Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

He bravely withstood a chain strike from the Soul-Locking Demon, using the force to fly backward and temporarily create some distance between himself and the three.

"A desperate struggle." The ghost remained expressionless, and the three followed closely, closing in once more.

Lin Yu no longer hesitated.

He focused his mind into his body and communicated with the statue of the True Lord of the Pure Source and Wonderful Way located in the apartment.

"May the True Lord help me!"

Om-!

A surge of golden divine power, seemingly transcending spatial barriers, shot out from the apartment and entered Lin Yu's body.

"Ho—!"

Lin Yu let out a suppressed roar, and his body instantly erupted with dazzling golden divine light.

His aura, which had been weakened by injury and exhaustion, surged wildly like a rocket, reaching an unimaginable level.

The Demon Sword in his hand hummed incessantly, as moonlight and ghostly energy were enveloped, purified, and sublimated by divine power, transforming into a demon-slaying divine weapon entwined with golden Dao patterns and pure white electric snakes.

The three "Netherworld Demons," who had been expressionless the whole time, finally changed their expressions drastically, and for the first time, an look of disbelief and horror appeared in their eyes.

"Evil spirits and heretics, how dare you be so arrogant!" Lin Yu's words thundered, his voice carrying an air of indifference and authority.

Then, he moved, several times faster than before, appearing in front of "Heart Piercer" as if by teleportation, and casually swung his divine weapon.

"No!" Ci Xin cried out in terror, holding the dark blue short fork horizontally in front of her and activating her protective qi with all her might.

However, his resistance was like ice and snow under a raging fire when faced with a sword imbued with divine power.

laugh--!

As the divine weapon swept past, the dark blue short fork snapped in two, and the protective aura that pierced the heart burst like a bubble. A thin golden line appeared on the person's body, running from between the eyebrows to between the legs.

The horror in his eyes froze. The next moment, his body quietly split in two. No blood flowed from the wound. Instead, it was enveloped by golden divine flames and quickly turned to ashes.

One strike! Instant kill!

"Second brother!" Suo Po's eyes were bloodshot as he frantically swung his dark chains at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu didn't even turn around. He flicked his sword with his other hand, and a condensed golden sword aura struck first, accurately hitting the seven-inch mark on the chain.

"Snap!"

That sinister and bizarre chain magic weapon broke apart inch by inch, just like ordinary iron.

At the same time, the sword energy continued its momentum, instantly piercing through the throat of the Soul-Locking Sword.

Suopo clutched his throat, letting out a hissing sound, his eyes filled with fear and resentment. His body went limp and he collapsed to the ground, his breath quickly fading away.

In the blink of an eye, of the three gold-level eunuchs, only the strongest, "Ghost," remained.

The ghost's face was ashen, devoid of any of its previous coldness and arrogance.

He knew he had kicked a brick wall, no, he had kicked a steel plate.

Escape! We must escape!

Without hesitation, he transformed into an almost invisible phantom and fled desperately into the depths of the stone forest, even burning his life essence to increase his speed to the extreme.

"Can they escape?"

Lin Yu's indifferent voice seemed to ring in his ears.

The vertical eye phantom on Lin Yu's forehead flickered slightly, and an invisible wave instantly spread out, enveloping the entire stone forest.

The ghost, which was frantically fleeing, felt as if the space around it had frozen, and its speed suddenly decreased.

He turned around in alarm, only to see Lin Yu appear behind him in the air, holding a divine weapon high in his hand, the tip of the sword condensing an extreme golden light, as if containing the weight of an entire world.

"By imperial decree, punish the evil!"

As the divine weapon fell, the golden light, like a meteor crashing to the ground, instantly engulfed the ghost's figure.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an intense golden light shining through.

When the golden light dissipated, only a bottomless pit remained, its edges smooth as a mirror, emanating a faint aura of purification.

The once-gold-level peak "Ghost" has been reduced to ashes and its soul has been scattered.

The battle is over.

After confirming that there was no further danger, Lin Yu deliberately released the leverage, and the divine light around him receded like a tide, the illusory image of the vertical eye on his forehead disappeared.

