Executing the footwork of the Golden Goose Skill, Lin Zheyu dodged and darted nimbly through the mountain woods, using the tree trunks to block the arrows whistling toward him.
His Golden Goose Skill had already reached perfection. His speed was astonishingly swift—even a martial artist of the Qi and Blood Three Transformations might not be faster than him.
Within a few blinks of an eye, Lin Zheyu’s silhouette vanished from the bandits' sight.
"Aaargh!"
Staring into the empty forest, Cao Wang let out a furious roar that startled a flock of birds into flight.
"Phew..."
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry and report to the priest so the lords can step in and capture him!"
"That guy is extremely strong—at least an expert of the Qi and Blood Realm. For such a powerful martial artist to sneak into Lion Valley, he definitely had some nefarious motive."
"Reporting this to the priest might even earn us a fair number of contribution points."
A man caught up and said to Cao Wang.
"Damn it! Let's go to the shrine and ask the priest to intervene!"
Cao Wang cursed loudly, then barked orders at the surrounding bandits, "Search everywhere! We must catch that thief! Pass down the order to guard every major exit—do not let him escape!"
"Yes!"
The bandits chorused in agreement and quickly fanned out to scour the woods.
...
Whoosh, whoosh.
Lin Zheyu dashed swiftly through the forest, retrieved the items he had stashed earlier, and charged straight out of the valley.
Swoosh, swoosh—
As he burst out of Lion Valley's entrance, the bandit guards stationed there raised their crossbows and shot at him.
An arrow grazed perilously close past the top of Lin Zheyu’s head. His momentum abruptly hitched, and he veered sharply to the right in a manner that defied ordinary mechanics.
Ever since his Golden Goose Skill reached perfection, his movement technique had grown increasingly agile.
'A pill that lets someone break through directly into the Qi and Blood Realm must be worth quite a fortune!'
The corners of Lin Zheyu’s mouth curved up slightly; he was in high spirits.
He had thought he might come away empty-handed today. Who could have expected that bandit named Cao Wang wouldn't swallow the pill inside the shrine to make his breakthrough, but instead brought it outside?
Presented with such a golden opportunity, Lin Zheyu would have felt guilty not snatching it.
'I wonder how much energy this Blood Pill can provide. Will it be enough for me to upgrade something using one unit of Origin Power?'
Lin Zheyu pondered. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. 'Forget it, better find a way to sell it. If I cash in a Blood Pill, it should fetch a hefty price.'
Although he was eager to see how potent the pill's medicinal efficacy was, he abandoned the thought after further consideration.
A pill with such immense efficacy could easily sell for several hundred taels of silver. That would be much more cost-effective than consuming it himself.
After breaking free of Lion Valley and confirming that no pursuers were following behind, Lin Zheyu breathed a sigh of relief.
He tipped the Blood Pill out of the bottle. The pill was crimson throughout, exuding a faint tang of blood mixed with a dense medicinal aroma.
It truly lived up to its name as a Blood Pill.
He casually tossed aside the original bottle, retrieved an empty jade vial from his waist pouch, put the Blood Pill inside, and stoppered it.
Then he placed the jade vial into a leather poison-resistant pouch and tied the neck securely.
To prevent any tracking scent markers on the pill from giving him away, Lin Zheyu took multiple precautions.
'Let's head back first. The black market opens in a few days anyway. Once I sell off the stolen goods and bolster my strength, I'll come back.'
Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
For the next few days, he did not intend to keep aggressively shearing wool from the bandits.
He had just snatched a Blood Pill from Lion Valley; they were probably scouring the area for him, perhaps laying a trap and waiting for him to jump in.
Once he was clear of Lion Valley's perimeter, Lin Zheyu found a secluded spot and changed back into his ordinary clothes.
Having restored his usual appearance, he hurried toward Songyi City.
Lion Valley was quite a distance from Songyi City. Once he confirmed that nobody was pursuing him, he didn't run at full tilt, maintaining a pace suitable for the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm.
Sprinting through the mountains at full power consumed a great deal of qi and blood, and it was easy to deplete his essence, qi, and spirit, which would hamper the accumulation of Origin Power.
Whoosh—
Just as he entered the dense woods outside Beast Roar Mountain, a sudden gust of fierce wind erupted behind him.
Sensing danger, Lin Zheyu’s figure shifted abruptly to the left.
A chilling glint grazed past his side, piercing into a tree ahead and blasting a hole right through the trunk.
