Deep Underground

With the Byakugan's 360-degree vision, Lin Chuan brought the three of them back to the cave where they had rested earlier without incident.

Hearing voices, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi poked their heads out. When they saw the injuries on Han Qing and the others, they immediately came out to help them inside.

Han Qing looked around in surprise. The cave was hidden beyond words. If Lin Chuan hadn't brought them here, they probably would never have found it in their lives. He had no idea how Lin Chuan and the others had discovered the place.

"Thank you," Han Qing said to Qin Lang, who was supporting him. He noticed that the injuries the two had sustained earlier had vanished, and even their scars had faded until they were barely visible. He was puzzled. Even with a cultivator's powerful constitution and recovery, they shouldn't have been able to heal completely in such a short time. Yet Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi clearly seemed almost fully recovered.

Compared to Han Qing's broken right hand, the other two cultivators with him were much more seriously injured. Lin Chuan didn't waste words. He channeled Senjutsu Chakra into both hands and began treating the two youths.

"You..." Han Qing and his companions stared in shock. They had never imagined that Lin Chuan was not only powerful, but also able to heal other people's injuries. They had assumed Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi had recovered thanks to medicinal pills, but now it was clear that wasn't the case at all.

The two youths receiving Lin Chuan's treatment felt it most clearly. A warm energy flowed through their wounds, replacing the pain with a tingling sensation. Their injuries healed at a visible speed. One of the youths, who had been missing a chunk of flesh, watched in astonishment as new flesh grew over his abdomen.

"Thank you..." Han Qing said, his face bright with delight. Lin Chuan's abilities far exceeded his expectations. He'd certainly managed to latch onto a powerful ally.

"No need to thank me. You saved us earlier, so now it's my turn to repay you," Lin Chuan said with a faint smile.

He knew what had motivated Han Qing to step in, but who did anything without some motive? As long as the other party meant no harm, Lin Chuan was happy to accept this kind of mutually beneficial help.

Before long, the two youths' injuries had improved considerably, and Lin Chuan turned to treating Han Qing.

"How did you end up being pursued by so many people? What happened?" Lin Chuan asked as he treated him.

"Earlier, we sensed a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy underground. We thought something had happened and were about to go down and investigate. Then we ran into you, and we stepped in to stop the three people chasing you. But it seems our fight alarmed a lot of the cultivators nearby, and they all converged on us. After that, things got completely out of hand..."

Lin Chuan's thoughts stirred. The fluctuation of spiritual energy Han Qing mentioned had most likely been caused by Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi using their protective artifacts. Then there was his final Sage Art: Great Fireball Technique. Anyone in the underground caves must have sensed those unusual fluctuations.

Han Qing continued with a bitter smile, "As time went on, cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Stage who entered the Hunting Grounds on the sixth day joined in too, making things even more chaotic. By the time we tried to leave, we couldn't get away. We'd been targeted..."

"I see," Lin Chuan murmured. He didn't explain anything. It was better if other people didn't know some things.

He slowly stopped using the Healing Technique. Han Qing's arm was almost fully healed; a little rest would be enough.

Han Qing thanked Lin Chuan, then, like his two companions, quickly entered a state of cultivation.

Lin Chuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned to Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi's side to cultivate as well. The Healing Technique hadn't consumed much chakra, but using it required extremely precise chakra control, which had greatly drained Lin Chuan's mental energy.

"Cultivate here. I'm going out to check on things," Lin Chuan told Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi after he had recovered.

"Will you be in danger out there alone?" Bu Lianshi asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. As long as I don't run into someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage, no one else can do anything to me!" Lin Chuan's voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either. Han Qing and the other two, who were cultivating nearby, immediately felt their eyelids twitch.

Remembering the bones that had pierced out of Lin Chuan's body when he attacked earlier, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi said nothing more. They knew Lin Chuan still had trump cards. And when he said that no one below the Foundation Establishment Stage could do anything to him, he had practically declared himself invincible among those at the Qi Refining Stage.

After leaving the cave, Lin Chuan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the veins around them immediately bulged.

"Byakugan!"

He no longer needed to form Hand Seals to activate the Byakugan. He could simply close and reopen his eyes to activate it.

"Ugh, there's a bottomless glutton in my dantian. I'd better gather some more Crimson Flame Lotus to stock up!" Lin Chuan said helplessly.

This trip to the Hunting Grounds was a good opportunity. There were so many Crimson Flame Lotus flowers for him to collect. Once he left, he'd never find such a good opportunity again.

Qin Lang had told Lin Chuan earlier that the Lin Clan would inspect everything each person carried when they left. Since there were no storage bags, and no one would directly eat the medicinal herbs or Spirit Cores, the Lin Clan would collect all of it. No one could secretly keep anything, which was why they allowed the cultivators to come in and gather them.

Of course, Lin Chuan's existence was a bug in the system. No one could have foreseen this—not even Lin Chuan himself.

"If I go farther into the caves, I should be able to gather more Crimson Flame Lotus," Lin Chuan mused. He couldn't be bothered to pick the medicinal herbs scattered here and there. Instead, he headed straight for places where dozens or even hundreds of Crimson Flame Lotus might grow.

With the Byakugan activated, Lin Chuan raced deeper underground. He occasionally spotted cultivators moving through the caves and did his best to avoid them, because he didn't want to kill anyone.

Of course, sometimes there was no avoiding them!

"There seems to be only one path here. If I go around, it'll take a long time!" Lin Chuan's pale eyes surveyed the area.

There was no choice. He'd have to go over there and see what the three cultivators were like.

Through the Byakugan, Lin Chuan could clearly see how much spiritual energy had gathered in their dantians. This let him judge their cultivation levels with a fair degree of accuracy.

"One at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage and two at the fourth. They're probably not among the cultivators who entered later," Lin Chuan thought.

The dark-red cave passage was very quiet. Lin Chuan didn't bother to mask his footsteps as he walked in, making the three people ahead of him immediately turn around in alarm.

"It's you?" one of them said in surprise.