Eighth Layer, Deep in the Mountain Range

"Phew..." Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air thick with the earthy stench of soil. As it burst forth, even the air before him twisted slightly, showing just how pure the energy it contained was!

Feeling the liquid qi within his body—several times stronger than before, as heavy and steady as the earth itself—and the terrifying defensive strength of his flesh, which seemed indestructible enough to withstand blades and swords, Lin Chen's face broke into an immensely satisfied smile!

Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer Mid-stage!

With such strength, looking across all of Qingyang Town, apart from the older generation of Foundation Establishment Realm experts, he likely had few rivals left! Even against Lin Yan, the Lin Family's foremost genius at the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer Peak, he had absolute confidence that he could crush him!

And if he combined the unfathomable Phantom Step, the fierce and domineering Surging Wave Palm, the long-range strikes of Qi Projection, and the ambush capability of Darkness Stealth!

Lin Chen even felt that, should he encounter an expert newly entered into the Foundation Establishment Realm, he might not necessarily be unable to fight them?!

Of course, that was merely a confident guess. Between the Body Tempering Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm lay an enormous chasm. It was a leap in the level of life, a transformation in the nature of qi—not something that could be bridged by simply stacking strength.

But no matter what, his Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer Mid-stage cultivation was already enough to grant him considerable power to protect himself in the outer and middle regions of the Green Peak Mountain Range! He could even begin trying to hunt stronger eighth-layer demon beasts!

"Earth-attribute defense truly is formidable!" With a thought, Lin Chen mobilized the qi within him, suffused with a heavy earthen-yellow gleam, and spread it over the surface of his skin.

Bzz!

A layer of extremely condensed, immensely heavy earthen-yellow qi shield, as though formed from rock, instantly appeared over his body! Faint stone-like patterns even flowed across its surface! It radiated an overwhelming aura of indestructibility, impervious to all techniques!

Lin Chen tried poking it with a finger, only to feel as if he had jabbed the hardest refined iron! Even with his current strength, he could not budge it in the slightest!

"Such strong defense!" A flash of delight crossed Lin Chen's eyes!

This was not merely the increased defense brought by having more qi! It was also because refining that eighth-order earth-attribute demon core had allowed him to grasp a trace of the mysteries of earth's origin! His qi had naturally gained a quality of heaviness, solidity, and extreme resistance to destruction!

This had undoubtedly given him another powerful Trump Card for preserving his life!

With his strength soaring once more, Lin Chen was in excellent spirits.

He rose to his feet and stretched, feeling as though his entire body were overflowing with inexhaustible power!

It was time to leave this cave, continue deeper into the mountain range, and search for new "prey" and "fortuitous opportunities"!

Before leaving, however, there was still one thing he needed to do.

He had to take stock of the other "spoils" from hunting Lin Bao, aside from the spirit stones, pills, Crimson Sun Grass, and Nine-Orifice Black Stone!

He once more sent his Spiritual Power into the Storage Ring he had obtained from Lin Bao.

Besides those cultivation resources that made his eyes burn with envy, the ring also contained several magical artifacts and more than a dozen Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill Manuals.

He first took out the magical artifacts.

A long sword with a blue-green edge hummed softly, its cold gleam flickering. Once infused with qi, it became exceptionally sharp; it was clearly a fairly good yellow-tier mid-grade magical artifact.

An ancient little shield, neither metal nor wood, had defensive runes etched across its surface. It too was yellow-tier mid-grade.

There was also a flying magical artifact shaped like a bird's wings, fashioned from unknown feathers and a metal framework?!

"A flying magical artifact?!" Lin Chen's eyes widened instantly!

This was an exceptionally rare and precious treasure! Normally, only those who had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm and could ride the air would have use for one! Yet Lin Bao, a mere Body Tempering Realm cultivator, actually possessed a flying magical artifact?! Though it appeared to be of low rank, seemingly only yellow-tier low-grade, and its flying speed and range were limited, its value was absolutely far greater than that of the long sword and little shield!

"That bastard really had shit luck!" Lin Chen could not help cursing, though inwardly, he was blooming with joy!

This flying magical artifact was like charcoal sent in snowy weather to him! Though he still could not fly through the air for extended periods, using it to flee for his life or make brief aerial maneuvers at critical moments would certainly produce miraculous results! Especially within these mountains of complicated terrain!

Without the slightest ceremony, he imprinted all three magical artifacts with his Spiritual Power. He then fastened the long sword at his waist and stored the small shield and wings inside his Storage Ring for later use.