Boom—
He tapped the ground lightly with his toes and sprang up onto a tree branch. A gust of fist wind howled past right behind him, smashing clean through a large tree with a thunderous crash.
Boom, boom, boom.
A continuous barrage of muffled impacts rang out as Lin Zheyu relied on his agility to dodge swiftly.
By now, he could clearly see his attacker. It was one of the men dressed in black-and-red robes whom he had seen back in Lion Valley.
This man possessed formidable strength, having reached the First Blood Transformation. His muscles bulged as he launched relentless strikes toward Lin Zheyu.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking out of nowhere!"
Lin Zheyu said coldly, evading swiftly with his lightness skill while vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
There had been seventeen of those black-and-red-robed men in total. He had no idea how many had come.
"You were the one who broke into Lion Valley just now, weren't you?"
"Did you think changing the pill's bottle would shake off our pursuit?" The man stopped and sneered at Lin Zheyu.
"You must be mistaken. What pill? I don't know what you're talking about," Lin Zheyu feigned ignorance.
Internally, his heart clenched slightly.
He had been so cautious, yet he had still been found out.
Along the way, he had washed his body with water and used scent-clearing powder to eliminate any possible tracking marks, yet he had still been caught.
'Did he use some special method?' Lin Zheyu mused.
"To achieve the strength of the Qi and Blood Realm at such a young age is an impressive talent even in the Central Plains. Are you interested in joining the Nine Nether Cult?"
The man said indifferently.
Although he couldn't tell what method Lin Zheyu had used to conceal his strength, through that brief exchange just now, he had roughly gauged the young man's cultivation.
It should be at the level of the Qi and Blood Gossamer.
"Hm?!"
Lin Zheyu froze for a second.
He was fully prepared for a fight, yet the man's tone suddenly shifted to extending an invitation.
"What benefits are there in joining the Nine Nether Cult?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"After joining the Nine Nether Cult, we can provide you with pills far more powerful than the Blood Pill. With your talent, you might even have a shot at breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm in the future."
"As long as you are outstanding enough to gain Lord Fiendgod's favor, even eternal life isn't out of the question!" the man said calmly.
"Can I go back and think it over?"
Lin Zheyu asked, a packet of powder quietly slipping down his sleeve into the palm of his hand.
"Heh, do you think that's possible?" The man sneered.
"Before joining, I have one question: how did you track me down just now?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"Once you join the Nine Nether Cult, you will understand," the man replied coolly.
"Alright, I'll join!" Lin Zheyu nodded.
"Then follow me."
"Your talent is quite good. Unlike those bandits, you won't need to earn contribution points to exchange for pills. Once your talent rank is tested, you will receive corresponding cultivation resources each month."
The man said.
A trace of envy flashed in his eyes.
Only geniuses received free resources every month; ordinary members like him had to complete missions to earn contribution points and redeem martial arts resources.
Talent was highly valued everywhere.
The young man before him looked under twenty, yet he had already reached the Qi and Blood Realm. Such talent would be considered extraordinary even in the Central Plains.
If he brought this kid back, he would earn a handsome sum of contribution points.
Discovering talent for the Nine Nether Cult yielded generous bounties—the greater the genius, the more contribution points one received.
"Is there a ceremony for joining the Nine Nether Cult?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"Kowtow a few times before the fiendgod statue and receive Lord Fiendgod's blessing, and you will be considered inducted," the man said.
He gestured for Lin Zheyu to walk ahead, clearly not placing full trust in him.
"Oh."
Lin Zheyu replied softly, and in the next instant, violently threw out the powder in his hand.
That fiendgod statue was eerie; there was no way he was going to kowtow to it.
Lin Zheyu worried that the Nine Nether Cult possessed some binding technique akin to an oath or curse.
This world possessed extraordinary powers; even ghosts, living corpses, and demons had appeared. Lin Zheyu had to be on guard.
He refused to believe the Nine Nether Cult would let someone join and invest resources to nurture them without any precautionary measures.
The man was already on guard. He sprang backward, his throwing knife shooting straight toward Lin Zheyu.
Clang!
Lin Zheyu deflected the hidden weapon with a swing of his saber, stepped forward, and slashed out.
Swish.
The man tilted his body as the gleaming blade flashed past in front of him. Shaping his hand into a claw, he dropped into a bow stance, lunging forward like a pouncing leopard.
Boom!
A heavy thud erupted underfoot. Slipping past the blade's edge, the man closed the distance, his claw viciously swiping toward Lin Zheyu's throat.
