Night deepened, and the villa fell quiet.
The lights in Zhou Yan's room had long since gone out. After an entire afternoon of training under Lin Jin, the kid had fallen asleep the moment he hit the bed. His snores were faintly audible even through two doors.
Lin Jin remained seated cross-legged on the third-floor terrace, faint natural energy swirling around him.
Cultivating Sage Mode required deep integration with the natural environment, and the quiet of the night was even more suitable.
At midnight.
Lin Jin suddenly opened his eyes.
Within the perception of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the presence that had been spying on him during the day appeared again.
It was in the same place as before, in the woods outside the villa complex.
The presence was clearer than before, and closer.
Roughly mid-stage Domain Realm, with steady, restrained energy fluctuations. It did not seem like an ordinary awakened.
More importantly, that presence faintly revealed a distinctive quality.
That quality intrigued Lin Jin.
A Bloodline Inheritor?
The corners of Lin Jin's mouth lifted slightly. They had come after all.
He stood and looked into the distant darkness. It was only because the other party had no killing intent and merely intended to observe that the day had passed so peacefully.
But since his visitor had come, he ought to go say hello.
Lin Jin disturbed no one, not even letting a trace of his presence escape.
His figure flickered, vanishing from the terrace.
Outside the villa complex, deep in the woods.
Blood Twelve stood on the branch of a large tree, his figure concealed in the shadows of its leaves.
From this position, he could clearly see the villa's third-floor terrace.
But now, the terrace was empty.
Blood Twelve frowned slightly.
He was clearly there just now. How did he suddenly disappear?
He was about to expand his range of perception when a calm voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Were you looking for me?"
Blood Twelve's pupils contracted sharply, and his body instantly tensed.
He spun around.
Under the moonlight, a black-clad figure stood less than three meters behind him.
Short black hair, dark casual clothes, hands in his pockets, and a calm expression.
It was Lin Jin.
Shock surged through Blood Twelve's heart.
When did he get here?
My mid-stage Domain Realm perception didn't pick up a thing!
"You..." Blood Twelve began, his voice a little dry. "You noticed me long ago?"
Lin Jin looked at him without answering and asked a question instead.
"Are you with Blood Momentum?"
Blood Twelve froze.
"You know about Blood Momentum?"
Lin Jin offered no explanation, merely watching him quietly.
Beneath the night sky, those black eyes were as calm as still water, yet carried an invisible pressure.
Blood Twelve took a deep breath, suppressing his shock.
He knew the man before him was far stronger than he had imagined.
But his pride as a Bloodline Inheritor made him unwilling to concede just like that.
"Before I answer your question, I'd like to find out for myself just how strong someone who can solo an S-Rank Weird Domain really is."
As soon as he finished speaking, Blood Twelve's aura surged.
Blood-red energy poured from his body, instantly covering him and forming a pair of illusory crimson wings behind his back.
That was his bloodline ability, Blood Wings!
With his mid-stage Domain Realm cultivation and the enhancement of his bloodline, his combat strength approached the late Domain Realm.
His figure flashed with astonishing speed, instantly appearing before Lin Jin. His right hand formed a claw and went straight for Lin Jin's throat.
He held nothing back in this strike.
Against a mysterious Bloodline Inheritor capable of killing an S-Rank Weird alone, holding back was asking to die.
A trace of interest flashed through Lin Jin's eyes.
This was his first time fighting a Bloodline Inheritor in this world.
This aura was indeed different from that of an ordinary awakened.
But... that was all.
He made no move to dodge, not even shifting his position.
The instant Blood Twelve's claw was about to touch his throat, he turned slightly sideways.
The claw swept past his neck, stirring a sharp gust.
Blood Twelve's pupils contracted.
He dodged it?
And so effortlessly!
He did not give up. With a beat of his Blood Wings, his body changed direction unnaturally in midair, and his other hand swept across, crimson edges gathering between his five fingers.
Lin Jin raised his right hand, gathered chakra, and casually blocked.
Thud!
The two forces collided, sending a shock wave outward that shook the surrounding trees into a rustling frenzy.
Blood Twelve felt as though he had struck a mountain of iron. His arm went numb, and his body faltered.
But Lin Jin gave him no chance to catch his breath.
He turned his hand, seized Blood Twelve's wrist, and yanked hard.
Blood Twelve was pulled off balance, pitching forward.
The next instant, Lin Jin's knee drove into his abdomen.
Thud!
Blood Twelve grunted and doubled over like a shrimp, nearly throwing up.
But he was also an experienced fighter. Enduring the intense pain, he flung his Blood Wings wide, sending countless crimson feathers shooting toward Lin Jin like a torrential downpour.
Lin Jin released him and shot backward, avoiding the feathers.
The feathers struck the tree trunks behind him, instantly piercing several large trees and leaving them riddled with holes.
Blood Twelve seized the opportunity to steady himself, panting heavily.
In just a few seconds of fighting, he had already fallen completely on the back foot.
This man is too strong.
His strength, speed, and reactions all far surpass mine.
And he clearly isn't using his full strength.
"Is that all?" Lin Jin stood where he was, his tone calm.
Blood Twelve gritted his teeth.
He knew he was no match, but they were the same age and both Bloodline Inheritors. He refused to believe the gap between them could be so vast.
His Blood Wings spread once more. This time, he summoned all his power.
Crimson energy gathered in his palm, forming a long blood-red spear.
That was his bloodline combat technique, Blood Spear!
This strike was powerful enough to severely injure someone at his own level.
He hurled the Blood Spear, its crimson light tearing through the night sky straight toward Lin Jin.
Watching the streak of bloody light shoot toward him, Lin Jin finally showed a trace of seriousness in his eyes.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan activated!
"Kamui."
Space twisted before him, forming a vortex visible to the naked eye.
The instant the crimson spear entered the vortex, it vanished without a trace.
Blood Twelve froze.
My strongest strike is just... gone?
Is this his bloodline gift? A pair of scarlet eyes?
Lin Jin withdrew his ocular power, and the spatial vortex disappeared.
He looked at Blood Twelve and spoke calmly.
"Do you still want to continue?"
Blood Twelve stood there, panting heavily, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He knew conventional methods offered no chance of victory, but he had no intention of stopping here.
"You're strong," he said gravely. "But I haven't used the true power of the Domain Realm yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crimson energy around Blood Twelve erupted. Blood-red light instantly enveloped everything within a hundred-meter radius of him.
An enormous crimson domain burst open!
Within the domain, the air grew thick, and eerie crimson patterns appeared on the ground. Those patterns writhed like blood vessels, radiating a pressure that made the heart tremble.
Even more terrifyingly, everything within the domain was being eroded. Trees withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, fallen leaves turned to ash, and even the moonlight was stained blood-red.
Blood Twelve stood at the center of the domain, the Blood Wings behind him growing more solid, like real wings. He hovered in midair, crimson mist swirling around him, like a blood asura descended from hell.
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