Lin Chen was directly trapped beneath the black space.
With a boom, he crashed to the ground.
"Collapse!"
Hao Youcai laughed loudly as he landed on the ground.
At his command, the space rapidly contracted.
In just a moment, Lin Chen was immobilized, unable to move.
"Hahaha... I didn't catch the big fish, but catching a little one isn't bad."
Hao Youcai stepped forward and reached for Lin Chen.
"You old bastard, think you're all that?"
Lin Chen suddenly blurted out. Hao Youcai stared at him in confusion. "What did you say?"
"Nothing. I was just praising you."
Lin Chen struggled, but he couldn't move. The escape light around him, however, hadn't disappeared, which reassured him. He opened his mouth and asked,
"Hao Youcai, since I'm already in this state, can I ask you a few questions?"
Hao Youcai withdrew his hand, a smug look appearing on his face. "What does a dying man need to know all that for?"
Lin Chen frowned slightly. The bastard wasn't taking the bait.
But these answers were crucial to him.
He still didn't know what the Soul Examiner's test was, or what would happen after it.
Not knowing was like having no control over his own fate—or, to put it plainly, being at someone else's mercy.
He didn't want to become a puppet.
And he certainly didn't want to live under a constant, hidden threat.
Thinking of all this, Lin Chen gritted his teeth and looked at Hao Youcai.
"Don't you want the Soul Origin Mirror? If you answer my questions, I can also tell you about another silver-gray hairpin, engraved with a black bird..."
"What?"
Hao Youcai's eyes lit up. His greed practically spilled from their corners.
"You know where the Soul-Destroying Hairpin is?"
Soul-Destroying Hairpin?
Another unfamiliar name.
The Soul Origin Mirror nurtured the soul. Could the Soul-Destroying Hairpin destroy it?
And what was that Black Token?
And what sort of component was the Iron Box?
There were too many things Lin Chen wanted to know.
"What kind of power is the Raksha Sect? What are these Soul Supervisors and Soul Examiners you mentioned? And why was I chosen? Why was my entire household wiped out?"
Lin Chen didn't answer his question. Instead, he asked about the things that had been troubling him.
Hao Youcai narrowed his eyes slightly. These questions did touch on the core secrets.
But Lin Chen was already in the palm of his hand. It wouldn't matter if he told him.
So he answered, "This world is far bigger than you imagine. Becoming an examinee is a tremendous honor.
"The Raksha Sect's influence reaches across the land. I'm one of its members, responsible for monitoring changes in examinees. If an examinee mutates or slips out of our control, I have the authority to execute him."
He paused, then continued, "As for why you were chosen and why your household was slaughtered, those were orders from above. They have nothing to do with me.
"Now, tell me where the Soul-Destroying Hairpin is, and I'll let you die comfortably."
"Heh heh! I... don't know!"
Lin Chen grinned and immediately activated the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle.
In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a hundred meters rushed toward him.
The escape light around Lin Chen grew ever thicker.
The next moment, the bindings around him exploded, and he vanished from the spot.
The blast sent Hao Youcai staggering backward. When he looked again, Lin Chen was gone.
"Bastard! Liar! Damn you—!"
Just then, two figures suddenly rushed in from outside.
They happened to see him roaring at the sky.
"Master, it's Hao Youcai," Ming Bufan called out first.
Zhao Qingshan's eyes widened. "You dog! The Green Mountain Sect treated you well, and this is how you repay us?"
Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed over and struck with his palm.
Hao Youcai was horrified to discover that the space around him had been locked down. He couldn't dodge.
The difference in strength between them was simply too great; he had no chance to fight back.
He had escaped before because he'd been prepared.
At that moment, he cursed Lin Chen and every one of his ancestors.
If it weren't for that little bastard, he'd have gotten away.
Now, all he could do was circulate his full cultivation, control his magic treasure, and turn it into a streak of black light that shot away.
The two forces collided, and Hao Youcai was sent flying on the spot. Like a meteor, he slammed hard into the stone wall behind him.
