Gongsun Zhuo watched from the side, utterly stunned. He had experienced Wang Lian's power firsthand, yet he never imagined she'd end up like this, battered by a mere Self-red Chow Chow.
"Chen Guan, is this really a house guarding dog?" Gongsun Zhuo could not help but suspect that Warring States wasn't an ordinary guard dog at all; otherwise, how could it be so powerful?
Even those house guarding dogs raised to a high level by cultivators increased a lot in raw strength, but their intelligence absolutely couldn't compare with Chen Guan's Self-red Chow Chow.
A house guarding dog that actually knows how to play military tactics—this kind of intelligence is honestly frightening.
"Other than a Self-red Chow Chow, what kind of Secret Spirit looks like this?" Chen Guan shot back.
Gongsun Zhuo thought about it and realized Chen Guan was right. The appearance and fur color of a Self-red Chow Chow were unmistakable—you really couldn't mistake it for something else.
"A Self-red Chow Chow able to fight like this... really unheard of. Its quality isn't ordinary, is it?" Gongsun Zhuo still found it unbelievable. House guarding dogs were all ordinary quality; there was no such thing as rare or extraordinary. He just couldn't figure out why Chen Guan's guard dog was so formidable.
"Tie her up first so nothing else happens." Chen Guan didn't want to discuss Warring States further and looked at the unconscious Wang Lian on the ground.
"This woman is rotten to the core. If we keep her around, she'll be trouble." Gongsun Zhuo frowned, clearly wanting to finish her off.
Chen Guan took a tendon rope out of his backpack and, as he bound the unconscious Wang Lian tightly, said to Gongsun Zhuo, "I suspect she knows more than what she told us. If Qin Ziyu and my pet lose the fight, maybe we can extract useful information from her."
Hearing Chen Guan's reasoning, Gongsun Zhuo held back his objections.
In just a moment, Chen Guan tied up Wang Lian like a dumpling, with her hands and feet twisted behind her back. Her posture looked extremely awkward.
Chen Guan didn't know any disjointing techniques, so he could only try to tie her as securely as possible so that she wouldn't be able to use any strength when she woke up.
"I'll get some water and splash her awake." Gongsun Zhuo saw Chen Guan finish binding her and headed toward the pool.
"No need." Chen Guan raised the Miaoshu Sword in his hand and thrust it directly into Wang Lian, instantly waking her up with pain.
Gongsun Zhuo paused, giving Chen Guan a strange look. All were young people fresh out of training and entering the Secret Realm for the first time. Such ruthless tactics—he'd never witnessed anything like it before.
"Bastard!" Wang Lian's face twisted with pain as Chen Guan stabbed her thigh wound, then slowly twisted the sword, letting its tip grind and slice the flesh.
"Answer what I ask. If you refuse, answer slow, or lie, I'll reward you with another strike." Chen Guan didn't bother with pleasantries, throwing out his first question: "You said just now that there's 'Afang Sutra' carved on the Seven Treasure Glaze Tree. Was that intentionally to lure us over? Do you know that Water Burial Buddha never actually died?"
"I didn't… ah—" Wang Lian managed just three words before Chen Guan's sword stabbed down again and the tip brutally tormented her wound, making Wang Lian scream like an animal.
"Why didn't Water Burial Buddha die?" Chen Guan pulled the sword out and raised the second question.
Wang Lian's face was covered in cold sweat, her complexion ghastly pale, almost unrecognizable from the torture. She didn't dare lie, and just as she was scrambling for an answer, Chen Guan delivered another spike of unbearable pain to her leg, forcing another howl.
"You're too slow. Third question: How can Water Burial Buddha truly be killed?" Chen Guan withdrew the sword and coldly locked his gaze on her, continuing the interrogation.
