Fang Lin's arm trembled slightly from the collision, but the faint Nether Life Spirit Qi beneath his skin quickly calmed the impact and steadied his meridians.
He now understood the gap more clearly.
Luo Cheng's realm was high, his Qi was deep, and his defense was much stronger than an ordinary Spirit Foundation cultivator. But Fang Lin's body, soul, and techniques were not ordinary either.
He could fight.
Luo Cheng's expression slowly became serious. "You are not a normal rogue cultivator."
Fang Lin replied calmly, "And you are not as careful as an elder should be."
Luo Cheng's face darkened.
Those words were not loud, but they touched something sharp. He had attacked because of greed, because Fang Lin looked young, alone, and newly broken through. Now, after only a few exchanges, Luo Cheng realized that the prey before him had teeth deep enough to tear open his hand.
He stepped forward.
The pressure around him changed.
Dark-earth aura spread across the road, causing the ground beneath Fang Lin to become heavy. It was not a true domain, but it carried a suppressive field formed by Late Spirit Foundation Qi.
Fang Lin's movements slowed slightly.
Luo Cheng noticed at once and attacked.
A heavy palm struck down.
Then another.
Then another.
Each palm carried mountain force, and every strike seemed to drag the weight of the road itself into the attack. Fang Lin moved between them, but the ground beneath his feet kept pulling at his steps.
Late Spirit Foundation Realm.
It was much stronger than Middle Spirit Foundation Realm.
Fang Lin's eyes sharpened.
Shadow Breath activated.
His presence thinned, and his feet touched the ground more lightly. The dark shadow beneath him spread outward, interfering with the earth Qi gathered around his legs.
The suppression weakened.
Only slightly.
But slightly was enough.
Fang Lin's figure suddenly accelerated.
Luo Cheng's pupils contracted.
Frost Wind pierced toward his throat.
Luo Cheng leaned back and raised his arm. The sword cut across his sleeve, leaving a shallow wound on his forearm.
Blood appeared.
Luo Cheng stared at the wound.
Then he looked at Fang Lin.
His anger rose. "You injured me?"
Fang Lin did not answer.
He moved again.
This time, Frost Trace Sword Art unfolded. Pale frost marks appeared across the broken road, one on a stone, one beneath Luo Cheng's left foot, and one across the air behind him.
Luo Cheng noticed immediately.
"Formation-like sword traces?"
He stomped heavily.
Dark-earth Qi burst outward and crushed several frost marks, but Fang Lin had already appeared in front of him.
Wind Break Palm.
Luo Cheng raised his arm to block.
Compressed wind exploded.
The elder's sleeve tore apart, and his arm went numb.
At the same time, a black thread rose from Fang Lin's shadow.
Abyssal Death Shadow.
It moved toward Luo Cheng's ankle in silence.
Luo Cheng's face changed.
Danger.
He immediately retreated, but the death thread still brushed against his protective Qi. The dark-earth aura around his leg withered slightly, as if something had eaten away its vitality.
Luo Cheng's expression finally changed completely.
"What kind of power is that?"
Fang Lin's gaze remained cold. "Something that you wanted to investigate."
Luo Cheng's heart tightened.
Frost.
Body cultivation.
Concealment.
Strange death Qi.
Strong soul perception.
A newly broken through Early Spirit Foundation cultivator should never possess such things.
This was not any rogue cultivator with good luck.
This was a monster from an extraordinary sect or an extremely lucky individual who found an inheritance. Perhaps he even was the one from the Demon Sealing Ruins who found the inheritance.
Luo Cheng's greed became stronger, but beneath that greed, fear had begun to appear.
If he killed this monster, he might be able to use those techniques and resources to step toward Core Formation. Perhaps he could leave Black Mountain Gate, hide for a few years, and reappear stronger than before. He feared that someone might be standing behind Fang Lin, but that fear did not defeat his greed.
At most, he would run after taking everything.
In the cultivation world, many men had built their future on that same foolish sentence.
"You two, retreat farther!" Luo Cheng shouted.
The young male attendant and the young female attendant obeyed immediately. Tan Wu, who carried the medicine box, and Mei Su, who carried the sealed scrolls, fled toward the distant trees without hesitation.
They did not want to be anywhere near this type of battle.
Fang Lin did not stop them.
Luo Cheng took out a dark stone bead and crushed it.
(Black Rock Guard Bead
A one-time-use defensive treasure used by Black Mountain Gate cultivators. The user crushes the bead after filling it with Spirit Qi, causing a layer of black rock armor to form over the body. It strengthens defense for a short time and is especially suitable for earth/body cultivators.
Cost: 1,600 low-grade spirit stones)
A layer of black rock armor formed over his body, and his aura rose sharply. Late Spirit Foundation pressure spread like a mountain storm, heavy enough to make the surrounding trees groan.
