Lin Mu's heart tightened.
But he didn't panic.
The visitor was the mysterious man in black who had appeared after the street battle and told him that something was suspicious about the circumstances of his parents' deaths.
The man in black stood outside the window on the eighteenth floor, hovering in the night sky like a ghost.
Separated by the glass, he looked at the boy in the living room with a complicated expression and slowly spoke.
"Were you responsible for the strange phenomenon at the Holy Temple?"
Lin Mu neither admitted nor denied it. He simply asked in a calm voice, "What are you here for?"
The man in black ignored his question and continued on his own.
"Your growth has exceeded our expectations—and theirs."
"You're already being watched. Much sooner than I expected."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked a finger.
A pitch-black Jade Slip passed through the specially made glass and silently came to a stop in front of Lin Mu.
"This is the last help I can give you."
"It contains some information about the Soul Stealer organization. They were directly responsible for your parents' deaths, and they're a bunch of lunatics who enjoy hunting geniuses."
Lin Mu reached out and took the Jade Slip.
Its icy touch reminded him of his parents' warm hands in his previous life.
He was about to ask a follow-up question.
Suddenly, both he and the man in black changed expressions.
The man in black shouted, "They're here! Hurry, go!"
Before his voice had even faded,
more than a dozen suffocatingly powerful auras burst forth from several directions around the apartment building.
In an instant, the entire building was sealed off!
Danger had arrived!
Several figures in black robes, their faces hidden behind bizarre masks,
emerged eerily from the windows, walls, and ceiling, like ink seeping through wallpaper.
They surrounded Lin Mu and the man in black.
These unwelcome visitors were the Soul Stealers!
Even the lowest-level among them were above LV.30, while their leader was a Third Advancement powerhouse at LV.50!
"Heh heh heh..."
Their leader let out a rasping laugh, like a blade scraping against glass.
"What a perfect vessel for a soul."
"Capturing you, the anomaly behind the Holy Temple's strange phenomenon, will be a tremendous achievement!"
The man in black's expression turned grave. He spoke to Lin Mu in a low voice.
"I'll hold off the Third Advancement one. You take care of the rest, then find a way to break through!"
Lin Mu's gaze was icy.
He didn't waste words.
[Fear Aura] activated automatically, instantly lowering every attribute of the attacking Soul Stealers by 9%!
He gave his staff a light wave.
Boom—!
The floor of this mansion, worth millions, split open with a thunderous roar!
The marble tiles and expensive Persian carpets were reduced to dust!
Ninety-nine gleaming [Steel Skeletons],
along with ten [Fire Crossbow Skeleton Archers] wielding heavy crossbows loaded with Fire Arrows, burst up from beneath the ground!
In an instant, they filled the living room, bedrooms, and balcony.
The entire space became a forest of steel and skeletons!
The battle erupted at once!
The man in black clashed with the Third Advancement powerhouse, and the terrifying shockwaves tore the luxurious furnishings to shreds.
Lin Mu directed the Skeleton Legion.
The [Fire Crossbow Skeleton Archers] fired at incredible speed, their flaming bolts covering the entire scene like a rain of crimson. Their flames lit up the night!
The [Steel Skeletons] fought without fear of death.
They engaged the Soul Stealers in the bloodiest close-quarters combat!
Lin Mu stood calmly at the center of the sea of skeletons.
He raised a hand and snapped his fingers. A modified [Death Prayer] took effect without a sound.
Terrifying whispers of death swept across the battlefield!
The Soul Fire within the [Steel Skeletons] and [Fire Crossbow Skeleton Archers] surged, boosting their overall strength nearly tenfold!
Although Lin Mu's Undead Legion was absurdly powerful, some enemies still had a clear advantage in level.
An LV.45 assassin skilled in Stealth slipped past the sea of skeletons like a specter and appeared behind Lin Mu without a sound.
A poisoned Dagger stabbed straight toward his back!
Just as the Dagger was about to hit,
Lin Mu's senses were fully alert, but he couldn't even be bothered to turn around.
He fired off a precise [Bone Tooth] attack with a backward flick of his hand!
Nine thousand Bone Teeth merged into a torrent of death, blasting the assassin straight out of the shadows!
Flesh and blood flew everywhere!
His health bar plunged like a waterfall!
Lin Mu activated the special ability of the [Fear Whisper Ring] at the same time.
[Despair Scream]!
The assassin's mental defenses were torn apart in an instant, and he took the full force of the mental attack!
-1479.5!
A terrifying damage number appeared over his head. He then fell into [Confusion] and began attacking the skeletons around him indiscriminately.
Lin Mu used the opening to put some distance between them.
He swung his staff again. Another nine thousand [Bone Teeth] shot out, pinning the assassin to the wall for good!
He swung his staff three times in succession.
Two hundred and ninety-seven Steel Skeletons crawled out of the shattered floor and joined the fray!
The enormous house was packed to the brim!
With the exception of the Third Advancement leader,
the remaining Soul Stealers were completely swallowed up by the endless sea of skeletons!
Seeing this, the Third Advancement leader was so terrified that he broke out in a cold sweat!
He figured that if the sea of skeletons surrounded him, he'd lose a layer of skin even if he managed to escape!
He feinted to force the man in black back, then let out an unwilling roar.
"Lin Mu! You're impressive! When we meet again, you'll die!"
With that, his body turned into a cloud of black mist, passed through the wall, and fled in a panic.
The man in black had also suffered some minor injuries.
He looked at the wrecked rooms and Lin Mu's terrifying Skeleton Legion, his expression utterly shocked.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, then said to Lin Mu, "You really are as surprising as Third Brother said!"
"If so, you should head to Shengjing Academy as soon as possible. Shengjing has the resources to help you grow quickly, and it also holds clues your parents left behind!"
With that,
the man in black gave Lin Mu no chance to ask anything else. His figure flashed, and he vanished into the night.
He left Lin Mu alone.
He was left facing the completely destroyed mansion and the Jade Slip that recorded a blood feud.
Moonlight streamed through the shattered floor-to-ceiling window.
It illuminated the wreckage behind him, making it look like a graveyard.
The air still carried the acrid smell of colliding energy,
mixed with cement dust that stung his nostrils.
He looked down at the cold black Jade Slip in his hand.
"Soul Stealers..."
Lin Mu murmured the name.
Deep in his eyes burned a murderous intent far beyond his years.
"The hatred for my parents' deaths can never be forgiven."
"Since I've taken over your body, I'll avenge you!"
But now he faced a more immediate problem.
This top-tier apartment, worth millions,
had been reduced to a shell by him and his enemies working together.
How was he supposed to explain this?
He couldn't exactly tell the property manager that more than a dozen high-level professionals had thrown a party at his place last night and gotten a little too carried away, could he?
Ordinary battle damage could be brushed off as an accident during a spar between professionals.
But destruction on this scale would be enough to draw the City Guard's attention.
It might even bring in an investigation agency of a higher level!
The strange phenomenon he had caused at the Holy Temple had already put him in the spotlight.
Now he'd added a record of "suspected clash with an evil organization at home."
Troublesome.
Lin Mu hated trouble most of all.
His mind raced. In the end, he decided to call Fan Zhiheng first and explain the situation.
After all, Xilin was his territory. He was bound to have more ways to deal with this!
Before you continue