Fierce Battle in the Woods

The bright moonlight spilled into the forest, the interplay of light and shadow imbuing the entire grove with an eerie beauty.

Lin Yiqing's body tensed, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Through his mental energy perception, he sensed dozens of figures slowly closing in nearby.

The auras of those people were incredibly formidable, especially the one in the lead, whose entire body seemed enveloped in Yuan Power, standing out as conspicuously as a small sun.

Origin Pellet Realm! This person must be a powerhouse of the Origin Pellet Realm!

A tempest raged within Lin Yiqing's heart; this was the first time such a powerful figure had appeared within his mental perception.

"Enemy attack!"

"Quickly, defend!"

The four Rune Masters in the group let out shrill cries. Although their mental energy cultivation was not as strong as Lin Yiqing's, they had also detected the approaching force in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clusters of arrows erupted from the forest, the immense lethality they carried triggering bursts of sonic booms in the air.

Lin Yiqing leaped instantly to dodge. Glancing back, he saw that more than half of the group had already fallen silent, the black blood flowing from their mouths a clear indication that the arrows were coated in poison.

Between the surprise attack and the prior infiltration, the entire guard unit had already fallen into a disadvantageous position.

"What kind of petty thieves are you! How dare you target my Wanjin Chamber of Commerce!"

Having weathered the first wave of attacks, Steward Xia and several other Heaven Origin Realm experts regained their composure and hurriedly rallied the remaining men.

"Leave no one alive!"

A figure slowly emerged from the dark forest. Following his command, the dozens of silhouettes in the shadows lunged fiercely at the survivors in the clearing.

"Steward Xia, it has been a long time. Have you been well?"

Moonlight fell upon the figure, revealing a lean man in his thirties or forties, his dark red robe appearing extremely ghastly in the night.

"It is you, Duan Wuxin of the Blood Sword Hall! Do you intend to go to war with my Wanjin Chamber of Commerce?"

Seeing the man's identity, Steward Xia was incredulous, then asked in a stern, grim voice.

The Blood Sword Hall was a top-tier second-rate power in Yan City. Although they had clashed with the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce in the past, they had never dared to be so blatant due to the other party's influence. This time, however, was highly abnormal.

"Steward Xia, times have changed. As long as we kill all of you, who would ever know?"

Duan Wuxin appeared completely indifferent, gently spreading his hands as a trace of blood-colored light emerged from his palms.

"Blood-Transforming Palm!"

His body moved like a ghost, a wisp of green smoke appearing before he suddenly materialized in front of Steward Xia and struck out with a palm.

"You bold thief! Luo Heaven Fist!"

A blood-colored palm print, dozens of feet in size, collided violently with a white fist aura. The clash sent ripples of Yuan Power surging outward, shattering the surrounding trees, and a figure was sent tumbling backward through the smoke and dust.

"Pfft!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Steward Xia's eyes filled with terror as he gasped, "Lesser Origin Pellet Realm! You actually broke through!"

Although the late Heaven Origin Realm and the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm appeared to be only one stage apart, the actual difference in combat power was like heaven and earth. It was no exaggeration to say that a Lesser Origin Pellet Realm powerhouse could slaughter a group of Heaven Origin Realm martial artists at will.

Lin Yiqing turned his longsword, piercing the throat of a man in black. The spraying blood quickly stained the ground; this was the third attacker he had killed.

"Uncle Tie, duck!"

Seeing Tie Hu being surrounded by several men, Lin Yiqing used his mental energy to command his longsword to fly over. With a flash of white sword light, the heads of several men in the clearing fell to the ground.

This was the method of mental object manipulation he had learned from Master Yan. After condensing a Rune Seal, a Rune Master could imbue their weapons with mental energy to launch attacks.

"Hahaha, the kid is impressive! Who would have thought he'd be a Rune Master, damn it!"

Seeing the sword dancing through the air, Tie Hu felt a surge of shock and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Old Smoke Ghost was also deeply shaken. He had known Lin Yiqing was not to be trifled with, but he hadn't expected him to be this formidable. Rune Masters were rare enough as it was, and for someone of Lin Yiqing's age, it was even more unheard of.

While it was possible for the genius disciples of major powers to break through to the Earth Origin Realm at the age of twelve or thirteen, cultivating mental energy alongside it was truly shocking.

"It really is a bit like the Sword Controlling Technique."

Lin Yiqing's expression was somewhat strange. Mythology originates from life; the predecessors did not deceive me!

"Brat, die!"

