Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 518 Take action
The corpse slammed heavily onto the cold floor of the main hall with a thud, and blood spread, staining the surrounding ground crimson.

This sudden turn of events startled everyone in the hall, and their gazes all turned to the corpse. When they saw that it was Yi Chen, their eyes were filled with disbelief, as if they were witnessing something utterly absurd.

The future sect leader of the Heavenly Nether Sect, with limitless potential... died without any warning?! How could this be?!
"Chen'er!" Yi Ming's eyes widened instantly, filled with grief.

He flashed to Yi Chen's side, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he carefully lifted Yi Chen's body, roaring hoarsely, "Medicine Lord Lin Yuan, how dare you kill my adopted son! My Heavenly Nether Sect will never let you get away with this!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan glanced around the main hall before his gaze fell upon the Sect Master of the Heavenly Nether Sect. His expression remained calm, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a mocking smile.

"Alright, that's enough acting for now!"

"I have done some research on the Tianming Sect and on you, Sect Master Yi. As far as I know, your relationship with Yi Chen is not the kind of loving father and son you portray."

"This ridiculous performance is just an excuse to attack me as a matter of course."

"Let me think..." Lin Yuan tapped his forehead, a playful look on his face, and said, "You're probably worried about retaliation from the Pill Tower, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, although I am the future commander of Danta, this trip has nothing to do with Danta. It is purely my personal behavior - I just felt like it and came to get rid of you, you disgusting old thing."

"Since I've made my decision, conflict between us is inevitable. Why bother with all this trouble?"

At this point, he clicked his tongue, his face full of amusement, "Tsk, you need to come up with a legitimate excuse to attack someone. You're not doing a very good job as a bad guy and the leader of this evil sect... You're quite pathetic!"

These harsh words left Yi Ming speechless, his face turning pale and then red.

The other party is right. His performance just now was to find a reason to prevent Danta from retaliating in the future.

After all, everyone in Zhongzhou knows how much Danta values ​​Yaojun.

However, Yi Ming had served as the sect leader of the Tianming Sect for decades. He was used to hearing flattery and polite words, and his skin had become quite thick.

At this moment, being mocked like this by a junior in front of his subordinates, he immediately became furious and embarrassed, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"You arrogant brat!" Yi Ming pointed at Lin Yuan and shouted angrily.

"Even if you are exceptionally talented and hold a high position, you shouldn't act so recklessly!"

"Today you trespassed into my Heavenly Nether Sect and killed my senior elders and young sect master. I will make you pay for this in blood! Even if this matter reaches the Pill Tower, facing the public opinion of the world, my Heavenly Nether Sect will stand on the side of righteousness..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the powerful aura of a seventh-level Dou Zun was released without reservation, instantly turning the air in the hall cold and stagnant.

The immense battle aura was almost tangible, slithering around him like a venomous snake.

Yi Ming's eyes were filled with killing intent as he stared at Lin Yuan with a chilling expression. He said coldly, "Elders, listen to my command! Form the Netherworld Grand Formation and capture these two... If they insist on resisting, then kill them without mercy!"

Although he was enraged, he did not lose his mind; his primary concern was still to capture the person in front of him.

After all, if they could capture this young man and extract the secret to his rapid improvement in strength, both they and the Tianming Sect would gain immeasurable benefits!
The Medicine Lord, who could defeat a top genius from an ancient clan, must have cultivation secrets that every sect in the Central Plains covets!
However, the powerful deterrent of the Pill Tower prevented the various sects from taking any substantial action—the Pill Tower Ancestor was the pinnacle figure outside the ancient clan lineage.

But this time, Yaojun personally ran into the Tianming Sect. How could he give up such a great opportunity?
Upon hearing the command, the elders in the main hall were all invigorated, circulating their internal battle qi, which intertwined and swirled together. In an instant, the hall flickered with light as battle qi of various colors intertwined, and a large array took shape at a visible speed.

In this tense situation, Feng Qing'er, whose cultivation was still shallow, felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her delicate body trembled slightly uncontrollably, and she subconsciously leaned towards Lin Yuan.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible smile. He reached out and pulled Feng Qing'er behind him.

Glancing at the Tianming Sect members who were forming an array, he curled his lips into a disdainful smile: "Little Phoenix, haven't you always been curious about my strength? Well, now you can see for yourself, but you'll only have a fleeting moment!"

"You dare to be so arrogant, you little brat who can take us down in an instant?!" Hearing Lin Yuan's contemptuous words, Yi Ming's forehead veins bulged, and he said coldly.

