Within the pitch-black space, the sound of a blade piercing flesh suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterward came the rushing whistle of hundreds of blades slicing through the air. A cold flash of steel burst forth in the darkness, then vanished again in less than two breaths. The darkness returned to silence, broken only by the furious howling winds surging through the passage and the occasional cries of yaos.

I can't go any further. The Baleful Yin force here is terrifyingly dense. Yaos in the Martial Innate realm have already started appearing.

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly as he looked at the writhing chunks of flesh scattered across the ground. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

As he fought his way forward, he discovered that not every yao possessed vitality as terrifying as the yao tree he had encountered earlier. Most yaos, once chopped into one or two hundred pieces, could no longer recover. The one he had just killed was a good example. It possessed strength comparable to the Martial Innate realm, yet he had cut it into more than three hundred chunks of flesh. Each piece, smaller than a palm, writhed on the ground as if trying to regenerate, but it was completely futile.

Boom!

A terrifying tide of energy surged through the air. Lin Zheyu raised his head and looked toward the distant sky, where a heaven-shaking blade of light suddenly appeared. He had already seen such a sight more than once. What once filled him with alarm had now become something he was accustomed to.

Lin Zheyu gazed at the heaven-shaking blade of light, a trace of longing rising in his heart.

I wonder what realm an expert must be in to unleash such terrifying power.

His position lay at least forty or fifty kilometers from the direction where the blade of light originated, yet he could still feel the immense power contained within it. Lin Zheyu did not remain where he was for long. Although he did not dare advance deeper, exploring the nearby area was not especially dangerous. Unfortunately, after being here for so long, he had yet to encounter that group of evil cultists. That left him somewhat disappointed.

The Baleful Yin force here is so dense. I wonder if it has given birth to any heavenly treasures.

According to his observations, when he used Origin Force to enhance himself, a portion of the Baleful Yin force contained within unpurified spirit stones was also absorbed. In other words, part of the energy within Baleful Yin force could also be used by Lin Zheyu. If he could find heavenly treasures that contained powerful Baleful Yin force, they could serve as substitutes for spirit stones.

Within the forest, outside the demon god barrier.

The tremendous disturbance caused by the appearance of the space-time node attracted the attention of many interested parties. Early in the morning, a handsome young man dressed as a scholar arrived leisurely outside the demon god barrier while holding a folding fan. He reached out and touched the demon god barrier, a hint of interest appearing on his face.

So this is the demon god barrier that Master spoke of. Interesting. The demon god's power is truly formidable. To think it can confine an evil energy like Baleful Yin force within a specific space...

The young man sighed in admiration. After studying it for a while, he smiled and walked into the demon god barrier.

Deep within the forest.

Several young men and women looked toward the pitch-black region ahead. They exchanged glances and smiled before disappearing into the darkness. Within a few days, the space-time node's appearance had drawn numerous powerful figures from unknown places.

The ordinary civilians in the city knew nothing about the space-time node or the danger lurking in the darkness. They only knew that some kind of danger had appeared deep in the mountains, and the City Guard had sealed the area, forbidding anyone from entering.

Inside Azure Tide Pavilion, Elder Yang asked with a frown, "Have Wenzi and the others come out yet?"

"Not yet. Ever since they entered the demon god barrier, they haven't come out again. I heard recently that many experts nearby at the Force Transformation realm and above have been temporarily mobilized by the Directorate of Celestial Observation to carry out missions. I think they were probably taken as well," Xu Kuiyang said.

A trace of worry appeared on his face. Not only had Guo Wenzi and Gu Ye been forcibly recruited, but even his disciple and his second son had been temporarily taken into the demon god barrier to carry out missions. The missions inside the demon god barrier were extremely dangerous. Martial artists at the Force Transformation realm faced an average mortality rate of nearly 70%.

Elder Yang sighed and continued asking, "Any news of Little Yu?"

"No. That whole region is in chaos right now. Even many Grandmaster realm martial artists have died. As for Lin Zheyu, you should not hold onto hope," Xu Kuiyang said with a sigh as he shook his head.

Lin Zheyu's natural talent and aptitude were truly monstrous, yet he had been born at the wrong time, in the turbulent era of Great Wei. Had he been born a few decades earlier, with his talent and comprehension, he would likely have already advanced to the Martial Innate realm and joined the Directorate of Celestial Observation, becoming one of the legendary immortal cultivators.

"Sigh..."

Elder Yang let out a soft sigh and said nothing more.

Over the past two days, Azure Tide Pavilion had lost quite a number of martial artists in the Force Transformation realm. Fortunately, most of them were older veterans, and only a few were young geniuses. Otherwise, Elder Yang would have been far more troubled.

***

Within the endless darkness, Lin Zheyu searched with complete focus. He had entered the demon god barrier more than two days ago. Although he did not dare approach areas where the Baleful Yin force was excessively dense, he had still discovered quite a few interesting things.

For example, he had discovered a small stream and was currently exploring it. The liquid in the stream looked pitch-black and extremely viscous, releasing a foul, unpleasant stench. He moved at a measured pace, walking upstream against the current.