"You are strong," Luo Cheng said coldly. "But you are still only at Early Spirit Foundation."
His hands formed seals.
Behind him, a black mountain phantom appeared.
It was not a true manifestation, only a technique image formed from dark-earth Qi, but the pressure it released was real.
Black Mountain Suppression Art.
Luo Cheng growled, "Black Mountain Descent."
The mountain phantom descended.
Fang Lin felt his body sink.
His bones creaked, and even the air around him became heavy. Luo Cheng laughed coldly as the pressure continued to increase.
"This is the difference between you and me. A Late Spirit Foundation elder has years of accumulation. You think talent alone can cross that gap?"
The pressure grew heavier.
Fang Lin's knees bent slightly, and the ground beneath him cracked.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey seed pulsed.
The dark flame burned quietly.
Fang Lin closed his eyes for one breath.
Then he opened them.
His aura changed.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body erupted.
Grey mist wrapped around him, and Nether Life Spirit Qi flowed beneath his skin, keeping his bones and meridians stable under the crushing pressure.
Death Qi from the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture flowed through hidden meridian channels, and Abyssal Death Shadow spread beneath his feet.
The mountain pressure did not vanish.
But Fang Lin began walking.
One step.
The ground cracked.
A second step.
The black mountain phantom trembled.
A third step.
Fang Lin raised Frost Wind.
Luo Cheng's smile disappeared.
"How are you moving?"
Fang Lin did not answer.
He slashed.
Frost and shadow gathered into one sword.
The slash struck the black mountain phantom.
A violent tremor spread through the road.
The phantom shook, and cracks appeared across it.
Luo Cheng's face paled. "Impossible!"
Fang Lin stepped forward again.
The fourth step.
His left palm gathered Wind Break Palm, and a black death thread coiled around his wrist.
He struck the cracked mountain phantom.
The phantom shattered.
Luo Cheng staggered back, blood rising to his throat. His eyes filled with disbelief.
This was not Early Spirit Foundation battle strength.
It was not Middle Spirit Foundation.
It was not even ordinary Late Spirit Foundation.
His voice trembled slightly.
"You… you have half-step Core Formation battle prowess."
Luo Cheng thought that the enemy must be hiding his cultivation.
At that moment, another thought flashed through Luo Cheng's mind.
The Demon Sealing Ruins. A frost sword user.
The missing Lu Han, Yan Chi, and Guo Zhen.
The hidden cultivator the three sects had been searching for.
Luo Cheng's pupils shrank.
Could this be the person who killed those three inner sect geniuses?
Fang Lin's eyes moved slightly.
Half-step Core Formation battle prowess.
So that was where he stood now.
Only after hearing Luo Cheng's words did Fang Lin understand his current battle power more clearly. His true cultivation was Early Spirit Foundation Realm, but his foundation was otherworldly. His body cultivation, soul power, life force, darkness scripture, frost sword, and death shadow had combined into something far beyond ordinary logic.
His realm was Early Spirit Foundation.
But his battle prowess had already touched half-step Core Formation.
Luo Cheng's face turned ugly.
The greed in his eyes finally gave way to fear.
He turned and fled.
A Late Spirit Foundation elder of Black Mountain Gate was fleeing from an Early Spirit Foundation cultivator.
If Tan Wu and Mei Su had been close enough to see it clearly, their understanding of the world might have become much less stable.
Fang Lin moved.
Flowing Wind Steps and Shadow Breath merged.
His figure vanished from Luo Cheng's perception for half a breath.
Luo Cheng roared and released dark-earth Qi in all directions, but Fang Lin had already appeared behind him.
Frost Wind pierced through the black rock armor.
The armor cracked.
Luo Cheng twisted desperately, avoiding a fatal strike. The sword pierced his shoulder instead, and he shouted in pain.
Fang Lin's left hand pressed against his back.
Abyssal Death Shadow entered through the wound.
Luo Cheng's body stiffened.
His protective Qi began to decay. He tried to circulate his Qi to resist, but Fang Lin's soul pressure descended at the same time.
Soul Metamorphosis Technique. Soul Thrasher.
Luo Cheng's spiritual sea trembled.
His eyes widened.
"Soul technique too—"
Wind Break Palm erupted.
Luo Cheng flew forward and crashed into a tree. The tree shattered from the impact, and he fell to the ground, coughing blood.
Fang Lin appeared before him.
Frost Wind rested against his throat.
Luo Cheng did not dare move.
His face was pale. "Who are you?"
Fang Lin looked down at him.
"Go and ask Guo Zhen after you die."
Luo Cheng's lips trembled and he understood most of the things. "I am an elder of Black Mountain Gate. If you kill me, the sect will investigate."
Fang Lin's expression remained calm.
"That is why I will not simply kill you."
Luo Cheng's eyes changed.
Before he could react, Fang Lin's hand pressed against his head. Soul power surged, and the Soul Metamorphosis Technique entered Luo Cheng's spiritual sea.
