The Black Wind Mountain Range lay in the north of the O'Brien Empire. Its peaks were rugged and steep, its forests deep and shadowy, and a chill hung over it all year round. They said that its depths connected to the edge of the even more dangerous Dark Forest. Following the mission map, Lin Qin quickly pinpointed the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle's territory.
The Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle was one of the strongest Level Nine Magical Beasts. It was incredibly fast; in terms of speed alone, it outmatched most Saint Realm experts. It excelled at lightning attacks, and the golden light in its eyes could unleash paralyzing rays, making it a troublesome opponent. But to Lin Qin as he was now, it posed no significant threat.
He entered the mountain range and spread out his spiritual power, sweeping over the woods like invisible ripples. His Saint Realm perception let him easily avoid a great deal of unnecessary trouble as he headed straight for the heart of his target's territory.
A day later, he spotted his target on a steep cliff. The Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle was enormous, with a wingspan of more than ten meters. Its feathers gleamed coldly like metal, and a tuft of golden plumage stood out on its forehead. Tiny arcs of electricity danced in its eyes as they opened and closed. It stood beside its nest atop the cliff, warily surveying its territory.
Lin Qin made no attempt to hide his presence. He flew straight up and landed on the far side of the cliff.
The Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle spotted him at once and let out a sharp, piercing cry. Golden light blazed in its eyes as two paralyzing rays, each as thick as a child's arm, shot toward Lin Qin! At the same time, it beat its wings, whipping up a gale. Countless wind blades, mixed with crackling blue bolts of lightning, swept down like a torrential rain!
Faced with an attack that would have left an ordinary Level Nine warrior scrambling, Lin Qin simply raised his right hand and pressed it forward.
"Still."
As his word took effect, the surrounding space seemed to freeze! The two paralyzing rays slowed as if caught in an invisible quagmire just meters from Lin Qin, then finally faded away. The countless wind blades and lightning bolts were suppressed by an invisible force as heavy as a mountain, smoothed away without raising even a ripple.
This was the absolute suppression of a Saint Realm expert over those beneath the Saint Realm! No amount of energy could make up for the gap in their understanding of the laws.
The Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle's eyes filled with a humanlike terror. It could feel the soul-shaking aura radiating from the man before it. With a shrill cry, it beat its wings and fled without hesitation, bursting to its full speed and turning into a streak of lightning as it shot toward the sky.
"Stay right there."
With a thought from Lin Qin, the rocks of the cliff below seemed to come alive. Countless thick chains of stone surged skyward like giant serpents, instantly wrapping around the eagle's talons and wings! Earth-yellow runes of the laws flowed along the chains. No matter how it struggled or unleashed lightning, it couldn't break free.
Lin Qin brought his fingers together like a sword and made a casual slicing motion toward the bound eagle.
A razor-thin, perfectly condensed earth-yellow blade appeared out of nowhere and silently swept across the eagle's neck.
The eagle's struggle stopped abruptly. Its massive head separated from its body, and blood poured down like a waterfall. The stone chains dragged its enormous corpse down onto the cliff top.
The battle had lasted no more than a few breaths from beginning to end. Before a Saint Realm expert, a powerful Level Nine Magical Beast had been utterly helpless.
Lin Qin stepped forward and deftly removed the eagle's Magic Crystal Core, its lightning-infused golden eyes, and several of its hardest feathers. They were all valuable materials, and some were required for the mission. He was about to leave when his brow furrowed slightly and his gaze turned toward the deeper reaches of the mountain range.
Through his senses, he detected that the trace of Saint Realm aura released during the fight seemed to have drawn some unwelcome visitors. And there was more than one presence.
Soon, two figures appeared in the distant sky like phantoms and rapidly approached the cliff where he stood. One wore the gray robes of an Ascetic. His face was gaunt, but his eyes were as keen as a hawk's, and a fierce sword intent radiated from him. He was clearly a Saint Realm expert! The other was an old man in an ornate blue mage's robe. He held a staff set with a large blue Magic Crystal, and dense Water Element fluctuations swirled around him. He too was a Saint Realm expert—a Water Element Saint Magus!