An indescribable feeling of weakness instantly swept over his body. His face turned pale, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood with golden streaks. His body swayed a few times and he almost fell to the ground.

Although the use of "borrowing resources" does not explicitly state that there are any side effects.

However, perhaps due to excessive physical strain, Lin Yu was extremely exhausted, and his meridians were experiencing tearing pains, which were the aftereffects of forcibly bearing power beyond his limits.

The five dark finger holes on his left shoulder caused him excruciating pain again after the divine power faded, indicating that the cold poison was recurring.

He quickly took out the spiritual spring water, drank it, and then took some healing pills to suppress his injuries and weakness.

"Imperial City Guard... The Three Fiends of the Underworld..." Lin Yu looked at the devastated battlefield and the two charred corpses, lost in thought.

He forced himself to stay upright and quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

Beside the pit where the ghost disappeared, a storage ring that was not completely destroyed was found, and some items were also looted from Heart Piercer and Soul Lock.

Without having time to examine them closely, he gathered everything up and set the two corpses on fire, burning them to ashes and erasing most of the signs of the battle.

Having done all this, he dared not linger there and, dragging his injured body, quickly left the Stone Forest.

……

They found a more secluded cave and had their shadow clones keep watch.

Lin Yu then began to examine his gains and tend to his injuries.

The three gold-level eunuchs were quite wealthy, especially the storage ring from the ghost.

Inside, there were not only a large amount of spirit stones, gold and silver, but also some pills, talismans, equipment and other items specially made by the Imperial City Bureau, as well as several pieces of gold-grade materials of good quality.

But what Lin Yu cared about most were several secret letters and a jade slip that recorded a special mission.

The contents of the secret letter were very simple:

"...The dragon vein's disturbances are intensifying...It needs to be stabilized as soon as possible..."

"...The Grand Formation of Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage to the Ancestor...the core nodes are 70% complete...the Black Buddha Saintess is urging..."

"...The Immaculate Body...must be captured...if not, then its very essence..."

"...His Majesty's sacred body...has little time left...The transformation into a dragon cannot be lost..."

The jade slip detailed the mission of the "Three Fiends of the Netherworld": capture Lin Yu alive at all costs; if capture was impossible, seize his heart's essence and soul's origin and send them to a designated location in the capital.

After reading this information, Lin Yu roughly understood the current situation.

"His Majesty's Holy Body... doesn't have much time left... transforming into a dragon..." Lin Yu murmured to himself, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

The matter is actually quite simple, even somewhat like an old-fashioned story: the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty is nearing the end of his life, and therefore wants to use the so-called "Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage to the Ancestors" formation of the Black Buddhism and the power of the royal dragon vein to carry out a ritual called "Dragon Transformation".

In order to prolong their lives or even gain greater power, Lin Yu's "immaculate body" seems to be a key "catalyst" or "stabilizer" in his process of transforming into a dragon.

Perhaps more importantly, otherwise he and that so-called saintess wouldn't have been in such a hurry to send people to deal with him.

"The Black Buddhist Holy Maiden... Is she also pushing this plan? Is she cooperating with the Emperor? But judging from the tone of the secret letter, they seem to be wary of each other..." Lin Yu frowned.

It's probably the same old story of trying to get something from a tiger. The emperor wanted to use the power of Black Buddhism and the Buddha statue, but Black Buddhism also wanted to use the emperor and the dragon vein.

Both sides have their own ulterior motives, and Lin Yu's "Immaculate Body" is very likely to be a key bargaining chip that both sides are determined to obtain.

This also explains why he was constantly being attacked during this period.

It's highly likely that this was caused by being targeted by the Buddha Mother statue in Tieshu County back then.

Having figured this out, Lin Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

He originally thought he had only offended a cult, but he never expected to be drawn into a conspiracy that would affect the fate of the entire Great Qian Dynasty. His opponents were the emperor who controlled the world and the deeply entrenched Black Buddhism.

"It seems I need to improve my strength as soon as possible, otherwise the next one coming will probably be a platinum-level being." Lin Yu felt considerable pressure.

