"Confirmed!"
[Xiang Yu Inheritance·Overlord Army Breaker, 30% activated! Skill gained: Thousands Flee Before Me. Current Battle Intent: MAX!]
In an instant, earth-shattering battle intent erupted from Lin Che's body. Black killing intent and golden battle intent intertwined, forming a terrifying aura field. The air in the stone hall seemed to freeze. His woodcutter's knife seemed to come alive, emitting a low hum. His aura even briefly suppressed the bear demon's demon qi.
"Overlord Army Breaker·Thousands Flee Before Me!" Lin Che roared. His figure shot toward the bear demon like a loosed arrow. His woodcutter's knife swept out a dazzling golden blade light, the slash majestic and fierce, carrying the dominance of sweeping through thousands, bearing directly down on the bear demon's chest.
The bear demon's expression changed drastically. Not daring to underestimate the attack, it raised its massive claw wreathed in violent demon qi to meet the golden blade light head-on.
BOOM! A deafening explosion. The shockwave swept outward, instantly shattering stone pillars. Half the hall's roof collapsed, debris flying everywhere. Lin Che felt his chest churn, blood flow reversing. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with severed string. He slammed heavily into a wall, his right arm sending piercing pain—bones already completely shattered.
The bear demon fared no better. The blade light left a wound on its chest deep enough to see bone, black demon blood gushing out. It staggered back several steps, eyes filled with disbelief and savagery, roaring as it charged Lin Che again.
[Warning: Host critically injured, right arm bones shattered, spiritual energy reserves at 2%. Recommendation: Retreat immediately and avoid direct confrontation.]
Lin Che clenched his teeth and climbed to his feet, veins bulging on his forehead, a flash of resolve in his eyes. He abruptly pulled out his storage pouch and extracted all 2,000 spirit stones within, gripping them in his hand: "Detonate spirit stones, force a breakthrough through qi overload!"
[Warning: Qi overload breakthrough carries extreme risk, could lead to complete meridian rupture! Confirm?]
"Confirmed!"
The 2,000 spirit stones instantly detonated. Vast spiritual qi surged into Lin Che's body like a tsunami. His meridians were forcibly expanded, sending tearing agony throughout his body, but he gritted his teeth and endured. His dantian sea spun wildly, spiritual qi surging and circulating through his body. The Qi Condensing peak stage that had been stagnant now began to loosen and break through!
[Qi overload! Host breakthrough successful: Foundation Establishment·Early Stage!]
At the moment of breakthrough, even more powerful spiritual qi swept through his entire body. The shattered bones in his right arm healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. His critically injured body rapidly recovered. Lin Che slowly straightened, his eyes crimson, spiritual qi and battle intent intertwining around him, his aura even stronger than before.
"Blue Flame Burns Evil·Rend Space!" Lin Che formed seals with his left hand. Blue flames ignited out of thin air, carrying the power to burn everything, sweeping toward the bear demon. Simultaneously, his right hand swung the knife, the golden blade light swelling once more, "Overlord Army Breaker·Strike Again!"
The two forces combined, forming a terrifying tidal wave of attack that directly smashed into the bear demon. The demon had nowhere to dodge. At the moment the tidal wave struck, it released a mournful howl. Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, convulsed a few times, then fell still, completely lifeless.
[Cross-rank kill successful! Devoured Foundation Establishment demonic beast×1! Gained 500 Slaughter Points, Demon Core×1, 3,500 Spirit Stones. System detects host made massive profit this time. Can buy little sister lots of sugar gourds and tasty snacks. If host doesn't buy them, I'll snitch.]
Lin Che collapsed to the ground completely drained, gasping for large mouthfuls of air. The breakthrough and battle had nearly exhausted all his spiritual qi. He currently felt sore throughout his entire body, lacking even the strength to raise a hand. At that moment, a faint yet pure spiritual qi fluctuation from deep within the stone hall caught his attention.
He forced his body up and staggered step by step deeper into the stone hall. In the corner, he discovered a small teleportation array. The formation patterns were ancient, emitting faint blue light. At the array's eye were carved five small characters: "Heaven Profound Sect Outer Gate," faintly resonating with the teleportation coordinates on Lao Ma's jade slip.
