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

Late at night.

Snoring filled the earthen house, mixed with the sounds of teeth grinding and murmurs in sleep. From the corner near the chamber pot came a suppressed cough—it was the burly man—the weakness he felt during the day seemed not to have completely subsided, his cough tinged with unspeakable fear.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged on his bunk, leaning against the earthen wall, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Within his body, most of the 40 years of the demon wolf's lifespan had been refined. The raging beastly nature had been stripped away and crushed, transforming into pure energy that nourished his physical body.

The muscles became firmer, and a slight tingling sensation came from the bones, which was a sign that the intensity was increasing.

Their five senses also become more acute.

He could hear someone sobbing softly in the neighboring mud house, smell the faint musty odor wafting from the kitchen in the distance, and even feel an extremely weak pulse deep in the frozen earth beneath him—was that the earth's energy? Or something else entirely?

The Blood Sacrifice Divine Jade's perception of energy seemed to be slowly increasing as it devoured and refined the demonic lifespan.

Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly.

In the darkness, there was an extremely faint sound of fabric rubbing together, along with deliberately suppressed breathing.

More than one person.

It's creeping towards him.

Lin Chen didn't open his eyes, but all the muscles in his body had already subtly tensed up. He gently tapped the dry grass he had laid out three times with his left index finger—this was a simple warning signal that he and Zhao Tiegu, who was sleeping not far away, had casually agreed upon on their way back during the day.

In the opposite bunk, Zhao Tiegu's snoring paused almost imperceptibly before resuming. But Lin Chen knew that the old soldier had woken up.

coming.

Three dark figures, taking advantage of the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, surrounded Lin Chen's bunk in a triangular formation.

It was the burly man who had been scared away by Lin Chen during the day, along with his gaunt companion. There was another person—a sinister-looking middle-aged man with a scar on his face, holding a sharpened bone spur in his hand.

The burly man, who had suffered a setback during the day, still had a trace of fear on his face, but more so, he was furious at being humiliated.

He stared intently at Lin Chen, who remained seated motionless, and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth in a low voice: "Kid, what kind of sorcery did you use during the day to turn me into that state!"

Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes.

Moonlight streamed through the broken window, casting interplay of light and shadow on his face. His eyes were eerily calm in the darkness, showing no trace of sleepiness or panic.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, his voice not loud, but it made the three people who had gathered around feel inexplicably tense.

"Stop playing dumb!" the gaunt man shrieked. "Hand over your valuables! Those wolf claws, and the bounty you got during the day! Otherwise..."

He waved a sharpened wooden stick in his hand.

The sinister-looking middle-aged man didn't speak, but he subtly adjusted the angle of the bone spike in his hand, aiming it at Lin Chen's throat. This was a veteran; he knew how to deliver a fatal blow.

"What else?" Lin Chen slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, even somewhat casual. But in the instant he stood up, his center of gravity shifted by half a foot with remarkable ease—just enough to avoid the optimal attack route of the sinister middle-aged man's bone spurs.

The pupils of the sinister middle-aged man contracted slightly.

"Otherwise, I'll let you experience what it means to wish you were dead!" The burly man's fear was completely overwhelmed by his anger when he saw Lin Chen get up.

He let out a low growl, and his large, fan-like hand, accompanied by the sound of wind, grabbed directly at Lin Chen's neck!

This grab is so powerful and heavy that if it's firmly planted, it could crush your neck bones!

But Lin Chen made a move.

His foot slid half a step to the left in an eerie way, his body slightly turned, and the burly man's palm brushed past his shoulder.

At the same time, Lin Chen's right hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers joined together like a bird's beak, precisely pecking at the tendons on the inside of the strong man's wrist!

The Wolf Look Step is a variation of the "Grappling Hand" technique, a rudimentary martial art used in the military!

"Ugh!" The burly man felt his entire arm go numb and lose all feeling instantly. He groaned and staggered backward.

Upon seeing this, the gaunt man let out a strange cry and thrust the sharpened wooden stick in his hand straight at Lin Chen's waist!

Lin Chen didn't even look. Using his left foot as a pivot, he spun half a circle like a top, the wooden stick grazing his side and missing its mark. Without stopping, his right leg lashed out like a whip, striking the skinny man's shin hard!

Click!

The crisp sound of bones cracking was particularly jarring in the quiet earthen house.

"Ah—!" The skinny man clutched his leg and screamed in agony as he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

The whole process took only two or three breaths.

The burly man clutched his arm, staring in horror at his comrade screaming on the ground, then looked at Lin Chen, his face finally showing fear.

The gloomy middle-aged man's eyes had completely changed.

He wasn't unfamiliar with capable fighters. Anyone who could survive Ghost Cry Pass was at least somewhat skilled. But this young man before him…

The movements were so bizarre! The way they dodged was nothing like normal human footwork! And that calmness and precision were almost...

