First Battle Against an Immortal Cultivator

"His strength increase really was under nine hundred jin. Looks like my guess was right."

Lu Lin thought to himself.

The boost to his strength was indeed not as great as before, but the degree of reduction was not too large. Each breakthrough could still bring a considerable improvement.

He continued pouring cultivation time into the Spirit Cat Art.

This time, it took a full seventy years before he finally raised the Spirit Cat Art to the ninth layer.

At this point, the Spirit Cat Art had been cultivated to its limit. There was nowhere further to advance.

With his strength surging by more than three thousand jin in such a short time, Lu Lin only felt as if his whole body held inexhaustible power, his qi and blood surging inside him like a tide.

At this moment, he had seventy-seven years and two months of cultivation time remaining, no longer enough to support the Iron Elephant Body breaking through to the seventh layer.

"It should be enough."

A trace of resolve flashed through Lu Lin's eyes. His figure suddenly stopped, and he raised a hand to point toward the front-left, saying urgently, "Immortal Master, look over there..."

"Mm?"

The young cultivator behind him was slightly startled. He was about to turn his head and look over by reflex, but he was cautious by nature, and as he turned, he had already begun quietly circulating the spiritual power within his body.

Boom!

In that instant, Lu Lin suddenly turned around, both feet stamping heavily on the ground. His figure shot straight at the young man like a cannonball, one palm striking directly toward the other party's chest!

The wind from his palm howled, sweeping up fallen leaves across the ground like an enraged dragon pouncing at the young man.

"You... what nerve!"

The young man was both shocked and furious.

At such close range, it was already too late for him to take out a magic artifact and counterattack. Fortunately, he had circulated his spiritual power ahead of time. His magic robe instantly lit up, and a layer of light shield surfaced, protecting him within.

Bang!

Lu Lin's palm slammed solidly onto the light shield. His surging qi and blood erupted with a roar, and the light shield caved in with a crack, then exploded apart!

Lu Lin's palm drove straight through and smashed heavily into the young man's chest.

"Pfft—"

The young man's eyes bulged as he was sent flying backward at astonishing speed, crashing into a great tree so thick it would take several people to encircle it. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion like gold paper.

But his reaction was extremely fast. He immediately slapped his storage pouch, and a tortoise-shell-shaped shield spun out, swelling in the wind as it guarded him from the front.

At the same time, he swiftly swallowed a healing pill, and only then did overwhelming killing intent erupt from him.

"A mere mortal martial artist, offending your superior from below, daring to attempt to slay an immortal... you deserve ten thousand deaths!"

The young man was practically roaring. His killing intent was bone-piercingly cold, while his heart was even more shaken to the extreme.

Although he had previously been holding the White Bone Spike, that was only because he was cautious by nature and did so out of habit. He had never imagined that Lu Lin would actually dare to attack him!

In the cultivation world, martial artists and cultivators stood at vastly different positions, and their strength was separated as heaven and earth. A martial artist of the same level was like an infant before a cultivator, unable to withstand a single blow.

It was also ordinary for cultivators to cross several levels to kill martial artists.

Moreover, the martial artists who entered the mountain this time were at most at the ninth layer of body tempering. With such cultivation, he could exterminate them with a turn of his hand. There should not have been any threat at all.

"He's actually fine!"

Lu Lin frowned, equally surprised in his heart.

As expected of a cultivator. His reaction and defense far exceeded expectations.

That palm just now had not used his full strength because he sought a quick battle, but it still carried more than ten thousand jin of force, enough to blast a peak body-tempering martial artist to death.

Yet the other party had only spat blood and could immediately organize a defense.

But Lu Lin only paused for the slightest moment. His figure did not stop at all, and he pounced out again like a spirit cat!

"Seeking death!"

The young man's eyes were cold. With a wave of his hand, the White Bone Spike turned into a streak of flowing light, stabbing straight at Lu Lin's brow.

Its speed was as fast as lightning; in the blink of an eye, it was already before his face!

Lu Lin was greatly alarmed. In the time it took for sparks to fly from flint, he twisted and flipped backward. The White Bone Spike brushed past his forehead, its sinister chill making his hair stand on end.

Before he could catch his breath, the White Bone Spike traced an arc through the air and stabbed at him once more!

"Immortal techniques truly are extraordinary!"

