Lin Zheyu moved at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he had covered over a thousand meters. With his Perception Domain pushed to its limit, the traces left by the three men and the barbarian expert were clear. Before long, he sensed energy fluctuations coming from deep within the forest. He slowed down, suppressed his aura, and quietly made his way in that direction.

The barbarian named Kui had a dark expression as he said coldly, "Hmph! Impressive methods! If you think tricks like this can hold me, however, you're far too naive."

A dharma artifact rope bound him tightly, while five formation flags were planted around him, forming a trapping formation that confined Kui within. The formation glowed with an eerie brilliance, radiating from his body.

Above him loomed the phantom of a massive beast, roaring toward the sky as if trying to break free. Before him stood Qian Baiyan, Tu Xihao, and Jing Xinyue. Their faces were deathly pale, each bearing injuries, their auras extremely weak.

"Move! We don't know how long that other person can hold him off. We leave now for Linjiang City!" Qian Baiyan shouted in a low voice.

With a flick of his right hand, three lightness talismans and flying shield talismans appeared and shot toward the other two under his control.

They activated their escape techniques, combining them with the lightness and flight talismans. Their speed became unbelievable, and in an instant, they vanished into the forest. Only Kui remained behind, struggling to break free from his restraints.

They ran?

When Lin Zheyu arrived, Qian Baiyan and the others were already gone. Only Kui, who transformed into a massive beast over four meters tall, remained.

"Lucky for you. But if I run into you again... hmph."

Lin Zheyu stared coldly at the struggling Kui. His Perception Domain spread to its limit, searching for the other three men's auras. Unfortunately, no matter how he searched, he found nothing. He had arrived a step too late.

"They had him restrained and still didn't finish him off. Looks like they were badly injured. What a pity." Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly.

The true origin within him surged violently. He instantly activated the Blood Burning Saber Technique, burning vast amounts of life essence to unleash an even more terrifying power. A layer of crimson light instantly coated the Colorful Star Sword.

Boom!

With a tap of his foot, Lin Zheyu shot forward like lightning toward the bound barbarian. He had no intention of letting such a rare opportunity slip away.

The dharma artifact rope still bound Kui tightly as the eerie glow around him flared to its peak. With a furious roar, his body swelled even larger. The rope, already at its limit, snapped apart into dozens of pieces.

The moment he broke free from the dharma artifact rope, Kui sensed a dangerous aura. His ferocious head snapped toward Lin Zheyu, his eyes filled with savage intent.

"You dare?"

A massive spiked club howled through the air. At that critical moment, Kui hastily raised a dharma artifact to block.

A cold smile curved at Lin Zheyu's lips. His forward motion halted abruptly and strangely. He twisted his body and swept his sword upward. With a soft thud, Kui's arm holding the dharma artifact was cleanly severed, as easily as slicing vegetables.

So strong! This is bad!

Kui was jolted, a sharp sense of danger surging in his heart.

He had expended a great deal himself and suffered significant injuries in the fight with the three just now. Kui had thought Ze would easily deal with that person, but instead, the one who appeared was the young man he had previously dismissed. Clearly, Ze was already dead.

"Let's talk this out. If you stop now, I can tell you a great secret, one that can let you advance to the Golden Core realm! You, humans, cannot reach the Golden Core realm through talent and effort alone. But I have a way!" Kui said quickly. The danger he felt was overwhelming. That last strike had left him completely unable to resist.

"Heh!"

Lin Zheyu's expression shifted slightly, but his movements did not slow in the slightest. He barely trusted human immortal cultivators, let alone a barbarian. Those not of one's kind cannot be trusted. He would not be swayed by a few words. A dead barbarian was the only good barbarian.

The blood-red sword slashed out like lightning. Seeing he could not deceive his opponent, Kui instantly summoned a black, metallic glove onto his remaining left hand. The sword struck it with sharp clangs. The formation of traps formed by the five flags on the ground exerted a powerful binding force, leaving Kui moving as though stuck in a swamp.

