"Golden light! Damn it, I finally found you again. This time, I won't let you slip away!"

In the darkness, a burly young man spotted the reappearing golden light and was overjoyed. This was not his first time seeing it. It was the third. The previous two times, by the time he chased it down, the light had vanished.

"This time, it won't!" the man sneered as he activated his escape technique and shot toward Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu had long anticipated the dangers lurking in the darkness. This wasn't his first time using Origin Force outside the demon god barrier to enhance his strength. Compared to inside the barrier, it was much safer here. The process only took a few breaths to complete.

Though even a few breaths could feel long for cultivators, Lin Zheyu would always check his surroundings first, ensuring no one was within ten kilometers before proceeding. At that distance, even if someone noticed him, he would have enough time to finish.

But there were always exceptions. Some cultivators had extremely sophisticated concealment techniques. Even Lin Zheyu's enhanced Perception Domain could fail to detect them. Just like now.

With a soft pop, a shifty-eyed figure burst out of the ground, staring toward Lin Zheyu with delight.

The man sensed the powerful aura emanating from Lin Zheyu and was overjoyed, saying, "Haha, a treasure! Who would've thought I'd find one just by picking a random hiding spot? My luck has finally arrived!"

Lin Zheyu's entire body was shrouded in black mist rising from him. This mist, made from impurities within demonic qi energy, interfered with spiritual sense. The man could only see the golden glow within and feel the powerful aura. His expression shifted as he scanned the surroundings. He sensed more than twenty auras rapidly approaching.

"Heh, trying to compete with me? Dream on!" the man sneered as a yellow glow appeared around him. With a soft sound, he sank back into the earth.

This was an earth escape technique from the Five Elements. Unlike traditional versions, his had been modified. Even within the demon-tainted soil of the demon god barrier, it functioned without issue.

The man moved at incredible speed, reaching the artificial demonic lake Lin Zheyu had created in an instant. With a splash, he burst out of the demon-tainted soil and entered the lake filled with demonic qi energy.

Hm? Such pure and dense demonic qi energy. How could a lake like this exist here? No, there's no branch of the demonic river nearby. How could this appear out of nowhere? Was it artificially created?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He guessed that the golden light within the mist might be a powerful cultivator's dharma treasure.

"Heh! If even the aura of your dharma treasure can't be concealed, you must be badly injured," the man chuckled.

The demon god barrier was not some ancient ruin or hidden treasure site. How could a powerful dharma treasure suddenly appear here? The moment he saw the golden light, the man guessed it had to be a cultivator's dharma artifact.

Could it be a trap? No, unlikely. Something this conspicuous would attract dozens of powerful cultivators in just a few breaths. One misstep and it might even draw terrifying experts, the man thought to himself.

Fortune favored the bold. The lone wanderers in the demon god barrier were all ruthless figures of considerable strength. The man had no powerful backing. He relied on strength, luck, and courage to seize cultivation opportunities, which was how he had reached his current level. After a brief moment of thought, he made his decision.

"Go!"

Forming a hand seal, the arm-thick bone in his hand rapidly expanded, turning into a massive bone over ten meters long and as thick as a barrel. Dense runes were carved across its surface, and under his control, it emitted a strange, sinister glow.

The massive bone shot into the air and smashed toward the golden light within the black mist. The man had survived countless life-and-death trials in the Martial World not just through strength and luck, but also by maintaining calm and caution even in the face of greed.

***

Hissing sounds continued without end as dense black mist rose from Lin Zheyu's body. At this moment, the Saha Scripture totem built upon golden runes had undergone a massive transformation. Though incomplete, its form had already taken shape. The once faint, wind-like wisp had now changed drastically, condensing into the outline of a humanoid creature.

It had grotesque bone spikes protruding from both shoulders, a body of perfectly flowing lines, and a pair of flesh-and-blood wings spread from its back like those of an angel. The image was both savage and strangely beautiful, and the golden glow gave it a faint sense of sanctity. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive bone appeared and slammed down toward Lin Zheyu's head. With a thunderous crash, he was struck head-on. The terrifying force drove him deep into the lakebed. At the moment of impact, the sinister energy emanating from the bone surged into his body.

The energy carried devastating, destructive power. In an instant, Lin Zheyu's body cracked like porcelain, covered in fine fractures. Yet those cracks vanished just as quickly. In his current state, enhanced by Origin Force, any injury could be instantly healed as long as enough energy remained. With a deafening impact, he was driven deep into the ground. His eyes snapped open.

"Hm?"

In that instant, Lin Zheyu noticed something was wrong. His body was being forced into the ground at an alarming speed.

Lin Zheyu immediately realized: I've been ambushed?

He had been extremely cautious, yet this still happened. Fortunately, nothing irreversible had occurred. He had suffered no lasting injuries. While empowered by Origin Force and immersed in a lake filled with pure demonic qi energy, unless he was killed instantly or suffered damage so severe that even the energy within him could not restore it, he would recover completely.

"I didn't expect someone this strong to be hiding nearby."

Lin Zheyu frowned. With a thought, the golden light around him vanished instantly, and his powerful aura quickly subsided. The pure demonic qi energy within the lake surged wildly into his body under his control.

Lin Zheyu slammed his right hand downward, halting his descent, then shot upward into the demonic lake. He planned to use the purple-black energy, along with the cover of demonic qi energy, to conceal himself.

"It worked!"

The shifty-eyed man saw the golden light within the black mist struck by the strange bone, and his eyes lit up with delight. That bone was one of his strongest dharma artifacts and carried an eerie effect. Even a Golden Core realm expert would suffer from such a blow.

However, the man did not rush forward. With a wave of his hand, the bone rapidly shrank and returned to his palm. The eerie glow had faded, and that strike seemed to have drained its energy. The sinister aura had weakened, making it look like an ordinary bone.

The man stored the drained bone in his storage pouch and watched the spot where Lin Zheyu had been struck with caution. His ingrained wariness kept him calm even now. He did not rush forward, wary of a counterattack from an unknown expert.

After waiting two full breaths and sensing that the golden aura had vanished, the man could no longer hold back. If he waited any longer, the others outside would catch up.

His figure moved, turning into a streak of dim light as he rushed toward where Lin Zheyu had fallen. At the same time, hidden within the lake by the purple-black energy, Lin Zheyu noticed him. The demonic lake was filled with extremely dense and pure demonic qi energy, which greatly interfered with a cultivator's spiritual sense. Even with secret techniques or dharma artifacts, detection would be severely weakened here.

But Lin Zheyu was different. His Perception Domain was already less affected by demonic qi energy, and after cultivating numerous demon arts, the interference had become almost negligible. With it, he detected the man instantly, while the man remained completely unaware of Lin Zheyu's presence.

So he was the one who ambushed me? That bone artifact is indeed unusual, but his strength is only at the Foundation Establishment realm. If I... No, more people are coming!

Lin Zheyu was just about to strike and deliver a decisive blow, but he stopped. In his perception, over twenty powerful auras were rapidly approaching, and some had already entered the lake.

He did not act rashly. He quickly concealed his aura, covering himself with the purple-black energy and blending into the thick liquid of the demonic lake.

Splash!

Two figures rushed into the demonic lake. Their auras were powerful, and the moment they entered, they locked onto the shifty-eyed man's position, completely unaware of Lin Zheyu hidden within the lake. They charged toward him.

Meanwhile, Lin Zheyu twisted his body and sank into the demon-tainted soil at the bottom. He planned to remain hidden under the lake's cover and wait for the right moment, hoping to profit while others fought.