Lin Zheyu watched the barbarian's retreating figure but did not pursue. He could not catch him. Those who dared to venture deep into the demon god barrier to seize rule fragments were all prodigies of major factions and races, each with powerful life-saving trump cards.

The shaman Lin Zheyu had killed earlier would not have died so easily if he had not looked down on martial artists and underestimated him. Tu Yuan had been the same before. Without that arrogance and without Ji Zitong's intervention at the time, Lin Zheyu would not have been able to catch him.

"If I used the golden body dharma form, I might be able to catch him. But it is not worth it." Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly and dropped to the ground in a flash.

His golden body dharma form had a pair of flesh wings. With them, he might have caught up to the barbarian. But doing so would have exposed nearly all his trump cards. With so many experts watching, the more he revealed, the more dangerous it became.

Standing on the demon-tainted soil, Lin Zheyu swept his gaze around coldly. He extended his right hand, and a powerful suction drew the shaman's corpse into his grasp. Calmly, he searched the body and found seven storage pouches, some from humans and some from barbarians.

"Hmph!" Seeing Lin Zheyu drive off one of their own, the barbarian experts entangled with Tu Yuan and the others all snorted coldly. They cast unwilling glances at Lin Zheyu before turning and leaving at once.

The situation outweighed them. They knew their companion's strength. Sar, the shaman, was dead, and the barbarian warrior with spatial ability had fled. On their own, once Lin Zheyu joined the fight, they would not be able to hold out.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, are you alright?" Bai Lin asked between breaths as he came to Lin Zheyu's side, studying him with uncertain eyes.

He had seen the battle just now. The ability Lin Zheyu used at the end resembled demon arts, which left him greatly surprised. Soon, Tu Yuan's figure rose slowly from the ground, watching Lin Zheyu with interest. Shi Mulan followed shortly after.

"I'm fine. Many thanks for your help, fellow Daoists." Lin Zheyu cupped his hands toward the three in thanks. The gruesome wounds on his left arm, torn open by the claws, were already healing and beginning to scab over.

"You're too polite, Fellow Daoist Xiao. As teammates, it's only natural," Shi Mulan said with a smile.

She looked at Lin Zheyu with a hint of surprise. His strength exceeded her expectations, and what he had just shown did not seem to be his full power.

Since when has such a powerful genius appeared in the martial cultivation world?

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is truly formidable, to have killed a shaman who mastered the illusory dream realm. After this battle, your reputation will soar, rivaling Fellow Daoist Ji Ziyang," Tu Yuan said with a smile, offering praise.

"You overpraise me. It was only because he underestimated me that I managed to succeed," Lin Zheyu replied calmly, shaking his head.

Lin Zheyu glanced at the surrounding cultivators and frowned slightly, feeling a trace of helplessness. He had revealed a bit too much strength this time.

"No need to be so modest, Fellow Daoist Xiao. Even with the opponent's carelessness, killing a shaman who has mastered the illusory dream realm is an extraordinary feat," Tu Yuan said with a smile.

Though Tu Yuan smiled outwardly, entirely different thoughts surged within him: Demon arts! So he really cultivates demon arts! If I can seize that secret treasure...

***

In the darkness, a refined man holding a folding fan asked with a smile, "What do you think of him?"

Beside him stood a youth gripping a blood-red blade, his edge exposed, a terrifying killing intent radiating from him. The youth grinned, revealing a bloodthirsty, cruel smile as he said, "Interesting."

"Want to have a little fun with him?" the fan-wielding man asked with interest.

"Not yet. Without grasping the power of rules, he's not worthy of my move. Strong, perhaps, but still just a crude martial brute." The youth curled his lip with disdain. He found it somewhat interesting, but not enough to make him act. Similar scenes played out in different corners.

"Hehe, so strong and sturdy indeed!" Hu Xuefei licked her lips alluringly from the shadows. She did not care whether he had grasped the power of rules. What she liked was a powerful physique, abundant vitality, and terrifying life force.

"Hehe, don't die, alright? I'd be so sad." As Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged on the ground, that familiar coquettish voice sounded in his ear. He raised his head and looked toward the distant sky, where a familiar figure appeared and tossed him a flirtatious glance.