Thud, thud, thud.

Lin Zheyu's swordsmanship was average. Even with his masterful lightness and movement techniques, a direct fight with Kui would require considerable effort. But now, with Kui bound by the formation, he was nothing more than a target. Crimson sword light flashed like lightning, impossibly fast. Kui could only barely block a few strikes. His body stiffened in place, his eyes filled with ferocity and unwillingness.

"If I die, I won't let you have it easy. I curse you, I curse—"

Kui's face twisted with malice as he glared at Lin Zheyu, but he could not even finish his words. Before he could complete his curse, his body split into more than a dozen chunks of flesh that fell to the ground. At the same time, each piece erupted with dense, eerie light. Within that glow, a ferocious beast phantom raised its head and let out a silent howl.

This beast was the totem upon Kui's body. The dozen beast phantoms turned into streaks of light and shot out, gathering in midair into a sinister five-pointed star. Within the pattern, a beast figure roared with terrifying force.

"This is bad!" Lin Zheyu's expression changed. The bizarre scene filled him with foreboding.

Without hesitation, Lin Zheyu unleashed his true origin. His speed surged to seven times the speed of sound in an instant. The surroundings blurred into streaks of light, so fast he could barely see.

At such speed, even dodging became difficult. Vast true origin gathered before him, forming a protective barrier. Lin Zheyu charged straight ahead, crashing through trees that exploded one after another.

The eerie light moved at an unbelievable speed and pierced into Lin Zheyu's back. A chilling sensation spread through him as a strange energy entered his physique.

"So fast!" Lin Zheyu's expression shifted as he immediately stopped.

He quickly sat down cross-legged. The crimson true origin within him surged toward the strange energy without restraint. Hissing sounds rang out continuously, along with deafening roars emanating from the energy.

A light breeze swept through, and the rustling of trees filled the air. Lin Zheyu had been sitting for quite some time. His once-sturdy body had withered from the burning of the Blood Burning Saber Technique, leaving him gaunt, his skin wrinkled.

Lin Zheyu opened his eyes and let out a long breath. "Huff... I finally got rid of it. What a strange energy. It was incredibly stubborn."

The eerie light had not harmed him, but it was deeply unsettling. Lin Zheyu suspected it might be a curse, or perhaps a tracking mark. Even if it posed no immediate threat, he had no intention of letting such an unknown energy remain in his body. Unfortunately, it was too strange and stubborn. Lacking any method to deal with it, he could only rely on the overwhelming true origin to forcibly grind it away.

Even barbarian warriors seem to possess quite strange methods.

He had encountered three barbarian warriors in total, but only this one had displayed such bizarre abilities. It was likely related to the special totem he cultivated. Lin Zheyu let out a long breath. His body felt extremely weak. Two spirit stones suddenly appeared in his hand. Closing his eyes, he sent out a thought.

Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art.

The familiar sensation returned. A vast, mysterious energy surged from deep within his body, drawing in the energy from the spirit stones and flooding into him. His withered body, drained from burning so much life energy, rapidly swelled at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, he returned to his robust, powerful physique.

Lin Zheyu exhaled a turbid breath and came to. He clenched his fist. His physique had returned to its peak. With a thought, his Perception Domain spread outward from him.

"Looks like the three of them have already left."

Lin Zheyu could not find any trace of their auras. With their methods, tracking them would not be easy. For now, he had no choice but to let it go. Returning to the barbarian's remains, his spiritual sense swept out. Before long, a grotesque, oddly styled storage pouch floated up from the scattered flesh.

Along with it were a black glove, a spiked club, and the five formation flags on the ground. He could not use the flags for now, but they would likely fetch a good price if sold. Unfortunately, the dharma artifact rope had snapped. Otherwise, it would have sold well too.

"These two were pretty strong. They should be quite wealthy," Lin Zheyu muttered. His figure flickered and vanished instantly.