"Oh no!"
Xu Yan had ample combat experience and quickly understood what the look on his opponent's face meant. He immediately took out a water-blue talisman and slapped it onto himself, forming a water-attribute Protective Shield. At the same time, he tossed out a blue shield.
At that very moment, an enormous emerald-green figure appeared before Xu Yan. It attacked with astonishing speed, its sharp forelegs slashing in a flurry. The otherwise ordinary top-tier defensive shield cracked at once and split cleanly in two.
The water-attribute Protective Shield fared even worse, slashed apart before it could last even a second. Xu Yan had never witnessed such a devastating assault, and his face went deathly pale with fear. Fortunately, he remained composed despite his shock and hurriedly recalled the Jadefire Blade to protect himself.
The Jadefire Blade truly lived up to its status as a Magic Treasure Fragment, proving exceptionally tough. The emerald-green figure kept swinging its forelegs, slicing like razor-sharp blades. Although the blows made the Jadefire Blade shudder wildly, they could not cut through it.
Only then did Xu Yan finally get a clear look at the emerald-green figure that had ambushed him. It was a Mantis Demon Beast standing thirty to forty feet tall!
The Mantis Demon Beast's aura was terrifying. It had actually reached level four, making it equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"A Level Four Demon Beast? How is that possible?"
In a place like the Heavenly South, even a level two demon beast was enough to attract attention, let alone a level four one. Once it revealed itself, high-level cultivators from all quarters would soon come flocking to capture it.
The man before him was only at early-stage Foundation Establishment, yet he possessed a Level Four Demon Beast. Xu Yan would never have believed it, even if beaten to death, had he not seen it with his own eyes.
The Mantis Demon Beast could not cast spells, but its physical attacks were immensely powerful. The speed of its swinging forelegs and the sharpness with which they sliced through objects both left Xu Yan pale. Even with the Jadefire Blade under his control, he could barely hold it off.
Seeing this, Xu Yan sighed. He could only devote all his strength to resisting the Mantis Demon Beast's attacks while hoping the Golden-Eyed Ape would swiftly finish off his opponent, then come help relieve the pressure on him. Yet when he looked over, his heart sank.
Lin He merely sneered at the Golden-Eyed Ape, which appeared and vanished without a trace before him. An ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would most likely have panicked in this situation, allowing the Golden-Eyed Ape to seize an opening and kill them with a single blow. Lin He, however, quickly thought of a countermeasure.
He took out two flying knives and drew them across his arm. Blood immediately streamed out, but rather than dripping to the ground, it scattered into the surroundings under Lin He's control.
The Golden-Eyed Ape suddenly appeared in an uncanny fashion and swung a heavy, furry fist at him. Lin He twisted the Yellow Gauze Umbrella in his hand, deflecting the tremendous force. Even so, his arm tingled and ached.
But Lin He was not discouraged. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face, for blood had now stained the Golden-Eyed Ape's feet. The veil magic artifact that concealed its form and aura could no longer serve its purpose.
"Now you've got nowhere to hide."
Lin He raised his hand and unleashed a powerful barrage. Holding the Mother Blade, he sent eight Child Blades shooting out at tremendous speed. At the same time, he threw out a pair of white rings, a pair of red flying claws, and more than thirty Low-Tier Beginner Talismans all at once.
After advancing to Foundation Establishment, his spiritual sense had grown considerably stronger, allowing him to wield more magic artifacts in battle. He was no longer hamstrung as he had been during Qi Condensation.
Ice Spikes, Fireballs, and rocks rained down in a furious barrage. The Golden-Eyed Ape still thought it was invisible and had never imagined that its whereabouts had already been exposed. Naturally, it had no time to dodge.
The eruption of so many spells was certainly not fatal to a level two demon beast with such a powerful body, but it was enough to inflict minor injuries.
The Golden-Eyed Ape flew into a rage. Just as it was about to act, eight streaks of golden light, two streaks of red light, and two streaks of white light struck. The barrage left it seeing stars and baring its teeth in pain. At that moment, the two streaks of white light joined in midair, forming an enormous ring that came smashing down!
With an earth-shaking crash, the enormous ring knocked the thoroughly dazed Golden-Eyed Ape unconscious.
Xu Yan, who was still struggling with the Jade Mantis, happened to witness this scene. His eyes went wide!
He had intended to stall until the Golden-Eyed Ape finished off his opponent and came to rescue him. He had never expected it to lose so quickly. Every magic artifact his opponent brought out was a Top-Tier Magical Artifact. It was simply unbelievable.
Still reeling from shock, he suddenly noticed Lin He looking his way. His heart lurched, and he hurriedly pulled himself together to speak.
"You think you've already won? I may not be able to kill you, but with this Magic Treasure Fragment, you can't kill me either!"
The Jade Mantis's attacks grew even fiercer, as though Lin He had urged it on. Yet the Jadefire Blade was truly formidable. Although it shook wildly under the blows, it still held off the powerful assault and kept Xu Yan safe.
"A Magic Treasure Fragment certainly lives up to its name. Impressive indeed. But... you may have Zhang Liang's cunning schemes, while I have a ladder to scale your wall."
Xu Yan froze, not yet understanding what his opponent meant. Suddenly, a small mirror appeared before Lin He. It looked utterly unremarkable, dull and lusterless, yet when infused with magical power, it emitted a beam of light.
That light was bizarre beyond measure. The Jadefire Blade, which had still been holding off the mantis's assault, froze motionless in midair as soon as the beam struck it.
"Impossible!"
Xu Yan immediately grew frantic. Yet no matter how he tried to command it, the Jadefire Blade did not budge. His expression changed drastically, but before he could do anything, two streaks of emerald light flashed past. His body was cut in two, and he fell silent forever.
Xu Yan, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a formidable background and the Garrison Commissioner of the Heavenly Star Sect Market, had died here just like that.
Lin He also breathed a sigh of relief when the Azure Condensation Mirror successfully immobilized his opponent's Magic Treasure Fragment. According to the original story, the Azure Condensation Mirror was a heaven-defying magic artifact that could interfere even with the Green Radiance Sword, a magic treasure. Immobilizing a mere Magic Treasure Fragment should have posed no problem. Thus, Lin He had decisively put it to the test, and it had worked. He could only conclude that the Azure Condensation Mirror's effects were truly heaven-defying.
He casually emptied everything from Xu Yan's Storage Bag into his own, but did not take the bag itself. Anyone who possessed a Magic Treasure Fragment was certainly no ordinary person. He might even have a Core Formation Stage cultivator backing him, so caution was necessary.
He casually sent out a Fireball to destroy the corpse and erase the evidence, then dug a deep pit and buried Xu Yan's Storage Bag. Taking out a top-tier flying sword, Lin He slew the Golden-Eyed Ape and put its corpse and the veil magic artifact into his Storage Bag. He also picked up the Jadefire Blade, examined it curiously, then put it away as well.
After finishing all this, Lin He finally turned to look at those opposite him.
Ru Yin and Xiao Mei.