"What does this have to do with the demon hall?" Qin An's eyes flashed with cold light, and his knuckles drummed a solemn echo on the mahogany table.

Outside the window, the lanterns flickered brightly, elongating his shadow like the Nine Nether Asura.

This place is far from Lingzhou and should not have any connection to the demon hall.

But since it's already mentioned, Qin An would like to see how this chess piece will be played.

Lianyu's delicate fingers twisted a plain silk, her face showing a look of anguish, and she cried sorrowfully, "Initially, it had nothing to do with the demon hall, but when we were taking the Hua Boat to escape, we ran into that Elder Monkey..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly felt the air around her stagnate, as Qin An's eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc.

"Elder Monkey?"

"That old monkey again." Qin An's thumb rubbed the edge of the tea cup.

He had heard this demon's name many times; this demon was a wise general of the demon hall, with a strength reaching the Pulse Condensation Realm and possessing very high intelligence.

The demon hall's Demon Transformation Pool plan was orchestrated by Elder Monkey.

Now it's involved with this Hua Boat too, Qin An guessed whether it was related to the Demon Transformation Pool.

"Continue speaking."

Qin An slightly calmed his mind, lightly tapping the table with his fingers, causing ripples at the bottom of the blue porcelain cup, signaling Lianyu to continue speaking.

Lianyu dared not hesitate, and like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, she divulged the whole story.

The patrol officer in front of her could easily control her; for her life and for the safety of this Hua Boat, she told everything she knew.

"Elder Monkey settled us here, specifically to entice travelers to board the ship for pleasure."

"Every time the red candles burn warmly, the evil qi in the women's bodies entangles the guests like poisonous vines."

"Over time, it turns all the heroes of Huaiyuan County into sickly, broken men."

Qin An heard this, his sword-like brows furrowed: "Is it just this?"

Elder Monkey, with his methods, wouldn't just be to poison the populace of one county.

Qin An couldn't figure out why he would make such a move.

Not to mention, even if successful, it would only affect one county.

For the vast region of Lingzhou, it would not hurt the major organs.

Behind this chessboard, there must be more sinister moves hidden.

Lianyu shook her head gently: "I don't know anything more, I'm just a small character; how could I know what Elder Monkey is up to?"

Qin An's gaze scrutinized Lianyu.

Lianyu dared not meet Qin An's eyes, lowering her head, and her shoulders kept trembling.

The terrifying pressure from the Returning to Storage Realm made her, a mere Jade Bone Realm, unable to muster any rebellious intent.

After scanning around roughly, Qin An fell into deep thought.

After pondering for a moment, Qin An raised his gaze to meet Lianyu's eyes and suddenly said.

"Where are the crystalline veins?"

The array points to the location of the lake and the Hua Boat, but there is no more precise guidance on specifics.

Now, since he couldn't see what Elder Monkey intended, he would try to understand where the crystalline veins were.

After all, that was Qin An's ultimate goal.

Lianyu's eyes widened slightly, her face full of confusion: "What are crystalline veins?"

She was initially an ordinary person, and after becoming a Pseudo-God, she was unaware of many common things.

Now Qin An had mentioned an unfamiliar term, causing suspicions to arise in her mind.

Qin An thought for a moment, then stood up, saying: "Take me for a stroll around this Hua Boat."

Since Lianyu was clueless, Qin An decided to search for it himself.

As things currently stood, Lianyu was the strongest on this Hua Boat; there was no other danger at all.

In that case, Qin An could safely search for the location of the crystalline veins.

Lianyu stood up tremblingly, unwilling to slacken in obeying Qin An's orders.

She was well aware that having ties with the demon hall already made her guilty, and she hoped to atone for her sins at this moment.

Qin An and Lianyu stepped out of the room.

Each room was filled with blush-worthy lustful noises.

Lianyu stepped forward and asked cautiously: "Sir, do you wish for a temporary stop?"

Qin An shook his head, standing with his hands behind his back at the carved window: "No need."

According to Lianyu, it would take a long time before those who came to the Hua Boat were utterly ruined.

One more time wouldn't affect much.

If things were stopped now, it would instead affect Qin An's plan.

Lianyu saw Qin An's rejection and dared not speak further, carefully leading Qin An to search inside the Hua Boat.

...

The Hua Boat was divided into three layers.

After perusing the first layer and discovering nothing, Qin An followed the stairs to the second layer.

After the third watch, Qin An had inspected the Hua Boat thoroughly but found nothing.

Standing at the railing on the balcony of the Hua Boat, Qin An gazed at the night outside and moonlight, thinking to himself.

"Since it's not on the Hua Boat, it's at the bottom of the lake."

The array points precisely to this position. Since crystalline veins are not on the Hua Boat, the bottom of the lake becomes the only choice.

"The Hua Boat will continue as usual, you and I will head to the lakebed."

Qin An turned his head, his tone as calm as flowing water.

Lianyu slightly lowered her head: "I abide by your command."

Someone like her had no qualifications to refuse.

Qin An looked at the water below, raised his left hand, and grabbed Lianyu's neck.

Lianyu, being held by Qin An's grip, instinctively wanted to struggle, but when Qin An's gaze swept over her, she trembled slightly and allowed Qin An to restrain her.

The True Qi of Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand filled Lianyu's entire body, making even lifting a finger extremely difficult at this moment.

Then, without further ado, Qin An stepped forward and, like a wild goose, leapt down from the Hua Boat's third deck.

Outside was a scene of night, the Hua Boat's internal lascivious sounds hovered by the lakeside, yet no one noticed a black-clad figure, carrying a stunningly beautiful woman, diving into the lakebed.

