The ancient guardian formation surrounding the Scripture Pavilion trembled violently.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Hundreds of attacks crashed against the translucent barrier without pause.
Sword qi slashed through the air.
Flying swords struck one after another.
Talismans exploded like fireworks.
Palm techniques, fist techniques and spell arts continuously bombarded the formation.
The ancient runes covering the barrier gradually dimmed.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Each impact consumed another portion of the remaining spiritual energy preserved over countless years.
Outside the formation, the cultivators' eyes burned with greed.
Nobody wished to be the last person inside.
The Heaven Mending Fruit...
That single treasure was enough to change the destiny of an entire cultivation clan.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion...
Lin Yan remained seated in a lotus position.
The Return Lotus Pill had already fully dissolved within her body.
Pure medicinal energy circulated through every meridian.
The wounds left by Qin Fenxing's sword qi had almost completely disappeared.
Her Spiritual Qi steadily recovered toward its peak.
She slowly exhaled.
Around her...
Seven flying swords floated silently.
Sword qi continuously gathered around each blade.
The surrounding spiritual energy slowly converged toward her.
She formed one hand seal after another.
Ancient incantations quietly escaped her lips.
The seven swords began rotating faster.
Faster.
The air itself started vibrating.
This was one of the true sword spells personally taught by her master.
A technique she rarely used.
One that consumed enormous amounts of Spiritual Qi.
One intended only for situations where retreat was impossible.
Her expression remained calm.
She had already swallowed one Heaven Mending Fruit.
The second...
Would never leave her hands.
If these people wished to seize it...
Then she would send them to the Yellow Springs.
Outside...
The cracks across the formation suddenly expanded.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
A Foundation Establishment cultivator's eyes immediately lit up.
"It's breaking!"
Another laughed loudly.
"Everyone!"
"Charge!"
BOOM!!
A combined barrage landed simultaneously.
The ancient barrier finally reached its limit.
The countless formation runes shattered.
The translucent wall exploded into countless fragments of light before disappearing entirely.
"The Heaven Mending Fruit is mine!"
Dozens of late-stage and peak Foundation Establishment cultivators burst forward simultaneously.
Some transformed into streaks of light.
Others rode flying swords.
Several directly activated movement talismans.
Everyone feared another person might arrive first.
Their eyes contained only one target.
Lin Yan.
None of them noticed...
A figure standing silently atop one of the collapsed buildings overlooking the battlefield.
Lin Sheng.
His expression remained indifferent.
His right hand calmly released seven metallic spheres.
The spheres silently descended into the middle of the charging crowd.
Nobody paid them any attention.
The leading cultivator's attention remained completely fixed upon Lin Yan.
His face overflowed with excitement.
"My future—"
He suddenly noticed several small objects rolling beneath his feet.
His brows furrowed.
"What are tho—"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The heavens shook.
A blinding white light instantly swallowed the battlefield.
Seven Rank-2 Peak Grade Lightning Beads detonated simultaneously.
Terrifying lightning erupted in every direction.
The explosive force instantly overwhelmed countless defensive barriers.
Several magical artifacts shattered before their owners could react.
The first wave of charging cultivators disappeared completely.
Some were vaporized into ash.
Others had half their bodies blown apart.
Several Foundation Establishment cultivators screamed only once before the lightning consumed them.
The shockwave continued spreading outward.
Buildings collapsed.
Stone shattered.
The ground itself sank several feet lower.
Even cultivators standing hundreds of meters away hurriedly activated defensive treasures.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Lightning continued dancing wildly across the ruined courtyard.
The entire area disappeared beneath smoke.
Silence followed.
Several breaths later...
The smoke slowly began clearing.
The surviving cultivators stared blankly toward the center of the explosion.
Many subconsciously swallowed.
The dozens of Foundation Establishment experts who had rushed in first...
Were gone.
Only scorched earth remained.
Fragments of magical artifacts lay scattered across the ground.
Several charred corpses twitched weakly before becoming completely motionless.
Those who survived had done so only because they hesitated before charging or instinctively remained farther behind.
One cultivator's lips trembled.
"...Lightning Beads..."
"Rank-2 Peak Grade Lightning Beads..."
"Seven..."
His voice became hoarse.
"Who... who would use seven at once?"
Fear silently spread throughout the crowd.
Even the greediest cultivators instinctively stepped backward.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion...
Lin Yan slowly opened her eyes.
Her sword spell remained unfinished.
She hadn't moved.
Yet a transparent barrier had quietly surrounded her moments before the explosions occurred.
Every wave of lightning had been perfectly blocked.
Her gaze slowly lifted.
Standing several meters ahead...
A familiar figure calmly lowered his hand.
Lin Sheng.