"What exactly is this stream? A demon river flowing out from the space-time node?" Lin Zheyu murmured.

This stream, which contained dense Baleful Yin force, was something he had discovered by chance. The liquid within it held Baleful Yin force that was dozens of times denser than the Baleful Yin force in the air. Moreover, the closer one approached the upstream section, the more terrifying the concentration became. Lin Zheyu planned to head to the upstream source where the Baleful Yin force was strongest. He wanted to test how effective Baleful Yin force would be as an energy supply for Origin Force.

As he continued forward, the stream gradually grew larger. The one Lin Zheyu had discovered earlier was only a tiny branch among countless tributaries.

Suddenly, a creature with a ferocious face and a body resembling a seal burst out of the stream and lunged toward Lin Zheyu. A blade flash erupted. The icy gleam of steel instantly cut the yao that had leapt from the stream into more than a dozen pieces.

"This entire area is transforming into demon-tainted soil." Lin Zheyu looked at the flowing stream and felt an uneasy premonition.

Everything he had seen over the past two days had given him a deep understanding of how terrifying the space-time node was. Lin Zheyu grabbed a handful of soil from the ground. The surrounding earth had also begun to change under the erosion caused by the Baleful Yin force. If this space-time node could not be sealed soon, the entire region covered by the demon god barrier would likely turn into demon-tainted soil.

Lin Zheyu continued forward. The sound of the stream grew louder, and the Baleful Yin force contained within it became increasingly terrifying.

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out. The cry carried astonishing energy that entered his ears and struck directly at his mind, making Lin Zheyu dizzy for an instant.

A terrifying pressure of true intent instantly surged from Lin Zheyu's body, and his spirit recovered from the dizziness at once. The moment he opened his eyes, he sensed a violent gust of wind rushing toward him. A pair of sharp claws descended from the sky, aiming straight for his head. Lin Zheyu stamped forward with his right foot as the Purple Thunder Demon-Slaying Blade suddenly thrust upward.

The enormous yao in the sky flapped its wings and let out a piercing cry. It shot upward rapidly in an attempt to evade Lin Zheyu's strike. However, he had no intention of letting it succeed.

A thunderous roar echoed as Lin Zheyu sprang upward. His figure shot into the air like a rocket, and his long blade released a terrifying arc of blade light in the night sky. The blade swept across the yao's body and split it in two in an instant. The creature fell to the ground.

Lin Zheyu descended from the air. Just as he was about to chop the flying yao into pieces, more than a dozen sharp cries echoed from the distance.

"Damn, so many flying yaos!"

Lin Zheyu sheathed his blade swiftly and vanished from where he stood without looking back. He was alone right now and had no intention of being entangled by yaos. The Baleful Yin force here was extremely dense. He worried that the massive disturbance caused by battle might attract even more terrifying yaos.

Not long after Lin Zheyu started running, a man's voice suddenly appeared within his consciousness, "Fellow Daoist, please wait! These yaos are Demon Screechbirds. Their demon bodies are highly valuable. If you help me slay the Demon Screechbird King, I will surely reward you generously."

Lin Zheyu could not help feeling startled. Within his Perception Domain, he had sensed no one approaching. Moreover, the way the other party transmitted his voice was not the voice transmission technique he was familiar with. That technique allowed martial artists to use true strength to carry their voice directly into another person's ears. The voice he heard now, however, sounded directly within his mind. It was completely different from a martial artist's voice transmission.

"An immortal cultivator?"

Lin Zheyu reacted at once.

The man had addressed him as Fellow Daoist and used such a mysterious transmission method. It clearly could not belong to a martial artist. Lin Zheyu felt slightly tempted. He had been inside the demon god barrier for more than two days and had gained little. He had only just discovered a demon river rich in Baleful Yin force, yet trouble appeared before he could even reach its upstream source.

If he could befriend an immortal cultivator and use the opportunity to enter the circle of immortal cultivators, it would greatly benefit his future development. Right now, he was troubled by his lack of information about immortal cultivators and had no idea where to earn spirit stones.

Screech!

The sharp, piercing cries drew closer and closer. The terrifying sound poured into Lin Zheyu's mind like a demonic howl. However, he had long been on guard. Under the protection of a powerful layer of true intent defense, the strange cries targeting his soul had no effect on him.

The voice behind him continued, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"

More than 400 meters behind Lin Zheyu, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man saw Lin Zheyu slow down slightly and could not help but reveal a look of delight.

"Looks like a rookie who just started wandering outside..." the man muttered softly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Behind him, a massive yao more than six meters long suddenly released a sharp cry. The cry entered the man's mind, causing his body to freeze for a moment.

The man quickly recovered from the dizziness and cursed inwardly, How could Demon Screechbirds appear here! Damn it, didn't the records say Demon Screechbirds are a mutated type of yao and extremely rare!

His hands rapidly formed seals as his eyes fixed on Lin Zheyu's direction. The incantation was ready to be unleashed.

"Closer... Just a little closer..." the man muttered as his eyes narrowed with a flash of malice.

Years of wandering outside had taught the man a simple truth. When facing danger, one did not need to run the fastest. One only needed to run faster than their companion.