...

As soon as he entered the water, Qin An sensed the surrounding lake water surging towards him.

With True Qi circulating, more than a foot of Gang Qi floated around Qin An, separating the lake water and keeping even his clothes from getting wet.

Though Qin An wasn't skilled at swimming, it didn't prevent him from performing the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step.

This special Body Technique can still be exerted in water, although it's not as agile as on land.

"Perhaps after returning, I can try learning a water-based Body Technique to make up for this shortcoming," Qin An mused to himself.

The lake was clear, but under the night sky, the visible range was not broad.

Lianyu had drowned, transforming into a Pseudo-God, making her more at ease in the water than Qin An, unaffected by the lake and immune to suffocation.

Qin An grasped Lianyu's neck and descended downward.

The lake wasn't deep, and from the surface to the bottom, aided by the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, it took only the time of half an incense stick to reach.

The lakebed was soft mud, with fish swimming to and fro.

Standing on the lakebed, Qin An looked up and scanned around.

Even with visibility limited, Qin An noticed something unusual at the lake's bottom.

Right below the flower boat was a deep, mysterious hole.

Without careful observation, it could easily be obscured by the boat and overlooked.

This deep hole seemed bottomless, like a beast with a blood-filled mouth waiting to devour prey.

Hovering above the hole, Qin An paused to sense deeply, his heart suddenly fluttered.

"The Earth Vein Crystal is here."

Feeling this tremor, Qin An immediately identified the location of the Earth Vein Crystal.

Looking out from the entrance, nothing seemed amiss from the outside.

Contemplating briefly, Qin An dragged Lianyu's neck and leapt into the hole.

The entrance was pitch black, the deeper he descended, the stronger the water pressure grew.

But to practitioners, this pressure was as light as a feather.

Fortunately, the hole wasn't deep; the darkness only gave an illusion of depth.

After descending for a while, Qin An landed stably on the ground.

Looking up, below the hole was a long passage.

At the end of the passage danced a flickering light.

Thinking of this, Qin An glanced at Lianyu, signaling for silence.

Lianyu nodded hastily, not daring to resist even slightly.

Once prepared, Qin An led Lianyu toward the flickering light.

The closer to the light, the larger it became.

Nothing unusual occurred until Qin An reached the end, revealing an unexpected cavern at the passage's terminus.

The end of the passage revealed an enormous cavern.

Yet, the cavern wasn't filled with seawater; an invisible barrier held it at bay.

After a quick glance, Qin An understood.

"Someone set up an array here to keep the seawater out."

To an Array Master, such an array wasn't difficult; even the Golden Array Sect could manage it.

What interested Qin An was the cavern's interior.

Within the cavern lay a tranquil Earth Vein Crystal.

This Earth Vein Crystal was placed in a wooden box atop a high platform.

Thin thread-like ropes bound the Earth Vein Crystal securely.

Upon closer inspection, one could sense torrents of Evil Qi surging toward the Earth Vein Crystal.

Moreover, not far from the Earth Vein Crystal sat a fox-headed creature with a human body.

The creature stood two fathoms tall, colossal in appearance.

The fox head, with razor-sharp fangs, exuded a sinister aura.

Apart from this, nothing else was there.

Due to Qin An's stealthy approach, the fox-headed creature hadn't noticed him.

Thinking briefly and confirming no anomalies, Qin An's lips slightly curved.

He sensed the fox-headed creature emanated the presence of the Returning to Storage Realm.

Though puzzled by such treatment of the Earth Vein Crystal, with it before him, Qin An wouldn't miss the chance.

Qin An placed Lianyu on the ground.

Bound by the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand, Lianyu couldn't utter a sound.

Once prepared, Qin An drew his Cold Star sword, using the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, transforming into a phantom, and swiftly swept past the array ahead.

An ordinary person passing the array would be obstructed.

Even trying to enter would require considerable effort.

Yet with Qin An being an eighth-level Array Master, the array posed no hindrance.

After Qin An passed the array, the fox-headed creature finally noticed something.

Its fierce eyes scanned ahead, suddenly bursting forth with a shrill howl.

"Who dares intrude here?!"

The fox-headed creature carried a massive iron sword.

As soon as it drew the iron sword, it swept toward Qin An without a word.

Both sides were swift.

Qin An wanted the Earth Vein Crystal, while the fox-headed creature protected it.

Thus, no words were needed.

After their blades clashed, Qin An's Cold Star erupted with ice and fire power.

Simultaneously, terrifying metal energy surged from the Cold Star.

The Bodhi Vajra Water and Fire Scripture, at Great Success, not only wielded ice and fire power but also imbued the blade with metal attribute energy.

Metal attribute energy could turn into boundless sharpness, breaking enemy defenses—an unmatched attack.

A glimmer of surprise crossed the fox-headed creature's face, and when the metal True Qi surged, it parried Qin An's blade with the iron sword, retreating several feet.

Qin An didn't pursue but watched the fox-headed creature with a raised eyebrow, "Not bad swordsmanship."

He was skilled in the Ice Flame Water Breaker, excelling in sword techniques.

Coupled with the Bodhi Vajra Ice and Fire Scripture's special True Qi, though not unleashing a triple slash force, he hadn't dispatched the fox-headed creature's head.

The creature's strength, in the Returning to Storage Realm, was exceptionally formidable.

The fox-headed creature's cruel eyes swept over Qin An, growling through clenched fangs.

"Elder Hou yearns day and night for the 'Fist and Sword Dual Extremes,' and here it is. Today, I'll take your head back; Elder Hou will undoubtedly reward me greatly!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.