On the outskirts of the Blackwind Forest, the mist gradually thinned. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, scattering across the woods and driving away some of the cold gloom. Lin Yan and Su Qingyao advanced cautiously, avoiding several hidden demonic beasts and staying alert for pursuers from the Lin and Wang Clans.
"Young Master Lin, where shall we go now?" Su Qingyao asked softly. She knew Lin Yan was being hunted by the Lin Clan and could not return to Qingyang City. Meanwhile, she had already stayed out gathering spirit herbs for far too long; if she did not return soon, the Su Clan would send people to look for her.
Lin Yan thought for a moment and spoke quietly. "We'll leave the Blackwind Forest first and head to a small town near Qingyang City to lay low for a while. On one hand, we can evade the Lin and Wang Clans and stabilize our cultivation. On the other, we can gather news from Qingyang City, see what new moves the two clans are planning, and look for clues about the secret realm expedition where my parents died."
Su Qingyao nodded. "Alright. I can also send a message to the Su Clan to let them know I'm safe, so they won't worry."
The two picked up their pace toward the forest's edge. But just then, rapid footsteps echoed from behind, accompanied by roars that grew closer by the second.
"Lin Yan! Su Qingyao! Stop right there!"
Lin Yan and Su Qingyao tensed, halted, and turned around. In the distance, ten figures were rushing toward them. At the front was Wang Hu, whom Lin Yan had severely injured. Beside him walked an old man in a white robe, exuding an aura of the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, his expression icy and his gaze hostile toward the pair.
Behind Wang Hu followed eight Wang Clan guards, all at the Peak of Late-stage Qi Condensation, their auras fierce. Evidently, Wang Hu had returned, fetched the Wang Clan elder, and brought men to exact revenge.
"Lin Yan, you bastard! How dare you gravely injure me and steal the Millennium Spirit Ginseng! Today, I, Wang Hu, will tear you to pieces!" Wang Hu's face was pale, the wound on his shoulder still throbbing, his eyes burning with killing intent and resentment. "This is Elder Wang Xuan of our Wang Clan, at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm. Today, Elder Wang will teach this overconfident nobody a lesson he'll never forget!"
Wang Xuan swept his gaze over Lin Yan, disdain and greed flashing in his eyes. "You're the one who wounded my clansman and stole the Millennium Spirit Ginseng? A little brat who just broke through to Early-stage Foundation Establishment dares to act recklessly in front of the Wang Clan? Today, I will cripple your cultivation, take all your treasures, and condemn you to eternal suffering!"
Lin Yan gripped his energy sword tightly, Chaos spiritual energy circulating within him as the full might of his Early-stage Foundation Establishment aura erupted. He stared coldly at Wang Xuan and Wang Hu. "If you want to kill me, earn it with your strength! I suspect the Wang Clan had a hand in my parents' deaths. Today, we'll settle that score too!"
"Hmph, courting death!" Wang Xuan sneered. All his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual energy exploded outward, a crushing pressure bearing down on Lin Yan. He coalesced white spiritual energy in his palm and slammed it toward Lin Yan.
The Wang Clan's cultivation technique leaned toward the insidious and gentle, yet its energy hid fierce corrosive power. A single strike would rot one's meridians and destroy one's cultivation completely.
"Young Master Lin, be careful! The Wang Clan's technique excels at corrosion — don't let their energy hit you!" Su Qingyao warned quickly. She darted to the side, swinging her jade sword to send pale green streams of energy slicing at Wang Xuan's flank, distracting him.
Lin Yan's gaze hardened. He nimbly dodged Wang Xuan's attack while circulating the middle chapter of the Chaos Art. Black Chaos energy swirled into his energy sword, and he stabbed toward Wang Xuan's back.
Chaos energy was overwhelmingly domineering — the perfect counter to the insidious, corrosive energy of the Wang Clan's technique.
Wang Xuan was startled and turned to block. The white and black energies collided with a dull crash, sending a powerful shockwave rippling outward. Agonizing pain shot through Wang Xuan's palm; a tyrannical force flooded up his arm, surging into his meridians and suppressing his insidious energy. He was forced back three steps, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"Your energy… can actually suppress my technique?" Wang Xuan's face darkened, his apprehension deepening. He had never imagined a newly promoted Early-stage Foundation Establishment brat could wield such domineering energy, let alone counter his clan's art.
"Wang Hu, take the guards and capture that Su girl!" Wang Xuan said in a low voice, his gaze locked on Lin Yan. "I'll handle this boy!"
"Yes, Elder Wang!"
Wang Hu shouted and charged toward Su Qingyao with the eight guards. Though he was still injured and his cultivation unrecovered, eight peak late-stage Qi Condensation guards were more than enough to deal with Su Qingyao, who was only at late-stage Qi Condensation.
"Qingyao, look out!" Lin Yan roared, trying to rush to her aid, but Wang Xuan held him fast. Wang Xuan's energy exploded, sending a barrage of white energy streams slicing at Lin Yan, leaving no room to breathe.