For the first time since entering the secret realm...
The siblings met each other's eyes.
Lin Yan's pupils contracted slightly.
She immediately understood.
The explosions...
Had been his doing.
The smoke had yet to disperse completely.
Crack...
Crack...
Arcs of violet lightning still crawled across the shattered earth, occasionally releasing sharp snapping sounds.
The once-crowded courtyard had transformed into a wasteland.
Massive craters scarred the ground.
Broken magical artifacts lay scattered everywhere.
The smell of burnt flesh lingered heavily in the air.
Those who had survived the first explosion stood frozen in place.
Some stared blankly at the devastation.
Others breathed heavily, still trying to understand what had happened.
No one dared charge again.
Then...
Something rolled quietly across the ground.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
The sound was so faint that almost no one noticed it.
Only one elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator happened to glance downward.
His pupils instantly shrank.
Four metallic spheres.
Each one crackled with dense lightning.
His face immediately lost all color.
"Run!"
He roared with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Unfortunately...
He was too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The second explosion erupted with even greater ferocity.
Terrifying lightning engulfed the remaining cultivators.
The already shattered defensive artifacts instantly burst apart.
Several cultivators who had barely survived the first blast were completely swallowed by the sea of lightning.
The shockwave swept through the courtyard once again.
Countless bodies were blasted into the air before crashing heavily back onto the ruined ground.
The entire Scripture Pavilion entrance shook violently.
Even those standing hundreds of meters away were forced backwards by the terrifying force.
When everything finally became quiet...
Almost nobody remained alive.
Only the cultivators who had stayed at the very rear from the beginning...
Along with the Lin Family disciples who had been held hostage...
Managed to survive.
The survivors stared at the battlefield with pale faces.
No one spoke.
No one even dared breathe loudly.
It was too horrifying.
The first wave...
Dead.
The second wave...
Also dead.
Nearly half the Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered here had vanished within moments.
...
Hidden behind the crowd...
A man wearing ordinary robes felt his entire body become cold.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
His heartbeat became chaotic.
The Shadow Ghost Hall assassin.
He had accepted the organization's most dangerous mission.
Assassinate...
Lin Yan.
When the assassination list had been issued, almost every assassin had refused.
Not because the reward wasn't generous.
But because everyone understood exactly how terrifying Lin Yan truly was.
She was the Lin Family's greatest genius.
Someone capable of defeating ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivators alone.
Attacking her directly was suicide.
Only he had accepted.
Not because he was stronger.
But because he believed he was smarter.
He had followed Lin Yan in secret ever since entering the inner region.
When Qin Fenxing fought her inside the medicinal garden...
He had almost made his move.
Then he witnessed Lin Yan's terrifying combat strength.
Without hesitation...
He abandoned the plan.
Instead...
He began spreading rumors.
Rumors about the Heaven Mending Fruits.
Rumors designed to ignite greed.
He manipulated countless cultivators.
He turned them into disposable pawns.
Everything had proceeded exactly according to his calculations.
Even surrounding the Scripture Pavilion had been part of his design.
He never intended to fight Lin Yan himself.
He only needed enough people willing to die.
Eventually...
Someone would exhaust her.
Someone would injure her.
Then...
He would strike.
A perfect plan.
Yet...
Looking at the devastated battlefield before him...
His lips trembled uncontrollably.
"This..."
"...This monster..."
His breathing became ragged.
How many trump cards did she possess?
Seven Rank-2 Peak Lightning Beads...
Then another four...
Even if he had ten lives...
He would never dare approach someone carrying such terrifying treasures.
His instincts screamed at him.
Run.
Immediately.
Forget the mission.
Forget the reward.
Forget everything.
Living mattered more.
Without hesitation...
He slowly began retreating.
One careful step after another.
His aura remained completely concealed.
His footsteps made no sound.
Years of assassination training allowed him to disappear almost naturally into the surroundings.
Only another few dozen meters...
Then he could leave.
He secretly sighed in relief.
It seemed...
No one had noticed him.
Then...
A calm voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"You've been hiding long enough."
The assassin's entire body froze.
His blood instantly turned cold.
Impossible!
He had concealed himself perfectly!
How—
Before he could even turn his head...
A hand gently landed upon his shoulder.
Not heavy.
Not violent.
Yet at that moment...
He felt as though a mountain had descended upon him.
His entire body became completely immobile.
Even circulating his Spiritual Qi became impossible.
Cold sweat instantly covered his back.
He slowly turned his head.
Standing beside him...
Was a young man dressed in black robes.
Lin Sheng.
Their eyes met.
One pair remained calm.
The other...
Overflowed with fear.
The assassin finally understood.
From the very beginning...
Someone else...
Had been hunting him.