Without further hesitation, he prioritized healing and recovery, while simultaneously increasing the intensity of his shadow clone's "pseudo-cultivation." Even if the process was painful, he had to quickly improve the "adaptability" to the power of this world and the precision of his control over his own power.

After hiding in the cave for several days, relying on the spiritual spring water and abundant resources, Lin Yu's injuries finally recovered to about 70-80%, and the weakness caused by borrowing strength was also basically eliminated.

After learning about the current situation, Lin Yu changed his previous plan. He could no longer actively seek trouble with the Black Buddhism, and he decided to find a secluded place to hide for a while.

……

Deep within the imperial palace of the Great Qian capital, in a forbidden area where the core of the dragon vein lies.

A woman dressed in an elaborate black sacrificial robe, her face shrouded in a light veil, revealing only a pair of deep, abyss-like eyes that seemed capable of devouring souls, stood quietly before a statue of the "Mother of All Bodies Returning to One," which was ten feet tall and composed of numerous writhing black flesh chunks and countless pained faces.

This person is the holy woman of the Black Buddhism.

Within the enormous vertical pupils of the Buddha Mother statue, dark red vortexes slowly rotated, conveying a sense of greed, longing, and a hint of anxiety.

The saintess's slender fingers gently brushed across the cold, writhing surface of the Buddha statue, and she murmured to herself, her voice ethereal yet carrying a chilling killing intent: "The Immaculate Body... actually managed to kill three of my guardian Vajras, and even the 'Three Netherworld Fiends' of the Imperial City Guard fell at his hands..."

Her original plan was to use the emperor's power to gather the national fortune of the Great Qian Dynasty and the blood and energy of all people to nourish the Buddha Mother, and then make further plans once the Buddha Mother's power had recovered to a certain extent.

However, Lin Yu's unexpected appearance of the "Immaculate Body" disrupted her plans. The Buddha Mother's desire for the Immaculate Body was too strong, even causing it to develop consciousness, which directly led to the Buddha Mother's consciousness being beyond her control.

This is why a gold-level Buddha statue inexplicably appeared in such a small place as Tieshu County.

The Buddha statue was possessed by the consciousness of the Buddha Mother.

If that were all, it would be fine. If the Buddha Mother wanted it, then they could find a way to capture the other party for her. But the Emperor seemed to have developed an interest in the "Immaculate Body" that went beyond the scope of the cooperation.

"The Immaculate Body... why did you have to appear at this crucial moment!" A cold glint flashed in the Saintess's eyes. "It seems I must personally take action, seizing its immaculate essence with overwhelming force, and offer it to the Buddha Mother. Perhaps this will allow me to gain more initiative when the Buddha Mother is resurrected!"

Without further hesitation, her figure slowly merged into the shadow cast by the Buddha statue, and her aura completely disappeared.

The next moment, a barely perceptible black streak of light, as if tearing through space, silently left the forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace and sped off towards the north, roughly in the direction where Lin Yu was located.

At the same time, almost simultaneously with the departure of the saintess, in another secret room of the palace.

The emperor, who was sitting cross-legged on the dragon vein node, with dragon energy and black energy intertwined around him and his face showing an abnormal flush, suddenly opened his eyes.

A jade seal in his hand, carved with nine black dragons, was trembling slightly. The eye of one of the black dragons on it quietly went out—meaning that the life force of the "Three Fiends of the Underworld" had dissipated.

"The Three Fiends...all wiped out?" The emperor's voice was filled with disbelief, shock, and anger, along with an undisguised weakness: "What a flawless body! What ruthless methods!"

He coughed violently a few times, and dark blood seeped from between his fingers.

His lifespan is really running out.

"Wei Banban!" he shouted sternly.

From the shadows, the figure of Wei Wuyai, the supervisor of the Imperial City Guard, emerged, his face equally grim.

"This old servant is here."

"That vixen...did she just leave?" A sinister glint flashed in the emperor's eyes.

"Your Majesty, the Holy Maiden's aura has indeed left the forbidden area, and the direction... seems to be northward."

