Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

"Fellow Taoist, you have stopped me. Is there something you wish to discuss?"

Yi Chen frowned upon hearing this.

He admitted that he initially harbored the intent to fish, deliberately revealing a trace of his aura during his approach, making it just enough for the creature in front of him to sense it.

But now he had changed his mind and no longer wanted to fish.

Unexpectedly, the fish swam back on its own, blowing bubbles toward him… As expected, Yi Chengzi's fishing skills had truly improved by leaps and bounds.

"I wouldn't dare speak of guidance. Fellow Taoist, you appear unfamiliar to me. May I ask which star domain you hail from? I am Black Scorpion, known here in the Cosmic Sea for having a fair amount of connections. It is indeed a pleasure to unexpectedly meet you. I stopped to get acquainted."

"I am Black Scorpion, currently serving under Lord Destruction Evil."

A trace of malice flashed in Black Scorpion's eyes, but his scorpion head revealed a warm smile. As he spoke, he edged closer to where Yi Chen stood.

Encountering a Dao Fruit Cultivator of considerable strength in this barren Southern Wilderness Star Field made him instinctively cautious.

Over the years, having participated in numerous major events under Lord Bo Xun and Lord Destruction Evil, he had cultivated an astonishing intuition.

His rational mind told him that the Taoist before him likely had some connection to the disappearance of the Red Flower Buddha.

"I see. Very well, very well. I started traveling the Star Road years ago after attaining modest cultivation and left the Ancient Star Realm. Fellow Taoist, have you ever heard of this place?"

For Black Scorpion's subtle maneuvering, Yi Chen feigned ignorance. He responded half-seriously and half-mockingly while inwardly growing impatient.

From afar, a powerful aura continued to approach rapidly.

"I see, it turns out that Fellow Taoist hails from the Ancient Star Realm. No wonder. Allow me to congratulate you on successfully advancing into the Dao Fruit Realm."

"By the way, Fellow Taoist, I came here looking for someone. Have you seen this person? He is also a Dao Fruit Cultivator and went missing in this Southern Wilderness Star Field earlier."

Black Scorpion's eyes revealed a sharp glint as the scorpion tail behind him flicked. Instantly, a 'Red Flower Buddha' portrait materialized within the void.

The portrait originated from a piece of Blood Jade, emanating a peculiar ripple—an unmistakable presence of the Red Flower Buddha's Divine Soul—which left no room for forgery.

Regarding the portrait, Yi Chen's assessment was… the likeness was strikingly familiar.

"Haven't seen him!"

"Rest assured, Fellow Taoist. I am not affiliated with any of the Seven Main Worlds. I am merely a wanderer traveling through the heavens, scavenging for divine materials wherever I go, exchanging them for cultivation resources. Would I lie to you?"

"I absolutely haven't seen this Fellow Taoist!"

Yi Chen declared emphatically!

Two scorpion eyes locked onto Yi Chen's gaze, analyzing his unbelievably genuine and utterly frank expression. Black Scorpion found himself momentarily silent.

The person before him radiated pure sincerity; there wasn't a shred of falsehood to be found.

"Could I have gotten it wrong?"

Black Scorpion's thoughts twisted. For some reason, just moments ago, he had picked up a faint and fleeting sense of danger emanating from the Taoist in front of him.

Nevertheless, the feeling dissipated almost instantly, as if it were nothing but an illusion.

Observing Yi Chen's forthright demeanor and his seemingly accommodating actions, Black Scorpion couldn't help but smile. He cupped his hands respectfully and grinned:

"In that case, thank you, Fellow Taoist."

With that, Black Scorpion's figure flickered, transforming into an escape light and vanishing.

However, as he turned away, a trace of hesitation flickered across his large face.

After their brief conversation, he largely believed Yi Chen was unaffiliated with any of the Seven Main Worlds—Dao Fruit Cultivators from such places would never be so obscure.

Now he grappled with a dilemma—strike or retreat; that was the question.

If he struck, the brief flash of intuition earlier raised concerns in his heart.

That subtle instinct had been forged from countless battles amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Though imperfect, it suggested that the person before him might possess some hidden means capable of posing a slight threat.

If he didn't strike, he felt reluctant to let it go.

"Forget it, forget it—business comes first! Lucky break for this wretch!"

Black Scorpion consoled himself inwardly, but scarcely a breath later, his expression twisted into a cruel sneer!

What luck was it to encounter a Dao Fruit Cultivator without any apparent background in such a desolate place? If he didn't act now, could he still call himself Black Scorpion? Might as well change his name to White Scorpion—or maybe Compassionate Scorpion!

Precisely because there was some threat, a strike was warranted!

Not only should he act, but he should act big!

The harsher the storm, the more valuable the fish!

Cultivators with notable abilities often possessed exceptional treasures. Perhaps even divine materials of extraordinary value.

Even if they did not, the corpse and Divine Soul of a Dao Fruit Strong People were themselves top-tier Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the Cosmic Sea.

Currently, Black Scorpion was striving to ascend to the Dao Fruit Ninth Layer, urgently requiring massive resources to advance during this critical phase. Delaying further would only set him back and prolong his path to Perfection.

His Poison Liquid Dao Fruit cultivation demanded rare cosmic treasures for faster progression.

As one would imagine, rare treasures came with exorbitant prices.

For cultivators who had reached the Dao Fruit stage, their abilities had attained a level capable of reversing creation itself. Consequently, Dao Fruit Cultivators' resource acquisition was predominantly barter-based among private circles; the concept of standard currency had vanished entirely.

Of course, if one wished to avoid spending a fortune, they could attempt to reverse-engineer the treasure themselves. But the rarer the material, the more challenging the task of reverse-engineering it became.