Chapter 58

Boom!

A blinding light burst out like a halo, waves of brilliant radiance sweeping across the land as if even the heavens were trembling. The intensity of the clash was beyond words.

Thousands of miles away, powerful cultivators turned pale; even at that distance, they realized the might of the two combatants was leagues beyond them. Approaching such strength would mean instant annihilation.

In the aftermath, half of the mountain range had been flattened, leaving a bottomless pit. The scene was so astounding that words fell short.

The invisible barrier faded, leaving the elder and young girl staring at each other in shock, speechless.

Lin Xuan gazed at the pit, his brow furrowed, as a silver-white lotus faintly glimmered on his forehead. Then, he turned toward a hidden corner, calmly putting away the innate sword embryo in his hand. “Come out.”

Two strikes, yet the system hadn’t registered a completed defeat mission. This made Lin Xuan wary and less inclined to kill.

“I’m not coming out! You’ll cut me down,” a voice echoed from the void, though no figure appeared.

“I won’t cut you. Come out.” Lin Xuan called out again.

“Not coming out means not coming out! Catch me if you can!” The voice echoed defiantly.

A giant white lotus, nearly a hundred feet across, materialized behind Lin Xuan, radiating an intense heat that seemed to melt the very air.

“Alright, alright—calm down. I’m coming out!” the voice called urgently.

Moments later, a young man emerged a short distance from Lin Xuan. He looked ragged, his originally plain but clean face was now darkened, with a trace of dried blood on his lips. He eyed the white lotus behind Lin Xuan warily, fearing he’d be struck down.

“Brother, I admit it—it was my mistake to drag you into the Bloodkill House’s business,” Li Qiudao said with a bitter smile. Truthfully, while he hadn’t meant to entangle Lin Xuan, he had hoped the young man’s presence might buy him time to set up his formations.

But who could have known how terrifyingly strong the young man would be? He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, yet his power was beyond belief.

Lin Xuan observed Li Qiudao calmly. Although he hadn’t gone all out, he had used his “Ghost-Slaying Slash,” yet it hadn’t stopped this young man. Though Li Qiudao appeared slightly battered, his aura was steady, hinting that he still had hidden reserves.

“What is the Bloodkill House?” Lin Xuan asked.

The young man blinked, a bit taken aback, and examined Lin Xuan carefully. With his demeanor and power, how could he not know about Bloodkill House?

However, he didn’t press the question, simply answering, “Bloodkill House is a top assassin organization in Qingyan Prefecture, South Domain. They claim that with enough money, they’ll take on any job—no survivors left in their wake.”

“They even have an elder in the Void-Shattering Realm.”

Void-Shattering… a realm above the Soul Palace!

Lin Xuan’s gaze grew sharp. This was no minor grudge to hold against such a powerful group, and he didn’t feel particularly happy about it.

Li Qiudao saw the white lotus projection behind Lin Xuan grow more substantial, now radiating icy and fiery hues, and felt a chill run down his spine. He spoke quickly, “Brother, I was wrong to involve you. But I have an extraordinary opportunity, related to the tomb of an ancient powerhouse. I’m willing to explore it with you as compensation for dragging you into this.”

He spoke with a pained expression; giving up such a secret clearly hurt.

Lin Xuan didn’t seem moved, only fixing his gaze on Li Qiudao, locking down the surrounding space, ready for any sudden escape attempt.

“He’s just a kid, yet he’s so cautious?” Li Qiudao thought, frustrated. He could feel a terrifying pressure looming over him, signaling that any sudden move would be met with devastating force.

Sighing, he held out his hand. “Here, as a deposit. It’s the diagram for the Nine Heavens Thunder Array.”

He tossed out a talisman, covered in dense, ancient runes, clearly a valuable item.

And indeed it was. Giving up this piece of the ancient killing formation pained him deeply.

Lin Xuan quickly stored the talisman in his spatial ring. The thunder array he’d witnessed earlier had rattled even him, indicating it was no ordinary relic.

“Brother, am I free to go now?” Li Qiudao asked with a forced smile, though his expression froze as soon as he saw Lin Xuan’s reaction.

The young man’s gaze was cold, and the white lotus behind him burned with an eerie, white flame. “No.”

Once more, the space around them solidified.

Lin Xuan dissipated the white lotus, his gaze inscrutable as he spoke, “There’s also that opportunity. But first, I need to take care of something. You’ll accompany me, and afterward, we’ll be even.”

Li Qiudao blinked in confusion. “Just now, that… Nine Heavens Thunder Array…?”

“Doesn’t count,” Lin Xuan replied coolly, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

Only a child makes choices. 

Most importantly, Li Qiudao’s formations seemed quite useful, possibly for his mission to destroy the Chu Ling Royal Mansion.

With him, Lin Xuan could single-handedly wield the force of a dozen cultivators in the Spirit-Channeling Realm, saving time and resources.

Li Qiudao’s brow furrowed deeply. He’d been thoroughly played!

He wanted to refuse but felt the intense, unrelenting pressure binding him.

“Fine!” he muttered through gritted teeth, realizing he was unlikely to win in a fight or escape. For now, he’d bide his time.

“A true man adapts to the situation—there’s no shame in that,” he reassured himself.

“What’s your name?” he finally asked, grimly.

The young man turned and replied in a calm voice, “Han Feiyu.”