"hehe--"

Lin Yuan merely smiled indifferently, and after a long absence, he unleashed the Soul Movement Seal, a dazzling silver light flashing in his eyes.

"Heavenly Roar Soul-Shaking Strike!"

His soul power surged like waves, instantly condensing into a silver rune between his brows. As it flickered, an irresistible and mysterious soul impact burst forth from between his brows.

This impact was invisible and intangible, yet as swift as lightning. Only after it passed did a faint ripple spread through the space.

The elders of the Heavenly Nether Sect felt a sharp pain in their heads, as if countless steel needles were churning them wildly. The nascent Netherworld Array instantly became chaotic, its light flickering erratically, before collapsing completely with a loud "boom".

Apart from Yi Ming, the sect master of the Tianming Sect, who was at the center of the formation, everyone else screamed in agony, their bodies collapsing uncontrollably to the ground, their faces turning deathly pale, and blood gushing from their mouths.

However, even Yi Ming, who was at the peak of the seventh level, felt dizzy at this moment.

Although it was only a high-level Earth-rank soul skill of the Pill Tower, when combined with a mid-stage Heaven-rank soul, its power was far beyond what the people in the hall could withstand.

At the same time, Lin Yuan released Feng Qing'er, who had been protecting him, took a step forward, and his figure flashed like a ghost, appearing strangely in front of the Tianming Sect Master.

He formed his right hand into a claw, and with a sharp gust of wind, he viciously grabbed at Yi Ming's throat.

As Yi Ming slowly awoke from the deadly dizziness, what he saw was a long, slender hand with distinct knuckles, wreathed in extremely fierce fiery energy, gripping his neck tightly like an iron clamp.

Looking up, I saw a pair of deep, dark eyes, filled with indifference and disdain, coldly looking down at me as if I were an ant.

Inside the main hall, all the Dou Zun elders of the Tianming Sect were rolling and groaning on the ground, clearly no longer able to fight.

Upon seeing this, Yi Ming was horrified, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He hurriedly circulated his internal fighting spirit, trying to break free from the shackles-like restraints, but found that an invisible force had imprisoned him tightly, making it impossible for him to move at all.

"Hehe, Sect Master Yi, do you have any last words?" Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly, then he slowly increased the force in his hand, tightening his grip on Yi Ming's neck little by little.

Yi Ming felt a piercing pain in his neck, which spread throughout his body like a surging tide, causing him to groan involuntarily.

At this moment, his face was flushed red, and his eyes were filled with horror—he never expected that he, a dignified seventh-level Dou Zun and the sect master of Tianming Sect, a figure of great prestige in Zhongzhou, would be powerless to resist this junior who was not even thirty years old.

"You...you can't kill me! My Heavenly Nether Sect has a Saint Realm Ancestor who is currently in seclusion. If you kill me, he will immediately emerge from seclusion, and then you will have no chance of survival!"

With great difficulty, Yi Ming forced out the threatening words from his throat. On a whim, he used his soul to send a message to the outside world, seeking help.

However, this world seemed to be sealed off. As soon as his soul power left the main hall, it collided with an invisible barrier and was violently bounced back.

"Heh, asking for help isn't that simple."

As if sensing something, Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold light flashing in them that sent chills down one's spine.

Even a mere old man like Mu Gu knew to set up a soul barrier beforehand to prevent others from escaping or seeking help when he went to attack someone. How could Lin Yuan possibly have made such a mistake?
The reason Lin Yuan didn't attack directly but instead inquired about information from the disciples of the Tianming Sect was to make thorough preparations and advance step by step! This world had unknowingly been sealed off by him with a double barrier of soul and space.

At this moment, Yi Ming finally woke up as if from a dream, his heart filled with unconcealed fear. He understood that today, a huge iron plate had truly come to smash into him and their Tianming Sect.

Medicine Lord Lin Yuan is not only terrifyingly strong, but also bold in his actions and quite meticulous in his thinking.

At this moment, Yi Ming was filled with regret—if he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have interfered in the affairs of the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower back in Ji Lei City.

He actually had a pretty good idea of ​​why Lin Yuan had come to cause trouble.

Three years ago, when he left the Thunder Realm, he couldn't resist the temptation offered by the Soul Clan and accepted their request. Under the pretext of investigating the death of the Demon Flower Evil Lord, he deliberately delayed Xuan Kongzi in Ji Lei City, thus hindering his journey to bring Lin Yuan back to the Pill Tower.