"Hmph! She couldn't sit still any longer!" A ferocious glint appeared on the emperor's face. "She wants to seize that brat first and monopolize the Immaculate Origin! Wishful thinking!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil within him, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes: "Issue my secret order! Activate the 'Type B' contingency plan! Activate the core node of the Myriad Buddhas Paying Homage to the Ancestor Formation ahead of schedule! I will use the dragon vein and the not-yet-fully-gathered soul power to transform into a dragon!"

Wei Wuyai was horrified: "Your Majesty! No! Absolutely not! The grand formation is not yet fully set up. Forcibly activating it could lead to a backlash! Moreover, with insufficient soul power, the dragon transformation might encounter unforeseen complications!"

"I can't worry about that anymore!" the emperor roared, looking like a madman. "The Three Fiends have failed, and I myself am unable to take action. I have no more trump cards left."

Therefore, the demoness's departure is the perfect opportunity! If she brings back the Immaculate Body and uses it to coerce me, or refines the Immaculate Origin and the Buddha Mother is resurrected, will I still have a place to stand?

"I must complete my dragon transformation before they return! Then, I will be the true Dragon Emperor, controlling the power of heaven and earth; the mere Buddha Mother will be annihilated with a flick of my finger!"

"But Your Majesty..."

"Execute the order!" the emperor roared, his dragon aura surging wildly around him, suppressing the wisp of black energy for a moment, displaying an unquestionable imperial majesty.

Seeing the emperor's almost crazed gaze, Wei Wuyai knew he could no longer dissuade him, and could only kowtow deeply: "This old servant... obeys the decree!"

As this secret order was issued, dozens of nodes that had been pre-arranged and subtly echoed the Black Buddha Temples in various places within the crisscrossing network of dragon veins beneath the capital of Daqian began to flicker with an ominous light.

Countless strands of soul power and blood energy, so fine as to be imperceptible to ordinary cultivators, were forcibly extracted from every corner of the capital, and even from more distant towns with Black Buddha temples, flowing like rivers into the sea towards the underground of the palace.

A storm, more frenzied and more uncontrollable, ignited by the emperor himself, began to brew rapidly.

……

the other side.

Although Lin Yu killed three gold-level eunuchs in the fierce battle at Shilin with the help of the True Lord's divine power, he was also seriously injured. He knew that he could not stay here for long.

Therefore, after his body had recovered to a certain extent, Lin Yu fled at full speed towards the more desolate northwest direction shown on the map.

He dared not take the official roads, but instead chose remote and dangerous mountain forests, using the [Sky Eye], the Sky Eagle, and his shadow clones to avoid any potential informants or dangerous areas.

After several days of desperate fleeing, the scenery before them gradually changed from barren mountains to an endless wasteland covered with withered meadows and exposed rocks.

The sky was a hazy gray, and the spiritual energy in the air was becoming increasingly thin and turbulent, carrying a primal desolation and deathly stillness.

This is already the edge of North River County. Further west lies a desolate wasteland marked as a large blank area on the map, with only a rough "dangerous, do not enter" sign in vermilion.

According to Lin Yu's understanding, this area is extremely sparsely populated, with only a very small number of "wild people" as they are known among the Daqian people living here in tribal form.

Lin Yu maximized the field of view sharing of the Skyhawk, making it like an invisible radar, scanning this desolate land.

He planned to see if he could find a local first, so he could better understand the area.

Persistence pays off. After trekking across the wilderness for nearly a day, the eagles in the sky finally spotted signs of humans.

Guided by it, Lin Yu quickly spotted the target. About a few hundred meters away, there were about a dozen tribal warriors wearing rough fur coats and with strange paint on their faces. They were fighting and retreating, holding bone spears and stone axes. Most of them were wounded, and their fur coats were stained with blood.

Their pursuers were three hound-like, but larger, monsters with claws and teeth gleaming with a metallic glint and covered in fleshy growths.

These monsters were incredibly fast and cunning, constantly using their speed to maneuver and attack. The tribal warriors' formation was already in grave danger and was on the verge of being completely torn apart.

Lin Yu's eyes flashed.

good chance.

His actions were not purely motivated by kindness. In this unfamiliar and desolate place, rescuing the local inhabitants was undoubtedly the best way to gain information and integrate.

Without the slightest hesitation, he moved with lightning speed and sped away.

