Lin Ye's brow lifted slightly.
The coffin lid suddenly exploded outward, rocketing toward his skull with terrifying speed.
Lin Ye slashed.
The lid split apart with a thunderous boom.
The next moment—
A figure clad in heavy black iron armor burst from the coffin, arms swinging wildly as it rammed into Lin Ye.
Lin Ye blocked with his sword, testing the creature's strength—
And his expression shifted.
Its power was monstrous.
BOOM!
Lin Ye was smashed straight into the cave wall behind him.
Even in that brief instant, Lin Ye still caught a glimpse of what lay inside the coffin:
Three third-grade Beast Blood Effigies, and—
One object that radiated blood-evil energy at least equivalent to a fourth-grade artifact.
His eyes lit up.
"This trip was worth it."
"But this thing… even without any spiritual energy, that strike alone was already comparable to the power of a Heaven-Manifestation realm cultivator."
Lin Ye grew cautious.
If he remembered correctly, this was called Corpse Refinement—
An evil technique mastered only by a few sinister sects.
Back in Divine River Continent, Lin Ye had encountered it more than once, though he never liked dealing with such people.
They always carried a chilling aura, like they were born with a sickness.
But now—
Lin Ye loved them.
Because corpse refiners always came with blood-evil treasures.
His thoughts flashed like lightning.
The black-armored corpse did not pause, charging again and smashing both fists down.
BOOM!
As Lin Ye dodged, the corpse's punch nearly collapsed half the cavern.
Boulders thundered down.
Lin Ye used his movement art—
Heaven-Strategy Dragon-Wander Step—
and avoided effortlessly.
Yet the corpse stomped hard and shot after him like an arrow.
"Breaking-Heaven Finger!"
Lin Ye circled behind the corpse and thrust a finger forward.
A tyrannical force erupted—
But it still failed to pierce the outer armor.
"So tough!"
The corpse whipped around and smashed at him.
BOOM!
Lin Ye's Asura Blood Armor automatically flared into existence—
Yet under that brute force, a crack appeared on the blood armor.
Lin Ye's pupils narrowed.
"This thing's strength is terrifying!"
Back when more than twenty Earth-Transformation experts had surrounded him, his armor never cracked.
But now it was damaged by a single blow.
Lin Ye felt a rare surge of shock.
"Looks like I need to use my new technique."
"Eight Desolations Slaughter-Blood Force!"
Lin Ye growled low.
The second-layer Nine Revolutions Asura Art roared through his body, connecting his acupoints.
A dark inner force condensed into his sword.
"Blood Slaughter: Nine Slashes!"
He swung.
His sword shadow split into nine.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Explosions ripped through the cavern.
Three sword auras struck the corpse.
It dodged two.
The third hit—
Only pushing it back half a step, cracking its black armor slightly.
But the remaining six sword auras—
Were not aimed at the corpse at all.
They were aimed at the black coffin beneath it.
BOOM!
The corpse understood Lin Ye's intent instantly.
It abandoned attacking Lin Ye and threw itself into the sword auras, using its own body to block them—
But under the enhanced power of Eight Desolations Slaughter-Blood Force, the sword auras detonated violently.
The black-armored corpse was blown apart into pieces.
Lin Ye's guess had been correct.
He landed lightly.
Then swept everything out of the coffin:
Three Beast Blood Effigies, and a blood-red bell.
The instant Lin Ye took them—
BANG!
The iron chains anchoring the coffin suddenly snapped on their own.
Eight chains exploded apart.
The coffin plummeted into the abyss beneath.
Lin Ye stepped on air with Dragon-Wander Step and landed safely on solid ground.
"Close one."
He exhaled.
The corpse might still be alive, but it didn't matter.
The loot was secured.
And once he fed it to the Asura Blood Sea, the reward would be enormous.
Still, this place was too dangerous to linger.
He would leave first, return to the city, and refine everything in peace.
Lin Ye followed the path back out.
By the time he exited the tomb, dawn was already brightening the sky.
He had just found the right direction to leave when his brow furrowed slightly.
From the forest, more than ten figures emerged slowly.
A man stepped forward, wearing a cruel smile.
"You come onto my territory, take my treasure, and leave without even saying hello?"
"Where are your manners?"
He wore a cloak and removed a hat from his head, tossing it casually onto a tree branch.
He held a massive greatsword with both hands.
His eyes were narrow and vicious.
"My territory?" Lin Ye glanced at him.
"This entire forest belongs to me—Southwood Sword King!"
"You're a first offender, so I'll be generous."
"Leave your legs behind, and you may crawl away."
He waved his hand lazily, as if granting Lin Ye mercy.
Lin Ye didn't bother answering.
He flashed forward.
No sword.
Only a finger.
Breaking-Heaven Finger.
Southwood Sword King never expected Lin Ye to attack so directly.
He tried to raise his greatsword—
But it was too late.
Lin Ye was already in front of him.
"What—!?"
A single finger touched his forehead.
BOOM!
His skull exploded.
Brains sprayed like a smashed melon.
His body dropped backward, stiff as a board.
The surrounding men froze in disbelief.
Their boss…
Was killed in a single second.
"The boss is dead—run!"
They scattered in terror.
They were only minor mountain bandits who'd heard noise and came to extort a share.
Instead, they had run into Lin Ye—
A monster who didn't waste words.
"That guy called himself Sword King?"
Lin Ye shook his head.
The world was truly declining.
Titles meant nothing now.
The moment the leader died, the rest fled without a shred of loyalty.
A meaningless interlude.
Lin Ye didn't even care.
He located the horse from last night and mounted up, heading calmly toward River-Thunder City.
That corpse-refined monster had been impressive—
Pure flesh, yet it possessed Heaven-Manifestation power.
Who made it?
And more importantly—
Did that person have more blood-evil treasures?
That was what Lin Ye truly wanted.
While Lin Ye traveled through the forest toward the city…
River-Thunder City was already shaking.
A squad of soldiers wearing golden eagle-wing armor had entered the city.
They surrounded the Six Fortune Tower, sealing off three entire streets nearby.
Every shop and household was forcibly cleared—no reasons given.
Even if you felt wronged, it didn't matter.
The city lord's office released a notice:
Endure if you can. Step back and survive.
Otherwise, go fight the Golden Eagle Guard yourself.
No one would stop you.
Hundreds of merchants were displaced.
Not a single one dared protest.
Because the Golden Eagle Guard represented—
Golden Dragon City. The Murong Clan.
Their brutal show of force, their absolute disregard for anyone's face—
Made the entire population realize something terrifying had happened.
Murong Clan's young lord…
Murong Xuan'ang had been murdered.
At first only the major families knew.
Now, every alley and street was buzzing with gossip.
"Big trouble… even if the Wind-Thunder Sect steps in, it won't matter. That old Murong devil had only one son, and now he's dead."
"River-Thunder City is going to suffer."
"Maybe… but I heard the one who killed the young lord is a ruthless monster…"
Voices rose everywhere.
Above Six Fortune Tower, the Golden Eagle Guard's deputy commander Wei Xiong examined the young lord's corpse, his eyes heavy as iron.
Then he issued the order:
"Surround Lin Ye's residence."
"The moment you see him—kill on sight!"
"Yes!"