North of the Emperor Pass!
Inside a black palace suspended in mid-air.
The eerie green flame suddenly flickered violently, as if something had breathed a breath from within.
The man in black robes sat in the main seat, with three gray-robed cultivators kneeling before him, each with their heads bowed and their backs trembling slightly.
"The third batch... also failed?"
The black-robed man's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine, like a knife being slowly pushed along a whetstone.
The gray-robed monk at the head whispered, "They're all dead!"
The man in black robes asked, "What did the Seven Kills Hall say?"
The gray-robed cultivator said, " The Seven Kills Hall has indicated they will not send a second group unless the price is increased."
The man in black remained silent for two breaths.
Then he slowly stood up, and the dark law around him surged for a moment like an oil sea that had been ignited, before he forcibly suppressed it.
"Waste."
The man in black robes remained silent for a moment, then a sinister smile suddenly appeared on his lips, "Add more if you want. As long as we can obtain the Immortal Seed, this price is nothing."
The gray-robed monk wanted to say something more.
But the man in black robes had already raised his hand, interrupting him. "No need to wait any longer. Use the maximum resources available and request the Seven Kills Hall to dispatch elder-level assassins."
"If it doesn't work the first time, try again; if it doesn't work the second time, try a third time. Keep killing him until he can't even get into the Emperor Pass."
A look of shock appeared on the gray-robed cultivator's face. "Elder-level? Those are assassins at the peak of the Peak Quasi-Emperor level... Sending out even one would cost an astronomical sum..."
"I said, the Immortal Seed is more important." The black-robed man's tone left no room for argument. "Moreover, that junior from the Lin Clan is already far more troublesome than I imagined. Giving him more time to grow will be a great calamity for our clan."
The gray-robed monk dared not say anything more and bowed as he withdrew.
Inside the hall, the man in black robes sat alone in the eerie green firelight, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his gaze fixed on the void, lost in thought.
" Lin Dong... Lin Dong's son... The Lin Clan is truly a scourge."
He muttered to himself, "But it doesn't matter. Even the most monstrous genius won't survive to the end; he'll just be a corpse."
Outside the Emperor Pass!
The No Man's Land, a relatively remote corner.
Lin Fan fought his way through, killing his way through.
The assassins sent by the Seven Kills Hall came one after another, like they were being delivered on an assembly line. He signed for them one by one like receiving packages, and each one landed dead.
He was hungry after killing almost all the animals!
I just picked a random spot and grabbed something to eat.
A few old locust trees grew crookedly in the corner of an abandoned courtyard, their branches and leaves sparse, letting in a few rays of moonlight.
Lin Fan sat on an open space in the courtyard, with a bonfire burning in front of him. The fire wasn't big, but it warmed the surrounding air.
He took out the familiar big black pot from his storage ring, placed it on the fire, and skillfully poured half a pot of oil into it.
"Since Ji Kun isn't here, I'll have to do it myself." He muttered to himself as he pulled out a few pieces of refrigerated meat from his storage ring and slowly roasted them over the fire.
The meat chunks quickly turned golden brown, and the sizzling sound of the fat dripping onto the fire mingled with the aroma of meat, spreading in the night breeze.
"Hmm, it's been too long since I've baked anything, I'm a bit rusty."
He tore off a piece of meat, chewed it twice, and nodded in satisfaction.
These days haven't been peaceful, but at least for now, he can sit down quietly and enjoy a barbecue without worrying about those eyes lurking in the shadows.
But he knew in his heart that the quiet was only temporary.
He had fought his way from the Mysterious Pass Ancient Road to this place, killing so many assassins that he could hardly remember them all.
The people behind those individuals will never give up just because a few have been lost.
I just don't know who it could be!
He picked up a piece of meat, blew on it to cool it down, and was about to put it in his mouth when his gaze suddenly sharpened slightly.
His hand holding the meat skewer paused for a moment, and his Double Pupils flickered slightly without his deliberate activation, a flash of purplish-gold light passing through the depths of his pupils.
"Aren't you tired of hiding your true intentions all the time?"
Then he put down the meat skewer, his voice neither loud nor soft, carrying in the night breeze like a pebble dropped into still water, creating a silent ripple.
A moment of silence followed, then a very faint cracking sound suddenly came from the void, like ice cracking in the middle.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
Some were humanoid, some were beast-like, and some had no fixed form; all were shrouded in dark laws, like fragments peeled from the shadows.
They silently gathered in places where the moonlight couldn't reach.
Dark creatures, and puppets corrupted by the Law of Darkness.
Their aura was cold and decaying, like something crawling out from the depths of the underworld, each breath carrying an ancient chill that instinctively repelled people.
The leader was a head taller than the surrounding dark puppets, and wore a dark blue Qingtong mask with blood-red eyes beneath it.
He stood there like an iron stake driven into the ground, his aura Peak Quasi-Emperor slowly and evenly spreading out, enveloping the entire courtyard in an invisible pressure.
" The Lin Clan son is indeed extraordinary."
The Qingtong- masked man's voice was hoarse and deep, like two dry planks rubbing against each other, "No wonder he was able to fight his way all the way to the gates of Emperor Pass."
Lin Fan tilted his head, looked at them, then looked down at the half-eaten piece of roast meat in his hand, and sighed with slight disdain, "You guys, of course you come, but you had to come when this imperial prince is eating."
"Can't you have some professionalism? At least wait until I finish eating before you start eating."
You've disturbed my appetite!
Lin Fan's eyes were cold; he had unexpectedly encountered a dark creature in the No Man's Land.
Dark creatures are everywhere. It seems that the situation in the Emperor Pass is far more serious than he is, and they have probably already infiltrated the entire Emperor Pass!
"Hand over the Immortal Seed, or even if your father comes tonight, he won't be able to save you."
The Qingtong- masked man ignored his complaints, slowly raising his right hand, his scarlet eyes fixed on Lin Fan, his voice carrying an undeniable coldness.
"You're wrong about that!"
"My father is here. You bunch of ugly bastards aren't even worth a single blow from his sword."
Lin Fan stuffed the last bite of meat into his mouth, chewed it twice, swallowed it, then stood up and clapped his hands.
The crimson light in the Qingtong- masked man's eyes flashed for a moment. "Attack!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dozens of dark creatures and puppets around him moved simultaneously, surging in from all directions like a black tide.
Lin Fan stood still, without making any unnecessary movements.
He simply raised his right hand, fingers spread wide!
The Chaos Qi condensed in his palm into a gray-gold light screen, like an invisible barrier, blocking all the surging dark creatures three feet away.
"Boom!"
The light barrier trembled slightly, and the dark creatures shattered the moment they collided with it, turning into countless black fragments that tumbled in the air for a moment before reforming.
"Oh? It can be resurrected?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "That's impressive."
The Qingtong- masked man sneered, "Darkness is immortal and indestructible; you can't kill it all. If you know what's good for you, hand over the Immortal Seed, and I might leave you a whole corpse."