Within Blood Peak City, the Fiend Trial

The instant he stepped through the gates of Blood Peak City, a denser wave of noisy heat struck him, mingled with the scents of countless living beings, rusted metal, and a faint trace of blood. Black flagstones paved streets wide enough for dozens of massive magical beasts to walk abreast. Rough, angular stone buildings lined both sides, with shops selling weapons, armor, potions, magical beast materials, and even... slaves.

All manner of races moved through the streets: giants several meters tall with skin like stone, fiends with bat wings and cold eyes, elemental beings, and seemingly ordinary humans. Most hurried along with wary eyes, carrying varying degrees of murderous menace. Here, the weak had to be careful even when breathing.

Lin Yinuo suppressed his aura and strolled through the streets like an ordinary Saint-level human, while his spiritual power quietly gathered information like an invisible web. The language barrier posed no problem. After reaching the Saint level, his powerful soul allowed him to understand most common languages through spiritual perception.

He soon learned about Hell's hard currency-Inkstones. These black stones contained pure dark elemental energy and served both as currency and cultivation aids. He exchanged the magical beast materials he carried at several purchasing shops for a few hundred Inkstones, giving him the most basic starting funds.

Then he found one of the places where information circulated fastest in Blood Peak City-the Fiend Castle.

The Fiend Castle was not the residence of some fiend, but a vast organization spread throughout Hell's major cities. It specialized in posting and accepting all kinds of missions, from finding objects to slaughtering cities and destroying nations. "Fiend" was the title this organization granted powerful warriors and mages. Earning its medal required passing a trial, and its ranks ranged from one star to seven stars, symbolizing strength and credibility.

The castle's hall was enormous and filled with voices. Countless mission listings scrolled like a waterfall across a massive, magically powered screen of light. Lin Yinuo scanned them. Rewards ranged from dozens of Inkstones to hundreds of millions, with equally vast differences in difficulty.

His goal was clear-obtain a Fiend Medal. It was one of the best ways to quickly gain information, resources, and connections in Hell.

He approached the reception desk. An elven woman in standard black robes, her expression indifferent, spoke without looking up. "Taking a mission or entering the Fiend Trial?"

"The Fiend Trial," Lin Yinuo said calmly.

Only then did the elven woman glance up at him. Sensing merely Saint-level energy fluctuations, an almost imperceptible flicker of contempt crossed her eyes. Still, she handed him a black crystal with professional detachment. "Pay the trial fee of one thousand Inkstones. Inject your spiritual power and confirm your information. Trial missions are assigned randomly, and the death rate exceeds fifty percent. Think carefully."

One thousand Inkstones was no small sum for Lin Yinuo, who had just arrived in Hell, but he paid without hesitation. He injected his spiritual power into the crystal, leaving the name "Lin Yinuo" and a trace of his soul's aura.

The crystal glimmered, and a line of information appeared: "Trial mission: travel to 'Rotbone Swamp' and obtain ten 'Venomous Poison Lizard' crystal cores. Time limit: thirty Hell days. Venomous Poison Lizards generally possess Saint-level strength and live in groups. Their leaders may reach the Lowgod level. Mission difficulty: one star."

Rotbone Swamp lay tens of thousands of li northwest of Blood Peak City, a region with a harsh environment shrouded in highly poisonous miasma.

A group-based mission with a clear target. Just right for testing my actual combat ability and familiarizing myself with Hell's environment.

He memorized the mission information and map, then turned and left the Fiend Castle. He made few preparations, merely using his remaining Inkstones to buy a more detailed map of Rotbone Swamp and several bottles of general-purpose antidote before heading straight out of the city.

Rotbone Swamp lived up to its name. Bubbles gurgled through the dark green marsh, releasing nauseating rot and deadly miasma. Twisted dead trees reached toward the dark red sky like ghostly claws. Poisonous insects and savage beasts of all kinds lurked in the swamp, with danger on every side.

