"What happened here?" Fatty asked, eyes wide as he saw bloodstains splattered across the clearing.
"Nothing important," Lin Feng said calmly, wiping his blade before sheathing it. "Where's the meat I asked you to find?"
"It's right here."
Fatty quickly brought out a chunk of beast meat from his spatial ring.
"Who's going to cook it?" Lin Feng asked.
"I will, boss!" Fatty said enthusiastically.
"You sure?" Lin Feng glanced at Yang Busi. "Yang Busi, you want to cook?"
"No."
"Then it's settled. Fatty, go cook it."
"Okay, boss."
---
One hour later...
"Fatty—what the hell is this?" Lin Feng spat out the first bite and glared at him.
"Boss, it's meat!"
"You call this meat? It tastes like garbage."
"I really tried my best while cooking it!" Fatty said, looking wounded.
Yang Busi sighed and tossed a few roasted strips toward them. "Here. Try this."
Lin Feng bit into it and nodded appreciatively. "Now this is good. You're too nice, Yang Busi."
Fatty scratched his head. "Boss, I followed the recipe..."
"There was no recipe, that's the problem," Lin Feng muttered.
---
The next morning...
"We'll reach the city in an hour," Lin Feng said.
The three of them turned into streaks of light, shooting across the clouds like meteors.
Moments later—
"Boss, we've reached the city entrance," Fatty reported.
"Good. Find us a place to stay. Yang Busi, gather information about the Stone Fruit. I'll be right back," Lin Feng said.
"Got it, boss."
Yang Busi didn't reply—she simply vanished into the crowd.
---
The Lin Family Mansion...
Inside an old, abandoned courtyard overgrown with weeds.
Lin Feng knelt before a gravestone, a small bundle of wildflowers resting in his hands.
"Father," he said softly, "I haven't disappointed you. I've grown stronger. Your sacrifices weren't in vain."
He set the flowers down and stood in silence for a long moment, the wind carrying the faint scent of incense.
He had concealed his aura upon entering the Lin Family estate—he didn't want any of them to know he was here.
His communication talisman suddenly vibrated.
"Boss, I found an inn for us to stay," Fatty's voice said.
"Send me the location," Lin Feng replied.
A moment later, he contacted Yang Busi. "Have you found anything about the Stone Fruit?"
"Yes," her calm voice answered. "It's set to emerge in the Myriad Mountains in two days."
"The Myriad Mountains..." Lin Feng murmured. His eyes narrowed. That was just behind the Lin Family mansion.
---
Two days later...
"This is it—the Myriad Mountains," Yang Busi said, her voice low. "The Stone Fruit will emerge deep within."
"Then let's move."
They moved swiftly through the rocky terrain, the scent of spiritual energy thick in the air.
---
Loud voices echoed through the mountain valley.
"Haha! This legend-grade treasure is mine!"
"With your strength? Don't make me laugh."
"The Ouyang Family has arrived!"
"The Duan Family is here!"
"The Sword Sovereign Sect has arrived!"
"The Jiang Family is here!"
"The Fire Pavilion is here!"
"The Martial Sect is here!"
Lin Feng frowned. This many forces… The Stone Fruit really is extraordinary.
The mountain trembled slightly as more cultivators descended, each releasing powerful Heaven Realm auras.
"This treasure really attracted half the continent," Fatty muttered.
"Look—the trash from the Ouyang Family actually came," someone sneered. "Aren't you afraid Lin Feng will show up?"
"Afraid of Lin Feng? Hah! Let him come!" Yang Long's cold voice rang out. "I'll kill him myself this time."
"Haha, you?" Duan Qing smirked. "You already forgot how he beat you like a dog in the secret realm?"
Yang Long's face twisted. "We were both beaten! I heard even a Fourth Grade Heaven Realm expert couldn't handle him now."
"What?" Duan Qing exclaimed, eyes wide.
Just then, a faint, cold voice echoed behind them.
"Haha... Seems lively here."
Their hearts froze.
That voice—impossible to forget.
"God of Death... Lin Feng is here!" someone screamed.
"Why isn't he with the Sword Sovereign Sect?"
"Wait—isn't that the number one beauty of the Fire Pavilion with him?"
Whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Lin Feng's gaze swept across the gathered powers. "Each group has a similar lineup... one Second Grade, two Third Grade, one Fourth Grade Heaven Realm expert. But where are the Fifth Grades?"
Almost as if answering him, several overwhelming auras burst forth from the surrounding mountains.
"The Fifth Grade Heaven Realm experts of the major sects have arrived!"
A man from the Martial Sect sneered. "Senior Brother, that's Lin Feng—the one with a bounty on his head."
"Oh?" Another man stepped forward. His aura pressed down like a tidal wave. "So you're the infamous Lin Feng. Just a Sixth Grade Xiantian brat with a price on your head? Are you not afraid of dying?"
Lin Feng's expression didn't change. "...Are you talking to me?"
The man laughed. "Haha! Die!"
He surged forward, his fist wrapped in crushing Heaven Qi.
Lin Feng exhaled softly, his gaze sharpening.
"Fool."
He drew his sword—light flashed.
Bang!
A shockwave tore through the valley.
A heartbeat later, the Fifth Grade expert's head flew into the air, blood mist scattering in the wind.
Lin Feng lowered his blade, unscathed. "So weak. Just one swing..." he murmured.
The entire mountain fell silent.
"He killed a Fifth Grade Heaven Realm expert... in a single move..."
Yang Long and Duan Qing stared in horror. The memory of the secret realm flooded back, their bodies trembling.
A chill sank into their hearts. The fear of Lin Feng took root—an inner demon that would haunt their cultivation forever.
"Damn it," Yang Long growled. "Unless I kill him myself, this demon will never leave my heart."
"He must die," Duan Qing agreed through clenched teeth.
At that moment, the ground began to quake violently.
A powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from the earth—cracks split open, light bursting skyward.
The Stone Fruit slowly emerged, glowing with a blinding golden radiance.