I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che was somewhat speechless as he left Burning Bone City.

Is this place cursed? Why am I always being targeted whenever I come here?

He just wanted to quietly obtain a token and go to that secret realm without attracting attention, but he ended up being followed again.

……

After flying about a hundred miles, he realized something was wrong.

Several miles behind, a presence was quietly following.

The aura was perfectly concealed, almost imperceptible, like a wisp of smoke in the night.

If he didn't possess the divine sense of a Golden Core cultivator, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

Lin Che narrowed his eyes slightly.

The aura felt somewhat familiar.

He thought for a moment and remembered.

It was the white-haired old woman who had bid against him for the last token at the auction.

He didn't pay attention at the time, but now, upon closer examination, he realized that the aura was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak, only one step away from the Golden Core stage.

Lin Che neither accelerated nor changed direction.

He continued flying towards Chuyang City at a steady pace, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

However, its flight path deviated slightly, and it landed in a dense forest below.

The trees there were so dense that their canopies blocked out the sun, and only a few dappled spots of moonlight could seep through the gaps.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, which rustled underfoot, and the air was filled with the scent of humus mixed with damp soil.

With its complex terrain and crisscrossing ravines, it's the perfect place to "solve trouble."

After landing, Lin Che sheathed his longsword and stood with his hands behind his back in a clearing in the forest.

He didn't hide, didn't set up any formations, didn't make any preparations; he just stood there quietly.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the night wind whistled through the woods.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the dense forest.

It was that white-haired old woman.

She was still wearing that faded gray robe, with a few fallen leaves still clinging to the hem.

Leaning on his wooden cane, his hunched figure appeared exceptionally old in the moonlight, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

But those eyes were no longer cloudy.

Sharp as a hawk, cold as a venomous snake, he stared intently at Lin Che.

"Young friend, you certainly have courage."

Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, and particularly jarring in the silent forest.

"Knowing I'm following you, you neither run away nor hide, but instead wait here. How dare you?"

Her tone carried a hint of amusement, as if she were a cat playing with a mouse.

In her view, this person was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, while she had been at the peak of Foundation Establishment for many years and was only one step away from the Golden Core stage. It would not be difficult for her to defeat him.

Lin Che turned around and looked at her calmly.

The moonlight fell on his face, which was extremely ordinary after the disguise, without any special features.

But those eyes were as deep as an ancient well, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Fellow Daoist, what brings you here all this way?"

The old woman gave a sinister laugh.

She took a step forward, her cane tapping lightly on the ground with a dull thud.

"Young friend, why ask the obvious? Hand over the token, and I will not make things difficult for you."

Lin Che chuckled softly.

"I'm curious, isn't that token already bound to your aura? What do you need it for?"

"Heh, still thinking about so much even when you're about to die." The old woman waved her hand impatiently. "If you know what's good for you, hand it over quickly, or I'll waste my time."

"What if I don't give it to you?"

The old woman's smile gradually faded.

"Then you can't blame me."

Before she finished speaking, she slammed the wooden cane in her hand onto the ground!

"boom--!"

A visible gray shockwave exploded from the bottom of the staff, sweeping out in all directions!

The fallen leaves on the ground were swept up and turned into a sky full of fragments, swirling and dancing in the air;

The surrounding trees shook violently, creaking under the strain, and their branches and leaves fell like a rain of withered leaves.

The old woman's figure underwent a strange change in that instant.

The hunched back suddenly straightened, making a cracking sound as the bones snapped.

Her withered hands became full and strong, with bulging veins; the wrinkles on her face receded at a visible speed, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman with high cheekbones and a sinister look in her eyes.

Her white hair remained, but she had transformed from a frail old woman into a powerful middle-aged female cultivator!

"I'll tell you after you die!"

The aura of a fully established Foundation Establishment cultivator was released without reservation, protective energy enveloped his entire body, and gray spiritual light flowed across his skin.

Her entire body surged with earth-attribute true essence, and with a sudden wave of her hands, more than a dozen huge rock pillars rose from the ground and shot towards Lin Che from all directions!

Those rock pillars were as thick as a person's waist, with sharp tips like spears, and they blocked all of Lin Che's escape routes with a piercing shriek!

Despite the overwhelming onslaught, Lin Che remained standing still, motionless.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged female cultivator frowned slightly.

The next moment, a sharp cry rang out from the air behind Lin Che!

A dark shadow slid rapidly down from the top of the treetop, its wingspan reaching over ten feet, its iron-gray feathers gleaming metallically in the moonlight.

It was a late-stage Foundation Establishment Iron Feathered Eagle, its entire body surging with demonic power, its claws turning black iron-colored, gleaming coldly, as it viciously clawed at Lin Che's back!

One person and one spirit pet, one in front and one behind, attacked at the same time.

This is the source of her confidence in intercepting them.

He has reached the Foundation Establishment stage and is also aided by a spirit beast in the later stages of Foundation Establishment.

The two forces attacked from both sides with perfect coordination, making it difficult even for cultivators of the same level to handle, let alone a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

She could almost see the other person being smashed by the rock pillar, torn apart by the iron claws, and blood splattering everywhere.

But the next second, her face turned deathly pale.

Two golden energy palms appeared out of thin air, one in front and one behind.

Without any buildup or warning, it suddenly appeared in mid-air, like a divine hand reaching out from the void.

The golden hand grasped her without any resistance.

He held her tightly in his palm, like catching a chick.

The power was so great that she had no chance to struggle. Her protective aura was like paper in front of that golden palm, shattering at the slightest touch.

Behind him, the iron-feathered eagle was also firmly gripped by another golden hand, its wings pressed tightly against its body, unable to even utter a cry, only able to let out a low, fearful whimper.

The oppressive aura emanating from that golden palm, the fear that surged from the depths of her bones, the despair of being powerless to resist absolute power—she had only ever felt these things from true Golden Core cultivators.

He Chuyun suddenly realized.

What gives them their confidence?

He is not a Foundation Establishment cultivator at all.

This person is a Golden Core cultivator!

Lin Che remained standing in the same spot, without even moving a step.

He stood with his hands behind his back, the moonlight shining on him, casting a faint silver sheen on his old gray-white robe.

He smiled gently at the cultivator who had once again been fooled by his feigned cultivation level.

"Now, can you answer my question properly?"