Next, he took out the dozen or so Cultivation Technique and Martial Skill Manuals.

Most of these manuals were yellow-tier low-grade or mid-grade. Several had reached yellow-tier high-grade, and two of them... had even reached Mysterious Tier Low-grade?!

"Mysterious-tier martial skills?!" Lin Chen was once again stunned by Lin Bao's "wealth"!

Mysterious-tier martial skills! Those were treasures that could only possibly be found on the second floor of the Lin Family's Scripture Repository! They were things that even core inner disciples would fight until their heads bled over! Yet Lin Bao had secretly kept two of them?!

One was named "Wind-Rending Claw." Judging by the name, it was meant to be used alongside claw techniques. Sinister and vicious, it was clearly one of Lin Bao's hidden trump cards.

The other was called "Thunderbolt Step," a movement technique that excelled in speed and explosive power! It too was Mysterious Tier Low-grade!

"Good stuff!" Lin Chen's eyes gleamed!

Although he already possessed Surging Wave Palm and the mysterious Phantom Step, there was never any harm in mastering more powerful martial skills! Thunderbolt Step in particular could perfectly make up for Phantom Step's lack of explosive power in a straight line!

Without any hesitation, he immediately activated the Myriad Dao Furnace once again!

He threw these two Mysterious Tier Low-grade martial skills, along with several other yellow-tier high-grade martial skills that he considered somewhat valuable, all into it—refining and absorbing them!

Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!

A vast torrent of information once more surged into his Sea of Consciousness!

With the heaven-defying aid of the Myriad Dao Furnace, in less than half an hour!

Lin Chen had deeply branded these powerful martial skills into his soul—their essential principles, profound meanings, and even optimized versions—as though he had cultivated them for decades!

At this moment, whether in cultivation techniques, movement techniques, or offensive methods, he was armed to the teeth!

"Phew... What a haul! Truly, what a haul!" Lin Chen let out a long, contented breath.

Having inventoried all his spoils, and feeling the surging power within his body along with the many new Trump Cards in his mind, he felt stronger than ever before!

It was time to leave this temporary "haven from the storm" and face the real challenges ahead!

He stood up and gave the cave that had brought him such tremendous transformation one final look. Then, with a flash of his figure, he silently departed like a shadow melting into the air.

This time, his target was the deeper reaches of the Green Peak Mountain Range!

There, stronger demonic beasts awaited! More precious spirit herbs! More mysterious ruins! And greater dangers!

But he feared nothing!

With the Myriad Dao Furnace, ever-growing strength, and numerous Trump Cards, he craved challenges! Craved adventure! Craved carving out a world of his own beneath these vast heavens and earth!

Lin Chen streaked through the dense primeval forest like an arrow loosed from the bow.

As he unleashed Phantom Step, his figure became elusive and erratic, like a ghost. Afterimages flickered between trees and boulders as he moved at astonishing speed!

Whenever a few low-tier demonic beasts foolish enough to block his path appeared, he could not even be bothered to attack. Relying solely on his speed and movement technique, he easily bypassed them.

His target was those truly powerful beings! The prey that could pressure him and drive him to break through his limits once more!

As he sped stealthily onward, he spread out his powerful Spiritual Power, carefully sensing everything around him.

The wind, flowing water, chirping insects, birdsong—and beneath all those sounds, the low growls and ragged breaths of demonic beasts, along with faint yet powerful Auras!

Suddenly!

Lin Chen came to an abrupt halt!

His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, shot toward a patch of dense woods not far ahead!

There, he clearly sensed an incomparably chaotic yet exceptionally powerful surge of energy! It seemed that more than one powerful being was locked in fierce battle?!

Moreover, one of those Auras did not seem to belong to a demonic beast? It belonged to a human?!

Human martial artists were fighting powerful demonic beasts?!

Lin Chen's heart stirred! Curiosity and an inexplicable impulse drove him to creep closer.

He pushed Darkness Stealth to its utmost limit, his figure completely merging with the shadows. Carefully parting layer upon layer of branches and leaves, he peered toward the source of the energy fluctuations.

Several hundred meters ahead, in a devastated clearing, a grisly scene unfolded!

Three enormous demonic beasts covered in dark blue-black scales, resembling pangolins—the Scaled Earth Dragon Beasts (Seventh-tier Demonic Beasts famed for their defense and strength)—were madly besieging a group of human martial artists dressed in uniform attire, who appeared to be caravan guards!

