Starting the Attack, Part 1

"How's the situation?" Lin Xin asked Ou Yinghong while riding his horse.

"I found this." Ou Yinghong reached out and handed over something, which seemed to be a small note.

Lin Xin took it and unfolded it. It was written in blood.

'If you want to see the person, come to Moonlit Gorge alone. Tomorrow night.'

He merely glanced at it, then crushed the note into powder with a pinch of his fingers and scattered it away.

"Can you guess which faction is behind this?"

Ou Yinghong shook her head slightly.

"But the most likely ones are from the Demonic Path Star Calamity Hall. Ten years ago, the Mountain Manor Lord was assassinated by them, but they didn't succeed. Only they would dare to openly offend the Sword School behind the Mountain Manor Lord."

Lin Xin nodded in agreement.

"I'll handle this personally. You lead the others to continue the previous mission. Also, when Flying Wing Evil arrives, notify him to go to the Sword School and report this matter."

"Understood," Ou Yinghong nodded.

"Zen Master, I'll have to ask you to temporarily preside over the Mountain Manor's operations while I'm away," Lin Xin turned to San Yuan Zen Master.

"Manor Lord, rest assured." San Yuan Zen Master, with the supply of abundant resources, had also entered the second layer of the Inner Family. This was already his limit. His aptitude was even worse than Lin Xin's, so reaching this level was already a miracle.

With everything arranged, Lin Xin and his group returned to the Mountain Manor, ordered a curfew, and dispatched a large number of people to investigate the situation.

He told Xiao Lingling and his mother that he would be going into seclusion, then plunged into the secret chamber. Aside from changing into a long robe, nothing else changed.

It wasn't until dusk that he came out, looking exhausted. Then, without stopping, he went to the alchemy room and didn't return to the inner courtyard until midnight.

As he walked to the courtyard gate, the guard on duty greeted him.

"Manor Lord, the madam has asked about you thirteen times today," he said softly.

Lin Xin nodded. "You can go now. Have the next shift come. Go and collect one qian as a reward."

The guard respectfully took his leave.

Lin Xin walked into the courtyard and saw Xiao Lingling sitting under a tree in the distance, blankly staring at her brown guqin, not knowing what she was thinking.

Lin Xin stood at the entrance, watching Xiao Lingling in her white dress, one sitting and one standing. He didn't know how long had passed.

"Husband..." Xiao Lingling suddenly spoke. "Has something happened?"

Lin Xin adjusted his mood and expression, trying to make himself look softer. Then he stepped forward.

"Don't worry, with me in the Mountain Manor, what major events could possibly happen?"

He walked behind Xiao Lingling, took off his coat, and gently draped it over her.

"It's cold at night, be careful not to catch a cold."

"It's okay." Xiao Lingling smiled, small dimples appearing on her cheeks. "I've realized that I haven't been sick for many years, I don't know why."

She reached out and took Lin Xin's hand.

"I really want... I really want to stay with you like this forever..." Her tone suddenly became a little desolate.

"What are you saying? Haven't I always been by your side?" Lin Xin gripped her hand tightly. "We'll be together forever..."

Xiao Lingling only smiled, gently resting her face on the back of Lin Xin's hand.

Her face hadn't changed for a very long time. So many years had passed, but time had left no trace on her face. She was still as alluring and gentle as she was when she was young.

Lin Xin gently embraced her with both arms, squatting down and holding her in his arms.

"Husband... I want to go back and rest," Xiao Lingling said with a hint of coquetry. "I want you to carry me..."

Lin Xin smiled.

"Okay." He picked her up, carrying both her and the zither towards the bedroom.

*****************

Hiss...

Lin Xin opened his eyes and slowly stood up from inside the carriage.

He glanced at the white-clothed man's corpse sitting upright beside him, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart for no reason.

"Old brother, could it be that you, like me, entered this carriage because you were collecting Demon Talisman Seeds... Then why did you die here..."

