I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che did not rush to make a move.

He crouched down, pretending to collect the drop of golden-red essence.

The finger hovered in mid-air, its tip barely an inch from the drop of essence, yet it did not actually touch it.

His breathing was steady and normal, his heartbeat was calm and unhurried, but his consciousness had already quietly spread out, like an invisible net, capturing the direction of the sound of air being cut.

coming.

Three figures emerged from the mist in the northwest at incredible speed, leaving three afterimages in the air like three arrows shot from a bow, tearing through the gray-yellow sky.

Lin Che didn't look up, but he had already recognized their origins from their gait, aura, and the patterns on their standard spirit armor.

Cheng family.

The man in the lead was tall and slender with a cold and stern face, and his brows carried a hint of arrogance unique to the Cheng family.

Cheng Wanli, a cousin of Cheng Wanjun, is a Golden Core cultivator from a collateral branch of the Cheng family.

The person's mid-stage Golden Core cultivation was not well-known in the Golden Core circle of Burning Bone City, but Lin Che knew of him.

The intelligence report mentioned that Cheng Wanli was a "knife" secretly cultivated by the Cheng family.

It is specifically for dealing with things that cannot be made public.

The blood on his hands was no less than that of any demonic cultivator; half of the Cheng family's opponents who mysteriously disappeared in Burning Bone City were related to him.

The other two are Golden Core guest elders of the Cheng family, both at the early stage of Golden Core cultivation.

A burly man with arms thicker than his thighs, muscles bulging and veins popping out, whose walk caused the ground to tremble slightly—he was clearly a body-refining cultivator.

The other was thin, with a gloomy face, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes. His hands were long and slender like eagle claws, with several fine silver needles between his fingers. The tips of the needles gleamed with a faint blue light in the dim light, clearly having been coated with a potent poison. The light was particularly dazzling against the backdrop of the grayish-white bone powder.

The three landed in a triangular formation, their positions staggered yet maintaining a distance that allowed them to support each other.

Their perfect coordination and silent actions clearly indicated that this wasn't their first time working together. The murderous intent emanating from their very bones chilled the surrounding air.

Cheng Wanli stood at the front, his gaze first falling on the huge skeleton.

His pupils contracted slightly, then shifted to Lin Che.

A perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Master Lin?" He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone polite. "I never expected to meet you here."

Lin Che stood up, cupped his hands in return, and smiled gently, his movements calm and unhurried.

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, what a coincidence."

Their eyes met in mid-air, one gentle, the other polite.

But beneath that gentleness and politeness lurked the same coldness.

Cheng Wanli shifted his gaze from Lin Che to the drop of golden-red essence.

Cheng Wanli shifted his gaze from Lin Che to the drop of golden-red essence, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes before quickly disappearing.

"Master Lin is truly..." He pointed to the drop of essence, his tone tinged with a hint of probing, "Good eye. This Golden Core stage essence is quite rare."

"If Fellow Daoist Cheng likes it, then it's yours." Lin Che stepped aside and made a "please" gesture, his movements generous and his smile sincere, showing no sign of reluctance.

He even took a half step back, completely exposing the drop of essence to Cheng Wanli's view.

Cheng Wanli's gaze lingered on Lin Che's face for a moment, as if judging whether his words were sincere or not.

After a moment, he smiled and shook his head: "What Master Lin arrived first naturally belongs to Master Lin. How dare I, Cheng, take what belongs to someone else?"

He paused, waved to the two people behind him, and said casually, "Let's go."

The three turned around, as if to leave.

Cheng Wanli's back looked completely unguarded, his broad back facing Lin Che, but the protective aura on his chest flickered slightly, though it wasn't very solid.

The two guest retainers also put away their imposing manner, their steps becoming lighter, as if they were looking for their next target. Their gazes no longer drifted towards Lin Che, and the guard on their faces relaxed.

But just as he turned around, Cheng Wanli suddenly stopped.

Suddenly gathering strength.

His left foot tapped lightly on the ground, so lightly that it barely made a sound, yet the thick layer of bone dust on the ground blasted a shallow crater under his foot, revealing the hard, grayish-black soil beneath.

His waist sank slightly, his center of gravity shifted from his right foot to his left foot, his spine tightened like a bowstring, and his whole body was like a spring compressed to its limit in that instant.

Suddenly bounced away!

With a flick of his wrist, a jet-black longsword slid out from his sleeve.

The sword was narrow, about three feet long, and completely black, without any reflection, as if it had swallowed up all the light.

The sword was covered with dark red patterns, like congealed bloodstains, which gleamed eerily in the dim light.

That was the Cheng family's secret "Blood Fiend Sword," which was repeatedly tempered with the essence of demonic beasts eighty-one times, specifically designed to break through protective qi.

If you are stabbed by it, the wound is extremely difficult to heal. The blood and evil energy will invade your meridians through the wound, causing spiritual power disorder at best and cultivation to regress at worst.

He twisted his sword grip suddenly, and the longsword transformed into a black lightning bolt, stabbing towards Lin Che's back!

The sword tip tore through the air, emitting a sharp hiss, a sound like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sending chills down one's spine.

The dark red patterns on the sword lit up at that moment, as if they had come to life, moving across the sword and bringing with them a pungent smell of blood.

That was the aura of a demon beast's essence blood being activated—strong, foul-smelling, and nauseating.

He had been preparing this sword strike for a long time.

He had been waiting since the moment he landed, and he had been calculating since he saw Lin Che's back. Every step he took closer was an adjustment of his angle, and every smile was a way to lull his opponent into a false sense of security.

They wait for the moment when their prey lowers its guard, turns its back to them, and is completely unprepared.

Haha!

Unexpectedly, this trip brought some pleasant surprises.

They only intended to steal a drop of essence, but unexpectedly encountered the head of the Lin family.

It looks like those rewards are going to end up in his hands.

As for whether they can win?

According to intelligence, Lin Che is only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. In a barren place like the border region, what kind of foundation could an early-stage Golden Core cultivator possibly have?

Although their strength was suppressed by the secret realm, they still had the advantage in a three-on-one fight against another Golden Core cultivator.

The two Golden Core cultivators also made their move at the same instant.

The one skilled in close combat suddenly leaped up, and the bone powder beneath his feet exploded into a gray-white cloud.

His fists were enveloped in a dazzling golden light, the Cheng family's "Broken Army Fist," known for its fierce power; a single punch could shatter a ten-foot-thick piece of bluestone into dust.

The fist left two golden trails in the air, like two falling meteors, as it slammed towards Lin Che's side.

The force of the punches was so strong that it caused the bone dust on the ground to churn to both sides, revealing the hard, dark brown soil underneath.

The one skilled in long-range harassment retreated several steps, formed hand seals, and moved with lightning speed.

Clearly, these three have worked together many times before.