Lin Zheyu discarded the spirit stone whose energy had been completely drained and pulled out two more from the storage pouch. He had just used six spirit stones. Five of them had been completely drained of energy, while the remaining one held less than 30% of its energy. He estimated that this round of improvement would not consume too much energy. Even so, to be safe, he took out two additional stones from the storage pouch.

The storage pouch was not very spacious, and since Lin Zheyu lacked spiritual sense, he could not see what was inside it. However, he reached in with his right hand and felt around for a moment, roughly judging the pouch's internal space. The storage pouch had about one cubic meter of space. It was not large, but it was already sufficient for him.

Holding three spirit stones in his hand, he sent out a thought.

Use 10 units of Origin Force to cultivate Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps.

In an instant, a vast surge of mysterious energy burst forth from his body. Lin Zheyu's spirit entered the consciousness space and began endless training. Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps was an extremely powerful lightness technique and movement technique. Even across the entire martial cultivation world, it ranked among the very best. When he drove it using his true origin, which far surpassed true strength, his speed became even more terrifying.

Within the consciousness space, Lin Zheyu tirelessly attempted to convert the true origin again and again. This conversion method was a crude technique he had created using his own martial cultivation knowledge and experience, and its efficiency was not particularly high.

However, practice made perfect. With repeated training and constant conversion of true origin, Lin Zheyu's proficiency grew higher and higher. He could no longer recall how many times he had practiced. Maybe he had practiced a million times.

In the consciousness space, an unknown amount of time passed for Lin Zheyu. He discovered that he could now control the conversion of true origin as easily as moving his own arm. Within 0.01 seconds, he could transform the grayish true origin into a form dominated by true intent effects such as wind, thunder, and swiftness, all of which enhanced speed. He then began cultivating the second stage of Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps.

Time passed slowly. Under the influence of the immense mysterious energy, the energy within the spirit stones surged into Lin Zheyu's body, transforming the meridians throughout his body as well as the muscles, tendons, skin, and bones of his lower body. Lightness and movement techniques at the Force Transformation realm mainly relied on the use of true strength, which differed from the Marrow Refining realm. Yet in the end, both were simply applications of energy and force.

Through repeated training, Lin Zheyu gradually adapted to circulating energy primarily through true origin. The meridians through which the true origin flowed during Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps grew increasingly strong after countless intense cycles. The mysterious energy swept up the spirit stone energy and poured it into his meridians, constantly widening and reinforcing them. This allowed his meridians to withstand even greater bursts of power.

After several breaths, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes. His gaze revealed deep exhaustion. Using 20 units of Origin Force in succession within such a short time placed a considerable burden on him.

I wonder if once I condense divine sense, my spirit's endurance will increase significantly.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 34]

[Skills: Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art (Second Stage: 0%), Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps (Third Stage: 89%), Primordial Wuji True Technique (Third Stage: 59%)]

He looked at the data within his consciousness. Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps had only advanced to the third stage and was still quite far from reaching Perfection.

My speed is too great. It has already exceeded my neural reactions. If I do not strengthen my spirit and spiritual soul, reaching Perfection in the fourth stage will likely be very difficult.

When he first condensed true origin, he had tested his maximum speed. It had approached nearly four times the speed of sound. At that time, Lin Zheyu lacked sufficient control and crashed straight into a large tree. Now that he had cultivated Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps and could freely convert true origin, his speed had become even faster.

Boom!

True origin erupted in an instant. With a thunderous boom, the ground beneath his feet exploded into a deep crater under the terrifying force. Lin Zheyu shot forward like a cannonball. A thin layer of true origin energy enveloped his body, reducing the rapidly rising wind resistance from his incredible speed. Once his speed reached five times the speed of sound, he stopped accelerating. That was already close to his limit.

He could still increase his speed slightly if he pushed further. However, once it exceeded five times the speed of sound, it completely outpaced his neural reaction time. Lin Zheyu could no longer see the environment around him clearly. He could only sense things rushing past at high speed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Lin Zheyu's figure darted through the forest at an unbelievable speed.

Bang!

Suddenly, Lin Zheyu's shoulder scraped against a tree trunk. The entire tree exploded with a bang. He lost his balance and crashed through several tree trunks in succession.

"Five times the speed of sound is still too forced. I can't use any complicated movement techniques at that speed," Lin Zheyu said as he brushed the dirt from his body and stood up.

At the terrifying speed of five times the speed of sound, colliding with a tree trunk caused severe damage. Even though the true origin barrier blocked most of the impact, the collision area still turned red, and tiny beads of blood seeped out. Once the true origin circulated slightly, it quickly recovered. After all, it was only a tree trunk. If it had been a harder material like a metal alloy, a chunk of flesh would likely have been torn from his shoulder.

"Five times the speed of sound is only suitable for escaping. Four times the speed of sound suits me best," Lin Zheyu said to himself.

With his current perception and neural reaction speed, the scenery around him had already become blurred at five times the speed of sound. Only when maintaining around four times the speed of sound could he properly execute powerful movement techniques.

The immortal cultivator from the Directorate of Celestial Observation he had encountered earlier had a flying sword that reached nearly four times the speed of sound at most. Even if the opponent possessed stronger magical treasures, as long as Lin Zheyu ran fast enough, anything slower than five times the speed of sound would not catch him. If necessary, he might even be able to push himself to unleash a shocking speed comparable to six times the speed of sound.