[Detected Canglan Realm Small Teleportation Array. Energy analysis: Can accommodate 2 people for single teleportation, destination: Canglan Realm Heaven Profound Sect Outer Gate stronghold.]
[Warning: Teleportation array has been triggered and activated. Canglan Realm cultivator Nascent Soul projection will arrive in 10 minutes. Projection cultivation: Foundation Establishment mid-stage. Host currently in weakened state, cannot contend!]
Lin Che's expression changed drastically, alarm bells ringing in his heart. Without time to think, he struggled to his feet and ran madly toward the stone hall exit, shouting as he ran: "Chief Shi, retreat! People from Canglan Realm are coming!"
Shi Jin, who had been conducting the feigned assault at the front gate, heard the shout. His heart tightened and he immediately ordered: "Withdraw! Quick withdrawal!" The men didn't dare delay, immediately abandoning torches and weapons, following Shi Jin in retreat down the mountain.
"What happened? Who are these Canglan Realm people?" Shi Jin caught up to Lin Che, asking urgently.
"Black Wind Village has a Heaven Profound Sect teleportation array. It's been activated. If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!" Lin Che spoke rapidly, his gaze fixed on Black Wind Village.
The moment they withdrew to safe distance, blinding blue light erupted from the stone hall at Black Wind Village. A faint cultivator phantom emerged from the teleportation array, its aura ice-cold, two Qi Condensing puppets trailing behind it. Its gaze swept the collapsed stone hall, filled with killing intent.
[Canglan Realm cultivator Nascent Soul projection×1, cultivation: Foundation Establishment mid-stage. Hostility value: 100%.]
Without hesitation, Lin Che raised his hand and hurled his few remaining spirit stones, precisely smashing them into the teleportation array's eye. BOOM! The array was destroyed. Blue light dissipated, the phantom grew faint, and finally completely dissipated.
"Go! Back to Tianmen Village!" Lin Che ordered in a heavy voice, his heart clear—this was just the beginning. The trouble with Heaven Profound Sect and Canglan Realm couldn't be avoided.
---
Dawn broke as the group returned triumphant to Tianmen Village. Thirty elite warriors had raided Black Wind Village. Only three suffered light injuries, none died, and they'd seized massive amounts of cultivation resources and food supplies. A complete victory.
Before the main hall's open ground, Shi Jin faced the entire village of over a hundred brothers and slammed his mountain-splitting axe into the earth, his voice booming across the entire mountain stronghold: "From this day forward, Brother Lin Che is Tianmen Village's Second Chief! All matters great and small in the village will be discussed with the Second Chief! Whoever refuses, answer to my axe first!"
[Force Relationship Change: Tianmen Village's favorable impression of host maxed out, current reputation: 1,000/1,000. Host has successfully established a foothold in Tianmen Village.]
"Second Chief! Second Chief!" The village brothers cheered in unison, their voices echoing through the valleys, eyes filled with reverence and conviction. Yesterday, Lin Che had subdued Third Brother while weak. Today, he cross-rank killed a Foundation Establishment bear demon. He had already won everyone's recognition with his strength.
Lin Che stood on the main hall steps, gazing down at the cheering crowd below, his expression calm and unrippled. Establishing a foothold in Tianmen Village was merely the first step. He had to rapidly increase his strength, thoroughly investigate Heaven Profound Sect's and Canglan Realm's secrets, to truly protect Lin Ying's safety.
[System Detected: Host meets conditions for long-term settlement. New function unlocked: Force Management Simulator. Can simulate village development, resource allocation, combat power enhancement planning, etc.]
[System Recommendation: Cultivate Lin Ying to become village chief successor. Host can focus on cultivation and planning from behind the scenes, dealing with Canglan Realm crisis.]
Lin Che raised his head toward the mountaintop schoolhouse direction. Faintly, he could hear Lin Ying's childish voice reciting, "People at birth are naturally good," following Teacher Wen. Sunlight fell on his body, dissipating the night's darkness. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, a trace of softness flashing in his eyes.