Lin Yan's gaze turned sharp. Without hesitation, he activated the middle chapter of the Chaos Art and summoned the Chaos Shield.
A black energy shield appeared before him, blocking all of Wang Xuan's attacks. The Chaos Shield was unyieldingly tough, forged from the tyrannical power of Chaos energy. Wang Xuan's white energy streams struck the shield and vanished instantly — they could not break through its defense at all.
"Impossible! How can your defense be this strong?" Shock flashed in Wang Xuan's eyes, his voice filled with disbelief. Even Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to fully block his assaults, yet Lin Yan's Chaos Shield had withstood them effortlessly.
Lin Yan sneered. No longer content to defend passively, he darted behind Wang Xuan and unleashed the Chaos Palm.
Black energy coalesced in his palm, carrying domineering force as it slammed into Wang Xuan's chest.
Wang Xuan panicked and turned to block, but it was too late. The Chaos Palm struck him hard. He let out a miserable shriek as Chaos energy rampaged through his meridians, throwing his spiritual energy into chaos. He spat up a mouthful of blood, sent flying and crashing to the ground, his cultivation severely damaged.
With Wang Xuan dealt with, Lin Yan spun at once and rushed toward Su Qingyao. By now, she was surrounded by Wang Hu and the eight guards, fresh wounds covering her body, her breathing ragged. She had been forced onto the back foot, narrowly escaping injury time and again.
"Fiends, stop this at once!" Lin Yan roared. All his Chaos energy erupted as he unleashed the Chaos Sword.
A black energy sword blazed forward, slashing toward Wang Hu and the guards. Its power was unstoppable, piercing straight through two guards' chests and killing them on the spot.
Wang Hu and the remaining six guards recoiled in terror, fear filling their eyes. They had never imagined Lin Yan could be so powerful — not even Elder Wang Xuan, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, could stand against him.
"Lin Yan, d-don't come any closer!" Wang Hu's face was ashen, his body trembling. "The Wang Clan is a prominent family in Qingyang City! If you kill me, the clan will never let you live!"
Lin Yan's gaze was icy as he stepped slowly toward Wang Hu, his voice cutting like frost. "Let you live? Did the Wang Clan show my parents any mercy when you plotted against them? Today, I avenge my parents!"
He swung the Chaos Sword again, sending a black stream of energy slicing toward Wang Hu. Unable to dodge, Wang Hu was cleaved in two and died instantly.
Seeing Wang Hu and Wang Xuan both slain, the six guards were overcome with terror, their will to fight completely broken. They turned to flee.
"Not a single one of you gets away!" Lin Yan snorted. He darted after them, his Chaos Sword dancing as black energy streams cut through the guards one by one. In moments, all six lay dead.
With the Wang Clan group eliminated, Lin Yan hurried to Su Qingyao's side, worry filling his eyes as he saw her wounds. "Qingyao, how are you? Are you hurt badly?"
Su Qingyao shook her head. "I'm fine, just drained of spiritual energy. I'll recover after a short rest. Young Master Lin, you were incredible — you even defeated Wang Xuan at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment."
Lin Yan nodded slightly and handed her a healing spirit herb. "Take it quickly to recover your energy and wounds. We can't stay here — more Wang Clan members will be here soon. We must leave at once."
Su Qingyao accepted the herb, swallowed it, and closed her eyes to restore her energy. Lin Yan stood guard, scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a huge stone tablet deep in the nearby woods, carved with obscure patterns that bore a faint resemblance to those on his chest pendant.
Lin Yan's heart stirred. He walked over and examined the carvings closely. Ancient and mysterious, they seemed to contain the great laws of heaven and earth, matching some patterns within the Chaos Art. Beneath the tablet lay a hidden entrance, overgrown with weeds — nearly impossible to spot without careful looking.
"Young Master Lin, what is it?" Su Qingyao had recovered some energy and walked over to his side.
Lin Yan pointed to the tablet and the entrance. "Look. The patterns on this stone tablet are very similar to those on my pendant. And this opening looks like the entrance to a ruin. I suspect it may hold clues related to the Chaos Jade Pendant, the Chaos Art, and my parents' deaths."
Su Qingyao studied the patterns carefully, surprise flashing in her eyes. "Truly. These patterns resemble the Chaos markings recorded in the Su Clan's ancient texts. This could very well be the entrance to an ancient ruin, filled with opportunities and clues."
Lin Yan nodded, his gaze resolute. "We're going in. No matter what dangers lie inside, we must find out the truth. This may be our only chance to learn what really happened to my parents."
Su Qingyao agreed, gripping her jade sword tightly. Together with Lin Yan, she brushed away the weeds covering the entrance and stepped carefully inside.
Pitch-black and sightless, the passage exuded an ancient, mysterious aura, as if they had crossed a thousand years of time and stepped into the ancient era.
The two advanced slowly, their spiritual energy circulating as they stayed alert. They knew an ancient ruin would be fraught with danger — but also boundless opportunity.
And their goal was not just opportunity. It was the truth hidden within.