The qi lock dispersed.
The violent, chaotic spiritual energy within it gradually began to settle.
Lin Ye landed.
Within a thousand meters around Five Spirits Manor, everything had become ruins. If Lin Ye hadn't used a qi lock earlier, half of Thousand Spirit City would likely have been destroyed.
"You came back fast," Lin Ye said, looking at Luo Gui.
"I just got back and ran into this," Luo Gui nodded. "Those people were from Plum Blossom Sword Sect—Wanxiang Hall."
Even though Luo Gui hadn't helped much, he had at least contributed.
Xu Yaozi and the others stared at Lin Ye—alive and intact—with their eyes wide open, utterly shocked.
The Ugang Panther rushed into the battlefield, clamped onto a corpse, swung it around, and smashed it into the ground.
Then it went corpse by corpse, first confirming whether anyone was still alive, and afterward biting off their storage rings and bringing them back to Lin Ye.
"Al… all… all dead?" Xu Yaozi could barely speak.
There was nothing left to say—Lin Ye's strength was too horrifying.
He couldn't even understand how Lin Ye had done it. It was like a miracle.
Although the battle had ended, the frightening pressure lingering in the air still made one's scalp tingle. People with insufficient cultivation couldn't approach this area for a while.
Fang Yiyi was deeply shaken as well.
Just standing here, she already felt tremendous pressure. In this state, she couldn't even mobilize her qi—she felt like an ordinary person.
What had Lin Ye experienced just now?
What exactly had happened above Five Spirits Manor?
It was impossible to imagine.
Lin Ye alone had killed more than forty experts from Plum Blossom Sword Sect…
"These… these people… are all dead?" Xu Yaozi's mind wouldn't turn over.
Was Lin Ye a Sunlit Realm expert?
Even if Lin Ye's cultivation was a little higher than Chapter Tianran's, it still shouldn't have been possible to wipe them out so completely.
Only one person had the presence of mind to seize an opening and escape.
Lin Ye didn't bother chasing him.
If they met again, he could just kill him casually.
Or… there were other ways.
"One escaped. Do you recognize the one who ran?" Lin Ye asked.
Xu Yaozi thought carefully for a moment.
"If I didn't see wrong, that should be the ancestor of the Zhang Family from Zhemeichuan," Xu Yaozi said.
The fact that he could recognize him meant the man had some reputation. Xu Yaozi also had an extremely strong memory—otherwise he wouldn't be able to serve as an alchemist.
"Help me spread a message," Lin Ye said. "Say he was my inside man. That it was with his help that I was able to ambush and wipe out everyone."
Just that single sentence was enough to doom the man who escaped.
Plum Blossom Sword Sect wouldn't even go after Lin Ye first—they would go after this "traitor" first.
Or, if the man was smart, he would go to Plum Blossom Sword Sect and die to prove his innocence—only then might his family have a chance to survive. If he only cared about saving himself, the Zhang Family would be blood-washed by Plum Blossom Sword Sect.
Lin Ye's move was indeed ruthless and brilliant.
If someone wanted to kill Lin Ye, they had to bear the consequences. They either shouldn't strike at all—or accept what followed.
If Lin Ye hadn't been strong today, the Zhang ancestor wouldn't have shown mercy either.
"This…" Xu Yaozi hesitated.
Lin Ye tossed him a pill.
"This is your seven-grade pill, Sun-Threshold Pill. When you refine it, remember to have someone guard you."
Xu Yaozi hurriedly caught it.
The instant it entered his hand, he felt as if he were holding a chunk of immortal stone.
The energy contained within that pill shocked him. It was perfectly natural, as if it had been born of heaven and earth.
"Se… seven-grade! A seven-grade pill!" Xu Yaozi was unbelievably excited.
Luo Gui and the others were equally shaken. Xia Wei and Fang Yiyi stared at Lin Ye with their eyes wide.
Xia Wei had thought Lin Ye being able to refine six-grade pills was already the limit. After all, the pills Lin Ye gave her before were six-grade—those were what allowed her to barely reach the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.
She used to think Celestial Phenomenon Realm was already strong enough. In Jinlong City, just a few Celestial Phenomenon experts were enough to dominate.
The Murong Clan had acted outrageously only because they had "three and a half" Celestial Phenomenon experts.
