Chapter 54: Peak Golden Core? I Can Fight That Too!

That icy gaze, as if it were tangible, and the terrifying pressure descended instantly, causing the pile of bones where Lin Xuan was hiding to emit an unbearable "creak"! The strength of that peak Golden Core Elder from the Nether Sect far exceeded that of the old ghost Youku from before!

There was nowhere to hide!

Lin Xuan’s eyes sharpened; he knew that remaining hidden was now meaningless. The opponent had clearly locked onto him through some secret technique or treasure! He simply stopped hiding, his aura erupting violently as chaotic spiritual power surged and flowed, forcibly scattering the encroaching, chilling ghost energy! His green robes fluttered without wind, and a tyrannical spiritual pressure, not a whit weaker than a late-stage Golden Core, soared into the sky!

He took a step forward, his figure appearing atop the bone pile, standing far across from the Nether Sect Elder, his gaze calm and unruffled.

"Oh?" The Nether Sect Elder let out a soft sound of surprise, a flicker of astonishment crossing his eyes beneath his hood. He had originally assumed it was just some reckless junior peeking by chance; he had not expected a late-stage Golden Core cultivation base, with an aura so dense and heavy that it was far beyond that of an ordinary late-stage cultivator. "Boy, who are you? Hiding your head and showing your tail, what is your intention?"

On the other side, the demon race currently attacking the fire-element stone pillar also noticed the commotion here. Xikui stopped his movements, arms crossed, looking as if he were watching a good show. The cultivators from other factions watching from afar held their breath; a late-stage Golden Core actually dared to spy on the Nether Sect’s actions and had even provoked the personal inquiry of the opponent’s peak Golden Core Elder—this was going to be interesting!

Lin Xuan’s thoughts raced; he absolutely could not expose his identity as "Mu Xuan" at this moment, or there would be endless trouble. His expression remained unchanged, his voice deliberately lowered and tinged with a hint of hoarseness: "Just a passerby, curious upon seeing this strange phenomenon. Why must you be so aggressive, my lord?"

"Curious?" The Nether Sect Elder laughed sinisterly, his voice like a night owl. "This is a vital location of my Sacred Sect; how can outsiders be allowed to pry? Regardless of who you are, since you have seen it, then leave your life behind!"

He gave Lin Xuan no chance to explain further, clearly operating on the principle of killing the wrong person rather than letting one go! Before his voice had even faded, his withered palm reached out from his black robe and grabbed through the air!

"Nether Ghost Claw!"

The massive Nether death energy instantly condensed into a pitch-black ghost claw several yards wide, with sharp nails and countless wailing, resentful souls entwined around it. Carrying a chilling wind that could tear apart the soul, it clawed down directly at Lin Xuan! Its speed and power far exceeded the spell of the same name cast by the old ghost Youku earlier!

This strike had already reached the peak level of the Golden Core realm! An ordinary late-stage Golden Core cultivator would likely not even be able to withstand a single blow!

The onlookers in the distance all changed color, as if they had already seen the fate of the green-robed cultivator being torn to shreds by the ghost claw, his soul extinguished.

However, facing this terrifying strike, there was no fear in Lin Xuan’s eyes; instead, a raging fighting spirit ignited! Just right to use you to test my current strength!

He dared not be careless, the Profound Heavy Ruler appearing in his hand instantly. The chaotic Golden Core within his body spun crazily, his chaotic nascent embryo trembling slightly, injecting vast spiritual power into the ruler!

"Break!"

Lin Xuan gave a low shout, advancing instead of retreating. Gripping the ruler with both hands, he delivered a straightforward, unadorned vertical chop! Gray, misty chaotic air currents swirled around the ruler, with faint golden thunder-gang flickering. Wherever the edge of the ruler passed, the space rippled subtly!

He did not use any flashy divine abilities; he simply condensed his strongest power and most domineering spiritual energy into this one strike!

BOOM!!!

The Nether Ghost Claw and the Profound Heavy Ruler collided violently!

