Ruthless Attack

More than an hour later, Chen Lin arrived at the outer perimeter of the Demon Prison.

This region was vast. Chen Lin pressed a jade slip containing a map of the Demon Prison's surroundings against his forehead. After a few breaths, he opened his eyes, reoriented himself, and headed toward the area marked as Yin Sand Ridge.

Yin Sand Ridge was actually a low-lying range of hills. The hills were covered in black sandstone and exposed, barren rock, making them extremely easy to locate.

Upon arriving, Chen Lin quickly spotted Situ Kong sitting cross-legged in an open space.

Beside Situ Kong sat a man and a woman, both also cross-legged with their eyes closed, regulating their breathing. Chen Lin's eyes flickered; he knew these two were likely the others who had accepted the mission alongside Situ Kong.

When Chen Lin arrived, all three sensed his presence, opened their eyes simultaneously, and stood up.

"Brother Chen, you've finally arrived."

Seeing Chen Lin, a look of relief washed over Situ Kong's face as he gave a slight nod in greeting.

Chen Lin strode forward, cupped his fists toward Situ Kong, and said indifferently, "I apologize for keeping you waiting, Brother Situ. This was my first time here, and I was unfamiliar with the route, which delayed me. I hope you can forgive me."

"Brother Chen is too polite; we only just arrived ourselves." Situ Kong waved his hand, gestured to the two beside him, and smiled at Chen Lin. "Let me introduce you. These two fellow Daoists are Fellow Daoist Liu Han of the 'Wither-Prosper Pulse' and Fellow Daoist Han Shuitong of the 'Crane Dance Pulse'..."

"Fellow Daoist Situ, is this the helper you invited?"

Before Situ Kong could finish, his words were interrupted by a voice.

The man beside Situ Kong let out a cold snort. His gloomy eyes scanned Chen Lin, and he spoke without a shred of courtesy: "I thought you had invited a helper at the Peak Xiantian Realm, or at the very least, an expert at the late Xiantian stage. But a mere early-stage Xiantian existence... Hmph, are you sure he isn't going to hold us back?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Lin narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the man named Liu Han.

The man looked as if he had not seen the sun in years; his complexion was pale and bloodless, his frame was as thin as a bamboo pole, yet his arms were unnaturally long. He stared at Chen Lin with a sinister, gloomy gaze, making no effort to hide his contempt.

The woman standing beside him, Han Shuitong, offered a faint smile but remained silent. However, judging by her indifferent and dismissive expression, it was clear she did not believe Chen Lin possessed much strength either.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, Brother Chen is a helper I went to great lengths to invite. His strength is far beyond what it appears on the surface. Could you please give me some face?"

Situ Kong's expression shifted slightly. Clearly, he had not expected Liu Han to target Chen Lin immediately, so he quickly laughed it off, hoping to ease the tension.

"Hmph, I can give you face, but for the sake of the mission's success, an ant with such meager strength should be weeded out of the team as soon as possible!"

The man named Liu Han had cold eyes and a sneer playing on his lips.

"It seems you are quite dissatisfied with me."

Chen Lin smiled faintly as he looked at the man.

"Enough talk! You, a mere ant at the early Xiantian stage, what right do you have to demand a share of the Yin Corpse Fire Seed? It's obvious Fellow Daoist Situ has been deceived by you. Let me see exactly what you're worth!"

Suddenly, the man moved.

His hands were slender and grayish-white, with clear, cyan veins visible. His sharp, black fingernails glinted with a chilling, murderous aura that seemed to extinguish everything. His five fingers hooked like claws, and a foul, nauseating stench wafted out as he lunged rapidly toward Chen Lin's chest.

The killing intent was intense; before he even reached Chen Lin, Chen Lin felt as if his chest were being pierced.

"Stop!"

Situ Kong's expression changed, and he tried to intervene, but it was too late. He could only shout at Chen Lin, "This is the Corpse Poison Hand of the Wither-Prosper Pulse! You'll be poisoned if it touches you, Brother Chen, be careful!"

A faint red glow flickered deep within Chen Lin's pupils. Without a second thought, he let out a cold snort, suddenly channeled his Dragon-Elephant Power, and threw a punch without hesitation, smashing it toward the man's chest!

ROAR!

The sound of dragons and elephants echoed, soul-shaking and spirit-stealing. This punch carried a wild, tyrannical gale, whipping up currents of air with unstoppable momentum!

"Such tyrannical power!"

Liu Han's previously dismissive expression changed to one of shock. He felt the force of the punch and realized it was impossible to block!

The man's reaction was lightning-fast. Knowing he couldn't pull back in time, he used his other hand to strike his storage bag without hesitation. A strange pair of daggers, each with six hooks on the sides, appeared in his palm. They radiated a dark, cold, and profound light, slashing viciously toward Chen Lin's neck with the speed of a thunderbolt!

