, it's your honor to be taken in by me. Miss this chance, and you won't find another," Deacon Li urged.
At this moment, Chen Xiao's eyes lit up. His expression instantly regained its vitality, and a cold sneer played on his lips as he said, "Go to hell! You're dreaming."
"You... you're courting death!" Deacon Li exclaimed in fury. "Arrow of Frost, gather!"
As soon as he spoke, the air above Chen Xiao's head changed drastically. An icy current surged towards him, and then a sharp, incomparably piercing Arrow of Frost slowly condensed above Chen Xiao's head. This was the killing move of the formation; unlike the other illusions, the killing move of a formation could truly inflict harm.
"Arrow of Frost, go!"
The Arrow of Frost, emanating a chilling aura, shot towards Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao moved at the same instant, his feet seeming to fly as he sprinted away.
The Arrow of Frost, however, possessed an auto-tracking function, relentlessly pursuing Chen Xiao. It was just about to strike him.
"Hmph, still trying to run, you overestimating fool? This is the consequence of toying with me, heh heh heh heh..." Deacon Li's arrogant laughter echoed around Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao dodged left and right, the distance between him and the Arrow of Frost shrinking with every moment.
"Now!"
Chen Xiao roared, leaping into the air. The Arrow of Frost was already perilously close.
"Pfft!"
The sound of the sharp arrow piercing flesh was heard, yet Chen Xiao remained unharmed. His vision blurred for a moment, and then he found himself back in the assessment room.
Behind him, Deacon Li lay slumped on the ground, his chest torn open with a gaping hole, blood flowing out incessantly.
"You, you are... how, how did you... find me?" Deacon Li stammered.
"Hmph, after playing with eagles for so long, how could I be pecked in the eye by a mere sparrow like you?" Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered to explain further. In truth, he had deliberately feigned despair and timidity to stall for time and locate Deacon Li.
Chen Xiao's divine sense was incredibly powerful, and Deacon Li's formation was riddled with flaws. It only took him a moment to pinpoint the latter's location, and then he directly guided the Arrow of Frost towards Deacon Li. After Deacon Li was severely injured, the formation instantly dissipated.
"Actually, you didn't need to go through all this trouble. Your cultivation is higher than mine; you could have just killed me. Why play with formations in front of me? Showing off your skills before an expert, truly asking for death," Chen Xiao said mockingly, placing a foot on Deacon Li's large, fleshy face.
Chen Xiao was right. Deacon Li was at the sixth level of Body Refining. If they had truly fought, Chen Xiao would have been no match for him. The only one to blame was his own overconfidence.
"You, you..." Deacon Li's breath was already shallow, and coupled with Chen Xiao's taunts, he died on the spot, his breath ceasing entirely.
The dignified deacon of the Formation Talisman Master Guild, the fearsome "Smiling Tiger," thus met his end in extreme frustration.
Chen Xiao looked at Deacon Li's corpse with disgust. Such a person deserved to die, but it was a pity that after all his efforts, he hadn't obtained the certification as a Formation Talisman Master.
Chen Xiao left the assessment room and returned to his original room. Pushing the door open, he found no sign of Xiao Liuzi or Wang Ke.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Just then, Chen Xiao heard a round of applause. Turning his head, he saw a young man with a defiant expression clapping his hands, standing behind him.
The newcomer was naturally Zuo Youren. He said, "I truly didn't expect that even Deacon Li couldn't do anything to you."
Chen Xiao's expression darkened. "Since you know, why don't you go collect his body?"
Zuo Youren said dismissively, "Just a piece of trash, dying by his own hand. Such an idiot deserved to die."
Deacon Li had died by his own Arrow of Frost, so saying he died by his own hand wasn't entirely wrong. However, Zuo Youren's utter lack of compassion sent a chill down Chen Xiao's spine. This person was truly devoid of humanity.
Chen Xiao remained silent, unwilling to waste any more words on such a person.
"Hahaha." Zuo Youren threw his head back and laughed. "You should worry about yourself. Don't you want to know the whereabouts of your two friends?"
"It was you after all!" Chen Xiao suppressed his anger and asked, "What have you done to them?"
"Hahaha, if you want to know, follow me!" As soon as he finished speaking, Zuo Youren leaped out of the window. Seeing this, Chen Xiao immediately followed.
Upon landing, Zuo Youren sprinted away, with Chen Xiao close behind. After running for a while, Zuo Youren suddenly stopped in a dead-end alley, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "I didn't expect you to be so loyal."
"Enough nonsense, where are they?" Chen Xiao asked urgently.
"Bring them out!" Zuo Youren shouted. Then Chen Xiao heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Chen Xiao turned his head and saw two limp, unconscious figures being dragged across the ground. Chen Xiao's eyes twitched slightly. These two, bound like zongzi, were Xiao Liuzi and Wang Ke. From their condition, it was clear they had been drugged.
"Despicable scoundrel!" Chen Xiao's anger had already surged to his chest. "Release them quickly, or I guarantee you'll regret it."
He wished he were the one tied up instead of implicating his friends.
This was the first time Chen Xiao had been so angry since his rebirth. Zuo Youren had provoked him repeatedly, and now he had kidnapped his friends. Chen Xiao felt that he had been too kind before, like a toothless tiger treated as a sick cat.
"Damn it, you dare to act tough when you're about to die! Your helpers are all captured by me now, and you're just a Level 2 Body Refining trash. No matter how skilled you are at formation talismans, I'll still kill you!" Zuo Youren's arrogance was palpable.