Devouring demons, I attain immortality.

If Lin An's guess is correct, this demonic mark is a means used by extraterrestrial demons to control human cultivators.

Cultivators who are marked with the mark of evil will experience a significant increase in strength, but they will also gradually lose themselves and become puppets of evil.

Just like the corrupted Xu Shan, although he gained the powerful strength of the extraterrestrial demons, he also lost his consciousness and could not even recognize the Xu family.

"No wonder Zi Li's strength has improved so quickly; it turns out she has been controlled by the extraterrestrial demons..." Lin An thought to himself.

Just then, Zi Li suddenly opened her eyes and looked out the window with a cold gaze.

"Who's there?" Zi Li asked coldly.

Lin An felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had been discovered. He quickly slipped away and left the courtyard.

Zi Li appeared in the courtyard in an instant, her cold gaze sweeping over the surroundings, but she found nothing amiss. She frowned and muttered to herself, "Am I just imagining things?"

After leaving the Zi family, Lin An felt a pang of regret.

He never expected that Zi Li had already been controlled by the extraterrestrial demons, and that the Zi family might have colluded with them.

"It seems the situation in Jinzhou City is more complicated than I imagined..." Lin An murmured to himself.

He decided to tell Su Yichen and Liu Mingxuan the news so that they would be on high alert.

At the same time, he also realized that he had to find the Heavenly Evolution Pearl as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable if the extraterrestrial demons succeeded in obtaining it.

Upon returning to the Liu residence, Lin An found the banquet had ended, and Liu Mingxuan, Su Yichen, and Zhu Ling'er were chatting idly in the courtyard. He approached them and said in a low voice, "Gentlemen, I have something important to tell you..."

Seeing Lin An's grave expression, Su Yichen knew something was amiss and quickly asked, "Brother Lin, what happened?"

Lin An briefly recounted his discoveries at the Zi family's residence. Upon hearing this, Liu Mingxuan, Su Yichen, and Zhu Ling'er's expressions changed drastically.

"What? Zi Li has been controlled by an extraterrestrial demon?" Zhu Ling'er exclaimed in surprise.

Su Yichen frowned and said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, then the Zi family may have already colluded with the extraterrestrial demons. We must notify the sect as soon as possible and have them send people to provide support."

Lin An nodded and said, "Not only that, we also need to be careful of the Zi family's actions. They might make a move during the cultivation event, and might even target the Heavenly Evolution Pearl."

Liu Mingxuan took a deep breath and said, "Brother Lin, thank you for telling us this news. I will also inform my father and the Great Qian Demon Suppression Division so they can take precautions!"

Lin An nodded, his expression grave, and said, "There's no time to lose; we must act as soon as possible."

"The strength of the Zi family should not be underestimated, especially Zi Yan, who was already at the late Golden Core stage ten years ago, and is now probably close to the Nascent Soul stage. If the Zi family really colludes with the extraterrestrial demons, Jinzhou City may be plunged into a great calamity."

Su Yichen said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin is right. We must inform the sect as soon as possible. However, there is only one day left until the mid-term of the cultivation competition. Even if the sect sends someone, it may be too late. We have to deal with it on our own."

Zhu Ling'er clenched her fists, angrily saying, "These extraterrestrial demons are truly persistent! Senior Brother, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!"

After a moment's thought, Liu Mingxuan said, "Brother Lin, Brother Su, Miss Ling'er, this matter is of great importance, and we must proceed with caution. Since the Zi family dared to make a move at the cultivation gathering, they must have something to rely on. We must first figure out their plan before we can take appropriate action."

Lin An nodded in agreement: "Brother Liu is right. However, the Zi family is heavily guarded, and it won't be easy to investigate their plans. We need to think of a way to get close to the Zi family without arousing their suspicion."

Su Yichen pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps we can start with Zi Li. Since she is the eldest daughter of the Zi family and a puppet of the extraterrestrial demons, she must know a lot of inside information. If we can get some information out of her, it might give us the upper hand."

