The towering Green Peak Mountain Range lay north of Qingyang Town like a slumbering primordial dragon, winding and coiling across the land. Rolling mountains were blanketed in dense virgin forest, wreathed in mist all year round, filled with an aura of mystery, vast wilderness, and danger.
This was a paradise for demonic beasts and a testing ground for human martial artists. Countless legends and perils lay hidden deep within these boundless forests.
A black figure, looking somewhat bedraggled and still stained with mud and a foul stench from crawling out through the culvert, darted swiftly through the dense woods like an agile cheetah.
It was Lin Chen, who had just escaped the Lin Family's cage.
He had already ventured dozens of li into the outer reaches of the Green Peak Mountain Range, leaving the Lin Family estate far behind. Looking back, he could see only the outline of a town on the distant horizon, as tiny as an ant.
"Finally, I'm out!"
Lin Chen stopped upon the branch of a towering ancient tree, greedily breathing in the fresh, damp air of the mountains, tinged with a trace of wildness. Feeling the cool mountain wind rushing against his face, he was filled with an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhilaration.
Three years of suppressed humiliation!
The stifling misery of living under another's roof!
The danger lurking at every step!
At this moment, it all seemed to have been completely scattered by the fresh mountain wind.
He was no longer that Lin Family cripple, bullied by anyone and everyone! No longer a pawn who needed to disguise himself everywhere and tread carefully at every step!
From this day onward, he was himself! Lin Chen, owner of the Myriad Dao Furnace and boundless potential!
This vast world was the true stage that belonged to him!
After his brief excitement and reflection, Lin Chen quickly calmed down.
The Green Peak Mountain Range was fraught with danger! Not only were there powerful demonic beasts here, but he could also encounter mercenaries, treasure seekers, or even pursuers from the Lin Family or the Wang Family, all harboring sinister intentions!
With his current Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer strength—though it was enough to look down upon Qingyang Town's younger generation, it was still far from top-tier within the entire mountain range—he had to remain vigilant and act carefully at all times!
"My most urgent task is to familiarize myself with this place and find prey as soon as possible!" A sharp glint flashed through Lin Chen's eyes.
The one thing the Green Peak Mountain Range lacked least was demonic beasts!
And what did demonic beasts mean to someone who possessed the Myriad Dao Furnace?
They meant mobile cultivation resources!
Whether it was the essence of a demonic beast's flesh and blood, the inner cores—or demonic cores—that might exist within their bodies, or even certain special innate abilities, all of it could potentially be refined and absorbed by the Myriad Dao Furnace, becoming nourishment for his growing strength!
This was the main reason he had chosen to enter the Green Peak Mountain Range!
This place would be the hunting ground for another leap in his strength!
Lin Chen no longer lingered. Picking a direction, he began carefully exploring deeper into the mountain range.
He did not take the obvious paths trampled out by hunters or mercenaries. Instead, he specifically chose areas dense with thornbushes and complex terrain to sneak through. Though this slowed him down somewhat, it kept him better hidden and made it less likely that he would encounter other people.
The formidable strength of the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Peak gave him astonishing adaptability. Dense forest, steep cliffs, and slick moss could not obstruct his steps. He leaped and climbed through the woods like a nimble monkey. Though he was not especially fast, he moved without a sound, blending perfectly into his surroundings.
At the same time, he pushed his senses to their limit. Within a radius of several hundred meters, no rustle of wind through grass, chirp of insects and birds, or even faint traces of demonic beast aura could escape his detection.
"Hmm?"
After traveling for about half an hour, Lin Chen suddenly halted!
He sharply caught a faint, suppressed scent of blood coming from a dense forest not far ahead! Along with several fluctuations belonging to demonic beasts, brimming with ferocity and greed!
Something was happening!
Lin Chen's gaze sharpened. He immediately concealed his aura and silently crept toward the source, like the most seasoned of hunters.
He pushed aside layers upon layers of leaves, hid behind an enormous ancient tree, and looked ahead.
