Chapter 62: Compensation Fee

He Jingfeng did not reply, only curled his lips and made a throat-slitting gesture toward Elijah, then vanished again.

…This is an assassin!

Elijah’s heart sank; he exchanged a glance with the other outsiders around him.

Everyone hardened their expressions, adopting combat stances and watching Lin Yu with caution.

Lin Yu smiled faintly, loosening his fingers as the deformed bullet fell to the ground.

“I’ve heard that Eastern Qi cultivation and Western alchemy are the two most systematic paths.”

“Now that I’ve seen Eastern Qi cultivation, it truly is a path to the heavens—but your Western alchemy seems utterly worthless.”

“Is that so?” Elijah sneered. “Then today, I’ll let you see for yourself!”

Saying this, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

“Bang!”

With the gunshot, the foreign outsiders sprang into action.

The Muay Thai master Chong slammed his foot down, shattering the ground as he shot toward Lin Yu like an arrow.

Beside him, the ascetic Hongda stepped forward, swiftly circling to the other side to prepare for a pincer attack.

Lin Yu paid no attention to their movements.

His gaze swept forward—the crimson beam hurtling toward him exploded into a burst of flame.

“Perfect opportunity!”

Chong’s eyes lit up; he twisted his waist midair, using the flame to obscure Lin Yu’s vision, and lashed out a brutal spinning kick toward the shadow behind the fire.

“Whoo—”

The fierce wind scattered the flame—but halted three feet before Lin Yu’s body.

So did Chong’s kick—and his entire body, frozen in midair!

How is this possible?!

Chong hung suspended, face filled with shock, as if bound by invisible force—no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free.

“What kind of power is this?!”

“Just a simple binding spell…”

Lin Yu replied coolly, then raised his hand and effortlessly gripped Chong’s throat.

The next instant, a torrent of spiritual force flooded into his mind, searching his memories without harming his soul.

“Let me see… Muay Thai, and a life-enhancing living parasite. Is that all you’ve got?”

Lin Yu frowned, slightly disappointed.

He casually tossed Chong to the ground, then reached out his palm into empty air above him.

Instantly, thick black mist rose from Chong’s body, coalescing into a twisted, worm-like form in midair.

At the same time, the ascetic Hongda behind him charged forward, spewing a torrent of gold-and-red flame.

The flames roared, blazing with searing heat toward Lin Yu’s back.

But just before reaching three feet from Lin Yu’s body, the gold-and-red fire abruptly split apart, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

Lin Yu ignored the flames behind him, swept his sleeve to collect the parasite, and glanced at the immobilized Chong on the ground.

“Forget Muay Thai—this living parasite is interesting enough. Consider it your compensation!”

Seeing the flames ineffective, Hongda leapt backward, creating distance, and shouted: “Watch out—he has an invisible barrier around his body. That’s his protective technique!”

“We’ve seen it!”

Elijah fired repeatedly, sending streams of light that slammed into Lin Yu’s wind barrier.

But unfortunately, his wind barrier wasn't some inferior product like Su Haoming's—even this clone's Foundation Establishment-level barrier possessed defense strong enough to withstand missile strikes.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The streams of light tore through the air, either exploding against the barrier or deflecting off in other directions.

Elijah gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly: “I’ve fired so many rounds—still no sign of weakening. Does this damn protective barrier have no upper limit?!”

Thinking this, Elijah roared: “Vesta, enhance my—”

His voice cut off abruptly; he turned in shock toward the ground behind him.

There, the towering Vesta lay on the ground, eyes bloodshot, veins on his neck swollen and black—clearly poisoned by something insidious.

“What the hell?!”

Elijah stared in disbelief: “Even an A Lang who uses Runic script can be poisoned?”

Correct—Vesta was merely a pseudonym. His real name was A Lang Jirale, a alchemist of the Runic Sect, possessing power over Runic script.

At that moment, a dagger wrapped in Qi silently stabbed toward him.

