Lin Changgong

Lin Changgong swung his long blade with heavy, powerful force.

The intense sonic boom roared in Lin Yi's ears, forcing him to retreat dozens of steps without giving him a moment to react.

Successive strikes followed one after another, accompanied by chilling blade light that was so dazzling it even made Lin Yi feel a bit dizzy.

However, Lin Yi dared not close his eyes.

If he dared to close them, the next second, this dense, web-like blade light would hack him into mincemeat.

Martial Master Wang's eyes narrowed slightly.

He had not expected that this person, despite clearly not having broken through the Martial Pass, would possess such rich blood energy.

He had injected his true qi into the blade and struck repeatedly, yet he still hadn't exhausted this guy.

Of course, there was a reason why Lin Yi's blood energy was so dense.

Since he was young, Lin Yi had relied on [Know Heavenly Fate] to often find rare fruits, precious medicines, and spirit beasts. While nourishing his life-chart, the medicinal power naturally nourished his physique as well, making his blood energy naturally thicker.

However, even if his blood energy was dense, it was only in comparison to ordinary people below the level of a martial artist.

At this moment, Lin Yi's face was taut, his eyes bloodshot, and he did not dare to slacken for even a second as he continued to parry.

This won't do!

In terms of vigorous blood energy, he was inferior to his opponent.

Not to mention, the opponent also had true qi.

In a war of attrition, he was no match at all.

In ten rounds at most, he would be exhausted.

The opponent currently had no intention of using martial arts, whether because he didn't know any or to conserve energy for a later escape, but this precisely gave him an opportunity.

A flaw!

He only needed to seize one flaw and strike to kill; only then would he have a chance to survive!

A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the silent courtyard, only the crisp, ringing sounds of blades colliding remained.

Furthermore, the sounds of collision became increasingly dense.

Lin Yi was drenched in sweat, his eyes stained with a shade of crimson.

The guy's blade was getting faster!

It was becoming even harder for Lin Yi to hold out!

However!

Under his mask, Lin Yi's lips curled into a faint smile.

It was true that his opponent was faster, but that also meant his opponent was getting anxious!

Martial Master Wang was shocked in his heart.

How is this possible!

A guy who hadn't broken the Martial Pass had already stalemated him for nearly seventy rounds.

Martial Master Wang felt both shocked and angry.

Immediately after, a fierce blade suddenly thrust straight toward Lin Yi. Lin Yi's blood energy surged violently, and the blade he had been using solely for parrying finally changed its pattern.

He struck directly at Martial Master Wang's blade.

Reckless Blade!

Lin Yi finally unleashed this martial art.

Firstly, he had finally discovered a flaw.

Secondly, Lin Yi couldn't hold out for more than a few rounds; if he kept fighting, his blood energy would be exhausted, and he wouldn't be able to use it!

"Hmph!"

"This is... a martial art!"

Martial Master Wang was startled and immediately wanted to pivot his blade to switch to a defensive stance.

But it was already too late.

It was too fast!

Furthermore, Lin Yi had already cultivated this martial art to the Great Completion stage.

The proficiency was too high, the speed was too fast, and Lin Yi's sudden use of a martial art before breaking the pass was too unexpected...

Everything happened too quickly.

He couldn't react in time.

Crack!

The two blades collided!

They shattered simultaneously!

At the same time, feeling the immense force strike, the hilt in Martial Master Wang's hand flew from his grip, spinning away.

Lin Yi's broken blade, its momentum undiminished, slammed into Martial Master Wang's chest, carrying the weight of his remaining blood energy!

Rip!!

The sound of fabric and flesh being violently torn apart by a massive force suddenly erupted.

Martial Master Wang was heavily wounded; his body instinctively staggered back dozens of steps, his face a mask of disbelief, fury, and agony.

Lin Yi casually tossed his broken blade aside and continued his relentless advance, the muscles in his legs coiled tight.

"You deserve to die!"

Seeing Lin Yi still daring to approach, Martial Master Wang felt a surge of indignation, mingled with the creeping fear of death.

They had reached the end of the road; only one of them would leave this place alive.

Martial Master Wang played his final trump card.

He forced his retreating body to a sudden halt, his true qi circulating in a peculiar pattern as he threw a punch.

A martial technique!

He was unleashing a martial technique as well!

Lin Yi's eyes narrowed, not daring to blink.

He exhaled softly, weaving in the secret art of the Corpse Puppet Path—Corpse Eye Blinder.

Activating destiny trait [Strong Luck]!

[Destiny Talisman Coin -100]

It took effect in that instant.