Now Xia Wei had entered the Celestial Phenomenon Realm herself—yet she felt how small she was.
With her current strength, she couldn't even endure one claw from the Ugang Panther.
And earlier, the Ugang Panther couldn't even break the qi lock.
Not to mention the terrifying environment Lin Ye had been fighting in.
"It really is a seven-grade pill… Is this guy even human?" Fang Yiyi's hot gaze locked onto Lin Ye.
For a moment, she even envied Xia Wei.
Xia Wei worked by Lin Ye's side—any benefit she gained would be immeasurable.
Even putting benefits aside, simply being near Lin Ye and witnessing these things was something she couldn't see in Hundred Spirit Pill Sect in years, even decades.
Even if you stayed in Hundred Spirit Pill Sect for ten or twenty years, you might not see so many Moonwheel experts arrive at once.
"Sect Master Lin, rest assured. I'll do that job perfectly. In the future, if you need anything, just come to me," Xu Yaozi quickly agreed.
He had originally been wary—if the enemy investigated, Hundred Spirit Pill Sect might suffer. Perhaps the Zhang ancestor would even turn around and retaliate against them.
But the seven-grade pill erased all of Xu Yaozi's hesitation.
As long as he could cooperate with Lin Ye, nothing would be a problem.
Just this one seven-grade pill alone was enough to push Hundred Spirit Pill Sect forward ten years.
"Good. I'll give you a chance," Lin Ye said. "Thirty seven-grade spirit herbs and one hundred six-grade spirit herbs—any types. Bring them to me, and you can exchange them for seven-grade pills."
In an instant, Xu Yaozi's next goal ignited.
Lin Ye's demand was high.
Thirty seven-grade herbs.
One hundred six-grade herbs.
Either condition alone could drain half of Hundred Spirit Pill Sect.
But if the sect tightened its budget and scraped together resources, it wasn't impossible.
Most importantly, the price was huge—but it could be traded for seven-grade pills!
In the Upper Riverlands, there were seven-grade alchemists, but getting them to refine pills for you was almost impossible.
Seven-grade pills were traded privately. No one would take such resources to the public market.
Any single pill could buy you a lifetime of glory and wealth.
"Good! Good! Many thanks, Sect Master Lin! Rest assured—the pill supply for Thunderwind Profound Sect will be arranged perfectly!" Xu Yaozi said repeatedly.
Hundred Spirit Pill Sect would provide the pills directly, and would only charge for the raw materials.
If they dared squeeze profit out of this and lost Lin Ye as an alchemist ally, it would be a devastating loss.
"This manor is ruined. I'll arrange another estate for you," Xu Yaozi offered.
"No need. We still have other matters," Lin Ye waved him off.
Xu Yaozi understood. He cupped his hands, didn't waste Lin Ye's time, and left with his people.
There had been a commotion earlier, so Wang Kun and the others had rushed over as well—but they could only watch and couldn't help.
With the seven-grade pill in hand, Xu Yaozi felt his blood boiling. He wanted nothing more than to refine it immediately.
Once refined, his strength would skyrocket.
Breaking through his current bottleneck would allow his alchemy to advance further.
As for the matter of Lin Ye slaughtering more than forty Wanxiang Hall experts from Plum Blossom Sword Sect—everyone etched it into their hearts.
It was too shocking.
In Thousand Spirit City, in a tea house, an old man's hands trembled violently when he heard the news.
He was the Supreme Elder of Fierceheart Sect.
Last time, because of an eight-grade spirit herb, Fierceheart Sect had developed conflict with Lin Ye. But back then, the Supreme Elder sensed something was off, so he had no intention of attacking Lin Ye.
Now Lin Ye had killed more than forty Moonwheel experts—including Chapter Tianran of the Moonwheel Seventh Realm.
At this moment, all Fierceheart Sect could do was pray that Lin Ye wouldn't come looking for revenge.
"This battle strength… it's terrifying," the Supreme Elder murmured in shock.
Good thing he hadn't acted last time.
Otherwise, the entire Fierceheart Sect would likely have been wiped out.
"Hah… thank goodness the Supreme Elder was wise and decisive back then. He helped our sect avoid a catastrophe," the man across from him said.
That man was the Fierceheart Sect Master.
They had argued over that decision before.
But after today's battle at Five Spirits Manor, the sect master finally understood:
They had been only a step away from losing their lives.