There was no expected explosion of energy; instead, a sound of teeth-aching corrosion and annihilation rang out! The ghost claw, condensed from pure death energy and resentful souls, dissolved and disintegrated rapidly upon contact with the chaotic air currents, as if snow meeting the spring sun! The resentful souls within even let out incomparably shrill screams, instantly purified by the power intertwined with chaos and thunder-gang!

After holding for only a breath, the massive Nether Ghost Claw collapsed with a boom, scattering into black mist across the sky!

Lin Xuan merely swayed slightly, then steadied himself, standing with the ruler in hand, his aura remaining deep and composed!

"What?!"

"He blocked it?!"

"He actually took Elder Youquan’s Nether Ghost Claw head-on?!"

This scene stunned all the onlookers! Even the demon Xikui, who had been watching the show, put away his playful expression, his eyes becoming grave. Elder Youquan was one of the leaders of the Nether Sect who had entered the secret realm this time, and his strength was among the strongest at the peak of the Golden Core realm. His angry strike had been so easily blocked by an unknown late-stage Golden Core cultivator?!

For the first time, the gaze beneath Elder Youquan’s hood revealed shock and disbelief. He felt it more deeply than others; the opponent’s gray, air-like spiritual power contained a property that made even him feel a palpitation, as if it could annihilate all things! Furthermore, the strength of his power and the stability of his physical body were far beyond those of the same rank!

"Good boy! You really are strange! It seems I cannot let you live!" Elder Youquan’s murderous intent surged; this child must not be left alive! His figure moved, transforming into a ghost shadow as he lunged at Lin Xuan, his speed astonishing! At the same time, he flicked his sleeves, and three skulls wreathed in green fire whistled out, biting toward Lin Xuan in a triangular formation. The green fire in the skulls’ eyes burned fiercely, emitting soul-seizing demonic sounds!

"Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Heart!"

Facing the all-out assault of a peak Golden Core expert, Lin Xuan felt unprecedented pressure. But his will was incredibly firm; the more dangerous it was, the calmer he became!

"Shrinking Ground to an Inch"! His figure drifted backward like a ghost, while he swung the Profound Heavy Ruler, the shadows of the ruler creating an impenetrable defense!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The three green-fire skulls struck the ruler shadows, emitting the sound of clashing metal. The green fire possessed extremely strong corrosive properties, yet it struggled to break through the defense of the chaotic spiritual power, and the demonic sounds were also largely weakened by his Soul Armor technique.

But Elder Youquan’s main body had already closed in, a withered palm silently pressing toward the back of Lin Xuan’s heart. In the center of his palm, a rotating black vortex emitted a suction force that devoured everything!

"Nether Soul-Absorbing Palm!"

Attacked from front and back, the situation was perilous!

A cold light flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes; he knew he could no longer defend passively. He turned abruptly, facing the Soul-Absorbing Palm without dodging or evading. His left hand formed a sword-finger, gray light condensing to the extreme at his fingertip, and a sword intent that could destroy everything soared into the sky! This was the killing move he had created by combining his own insights into the Dao of the sword with chaotic spiritual power—though not yet systematic, its power was peerless!

"Nirvana Finger!"

With a single point, silent and soundless, it arrived first despite being launched later, hitting the center of the vortex in Elder Youquan’s palm with pinpoint accuracy!

Sss—!

It was like a hot knife through butter! The Nether vortex, which was enough to devour the soul of a Golden Core cultivator, was forcibly pierced through by the Nirvana Finger’s power! The force of the finger did not diminish, stabbing straight into Elder Youquan’s palm!

Elder Youquan’s expression changed drastically; he could feel the terrifying aura of destruction contained within that finger force! He violently urged his protective ghost-gang, black light flaring intensely in his palm!

Bang!

The finger force collided with the protective ghost-gang, and Elder Youquan’s body shook, forced to take a step back! A stinging pain came from his palm; that strange finger force was actually eroding his ghost-gang!

Although he was not injured, being forced back by a late-stage Golden Core junior was undoubtedly a great humiliation!