Right now, Wang Lian wanted nothing more than to tear Chen Guan apart. Rage boiled in her heart: "Chen Guan… just you wait… don't let me make it out alive… or I'll make you beg for death… and never get it…"
She hated Chen Guan to the core, but her mouth dared not hesitate; she immediately replied, "Water Burial Buddha's ability to die and resurrect is due to the Buddha's Blood in the Gaba Bowl. That's the essential blood left after a Buddhist Secret Spirit dies, absorbed and refined by the bowl, turning into Secret Treasure Buddha's Blood capable of bringing dead flesh and bones back to life. But the Buddha's Blood is limited—it can't make Water Burial Buddha undying forever. The Buddha's Blood in the Gaba Bowl is all used up now. If you kill him again, there's nothing left to revive him."
"You finished?" Chen Guan stared at Wang Lian and asked.
Wang Lian couldn't explain why, but staring into Chen Guan's eyes sent a chill through her heart, making her uneasy.
Before Wang Lian could think of anything else, Chen Guan drove the sword down again, his voice ice cold: "My question was how to kill Water Burial Buddha. What did you just answer?"
"Ah… I'm sorry… I was wrong… I'll answer now… ah—" Wang Lian was in so much pain her teeth were about to break from clenching, and the tendon rope stretched tight over her body, looking like it'd snap any moment, but somehow never did.
Gongsun Zhuo watched from the side, feeling chills all over. Looking at Chen Guan, a vague and indescribable sense of dread crept up in his eyes.
"Last chance." Chen Guan pulled out the sword and coolly addressed Wang Lian.
"Qin Ziyu's Purple and Cyan Qi Profound Skill is fierce—he can spark Purple and Cyan Sword Aura now. There was only a bit of sword aura, but at that stage, it's already unstoppable and can pierce Water Burial Buddha to death. But he used it once already; with his current level and physical state, he can't summon another Purple and Cyan Sword Aura soon, so right now, Qin Ziyu can't kill Water Burial Buddha."
Chen Guan could see it too. Qin Ziyu's swordsmanship was still sharp, but he hadn't managed to unleash sword aura again.
"Your pet's attack power is strong too. If its level matched Water Burial Buddha's, maybe with Qin Ziyu's help it could kill him. But its level is just too low—it's impossible." Wang Lian saw Chen Guan's eyes flash and hurried to add, "Now, to kill Water Burial Buddha, there's only one way. I'll use Flying Needle Acupoint Technique to help Qin Ziyu and your pet; the three of us together might have a chance to kill him."
"You're this badly injured and still have the power to harm Water Burial Buddha?" Chen Guan narrowed his eyes questioningly.
"No, so you have to help me get a Seven Treasures Glaze Fruit. While Water Burial Buddha's distracted, just pick one for me and I'll swallow it. In moments, I'll have most of my primordial energy restored, and then I can use Flying Needle Acupoint Technique to aid them in killing Water Burial Buddha." Wang Lian's confidence grew, since everything she said was true. In the current situation, unless she teamed up with Qin Ziyu, there was no way to kill Water Burial Buddha.
If Chen Guan and the others didn't want to die, this was the only way out.
"I don't want to die here, and I'm not as strong as Qin Ziyu or your pet. Even if I recover some primordial energy, I won't threaten you; after all, the Seven Treasure Glaze Fruit is a rare fruit for boosting intelligence attributes—the other effects aren't that strong. One fruit couldn't possibly restore my energy completely…" Wang Lian kept trying to convince them.
Chen Guan stared at Wang Lian, saying nothing. For anyone else, without Wang Lian's help, killing Water Burial Buddha today and escaping was nearly impossible. But Chen Guan possessed the Spirit of the Cheerleaders, so there was still hope.
"You said 'Afang Sutra' was split into six sections, each guarded by a World-Defying Secret Spirit. Why did you come here first? Don't tell me it's just because this place is close by." Chen Guan looked at Wang Lian and asked.
Wang Lian hadn't expected Chen Guan would suddenly ask this; her heart raced and her eyes changed subtly.
"You're not just after this piece of Afang Sutra—there's something else you want. Otherwise, with your skill and no help from Qin Ziyu, how could you possibly slay the other five World-Defying Secret Spirits? You tried to get rid of Qin Ziyu so quickly because whatever you're getting here can help you take down the rest…" Chen Guan didn't give her a chance to speak, but as she listened, Wang Lian's expression slowly turned.