Before him was a relatively open clearing in the forest. In its center, a massive Unicorn Black Panther, its fur like black satin and a single horn growing from its forehead, lay dying in a pool of blood!
This black panther was nearly twice the size of an ordinary leopard, and the aura it emitted had reached the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer! Clearly, it was a powerful demonic beast of considerable strength!
Yet now, it was covered in wounds. A huge claw mark, deep enough to expose bone, ran across its abdomen. Blood streamed from it, dyeing the grass beneath it red. Its breathing was weak and its gaze unfocused; it was clearly not far from death.
Around the Unicorn Black Panther's body stood three equally large demonic wolves, covered from head to toe in blue-gray fur, their eyes vicious and cunning—Green Wind Demonic Wolves!
Each of the three Green Wind Demonic Wolves possessed an aura around the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer! They formed a triangular formation around the heavily injured Unicorn Black Panther, issuing low, threatening growls. Saliva dripped from their sharp fangs, and their eyes gleamed with greed and bloodlust!
Clearly, this powerful Unicorn Black Panther had most likely gone through a brutal battle with these three cunning Green Wind Demonic Wolves, leaving both sides badly injured! The Green Wind Demonic Wolves had relied on their numerical advantage and crafty coordination to emerge as the final victors!
At this moment, they were preparing to enjoy their hard-won "spoils of war"!
"A Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer Unicorn Black Panther, and three Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolves..." Lin Chen hid in the shadows, his eyes flickering as his heart began to pound!
This was simply a feast delivered right to his door!
Whether it was the dying Seventh Layer black panther or the three Sixth Layer demonic wolves, they were all superb "refining materials" to someone with the Myriad Dao Furnace!
If he could take them all down, his strength would definitely rise enormously again! He might even break through the bottleneck in one stroke and enter the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer!
But...
Lin Chen forcibly suppressed the greed and impulse in his heart, calmly assessing the situation before him.
Though the three Green Wind Demonic Wolves were individually weaker than him, they had the advantage in numbers. Moreover, demonic wolves had always been known for their cunning, ferocity, and flawless coordination! If they tangled him up and surrounded him, even a Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer expert could capsize in a gutter!
What was more, the Unicorn Black Panther might be dying, but who could say whether it would unleash a fatal counterattack before death?
Charging out rashly was far too risky!
He had to wait for an opportunity!
Like the most patient hunter, Lin Chen perfectly concealed his aura and quietly lurked in the shadows, waiting for the best moment to strike.
What he intended was for the snipe and clam to fight, while the fisherman reaped the profit!
In the clearing, the three Green Wind Demonic Wolves seemed somewhat wary of the dying Unicorn Black Panther as well. Rather than immediately tearing into it, they kept circling it, issuing threatening growls as they tried to exhaust the black panther's last shred of strength.
The Unicorn Black Panther panted heavily. Its golden pupils were filled with unwillingness and despair, but its grievous injuries had robbed it of even the strength to stand. It could only watch these despicable predators and await death's arrival.
Time passed, drop by drop.
At last, one of the Green Wind Demonic Wolves, the largest in build and seemingly the wolf king, appeared to lose its patience. It let out a low howl and was the first to pounce at the Unicorn Black Panther's vital neck!
The other two demonic wolves immediately understood and attacked from the other two directions at the same time! Forming a triangular formation, they completely sealed off every route by which the black panther could counterattack!
Their coordination was flawless! Their timing precise!
However, just as the three demonic wolves were about to pounce upon the black panther—
The dying Unicorn Black Panther's eyes suddenly erupted with a startlingly fierce light! A terrifying pressure belonging to a Seventh Layer demonic beast burst forth!
"ROAR!!!!!!"
It abruptly raised its head and opened its bloody maw. A pitch-black beam of energy, condensed from the final essence of its life, shot toward the wolf king charging at the front like a ray of death!
This was the Unicorn Black Panther's innate divine ability—Shadow Spike! Its power was astonishing!