In a sense, it was precisely because of his delay that the Soul Clan was able to intercept Lin Yuan, which triggered the subsequent Holy Realm War.

Several years had passed, and Yi Ming thought the matter was over, but he never expected that a jinx would come knocking on his door today.

Sensing the chilling killing intent emanating from the other party, which was no joke, his body trembled slightly, and he was filled with panic. He quickly started thinking.

"Master Medicine Lord... no, Lord Lin Yuan, the reason I delayed your journey in Jilei City was because of the coercion of the Soul Clan's Half-Saint... I truly couldn't refuse! Afterwards, I deeply regretted it and wanted to go to the Pill Tower to apologize several times, but I never had the chance."

"I am willing to offer the most precious treasure of the Heavenly Nether Sect as a token of my sincere apology for that matter!"

"Furthermore, I assure you that my sect will never pursue the matter concerning Yi Chen and Elder Qiu... I am willing to lead the Tianming Sect and the Pill Tower in an alliance, and from now on, we will advance and retreat together with the Pill Tower."

"Please spare my life, I'll do anything!"

Yi Ming, the renowned sect master of the Tianming Sect in Zhongzhou, endured the excruciating pain in his neck and begged for mercy with a fawning expression, showing no trace of his previous arrogance.

When faced with matters of life and death, regardless of strength or weakness, those who can remain calm and indifferent are ultimately a very small minority.

"Heh, it seems you've remembered and want to see it, but..." Lin Yuan chuckled disdainfully, and with a flick of his right hand, snapped the Heavenly Nether Sect Master's neck, severing his life completely: "I don't need your apology!"

"As for the countless treasures of the Heavenly Nether Sect, hehe, they were already in my possession, so why would you need to go to the trouble of offering them to me?"

"My purpose in coming here is not to take your life."

As the light in Yi Ming's eyes gradually faded, Lin Yuan extracted Yi Ming's soul directly, casually tossed aside his physical body, and said indifferently.

He turned around, and with a sudden flick of his sleeve, several icy blue chains flew out from his sleeve, piercing the wailing elders on the ground like nimble venomous snakes. Then, with a sharp pull, they ripped their souls away.

Lin Yuan collected the numerous Dou Zun souls he had extracted and nodded in satisfaction—these powerful souls were enough to equal the harvest of a high-level branch hall over several decades.

Then, he walked up to the Tianming Sect elder who had been specially left behind and left a soul imprint on his soul.

"You are the Ghost Lord of the Netherworld, aren't you?" Lin Yuan looked at the gray-robed old man who was trying to remain calm and said indifferently, "If you don't want to be destroyed, then you'd better complete the task I've assigned you."

"The barrier sealing this place will be lifted in one hour."

"After you leave, immediately go and find the old demon Tianming who is in seclusion. I will pass on a message to him: if you want to save the souls of Yiming and the others, bring enough rare and precious materials to Purgatory Valley in the southwest within two hours to trade. You will not be waited for if you are late."

"Remember, don't try anything funny! Otherwise, it's hard to say about others, but you're definitely going to die."

"I understand! I understand!!" Upon hearing this, the Ghost Lord of Senluo nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with fear of death and longing for life.

"Hehe, then we'll meet again later... Goodbye!"

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, walked up to Feng Qing'er who was still in a daze, put his arm around her slender waist, and in a flash, left the main hall, left the barrier, and left the Tianming Sect...

Upon seeing this, the Ghost Lord of the Underworld glanced at the corpses scattered all over the ground and immediately shuddered.

After a moment's thought, he didn't try to confirm or break through the barrier. Instead, he simply sat cross-legged in place, regulating his breathing to soothe the injuries in his soul while waiting for time to pass.

After waiting patiently for an hour, he finished his meditation, transformed into a streak of light, flew out of the hall, and sped towards the depths of the back mountain.

Before long, a cold, old, and sinister laugh echoed from the depths of the back mountain.

"Heh heh, after years of secluded cultivation, the Pill Tower has produced such a junior? Such arrogance and recklessness, I haven't seen such a brat in a long time. Medicine Lord Lin Yuan, how dare you offend this Saint and my Heavenly Nether Sect like this? I'd like to see what you're capable of!"

Before the words were even finished, a streak of blood-red light ripped through the sky, carrying a chilling and awe-inspiring momentum as it hurtled towards the southwest...

(End of this chapter)