"Why go this far...?" Lin Zheyu shook his head, speechless.

He had only wanted to keep a low profile within Ji Zitong's group and see if he might get lucky and obtain a rule fragment. Who would have thought things would turn out like this?

I need to raise my Perception Domain as soon as possible. It would be best if it could undergo another transformation, Lin Zheyu thought.

He felt the lack of methods at his disposal and the frustration of having to face endless techniques from other experts. The crudeness of martial cultivation would not be remedied anytime soon. The best solution for now was to strengthen his Perception Domain. Only by raising it could he more quickly detect the flaws in those strange techniques during battle.

When that time came, whether facing shaman experts or ancient yaos like Hu Xuefei with special divine abilities, he would be far more at ease. He would not need to wait until they were within a hundred meters to launch effective attacks. If the opponent stayed cautious and kept their distance, even locating them would be difficult for him.

In that case, he would become nothing more than a target for long-range attacks. Of course, if Lin Zheyu chose to flee, it would not be a major issue. His speed, over eight times the speed of sound, was among the top at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. Only those like the barbarian warrior who had grasped some spatial power, or cultivators with special techniques, could match it.

As the battle ended, the surrounding cultivators dispersed one after another. Perhaps because he had displayed such strength, no one came forward to provoke him afterward, which allowed Lin Zheyu to relax slightly. He seized the time to comprehend the spatial power within the void. As time passed, the fluctuations of spatial power grew stronger, making it easier for him to grasp. In the blink of an eye, more than a day passed.

Lei Yongtao let out a breath of relief as he looked at the man and woman emerging from the darkness. "Fellow Daoist Ziyang, you're finally back! If you didn't return soon, we were going to act on our own."

The time for the collision and fusion of the two realms was drawing near. If Ji Ziyang and Ji Zitong did not return soon, they would stop waiting here.

"Apologies for keeping everyone waiting. We ran into a bit of trouble," Ji Ziyang said with a hint of apology.

Lin Zheyu sized up the unfamiliar man. His features were somewhat delicate, and there was a strong resemblance to Ji Zitong between his brows. His aura was completely restrained, making him seem ordinary.

"You must be Fellow Daoist Xiao. I am Ji Ziyang. My sister has mentioned you. On the way here, I heard about your feat. To kill a shaman who cultivated the illusory dream realm, you truly—"

Before Ji Ziyang could finish, a terrifying roar erupted from the direction of the space-time node. An invisible ripple of energy spread outward from it. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure descended from the sky. Everyone's expression changed instantly.

"How is this possible? Wasn't there still a day left? Move, head over first!" Ji Ziyang and the others exclaimed.

They exchanged glances and moved at once, rushing toward the space-time node. Seeing this, Lin Zheyu could only follow. He did not know the exact destination. The precise location was in the Ji siblings' hands.

Before they had gone a few hundred meters, a black torrential rain suddenly poured from the sky. Every drop contained astonishing energy, violently corrosive. When it struck Lin Zheyu's skin, even with his physique, he felt intense corrosion.

Each drop left a charred, corroded black mark on his skin. Even when he used his true origin to defend, the strange rain easily pierced through and struck his body. His physique offered better resistance than his energy defense. So Lin Zheyu withdrew his true origin protection and endured it with his body, then circulated true origin to repair the damage.

Lin Zheyu glanced at the others. They were all prepared. Even Bai Lin had taken out a special robe that covered his entire body.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you didn't bring any protective gear?" Bai Lin asked, looking at Lin Zheyu with surprise.

What a powerful physique!

"I didn't. Do you have a spare, Fellow Daoist Bai? Could you lend me one? I will repay you generously," Lin Zheyu said quickly.

He did not even know about the rule fragments, let alone expect such terrifying rain from the sky.

"I have one here. You can use it first," Ji Zitong said.

With a flick of her hand, a straw-hat-like dharma artifact flew toward Lin Zheyu. He placed it on his head and poured true origin into it. Instantly, an invisible energy barrier formed, enveloping him completely and blocking out the strange rain.