Forest Showdown

Moonlight spilled across the forest, and the meeting of light and shadow lent the whole woodland an eerie beauty.

Lin Yiqing's body tensed. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Through his mental perception, he sensed dozens of figures slowly closing in.

Their auras were all tremendously powerful, especially that of the one leading them. Yuan energy seemed to envelop him, making him stand out like a little sun.

"Origin Pellet Realm! That man must be an Origin Pellet Realm powerhouse!"

A tempest of shock surged through Lin Yiqing. For the first time, his mental perception had detected someone so powerful!

"Enemy attack!"

"Quick, prepare to meet them..."

The four Talisman Masters in the group cried out in alarm. Their mental cultivation wasn't as strong as Lin Yiqing's, but they had still spotted the attackers in an instant.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Clusters of arrows burst from the forest, their immense force setting off a series of sonic booms.

Lin Yiqing leaped aside just in time. When he looked back, more than half the group had already fallen silent. The black blood trickling from their mouths made it clear that the arrows had been poisoned.

With the ambush and the earlier infiltration, the guards had already fallen into a disadvantage.

"Which contemptible wretches dare target the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce?"

After weathering the first volley, Steward Xia and several Heaven Origin Realm experts reacted and hurriedly rallied the survivors.

"Leave no one alive!"

A figure slowly emerged from the dark forest. At his command, dozens of shadows lunged at the survivors.

"Steward Xia, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Moonlight fell upon the man. He was lean, perhaps in his thirties, and his dark red robe looked especially sinister in the night.

"So it's you, Duan Wuxin of the Blood Sword Hall! Are you trying to start a war with the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce?"

Steward Xia recognized him and stared in disbelief, then asked with a dark expression.

The Blood Sword Hall was one of the top second-rate powers in Yan City. It had clashed with the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce before, but, wary of the latter's influence, had never dared make its hostility so obvious. This time, though, it was acting very strangely.

"Steward Xia, times have changed. Once I kill all of you, who'll ever know what happened?"

Duan Wuxin seemed utterly unconcerned. He spread his hands, and a streak of blood-red light appeared in his palm.

"Blood-Transforming Palm!"

He moved like a phantom. A wisp of green smoke appeared, and he was suddenly in front of Steward Xia, striking out with his palm.

"You audacious bandit! Luo Heaven Fist!"

A blood-red palm print dozens of yards wide crashed into a white fist aura. Yuan energy surged in every direction, pulverizing the surrounding trees. Through the cloud of dust, a figure stumbled backward.

"Pfft!"

Steward Xia spat out a mouthful of blood, terror appearing in his eyes. He stammered, "Lesser Origin Pellet Realm? You actually broke through!"

Though the Late Heaven Origin Realm and the Lesser Origin Pellet Realm were separated by only a single realm, their actual combat strength was worlds apart. A Lesser Origin Pellet Realm expert could slaughter a crowd of Heaven Origin Realm warriors with ease.

Lin Yiqing turned his long sword and pierced a black-clad man through the neck. Blood sprayed across the ground. This was the third attacker he had killed.

"Uncle Tie, duck!"

Seeing Tie Hu surrounded by several attackers, Lin Yiqing used his mental energy to send his sword flashing through the air. A gleam of white light streaked past, and several men in the melee fell headless.

This was the art of controlling objects with mental energy that he had learned from Master Yan. Once Talisman Masters had condensed their sigils, they could imbue weapons with mental energy and use them to attack.

"Hahaha! You're something else, kid! Who'd have thought you were a Talisman Master, too?"

Seeing the sword whirling through the air, Tie Hu was stunned and couldn't help exclaiming.

Old Smoke Ghost was just as shaken. He had known Lin Yiqing was no pushover, but hadn't imagined he was this formidable. Talisman Masters were rare to begin with, and one as young as Lin Yiqing was rarer still.

The talented disciples raised by those great powers might break through to the Earth Origin Realm at twelve or thirteen. But to cultivate their mental energy alongside it? That was almost beyond belief.

"That looks a bit like the Sword Controlling Technique."

Lin Yiqing's expression turned strange. Myth was born from life. The old masters hadn't lied to me!

"Kid, die!"

