At this moment, Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes. His gaze caught the figure of Li Hua, wearing a mask marked with the number 3, standing under the moonlight with steady breathing, though she looked uneasy. Li Hua was holding Lin Tian tightly, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance.
In front of them stood the Zhou Clan Head, tall and broad-shouldered, his yellow robe fluttering in the night breeze. The fist emblem on his chest was clearly visible, and a golden aura slowly swirled around him, pressing down on the air.
This was the Zhou Clan Head.
A man with the reputation of a Holy Martial Expert, nicknamed the "Mountain Bull," known for shattering stones with a single punch and toppling trees with a single kick.
Li Hua gritted her teeth, her mind in turmoil.
"What should I do now? Fighting this Holy Martial Expert is pointless. I can't reveal myself in the martial world yet. If the Demonic Sect is exposed because of this, my position will be ruined."
Her gaze dropped to the small Lin Tian in her arms. The child appeared to be sleeping peacefully, his face innocent and handsome, which only made Li Hua more irritated in this critical situation.
"Damn it… Why did the Zhou Clan Head have to appear tonight?"
Footsteps sounded on the grassy ground, slow yet heavy with pressure. The Zhou Clan Head stepped forward, his sharp eyes locked on Li Hua.
"Who are you? And why are you abducting the youngest son of the Lin Clan!"
His voice was flat, but the aura behind it made Li Hua's chest feel tight. Li Hua remained silent, her eyes moving quickly to assess escape routes, but the Zhou Clan Head's aura seemed to lock her in place.
A suffocating silence.
The Zhou Clan Head let out a light snort.
"It seems you have chosen to die here."
In an instant, the Zhou Clan Head's body disappeared from where he stood. A gust of wind struck Li Hua's face along with the silhouette of a foot descending from above.
Li Hua quickly shifted Lin Tian to one arm, while her other hand moved swiftly, releasing hundreds of thin black threads from her sleeve. The threads shot through the trees, forming a thin web that reflected the moonlight.
"Swoosh…"
A soft yet sharp sound echoed as the wind trembled when the threads sliced through the air.
"What?!"
The Zhou Clan Head was surprised when he felt his foot halted briefly by the black threads. His eyes caught the small iron needles attached to the threads, swiftly moving toward him. With exceptional reflexes, he waved his hand, destroying most of the needles, although some still tore his clothes.
Li Hua took advantage of that brief moment. She pulled out a black ball the size of a fist from her inner pocket and threw it to the ground.
"Woosh!"
Thick blue smoke quickly spread, its sharp scent making visibility blurry within a few meters.
Li Hua looked at the Zhou Clan Head through the smoke, her voice cold.
"That's neuroparalytic poison. It will slowly paralyze your nerves. I don't have time to deal with you."
Using her light-step technique, Li Hua immediately leapt away, her body moving swiftly through the trees, carrying Lin Tian away.
But after only a few hundred meters—
"Boom!"
A powerful kick struck Li Hua's back, shattering her number 3 mask into pieces. Her body was thrown against a large tree, cracking its trunk until it fell.
Li Hua coughed up blood, her eyes widening, her body trembling in pain.
From within the smoke, the Zhou Clan Head walked out, his body still surrounded by the swirling golden aura, his sharp eyes locked onto Li Hua.
"I told you, I don't like being ignored."
He bent his knees, lowering his stance, his fists clenched as the golden aura swirled like a vortex around him.
"Bull Dragon Wave!"
The Zhou Clan's high-level technique, a combination of kicks, punches, and a roar that unleashed an aura shaped like a dragon bull toward Li Hua. The sound of the air splitting accompanied the attack, destroying leaves and branches in its path.
Li Hua hissed, raising her hand to release hundreds of thin black threads to form a shield. The threads vibrated as they resisted the aura attack.
"Craass… craass…"
One by one, the threads snapped, and the dragon bull aura pierced through Li Hua's defense, striking her chest, sending her crashing into the ground.
"Boom!"
The ground shattered, creating a large crater with long cracks spreading in all directions. Trees fell, and strong winds swept away the scattered leaves.
Li Hua coughed blood, her body shaking, her bones cracking. Her trembling hand pulled out a small bottle from her belt and threw it to the ground.
"Boom!"
Thick red smoke mixed with purple and dense yellow quickly billowed out. This was a neurocorrosive poison, a mixture of poisonous plant extracts, corrosive powder, and insect venom, capable of attacking the nerves, skin, and respiratory system within moments.
The smoke enveloped the Zhou Clan Head, making him cough. Within seconds, his skin felt as if it was burning, his vision blurred, and his entire body felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles.
"Ugh…"
The Zhou Clan Head tried to hold his breath, but the poison had already entered through his pores. His body weakened, his knees wobbled, his vision darkened before he finally fell to his knees.
Li Hua, panting heavily, looked through the smoke with sharp, hateful eyes.
"Feel it, Holy Martial Expert… this poison won't kill you, but it will make you suffer alive."
Li Hua then used her light-step technique to flee, though the pain with each movement nearly made her faint. Blood continued to drip from her mouth, but she did not stop moving, carrying Lin Tian away toward the Demonic Sect's headquarters.
