Aftermath Settlement

Consciousness slowly surfaced from an endless darkness and exhaustion.

Lin Xiao felt as if he had a very, very long dream. In the dream, he transformed into an Asura, the master of slaughter, and engaged in a life-or-death battle that could destroy heaven and earth with a radiant sun that illuminated the heavens and earth. In the end, he used all his strength to forcibly pull that arrogant sun down from the high heavens and shatter it.

And he himself, due to the excessive depletion of his strength, fell into an endless abyss.

His body felt like it had been repeatedly crushed by tens of thousands of siege beasts, and a heart-wrenching pain emanated from the depths of his bones. The spiritual energy within him was so depleted that not even a trace could be mobilized. He was like a sponge that had been completely wrung dry, weakened to the extreme.

"Mmm..."

Lin Xiao let out a groan of pain and painstakingly opened his eyelids, which felt as heavy as lead.

What greeted his eyes was no longer the hellscape filled with blood and flames, but a somewhat familiar dark cave ceiling. Rays of warm sunlight streamed in from the cave entrance, dispelling some of the chill within. The air was filled with a faint scent of medicinal herbs and the intoxicating, subtle fragrance of a young woman.

"Chief Instructor! You're awake!"

A familiar voice, filled with surprise and concern, sounded in his ear.

Lin Xiao slowly turned his head and saw a stunningly beautiful face, her eyes bloodshot and weary, but her beautiful eyes still shone like stars.

It was Su Yue.

At this moment, she was carefully using a white cloth dampened with water to gently wipe away the blood and dirt from Lin Xiao's face. Her movements were incredibly gentle, as if she were handling a peerless, rare treasure.

Not far behind her, Shi Lei, Monkey, and all the members of Yellow Class Nine were lying scattered on the ground. Although their faces were pale and their breaths weak, and their bodies were wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, they were all fast asleep.

From the faint smiles on their faces, even in their sleep, it was clear how immense their spiritual satisfaction and comfort were from this glorious victory that would go down in history.

"How... how long have I been asleep?" Lin Xiao's throat was as dry as if it had been scoured by sandpaper, and his voice was hoarse.

"It's... it's been a day and a night," Su Yue said, carefully bringing a water pouch filled with clear water to Lin Xiao's lips. "Chief Instructor, you... you bled so much, you looked like you were fished out of a pool of blood. You really scared us."

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes instantly reddened, and a layer of crystal mist gathered in her eyes.

The cool water slowly slid down his dry throat and into his stomach, bringing a sliver of clarity back to Lin Xiao's almost defunct, chaotic mind.

He struggled to sit up.

A tearing pain, enough to instantly knock out a normal person, surged violently from every part of his body!

"Don't move!"

Su Yue's face paled upon seeing this, and she quickly reached out her delicate hands, as warm and smooth as jade, to gently press on his shoulder.

"Chief Instructor, you... you forcibly used that terrifying martial art that surpassed your own limits, and your body was already on the verge of collapse! If you hadn't exchanged for several bottles of the third-order healing sacred medicine, 'Life Creation Pill', at the Merit Hall before... you probably would have..."

She couldn't continue.

Looking at the girl's tear-filled eyes, full of lingering fear and worry, Lin Xiao felt a warmth surge in his heart.

He slowly raised his right hand, which was still trembling slightly, and gently wiped away the crystal tear from her eye.

Then, in a voice that was weak but filled with an undeniable, gentle strength, he said:

"I'm fine."

"Don't worry."

These simple four words seemed to carry a strange magic, instantly soothing all of Su Yue's fear and unease.

She nodded heavily, and a smile that could make all flowers dim with envy finally bloomed on her face, slightly smudged with dust and grime.

"Mhm!"

With Su Yue's support, Lin Xiao finally leaned against the cold cave wall and sat up.

His first action was to calm his mind and examine his own body.

[System Prompt: Host's body is extremely weak, spiritual energy is depleted, meridians are damaged in multiple locations, muscle fibers are 70% ruptured...]

[Warning! Warning! Host forcibly used the martial art 'Reversing the Mortal World' that surpassed his own limits, causing minor damage to his martial foundation. If not repaired in time, it may affect future cultivation!]

[Repair plan generated: Requires 5000 experience points, or consumption of a fourth-order or higher foundational strengthening heavenly treasure.]

Listening to the series of system prompts, filled with crimson warnings, in his mind, Lin Xiao's brow furrowed slightly.

The situation was even worse than he had imagined.

Although the move "Reversing the Mortal World" was immensely powerful, allowing him to achieve the astonishing feat of "slaying a god with mortal power," the backlash it brought was equally terrifying.

However, fortunately, he still had the "System," a heaven-defying cheat. As long as he had enough experience points or heavenly treasures, this damage to his Dao Foundation, which would make any normal genius despair, was not a significant problem for him.