Before Zhao Qingshan could do anything else, Ming Bufan rushed over and dragged him out.
He immediately sealed Hao Youcai's spiritual power to stop him from self-destructing.
Only then did he bring him back to Zhao Qingshan and toss him onto the ground.
Zhao Qingshan couldn't even be bothered to question him. He grabbed Hao Youcai by the crown of his head and searched his soul.
A moment later, he released his hand, his face dark.
For a long while, he said nothing. His eyes were full of grief and pity.
"Fourth Brother had such a hard life!"
Hearing him speak, Ming Bufan stepped forward and asked, "Master, is Little Junior Brother all right?"
"If he hadn't had the Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle, Hao Youcai would've killed him!"
Zhao Qingshan looked coldly at Hao Youcai. "Take him back with you. We'll prove Fourth Brother's innocence."
"Yes!" Ming Bufan took out the Spirit Binding Lock and bound Hao Youcai.
The two of them left the place.
Meanwhile, Lin Chen stood dazed in a mountain valley.
The surroundings were completely unfamiliar.
Most importantly, people lived in the valley.
At that moment, a large crowd had gathered around him, sizing him up from head to toe.
There were old people and children, all of them full of curiosity.
Some young men, too, were clenching their fists, their faces wary.
Lin Chen put on a smile and waved to everyone. "Hello. Could you tell me where I am?"
He did his best to look harmless. His gaze softened as he looked at the people around him.
But this simple gesture seemed to frighten them. They all backed away.
Only then did Lin Chen notice that he was covered in wounds from the earlier battle, his clothes stained with blood.
A powerful killing intent also spilled from him.
Looking like this, he could easily scare people in an ordinary town.
What's more, he had arrived on a streak of escape light. To these people, it must have seemed like he'd appeared out of thin air.
"If I'm frightening you, I'll leave."
Lin Chen turned to go.
But suddenly, the world spun around him and his vision went black. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
When he woke up again, he was lying on a wooden bed.
A beast-hide blanket covered him.
He rubbed his forehead and slowly sat up.
"The Thousand-Mile Escape Shuttle can travel a thousand miles, but it doesn't just absorb the spiritual energy around it. It also consumes soul force."
Lin Chen frowned and crossed his legs. "I'll have to be careful next time. If I end up in a Demon Beast's lair, I'll be done for."
He closed his eyes and looked within his Sea of Consciousness.
The little ball of light had grown much dimmer.
He steadied his mind and immediately circulated the Soul Forging Art.
A cool sensation spread through his mind.
He instantly felt much more alert.
The cool sensation gathered steadily and flowed into his Sea of Consciousness.
"System, exchange for one year of cultivation in the Soul Forging Art."
Lin Chen suddenly remembered the system and immediately gave the command.
[Clang! Exchange successful]
Lin Chen felt a deep hum in his mind.
The cool sensation turned into a raging torrent and instantly filled his Sea of Consciousness.
The dim ball of light brightened like a bulb being switched on.
A few breaths later, everything settled.
Compared to before, his soul force had actually increased.
It seemed this kind of consumption wasn't without its benefits.
Lin Chen tried spreading his Spiritual Sense.
Before, he could only extend it a hundred meters around him.
After this experience, he could extend it to a radius of a hundred and ten meters.
Ten meters might not seem like much, but at a crucial moment, it could save his life.
Lin Chen finished cultivating and opened his eyes. Deep within them, starlight seemed to swirl, shining bright.
Roar! Roar! Roar...
Just then, the roars of Demon Beasts suddenly came from outside.
One cry followed another, coming from every direction.
Lin Chen hurriedly put on his shoes and walked out of the room.
It was already dark, and torches lit up the valley.
People hurried back and forth, panic-stricken as they grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the watchtowers around the valley.
Lin Chen looked around.
Large numbers of Demon Beasts had gathered on the mountains surrounding the valley.
Their pairs of glowing green eyes resembled ghostly flames from the underworld.
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