Chapter 200: Fighting Alone

"Old Lin, these bastards are quite a handful!"

Zhang Tianhua swung his fist to knock down a Black-Clad Man, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his chest heaving violently. He shook his numb wrist, his gaze remaining sharp.

Lin Yu did not answer, focusing on the battle before him. With a slight flick of his wrist, several Silver Needles tore through the air, and accompanied by a few muffled groans, more enemies fell. He swept his peripheral vision to the left; Xuanyuan Qing seemed to be handling things over there as well.

"Qing, girl, how is it on your side?" Lin Yu asked during a moment of respite.

Xuanyuan Qing's hands flew, nimbly dodging a punch and countering with an elbow strike: "It's fine. Although there are many of these guys, none of them are top-tier experts."

The three of them temporarily stabilized the situation, forming a defensive circle back-to-back, blocking the siege of the Tongtian Pavilion members. The surroundings were pitch black with Tongtian Pavilion underlings, with no end in sight.

Lin Yu took the opportunity to look around, his heart sinking. The layout of this place was hidden and heavily guarded; it was clearly an important stronghold of the Tongtian Pavilion. They had likely walked right into the enemy's Nest.

"Damn it!" Zhang Tianhua cursed angrily, kicking away an attacker, who flew three meters away. "This damn thing, it's endless, isn't it?"

The crowd suddenly parted, and a tall man walked out slowly. His face was cold and stern, his eyes like knives; one could tell at a glance that his status was extraordinary.

"The leader has appeared." Lin Yu narrowed his eyes, feeling an invisible pressure rushing toward him.

The leader walked a few steps closer, his gaze sweeping over the three of them one by one: "None of you are leaving here alive today!" His voice was hoarse, like grinding gravel.

Lin Yu took a deep breath, gripping the Silver Needles in his hand tighter. He knew this was a big problem; the opponent's True Qi was solid, and his strength was clearly above that of the ordinary underlings.

The leader suddenly attacked, his figure flashing like a ghost in front of Lin Yu, throwing a punch. Lin Yu blocked in a hurry, only to feel his arm go numb, and he staggered back two steps.

"Such fast speed!" Lin Yu was secretly shocked, barely steadying himself.

The opponent's offensive was continuous like a tidal wave, and Lin Yu was forced to retreat step by step. This won't do! Lin Yu frowned, fragments of Yan Nanshan's Martial Arts Memory flashing through his mind.

"Ao Fist Three Essentials—Fast, Ruthless, Accurate." Lin Yu's gaze gradually became sharp, and his movements began to change.

He no longer defended passively, but actively sought opportunities to counterattack. The True Qi in his body began to surge, circulating through his meridians throughout his entire body. Lin Yu felt his strength multiply, and his movements became increasingly agile.

The leader seemed to notice Lin Yu's change, and his offensive became even more ferocious. The two exchanged blows, stirring up a wave of air.

Lin Yu fought more bravely as the battle went on, a bright light flashing in his eyes. Finally, during an exchange, he discovered a momentary opening under the opponent's ribs.

"Now!"

Lin Yu feigned a retreat, but in reality, he raised his right hand, and three Silver Needles shot out like meteors, heading straight for the opponent's vital points.

"Ah!" The leader screamed, clutching his chest and staggering back, his eyes full of disbelief. He looked down at the Silver Needles stuck in his chest, his expression twisted: "You... you actually..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, and he was silent.

"Got one!" Lin Yu loosened his wrist, but there was no joy on his face.

"Old Lin, I'm finished on my side!" Zhang Tianhua patted the dust off his body, behind him were seven or eight enemies lying on the ground unable to get up.

Xuanyuan Qing had also basically finished cleaning up her side. She scanned the surroundings, her gaze suddenly drawn to a corner: "Lin Shu, I found a door over there!"

She walked over quickly and pushed open the inconspicuous little door. A cold, gloomy aura rushed toward her, making her shiver involuntarily.

"This... seems to be a passageway?" Xuanyuan Qing poked her head in to look, then retreated.

Lin Yu walked over to check. The passageway was bottomless and pitch black, as if it could swallow all light. After a long time, he slowly spoke: "This passageway is likely the one leading to Tianyuan!"

"Let's go, let's take a look!" Zhang Tianhua patted his weapon, eager to try.

"Be careful, don't be careless." Lin Yu reminded, "Since the Tongtian Pavilion set up a point here, there must be more ambushes inside."

The three of them walked into the passageway, and the surroundings immediately became pitch black. Lin Yu took a glow stick out of his pocket, snapped it, and the faint light illuminated the area a few meters ahead.

"There seems to be a fork in the road ahead." Xuanyuan Qing said in a low voice.

"Tell me, do you think we're walking right into a trap?" Zhang Tianhua suddenly asked, his tone carrying a bit of mockery.

Xuanyuan Qing retorted crossly: "Shut your crow's mouth! What time is it, and you're still saying such unlucky things."

The deeper they walked into the passageway, the colder and damper the air became, as if they had entered the depths of the earth.

Lin Yu took the lead, Zhang Tianhua brought up the rear, and Xuanyuan Qing was sandwiched in the middle; the three of them moved forward cautiously.

"This place is wicked." Zhang Tianhua lowered his voice, "It feels like we've entered another world."

Strange runes flickered on the walls along the way, emitting an eerie glow in the dimness. Lin Yu reached out to touch them from time to time, wanting to see if there were any mechanisms or traps.

