Northern Region of the Eastern Wasteland.
The land was desolate, with crimson soil and reddish-brown rocks. Everything was bleak and barren.
The boundless earth was utterly empty, without the slightest trace of life. Only a few bare stone hills dotted the horizon.
This was a barren land devoid of vitality. No human habitation could be seen; deathly silence reigned everywhere.
"The Northern Region really is as desolate as the legends say. The local customs are so simple and honest!"
Lin Yu stood atop a hill, behind him a group of bandits kneeling on the ground.
These robbers were truly vicious criminals. They had occupied chaotic regions year-round and acted without the slightest restraint. Every one of them radiated a chilling aura of violence, their gazes cold and savage.
All of them were in the Sea of Suffering Secret Realm. So long as they did not encounter cultivators of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, they could generally run rampant when joining forces in a battle formation. Unfortunately, they had run into Lin Yu, who had just arrived in the Northern Region. They crumbled at the first touch. After being severely beaten by him, they were now more meek than quails.
"Tell me what you know. Give me all your intelligence, and I can let you die easily. Otherwise, you may not be able to endure my soul-searching methods!"
Lin Yu spoke indifferently.
The bandits' faces turned pale. Clearly, they knew how dreadful such methods were.
"Young master, please don't search our souls! We'll tell you everything!"
The Northern Region was vast and boundless. Long ago, a calamity had turned it into the desert it was today. Yet strangely, the Essence of Heaven and Earth had sunk beneath the ground as a result, causing Source Mines to spread throughout the region and making it famous across the world.
However, source had made the region, and source had ruined it. This mysterious substance gathered the essence of life, seemingly draining all the spiritual energy from the entire Northern Region.
Compared to its vast territory, this place was sparsely populated. Human traces could not be seen for a thousand miles, and most areas were utterly barren. People depended on only scattered oases to survive.
To cultivators, source was like gold coins to mortals. This also made the locals fierce and lawless, with bandits running rampant. People often fought to the death over Source Mines, until blood flowed like rivers.
The forces of the entire Northern Region could broadly be divided into the Sacred Land Families and bandit organizations. The Sacred Land Families were powerful, occupying mineral veins spanning a hundred thousand miles around the Northern Region's Restricted Area, the Primordial Ancient Mine. To mine source, they lured mortals here from all over.
The bandit organizations were mainly led by the Thirteen Great Bandits. Being comparatively weaker, they banded together and primarily attacked Sacred Land strongholds. They could go three years without a job, but one score would feed them for three years.
There were also independent bandits from other regions, who burned, killed, plundered, and committed every evil imaginable. Then there were small sects attached to the Sacred Lands, which specialized in extorting protection fees from small villages within the oases.
Of course, the lines between them were not so clearly drawn. At times, Sacred Land cultivators would cover their faces and rob other Sacred Land strongholds, or gather bandits to serve as their dirty hands.
These bandits claimed to be subordinates of Xu Tianxiong of the Thirteen Great Bandits. They likewise burned, killed, and plundered small settlements and travelers.
"Fine. Since you're being so sensible, I'll be merciful and let you die quickly!" With that, he ignited Hell True Flame and burned them until their souls scattered.
What a pity I haven't cultivated the Gate of Hell. Otherwise, putting them in hell for reform would be far less wasteful. Lin Yu watched their souls howl amid the blazing flames, feeling somewhat regretful.
After dealing with this group of bandits, Lin Yu chose a direction and transformed into a dark-golden Divine Rainbow, vanishing from sight.
Lin Yu used the Wings of the Demon to cross the void. The Wings of the Demon truly lived up to being one of the transformations of the Divine Elephant's Prison Technique. A slight flap carried him dozens of miles, and he streaked through the sky like black lightning.
As the Wings of the Demon flew, wisps of runes flowed across the dark feathers, along with the forms of demon gods. When the wings spread, a demonic aura rushed forth, making them look strikingly like a devil-path technique.
It would be troublesome if anyone discovered this. Lin Yu let his thoughts wander as he flew.
Oh, right. I'm in the Northern Region. Then it's fine.
Every day, Lin Yu flew roughly ten thousand miles before stopping to restore his divine power and refine his techniques.
The further one cultivated the Divine Elephant's Prison Technique, the greater its difficulty became. Every step forward seemed to require breaking through layer upon layer of restraints. Without a fortuitous encounter and vast resources, Lin Yu's cultivation would become incredibly difficult, and even a century of bitter cultivation might bring little progress.
Yet he had never considered giving up, because he understood that only the Divine Elephant's Prison Technique could allow him to sweep across the Shrouding World and take control of his own fate.
Through arduous cultivation, he gradually developed an air of looking down upon the world. Though he was a mortal, he possessed the ambition of a god.
The reason the strong became strong was precisely because they possessed the heart of the strong. The broader one's heart, the wider the road beneath one's feet!
More than ten days later, Lin Yu was traveling through the air when he suddenly saw flames rising into the sky not far away. He immediately knew that bandits were massacring another oasis. He had encountered such scenes often over the past few days. There were simply as many bandits in the Northern Region as hairs on an ox.
Some were powerful roaming bandits, some were wanderers, and some were simply local residents. They farmed during the busy season, then moonlighted as robbers of passing merchants and travelers when idle.
Lin Yu immediately turned, and the Wings of the Demon swept rapidly past those bandits. The sharp wings beheaded them all, leaving only a few leaders alive.
A surge of divine power directly entered their minds, seizing their souls, memories, and even every thought within their brains.
"So these people were Inner Disciples of the Mystic Moon Cave. They had gathered a group of bandits here to pillage the surrounding lands and provide resources for the sect."
Next, he planned to clear a small early-game dungeon.
After searching the souls of those bandits, he had gained some understanding of the locations and intelligence of the Green Mist Sect, Leaving Fire Sect, Falling Mist Sect, Mystic Moon Cave, and Seven Stars Pavilion.
And after cultivating these past few days, just how powerful had his three major qi arts—the Spear of the Underworld God, Wings of the Demon, and Underworld God's Protection—become? Even Lin Yu himself did not know. He needed to find opponents to test them against.
The strongest members of these sects were only at the Dao Palace Triple Layer, which was just right for Lin Yu.
Under the cover of night, Lin Yu left the small oasis residents, who thanked him profusely, and found a small mountain to carve out a cave dwelling. He began taking stock of his gains from the past few days. He had traveled over a hundred thousand miles and killed countless bandits, so his harvest was quite substantial.
"The Northern Region is truly desolate, but it is also truly rich. In just over ten days, I've already obtained several hundred jin of source." Lin Yu sighed.
He circulated the Divine Elephant's Prison Technique, and a phantom Hell Furnace formed around him.
Whoosh!
With the phantom Hell Furnace as support, he continuously refined the source stones. The essence of his Life Source rapidly grew, all of it pouring into his particles.
The Giant Elephant Particles began to stir restlessly. Then an aura erupted from within his body like a volcanic explosion, and particle after particle awakened.
The power of Ancient Giant Elephants blessed his body.
A full five Giant Elephant Particles awakened!
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