Lin Yinuo raised a simple magical shield, keeping out most of the toxic miasma. Nourished by [Soul Stone Essence], his spiritual power had become more concentrated. Though its sensing range was restricted, it was enough to detect danger in advance.

Before long, he encountered his first pack of Venomous Poison Lizards. Over five meters long, these lizards had skin like rotting mire, covered in pustules. They spat foul-smelling venom and moved extremely fast. There were more than twenty of them, including one particularly massive specimen whose aura had reached the Lowgod level.

"Roar!"

The lizard leader roared and led its pack in a frenzied charge!

Lin Yinuo's gaze turned cold. This was a good chance to test the Destruction Rule's power. Rather than use "Fire Condensation Finger," he pressed his fingers together like a blade and slashed through the air!

A crescent-shaped blade of light, thin as a cicada's wing and edged with a dark gleam of annihilation, swept silently through the air.

An application of the Destruction Rule-Annihilation Blade!

The instant the blade swept over the leading Saint-level lizards, most of their bodies vanished without a sound, as though wiped away by an eraser. They were completely annihilated before they could even scream! The Lowgod lizard leader was utterly horrified. Even its venom dissipated upon touching the blade. It tried to dodge, but the blade seemed to lock onto space itself, its trajectory profound and mysterious!

"Rip!"

The lizard leader's tough scales and powerful divine body were like paper before the Annihilation Blade. It was sliced effortlessly in half, its divine spark tumbling out as the divine light in its eyes instantly faded.

With just one strike, the pack was nearly wiped out!

Lin Yinuo raised a hand and collected the lizard leader's divine spark and several Saint-level crystal cores, assessing the expenditure of magical power within him.

It's powerful enough, but the burden on my magical and spiritual power isn't small either. It seems that, strong as the Destruction Rule is, I can't use it as a routine method. I need finer control or a higher cultivation base.

He repeated the process, traveling through Rotbone Swamp in search of Venomous Poison Lizard nests. With spatial fluctuations warning him of danger and the Destruction Rule's formidable attacks, the mission went exceptionally smoothly. In fewer than ten Hell days, he collected the required ten crystal cores, along with several additional Lowgod divine sparks and a considerable quantity of materials.

On his return journey, while passing through a relatively dry stretch of hills, he heard fierce fighting and explosions of energy. He quietly extended his spiritual power and saw three Lowgods-two men and one woman, seemingly human-surrounded by more than a dozen dark-element magical beasts resembling cheetahs, their bodies covered in bone spikes. Their situation was desperate. The three Lowgods coordinated reasonably well, but their strength was ordinary. Clearly, they had yet to comprehend any profound mysteries, and their defeat was only a matter of time.

Lin Yinuo had no intention of interfering. In Hell, mercy often meant death. But just as he prepared to go around them, the system's notification suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Eligible targets detected in a desperate situation. Fate mission triggered: "The Demon's First Cry"!]

[Mission requirements: rescue the three trapped Deities and inspire initial trust in the host and a willingness to follow him.]

[Mission rewards: depending on completion, obtain [Midgod Divine Spark (Random Attribute)], [Divine Ability: Soul Brand (Elementary)], and [Inkstones × 1,000,000]!]

A fate mission? Finally! The rewards actually include a Midgod divine spark and the Soul Brand divine ability!

The rewards tempted him immensely. Setting aside the Midgod divine spark, [Soul Brand (Elementary)] was clearly an excellent means of controlling subordinates and establishing a loyal core!

He hesitated no longer. His figure flashed, and he appeared like a phantom at the edge of the battlefield.

The three struggling Lowgods were initially startled by Lin Yinuo's sudden appearance. Once they sensed that his aura was merely at the "Saint level," their eyes filled with even greater despair.

"Friend! Run! These 'Shadow Hunters' aren't something you can handle!" The burly man holding a massive axe was decent enough to shout an urgent warning.