There were around a dozen human martial artists. Most were around the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Layer or Seventh Layer. Their leader, a bearded burly man, was the strongest among them, having astonishingly reached the Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer Early Stage! They had formed a simple defensive formation, wielding sabers and swords as they desperately resisted the Scaled Earth Dragon Beasts' frenzied attacks!

But clearly, they were at an absolute disadvantage!

Though the Scaled Earth Dragon Beasts' defenses were not as monstrous as the Ironclad Savage Bull's, they were still immensely formidable! Ordinary blades could only send sparks flying when they struck those scales! Meanwhile, their massive claws and scale-covered tails carried mountain-splitting, stone-shattering power with every swing!

Splurt! Splurt!

Guards were constantly being struck! They screamed as they were hurled away, blood spraying from their mouths as they instantly lost all ability to fight!

Several mangled corpses already lay on the ground! Blood flowed like a river—a sight too horrible to bear!

At the center, desperately protected by the guards, stood an ornate carriage that had now been battered beyond recognition! Its curtains were tightly drawn, concealing whoever was inside.

"Hold the line! All of you, hold the line!!" The bearded man at the Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer roared. Bathed in blood, he swung his mountain-cleaving saber with fierce force, hacking repeatedly at the Scaled Earth Dragon Beasts' tough scales and producing deafening clangs of metal! Yet every strike left his arms numb from the tremendous recoil and his blood and qi churning. Clearly, he too was on the verge of collapse!

Roar!

Just then! One of the Scaled Earth Dragon Beasts seized an opening and violently swept its tail! The huge, steel-forged tail lashed toward the carriage with a howling gale of force!

"Not good! Protect the young lady!!" The bearded man's expression changed drastically! He wanted to rush back to defend it, but the other two earth dragon beasts had him tightly entangled!

The massive tail was just about to smash the carriage—and the person inside—into pieces.

Lin Chen, who had remained hidden in the shadows and intended to watch the tigers fight from the mountain, could not help but frown.

He was no saint, nor did he wish to meddle in other people's affairs.

But to watch these humans be brutally slaughtered by demonic beasts...

Especially when someone important seemed to be hidden inside that carriage?

A trace of hesitation flashed through his heart.

Save them? Or not?

Saving them meant he might expose himself and be dragged into needless trouble.

Not saving them, however, left him unable to bear it?

In that split-second hesitation, Lin Chen's gaze inadvertently caught sight of a familiar, exquisitely small family emblem on the window of the carriage that was about to be destroyed?!

That was... the Su Family Emblem?!

The Su Family Emblem?!

When Lin Chen's gaze caught the familiar, delicate emblem in the corner of the ornate carriage window—formed by a blooming azure lotus and a pair of crossed jade ruyi—his pupils suddenly contracted! It was as though a boulder had been dropped into his heart, instantly stirring monstrous waves!

The Su Family!

They were actually members of the Su Family?!

The Su Family of Qingyang Town—the family that had once arranged an engagement with him, then ruthlessly abandoned him when he fell into ruin, even indirectly causing the three years of humiliation he had endured?!

Why were they here?! And they appeared to be part of a fairly sizable caravan? They even had a Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer expert serving as a guard?

Countless questions and tangled emotions surged into Lin Chen's heart at once!

Surprise, confusion, and a trace of indescribable disgust and coldness!

For the Su Family—especially Su Qingyao, his former fiancée—Lin Chen had long since ceased to feel any attachment. All that remained was the cold indifference and distance born of betrayal and humiliation.

Had it not been for the Su Family's snobbery and heartlessness, perhaps he would not have endured those agonizing three years! Had it not been for Su Qingyao's lofty, condescending annulment, perhaps he would not have completely torn off all pretense with the Great Elder's branch on the eve of the Family Test!

It could be said that the Su Family had played an utterly disgraceful role during those dark years of his life!

At this moment, seeing the Su Family's caravan trapped in a desperate situation, on the verge of being slaughtered to the last by demonic beasts, the most "rational" choice for someone as cold-hearted as Lin Chen now was undoubtedly to watch with folded arms! He could even sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight, then emerge after the beasts and guards had wounded each other badly, clean up the mess, and claim all the "spoils" for himself!

This was undoubtedly the choice most aligned with his own interests.

However...

Lin Chen's gaze fell once more upon the tottering carriage.

Though he was filled with resentment toward the Su Family, those were, after all, living human lives! And from that bearded brute's shouts just now, it seemed there was a "young lady" inside the carriage as well?

Could it be... Su Qingyao?!