The wolf king had clearly not expected this dying prey to unleash such a terrifying counterattack! It gave a strange cry and tried to dodge, but the distance was too short and the attack too fast. It had no time at all!
Pfft!!!
The black energy beam pierced through the wolf king's chest like a sharp sword in an instant! It left behind a terrifying bloody hole the size of a fist, piercing clean through its body!
"Awoo!!!!!!"
The wolf king let out an incomparably shrill howl! Its huge body flew backward as though struck by tremendous force, smashing fiercely into a tree. After twitching twice, it fell completely silent!
One strike! Instant kill!
The remaining two demonic wolves were frightened out of their wits! They had never imagined that the black panther's deathbed counterattack would be so terrifying! Even the strongest wolf king had been killed in a single move!
How could they dare move closer? They immediately tucked their tails, whimpered, turned around, and tried to flee!
Having unleashed that final fatal strike, the Unicorn Black Panther had also completely exhausted its last strength. The light in its eyes rapidly dimmed, its massive head drooped weakly, and it lost all signs of life.
The snipe and clam had fought, and both were injured!
No! All three sides had been injured!
The black panther was dead! The wolf king was dead! The remaining two demonic wolves had been scared out of their wits!
This was simply a heaven-sent opportunity!
"Now!"
A brilliant gleam burst from Lin Chen's eyes! He no longer hesitated in the slightest!
Like a cheetah that had lurked for a long time, he shot explosively from his hiding place! His feet tapped the ground in rapid succession, and his body flashed like lightning! In the blink of an eye, he crossed dozens of zhang and appeared directly before the two Green Wind Demonic Wolves preparing to flee!
The two demonic wolves had just lost their leader and been frightened out of their wits by the black panther's final counterattack. They had never expected a human to be hiding nearby!
The instant they saw Lin Chen suddenly appear, all their fur stood on end in fright! They whimpered in terror, turned around, and tried to flee in separate directions!
But it was too late!
"Trying to run? Leave your lives behind!" Lin Chen's voice was icy, brimming with killing intent!
His left hand formed a palm seal! The improved Surging Wave Palm activated instantly!
This time, he held nothing back! The abundant true qi of the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer erupted without reservation!
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Dull explosions rang through the air! Layer upon layer of earthen-yellow palm seals piled up like surging ocean waves—three layers! Four layers! Five layers!
In the end, they formed a terrifying palm seal, condensed and heavy, as if it could crush a mountain! It slammed fiercely into the back of one of the demonic wolves!
The demonic wolf only felt an irresistible, terrifying force descend from behind! It did not even have time to scream!
Bang!!!!
A bone-shattering crack that made teeth ache rang out!
That Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolf had its entire spine broken by the palm strike! Its organs were instantly shaken into pulp! Its huge body flew away like a torn sack, twitched twice upon landing, then lost all breath!
One palm! Instant kill!
At the same time!
Lin Chen's right index finger came together like a sword!
A supremely condensed finger beam of true qi, radiating a faint golden gleam, streaked through the air like a meteor tearing through the night sky, carrying a piercing whistle as it shot forth in an instant!
Its target was the head of the other demonic wolf trying to flee!
Qi Projection! The might of the Seventh Layer! Though he deliberately restrained its power and revealed only the level of the Sixth Layer Peak, it remained terrifying!
Pfft!
That demonic wolf had not even realized what was happening!
The golden finger beam had already pierced precisely through its skull, leaving behind a tiny bloody hole!
The demonic wolf's running motion froze instantly! The life in its eyes ebbed away like a receding tide! Its enormous body crashed to the ground!
Instant kill! Still an instant kill!
In the space of lightning and flint!
The two Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Green Wind Demonic Wolves had not even been able to mount a decent resistance before Lin Chen killed them all cleanly and decisively with thunderous force!
Lin Chen slowly withdrew his finger, looking at the bodies of the three demonic wolves and the black panther on the ground, excitement gleaming in his eyes!