The two landed on the cliff and took up positions forming a triangle with Lin Qin. The gray-robed Sword Saint glanced at the eagle's corpse on the ground, then looked at Lin Qin. His voice was hoarse. "A stranger in the Saint Realm, and not bad with your hands. We've been chasing this feathered beast for half a month. Didn't expect you to beat us to it."
The blue-robed Saint Magus smiled and said, "Friend, we have some use for the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle's Magic Crystal Core. Would you be willing to part with it? We're prepared to offer something of equal value in exchange." His tone sounded polite enough, but the spiritual power faintly locking onto Lin Qin carried an unmistakable air of refusal not being an option.
Lin Qin understood at once. The two had likely taken on a similar mission, or needed materials from the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle for their own purposes. They had tracked it here, sensed the fighting, and come hoping to snatch his prize.
"It's a mission item. Not for trade." Lin Qin kept it brief and put away the Magic Crystal Core and other materials. He didn't want trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either. Saint Realm experts had their dignity; no one could simply take from them by force.
The gray-robed Sword Saint's expression darkened. "So you mean to insult the Ice Blue Blade?" He announced his title, apparently expecting it to carry some weight in the O'Brien Empire.
Lin Qin had never heard of him. Even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. "Respect is earned, not handed out by others."
"Arrogant!" the gray-robed Sword Saint roared. His longsword sprang from its sheath with a clang and landed in his hand. The narrow blade gleamed with a cold light as an unmatched sword intent surged into the sky, as if it could rip the heavens apart! The Laws of Profound Mysteries he had comprehended clearly leaned toward attack and penetration.
The blue-robed Saint Magus's smile faded as well. He struck his staff against the ground, and the temperature around them plunged. Countless ice crystals formed in the air as a powerful Water Law domain spread out, faintly echoing the Sword Saint's sword-intent domain as both pressed toward Lin Qin. The two were clearly well coordinated and intended to overpower him together and take the materials by force.
Lin Qin's eyes turned cold. Having just broken through to the Saint Realm, he needed suitable opponents to hone himself and solidify his realm. One of these two had a fierce offense, the other powerful control. They would make fine whetstones.
He didn't draw his greatsword. He simply stood with his hands behind his back as an earth-yellow Saint Realm force field unfolded around him. Unlike the other domains, which brimmed with sharpness or biting cold, his was calm and heavy, like the unchanging earth of ages past. It absorbed the sword intent and chill pressing toward him, then dissolved them into nothing.
"Hmph! Quit your tricks! Take this—Sky Splitter!" the gray-robed Sword Saint shouted as he struck first. His body and sword light merged into a streak of gray lightning that tore through the sky, stabbing straight at Lin Qin's brow! The thrust was impossibly fast and contained an exceptionally powerful penetrating mystery, as if it could pierce any defense.
At the same time, the blue-robed Saint Magus waved his staff. "Extreme Cold Imprisonment!" Countless icy blue chains emerged from thin air and coiled toward Lin Qin's limbs. A chill that could freeze the soul emanated from them as they sought to restrict his movements.
Facing the combined attack of two Saint Realm experts, Lin Qin finally moved. He took a light step forward with his right foot.
"Thud!"
It was as if a giant had stomped on the earth. The whole cliff—or rather, the mountains within several miles—shook violently! A visible wave of earth-yellow force erupted outward from him.
"Boom!"
The oncoming streak of gray sword light struck the heavy wave and slowed sharply. Its fierce sword intent was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, weakened and nullified layer by layer by the boundless power of the earth! The gray-robed Sword Saint's expression changed. He felt as if he were fighting against the weight of the entire mountain range!
The icy blue chains shattered inch by inch the moment they touched the earth-yellow wave, dissolving into the purest Water Element. The blue-robed Saint Magus grunted as the backlash struck his spiritual power, and his face filled with shock!
