"No... this is impossible!" Duan Heng looked at Lin Yun in utter disbelief.
It was one thing to have broken through to the Yuan Sea Realm. But now, he could so easily suppress him, a Void-Gazing Realm cultivator?
Lin Yun tilted his head. "Yeah, who would've thought? A mighty Void-Gazing Realm expert, so incredibly fragile."
He smiled and threw out a palm strike. This was a feeling Lin Yun had never had before; every cell in his body moved in unison with his will. A continuous stream of yuan energy erupted in an instant.
Duan Heng struggled to his feet, but a powerful gust of yuan energy, like a fierce wind, howled toward him. He couldn't even stand steady. After holding on for just a moment, he spat out another mouthful of blood. A large hole had caved in his chest, and his entire body was once again slammed against the nearby cliff face.
Lin Yun was seething with killing intent. So many people from the Flowing Cloud Sect and Chen Family Fort had died at Duan Heng's hands. Even if he wasn't the main culprit, they had died because of him. Not only that, but he showed not a single shred of remorse. This fiend truly deserved to die.
The moment Duan Heng fell, Lin Yun strode forward like a meteor, sword in hand.
Duan Heng struggled to hold on, his flying sword circling around him to block Lin Yun's moves one by one. But Lin Yun had not had much real combat experience before. This time, thanks to his breakthrough, his yuan energy was abundant. Coupled with the resentment boiling in his chest, his entire mind was completely immersed in his martial intent. Every single move completely suppressed Duan Heng.
If anyone had seen this scene, they would have been absolutely astonished. Lin Yun was still using his three sword arts, but at this moment, the three completely different styles were showing signs of merging.
Duan Heng's treasured armor was completely destroyed, and the several dharma artifacts he summoned were all shattered by Lin Yun.
What was happening? He had finally waited for a chance to be alone, thinking he could snatch all the treasures from Lin Yun. Who would have thought that not only had he failed to kill him, but he had actually helped the kid break through?
Watching Lin Yun become more and more adept, the severely injured Duan Heng felt that he could be chopped down like a melon at any moment.
Just as the Cold Flame Sword was about to descend, Duan Heng shouted, "Junior Brother Lin, I have something to say! Don't you want the opportunity?"
Hearing this, Lin Yun's movement paused.
Duan Heng's face was pale, and he let out a long breath. As expected, this kid had a weakness for this.
Lin Yun's expression had recovered a great deal. For some reason, after cycling through the three sword arts, the yuan energy in his body had actually become much more condensed.
"What do you want to say?"
The corner of Duan Heng's mouth lifted. "Junior Brother Lin, have you ever wondered why the Red Ghost Sect went to such great lengths?"
Lin Yun was silent. It was true. Whether it was the Jade Hornless Dragon Lamp or the Mysterious Yuan Embryo, neither seemed worth the Red Ghost Sect starting such a massive conflict with the Flowing Cloud Sect.
"What are you trying to say?"
Duan Heng spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. "I know your personality, Junior Brother Lin. If you promise not to kill me, I'll tell you."
"I promise you." Lin Yun didn't hesitate for a second.
Damn, he agreed so quickly? Duan Heng was a bit suspicious, but seeing the look in Lin Yun's eyes, he still chickened out.
"This matter can be traced back five hundred years, to the appearance of the Desolate Suppression Hall. It attracted countless experts to explore and seek its secrets, but they all perished inside. Later, a few people managed to come out alive, but the Hall disappeared once again. However, a legend was passed down. The Desolate Suppression Hall has a total of three keys: the Chen family's Jade Hornless Dragon Lamp and the sealed Mysterious Yuan Embryo from Five Yang Mountain."
Hearing this, Lin Yun's expression softened slightly. "When will the Desolate Suppression Hall open again?"
Duan Heng shook his head. "Few people know the secrets of the Hall. It could be ten years, it could be a hundred."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Duan Heng got up to leave. But before he could take two steps, his body froze. Looking down, he found that his legs had been frozen solid. He looked at Lin Yun, his face full of confusion. Didn't you promise to let me go?
"Senior Brother has forgotten, I was once a handyman disciple. To survive, one must be unscrupulous." Lin Yun's eyes were ice-cold.
Duan Heng panicked. "Junior Brother Lin, for the sake of your Senior Brother having helped you before, please let..." The frost was still spreading. Duan Heng suddenly found that he couldn't even speak.
Lin Yun's face remained cold. "You were looking for that Yuan Embryo, weren't you? Everything before was just an act." At this point, Lin Yun understood everything perfectly. From beginning to end, Duan Heng had appeared intentionally, all to get close to him and gather information. If he didn't eliminate this person, he would surely become a future disaster! Lin Yun would not leave such a liability for himself.
"Junior Brother Lin... I beg you, I know I was wrong, I..."
Before Duan Heng could finish his words, Lin Yun raised his hand and, with one strike, severed his head.
He walked over to Chen Jingrou's side; the girl was still unconscious. Fortunately, the previous battle hadn't harmed her, otherwise Lin Yun would have blamed himself.
Taking this opportunity, he quickly checked his panel.
[Name]: Lin Yun [Realm]: Third Level of Yuan Sea Realm [Destiny]: Son of Misfortune (Gray) [Fate]: A Life of Futility (White) [Son of Misfortune]: You are often plagued by misfortune and frequently encounter unlucky events. [Outcome]: After a difficult and frustrating life, you finally start to see some success, only to be betrayed and pushed off a cliff, shattering your body into pieces. [Recent Turning Point]: Returns to the Flowing Cloud Sect and is stripped of his inner-sect disciple status.
What the hell?
Heavens, are you even letting people play this game anymore? Lin Yun roared at the sky. He had just gone through so much trouble to deal with Duan Heng, only to return to the sect and lose his status as an inner-sect disciple? He didn't know what had happened, but he only had one thought now: get back first and figure it out later.
…
While Lin Yun was fighting his desperate battle with Duan Heng in Sunset Glow Valley, he had no idea that the entire Flowing Cloud Sect had been thrown into chaos.
The Red Ghost Sect's attack this time was fierce. The Flowing Cloud Sect had responded hastily, sending aid everywhere. Many disciples had died, but in the end, they didn't even know what had happened.
Cloudsoar Pavilion:
Gu Xiande flicked his sleeve, and Liao Changping was sent flying. "Look at the good work you've done! Chen Family Fort, a total of three hundred and forty-eight households, all massacred. And that's not even counting the cultivators who came from all over to offer their congratulations. The battles at Five Yang Mountain and Chen Family Fort resulted in over a hundred casualties among the outer-sect disciples and dozens among the inner-sect. Several more are missing, with no news to this day."
Gu Xiande was shaking with anger. This time, they had been thoroughly backstabbed by the Red Ghost Sect. Although the Red Ghost Sect hadn't gotten off easy either, to this day, Gu Xiande still didn't know what they were fighting for. The spirit stone mines at Five Yang Mountain? Or the Chen family? No one knew the Red Ghost Sect's motive.
"Sect Master, the Red Ghost Sect has been planning this for a long time. If we hadn't responded in time, I'm afraid things would have been even more terrifying."
Gu Xiande let out a long breath. "Just now, the Ancestor even sent someone to ask about Lin Yun's whereabouts. How am I supposed to answer? Missing? Killed in action? Not a single person knows what happened that day."