"What about your family? Your friends?" He murmured to himself, as if the corpse were still alive.

He drew the Red Flower Sword, and a faint red halo vaguely appeared on the sword's body.

The halo illuminated the corpse's blurred outline.

Lin Xin was shocked the moment he saw the corpse.

The corpse's eyes were actually open, and it was smiling and looking directly at him! The corners of its mouth were raised in a strange arc, as if it were still alive.

"You!!"

Lin Xin took a step back abruptly.

He clearly remembered that the corpse had originally died with its mouth wide open and an expression of extreme fear. But now... now...!

Chī!

Lin Xin thrust the sword towards the corpse.

Clang.

The corpse's body was as hard as refined steel, and the sword couldn't pierce it at all.

The red light of the Magma Iron on the blade slowly dimmed.

Lin Xin's heart was beating faster. He knew that this carriage was already strange enough, and now the corpse in the carriage was definitely even more bizarre.

He slowly sheathed his sword.

"Old brother, if you died with regrets, if there's anything you want me to do, you can tell me directly. I'll help you as much as I can."

His words slowly echoed in the carriage, followed by silence.

Lin Xin took a deep breath and once again injected Inner Qi into the Red Flower Sword, and the Magma Iron slowly glowed red again.

The carriage interior slowly lit up.

This was the only way to illuminate the carriage, as ordinary mortal fire simply couldn't burn.

Sure enough, the corpse had returned to its original state, mouth wide open in despair, facing directly forward.

Huff...

Lin Xin slowly exhaled.

Hiss...

The carriage door slowly opened. He carried his sword and stepped out.

"Tonight, I'll enter the Ninth Layer at the fastest speed! Then find a Magic Item to refine with my heart's blood, achieving Minor Returning Origin at the fastest speed! Stepping into Qi Refining!"

He secretly resolved in his heart.

Exiting the carriage, everywhere he looked was a stretch of pale yellow weeds.

He was standing on a country path with fences on both sides, with rolling pale yellow hills to the left and right.

Baa...

A bleating sound attracted Lin Xin's attention, and he looked towards the source of the sound.

He saw a large, sparse flock of gray-white sheep on the hill to the left, the sheep slowly moving, heads down, nibbling at the weeds, occasionally letting out a bleat.

A Noodle Person was lying on the slope with his legs crossed, a whip in his hand, and a straw hat covering his face.

Lin Xin frowned.

"This kind of place is probably sparsely populated... somewhat troublesome."

Ignoring the shepherd, who was just an ordinary person, killing him wouldn't change much. Time was pressing, so he unfolded his lightness skill along the road, fully utilizing the Sky Soaring Cloud Traversal Art.

His whole body immediately became light and fluttering, as if flying. He sped forward.

The wind violently buffeted his face.

Before long, a caravan entirely composed of Noodle People appeared before him.

One of the Noodle People, carrying a long saber, was talking to someone in the caravan. Hearing the sound, the Noodle Person turned around, saw Lin Xin rushing towards him, and immediately jumped off the carriage.

This person carefully looked at Lin Xin, and took out a scroll from his bosom. He seemed to be comparing it.

Before long, a trace of greed appeared on his face. He put away the scroll and drew his long saber.

At this time, Lin Xin had already reached the rear of the caravan.

Without wasting words, he slashed with his sword.

Chi!

Sword Qi shot out from the tip of the sword, instantly lengthening the blade, and slashing diagonally towards the Noodle Person.

With the Inner Qi amplification of the Innate Eighth Layer, whether it was strength or speed, it had already surpassed the limit of what ordinary people could react to.

It was just a single exchange.

The greed on the Noodle People swordsman's face hadn't disappeared when he was sliced into two diagonal pieces by a sword.

A warm current surged into his body, and Lin Xin didn't hesitate to rush towards the remaining panicked and screaming Noodle People.

One sword for each. Blood splattered everywhere as the large Noodle People, all much taller than him, fell one after another, clutching their throats.

