The Frenzied Kekkei Genkai

The remaining four were struck with absolute horror, their hair standing on end. Never since they had stepped into the cultivation world had any enemy made them feel this way—as if they were facing a god high above, one who could effortlessly wipe them from existence with a mere flick of a finger.

Yet, Lin Chuan's cultivation was only at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage, lower than all of them. The man he had just killed was at the seventh level, two full tiers above him, yet he had been killed instantly in a single strike. It was as if their cultivation levels were completely useless in front of Lin Chuan.

The techniques they had relied on for years had all lost their effectiveness against him. Their powerful attacks could not even land on his body, while the defenses they prided themselves on were as fragile as paper before the bone spikes of his Shikotsumyaku—pierced and shredded at the slightest touch!

At this moment, the nerves of everyone present were stretched to the breaking point. They finally felt fear—a terror far more chilling than anything they had experienced even when facing those at the tenth level of the Qi Refining Stage, all coming from someone they had previously dismissed as a mere ant.

Inside the cave, Zhang Leyang and the others waited anxiously. They did not believe for a second that Lin Chuan could be a match for those six, but lacking the strength to intervene, they had no choice but to accept Lin Chuan's instructions and retreat for the time being.

However, they did not choose to flee. Having studied the teachings of the sages in the family academy, they could not simply abandon their principles, even if the brutal training they had endured had stripped away any remaining illusions they held about the world.

Lin Chuan was fighting for them, so they could not abandon their companion and escape alone. To Lin Chuan, this might seem pedantic—risking his life to save them only for them to throw their lives away in return—but it was their choice.

That said, given his current strength, Lin Chuan did feel a flicker of warmth at Zhang Leyang's choice. But it would only be this once; his strength was such that he could guarantee no one would die because of him. If it ever came to a point where he was risking his life to save someone, only for them to linger and throw their lives away, he would likely be angry enough to slap them away.

"Why is it so quiet? Could Brother Lin Chuan have been killed already?" Zhang Wei asked anxiously.

"That can't be right. Maybe they haven't even started fighting yet. Should we go out and help?" Zhang Mo suggested. It felt cowardly to hide inside while someone else was out there risking their life.

"Since Lin Chuan told us not to interfere, we must respect his decision. Besides, if we rush out now, we'll be of no use—we'd only be a burden. And even if we take a step back, if Lin Chuan truly has some method to kill those six, wouldn't we be seeing his secrets by rushing out now? What would you have him do? Kill us to silence us, or let us live knowing his secrets and risk them spreading?"

Zhang Leyang spoke in one long breath, trying to use words to ease his anxiety. In the depths of his heart, he wanted to rush out and fight, too; even if he were killed, at least it wouldn't be cowardly!

"I wouldn't go around talking about it..." Zhang Mo muttered softly.

"Whether we talk or not is our business, but whether Lin Chuan trusts us is his. In a matter of life and death, how could he let people he barely knows learn his secrets!" Zhang Wei added.

"Let's wait a little longer. I hope nothing happens..." Zhang Leyang stared deeply at the rock wall in front of them, never once looking back.

By now, the battlefield outside had been shifted by Lin Chuan, without the others realizing it, to a location over a hundred meters away from the cave, making it nearly impossible for the sounds of the struggle to reach Zhang Leyang and his companions.

Looking at the four men before him, Lin Chuan remained calm and composed. Four people were well within his manageable range, so he didn't use any lethal techniques immediately. Instead, he treated them as human punching bags to practice his taijutsu; after all, he had been in this world for less than a month.

Even with his high talent for various techniques after consuming the Fruit of the God Tree, he could not instantly gain the experience that only combat could provide. He had to accumulate it through battle after battle, collision after collision, until he mastered it completely.

Lin Chuan had only just acquired the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai. While watching Kimimaro use it in Naruto had been exhilarating, using it himself was an entirely different matter; he needed to constantly adjust his combat posture to coordinate with the bone spikes.

Furthermore, because of the existence of the All-Killing Ash Bones, Lin Chuan knew that the Shikotsumyaku would be with him until the end. It was not a technique to be used early on and forgotten later, so he had to master it to the absolute limit.

"What? Is that all the strength you have? Where is the momentum you had when you were clamoring to kill us and seize the Crimson Flame Lotus?" Lin Chuan stopped and stood still, easily handling the four-man siege.

With the 360-degree vision of the Byakugan and the formidable defense of the Shikotsumyaku, the opponents' attacks could barely touch him. Even when he failed to dodge due to lack of familiarity, his bones could block the vast majority of the damage. Fighting until now, Lin Chuan was essentially unscathed, save for the consumption of his Sage Chakra.

To the four men surrounding him, Lin Chuan was a complete monster—a truly terrifying monster. The white bones protruding from his limbs and joints were like grim swords from hell, piercing deeply into their bodies and minds.

They tried to use their strongest attacks to break these bones, but to their horror, the hardness of the material far exceeded their imagination; it was not something human bone could ever compare to.

And this was merely the Dance of the Willow. Lin Chuan had not even used the Dance of the Larch or the others. Although Kimimaro had used the first state of the Cursed Seal to perform the Dance of the Larch, the essence of the Cursed Seal was Sage Mode—a flawed, incomplete version. Lin Chuan, however, was using a true Sage Mode without defects. He could certainly release the Dance of the Larch, but the consumption would be immense, making it not worth the cost.

It seems these people have reached their limit. There's no need to use them for practice anymore. If it weren't for the threat underground, I might have played with you a bit longer. Unfortunately, the presence of the Nascent Soul Queen Ant means I don't have the time to keep playing! Lin Chuan thought to himself. He also noticed that the four men were already planning to flee, so it was time for the slaughter.

The next moment, the eyes in Lin Chuan's sockets shifted abruptly, changing from white pupils to blood-red irises, each with two tomoe spinning rapidly.

In the instant the four were stunned, Lin Chuan's gaze locked onto the cultivator at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage. As their eyes met, he unleashed a genjutsu.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"