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

Just an inch down is his head.

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

Lin Yu held the axe in one hand, looking at Bai Wuhen expressionlessly.

Bai Wuhen held the cracked sword and shield in both hands, his arms trembling, blood streaming uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. His white robes were soaked with sweat, clinging to his body and outlining his gaunt figure.

He's working desperately.

He used all his strength to desperately block the axe blow.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Lin Yu finally put away the mountain-splitting axe.

The dark golden light faded, and the runes on the axe extinguished one by one.

Bai Wuhen's sword and shield shattered completely with a "crack".

The fragments transformed into countless silvery-white specks of light, dissipating into the air.

He staggered back a dozen steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

He missed his last step and landed hard on his backside, his longsword stuck in the ground, barely keeping him from falling.

His hair was disheveled, his white clothes were torn, and blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Embarrassed.

Extremely disheveled.

He was completely different from the elegant and aloof sword master he had just been.

Lin Yu slung the axe over his shoulder and looked at him: "Caught."

Bai Wuhen raised his head and looked at Lin Yu with a complicated expression.

There was shock, resentment, humiliation, and a hint of... something he himself was unwilling to admit—acceptance.

He just used all his strength.

The Thousand Swords Return to One Shield is his trump card defensive technique, capable of blocking even attacks from high-level legendary opponents.

But he almost couldn't block that axe.

If his opponent had used even a fraction more force, or if his sword and shield had been even slightly weaker, he would have perished here today.

"What's your name?" Bai Wuhen asked, his voice hoarse.

"Lin Yu."

"Lin Yu..." Bai Wuhen repeated, then stood up, supporting himself with his sword.

His legs were still shaking, but his back was ramrod straight.

"I've remembered what happened today," he said. "People of the Heavenly Sword Realm are clear about their debts of gratitude and resentment. I appreciate your mercy in sparing my life, but today's humiliation—"

He paused, looking at Lin Yu.

"I will get it back."

"Anytime," Lin Yu said.

Bai Wuhen didn't say anything more. He sheathed his sword, turned around, and staggered away.

After taking a few steps, he spat out another mouthful of blood, but did not stop. His figure quickly disappeared at the end of the ruins.

Red Demon walked over from the side, looking at Lin Yu with a ghostly expression.

"You fucking..." He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time, "That attack you just made, is that something a low-level legendary character could pull off?"

"Barely." Lin Yu put away the machete and stretched his wrists.

That axe blow just now must have taken a toll on him.

Although no external force was used, pushing the power of the initial stage of the legendary realm beyond its limits placed a great burden on the meridians and the body.

His arms are still numb and it will take at least one or two hours to fully recover.

"Barely my foot!" Red Demon cursed. "That guy is a mid-level Legendary, and not just any mid-level. His swordsmanship is at least on the verge of the high level. You almost killed him with one axe blow, and you call that barely?"

"His defense is strong," Lin Yu said, "but his attack might not be that strong."

"That's outrageous enough." Red Demon clicked his tongue. "How exactly did you train?"

"It's a secret." Lin Yu patted him on the shoulder. "I'll take care of things in the North District, then I'll head back."

"Wait," the Red Demon called out to him. "You just said, 'Take one of my moves, and if you can, you can go'—aren't you afraid he won't be able to withstand it, and you'll really kill him?"

Lin Yu stopped and glanced back at Chi Gui.

"If he can't catch it, it's just bad luck."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Red Demon stood there, watching Lin Yu's back, and remained silent for a long time.

He suddenly realized that he had never truly understood this person.

---

When Lin Yu returned to the apartment, it was already completely dark.

Tangtang was asleep on the living room carpet, covered with a thin blanket. Jinling was lying next to her. When she saw Lin Yu come in, she looked up and called out softly, her voice very low, so as not to wake Tangtang.

Lin Yu walked over, picked up Tangtang, and took her back to her room. Jin Ling followed behind, and only after he put Tangtang down did she jump onto the bed and curl up in a ball next to Tangtang's pillow.

Lin Yu gently closed the door and returned to the living room.

He sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

The numbness in his arms hadn't completely subsided, and his meridians throbbed with pain. That axe strike just now was indeed his maximum output under normal circumstances. If Bai Wuhen had been a little stronger, or if his condition had been a little worse, the outcome might have been different.