It's like they're being played!

"Attack together!" the sinister middle-aged man roared, his bone spur flashing like a blur as it aimed straight for Lin Chen's face! At the same time, he quietly kicked up a clump of dry grass, trying to distract Lin Chen's vision.

A very insidious collaboration.

But Lin Chen was faster.

He leaned back slightly, the bone spur grazing his nose. At the same time, his left hand shot out, not to block, but to grab the wrist of the sinister middle-aged man holding the spur!

The sinister middle-aged man tried to pull his hand away, but was horrified to find that the other person's fingers were like iron clamps, already gripping his pulse point!

A strange suction force came from the point of contact, and he felt a numbness in his wrist. The bone spur fell to the ground with a "clang".

Immediately afterwards, Lin Chen placed his right palm on his chest.

Devour!

This time, Lin Chen showed no mercy.

Driven by his will, the divine jade unleashed its full suction power, frantically plundering the life force from the sinister middle-aged man's body!

[Absorbs 5 years of human lifespan]

[Current lifespan reserve: 68 years (20 years for humans + 48 years for demon wolves)]

The gloomy middle-aged man suddenly widened his eyes.

He felt a chill spread from his chest and quickly engulf his entire body.

The blood seemed to freeze, the muscles were atrophying, and the skin was losing its luster and wrinkles were appearing at a visible rate.

Even more terrifying was that he could clearly feel his "lifespan" being drained away! The weakness and fear of life slipping away were more devastating than death itself!

"Demon...demon..." He tried to scream, but couldn't utter a complete sound.

Lin Chen released his grip.

The gloomy middle-aged man collapsed to the ground, his hair mostly white, his face covered with wrinkles, making him look more than ten years older.

He huddled up, staring in horror at his hands, making strange hoarse noises in his throat, but unable to utter a single word.

The burly man was completely terrified.

He glanced at the gaunt man screaming in agony on the ground, then at the gloomy middle-aged man who had aged instantly, and finally at Lin Chen, who stood there calmly. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"Spare me...spare me! Sir, spare me! I was blind! I'll never do it again! I'll never do it again!"

He kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the frozen ground with a loud thud.

Inside the earthen house, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone who was pretending to be asleep now had their eyes wide open, staring intently at this scene.

Under the moonlight, Lin Chen stood there, with screaming wounded men and an aging "old man" at his feet, and a burly man kowtowing and begging for mercy in front of him.

He was neither menacing nor arrogant.

He simply stood there calmly, as if he had just done something insignificant.

But a chill ran through everyone.

What kind of method was that?

How can someone in the prime of life age so quickly?

This is no longer just about being "good at fighting"!

This is... evil magic!

Lin Chen ignored the burly man kowtowing and his gaze swept over the terrified faces in the earthen house.

Finally, he looked at Zhao Tiegu.

Zhao Tiegu had already sat up, his cloudy old eyes filled with shock and a deep sense of apprehension.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

Lin Chen bent down, picked up the bone spur from the ground, and weighed it in his hand.

It was very rough, but the tip was sharpened to a fine point and soaked in the sap of some poisonous plant, giving it a dark green sheen. It was a good tool for killing.

He tucked the bone spur into his waistband, then went to his bunk and picked up the half-eaten black bread he had been given during the day—it was still uneaten and as hard as a rock.

He walked up to Zhao Tiegu's bunk and placed the flatbread next to him.

"Old Zhao," Lin Chen said calmly, "we have a mission tomorrow, so eat well."

After saying that, he returned to his bunk, sat down cross-legged again, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Inside the earthen house, only the gaunt man's suppressed groans and the burly man's suppressed sobs remained.

The moonlight shifted and shone on Lin Chen's face.

That young and serene face, in the darkness, inexplicably sent shivers down my spine.

Zhao Tiegu looked at the half-eaten pancake beside him, then at Lin Chen who was meditating with his eyes closed, and his throat bobbed.

He slowly picked up the pancake, broke off a small piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

It's very hard.

But it can save lives.

That night, no one slept in the earthen house.

Everyone lay awake in the darkness, listening to the suppressed voices of the two unfortunate souls, thinking about the bizarre scene from just now, and the young man sitting cross-legged in the moonlight, eerily calm.

As dawn approached, Zhao Tiegu finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a very low, whispered voice, "Kid, who... exactly are you?"

Lin Chen did not open his eyes.

A long time passed, so long that Zhao Tiegu thought he wouldn't answer, before he heard a calm voice:

"A person who wants to live."

That's it.

Outside the window, the first rays of sunlight pierced the darkness.

From the distant city walls, the mournful sound of morning horns rang out.

A new day has begun.