Lu Lin's heart shivered. He did not dare be the slightest bit careless, using Spirit Cat Step to leap onto a tree and dodge the attack again.

But the White Bone Spike clung to him like maggots on bone, pursuing relentlessly, constantly changing direction in midair as it chased him down.

Lu Lin rapidly shifted and darted among the trees, his speed so fast it left afterimages behind. Time and again, he narrowly avoided the attacks, yet he was never able to shake off the pursuit.

"This can't go on. I'm too passive! If other Demonic Sect cultivators come, it'll be trouble... I have to seize the initiative and end this fast!"

Once his mind was made up, Lu Lin leaped into the air and pounced straight toward the young man!

Whoosh!

The White Bone Spike pursued closely behind.

This time, Lu Lin no longer dodged. The blood and qi throughout his body erupted with a boom, gathering in his right palm, and the instant he saw his chance, he struck upward with one palm!

The timing of this palm was exquisitely precise, landing squarely on the middle section of the White Bone Spike!

Dong!

The White Bone Spike shuddered violently, knocked off course by that tyrannical force, and buried itself deep into a large tree.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With two bounds, Lu Lin had already closed in on the youth.

"Demonic Ape Palm!"

He gave a low shout and blasted out a palm with all his strength!

Surging blood and qi rushed forth, condensing around his arm into the thick shadow of a demonic ape's arm. It fused with Lu Lin's own arm and came smashing down ferociously toward the top of the youth's head.

The shield before the youth flashed with spiritual light and swiftly moved above his head to block.

Boom!

Lu Lin's palm slammed heavily onto the shield, erupting with a dull, thunderous crash.

The shield shook violently, forcing the youth to stagger back again and again with it.

"How is this possible!?"

The youth's eyes flew wide, filled with disbelief.

Since when had martial artists become this strong?

Let alone someone at the ninth level of Body Tempering, even a martial artist at the peak of the tenth level of Body Tempering would be unable to withstand a single blow before him.

He had several personal guards at the tenth level of Body Tempering by his side, and when they sparred normally, the moment the White Bone Spike came out, the other party had no way to dodge; life and death rested entirely on a single thought of his. As for that so-called strength of ten thousand catties, it couldn't shake his "Spirit Turtle Shield" at all.

But not only was Lu Lin's speed astonishingly fast, allowing him to dodge the White Bone Spike's pursuit time and again, his strength was even more terrifying. With one palm, he had nearly shaken apart the mental connection between him and the "Spirit Turtle Shield," jolting his blood and qi into turmoil and making his five organs feel as if they were about to split apart.

Could this person not be in the Body Tempering Realm, but instead... a martial artist of the Innate Blood Aura Realm who had slipped into this mountain?

Boom!

While his mind was shaken, Lu Lin's assault arrived once more.

The Demonic Ape Palm fell one after another like a wild storm!

The youth hurriedly steadied his mind and drove the "Spirit Turtle Shield" with all his might to block.

Dong, dong, dong...

Dense, muffled booms rang out. In just a few breaths, Lu Lin had already unleashed more than a dozen palm strikes!

With every palm that landed, the youth retreated several meters. After more than a dozen palms, his face flushed crimson, and blood once again spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it... damn martial artist!"

The youth's face twisted, and he abruptly flung out a talisman.

The talisman ignited without wind, transforming into a blade of raging flame that cleaved straight toward Lu Lin's forehead!

Lu Lin was startled. Not daring to take it head-on, he twisted away and retreated to dodge.

The youth seized the chance, summoned a red flying dagger, and was about to ride the artifact into the air.

How could Lu Lin let him succeed?

Once a cultivator rose high into the air, he would be reduced to a living target, left to be butchered at will.

Bang!

He charged up a large tree in swift strides, leaped into the air, crossed a distance of more than ten meters, and rushed several dozen meters high. He happened to appear above the youth, then dove downward, driving both fists out with all his strength.

Savage Elephant Charge!

Blood and qi surged, faintly condensing before his fists into a massive blood-colored elephant that slammed viciously into the youth!

Boom!

The youth had just risen into midair when Lu Lin's fists struck him. An unmatched colossal force smashed him toward the ground like a meteor, blasting a huge pit into the earth!

Pfft!

The youth coughed up great mouthfuls of blood, his face full of horror.

Cracks had already appeared all across his "Spirit Turtle Shield."