However, at that point, Lin Zheyu would not be able to see the surrounding environment at all. He would not even be able to distinguish directions and could only run mindlessly. Under such conditions, a single mistake and collision with a hard object could easily take his life. Unless he had no other choice, he had no desire to experience that situation.

A faint smile appeared on Lin Zheyu's face as he murmured, "This improvement consumed far more than I expected. It actually drained the energy from all three spirit stones. Still, the consumption was worth it."

Closing his eyes, he activated inner vision. The meridians through which the true origin flowed during the Phantom Flash Soul-Chasing Steps technique were wider and more resilient than his other meridians. They could withstand far stronger true origin energy. That was also why Lin Zheyu's speed had increased so dramatically. After testing his strength, he regained some confidence. From his encounter with that bald man from the evil sect, he had gained a rough understanding of his own power.

Lin Zheyu's current strength was comparable to a Foundation Establishment realm immortal cultivator and even stronger than a Martial Innate realm martial artist. With such power, entering the demon god barrier should not be life-threatening as long as he remained cautious.

With a single thought, the muscles in his face began to shift, followed by the muscles throughout his body. His height shortened by two centimeters, his muscles swelled, and his build became more robust. His appearance transformed into that of an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

As long as no one else carrying an Ink Jade Disk comes looking for me, no one should be able to see through my disguise, Lin Zheyu thought.

His figure moved and vanished from the spot as he rushed toward the direction of the demon god barrier.

***

Within the demon god barrier, furious winds howled as terrifying tides of Baleful Yin surged through, stirring violent gales. This space-time node was even more terrifying than the one Lin Zheyu had encountered before. The concentration of Baleful Yin force inside the demon god barrier rose rapidly, making even martial artists without cultivation talent feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Gu Ye, have you found any trace of Little Yu?" Wen Zi rushed over from a distance, scanning the surroundings warily as she asked in a low voice.

"No. Junior Brother left no clues behind. There is nothing to follow," Gu Ye said with a frown and a grave tone. "The concentration of Baleful Yin force here is rising. Without true strength protecting the body, even a Marrow Refining realm martial artist would struggle to survive here."

It was not only the Baleful Yin force. The number of demon puppets within the demon god barrier was also terrifying. Even the weakest were at the Marrow Refining realm. With Junior Brother Lin's Marrow Refining realm strength, no matter how talented he was, surviving here would be extremely difficult.

"Let's go! This place is too dangerous. The space-time node here seems to be losing control. Before long, yaos and demons will appear. If we do not leave now, it will be too late," Guo Wenzi said in a deep voice.

She also wanted to find Junior Brother Lin and did not want anything to happen to him. However, the place was simply too dangerous. If they stayed any longer, they might be trapped here.

"Alright!" Gu Ye nodded. They were experienced martial artists with strong resolve and knew better than to misjudge the situation.

Puff. Bang!

The two attacked fiercely, killing the demon puppets gathering around them while rushing toward the outside. The concentration of Baleful Yin force kept rising, and the demon puppets were growing stronger. Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi found it increasingly difficult to deal with them. Working together, they pushed forward and rushed toward the exit.

Whoosh!

Just as they were about to break out, a sharp blade light swept across. Large numbers of demon puppets were struck by the blade light and instantly turned into drifting ashes.

"So strong. It's an immortal cultivator expert from the Directorate of Celestial Observation." Guo Wenzi and Gu Ye exchanged glances, shock and unease appearing on their faces.

"Detour. Go from the left side," Guo Wenzi said decisively.

Gu Ye did not object. She had no desire to be dragged off by the Directorate of Celestial Observation to serve as forced human resources.

"You two, follow me."

Before they could act, a calm voice suddenly sounded beside Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi's ears.

Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi exchanged a glance, helplessness in their eyes. They had still been discovered.

"Greetings, my lady!"

"Greetings, my lady!"

Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi moved forward and spoke respectfully.

The newcomer was a slender-faced woman with a cold and sinister air. Her cheeks were sunken, giving her a harsh and menacing appearance. Even though her figure was well-shaped, it stirred no desire in others. Five martial artists followed beside her.

Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi glanced at them and recognized several faces among them. They were all experts in the Force Transformation realm. The woman looked at Guo Wenzi and the others without speaking, then moved and rushed toward the direction of the space-time rift.

"Follow me. Complete the mission, and there will be generous rewards," the woman said coldly.

Including Gu Ye and Guo Wenzi, there were now seven Force Transformation realm martial artists. They exchanged glances, and all looked helpless.

"Let's go. If we don't follow now, we'll be punished later," a man said as he took the lead and followed. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Seeing this, the others could only follow reluctantly.

Gu Ye slowed down and moved beside the acquaintance Guo Jin, asking in a low voice, "Brother Guo, did that lord say what mission we're supposed to carry out?"

Because of their own limitations, even Foundation Establishment realm immortal cultivators would have their strength greatly suppressed when entering places with such dense Baleful Yin force as the demon god barrier. In some particularly dangerous areas, even powerful immortal cultivators would not dare to enter personally. As a result, they often brought along grandmasters or Force Transformation realm martial artists to carry out certain missions within the demon god barrier.

"She didn't say," Guo Jin replied with a frown and a helpless tone.

Every time such missions were carried out, they were extremely dangerous. If given a choice, none of them would want to participate. Unfortunately, Guo Jin, just like Guo Wenzi and Gu Ye, had been seized as temporary manpower.

"Sigh..."