"This... how could this be?" The words exploded in Qin Tianxian's mind. She was utterly disbelieving, as if everything before her eyes were an absurd nightmare.
But before she could think any further, Chen Lin's hand clamped around her cheek. His five fingers were like iron pincers, leaving her unable to move in the slightest.
"Hmph. You're nothing but a Core Formation Realm ant, yet you dare act so brazenly in front of me?" Chen Lin drawled, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile. His eyes were full of disdain and ridicule, as if he were sizing up a tiny, insignificant bug.
The old man standing off to the side abruptly changed expression. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. He stood frozen in place as if under a binding spell, unable to accept the sudden turn of events and seemingly oblivious to what had just happened.
He was at the Sixth Level of the Dharma Aspect Realm!
In the blink of an eye, Chen Lin moved like a raging storm.
He raised his other hand high, then swung it down with a thunderous slap. At the same time, the hand gripping Qin Tianxian's cheek suddenly released her.
"Smack!" The slap landed squarely on Qin Tianxian with tremendous force, its crack ringing loud and clear.
With that sharp crack came a dull "thud." Qin Tianxian was struck as if by lightning. Her face instantly swelled and bruised, and her body flew backward against her will before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Damn it! You're no Thousand-Faced Illusion Lord!" The old man glared furiously and roared through gritted teeth. At the same time, Qin Tianxian, sprawled on the ground, glowered with venomous hatred and forced the words out between her teeth. "Venerable Bai, kill him! We need to get out of here. The Imperial Lord must have already sensed us!"
Venerable Bai nodded gravely. In an instant, he shot toward Chen Lin like a specter and lunged for him, thinking to himself, This brat may be in the Dharma Aspect Realm too, but I'm a top expert at the Sixth Level. Taking him down will be easy!
But in the blink of an eye, the situation changed. Chen Lin appeared above Venerable Bai like a ghost, looking down at him from on high, his eyes icy and disdainful.
Venerable Bai had seen plenty of battles and reacted with exceptional speed. He recovered at once.
He opened his mouth, and a divine sword wreathed in dark light shot out: the Netherworld Divine Sword. It cut through the air like a black meteor, hurtling toward Chen Lin at incredible speed.
This Heavenly Artifact was his trump card, the ace he had kept up his sleeve. In his view, it was sure to deal Chen Lin a fatal blow.
Yet just as the sword was about to pierce Chen Lin's skin, something strange happened.
Chen Lin made no move to defend himself, but a faint layer of Buddhist light suddenly shimmered around him.
The Netherworld Divine Sword struck his skin with nothing more than a sharp clang. A powerful rebound then erupted, sending the sword flying away.
"A Buddhist disciple? But there's no Buddhist cultivator of your caliber in the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty today!" Venerable Bai was terrified, his voice trembling. Clearly, he knew secrets that few others did.
Before Venerable Bai could recover from his shock, Chen Lin raised his palm high and brought it down. A radiant Buddha palm roared forth, pressing straight toward Venerable Bai.
With a deafening boom, Venerable Bai was struck by the immense force. He flew backward like a kite with its strings cut and crashed heavily to the ground, gravely wounded and unable to move.
"Such strength!" Venerable Bai shouted in fury and humiliation. "Which old monster from the imperial family are you, sent out to guard this place?" As one of the Nine Nether Sect's Three Venerables, Venerable Bai was a master of the Sixth Level of the Dharma Aspect Realm. He could hardly accept being so effortlessly subdued by a casual wave of Chen Lin's hand.
Qin Tianxian struggled to her feet. When she saw what had happened, her face went deathly pale. Without a second thought, she turned to abandon Venerable Bai and flee on her own.
But Chen Lin wasn't about to let her get away. He casually reached toward her, and a force of invisible suction burst out. Qin Tianxian's body was pulled against her will, flying straight into his grasp.
"You're nothing but an ant. I'd like to know where you got the nerve to be so bold, Divine Maiden of the Nine Nether Sect!" Chen Lin sneered.
She had come accompanied by the Three Venerables, the same treatment Ling Xiao had received. The woman before him was probably the Divine Maiden of the Nine Nether Sect.
At his words, Qin Tianxian's face changed.
Just then, strange patterns appeared in Chen Lin's gaze. The moment his eyes fell on Qin Tianxian, her own grew vacant.
Then it was as if Qin Tianxian's consciousness had been pulled away. She began revealing all sorts of information against her will.
Venerable Bai's expression changed dramatically. He tried to raise a hand and slap Qin Tianxian to death, hoping to stop her from revealing any more secrets.
But in the next instant, a wisp of flame suddenly burst from within him, flaring into a raging blaze. To his horror, he discovered he couldn't make a sound.
A short while later, Chen Lin had learned a great deal from Qin Tianxian.
Afterward, he knocked them both unconscious without hesitation, hid them in a secluded spot, and cleaned up the battlefield.
Well, this is interesting. The whole plan is rather cleverly laid out.
It involved the Nine Nether Sect, the Yantian Sect, and the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group—the Three Factions conspiring together. They seemed to have put quite a bit of thought into it.
Fortunately, his precious disciple was still safe for now. The danger hadn't yet arrived.
Going by the pace of their plan, it would be at least another month before his disciple was truly in danger.
He had to admit, the card these Three Factions had played together was formidable.
But now Qin Tianxian had been knocked unconscious by him and was under his control.
King Zhenbei had close ties to the Nine Nether Sect. Once he learned of this, he surely wouldn't let Chen Lin off lightly.
But so what?
Chen Lin's lips curled slightly. His expression was full of disdain. This little trouble was nothing to fear; it was no big deal.
This was the Imperial Palace!
By now, two of the Nine Nether Sect's Venerables had fallen into his hands. He wondered whether, upon hearing the news, the Nine Nether Sect would fly into a panic and launch a frenzied reprisal without caring about the consequences.
Chen Lin pondered this to himself.
Night deepened in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, it was already the early hours of the morning.
Chen Lin casually picked a cultivation manual at random from a pile and continued cultivating.
The Dharma Aspect Second Level still wasn't enough!
To attain the might of Cave Perfection, he would need to reach at least the Seventh or Eighth Level of the Dharma Aspect Realm!
Before you continue