Lin Qin's step seemed simple, but it embodied his understanding of the Earth Element's profound mysteries of heaviness, endurance, and Pulsation. Using the earth as his foundation, he drew on the power of the land's veins to create an absolute defense and a sweeping shock wave!
He raised his hand toward the gray-robed Sword Saint, whose speed had been greatly reduced. Spreading his fingers, he slowly closed them into a fist.
"Sink."
The rock beneath the gray-robed Sword Saint's feet instantly softened, swallowing and trapping his legs like quicksand! At the same time, Earth Element gathered frantically from every direction, forming a gigantic hand made entirely of stone. Its fingers curled inward, ready to crush the Sword Saint in its palm!
"Not good!" the gray-robed Sword Saint cried in horror. He frantically unleashed his Battle Qi and sword intent, trying to break free of the binding beneath his feet and the terrifying stone hand.
Seeing this, the blue-robed Saint Magus hurried to help. "Wrath of the Sea God!" He unleashed the single-target Level Nine spell, and a gigantic Water Tornado roared toward the stone hand.
Lin Qin didn't even look at the Water Tornado. He merely flicked a finger toward the blue-robed Saint Magus.
A fist-sized earth-yellow orb, condensed to the utmost degree, appeared before the blue-robed Saint Magus's protective water shield as if by teleportation.
"Pop!"
There was no earth-shaking explosion. The earth-yellow orb pierced through layers of water shields as easily as a red-hot iron brand through snow. Then, beneath the blue-robed Saint Magus's horrified gaze, it struck him in the chest.
"Boom!"
As if hit by a meteorite, the blue-robed Saint Magus flew backward, spitting blood. His protective magic item shattered instantly, and he slammed into the distant mountainside. He died on the spot.
Meanwhile, the stone hand had closed around the gray-robed Sword Saint! His roar and sword light burst through the gaps between its fingers, holding out for a few moments, but the terrifying power of the hand and the Laws of the Earth continued to crush him. His sword light rapidly dimmed.
Without expression, Lin Qin pressed his hand down slightly.
"Rumble!"
The stone hand closed completely, crushing the gray-robed Sword Saint beneath its palm. Not a sound came from him.
The battle was over.
Two Saint Realm experts with some renown in the O'Brien Empire had been defeated without a fight.
Lin Qin dispersed the stone hand, revealing the gray-robed Sword Saint's mangled corpse beneath it. He went over to the dead blue-robed Saint Magus and took his Space Ring and staff as spoils.
He cleared the battlefield, erased his traces, then picked up the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle's corpse. With a flash, he disappeared into the depths of the Black Wind Mountain Range.
The encounter gave him a clearer understanding of his own strength. Having grasped the Earth Element's profound mysteries to a preliminary degree, he was already among the top Saint Realm experts at the early stage. Combined with the solid foundation from Heaven Rewards Diligence and his consummate control over his strength, he could crush most opponents at the same level.
But he didn't become complacent. He knew there were plenty of Saint Realm experts who had comprehended several profound mysteries or had taken one to an extremely deep level. The Rock Sword Saint, Hedereson, for instance, was said to have made great progress in the Earth Element's profound mysteries.
He needed more battles and more insights.
Carrying the mission items, Lin Qin left the Black Wind Mountain Range and returned to Red Flame City to turn in the mission. Though the mission had taken an unexpected turn, he had gained a great deal: he had completed it, tested his strength, and claimed additional spoils.
Back in Red Flame City, he turned in the mission without a hitch and received a generous reward in gold. He also sold the magical items from the blue-robed Saint Magus that he had no use for, exchanging them for a large sum of gold and several rare ores useful for Earth Element cultivation.
He sensed that the atmosphere in Red Flame City seemed more tense than before. There was more talk in the streets and alleys about the movements of several Saint Realm experts, as if something big were about to happen.
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