At such close range, Chen Lin had no way to dodge!

"A Dharma Artifact?! Brother Liu, stop!"

Situ Kong's face turned pale with shock as he shouted.

"You want to kill me!"

Chen Lin's expression turned icy. His Advanced Perception gave him a sharp reaction to the crisis, and he instinctively threw his body backward. Even so, he felt a slight chill at his neck.

"You're courting death!"

Murderous intent flashed in Chen Lin's eyes. While leaning back, he changed the direction of his punch without hesitation, swinging it violently upward to smash into the man's wrist!

Liu Han was indeed a Peak Xiantian expert; at the very last moment, he managed to hold the daggers horizontally against his wrist while rapidly retreating!

BANG!

The violent force of the punch slammed into the daggers. Although Liu Han retreated, he still let out a muffled groan from the impact. The daggers flew from his hand, and he was sent flying backward, finally stopping in mid-air to halt his momentum.

Liu Han's expression was hideous. He hovered in mid-air, staring fixedly at Chen Lin with eyes full of murderous intent, humiliation, and a trace of shock. The arm he had used to hold the daggers trembled slightly, and the intense pain radiating from his wrist made him unable to believe that he had actually suffered a loss at the hands of a nobody at the early Xiantian stage!

"Brother Liu, using a Dharma Artifact seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?"

Situ Kong's expression was grim as he stood between the two. Although he voiced his disapproval of Liu Han's ruthless attack, Chen Lin understood clearly: Situ Kong was standing between them because he did not want the two to continue fighting.

Chen Lin remained expressionless. He reached up to touch the bloodstain on his neck, licked the corner of his mouth, and looked up at the slightly disheveled figure in the air, a cold, sinister murderous intent flashing rapidly through his eyes.

This type of flight technique was merely a result of a cultivator reaching the mid-stage of the Xiantian realm, where their mastery over heaven and earth spiritual energy had reached a certain level. It allowed their own spiritual energy to resonate with the world's, enabling brief levitation and flight, yet it could not be sustained for long because it consumed too much spiritual energy.

However, although Chen Lin could not do anything to his opponent, the other party could not easily do anything to Chen Lin either.

"Very well."

Liu Han reached out with a beckoning motion, retrieving the dagger that had slipped from his hand back into his Storage Bag. He descended slowly to the ground, his expression somewhat gloomy, yet the gaze he cast toward Chen Lin now carried a hint of wariness.

Seemingly unwilling to continue fighting Chen Lin, yet unable to bring himself to apologize to an unknown nobody at the early Xiantian stage, Liu Han spoke with a trace of reluctance: "Your strength is decent enough; at least you aren't a waste of space. You may follow us to complete the mission, but the Demon Prison is fraught with danger. Do not expect me to save you when you encounter trouble."

"That is one thing you need not trouble yourself with, Your Excellency." Chen Lin sneered, retorting without the slightest bit of politeness.

Liu Han let out a cold snort, subtly masking the ruthlessness in his eyes, and after casting a cold glare at Chen Lin, he fell silent.

"Haha, as the saying goes, one does not make friends without first crossing swords. Let us leave this matter at that." Seeing that the two were no longer fighting, Situ Kong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He let out a hearty laugh and said, "The hour is late; we had best enter the Demon Prison as soon as possible and finish our task."

The other three naturally had no objections. Even the woman named Han Shuitong clearly acknowledged Chen Lin's strength, as her gaze toward him was no longer indifferent, but instead, she would smile at him from time to time.

The entrance to the Demon Prison was a deep, cavernous tunnel the size of a mountain cave, with an elder from the Myriad Demon Sect stationed there year-round.

At the entrance of the tunnel stood a simple dwelling the size of a stone hut. An ugly old man sat cross-legged at the threshold; sensing someone approaching, he immediately opened his eyes. His gaze was like lightning, sweeping coldly across them.

"Waist tokens."

The old man looked at Chen Lin and the other three, speaking with cold indifference.

Chen Lin felt that the old man was unfathomable, as if he could kill him with a mere glance. His heart tightened, and he, along with the other three, obediently took a plaque from their Storage Bags and handed it over.

This served as proof of identity and was a low-grade Dharma Artifact inscribed with the disciple's information.

"Very well, get in quickly and do not disturb my cultivation." The old man closed his eyes after a cursory glance at the tokens. Once he confirmed they were disciples of the Myriad Demon Sect, he flicked his hand, tossing the tokens back to them, and said impatiently, signaling that they could leave.

The four did not dare to show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. After receiving their tokens, they bowed slightly and walked into the entrance of the Demon Prison.