Just then, Zhou Han charged at Lin Yiqing with a long sword in hand. His blade flashed in a flurry of shadows, and his cultivation was clearly no ordinary thing.

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

Lin Yiqing's expression didn't change. He used his mental energy to summon the distant sword back and instantly blocked Zhou Han's attack.

In an instant, Greater Yin True Essence surged through his dantian. His dense Yuan energy gathered in his hand, and as Zhou Han came within reach, Lin Yiqing clenched his right fist and drove it hard toward Zhou Han's chest.

"Bang!"

White Greater Yin True Essence flowed across his fist as it slammed into Zhou Han's chest.

"Pfft!"

The crushing force sent Zhou Han flying several yards. He spat blood and staggered backward several paces before managing to steady himself.

"Qianqian, Duan Yi, this kid's got something strange about him! Help me!"

Lin Yiqing's punch had knocked Zhou Han back. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face had gone deathly pale. A bone-chilling power was stirring in his chest and meridians. The killing power of Greater Yin True Essence was no ordinary person's to withstand.

The red-robed woman and Duan Yi rushed in, encircling Lin Yiqing from three sides.

"Qianqian, be careful! There's a bone-chilling energy in his Yuan energy. It's extremely hard to dispel!"

Seeing them attack together, Lin Yiqing decided to stop holding back. In his Mud Pill Palace, his mental energy became a phantom needle and shot toward Zhou Han. Better to break one finger than injure all ten.

"Ah... Aah..."

Zhou Han let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground. Blood streamed from his seven orifices, leaving him in a hideous state. The Spirit-Transforming Needle struck him, then exploded inside his mind and tore through it.

"Zhou Han!"

Seeing this, the red-robed woman's face twisted with fury. Her long whip turned into a venomous snake and lashed toward Lin Yiqing.

Lin Yiqing hurriedly spun around to dodge. Duan Yi seized the opening, a flash of blood-red light appearing in his palm as he struck. Lin Yiqing had to twist aside again, but the whip followed like a shadow and cracked toward his back.

"Mental Energy Barrier!"

In the frantic moment, Lin Yiqing formed a barrier with his mental energy to block the woman's whip. At the same time, a thread of cold mist gathered around his right hand. Greater Yin True Essence circulated as he met Duan Yi's palm strike.

"Boom!"

A powerful surge of Yuan energy burst outward, sending Duan Yi flying sideways with a single blow. He was only at the early stage of the Heaven Origin Realm. With the formidable properties of Greater Yin True Essence, Lin Yiqing could completely suppress him.

Earth Origin Realm warriors absorbed Yin Sha Qi to cultivate, while Heaven Origin Realm warriors cultivated by absorbing Yang Gang Qi. Ordinarily, Heaven Origin Realm experts could overpower Earth Origin Realm warriors, but Lin Yiqing was no ordinary case.

As Lin Yiqing's cultivation gradually improved, the benefits Greater Yin Qi brought him became increasingly apparent.

"Whoosh!"

A streak of white sword light flashed. The red-robed woman's whip was cut in two, startling her into retreating several steps.

"Kid, you seem to have a bit of a background. That Origin Pellet Realm expert over there is my father. If you know what's good for you, surrender at once and hand over that Fifth Grade Martial Art. Do that, and perhaps I'll spare your life!"

Duan Yi looked utterly battered. He hadn't expected Lin Yiqing to be a Talisman Master, too!

As far as he knew, Yan City had no one like him. A mere late-stage Earth Origin Realm cultivator could suppress three Heaven Origin Realm cultivators at once. It was practically the stuff of legend.

"How do you know I have a Fifth Grade Martial Art?"

Lin Yiqing's expression grew grave. If he didn't handle this well, it might cause him trouble down the line.

"There's nothing in Yan City we don't know about. We only meant to seize this shipment, but we ran into you as well. Heaven itself must be favoring us. The Blood Sword Hall is destined to flourish!"

Duan Yi's lips twisted into a savage grin. He was waiting for that Origin Pellet Realm expert to slaughter everyone.

"Hmph! Mental Secret Technique—Spirit-Transforming Needle!"

The mental energy in Lin Yiqing's Mud Pill Palace churned, then condensed into a phantom needle that shot toward Duan Yi.