Chapter 14

Inside the abandoned drainage ditch, the smell of mold and dampness permeated. Lin Xuan changed back into his blue cloth clothes, sat cross-legged, his eyes sharp as an eagle.

The threat of the Youming Sect was like a sword hanging over his head, but he, Lin Xuan, was never one to sit and wait for death.

"Want to catch me as a sacrifice? Then let's see who is the real hunter!" He felt ruthless in his heart, and an extremely bold, even crazy plan gradually became clear.

He sank his consciousness into the system mall. The large amount of slacking off points he had harvested now had a place to be used. He needed some things that could save his life and support him in implementing his plan.

First, an escape technique! "Ghost Shadow Step" is good, but it's still lacking for long-distance raids and extreme life-saving. He set his sights on a secret technique called "Blood Escape Art," which burns a small amount of essence blood to instantly burst out several times the speed, a trump card for life-saving. Exchange!

Secondly, concealment and disguise. The previous "Turtle Breath Art" and "Thousand-Face Phantom" were only entry-level; he needed stronger ones. "Shadow Concealment Art"—can blend into shadows, greatly reducing the probability of being detected by spiritual sense; "Hundred Transformations"—a more profound disguise technique, can simulate others' auras (effect weakened against higher-rank cultivators). Exchange!

Thirdly, attack and crowd control. Facing possible encirclement, he needed area-of-effect and control skills. "Entanglement Art"—urging vines to bind enemies; "Soul-Bewitching Smoke" recipe—a low-rank medicinal powder that can cause hallucinations, used in conjunction with his "lime powder," the effect is even better. Exchange!

Finally, and most importantly—"Breath Restraining Art (Enhanced Version)," which can perfectly simulate the illusion of "aura decay" and "severe internal injury"! This is the key to his plan!

After a round of exchanges, the tens of thousands of slacking off points he had just obtained were almost exhausted, but what he got in return was a huge improvement in survival ability and the ability to implement conspiracies!

He did not go out immediately, but began to practice these new spells right there in the drainage ditch. With the system's infusion and the assistance of the Bilin Pill, plus his own Foundation Establishment Stage 7 (peak, about to break through to 8) foundation, he mastered them extremely quickly.

Three days later.

In a relatively remote market in the south district of Qingyun City, a "down-and-out cultivator" with a pale face, floating steps, and a withered aura appeared. He wore an old robe that had been washed white, looking around nervously from time to time, as if avoiding something.

It was Lin Xuan after careful disguise!

His current state perfectly interpreted the image of someone "seriously injured, forcibly suppressing it, but having to go out for some reason." This was exactly the effect he wanted—a bait that looked weak but was "alive and kicking."

He did not deliberately look for the gray-robed merchant, but "inadvertently" appeared a few times near teahouses and pharmacies where there might be Youming Sect eyes or Zhao Clan spies, and "accidentally" leaked a trace of weak spiritual power fluctuation that was of the same origin as his original aura but extremely unstable.

After doing all this, he quickly hid in a "wanderer's inn" full of mixed people next to the market like a frightened bird, asked for the cheapest and innermost room, and stayed behind closed doors.

He knew that the fish would take the bait soon.

Sure enough, that night.

"Creak—"

The door was pushed open by an invisible force, without making any footsteps, three ghost-like figures appeared silently in the room, forming a triangular formation, surrounding Lin Xuan who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, seemingly practicing to heal his injuries.

The leader was none other than the gray-robed merchant! Behind him were two men with hollow eyes, cold auras, and wearing black tight-fitting clothes, clearly disciples of the Youming Sect.

"It really is you." The gray-robed merchant's hoarse voice carried a trace of satisfaction, "It made us search hard."

Lin Xuan "suddenly" opened his eyes, his face showing "extreme terror," struggling to get up, but "triggering his injuries," coughing violently, and even "spilling" a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth (forced out with pills and spiritual power).

"Who... who are you?! What do you want?" His voice was "weak" and "trembling."

The gaze under the gray-robed merchant's hood was like a poisonous snake, carefully sizing up Lin Xuan, sensing his "decaying" aura and "seriously injured" state, and the last trace of doubt in his heart dissipated. It seems that the previous failure of the tracking compass and the disappearance of the aura were indeed because he used some secret technique to conceal himself, and the price of using that secret technique was his current serious injury!

"Come with us, kid." The gray-robed merchant's tone was unquestionable, "The 'luck' you carry is of great use to my sect. Cooperate obediently, or you might suffer less pain."

"Dream on!" Lin Xuan roared "fiercely but weakly," his hands "panicked" as he formed seals, and several weak spiritual power arrows shot toward the three!

"Stubborn!" A black-clad disciple snorted coldly, waving his hand, and a strand of black energy easily dispersed the spiritual power arrows. Another disciple stepped forward directly, a chain flashing with ghostly light appearing in his hand, throwing it toward Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan "struggled" to dodge, his figure staggering, appearing extremely miserable, but in the end, he was "powerless to turn the tide" and was tied up tightly by the ghostly chain. Once the chain was on his body, a cold force instantly invaded his body, trying to seal his spiritual power.

