Several people in the crowd gasped sharply at the sight of the skull in Tu Yuan's hand and quietly stepped back. None who had come here was a fool. The moment they noticed those reactions, the others followed suit, realizing the skull was no ordinary object. With Tu Yuan drawing all attention, the gazes of the others shifted away from Lin Zheyu and the woman from earlier. Clearly, the treasure was far more likely to be in Tu Yuan's possession.

"Heh, a bunch of trash!" Tu Yuan sneered mockingly, the corner of his mouth lifting as a trace of viciousness flashed in his eyes.

The cultivators who had gathered to watch and pick up leftovers immediately sensed something was wrong. Spirit power began to stir within them.

Sure enough, Tu Yuan suddenly slammed the skull in his hand onto the ground. A deafening boom erupted as thick brown smoke billowed out, and a powerful aura spread from within the skull.

"Not good!"

"Run!"

"You brat!"

Cries rang out as those prepared cursed, activated their escape lights, and retreated swiftly.

"Hahaha! I'm off!" Tu Yuan's arrogant laughter echoed. Lin Zheyu turned to look, catching only a fleeting streak of earth-yellow escape light.

Earth Demon Rat, Tu Yuan... Not particularly strong, but bold, and armed with many dharma artifacts. Quite an interesting fellow, thought Lin Zheyu as he cast a faint glance toward where Tu Yuan had vanished.

What he knew of Tu Yuan came from the discussions of other cultivators. The man was notorious in the cultivation world, yet he still roamed free, which spoke volumes of his ability. Without relying on those dharma artifacts, Lin Zheyu was confident he could kill him quickly. But if those artifacts were in play, his chances were slim. Tu Yuan possessed too many extremely powerful and strange dharma artifacts. Without knowing their peculiarities, Lin Zheyu could not be completely certain.

"Hm! What is she doing here?" Suddenly, Lin Zheyu spotted a familiar figure. He had not expected to see her here.

To his left stood a woman in a pale blue dress, her features delicate and refined. She was none other than Lei Yunshu, whom he had previously met within the demon god barrier outside Wuling City. Beside Lei Yunshu stood two tall women with elegant, unworldly bearing. After a brief pause, Lin Zheyu walked toward Lei Yunshu.

"Miss Lei, it has been a while. I did not expect to meet you here," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

Lei Yunshu had left a good impression on him. If he could use her as a bridge to connect with the Lei Family and learn more about the cultivation world through their channels, that would be ideal.

"You are?" Lei Yunshu asked, puzzled. She sensed a familiar aura from Lin Zheyu. The two women beside her looked at him with curiosity, faint smiles on their lips.

"It is me, Xiao Yu," Lin Zheyu said with a smile. His muscles shifted subtly, and his face changed, reverting to the appearance he had when he first met Lei Yunshu.

"So it is Fellow Daoist Xiao. It has been a while. Thank you again for your help last time," Lei Yunshu said and smiled faintly upon seeing the familiar face.

She had given Lin Zheyu a token back then, yet he had not come to visit even after so long, leaving her somewhat disappointed. She had not expected that after all this time, they would meet again here. Truly, it was fate.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, these two are my cousins. The one on the left is Lei Yunhan, and the one on the right is Lei Yunzhi," Lei Yunshu introduced with a smile. The three of them were of the same generation within the Lei Family and had come together to explore, hunt yaos, and gather rare resources.

"Cousins, this is the one I mentioned before, the Daoist who helped me in the demon god barrier outside Wuling City. He is Xiao Yu," Lei Yunshu said with a smile as she introduced him to Lei Yunhan and Lei Yunzhi.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," Lin Zheyu said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xiao. Thank you for helping Yunshu last time. Without your assistance, her task would have failed," Lei Yunhan said with a smile.

"Miss Yunhan, you are too polite. It was nothing more than a small effort," Lin Zheyu said casually.

After Tu Yuan fled, many gave chase, while Lin Zheyu and the others remained behind to chat.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, did you also come for that item?" Lei Yunshu asked with a smile.

"That item? What item?" Lin Zheyu asked in surprise.

He did not hide his ignorance and said, "I came here merely to explore and temper myself. Could it be that some remarkable treasure has been born within this demon god barrier?"

"Of course. This demon god barrier has existed for some time now, and the condensation of rule fragments is not far off. Obtaining rule fragments relies mainly on luck; strength is secondary," Lei Yunshu said with a smile, not hiding anything.

"Rule fragments? Something like that actually exists?" Lin Zheyu asked in surprise.

It was his first time hearing of rule fragments. From the name alone, they sounded extraordinary. Lei Yunhan and Lei Yunzhi could not help showing surprise when they heard he did not know about them. Anyone with a bit of background should have heard of rule fragments.

Lei Yunshu, however, was not surprised at all. From their previous encounter, although Lin Zheyu had been cautious, she had still noticed that he seemed unfamiliar with many basic aspects of the cultivation world. Steering the topic toward rule fragments had been intentional. She had guessed he might not know and wanted to do him a favor.