A harvest! A tremendous harvest!
One Seventh Layer demonic beast! Three Sixth Layer demonic beasts!
If he refined all of them...
Lin Chen suppressed the urge to immediately begin feasting heartily. He knew the smell of blood here was too strong, and it was not a place to stay long. He had to deal with this quickly!
He strode to the wolf king's body, the one killed by the black panther. Wolves were cunning, but demonic cores could occasionally condense within their bodies, especially in a wolf king, where the likelihood was greater!
With practiced movements, he used his short blade to cut open the wolf king's chest. Though there was already a large hole there, it did not affect his search. Sure enough, near its heart, he found a demonic core about the size of a thumb, entirely cyan and emitting faint fluctuations of wind-attribute energy!
"A Sixth Tier demonic core! Not bad!" Lin Chen's eyes lit up as he hurriedly put it away.
He checked the other two demonic wolves as well, but unfortunately, his luck was not so good. He found no demonic cores.
Finally, he came to the body of the largest Unicorn Black Panther.
A Seventh Layer demonic beast! The chance of a demonic core forming in its body was extremely high! And its quality would certainly far surpass a Sixth Tier core!
Lin Chen's heart was filled with anticipation! He carefully cut open the black panther's abdomen, avoiding that fatal wound.
Sure enough!
At the black panther's dantian, a Seventh Tier demonic core the size of a longan lay in plain sight! It was entirely black, with flowing light seemingly swirling across its surface, radiating dense dark-attribute energy and vast, pure power!
"Hahaha! A Seventh Tier demonic core! And a rare dark attribute one at that!" Lin Chen could not help laughing aloud!
The value of this demonic core was likely greater than that of the three demonic wolves combined!
If he refined and absorbed it...
Lin Chen felt as though he were about to drool!
He swiftly dug out the demonic core, carefully wiped it clean, and solemnly stored it in his Storage Ring.
After doing all this, he looked at the four enormous demonic beast corpses on the ground, a greedy glint flashing through his eyes.
The essence of these demonic beasts' flesh and blood was also a great tonic! Especially the Seventh Layer black panther! He absolutely could not waste it!
He immediately activated the Myriad Dao Furnace!
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Four invisible, tyrannical forces of suction enveloped the four demonic beast corpses at once!
This time, he no longer sought speed. Instead, he intended to squeeze out every last trace of flesh-and-blood essence contained within them!
The four enormous demonic beast corpses visibly withered and shrank at a rapid rate! In the end, nothing remained but piles of fur and bones!
Meanwhile, unprecedentedly vast, surging currents of pure qi and blood energy poured into Lin Chen's body!
This energy was so immense that a faint red glow once again seeped from his skin! The qi and blood throughout his body surged and roared like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers!
Nourished by this vast qi and blood, his physical body began another soaring transformation! His sinews and bones became tougher! His flesh and blood more solid! His sense of strength exploded!
Though his cultivation realm did not immediately break through—the energy required to charge toward the Seventh Layer Peak was simply too enormous—Lin Chen could clearly feel that his foundation had become even more solid and profound! His physical strength had increased by at least twenty percent!
"Awesome! This feels incredible!" Lin Chen felt the explosive power within his body and could not help throwing back his head in a long howl!
The sensation of his strength rising at such a rapid pace was more intoxicating than the most wonderful thing in the world!
After venting for a moment, Lin Chen quickly calmed down.
He briefly dealt with the demonic beast corpses that now consisted only of fur and bones, concealing the signs of battle, before immediately leaving this blood-soaked place.
He needed to find a safe and secluded location to refine the two precious demonic cores! Especially that Seventh Tier dark-attribute demonic core!
That was the true feast!
He believed that after completely absorbing and refining these two demonic cores, his strength would definitely undergo another qualitative leap!
Filled with excitement and boundless hopes for the future, Lin Chen's figure vanished into the depths of the vast Green Peak Mountain Range like an elf melting into the forest.
Before you continue