The surrounding flames roared.

A gale picked up.

The fierce wind blew directly toward Martial Master Wang.

Fine sand and dust, laced with corpse qi, blew straight into the eyes of Martial Master Wang, who was wide-eyed and focused with rage.

A momentary lapse; his vision blurred for a split second.

At the same time, it made Lin Yi's eyes light up.

He saw the circulation path of his opponent's martial technique clearly.

And the trajectory of the incoming punch.

Immediately, Lin Yi stopped his advance abruptly and jerked his head backward.

The next second, a fist, powerful enough to shatter bamboo, smashed through the space where Lin Yi's head had been a moment before.

"How is this possible!"

Martial Master Wang's eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

He could not believe it.

He had used all his strength.

He had played every card he had.

Yet he never imagined that Lin Yi could predict the exact path of his strike.

Missing his mark, Lin Yi flicked his sleeve.

A massive amount of quicklime poured out from his cuff.

The quicklime sank into Martial Master Wang's eyes, nose, mouth, and the wound on his chest, instantly emitting a sizzling sound.

The moment the quicklime met bodily fluids and blood, it released intense heat, scorching the flesh and skin.

The subsequent strong alkalinity caused severe chemical burns.

"Ah!!!"

Martial Master Wang let out a sharp cry of pain, instinctively covering his face with his hands as he stumbled backward.

"Die!"

Lin Yi's gaze was icy. He raised his hand, and a cold glint shot out from his sleeve.

It was the Sleeve Crossbow he had obtained earlier.

Crack!

The bolt pierced through Martial Master Wang's head, which burst like a watermelon, and his body collapsed straight to the ground.

"Hoo!"

Lin Yi took a deep breath. Not daring to delay, he hurried forward and began rummaging through Martial Master Wang's body. Once the looting was successful, he raised his hand, and a chain probed into Martial Master Wang's brain.

His figure quickly vanished into the shadows, and he turned to leave the Lin Clan courtyard.

He was currently too exhausted to carry Martial Master Wang's corpse with him, which meant he had wasted a perfectly good piece of corpse material.

Meanwhile, outside.

Following a piercing scream, chaos erupted.

"Wh-what is happening here?"

"Demons! This must be the work of demons!"

The crowd stared in terror at the gruesome scene at the exit of Black Water Alley.

Dozens of corpses were piled up, all in miserable states—severely mutilated, their bodies stiff, blackened, and reeking of necrotic corpse energy. These were the very thugs sent by the Black Wind Gang that night.

Four of the martial artist corpses had already been carried away by corpse puppets, which were sprinting toward the mass grave in the outskirts.

Half an hour later.

The raging fire outside finally died down.

The courtyard remained deathly silent.

Lin Xiuwen was curled up in his room, having fallen asleep in the corner. Even in his dreams, his face remained etched with fear as he muttered, "No, don't kill me..."

Click!

The door to the Lin Clan courtyard finally opened.

Lin Changgong gently pushed the door ajar.

He glanced at the four corpses in the courtyard and raised an eyebrow.

Lin Changgong clapped his hands.

Soon, a tall figure clad in night-traveler attire silently darted out from under the eaves of the Lin residence.

As the figure stepped into the moonlight, his appearance was revealed.

His face was far from friendly; one could even call it ferocious, with a jagged scar running from his forehead, through one eye, down to the corner of his lip.

"What's the situation?" Lin Changgong raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, what's the situation?" the Scarred Man asked, puzzled. "Wasn't that guy just now sent by you?"

Lin Changgong looked at the Scarred Man in silence, his expression clearly asking, What do you think?

The Scarred Man scratched his head and said:

"Some guy from the Corpse Puppet Path showed up. His methods were decent, so I assumed you had called him."

"After all, just like your Five Turbidities Path, they're all just crooked, evil cultivation methods."

"What realm?" Lin Changgong asked.

"Should be above the Ninth Grade. I'm not familiar with the Corpse Puppet Path, and I was keeping my distance. Besides, the Corpse Puppet Path practitioners have strong souls and keen perception; getting too close makes it easy to be discovered," the Scarred Man replied.

However, seeing that the opponent was able to kill Wang Jin, a Ninth Grade martial artist, he figured the stranger was at least Ninth Grade himself.

"Investigate him, and while you're at it, clean up the corpses in this courtyard," Lin Changgong instructed the Scarred Man.

Lin Changgong turned and walked back into the room.

Inside, a candle flickered, and a stick of sandalwood incense burned slowly. Lin Hua lay in a deep slumber within the room.