"Yes. Every time a space-time node appears, and the surrounding demon god barrier completely turns into demon-tainted soil, rule fragments will emerge. These fragments are rewards produced by the world itself after it has been damaged and invaded by other realms, a form of self-protection. Fellow Daoist Xiao, would you like to join us? We can go and try our luck together," explained Lei Yunshu as she invited with a smile. Her gaze toward Lin Zheyu was clear and sincere, seemingly without ill intent.

"When does it begin?" Lin Zheyu asked.

He looked toward the data within his consciousness.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 23]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Golden Body (Second Stage: 82%)]

After this period of cultivation, his Primordial Golden Body had reached 82% of the second stage and was not far from perfection. However, his remaining Origin Force was limited. Lin Zheyu estimated that after reaching perfection, he would have around 14 units left. If time allowed, he planned to wait a little longer. With just one more day, he could complete the remaining progress.

"Soon. According to the Directorate of Celestial Observation, it could appear at any moment within the next ten days," Lei Yunhan said with a smile.

Her gaze toward Lin Zheyu was filled with curiosity.

This Fellow Daoist Xiao does not know about rule fragments and has not even heard any news of them, which is quite interesting. Independent cultivators still exist in this era, but they are extremely rare and seldom achieve great mastery. Of course, there are always exceptions. Could this Fellow Daoist Xiao be a talented rogue cultivator? Or perhaps the disciple of some hidden expert?

"Yunshu, Yunhan, Yunzhi, it has been a while." A clear voice sounded as the woman in the goose-yellow dress walked toward them with a smile.

Lin Zheyu looked at the woman, surprise flickering in his eyes. Not only him, but also Lei Yunshu and the others were puzzled.

Lei Yunshu and the others greeted Ji Zitong, "Greetings, Miss Ji."

Miss Ji?

Lin Zheyu was somewhat surprised. Judging from the expressions of Lei Yunshu and the others, this so-called Miss Ji seemed to come from an extraordinary background.

"This is Ji Zitong, a current prodigy of the Ji Family," Lei Yunshu's voice echoed in his mind.

"Yunhan, won't you introduce this Daoist friend to me?" Ji Zitong said with a smile.

"This is Fellow Daoist Xiao Yu, a friend of Yunshu. Fellow Daoist Xiao, this is Miss Ji Zitong, a renowned genius of the Ji Family!" Lei Yunhan said sweetly.

Anyone with sharp eyes could see that Miss Ji Zitong had come for Xiao Yu. The three of them were only average in talent within the Lei Family and had no real connection to a genius like Ji Zitong from the Ji Family. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Greetings, Miss Ji." Lin Zheyu cupped his hands toward Ji Zitong. Though he did not know her intentions, given her distinguished background, he did not mind getting to know her.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xiao." Ji Zitong nodded slightly, a faint smile on her face.

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xiao might... Watch out!" Ji Zitong suddenly shouted. Her right hand flicked, and a streak of green light shot toward Lin Zheyu's feet.

Bang!

The moment Ji Zitong acted, Lin Zheyu had already detected the anomaly beneath his feet. After realizing Tu Yuan could burrow through the earth, he had extended his Perception Domain into the demon-tainted soil below. Though greatly restricted underground, reaching about a thousand meters deep posed no issue. Lin Zheyu had already noticed Tu Yuan when he used a secret technique to approach within a hundred meters.

Boom!

The spot where Lin Zheyu had just stood exploded. He stomped with his right foot and shifted sideways in an instant.

"Ah! Damn it, Ji Zitong!" Tu Yuan shouted in frustration.

He clearly had not expected Ji Zitong to appear here. His figure flickered as he tried to dive back into the earth.

"Hmph!" Lin Zheyu snorted coldly.

After launching a sneak attack, he wanted to leave just like that? There was no such easy deal. Lin Zheyu stepped forward, his foot carrying immense force. A thunderous boom rang out as a crack spread forward from beneath him. Through the fissure, he caught sight of a streak of earth-yellow escape light. His expression shifted, and he vanished from his spot, moving at extreme speed.

Rumble!

Another terrifying roar erupted. Lin Zheyu appeared instantly above the yellow streak and slammed his right palm into the ground, causing the entire earth to tremble.

Damn it, what kind of monster is this guy! Tu Yuan cursed inwardly.

Within the demon-tainted soil, Tu Yuan's submerged figure was forced out by Lin Zheyu's stomp and palm strike. A sense of unease crept over him as he thought, This guy is a monster. His fighting style is completely unlike that of an immortal cultivator and resembles that of yao, barbarians, or ancient yaos.

"Come out!"

Ji Zitong's clear shout rang out. Her right hand rapidly formed seals, and a streak of golden light shot toward Tu Yuan. In the light, a rope shot forward at the moment Lin Zheyu's palm forced Tu Yuan out of the soil and instantly bound him tightly.

Tu Yuan hurriedly cried out, "Miss Ji, spare me! I am friends with Ji Ziyang of your family!"

A terrifying gust swept past his face as Lin Zheyu's palm stopped less than a centimeter from it. Had Tu Yuan spoken a moment later, that strike would have landed. Cold sweat instantly covered his forehead. That had been close. If that palm had struck, his head would likely have exploded.

Tu Yuan turned his head, forcing an awkward yet polite smile as he begged for mercy, "F-Fellow Daoist, spare me!"