Before the person even arrived, several emerald green vines shot out from the ground like venomous snakes, precisely wrapping around the three-headed hound's limbs.

The battle ended quickly.

With the intervention of Lin Yu, a "new force," and especially with the bizarre methods of Hua Liu Teng, the already seriously injured Feng Bao was quickly dealt with. Two of them died under Lin Yu's fists, and one was entangled by Hua Liu Teng and stabbed to death by the remaining tribal warriors with spears.

The battle ceased, but the seven surviving tribal warriors did not immediately relax. They gripped their weapons tightly, looking at Lin Yu, the uninvited guest, with suspicion and uncertainty.

Lin Yu's appearance and clothing were completely different from theirs, especially his elusive vines, which made them instinctively wary and a little afraid.

Lin Yu voluntarily put away the willow vines, spread his hands, and tried to speak calmly: "I meant no harm. I was just passing by and saw you being attacked by monsters, so I offered my help."

With a systematic translation, the locals could understand Lin Yu's words, and they were clearly surprised by it.

The tribal warriors exchanged glances, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly. A burly man with a hideous scar on his face, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward, clenched his right fist and pounded his left chest in a tribal salute, and said in a rough voice, "Warrior from afar, thank you for your help. I am Batu, the hunting captain of the Volcano Tribe."

"You saved us, so you're a friend of the Volcano Tribe!"

Lin Yu returned the greeting in the same manner: "My name is Lin Yu. You're welcome. It was nothing."

Batu looked at Lin Yu's tattered clothes and dried bloodstains, and then thought of his extraordinary skills and strange vines. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Friend Lin Yu, you seem to really need a good rest. This place is not far from our tribe. If you don't mind, you can come back with us."

The tribe has herbs, hot water, and food; the priest might also be able to examine your injuries.

This is exactly what Lin Yu wanted.

He nodded his thanks: "I'm very grateful, then I'll take my leave."

Lin Yu followed Batu and the others back to the Volcano Tribe. This small settlement, built with animal hides and crude stones, gave Lin Yu a more direct impression—it was barren and xenophobic.

The sharpened wooden stakes on the perimeter and the vigilant eyes of the patrolling soldiers all testify to the harshness of their living environment.

Batu told the other warriors to go back to rest and get treatment, while he personally led Lin Yu toward the largest stone house in the center of the tribe.

"Brother Lin Yu, I'll take you to see our tribe's priest, Grandpa Wugu. He is our wisest elder and knows everything about this land."

The stone house was dimly lit and filled with a unique aroma of herbs, animal hides, and smoke.

An old man wearing a colorful feather cloak and holding a scepter inlaid with an unknown animal bone was sitting cross-legged on a thick animal skin.

He was very old, with deep wrinkles on his face, but his eyes were exceptionally clear and bright.

He was Wugu, the priest of the Blackrock tribe.

"Priest, this is a friend we just met named Lin Yu. We encountered a pack of carrion hounds outside, and he came to our aid." Batu reported respectfully.

The Priest Wugu's gaze slowly fell on Lin Yu. His gaze was peaceful yet extremely penetrating, making Lin Yu feel as if he were being scrutinized from head to toe.

He nodded slightly, his voice old and hoarse: "Guests from afar, please sit down. Batu, go and get some hot soup and dried meat."

Batu withdrew in response.

Lin Yu sat down on a low wooden stool opposite the priest Wugu, accepted a bowl of murky but steaming meat soup from the old man, and thanked him again.

"Young man, you are injured, and your spiritual energy fluctuations are somewhat disordered," Priest Wugu said slowly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"This 'Forgotten Land' has long been abandoned by the gods. It is resource-scarce and fraught with danger. Ordinary cultivators would never set foot here. What brings you here?"

Lin Yu didn't hide anything and said directly, "Old sir, you have a discerning eye. I was indeed being hunted down by my enemies and had nowhere else to turn, so I was forced to flee into this wasteland."

He paused, then added, "Thank you, noble warrior, for bringing me back, and thank you for your hospitality."

At this moment, Batu returned with dried meat, and Priest Wugu gestured for Lin Yu to have some food first.