He circulated his divine power, and purple energy slowly flowed out from the Xuan Du Purple Mansion, nourishing the damaged parts along the meridians.

About an hour later, the discomfort had mostly subsided.

Lin Yu opened his eyes and took out a communication talisman.

He first glanced at the Queen's report—everything was normal on the divine body side, Qingyuan's consciousness fusion was stable, and the Netherworld Emperor was patrolling the nerve trunk area and found no abnormalities.

The Zerg have recovered about 60% of their losses, but it is expected to take another three days to fully recover.

Then he contacted Mr. Fang.

"Are you there?"

"exist."

"Bai Wuhen, from the Heavenly Sword Realm, do you know this person?"

Mr. Fang's reply came quickly: "I know. He is a Sword Master of the Heavenly Sword Realm, a mid-level Legendary, with extremely high swordsmanship talent, and is a leading figure among the younger generation of the Heavenly Sword Realm."

The Heavenly Sword Realm is a world that reveres the way of the sword, and its overall strength ranks among the top ten of all connected worlds.

Their world has two high-level legendary figures and one peak-level legendary figure. Bai Wuhen is the most likely person to break through to the high-level legendary figure in the future.

Lin Yu finished reading and remained silent for a few seconds.

The Heavenly Sword Realm ranks among the top ten in overall strength, and also has legendary peak beings.

He beat Bai Wuhen so badly today, will the Heavenly Sword Realm retaliate?

"I chased him away," Lin Yu said. "Will the Heavenly Sword Realm cause trouble because of this?"

"Probably not." Mr. Fang replied, "People in the Heavenly Sword Realm value the swordsmanship and mentality. If you lose, you lose. You won't rely on your elders to get revenge."

Bai Wuhen himself said he would "get it back," so that's his own business; the higher-ups of the Heavenly Sword Realm won't interfere.

"That's good."

"However," Mr. Fang added, "your performance today may have already attracted the attention of some forces. A low-level Legendary defeating a mid-level Legendary is a rare occurrence in any world. The people looking for you next may not just be the Eternal Night Council."

Lin Yu put away the communication talisman and leaned back on the sofa.

He knew that Mr. Fang was right.

The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it.

But he doesn't care.

In this chaotic world, hiding one's strength is pointless. Only by demonstrating sufficient power can one deter those who covet him.

He thought for a moment, then contacted the Queen Insect.

How many legendary units does the Zerg in the small world currently have?

There are currently twelve legendary combat units. Among them, nine are at the initial legendary tier and three are at the intermediate legendary tier.

The Emperor of the Underworld is at the peak of the mid-level Legendary rank, only one step away from the high-level.

Twelve legendary heads.

This number, in any world, would be a force to be reckoned with.

If all of it were released into the real world...

Lin Yu's gaze fell on the golden vortex at the entrance to the small world.

The world has merged, various forces have poured in, and the power of the players is waning.

He needs to let everyone know that this neighborhood is not a place anyone can just trespass on.

"Queen Insect."

【exist. 】

"Make preparations." Lin Yu's tone was calm. "If a legendary-level or higher enemy attacks, or if a force launches a major offensive against the defensive perimeter, open the small world portal and allow all legendary-level Zerg units to enter reality."

[Understood. We are ready to open the channel at any time.]

Lin Yu disconnected the phone, stood up, and walked to the window.

The lights in the residential area outside the window are scattered.

Most areas are without power, except for the central defense perimeter. In the distance, from the darkness, occasional explosions and roars can be heard—the sounds of fighting between various factions.

The cracks in the sky are still slowly widening, and the outlines of buildings on the other side can already be seen through some of them.

This world is becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

The next morning.

Lin Yu was awakened by a series of rapid vibrations from a communication talisman.

He opened his eyes and glanced at it—it was a message from Liu Baiyu.

"Brother Lin, something terrible has happened. The Blood Demon Cult attacked a player gathering point in the South District last night, killing more than thirty people and taking away all the bodies."

Red Demon has already led his men there, but the Blood Demon Cult's leader is a mid-level Legendary, and there are two early-level Legendary elders as well. Red Demon alone might not be able to handle them.

Lin Yu's eyes turned cold.

Blood Demon Cult.

