Those who cultivate below the fifth layer generally prefer hand-to-hand combat, as it allows them to unleash their inner energy to its fullest.
However, after reaching the fifth layer, he noticed that most people preferred to use various weapons.
Just like Meiniang, who also wielded a specially made long whip.
He hadn't yet grasped the subtle principles behind this, so he was unaware of the reason.
But now was not the time to ponder such matters. Li Chonglou was faced with only two choices.
Either fight, and deal with the two opponents as quickly as possible.
Or retreat, and ensure his companions' safety through the most conservative method.
Of these two options, Li Chonglou made his decision almost instantly.
Retreat first!
No matter how fast the fight, the enemy wouldn't be foolish enough to stand still and let him kill them. More importantly, his movement was severely hampered by carrying two people, rendering his Shadow Steps unusable.
Another point was that he hadn't even observed how many people were in the ambush ahead. The longer he stayed here, the more enemies would appear. Xiong Da had mentioned that the three days following the Death Storm belonged to Hei Zi's domain!
Therefore, Li Chonglou could only lead the two people away in another direction. He then employed his old tactic, stomping his foot and turning the earth into sharp swords to obstruct their pursuit.
"Don't rush to chase yet."
Hei Zi, wielding a long sword, suddenly spoke.
"I saw it too. The two people he's carrying are clearly heavily injured, likely attacked by Black Souls."
The Hei Zi holding the longbow nodded, but then a look of confusion appeared on his face. "Strange, why isn't that guy affected? Don't Black Souls attack indiscriminately?"
"This guy definitely has a big secret on him! If we can capture him alive, we should be credited with great merit, shouldn't we?"
The two exchanged glances, seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.
Little did Li Chonglou know that within Hei Zi, there was a peculiar system where anyone who could convert an outside expert would receive extremely generous rewards.
The more special the expert, the more lavish the reward, with the highest even allowing them to break through realms beyond the seventh layer!
An outsider who could operate in the Black Soul stage was, in their opinion, worth the top-tier reward!
Li Chonglou, while leading the two, quickly concealed his aura after entering a dense jungle.
He also mimicked the technique of digging holes he had used before, rapidly creating burrows beneath his feet.
Without the supply of oxygen, the two, whose faces had already turned ashen, likely wouldn't last much longer.
In about a minute, a cave about two square meters in size was quickly formed.
Li Chonglou skillfully used his inner energy to spread the excavated soil over the surface, concealing their tracks in a manner similar to how he had shielded himself from the Death Storm.
Once everything was in place, he immediately deactivated the inner energy protection on the two. Visibly, their chests instinctively drew in a deep breath.
However, the oxygen within was meager, only enough to barely alleviate their symptoms. Li Chonglou dared not take another breath himself.
"Why did they suddenly fall unconscious?"
Li Chonglou was still completely puzzled by this question. Initially, he thought it was due to their depleted inner energy, but this condition usually subsided on its own.
As long as soul power wasn't continuously used, consciousness should return within half an hour at most.
But the two showed no signs of waking up.
Li Chonglou squatted down and placed his hand on Xiong Da's pulse. It was steady, not at all like someone whose inner energy had been exhausted.
"Strange, why did this suddenly happen?"
He had been with them in the deep pit after the storm ended, yet he hadn't felt anything unusual.
At that moment, En Si's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Little Li, Elder An asked me to tell you, see if you can pull my consciousness into the new treasure you obtained."
Li Chonglou's expression froze.
How did Elder An know there was a consciousness space within that bottle? Didn't the people in the Soul Appraisal have communication barriers with him?
En Si, due to their fusion, could also sense Li Chonglou's confusion and explained, "I told Elder An. You lost consciousness for a moment just now, and I feared something had happened, so I asked Elder An. He said you probably entered another consciousness space."
Li Chonglou nodded. Although he still didn't know what Elder An's previous occupation was, his persona as someone with vast knowledge had always been evident.
It wasn't surprising that Elder An could deduce the situation based on a little information.
Furthermore, En Si's message gave him a glimmer of hope. He immediately, along with En Si's consciousness, mentally recited the incantation to enter the bottle space.
The next second, the blank, void-like space reappeared before him. Li Chonglou instinctively asked, "How is it, Senior En Si? Can you hear me?"
Unfortunately, there was no response.
Is it not possible? A trace of regret flashed through Li Chonglou's mind, and he then withdrew from the bottle space.
"Senior En Si, no reaction?"
"No, it's not that. I can feel you trying to bring me in, but I refused it myself."
En Si's words stunned Li Chonglou.
"Why?"
"I feel like if I enter, I'll be detached from our fused state..."
Li Chonglou suddenly understood and broke out in a cold sweat.
Damn it, thank goodness Senior En Si could actively refuse! If he had been forcefully pulled in like at the beginning, the three of them would be dead by now!
After all, the entire cave was currently being maintained by his inner energy. If the soil above collapsed after he exited the fusion state, no matter how fast he reacted, he wouldn't be able to prevent the Black Souls from invading!
"I was reckless..."
Li Chonglou felt a deep sense of dread. Just then, En Si said again, "Little Li, why don't you try bringing the Soul Bottle in? Elder An said it might be an alternate dimension within."
"Alternate dimension?"
This was another term he had never heard before, but he instinctively tried it.
If it were any other item, he might have hesitated. After all, if real-world objects could be brought inside, this thing would be too heaven-defying!
But the Soul Bottle was a special existence. The fact that it could enter his body already proved it was no ordinary item, and its material certainly couldn't be judged by the standards of real-world objects.
Therefore, this method might just work!
The next second, as soon as Li Chonglou opened his eyes, a palm-sized black bottle appeared before him.
It actually worked!
Does that mean Elder An and Old Lin...
Li Chonglou quickly shouted into the Soul Bottle, "Seniors, can you hear me? You can come ou—"
Before he could finish speaking, streams of ethereal blue figures shot out from the black bottle's opening, like wisps of blue flame, drifting around in the air.
Then they condensed into form.
Elder An, Old Lin, Cai Hong, and others appeared one by one!
"It actually worked! Elder An, do you know what this place is?"
Li Chonglou looked at Elder An with surprise. The latter's expression was pensive.