In the Yuanwu Kingdom, on a broad slope of yellow earth,
A burly man from the Giant Sword Sect, whose cultivation was at the Core Formation Stage, conjured a stone sword and hurled it into the air. A dazzling burst of azure light and countless wind blades immediately erupted in the void, slicing the stone sword to pieces. Clearly, he was testing the strength of the ancient restriction.
The burly man shook his head. Clearly, it was not time yet, so he tried again once every two hours.
Dressed as a Yellow Maple Valley disciple, Lin He was observing the other sects.
The Ugly Man Zhongwu from Spirit Beast Mountain, the barefoot man carrying a silver sword from the Giant Sword Sect, the effeminate Han Tianya from Blade Transformation Valley, the madman Feng Yue from Heavenly Gate Fort, the Moon-Covering Twin Beauties from the Covering Moon Sect, and...
Lin He committed the appearances of these leading contenders from the seven great sects to memory, then turned his gaze toward a girl who looked like a sprite.
Nangong Wan!
Lin He's expression shifted. The sprite-like girl seemed to sense something and glanced at him. Upon discovering that he was merely a low-level cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, she immediately lost interest.
Lin He did not linger over her either. He turned his head away and immediately sensed someone watching him. It was none other than Chen Qiaoshan, the "future brother-in-law" he had only met earlier that day.
Senior Brother Chen gave Lin He a meaningful look. Clearly, he had witnessed that exchange, and his expression said, "Don't keep eating from your bowl while eyeing the pot." Lin He was thoroughly embarrassed.
Senior Sister Chang, standing nearby, also seemed to have noticed something. She gave Lin He a long, searching look, but said nothing.
Lin He refrained from looking around any further. After his fourth test, the burly man from the Giant Sword Sect finally detected a weakening in the azure light and wind blades. This was clearly a sign that the restriction was waning. The discovery delighted the Core Formation cultivators from the seven great sects, and the burly man hurriedly called out,
"Everyone, attack together!"
The other six Core Formation Stage Cultivators dared not delay and immediately unleashed their respective abilities. Seven mighty Magic Treasures flew out at once, and the surging magical power left Lin He and the others trembling with awe.
After sustaining their efforts for several hours, the seven Core Formation cultivators finally opened a passage into the forbidden grounds.
"Get inside, quickly! We can't hold this for long."
The Daoist from the Qingxu Sect hurriedly urged them on. The disciples of the seven great sects immediately streamed in, intermingling as they entered a passage more than twenty zhang long. Then the displacement formation within the restriction randomly transported them to different locations throughout the forbidden grounds.
Lin He felt the world spin around him, then found himself transported into a Demon Beast's nest.
Before him lay a dark, damp cavern, and facing him was a group of ice toads breathing out frigid air!
Lower Level One Demon Beasts, Frost Toads!
Any other eleventh-level Qi Refining cultivator suddenly transported into a Demon Beast's nest would likely have been in mortal danger, but Lin He calmly raised his hand. A brocade handkerchief flew out and formed a blue Protective Shield around him. It was the Ordinary Top-Tier Defensive Magical Artifact Senior Sister Chen had given him.
A moment later, twenty Ice Spikes shot out and slammed into the blue Protective Shield, making it shudder before it quickly stabilized.
"As expected of a Top-Tier Magical Artifact. Its defense really is impressive. In that case..."
Lin He had no intention of wasting any more magical power just yet. With a wave of his hand, an Azure Water Crocodile appeared beside him.
The instant the Peak Level One Azure Water Crocodile appeared, the Lower Level One Frost Toads instinctively sensed danger. They immediately tried to flee, but the Azure Water Crocodile opened its jaws wide and spat out a jet of water. It swept through them like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Every Frost Toad struck by the water was knocked to the ground and rendered unable to fight, allowing Lin He to collect them into his Portable Space.
In the blink of an eye, he had acquired twenty Frost Toads. Lin He smiled faintly. "These Frost Toads really are weak individually, but there's strength in numbers. If I release them all in a swarm, they'll still leave an opponent scrambling."
Outside the forbidden grounds, catching a substantial number of Frost Toads would have been no easy task. Here, however, it was simple, because Demon Beasts were the one thing this place had in abundance.
The thought put Lin He in an excellent mood. He left the cavern with the Azure Water Crocodile and was just about to depart when he seemed to sense something. He immediately had the Azure Water Crocodile lie in ambush beside the cavern entrance while he hid in a patch of grass on the other side.
Before long, a disciple from Spirit Beast Mountain approached, peering cautiously about. He took out a map while examining the surrounding terrain.
"This should be the place. According to the Demon Beast distribution map, there's a cavern nearby with a group of Frost Toads inside. If I can put them to use, they'll be a considerable asset."
The Spirit Beast Mountain disciple, whose cultivation was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, soon discovered the cavern Lin He had just left. Excitement filled his face as he said,
"I have Beast-Driving Powder, so I can make these spirit beasts serve me for a short time. Even if I encounter an opponent at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, I won't have to fear them."
As the Spirit Beast Mountain disciple indulged in his pleasant daydream with a delighted expression, he suddenly sensed something and hurriedly looked toward the grass where Lin He was hiding.
"Who's there? Come out! I've already sensed you!"
Lin He smiled faintly and stepped out of the grass with perfect composure. "Do you really think you sensed my presence, fellow Daoist, or did I deliberately let you sense me?"
"What do you mean by that?"
The Spirit Beast Mountain disciple looked startled and suspicious. Yet the way Lin He regarded him as though he were already dead seemed to make him realize something.
"Oh no!"
The Spirit Beast Mountain disciple was just about to activate a defensive talisman when a swift water arrow shot out and pierced straight through his chest. He stared in disbelief at the gaping hole in his body as blood gushed out. With difficulty, he turned around and saw the culprit-an Azure Water Crocodile. Then he crashed to the ground, never to breathe again.
Lin He was not at all surprised that the ambush had gone so smoothly. He had deliberately leaked his aura to let his opponent sense him, drawing all the man's attention. The Azure Water Crocodile had then launched a sudden Water Arrow attack from behind, killing him in a single strike.
Lin He walked over and examined the man's Storage Bag. It held only a dozen or so Low-Grade Spirit Stones, two Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts, and three Low-Grade Magical Artifacts. Aside from those, there was a bag of powder and a map. The powder was presumably the Beast-Driving Powder the man had just mentioned. As for the map, it marked not only spirit herb locations but Demon Beast locations as well, leaving Lin He overjoyed.
"At least that effort wasn't wasted. Ten spirit herbs will be enough. There's no need to gather more than twenty only to have Li Huayuan take half. Saving that time to collect more Demon Beasts is what really matters."
Having made up his mind, Lin He was in no hurry to seek out the marked spirit herb locations
and instead headed toward the nearest marked Demon Beast location.
Meanwhile, the sweeping purge of the weaker disciples from the various great sects had already begun.