He had heard Mr. Fang mention this organization before—it came from a cultivation world and cultivated by absorbing the essence and souls of living beings; it was extremely evil.

The cult leader, the Blood Demon Elder, is a mid-level Legendary, while his two elders are both early-level Legendary.

Lin Yu sat up from the sofa and stretched his neck.

After fighting Bai Wuhen yesterday, he has fully recovered.

Send me your location.

"Abandoned shopping mall in the South District."

"Coming right away."

Lin Yu stood up and glanced at Tangtang's room—the door was still closed; she was probably still asleep. Jin Ling flew down from the back of the sofa and landed on his shoulder.

"You're home," Lin Yu said.

Jin Ling cried out, but did not persist.

Lin Yu put on the Hun Tian Cloak and went out.

South District, abandoned shopping mall.

When Lin Yu arrived, the battle had already begun.

The Crimson Demon was locked in combat with an old man dressed in a blood-red robe. The old man possessed the aura of a mid-level Legendary, and was surrounded by a blood-red mist. Within the mist, one could vaguely see countless distorted human faces—the resentment of the creatures he had devoured.

The Crimson Demon's flames were far less effective against the blood mist, which seemed to have a life of its own, constantly devouring and neutralizing his flames. The Crimson Demon was fighting futilely, and his body had already sustained several wounds.

Not far away, two middle-aged men dressed in blood-red robes were fighting a group of players. They were at the early Legendary level, a crushing defeat for Platinum and Diamond level players. Several players had already fallen to the ground, their blood absorbed by the blood mist, making the mist even denser.

Around the mall, dozens of Blood Demon Cult members, ranging in rank from Gold to Diamond, were setting up a massive blood array.

Lin Yu's gaze swept across the battlefield and then landed on the Blood Demon Elder.

Legendary Intermediate Level.

Perfect timing! After playing against Bai Wuhen yesterday, he wanted to test his win rate against mid-tier Legendary players under normal circumstances.

"Red Oni, step back."

Lin Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Upon hearing this voice, the Red Demon perked up, immediately feinted an attack, and withdrew from the battle.

The Blood Demon Elder also stopped attacking and turned to look at Lin Yu.

His eyes were blood-red, without pupils, making him look extremely eerie. He sized Lin Yu up and down, then chuckled maliciously, "Another low-level legendary kid? What, are all the legendary players in the player world lining up to die?"

Lin Yu did not speak.

He flipped his left hand, and the axe appeared in his palm.

The moment the Blood Demon Elder saw the mountain-splitting axe, his blood-red eyes narrowed slightly.

He sensed it—there was a chilling aura emanating from this axe.

"Who are you?" The Blood Demon Elder's tone became more serious.

"The one who killed you."

Lin Yu pushed off with his feet and shot out.

The speed was so fast that the Blood Demon Elder only had time to raise his blood mist defense before the mountain-splitting axe was already in front of him.

"Splitting the rock."

The dark golden axe light surged and slammed fiercely into the blood mist.

"laugh--"

The blood mist melted away instantly, as if it had encountered boiling oil and ice. The blade of the mountain-splitting axe continued its momentum, aiming straight for the Blood Demon Elder's face.

The Blood Demon Elder was shocked and retreated rapidly. At the same time, he formed hand seals, and more blood mist surged out of his body, forming a thick blood shield in front of him.

"clang--!"

The axe blade struck the blood shield with a muffled thud.

A crack appeared on the blood shield, but it did not shatter.

The Blood Demon Elder breathed a sigh of relief—his blood shield was forged from the essence of three thousand lives, making it extremely strong defensively, capable of withstanding even the attacks of a high-level legendary figure.

But before he could even catch his breath, he saw golden light emanating from Lin Yu's right hand.

Demon-slaying sword.

The second artifact.

"Slay the demon."

Golden sword energy surged from the Demon-Slaying Sword, piercing fiercely into the blood shield along the cracks created by the Mountain-Splitting Axe.

"Click—"

The blood shield shattered.

The Blood Demon Elder's expression changed drastically. He wanted to retreat again, but it was too late.

Lin Yu held an axe in his left hand and a sword in his right, using both divine weapons simultaneously, blocking all of his escape routes.

The Blood Demon Elder gritted his teeth, shrinking all the blood mist around his body to form a layer of blood-red armor. At the same time, he took out a small blood-red flag from his robes and tossed it into the air.