Elijah remained unaware until the blade pierced his sleeve, bringing a sharp sting—he snapped his head around and delivered a brutal spinning kick backward.

“Whoo—”

The kick swept through empty air; the figure standing there had vanished.

So fast!

Elijah’s heart sank; he steadied himself, raising his gun warily.

The instant he raised his right arm, numbness spread from the wound.

“Damn, this dagger is poisoned—not just with Qi toxin, but a special neurotoxin too…”

This is trouble…

Elijah gritted his teeth, switched the silver revolver to his left hand, and watched his surroundings with grim caution.

At the same moment, Lin Yu turned around, watching Hongda behind him with interest.

“The flame you just released—that’s Kundalini from Hindu practice, isn’t it?”

Hindu cultivation methods are extremely similar to Tibetan Buddhist techniques, and their arts overlap somewhat with Eastern Qi cultivation.

For instance, that Kundalini flame—it’s composed entirely of Qi, just like the flames of the Fire Virtue Sect, allowing Hongda to control it as freely as his own body.

“Not bad.”

Lin Yu smiled, raising his right hand, fingers open, and grasped forward.

Instantly, a terrifying suction force appeared out of nowhere.

Hongda’s face twisted in shock; before he could mount any real resistance, his body lifted into the air, hurtling like a streak of light toward Lin Yu, and was snatched into his palm.

A few seconds later, Lin Yu released his grip, letting the unconscious Hongda drop to the ground.

“Hatha yoga techniques and Hindu cultivation methods—consider these your compensation!”

Lin Yu turned back, ignoring the unconscious Hongda and Chong at his feet, and fixed his gaze on Elijah—the only one still standing.

At this moment, Elijah was locked in a standoff with the hidden He Jingfeng.

Lin Yu observed He Jingfeng with interest, noticing how he skillfully combined Shadow Walk and Illusory Veil to achieve dual concealment—visually and in presence.

As long as he suppressed his own Qi signature, even if the opponent sensed with Qi, they could not detect his form.

“Looks like this guy isn’t just a gunner~”

Lin Yu murmured in admiration: “This technique rivals even the old masters of the Tang Sect…”

Of course, this referred only to concealment—his Qi cultivation level was still far behind.

At that moment, He Jingfeng finally moved.

He slipped soundlessly within three feet of Elijah, his dagger wrapped in a Qi glow that nullified resistance, striking like lightning toward Elijah’s only intact arm.

“Got you!”

Elijah whirled around, blue pupils revealing two strange characters.

The next instant, he stomped the ground hard, retreating as he pulled distance, raising his left arm despite the risk of being slashed, aiming his gun squarely at He Jingfeng.

He Jingfeng had no intention of trading blows.

He missed, withdrew instantly—clean, precise, no hesitation.

But Elijah had already fired—the blue Qi bullet shot out, curving midair to lock onto He Jingfeng’s body.

He Jingfeng frowned: “A tracking bullet?”

Since retreat was impossible, he had no choice but to press forward.

He Jingfeng swiftly assessed the situation, stepped forward, and slashed—cutting the blue Qi bullet cleanly in two.

Unfortunately, this act left a mark on him; no matter how he concealed himself afterward, the blue Qi bullet would forever lock onto his position.

Lin Yu watched the duel with keen interest.

Only when He Jingfeng suffered a minor scratch on his arm did Lin Yu finally clap his hands.

“Clap. Clap.”

The crisp sound echoed across the open ground.

He Jingfeng glanced at Lin Yu, sheathed his dagger, and silently stepped back behind him.

Elijah also halted, watching Lin Yu with grave caution: “Who exactly are you?”

Lin Yu smiled lightly: “I already said—we’re just passersby.”

“Don’t give me that!”

Elijah shook his head, glancing at He Jingfeng behind Lin Yu: “I don’t know your background, but this man—isn’t he the Holy Wind of the Spear of God?”

(End of Chapter)