A name that shook the inner city, a secret midnight meeting

Lin Yinuo's cry of "Who else?" rang out like thunder in the silent night sky, reaching every spectator's ears clearly. He stood with his sword in hand, black flames of light formed from Destruction Divine Power burning quietly around him. His gaze was calm, yet held an edge that looked down on all around him. At his feet lay the rock giant, growling in pain, his severed arm still slowly undergoing annihilation; opposite him stood Jin Yan and the black-robed Highgod, their faces ashen and their eyes filled with shock and uncertainty.

Such was the might of a single slash!

A Midgod who had only just broken through had defeated the combined assault of three veteran Highgods head-on and severely wounded one of them! This went beyond extraordinary talent—it overturned everything they knew!

The inner city's powerful spectators watching from afar, whether Midgods or Highgods, now looked at Lin Yinuo in an entirely different light. Their earlier scrutiny, curiosity, and even slight disdain had all turned into solemnity, wariness, and even a trace of awe.

"Dragonblood Asura... he truly lives up to the name!"

"Becoming a deity through the Edicts really is terrifying! He only just broke through!"

"Golden Flame Castle has hit a brick wall this time..."

Whispers rose in the distance, but no one dared approach the area lightly anymore.

Jin Yan's expression was utterly grim. He stared fixedly at Lin Yinuo, then glanced at his companion, whose aura was unsteady, and at the rock giant, who had temporarily lost most of his fighting strength. He knew they could accomplish nothing more today. If they continued, even if their numerical advantage allowed them to barely suppress their opponent, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses. Besides, causing too great a disturbance in the inner city and drawing intervention from the Sovereign's army or an even stronger prefect would do them no good whatsoever.

"Fine! What a Dragonblood Asura!" Jin Yan ground out through clenched teeth. "Golden Flame Castle will remember today's humiliation! We're leaving!"

He forcibly suppressed his towering rage and killing intent, helped the rock giant up, and exchanged a glance with the black-robed Highgod. The three turned into streaks of light and vanished ignominiously into the night.

The threat had been lifted for the moment.

Lin Yinuo did not pursue them. He slowly reined in the divine power around him, and the Destruction Thunderblade turned into a streak of light that sank into his body. That slash had looked impressive, but it had actually consumed nearly thirty percent of his divine power. After all, he had unleashed such a powerful fused attack with the body of a Midgod. He needed time to stabilize his cultivation and adjust to wielding power at the Midgod level.

His gaze swept over the distant onlookers. Without another word, he turned and descended into his courtyard, and the defensive formation silently closed once more.

But after this battle, the name of Lin Yinuo, the Dragonblood Asura, had finally gained a true foothold in the inner city of Zijing Main City! It no longer rested merely on the hollow fame of a hundred consecutive victories, but on genuine, formidable combat strength capable of threatening and even defeating Highgods!

Over the next few days, the area outside Lin Yinuo's courtyard grew much quieter. No more fools came to provoke him. Instead, visiting cards and invitations began arriving through various channels in increasing numbers. Some came from powerful lone cultivators seeking his friendship, others were overtures from small and medium-sized factions, and even some merchant associations hoped to cooperate with him.

Lin Yinuo politely declined them all, having only the puppet servant responsible for managing inner-city affairs-a lowest-grade puppet he had refined from some materials-give everyone the same reply: "The master is in seclusion and is not receiving visitors."

He devoted all his energy to consolidating his cultivation and absorbing what he had gained from the battle. His God-level Destruction Divine Power considerably accelerated his comprehension of the Edicts of Destruction and deepened his understanding of the concept of "annihilation." At the same time, he began trying to integrate the powers of other Laws and Edicts into his destruction framework more systematically, rather than simply layering them together.

Late one night, as he worked in his quiet chamber on integrating Lightning's "swiftness" more perfectly into Thunder Shadow Void Escape, an extremely subtle fluctuation with a distinctive frequency came from the defensive formation around his courtyard.

The fluctuation was not a forced intrusion. It was more like a prearranged signal.