"Right," Lin Xiao seemed to suddenly remember something, looked up at Su Yue, and asked with a slightly solemn tone, "How is Wu Tianxiong?"

Upon hearing this name, Su Yue's face, which had just regained some color, instantly turned pale again.

She subconsciously glanced towards the darkest corner at the deepest part of the cave, her eyes filled with an extremely complex expression, a mixture of fear, pity, and satisfaction.

"He... he's still alive."

Su Yue lowered her voice, as if afraid of waking a sleeping ferocious beast.

"However, Chief Instructor, that palm strike of yours was truly... too terrifying. It not only completely shattered all his bones and internal organs, but it also used an extremely bizarre power to completely cripple his martial foundation, which had already reached the 'Half-step Spirit Movement' realm!"

"Now, let alone cultivating, he probably can't even defeat an ordinary mortal."

Hearing this outcome, the worry that had been weighing on Lin Xiao's heart finally began to subside.

This was the effect he wanted.

While a dead Wu Tianxiong would certainly eliminate future trouble, the immense anger from the academy's higher-ups and the "Marquis of Zhenbei's" mansion in the Royal City would not be something he and Yellow Class Nine could withstand at the moment.

As for a former "Number One Heavenly Prodigy" whose cultivation was completely crippled, kicked from his high pedestal into the mortal world, the humiliation and blow would be far more cruel and satisfying than simply killing him!

"As for the others from the 'Heavenly Martial Society'..." Su Yue continued, "Aside from the dozen or so who were scared witless by the Chief Instructor and managed to escape, we've confiscated the storage bags and weapons of the remaining forty-plus people."

As she spoke, Su Yue's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, filled with the excitement of a treasure hunter who had just struck it rich!

"Chief Instructor! You... you absolutely won't believe it! How much of a windfall... we've made this time!"

As if presenting a treasure, she took out a storage ring from her own storage bag. It was made entirely of some unknown golden warm jade, and carved with a lifelike, domineering Mighty Lion. She carefully handed it to Lin Xiao.

"This... this was found on Wu Tianxiong. Inside... the contents are simply... simply almost half of the Merit Hall's inventory!"

Lin Xiao took the storage ring, which felt warm to the touch and was clearly valuable. He slowly extended his remaining sliver of spiritual energy into it.

Immediately, a flicker of "shock," a strong emotion, finally appeared on his face, which had previously been as calm as a still pond!

Within the storage space, which was as large as a room, lay vast resources of all kinds, neatly categorized, enough to make any outer disciple's breath quicken and drive them to madness!

Mountains of middle-grade spirit stones, estimated to be at least fifty thousand!

Pills for healing, cultivation, and detoxification of various grades, from Second-Order High Grade to Third-Order Middle Grade, were displayed in a dazzling array, their total value likely exceeding a hundred thousand Merit Points!

In addition, there were several cultivation and martial arts manuals radiating powerful spiritual energy, ranging from Profound Grade Middle to Profound Grade Upper!

Among them was the complete copy of Wu Tianxiong's signature clan-inherent ultimate skill—the Great Sun Burning Heaven Art!

But what made Lin Xiao's heart skip a beat were the two items lying quietly at the very top of the mountain of resources.

The first was a beast core, the size of a baby's fist, glowing an eerie blood-red. Inside, it seemed to contain the silent roar of a ferocious wolf shadow!

A Third-Order Lower Grade Ironback Wolf King's beast core!

--High-level B-grade Mission, Complete!

The other item was a palm-sized token, forged from some unknown black divine iron, intricately carved with countless ancient and mysterious patterns.

The front of the token bore a flowing, ancient script filled with an aura of iron and slaughter—"Profound"!

The back of the token depicted a lifelike landscape of mountains and rivers!

The moment Lin Xiao saw this token, his heart lurched violently!

[System Notification: Discovered unknown critical quest item—Profound Iron Token]

[Item Information: ???]

[Trigger Condition: ???]

[Warning! This item contains an extremely vast and unknown karma. Host, please handle with caution!]

A series of system prompts, filled with immense unknowns and warnings, exploded in Lin Xiao's mind!

His breathing instantly became somewhat rapid!

He had an extremely strong premonition! The secret hidden behind this seemingly ordinary token was likely far more astonishing than he imagined! It might even be inextricably linked to the mystery of his own background, which had always been shrouded in fog!

Without showing any outward reaction, he separately stored the unknown Profound Iron Token and the Great Sun Burning Heaven Art, which held significant reference value for him, into his own storage bag.

Only then did he slowly withdraw from the storage ring, which could be described as a "mobile treasure vault."