Several Noodle People, looking like guards, rushed out with their swords, faces twisted as they screamed and slashed at him.

Whoosh!

It was just a half-circle of a sword. A white arc formed by Sword Qi suddenly appeared, flashing past the Noodle People.

These people, along with their swords, were all instantly cut in two, blood and internal organs spraying out.

A speck of blood landed on Lin Xin's cheek. He gently wiped it away, expressionless, and shook the blood off his blade.

He looked at the dozen or so Noodle People still running in all directions.

He held the Red Flower Sword level.

"Yin Manto."

As the blade glowed red.

Chichichi!

Suddenly, more than a dozen thick, black vines with silver patterns burst out of the ground. These vines, like tentacles, fiercely bound each of the Noodle People who hadn't escaped far.

Countless sharp thorns grew continuously on the surface of the vines, piercing into the Noodle People's bodies. Before long, all of these Noodle People were drained by the thorns, leaving only their skins, which were discarded on the ground.

Lin Xin, carrying the Red Flower Sword, walked slowly among the vine roots, reaching the large boxes being escorted by the caravan.

The boxes were covered with black cloth, and there seemed to be faint noises inside.

He used his sword to lift the black cloth.

Inside were naked men and women! And all of them were ordinary people, just like normal humans!

"Save! Save us...!" One of the women, still somewhat conscious, was constantly shedding tears and mucus. Seeing Lin Xin appear before her, she immediately begged.

Lin Xin glanced at her pupils and knew that she had been drugged, beyond saving. It was a drug similar to stimulants that could violently stimulate all potential in a short period of time.

He saw the collars around their necks, the symbol of slaves.

Each of these people was already mentally unstable, turned into foolish figures. Only that woman barely had a bit of consciousness left, but she was already beyond saving. It was only a matter of time before she became a fool and an idiot.

"It's a slave transport team..." Lin Xin sighed softly, looking at the people in the boxes like chickens and ducks, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.

"Living is also a kind of pain for you. Let me help you be free..."

He raised his hand and released a Sword Qi.

A white flash, and the entire box was cut in two with a single strike.

All the human slaves inside were cut in half with a single sword strike, blood and internal organs flowing all over the ground.

Yin Manto's roots greedily surrounded the area, beginning to devour the blood.

Lin Xin sat down cross-legged, took a Qi Transformation Pill, and replenished the consumption of summoning Yin Manto.

After getting up, the roots had also dealt with the blood food corpses almost completely. He dismissed the summons, searched around, found a Demon Talisman Seed, and rapidly continued forward.

Soon, another Noodle People convoy appeared before him.

Lin Xin leaped in, the sword blade summoned Yin Manto, and he himself rapidly dispatched the Noodle People one by one with his sword.

No pity, only slaughter.

The roots waved rapidly, binding and devouring the Noodle People who tried to escape.

A large amount of warm current continuously poured into Lin Xin's body, and he clearly felt that his cultivation was rapidly increasing.

Soon, he felt a sense of fullness within his body. He quickly circulated the Minor Returning Origin Art's ninth layer incantation.

With a chi sound, his body was like a punctured balloon, instantly breaking through the shackles and incorporating new meridians into the Inner Qi circulation system. But as Yin Manto continued to slaughter, even more warm currents continuously poured into his body.

A kind of pleasure like taking drugs constantly flooded into his mind along with the warm current.

Improve! Improve! Constantly improve!

Is this really okay?

Suddenly, a trace of vigilance flashed through his mind, and the white-clothed corpse that died tragically in the carriage flashed before his eyes.

But under the continuous influx of warm currents, he instantly threw this thought to the back of his mind.

Before long, everyone in the entire convoy had been slaughtered.

Lin Xin stood in the pool of blood, his whole body slowly radiating white light, and countless Innate Qi lingered and danced around him, almost boiling and gushing out of his body. (To be continued ~^~