However, when this force touched the pure Foundation Establishment spiritual power in Lin Xuan's dantian, it was deceived by the "collapse" illusion he had secretly simulated by operating the "Breath Restraining Art," and failed to truly penetrate and seal it. On the surface, Lin Xuan cooperated by showing an expression of "despair" and the pain of "spiritual power being sealed."

"Take him away!" The gray-robed merchant waved his hand.

A black-clad disciple picked up the "weak" Lin Xuan like a chicken, and the three disappeared into the night as silently as they had come.

Lin Xuan was "obediently" taken away, but he sneered repeatedly in his heart.

Step one, success! Infiltrated!

He was taken out of Qingyun City to a desolate valley outside the city. The valley was filled with faint black mist, and the air was filled with a cold death aura. Deep in the valley, the entrance to a cave dwelling that had been temporarily opened could be vaguely seen, with a simple concealment array at the entrance.

This should be the Netherworld Sect's temporary stronghold near Qingyun City.

Entering the cave, the interior was more spacious than imagined, with stones emitting a miserable green light embedded in the walls, reflecting the entire space like a ghost realm. In the center of the cave, a complex and bizarre blood-colored array was carved, and at the core of the array, a blurry black statue emitting an ominous aura was worshipped—presumably the prototype or projection of the so-called "holy object."

Besides the gray-robed merchant (who seemed to be the person in charge here, called Deacon You) and two black-clad disciples, there were three other Youming Sect disciples on duty in the cave.

"Lord Youying, the target has been brought." A disciple reported respectfully to Deacon You.

Deacon You (gray-robed merchant) nodded, looking at the black statue with burning eyes, and said hoarsely: "Very good! The holy object has already sensed this fresh and unique luck! Start preparing the ritual, sacrifice him, help the holy object absorb the luck, and condense a clone!"

Two disciples immediately dragged Lin Xuan to the edge of the blood-colored array, preparing to push him into the array.

Now is the time!

A flash of light shone in Lin Xuan's eyes, and the aura that had been suppressed all along erupted! The spiritual power of the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage 7 surged out like a tide!

"What?!"

"He's not injured?!"

"Bad! It's a trap!"

Deacon You and several disciples' faces changed drastically!

"Only just realized? Too late!" Lin Xuan shouted, and the "Entanglement Art" was instantly activated! Countless tough vines burst out from the ground, entangling toward the two nearest disciples like spirit snakes!

At the same time, he raised both hands, his left hand throwing the "lime powder smoke bomb," and his right hand throwing the newly prepared "soul-bewitching smoke," smashing them toward Deacon You and the others!

"Puff! Puff!"

White smoke and pink smoke with a strange fragrance mixed and filled the air, covering the entire cave!

"Hold your breath! Watch out for the smoke!" Deacon You reacted extremely quickly, his sleeves billowing, trying to disperse the smoke, but both his vision and spiritual sense were severely interfered with.

"Ah! My eyes!"

"Head... so dizzy..."

The two disciples entangled by the vines were the first to be hit, their eyes burning with pain, and after inhaling the soul-bewitching smoke, their heads became dizzy and their movements sluggish.

This chaotic opportunity was exactly what Lin Xuan wanted! His figure was like electricity, rushing directly toward the black statue! His goal from the beginning was not to kill, but this so-called "holy object"!

He felt that the system in his body seemed to have produced some kind of strong... desire for this statue?

"Bold!" Deacon You was both shocked and angry, and a condensed black beam of death aura shot toward Lin Xuan's back!

Lin Xuan did not dodge or evade, taking this blow head-on, using the force to rush forward, while pushing the "Blood Escape Art" to the limit, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his speed increased again!

"Bang!"

He hugged the cold black statue!

【Ding! Detected high-concentration alien energy source (broken), allow system to absorb?】

"Absorb! Absorb immediately!" Lin Xuan roared in his heart!

Hum—!

An invisible suction force erupted from Lin Xuan's body, and the black statue trembled violently, countless fine cracks appearing on its surface, and the rich death aura and some kind of strange energy contained within it flowed into Lin Xuan's body like a broken river, greedily devoured by the system!

"No!!!" Deacon You let out a shrill scream; he could feel the power of the holy object's projection fading away rapidly! "What did you do?! Stop it!"

Because the array in the cave lost its energy core, it began to flicker and was about to collapse.

Lin Xuan felt the "satisfaction" transmitted by the system, as well as the portion of pure spiritual power fed back to him because of absorbing energy (the system removed the harmful death aura), and his cultivation instantly broke through the barrier, stepping into Foundation Establishment Stage 8! And it was still steadily improving!

Holding the statue that was almost about to shatter, he turned back to Deacon You, whose eyes were splitting with anger, and showed a bright and mocking smile:

"Thanks for your 'gift'! It tastes good!"

"Next time there's such a good thing, remember to find me again!"

After speaking, he violently smashed the statue that was about to shatter toward Deacon You who was pouncing over, and at the same time activated the "Blood Escape Art" again, turning into a blood-colored light, and rushed out of the cave entrance amidst the chaos of the cave array completely collapsing and falling rocks, disappearing into the vast night!

Leaving only Deacon You's desperate roar and the mess of the cave behind.

"Lin—Xuan—! My Youming Sect will never rest until you are dead!!!"

(Chapter 14 End)