Lin Tian kept his eyes closed, pretending to be unconscious, but he was observing every detail of the battle carefully.
"So that's how it was… In my previous life, the Zhou Clan Head was probably severely injured because of this, causing him to disappear for a long time. No wonder only his son came to the Flower Mountain Sect back then…"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lin Tian's lips as he continued pretending to sleep.
"This martial world is too fragile. I will use it to destroy the Demonic Sect from within."
Under the dim moonlight, Li Hua's footsteps faded into the dark shadows of the night forest, carrying Lin Tian deeper into the enemy's lair.
As Lin Tian moved away from the Zhou Clan Head, he suddenly felt the ring on his finger vibrate softly, emitting a small dot of light. From within the ring, a simple-looking healing pill floated out, appearing ordinary but possessing extraordinary effects in this low-level world where people relied solely on internal energy without understanding the true path of cultivation.
The pill flew swiftly, invisible, and shot toward the Zhou Clan Head, who was still lying on the ground, pale-faced, and gently entered his mouth.
"Well, this step will keep the Zhou Clan Head alive," Lin Tian muttered softly, unwilling to let the old martial expert die meaninglessly.
In his heart, Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"Perhaps with this action, I have changed the course of the future, but that's fine. I will create my future in my own way."
Feeling far enough from the previous battle location, Lin Tian let out a small snort. Being carried for too long by this foul-smelling woman disgusted him.
At that moment, Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes. In an instant, time around them froze, the air felt still, and the leaves caught in the wind halted mid-air.
Lin Tian used a trace of space-time formation power, freezing the space where they stood. A thin golden aura flowed from Lin Tian's body, enveloping him like a warm, calming light that would make anyone who saw it feel fear.
Lin Tian's body slowly floated, rising to Li Hua's shoulder height, staring directly at the masked woman's face.
Li Hua suddenly couldn't breathe. Her entire body felt locked, with only her eyes able to move, trembling.
"What is happening… my body… why can't I move… who is this child…" Li Hua panicked internally, experiencing a fear she had never felt before in her life.
Lin Tian looked at her with cold eyes.
"I just want to know all your sect's hidden bases and plans."
Li Hua wanted to scream, wanted to move, but her body was frozen in place. Only her eyes trembled, her pupils widening with extreme fear.
"How is this possible… t-this child… he… he spoke… what is this aura… this isn't the power of a Holy Martial Expert… this… this feels like the aura of a god…" Li Hua thought, nearly losing her sanity.
Lin Tian did not answer. His hand slowly lifted and touched Li Hua's forehead. A thin golden light seeped from his hand, entering through Li Hua's skin, forcing all her memories and secrets to open before Lin Tian.
Li Hua's memories flashed, one by one revealing themselves clearly in Lin Tian's mind.
He saw the Demonic Sect's hidden bases spread throughout the martial world, branch bases operating as brothels, illegal weapon shops, and assassin syndicates.
But what caught Lin Tian's attention the most was the Demonic Sect's central base, hidden behind a high mountain at the martial world's border, far from the eyes of the world, where all the chaos had been orchestrated.
Lin Tian memorized all the information in detail, from the sect's structure to the supply routes of medicine and weapons they used to slowly influence the martial world.
"Done," Lin Tian muttered, pulling back his hand.
For him, all this information was merely a small stepping stone. The Demonic Sect's affairs were not difficult; what mattered now was that he wanted to enjoy life with his parents before continuing to destroy the trash daring to disturb his peace.
Li Hua was still frozen, her breathing ragged, her eyes now teary.
"Li Hua, General Number 3 of the Demonic Sect… I don't care about your reasons for abducting me, but there's one thing you must remember."
Lin Tian raised his hand, his index finger slowly lifting, golden aura swirling at its tip.
"Anyone who tries to destroy my happiness will die."
A single snap.
"Tak!"
A small yet sharp sound was heard. In an instant, the upper half of Li Hua's body vanished, burned away by the golden light, leaving only the lower half standing rigid before falling heavily to the ground.
The gust from the snap shattered the earth and split the trees behind them for tens of kilometers, leaving a straight, smoking path.
"Boom!"
The remaining parts of Li Hua's body burned into ashes on the spot.
Lin Tian stared coldly before slowly flying back toward his residence, his body piercing through the night sky at lightning speed.
Upon arriving in his room, Lin Tian landed calmly, his face returning to that of an innocent, peaceful child. With a single hand gesture, he removed the illusion formation that had made his parents unconscious during the previous chaos.
His parents slowly woke up, opening their eyes in confusion, glancing at each other with worried expressions.
"M-My son…!"
They both ran toward Lin Tian's room, quickly opening the door.
There, they found Lin Tian sleeping soundly on his small bed, his face calm and innocent as always, as if nothing had happened.
They both paused for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. Smiles appeared on their faces, seeing their son safe and sound.
"Thank goodness… it looks like nothing happened…"
Under the moonlight streaming through the window, Lin Tian, still pretending to sleep, only smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Father, Mother… no one will disturb our happiness."
That night returned to silence, with only the gentle wind rustling through the leaves, as if all the chaos that had occurred was merely a nightmare that had now ended.
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