At that moment, Zhou Han lunged at Lin Yiqing with a longsword in hand. His sword shadows flickered, showing that his cultivation was also quite extraordinary.

Three Heaven Origin Realm experts! One late-stage, two early-stage. I can kill them!

Lin Yiqing's expression remained unchanged. He manipulated his mental energy to recall the distant longsword, instantly intercepting the opponent's offensive.

In an instant, the Greater Yin True Essence within his Dantian surged violently. Thick Yuan Power gathered toward his hand, and the moment Zhou Han closed in, he clenched his right fist and slammed it fiercely toward Zhou Han's chest.

"Bang!"

The white Greater Yin True Essence swirled over his fist, striking the opponent's chest with heavy force.

"Pfft!"

The immense, peerless power instantly sent Zhou Han flying back several meters. He couldn't stop a mouthful of blood from spraying out, and it took several steps backward before he finally managed to steady himself.

"Qianqian, Duan Yi, this brat is strange, come and help me!"

Zhou Han was knocked back by a punch from Lin Yiqing. A smear of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned deathly pale. He felt a bone-chilling cold Yuan power wreaking havoc within his chest and meridians; the lethality of the Greater Yin True Essence was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Seeing this, the red-clad woman and Duan Yi immediately surrounded him, the three of them forming a triangular pincer formation around Lin Yiqing.

"Qianqian, be careful. There is a cold, sinister energy in his Yuan power that is extremely difficult to expel!"

Seeing them closing in, Lin Yiqing decided to stop hiding. The mental energy in his Mud Pill Palace transformed into an illusory long needle and lunged toward Zhou Han; it was better to break one finger than to injure all ten.

"Ah... ah..."

Zhou Han let out a shrill, miserable scream and collapsed to the ground. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, making him look terrifying. The Spirit-Transforming Needle had struck him, immediately exploding and churning within his mind.

"Zhou Han!"

Seeing this, the red-clad woman's face filled with rage. The long whip in her hand transformed into a venomous snake and struck fiercely at Lin Yiqing.

Lin Yiqing hurriedly turned to dodge, but Duan Yi seized the opportunity, his hand flashing with a blood-red light as he struck out with a palm. Lin Yiqing had no choice but to spin and evade again, yet he did not expect the long whip to follow like a shadow, lashing out at his back.

"Mental Energy Barrier!"

In his haste, Lin Yiqing used his mental energy to form a barrier to block the woman's whip, while icy mist condensed on his right hand. He channeled his Greater Yin True Essence and met Duan Yi's palm strike head-on.

"Boom!"

A powerful surge of Yuan power erupted. Duan Yi was sent flying by the impact. Duan Yi only possessed the cultivation of the early Heaven Origin Realm, and Lin Yiqing was fully capable of suppressing him thanks to the formidable attributes of the Greater Yin True Essence.

Earth Origin Realm cultivators practiced by absorbing Yin Sha Qi, while Heaven Origin Realm cultivators practiced by absorbing Yang Gang Qi. Generally, a Heaven Origin Realm expert could suppress an Earth Origin Realm cultivator, but Lin Yiqing was not among them.

As Lin Yiqing's cultivation gradually improved, the benefits brought to him by the "Greater Yin Qi" began to become increasingly apparent.

"Swish!"

A flash of pure white sword light shimmered, and the long whip in the red-clad woman's hand was instantly severed in two, startling her into hurriedly retreating several steps.

"Brat, I can see you have some background. The Yuan Dan expert nearby is my father. If you are sensible, surrender immediately and hand over that Grade Five martial art. If you do, we might just spare your life!"

Duan Yi looked extremely disheveled at this moment. He had not expected Lin Yiqing to be a Rune Master!

As far as he knew, there was no such person in Yan City. A late-stage Earth Origin Realm cultivator who could simultaneously suppress three Heaven Origin Realm cultivators was practically a myth.

"How did you know I had a Grade Five martial art?"

Lin Yiqing's expression turned grave. If this matter was not handled well, it might bring him further trouble.

"There is nothing in Yan City that we don't know. We originally only intended to rob this shipment of supplies, but we never expected to run into you. Truly, the heavens are favoring us; it is destined for our Blood Sword Hall to flourish!"

Duan Yi pulled a hideous grin across his face. He was waiting—waiting for that Yuan Dan expert to suppress the entire scene.

"Hmph! Mental secret technique, Spirit-Transforming Needle!"

The mental energy in Lin Yiqing's Mud Pill Palace boiled, instantly condensing into an illusory long needle that he thrust fiercely toward his opponent.