I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

The abandoned mountain village was as quiet as a tomb in the night.

The convoy found a few relatively intact mud houses at the far end of the village and settled down.

The border guards of the patrol battalion set up sentries around the area. Shi Jian led the civilians to start fires and cook, while the wounded were re-bandaged. The air was filled with the smells of firewood and blood, a pungent and suffocating odor that, if inhaled for too long, became unbearable.

Lin Chen sat alone in the outermost mud house.

He had chosen this place intentionally, far from others, for peace and quiet. No lights were on inside, only moonlight filtering in from the window, casting a pale white glow on the floor.

He is waiting.

Wait until night deepens, wait until everyone is quiet.

The feeling of weakness inside my body felt like countless needles pricking my bones.

The loss of lifespan brings not only powerlessness, but also an almost instinctive thirst for "vitality".

With each breath, I could feel my body decaying, like a leaky bucket that couldn't hold back a single breath of heat.

Lifespan must be replenished.

Immediately, right away.

The best "nourishment" right now is in that dilapidated house next door—Master Liu.

He was at the seventh level of the Day After Tomorrow realm, exuding a bloodthirsty and murderous aura. He had probably killed more people than Lin Chen had ever seen.

If one could devour such an existence, the lifespan gained would likely be no less than a hundred years.

However, the risks are also extremely high.

The "smell" emanating from Master Liu, and his dying words about the "shadow guards," both made Lin Chen wary.

Will devouring such a person attract something unclean? The warning from the divine jade still rings in our ears: excessive devouring will result in a backlash of resentment.

We can't wait any longer.

If he waits any longer, he'll collapse on his own without anyone else even having to lift a finger.

Footsteps came from outside the door, very softly.

It is Zhao Tiegu.

"Young man," Zhao Tiegu pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of hot soup, "It was made by Old Shi, with some herbs added, to boost your energy."

Lin Chen took the bowl and drank it all in a few gulps. The soup was bitter, but it did spread a warm feeling after entering his stomach, slightly relieving the cold and weakness.

Thanks.

"Don't be so polite with me." Zhao Tiegu sat down opposite him, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Zhou Yong interrogated those two men in black just now, but they were very stubborn and we couldn't get anything out of them. However... judging from their tattoos, they seem to be from the 'Shadow Assassins'."

Shadow Killing Hall?

Lin Chen had never heard of it.

"An assassin organization, active in the border region between the North and the Central Plains," Zhao Tiegu explained. "They do things for money, regardless of right or wrong. But their fees are extremely high, and ordinary people can't afford them."

"Can Master Liu afford it?"

"There must be someone behind Master Liu." Zhao Tiegu paused. "I suspect... Scarface Wang and Fatty Wu are just pawns. The real mastermind is someone else."

Lin Chen nodded.

This was pretty much what he had guessed.

"What do you plan to do about Master Liu's situation..." Zhao Tiegu looked next door, "What are you planning to do about it?"

"I'll go ask him myself." Lin Chen stood up. "There are some things he might only be willing to tell me."

Zhao Tiegu glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions. He simply said, "Be careful. That old guy is sinister."

Lin Chen pushed open the door and went out.

It was late at night, and the village was quiet except for the occasional sound of patrolling sentries.

The dilapidated house next door had its windows boarded up and the door locked from the outside, with two border soldiers guarding the entrance.

Upon seeing Lin Chen, the two bowed.

"Open the door, I want to go in and ask you a few questions," Lin Chen said.

Without asking any further questions, Bian Jun took out his key and unlocked the door.

It was even darker inside.

There was only a pile of dry grass in the corner, and Old Liu was tied up like a dumpling and thrown on it.

The wound on his chest had been simply bandaged, but blood was still seeping out, forming a dark red scab on his tattered clothes.

Hearing the noise, Master Liu opened his one eye.

Moonlight streamed through the crack in the door, falling on his face. There was no fear in his single eye; instead, there was a strange calm.

"You're here?" Old Liu's voice was hoarse. "I knew... you'd come."

Lin Chen closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness.

He walked up to Master Liu and squatted down.

"What's the deal with the Shadow Guards?" Lin Chen asked bluntly.

"Hehe..." Master Liu chuckled softly, "Getting impatient? Want to know?"

"explain."

"What's in it for me to tell you?" Old Liu tilted his head. "Will you spare my life?"

"You don't have to tell me," Lin Chen said calmly, "but I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead."

The two looked at each other.

In the darkness, Liu Ye's one eye looked like a poisoned knife.

After a long while, he suddenly sighed.

"Kid, the smell on you... it's so similar. Like the 'death aura' left on those Shadow Guard monsters after they've killed someone. But it's not exactly the same... yours is more 'alive,' more... greedy."

He paused, then slowly said, "The Shadow Guards are the emperor's knives, specializing in dirty work. Murder, annihilation, ransacking homes, kidnapping... they do all sorts of shady things. The techniques they cultivate are very evil; they can devour the remnants of the dead to strengthen themselves. The more they kill, the heavier their 'death aura' becomes."

Devouring remnant souls?

Lin Chen was startled.

The Divine Jade's ability to devour is similar to the Shadow Guard's techniques.

"How do you know all this?" Lin Chen asked.

"Because..." Master Liu grinned, revealing his bloodstained teeth, "I killed a Shadow Guard."

The air froze instantly.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

"Don't believe me?" Master Liu's smile was sinister. "Three years ago, in the 'Valley of Burial Souls' in the Northern Territory, three Shadow Guards were ordered to hunt down a fugitive. That fugitive... was my brother. I led thirty brothers to ambush them. Twenty-eight brothers died in exchange for the lives of three Shadow Guards."

He stared at Lin Chen: "I personally cut open one of their chests and saw his heart—it was black, like a piece of charcoal. I still remember the way that thing beat."

Lin Chen remained silent.

"That's why I know that smell," Liu said in a low voice.

"But you're different. Your 'devouring' is purer, more... domineering. The Shadow Guards absorb slowly, you seize directly. Kid, if the Shadow Guards knew about your skills, they would stop at nothing to capture you, chop you up, and study you!"

These words contained half a threat and half a... reminder.

Lin Chen didn't reply.

He is processing this information.

Shadow guards, the emperor, the evil art of devouring remnant souls... these are too far removed from him, yet they seem to be vaguely related.

Su Qingxue, the First Prince, Xuan Niao... are there shadow guards behind them as well?

"Do you want to live?" Lin Chen suddenly asked.

Master Liu's one eye lit up: "Are there conditions?"

"Yes." Lin Chen nodded. "Tell me, who is the person behind Scarface Wang?"

Master Liu remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly uttered two words:

"Black Bird".

really!

Lin Chen sneered inwardly. It's that codename again.

"Who is the Black Bird?" he pressed.

"I don't know." Old Liu shook his head. "All I know is that Scarface Wang and Fatty Wu are pawns of the Black Bird in the Northern Territory. Their mission, besides reselling military supplies and trafficking people, also includes finding someone who possesses the 'Ancient Jade'."

Ancient jade!

Blood Sacrifice to the Divine Jade!

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "What ancient jade?"