Chapter 92: Bandits, and the Discovery of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well
Qian Renxue had awakened her Cosmo, and she also displayed a certain degree of talent in telekinesis.
Lin Beiya immediately shared with her all of his own cultivation insights regarding telekinesis.
Having been ambushed several times earlier, Qian Renxue's cheeks were still tinged with a persistent flush. Even during the lesson, she seemed a bit distracted, occasionally shooting Lin Beiya a glare.
In the end, Lin Beiya decided it would be better to wait until after he finished his business and returned before explaining to her the developmental direction of telekinesis.
"By the way, Xue'er, how exactly did you awaken your Sixth Sense?"
"I'm not too sure myself. After you left, I simply kept training diligently—strengthening my five senses and my physique."
"Gradually, I began to sense stars revolving within my spiritual sea, and the telekinesis you mentioned was something I grasped only afterward."
Her words left Lin Beiya feeling rather complicated. Was this the difference between a genius and an ordinary person? Both he and Shi Nuo had needed to brush the line between life and death before they could glimpse the mysteries of the Cosmo. Yet this little angel simply cultivated quietly until everything naturally fell into place. It was absurd.
At the same time, everything happening with Qian Renxue made Lin Beiya realize something—awakening the Cosmo wasn't limited to tempering oneself between life and death. A natural breakthrough was also a valid path.
"All right, then I'll leave first to take care of my matters. When I come back, I'll let you know before I head out again."
"Okay. Go on."
Although deeply reluctant, Qian Renxue did not put on a spoiled-girl act. She knew Lin Beiya truly had important business to attend to.
Besides, he had already said that once he mastered the Praesepe Underworld Waves, he would be able to freely travel in and out of Yomotsu Hirasaka. By then, opportunities for them to meet would be plentiful.
Leaving the prince's residence, Lin Beiya asked around in Heaven Dou City before heading toward the Sunset Forest.
He didn't know exactly where Dugu Bo lived, but the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was definitely located somewhere within the Sunset Forest.
As for high-level soul beasts within the forest, such threats didn't worry Lin Beiya at all. His telekinesis and Yomotsu Hirasaka were more than enough to guarantee his safety.
The Sunset Forest lay nearly five hundred kilometers west of Heaven Dou City, nestled in a vast mountain range. Dense forests and hundreds of intertwining rivers had created the second-largest soul beast habitat in the continent's interior after the Star Dou Forest.
It took Lin Beiya an entire day of sustained movement to reach Sunset Town, a small settlement just outside the Sunset Forest.
This town was very similar to the Soul Hunting Town outside the Star Dou Forest—both existed to serve the massive Soul Hunting population, and mercenaries were a common sight.
After replenishing food and fresh water, Lin Beiya rested briefly before heading into the forest.
He had no idea how long he would be staying at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, so preparing some supplies was essential.
But his youthful, pampered young master attire quickly attracted the attention of several unsavory individuals. These people lingered around Sunset Town year-round, surviving through robbery and extortion; many civilian soul masters had suffered under their hands.
To them, Lin Beiya looked like a plump treasure trove. Judging from his age, he couldn't be very strong, yet he surely carried plenty of wealth.
As for the possibility that he had a terrifying clan backing him—well, after finishing the job, they could always vanish for a year or half.
Greed exists everywhere. Wealth moves the heart universally.
With Lin Beiya's sensory abilities, he had naturally noticed them tailing him long ago. Yet he didn't expose them—instead, he continued deeper into the forest, maintaining a pace that allowed the group to keep up.
Only after venturing several dozen kilometers into the forest did Lin Beiya stop in an open clearing, turning toward the rustling bushes behind him.
"All right, you've followed me long enough. You can come out. No one will find out about the dirty business you're planning here."
"Oh? Kid, you noticed us long ago but still dared to stop and wait?"
The bald, burly man leading the group stepped forward, eyeing Lin Beiya from head to toe. His fierce gaze flickered as though he were looking at a walking pile of gold soul coins.
Lin Beiya raised a brow, the corner of his mouth curling in disdain as he looked at them.
"If I were you, I'd turn around and run right now."
"The fact that I stopped and waited means one of two things—either I'm confident I can kill you, or I have an elder following behind me."
"No matter which it is, you people obsessed only with gold soul coins have no chance of surviving. You're truly foolish."
Hearing this, the bandits froze. After a brief daze, one of them roared viciously:
"Brat, stop pretending! If you really had an elder behind you, they would've intervened long ago instead of waiting until now!"
"That's right! Trying to bluff us with a few words? Grandpa here isn't easily intimidated!"
With their companion calling out Lin Beiya's lie, the short and skinny man revealed a triumphant smirk.
A fool who insists on seeking death—those words perfectly describe this group. Lin Beiya had things to do and didn't intend to waste time.
The Athena Statue materialized in his hand, and one yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring rose in sequence.
The terrifying soul ring configuration sent the bandits trembling on the spot. The strongest among them—the bald man—was merely a low-level Soul Ancestor. There was no way he could match Lin Beiya.
They had considered the possibility that no elder followed him, but never imagined that his strength alone could annihilate them.
After a long pause, the bald leader forced himself to shout at his underlings:
"What are you afraid of? Even if his soul rings are strong, he's still just a Soul Ancestor! There are so many of us—why should we fear him? After this job, we'll all retire—this kid's wealth will let us live comfortably for the rest of our lives!"
Money makes even ghosts work. The underlings who had wanted to retreat moments ago now had eyes shaped like gold soul coins.
"Kid, blame yourself for being too flashy. With your talent, if we saw you five years from now, we might immediately turn away. But right now? Obviously impossible."
After watching their circus show for a moment, Lin Beiya completely lost interest. A massive Cancer constellation symbol appeared overhead, transforming into a pillar of light that shot down onto him.
When the radiance faded, the Cancer Gold Cloth had fully attached to his body.
"Praesepe Underworld Waves!"
A whirlpool of eerie green light erupted, instantly enveloping dozens of bandits. In mere moments, one soul after another drifted upward in terror.
Their bodies, now soulless, collapsed to the ground with muffled thuds.
Lin Beiya didn't even bother heading for Yomotsu Hirasaka—he simply gathered their souls and tossed them into a spatial vortex, then dusted off his hands and dispelled the Cancer Gold Cloth.
Without sparing a glance at the unconscious bodies on the ground, he continued deeper into the forest.
As for the bodies, he naturally left them to the starving soul beasts.
And Lin Beiya also wanted to see what would happen to such foul, stench-ridden souls after spending some time in Yomotsu Hirasaka.
The bandits were merely a small interlude, hardly worth his attention. Lin Beiya closed his eyes, trying to sense the exact location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
After traveling several dozen more kilometers, he discovered a circular region in the northeastern part of the forest completely devoid of life. He immediately concluded that this must be the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and quickly headed there.
End of Chapter