Something stirred in Lin Yinuo's mind, and he recalled the Youyue Prefect, who had helped him out of his predicament that day. He extended his spiritual power and, sure enough, saw a slender figure standing quietly outside the courtyard, shrouded in hazy moonlight. It was the Youyue Prefect.

After a moment's consideration, he opened one corner of the formation.

Moonlight flashed, and the Youyue Prefect appeared in the courtyard, looking as cool and otherworldly as ever.

"Lady Prefect, what guidance brings you here so late at night?" Lin Yinuo asked, cupping his hands, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.

The Youyue Prefect studied him with her cool eyes and gave a slight nod. "It seems your cultivation has stabilized, and your strength has surpassed what it was before. Good."

She paused, then stated her purpose directly. "I came to make a trade with you."

"A trade?" Lin Yinuo's gaze flickered slightly. "Please go on, Lady Prefect."

"I need you to obtain something for me," the Youyue Prefect said. "Deep within the Abyss of Chaos, there is a Moonlight Soul Lotus that is about to mature. It is crucial to my cultivation of the Moonlight Law. But the Abyss of Chaos has a peculiar environment. Highgods who enter face extremely powerful suppression and rejection, whereas Midgods are less affected. Moreover, the soul lotus is guarded by a large pack of extremely troublesome Soul-Devouring Demons skilled in soul attacks."

"Your strength, particularly your soul defenses and that strange destruction attack, makes you well suited to this task." The Youyue Prefect looked at Lin Yinuo. "As payment, apart from the soul lotus itself, I can give you a detailed star chart covering several planes around the Zijing Continent, including some remote star regions, and... temporarily hold off Golden Flame Castle's further retaliation until you leave the Zijing Continent."

A star chart!

Lin Yinuo's heart gave a sudden leap! He had been worrying that the [Star chart of the resting place of a Lower Earth Sovereign Spark (fragment)] was too incomplete to pinpoint the location. If he could obtain a more detailed star chart covering a wider area, it would undoubtedly greatly improve his chances of finding the exact location!

The Abyss of Chaos... Soul-Devouring Demons... it certainly sounds dangerous. But that star chart is far too tempting! And it would also take care of the trouble with Golden Flame Castle for now.

His face betrayed nothing. After considering for a moment, he asked, "Why choose me, Lady Prefect? There should be quite a few powerful Midgods in the inner city."

The Youyue Prefect said evenly, "There are not many people with sufficient strength, an unusual soul, a clean background, and... a need for this payment. You have just offended Golden Flame Castle and turned down the Sovereign's army. This is precisely when you need resources and outside assistance, is it not?"

Her assessment was accurate.

Lin Yinuo hesitated no longer and nodded. "All right, I accept this trade. When do we leave?"

"The Moonlight Soul Lotus will not fully mature for another three months. I will come to you again then and give you detailed information on the Abyss of Chaos, along with a token." With that, the Youyue Prefect waved her fair hand, and a crescent-shaped jade talisman flew toward Lin Yinuo. "With this talisman, you may freely enter and leave the territory under my Youyue Prefecture's jurisdiction. Golden Flame Castle's people will not dare set foot there lightly. For these three months, you can cultivate and prepare without worry."

As her words fell, her figure dissolved into motes of moonlight and dispersed in the courtyard.

Lin Yinuo held the cool yet faintly warm Crescent Moon Jade Talisman, a keen light flickering in his eyes.

The Abyss of Chaos... perfect. Over these three months, I can try to further fuse the Destruction Rule with the other Laws and familiarize myself with a Midgod's power. At last, there is a glimmer of hope in the trail leading to the Sovereign Spark!

He tightened his grip on the jade talisman, sensing the faint aura of the Moonlight Law within it, along with the weight of a promise.

The night over the inner city remained deep. But Lin Yinuo knew that beneath the calm lay even more turbulent undercurrents. And he was about to step willingly into this vortex, for that supreme power, and to uncover the ultimate secrets of the system and Hongmeng.

His journey had never stopped.