A glint of light flashed in Lin An's eyes: "Brother Su is right. Although Zi Li is controlled by the extraterrestrial demons, she is, after all, the eldest daughter of the Zi family, and may still retain a trace of self-awareness. We can try to get close to her and see if we can find a breakthrough."

Zhu Ling'er said with some worry, "But Zi Li is so strong, how can we get close to her? What if she discovers us, wouldn't that be alerting her?"

Liu Mingxuan smiled slightly and said, "Miss Ling'er, there's no need to worry. Although our Liu family and the Zi family have a good relationship on the surface, we also have some private dealings. I can invite Zi Li to the banquet in the name of the Liu family. At that time, Brother Lin and Brother Su can take the opportunity to get closer to her and see if they can extract some useful information."

Lin An nodded and said, "That's a good idea. However, since Zi Li has already been controlled by the extraterrestrial demons, she will definitely be very vigilant. We must proceed with caution and not let her discover our intentions."

Su Yichen said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin is right. We must be fully prepared and absolutely cannot arouse her suspicion."

Liu Mingxuan smiled and said, "Since that's the case, then it's settled. I'll make the arrangements right away. We'll host a banquet at the Liu residence tomorrow night and invite Zili. Brother Lin and Brother Su can prepare in advance and see if they can get any useful information out of her."

Lin An and Su Yichen exchanged a glance and nodded.

Although Zhu Ling'er was somewhat worried, she knew that this was the best solution at the moment, and could only silently pray that everything would go smoothly.

After the discussion, everyone dispersed to prepare for the operation the following night.

Lin An returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. His mind kept replaying everything he had seen at the Zi family's house that night, especially the demonic mark between Zi Li's eyebrows.

"The extraterrestrial demons have indeed begun to take action..." Lin An thought to himself.

He knew he had to improve his strength as soon as possible, otherwise he would be unable to cope with the upcoming crisis.

Thinking of this, Lin An took out a pill from his pocket, which was the "Golden Condensation Pill" that he had exchanged from the system, costing him three thousand taels of gold.

This pill can help him break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Although there are certain risks involved, the current situation is urgent, and he can't worry about that now.

Lin An took a deep breath, swallowed the pill, and then began to refine its medicinal power by circulating his cultivation technique.

As the pill entered his body, a surge of powerful spiritual energy instantly flooded his meridians. Lin An felt a sharp pain all over his body, as if countless tiny knives were cutting into his body.

He gritted his teeth, forcibly enduring the pain, and continued to circulate his energy, guiding spiritual power through his body.

As time went by, Lin An's face gradually turned pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

His body trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he was in great pain.

However, Lin An did not give up. He knew that only by breaking through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm could he gain the upper hand in the upcoming battles.

Finally, after two hours of torment, Lin An's spiritual energy gradually stabilized.

His aura surged, and a powerful pressure emanated from him.

"Mid-stage Golden Core... I've finally broken through!" Lin An slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He felt a surge of joy as he sensed the powerful spiritual energy within him. Although the breakthrough process was extremely painful, the result was worthwhile.

Lin An stood up, stretched his limbs, and then walked out of the room.

By this time, it was already broad daylight, and the servants of the Liu family had begun to get busy.

Lin An found Su Yichen and Zhu Ling'er and discovered that their auras were much stronger than yesterday, indicating that they had made some preparations.

"Brother Lin, you've broken through?" Su Yichen asked in surprise, sensing the change in Lin An's aura.

Lin An nodded and smiled, "I've managed to break through by sheer luck, and at least I have some ability to protect myself now."

Su Yichen smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Lin! This has greatly increased our chances of winning."

Zhu Ling'er laughed and said, "Brother Lin is amazing! Now we don't have to be afraid of Zi Li anymore!"

Lin An shook his head and said, "Zi Li's strength is not to be underestimated. Even if I break through, I dare not say that I can definitely defeat her. We must be careful and must not let our guard down."

Su Yichen nodded and said, "Brother Lin is right. We must be fully prepared and make sure she doesn't discover our intentions."