A blinding white light suddenly appeared at the end of the passageway, so intense that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open. The three of them instinctively closed their eyes, and when they opened them again, the scene before them had changed drastically.

"This is..." Xuanyuan Qing was too shocked to speak.

Before them was no longer a narrow, dark passageway, but a vast, boundless space.

"Tianyuan..." Lin Yu whispered, his heart filled with indescribable shock.

Zhang Tianhua whistled: "Damn, this place is even more outrageous than I imagined."

"Lin Shu, look over there!" Xuanyuan Qing suddenly pointed into the distance.

Following the direction of her finger, Lin Yu saw several figures engaged in a fierce battle on a large rock platform. Amidst the flashing blades and swords, one could vaguely see several Black-Clad Men besieging an old man in a gray robe.

"It's the Qin Family War God!" Lin Yu immediately recognized the old man, "Let's go, let's go help!"

The three of them moved quickly along the light bridge. Suddenly, a black shadow pounced from the side, its speed astonishingly fast.

"Careful!" Lin Yu shouted, pushing Xuanyuan Qing away at the same time.

The black shadow brushed past, and only then did Lin Yu see clearly—it was a monster resembling a lizard but with six legs, its entire body as black as ink, its eyes glowing with an eerie red light.

"What the hell is this!" Zhang Tianhua cursed and raised his hand to fire a shot.

The bullet hit the monster but only left a shallow pit. The monster let out a shrill scream and pounced again.

"This thing has such thick skin that it's not even afraid of bullets?" Zhang Tianhua's eyes widened.

Lin Yu flicked his wrist, and several Silver Needles tore through the air, accurately piercing the monster's eyes. The monster let out a miserable scream, lost its balance, fell off the light bridge, and disappeared into the void below.

"Otherworldly Creature..." Lin Yu frowned, "It seems the seal has loosened."

"What is an Otherworldly Creature?" Xuanyuan Qing asked immediately after.

Lin Yu explained as he walked: "It is said to be a creature from another space, usually possessing extraordinary abilities and eerie forms. The Qin Family Elder once mentioned that if the Tianyuan seal loosens, these things will crawl out."

The three of them quickened their pace and soon reached the battlefield. The Qin Family War God was being besieged by five Black-Clad experts, with multiple wounds on his body, blood staining his gray robe; the situation was extremely critical.

"Old thing, if you're sensible, hand over the Jade Pendant!" The leading Black-Clad Man had a cold sneer on his lips.

"Dream on!" The Qin Family War God shouted angrily, sweeping his long sword horizontally to force back several Black-Clad Men, "Even if I die, I won't let you succeed!"

Lin Yu no longer hesitated and charged directly into the fray. Silver Needles fell like rain, instantly felling two Black-Clad Men. Zhang Tianhua and Xuanyuan Qing also each locked onto their targets and launched their attacks.

"Who are you?" the Qin Family War God asked vigilantly, the tip of his sword pointing straight at Lin Yu.

"The Qin Family Elder sent us to provide support," Lin Yu answered briefly, his hands not stopping as he took down another Black-Clad Man.

Upon hearing this, the Qin Family War God relaxed his vigilance slightly: "You have come at just the right time; Tongtian Pavilion has already attacked the Seal Core!"

After working together to finish off the remaining Black-Clad Men, the Qin Family War God pointed toward the largest rock platform in the distance: "That is the Seal Core; the other War Gods are there right now preventing Tongtian Pavilion from destroying the seal."

The group moved quickly along the light bridge. Along the way, they encountered several more Otherworldly Creatures; some looked like scorpions but had wolf heads, while others were semi-transparent floating objects, all of which were repelled by the combined efforts of Lin Yu and the others.

"These monsters are becoming more and more numerous," Zhang Tianhua said, wiping his gun barrel; his magazine was nearly empty.

Finally, they reached the Seal Core.

Over a dozen Qin Family War Gods were locked in a deadly struggle with dozens of Tongtian Pavilion experts. In the center of the platform was a massive formation, and at the heart of the formation was a Heaven-Reaching Stone Pillar, covered in ancient runes and emitting a faint glow.

"That is the Seal Core!" the Qin Family War God said, pointing at the stone pillar. "We must stop Tongtian Pavilion from destroying it!"

Lin Yu scanned the battlefield and quickly locked onto the main force of Tongtian Pavilion—a burly middle-aged man who was directing his subordinates to approach the stone pillar.

"You go help the other War Gods; leave that one to me!" After saying this, Lin Yu charged directly toward the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man sensed Lin Yu approaching, turned around, and sneered: "Another one here to throw his life away."

Lin Yu did not waste words; the Silver Needles flew from his hands. The middle-aged man did not dodge or evade, allowing the Silver Needles to pierce his body, his expression remaining unchanged.

"You dare to show off such petty tricks in front of me?" The middle-aged man grinned hideously and suddenly struck, his speed astonishingly fast.

Lin Yu barely avoided a vital spot, but he still took a palm strike to his chest; his Qi and blood surged instantly, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"So strong!" Alarm bells rang in Lin Yu's heart. This person's strength far exceeded any opponent he had encountered before!

The middle-aged man pressed his advantage, his fists and kicks like the wind, every move lethal. Lin Yu was forced to retreat repeatedly, barely able to parry, feeling secretly anxious.