"Junior! You are courting death!" Elder Youquan was completely enraged, ghost energy rising from his body like wolf smoke; he was clearly about to use his true killing move!

After forcing the opponent back with one finger, Lin Xuan did not linger. "Shrinking Ground to an Inch" erupted at full power, his figure turning into a distorted stream of light, instantly opening a distance of several dozen yards. At the same time, he shouted loudly:

"Elder Youquan! You of the Nether Sect and the demon race are destroying the Five Elements Seal here—are you trying to release an ancient demon and bring disaster upon the world?! Fellow Daoists, are you just going to sit by and watch?!"

He infused his voice with spiritual power, which exploded like a thunderclap, spreading to the entire edge of the basin!

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole scene was shocked!

The cultivators who had been watching were suddenly in an uproar!

"What? Destroying the Five Elements Seal?"

"Releasing an ancient demon? The Nether Sect actually dares to do this?!"

"No wonder I felt those five pillars were not right!"

Even the demon race attacking the fire-element stone pillar paused slightly. Xikui’s expression shifted; it seemed he had not expected someone to directly pierce through this layer of window paper.

Elder Youquan was so angry that ghost fire erupted from him. He had not expected Lin Xuan to be so cunning; not only was his strength tyrannical, but his tongue was also so sharp! This move was equivalent to making their Nether Sect and the demon race’s plot public!

"Nonsense! A pack of lies! Die for me!" Elder Youquan roared, his offensive becoming more urgent, swearing to kill Lin Xuan under his palm!

However, after Lin Xuan’s shout, the situation was already different. Several powerful auras rose from the distance, locking onto Elder Youquan and those Nether Sect disciples, carrying a warning tone. Clearly, the experts from other factions could not sit by and watch the Nether Sect truly destroy the seal.

This was the effect Lin Xuan wanted! He used his movement technique to circle constantly, no longer fighting Elder Youquan head-on, and continued to shout: "The Five Elements Seal concerns the survival of the secret realm, and even the safety of the outside world! If you all still have any heart of the righteous path, you should stop them!"

As he spoke, he fought and retreated toward the outer edge of the basin. With others restraining him, Elder Youquan was wary of collateral damage and could not pursue with full force, unexpectedly unable to take down the slippery Lin Xuan for a time.

Seeing that the timing was about right, Lin Xuan did not hesitate. Spotting a gap, he combined "Shrinking Ground to an Inch" with "Ghost Shadow Step," his figure flickering a few times before vanishing into the huge bone forest he had come from, his aura disappearing without a trace in an instant!

"AH!!! Junior! I will kill you!!!" Elder Youquan could not catch up, looking at the empty bone forest and letting out an angry roar that shook the wilderness.

At the edge of the basin, only the ashen-faced Nether Sect members, the hostile factions, and a "seal-breaking" operation that had been completely disrupted remained.

As for the culprit, Lin Xuan, he had long since fled dozens of miles away. Finding a hidden spot, he sat cross-legged with a slightly pale face, swallowing elixirs to recover his consumed spiritual power.

Although it was brief, facing the pressure of a peak Golden Core and exerting his divine abilities to the fullest had consumed a great deal of his energy.

But after this battle, he had a clearer understanding of his current strength—with all his trump cards revealed, he could already fight a peak Golden Core without being defeated!

More importantly, he had successfully disrupted the situation, temporarily delaying the actions of the Nether Sect and the demon race, and exposing their conspiracy to the light of day.

"The Five Elements Demon-Sealing Land... the strange movement of the Nether Soul-Suppressing Order... It seems the core secret of this secret realm is even more complex than imagined." Lin Xuan regulated his breathing, his gaze fixed toward the basin, his thoughts churning.

After this commotion, although his identity as "Mu Xuan" had not been exposed, the image of this mysterious green-robed cultivator had likely fallen into the eyes of certain people.

The subsequent journey through the secret realm was destined to be even more treacherous!

(End of Chapter 54)