Dawn broke, the sky turning the color of a fish’s belly. In the early morning mountain village, the villagers were already awake and beginning their daily labor. Lin Yun rose early as well and practiced a set of the Tiger Roar Fist, a habit he had long maintained.

After finishing his routine and eating a quick meal, Lin Yun headed out of the village. He didn’t want to expose his identity as a Martial Artist, so he went into the mountains every day to cultivate, bringing back some game he hunted along the way.

As he reached the village entrance, he heard Lan Xi calling out from a distance, "Ah Shan..."

Hearing her voice, Lin Yun turned to see Lan Xi jogging toward him, an honest smile on his face. ’This girl really is endearing.’

"Here," she said breathlessly, handing him a few rice balls. "I made these for you. Eat them if you get hungry on the mountain." You could tell from their perfect shape just how carefully she had prepared them.

Accepting the rice balls with a smile, Lin Yun slowly walked out of the village. As he left, Lan Xi shouted after his retreating figure, "Ah Shan, don’t forget to come to my house for dinner tonight! Don’t you try to get out of it, okay?"

He gave a wave as his figure disappeared beyond the village limits. A faint smile touched his lips. ’Lan Xi is a wonderful girl, but she’s not what I need right now.’

He made his way up the mountain, finally stopping at a secluded cliff. This had been his Cultivation Land for the past month; it was so hidden that almost no one ever came here.

’Time to get to work.’ Seating himself cross-legged on the ground, Lin Yun began to circulate the Demon Emperor Technique and the War God Technique. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Power surged furiously into his body.

Lin Yun had already reached the Second Layer of the Opening Realm, but he was still a ways off from the Third Layer. At his current cultivation speed, however, he should be able to break through in another two months.

But two months still felt too long for Lin Yun. ’The enemies I’m facing are experts at the Primordial Ocean Realm. Without enough power, I’ll have to live out my days in hiding.’

Therefore, Lin Yun kept a tight schedule. He would cultivate normally in the morning, and in the afternoon, he would venture deep into the Yunlu Mountain Range to find Spirit Grass that could help him break through faster.

Lin Yun cultivated motionlessly for the entire morning. It wasn’t until noon, after he had eaten the rice balls Lan Xi made for him, that he finally got up and headed into the Yunlu Mountain Range.

Knowing that people from two major powers were searching for him, Lin Yun naturally stuck to deserted paths. He completely avoided the territories of Tier One and Tier Two Demon Beasts, heading instead for the domain of Tier Three Demon Beasts.

A Tier Three Demon Beast was equivalent to a Primordial Ocean Realm expert. However, when it came to Demon Beasts, Lin Yun had a powerful advantage: his Perception Power. Thanks to his cultivation of the Demon Emperor Technique and the War God Technique, his Perception Power was exceptionally strong, allowing him to detect Demon Beasts from a great distance and avoid them long before an encounter.

This was what allowed him to move freely through the territory of Tier Three Demon Beasts.

Concealing his presence, Lin Yun searched for a full hour but failed to find even a single stalk of Spirit Grass. ’There’s almost no Spirit Grass left,’ he thought. ’Do I really have to venture into the lairs of the Tier Three Demon Beasts?’

In the past month, he had picked clean nearly all the Spirit Grass that wasn’t guarded by a Demon Beast. As for the ones that were, he didn’t dare go near them.

Lin Yun knew full well how strong a Tier Three Demon Beast was. He would be killed instantly. Barging into a Tier Three Demon Beast’s lair was suicide, pure and simple.

After two full hours of carefully searching a wide area, Lin Yun still hadn’t found a single Spirit Grass. Seeing that it was getting late and he still needed to hunt a wild beast for his return, a dejected Lin Yun left the Yunlu Mountain Range and headed back toward the village.

As he walked, Lin Yun mulled over his situation. ’I’ve already picked all the accessible Spirit Grass in this area. If I want to find more, I’ll have to risk entering a Tier Three Demon Beast’s lair. But that’s far too dangerous; I don’t even think I have a one percent chance of success.’

There was no other choice. Lin Yun decided he would have to leave the village soon and find another place. After all, simply holing up and cultivating was unrealistic. Even if he could eventually reach the Primordial Ocean Realm that way, it would take far too long. He couldn’t afford to wait.

Lin Yun headed back toward the village, hunting a wild beast along the way. What he didn’t know was that a group of Martial Artists from the outside world had just arrived in the small village.

"Tch! They actually sent us to this godforsaken place. How could Lin Yun possibly be hiding here?" The villagers had all been rounded up at the village entrance, where a dozen or so Disciples in Wind Forest Sect robes were angrily interrogating them.

"Have any strangers come here recently?"

Hearing the question from the leader of the group, the villagers all looked at one another. They could tell from the look in these people’s eyes that they meant trouble.

After a moment’s hesitation, the old village chief finally stepped forward and said to the Wind Forest Sect Disciples, "Masters, our humble village is very remote. We haven’t had any outsiders visit in a very long time, and certainly none recently."

In response, the Wind Forest Sect Disciples merely snorted. One of them kicked the old village chief to the ground and sneered in contempt, "A bunch of worthless peasants. Listen up! If any strangers show up, you are to notify the soldiers at Iron Gate Pass immediately. Got it?"

Hearing this, all the villagers nodded. They might be simple folk, but that didn’t mean they were stupid. Many of them had already guessed that these people were likely looking for Ah Shan. After all, Ah Shan was a mysterious person.

"Mommy, is Ah Shan a stranger?" As if by a cruel twist of fate, just as the Wind Forest Sect Disciples were turning to leave, a small child suddenly piped up and asked his mother.

The villagers broke out in a cold sweat. It was over. Sure enough, the Wind Forest Sect Disciples who had overheard the question turned back and walked over to the child.

"And who is Ah Shan, little one?" one of the Disciples asked with a cold smile.

"Ah Shan is our village’s hero! He’s super strong! He can kill a wild beast all by himself..." The child was innocent and had no idea of the gravity of the situation. Seeing this, his mother quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Masters, he’s just a child talking nonsense," the mother replied with a smile, though it looked incredibly forced. "Ah Shan is my nephew. His parents died when he was young, so my husband and I have always taken care of him."

"Hmph. I can see there’s something fishy going on here. Tell us! Where is Ah Shan now?" Sensing that something was amiss, killing intent rose among the Wind Forest Sect Disciples.

These Wind Forest Sect Disciples clearly had no scruples about dealing with mortals who had no Cultivation, and they began to press the villagers relentlessly.

"Speak! Who is Ah Shan? When did he arrive?"

"Master, Ah Shan really is from our village!"

"Courting death."

The massacre began. As if devoid of all humanity, the Wind Forest Sect Disciples began to slaughter the villagers one by one.

(It’s a new week! Please add this to your collections and give it a recommendation! I’m begging everyone to please add, please recommend, and help Divine Emperor Demon Emperor climb the rankings. Thank you all so much!)