He looked up at Su Yue's expectant and excited, sparkling eyes, and finally a faint, heartfelt smile appeared on his face.

"Well done."

"With this immense wealth, which would make any force envious, the future cultivation path for our Yellow Class Nine will be smooth sailing!"

"When we return to the academy, I will distribute these resources uniformly based on each person's contribution in this battle and their individual cultivation attributes!"

"I guarantee that each of you will undergo a earth-shattering transformation in strength in the shortest possible time!"

Hearing Lin Xiao's solemn promise, filled with endless temptation, Su Yue's already flushed cheeks, due to excitement, instantly bloomed with an even more dazzling and moving radiance!

She nodded heavily, her beautiful eyes already curved into charming crescent moons from her smile.

"Mhm!"

Just then.

A faint, cautious sound of footsteps slowly approached from outside the cave.

Immediately after, Monkey's somewhat disheveled figure flashed into the cave entrance.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao, who had already woken up, his face instantly showed relief and surprise!

"Chief Instructor! You're awake! That's great!"

He quickly walked up to Lin Xiao, first bowing respectfully, then slowly opened his hand, which was already sweaty from nervousness, revealing a storage ring that was also entirely black but made of a completely different material than Wu Tianxiong's.

"Chief Instructor, this... this was found on Zhao Wuji, whom you killed with one move."

Monkey's face showed an extremely strange expression, filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"The contents inside are very... very strange."

"Oh?"

Lin Xiao's brow twitched slightly. He took the storage ring from Monkey's hand, which felt cold to the touch, as if forged from ten-thousand-year-old cold iron. He slowly extended his spiritual energy, which had recovered somewhat, into it.

The next moment, the pupils of his eyes, which had just returned to calm, instantly constricted fiercely once more!

Within the storage space, which was also not too small, there were no spirit stones, pills, or cultivation manuals that ordinary cultivators must have.

There were only some things that looked extremely bizarre, even somewhat horrifying.

Strange, dried-out skeletons of unknown demonic beasts.

Transparent bottles and jars filled with viscous liquids of various colors, constantly bubbling with eerie bubbles.

And...

More than a dozen human hearts, sealed by extremely bizarre black runes, still "thump-thump-thumping" violently...

And in the very center of those more than a dozen still-beating, bizarre hearts, there silently floated an ancient map drawn on some kind of unknown, ghastly pale beast hide!

The map depicted the detailed terrain of the entire Cloud Creek Academy and its surrounding mountain ranges!

And on the map, three locations were heavily marked with an extremely vivid blood-red cinnabar!

One of them was precisely where they were now—the Black Wind Mountain Range!

And the other two locations were...

Located deep within the academy's forbidden grounds, perpetually shrouded by endless lightning and gale winds—Repentance Cliff!

And...

Between Qingyang City and Cloud Creek City, an uninhabited area known as the "Sea of Death"—the Black Stone Great Desert!

"This... this is..."

Looking at the three bizarre locations heavily marked with blood-red cinnabar on the map, an extremely absurd yet logical terrifying thought struck Lin Xiao's soul like a bolt of black lightning!

He suddenly remembered his tragic past, long sealed in the deepest recesses of his memory!

He remembered his parents, who died miserably, their bodies completely drained of blood!

He remembered the fundamental purpose for which he had left Qingyang City and traveled thousands of miles to this Cloud Creek Academy!

—Revenge!

"So... it's like this..."

"So those damn scumbags have been hiding by my side all along..."

Lin Xiao slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his deep, well-like pupils had been completely replaced by an endless coldness that could freeze heaven and earth!

A monstrous killing intent, ten times more terrifying and purer than the murderous aura he had displayed when facing Wu Tianxiong, surged from his seemingly weak body like an awakened ancient dragon!

The entire cave trembled violently under this terrifying killing intent!

As if even the heavens and earth could not bear this endless resentment from the depths of hell!

"Chief Instructor?!"

"Chief Instructor! What's wrong?!"

Su Yue and Monkey were so terrified by Lin Xiao's sudden, terrifying change that their livers and gallbladders almost cracked, their faces instantly turning as pale as paper!

They couldn't understand at all! What could they have seen to make their Chief Instructor, who was like a god and had never shown the slightest reaction even when facing a Half-step Spirit Movement realm Wu Tianxiong, lose control to such a terrifying extent in an instant?!

"I... I'm fine."

Lin Xiao slowly reined in the terrifying killing intent that was almost solidifying.

He calmly put the bizarre map, which held such great significance for him, into his Storage Bag.

Then, he slowly raised his head and spoke word by word to the already terrified Su Yue and Monkey in a cold voice devoid of any emotion:

"Pass down my order."

"All personnel, immediately cease resting!"

"Within half an hour..."

"We return to the academy!"