Luo Cheng screamed miserably.
Fang Lin's expression did not change.
Searching memories was dangerous. If done crudely, the soul would shatter, and the target would either die instantly or become useless. But Fang Lin's variant soul and the Soul Metamorphosis Technique gave him control beyond ordinary cultivators.
He searched carefully.
Name.
Luo Cheng.
Late Spirit Foundation elder of Black Mountain Gate.
No family ties.
No wife.
No children.
No close disciples.
A lonely cultivator who had climbed slowly through harsh body cultivation, sect politics, and ruthless choices.
He had only three attendants.
Tan Wu.
Male.
Middle Qi Conjunction Realm.
Responsible for medicine boxes, travel supplies, and minor errands.
Mei Su.
Female.
Late Qi Conjunction Realm.
Responsible for scrolls, messages, and arrangements related to Luo Cheng's elder residence.
Old Ke.
An elderly servant at Black Mountain Gate.
No cultivation worth mentioning, but familiar with Luo Cheng's residence and habits.
Luo Cheng's personality was cold, greedy, suspicious, and solitary. He rarely visited others, rarely hosted guests, rarely smiled, and rarely tolerated questions. Most disciples feared him and avoided unnecessary contact.
His elder residence was located on the western slope of Black Mountain Gate.
His duties involved supervising body-tempering resources, mine reports, and outer resource shipments.
Fang Lin's eyes sharpened.
Mine reports.
Body-tempering resources.
Useful.
Very useful.
He searched deeper.
Luo Cheng knew nothing about the true value of the grey-green leaf. He did not know what it was, nor did he know why it had reacted to the grey seed. In Luo Cheng's memories, that particular leaf was not special enough to stand out.
But Fang Lin found something else.
Guo Zhen had once received an old sealed batch of body-tempering materials sent from the Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain of the Demon Immortal Continent.
That batch had been treated as a reward for promising body-cultivation disciples. Most of the materials were ordinary: heavy earth stones, Black Bone Marrow Paste, bone-tempering herbs, and old vitality leaves.
To Black Mountain Gate, it had only been a valuable but normal resource batch from a higher power.
But to Fang Lin, one of those old vitality leaves had awakened the grey seed.
His eyes deepened.
So the clue did not truly begin inside Black Mountain Gate.
It pointed higher.
Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain.
A major power of the Demon Immortal Continent.
Still, Black Mountain Gate was not useless. Records of the batch, delivery route, distribution list, and remaining materials might still exist inside the sect.
Fang Lin slowly withdrew from the memory search.
His thoughts became colder and clearer.
Black Mountain Gate was no longer the source.
But it was a path.
Luo Cheng's eyes had become dull. His soul had been damaged by the search, not enough to kill him instantly, but enough that he could no longer resist.
Fang Lin looked toward the trees.
Tan Wu and Mei Su were hiding far away, trembling. They had not dared to flee completely, most likely because they feared Luo Cheng even more than the unknown result of the battle.
Good.
Fang Lin turned back to Luo Cheng.
His face shifted.
His bones moved.
His height changed.
His shoulders broadened.
His eyes became colder and more sunken.
His hair darkened slightly.
His aura transformed.
Dark-earth pressure appeared around him, copied from Luo Cheng's surface aura through Phantom Transformation and Shadow Breath.
Within several breaths, Fang Lin vanished.
Luo Cheng stood there.
Or rather, someone wearing Luo Cheng's face stood there.
Fang Lin looked down at the fallen elder.
Then he placed his palm on Luo Cheng's chest.
Abyssal Death Shadow entered silently.
Luo Cheng's remaining vitality faded, and his body dried slightly, as if death had entered from within and swallowed the last trace of life.
Fang Lin used Death Qi to corrode the corpse and erase the remaining traces. No evidence could remain.
He took Luo Cheng's storage ring, elder token, black-brown elder robe, and several personal items. Then he changed into Luo Cheng's robes.
The black mountain crest sat on his chest.
The dark iron elder token hung at his waist.
His aura became heavy and cold.
Fang Lin walked toward the two attendants.
Tan Wu and Mei Su immediately knelt.
"Elder!"
Their voices trembled.
Fang Lin looked at them with Luo Cheng's cold eyes.
"Return to the sect."
Tan Wu lowered his head quickly. "Yes, Elder."
Mei Su's face was pale, and she did not dare look up. Neither of them noticed anything wrong.
Or perhaps they noticed something, but fear made them bury it.
That suited Fang Lin.
He walked forward.
The two attendants followed behind him.
Black Mountain Gate now lay ahead.
The grey-green leaf's origin remained hidden, but the sect's records, resource halls, and old shipments might provide the next clue.
Fang Lin had found his door.
Now, wearing the face of Elder Luo Cheng, he stepped toward the mountain.
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