Lin Yinuo ignored him, fixing his gaze on the dozen or so Shadow Hunters. These magical beasts were extremely fast and adept at shadow stealth. Their leader likewise possessed Lowgod-level strength.

He pressed his fingers together like a blade. Again, he used Annihilation Blade, but this time he controlled its power and incorporated his understanding of spatial fluctuations, making the blades' speed and trajectories even stranger and harder to predict!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several pitch-black crescent blades flashed across one another on the battlefield like the Grim Reaper's scythes!

The Shadow Hunters excelled in speed, yet the stealth and evasive abilities they prided themselves on were useless before blades containing the profound mysteries of space! Wherever the blades passed, hunters disappeared as though erased, their blasts of dark energy annihilated along with them!

In just a few breaths, all dozen or so ferocious magical beasts, including their Lowgod leader, were wiped out! Only several spinning divine sparks and Saint-level crystal cores remained.

The battlefield instantly fell deathly silent.

The three Lowgods stared slack-jawed at the scene, as though they had seen a ghost. A "Saint" had instantly slaughtered more than a dozen Deity-level magical beasts that had driven them to desperation, all with a wave of his hand? It was utterly unbelievable!

Lin Yinuo raised a hand and collected the spoils before turning toward the three shaken Lowgods. They were injured and had expended enormous amounts of divine power. Their gazes held shock, gratitude, and a trace of profound awe.

"Th-thank you for saving our lives, my lord!" The burly axe wielder recovered first and hurriedly bowed, his tone deeply respectful. The other man and woman hastily followed suit.

Good. The initial awe is established. Next, I need to deepen that "trust."

Lin Yinuo regarded them calmly, his voice indifferent. "It was little effort. Your coordination is passable, but your strength is lacking. Would you be willing to follow me?"

He did not beat around the bush, extending the offer directly. In Hell, strength gave one the greatest right to speak.

The three exchanged glances. Someone who could effortlessly kill Lowgods in an instant had to be at least a Midgod who had comprehended profound mysteries! Following such a powerhouse was undoubtedly the best way forward for bottom-rung Deities like them!

"Yes! We are willing to follow you, my lord!" The three answered in unison with almost no hesitation. The burly axe wielder was named Baton, the tall, thin man wielding a longsword was named Carl, and the female Water Element mage was named Amy.

[Ding! Fate mission "The Demon's First Cry" complete! Distributing rewards...]

[Congratulations to the host on obtaining: [Midgod Divine Spark (Earth Attribute)], [Divine Ability: Soul Brand (Elementary)], and [Inkstones × 1,000,000]!]

Mission complete! What a tremendous haul!

Sensing the newly acquired method for casting [Soul Brand] in his mind, along with the ocher divine spark radiating a weighty aura and the mountain of Inkstones in his system space, Lin Yinuo felt reassured.

He did not immediately use Soul Brand on Baton and the other two. Having only just arrived, it was more important to combine kindness with authority. He had displayed enough "authority." Now it was time for "kindness."

He took out three Lowgod divine sparks of the dark attribute that he had just obtained and tossed them over. "Take these and refine them to improve your strength. From now on, you are the first members of my 'Dragon Shadow.'"

Baton and the other two caught the divine sparks, trembling all over with excitement. Divine sparks! In Hell, a single Lowgod divine spark was enough to make bottom-rung Deities like them risk their lives! Yet this lord had casually bestowed these upon them!

"We swear loyalty to you unto death, my lord! (Dragon Shadow)!" All three dropped to one knee, their voices trembling with excitement as their loyalty instantly soared.

Lin Yinuo nodded. Here in Hell, the Dragon Shadow organization had finally taken its first step.

"Let's go. Back to Blood Peak City."

With his three newly recruited subordinates, he turned and left the hills. Beneath the dark red sky, his departing figure cast a silhouette filled with infinite possibilities.

His return would stir new waves in Blood Peak City.