Lin Zheyu tapped the ground with his toes, his movement technique exceptionally agile as he leaped backward to widen the distance.
A powerful, overbearing momentum suddenly surged from his body. With a sharp whoosh, his blade cleaved straight down, the crushing momentum bearing down on the man like a mountain.
This was Lin Zheyu's first time facing an expert of the First Blood Transformation. Worried that delays would bring unwanted complications, he intended to go all out and slay the man as swiftly as possible.
'What terrifying momentum!'
The man was inwardly horrified. How could someone so young comprehend such overbearing momentum?
Many martial artists in the Marrow Tempering Realm couldn't grasp momentum; it required not just rich life experience, but also extraordinary comprehension.
The young man's talent was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
Clang!
Shaken by shock, the man's reactions lagged by a fraction of a breath. Seeing the blade descending upon him, he hastily raised his arm to block.
He wore silver gauntlets on both forearms that extended from his palms down his wrists.
Forged from some unknown material, the gauntlets rang with the sound of clashing metal when the saber struck them.
Boom, boom, boom.
The man staggered back several paces, carving five deep footprints into the ground. His arm went numb from the immense force vibrating through the blade.
'What immense strength! This force is actually a bit stronger than mine!'
'A First Blood Transformation martial artist under twenty... even in the Central Plains, such a genius is exceedingly rare!'
The man was thoroughly shaken.
His preconceived notion was that at such a young age in a barren place like Songyi City, reaching the Qi and Blood Gossamer was already extraordinary.
He never imagined it wasn't merely the Qi and Blood Gossamer, but the First Blood Transformation!
With a loud thud, the man unleashed all the power in his legs and retreated swiftly.
It was no longer a question of whether he could take Lin Zheyu away; it was whether he could survive Lin Zheyu's wrath.
He was very fast, clearly possessing some training in leg techniques.
Yet compared to Lin Zheyu, he was noticeably outmatched.
With a sway of Lin Zheyu’s body, his qi and blood erupted furiously. Pushing the Golden Goose Skill to its limit, he vanished from the man's vision in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh!
A gale tore in from the left. Relying on instinct, the man abruptly raised his right arm.
Clang!
A crisp clatter rang out, sending the man's qi and blood churning.
Just as he formed a claw with his right hand to counterattack, Lin Zheyu vanished once more, and a fierce wind struck from behind him.
Clang, clang, clang.
The crisp clatter of metal colliding echoed repeatedly through the woods, and the man's face grew increasingly pale.
His eyes were filled with terror.
His opponent was far too fast—impossibly fast. The only reason he had managed to block several strikes was due to his extensive combat experience and honed instincts.
Clang!
The man deflected another of Lin Zheyu’s strikes, his arms trembling slightly as his qi and blood depleted rapidly.
Before he could catch his breath, a squelch sounded. A blade stained with crimson blood pierced straight through his chest.
With a harsh tearing sound, Lin Zheyu exerted force, carving the blade diagonally upward through the man's chest and exiting through his right shoulder.
The upper half of the man's torso slowly slid off, his eyes wide with horror and bitter resentment.
Thud—
The corpse collapsed to the ground, blood spurting in a violent arc.
"Phew..."
Lin Zheyu let out a soft breath.
This was his first time fighting an expert of the First Blood Transformation. He had expected a brutal battle, but the black-and-red-robed man had folded far more easily than anticipated.
With the Golden Goose Skill at the level of perfection, his speed far outstripped a martial artist of the First Blood Transformation.
Relying on his overwhelming speed and nimble footwork, Lin Zheyu had completely suppressed the man throughout the fight.
'Fortunately, only one First Blood Transformation guy showed up. If there were more, or if an expert of the Second Blood Transformation had arrived, things would have been troublesome,' Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
In the future, he had to be more cautious when dealing with these cultists; their tracking methods were unnervingly bizarre.
Lin Zheyu stripped the gauntlets from the man's arms, feeling a cool sensation to the touch.
He couldn't tell what metal the gauntlets were forged from, but they were remarkably pliable and colored a dark silver. At first glance, they looked black, but under sunlight, they shimmered with a silvery sheen.
After taking the gauntlets, he began searching the man's body.
He found quite a few good items on him. Although there was no silver, there were several medicine vials and a small booklet.
"'Ten Thousand Armies Steps'... is this a lightness skill?"
Lin Zheyu flipped through it briefly, feeling pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected to obtain a new cultivation method from the man.
Chapter 81