The small flag swelled in the wind, transforming into a giant blood banner, its surface covered with countless ghostly faces roaring, carrying a terrifying power.

This is his natal magic weapon—the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

This legendary magical artifact contains tens of thousands of souls sealed within. Once activated, it can unleash powerful mental and physical attacks.

The moment the Myriad Souls Banner was unfurled, countless blood-red soul shadows surged out of the banner, screaming as they pounced on Lin Yu.

Lin Yu frowned slightly.

These spirit shadows have a unique attack—they don't attack physically, but directly assault the mind. If you get entangled by them, your mental strength will be continuously eroded, eventually turning you into part of the Myriad Soul Banner.

But he wasn't afraid.

The Guardian Will Helmet activated automatically, a layer of pale golden mental shield enveloping his consciousness. At the same time, the Heavenly Eye between his brows opened, shooting out dark golden light that dispersed the soul shadows that rushed towards him.

"Is that all you've got?"

Lin Yu's voice was calm, but to the Blood Demon Elder, it sounded like a death knell.

He took a step forward, ignoring the surrounding soul shadows, and rushed directly in front of the Blood Demon Elder.

The axe swept across.

The Blood Demon Elder raised his banner to block.

"clang--!"

The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls was cleaved and sent flying backward, the ghost faces on its surface shattering one by one, emitting mournful screams.

The Blood Demon Elder's body flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing through three load-bearing pillars of the mall before finally embedding itself in the wall.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief.

"Impossible... You're only at the early Legendary level..."

Lin Yu walked up to him, pressing the blade of his axe against his throat.

"Just because you're a beginner-level Legendary doesn't mean I can't kill you?"

The Blood Demon Elder looked into Lin Yu's eyes, which held no anger, no pleasure, only a cold calm.

It's like looking at a dead person.

"Wait..." The Blood Demon Elder's voice trembled, "I can give you things... treasures accumulated by my Blood Demon Sect for hundreds of years, I can give them all to you... just spare my life..."

Lin Yu ignored him and pressed down with the axe blade.

The Blood Demon Elder's throat was slit open, and dark red blood gushed out.

His body twitched a few times, then stopped moving.

The legendary mid-level Blood Demon Elder is dead.

Lin Yu put away his mountain-splitting axe and turned to look at the other two Blood Demon Cult elders.

When the two elders saw their leader killed, their faces turned pale, and they turned to run away.

But they can't escape.

The Red Demons have blocked their retreat.

"Trying to run?" The Red Demon grinned, flames surging around him. "You've killed so many people, and now you think you can escape?"

The two legendary early-stage elders exchanged a glance, knowing they couldn't escape and had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight.

But they were facing a Red Oni of the same legendary initial level, and a Red Oni in a state of rage.

In less than five minutes, the two elders were burned to ashes by the Red Demon's flames.

The remaining Blood Demon Cult members, seeing their leader and elders dead, collapsed in morale and scattered in all directions. But the surrounding players had already surrounded them and slaughtered them one by one.

The battle is over.

Red Demon walked to Lin Yu's side, looked at the Blood Demon Elder's corpse on the ground, and clicked his tongue: "You're getting more and more outrageous."

Yesterday you cleaved through Bai Wuhen, today you cleaved through Xue Mo, both mid-tier legendary level cultivators. You're cutting them down like vegetables.

"He's weaker than Bai Wuhen," Lin Yu said.

"Weakness has its limits, doesn't it?" Red Ghost said. "The Blood Demon Elder is a well-known figure in the cultivation world, his blood techniques are incredibly evil, and many mid-level legendary cultivators have fallen to him. And you, you were killed in just a few moves."

Lin Yu did not respond.

He walked to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which had been cleaved in two by the axe. Most of the ghost faces on the banner were broken, with only a few still flickering faintly.

"What should we do with this thing?" Red Demon asked.

Lin Yu thought for a moment: "The souls sealed inside are all those he captured. Let them go."

He raised his hand, and Samadhi Fire surged forth, landing on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Crimson flames enveloped the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls, and the runes on its surface melted one by one.

As the runes shattered, wisps of translucent souls floated out of the banner, circled in the air a few times, and then slowly dissipated.

Those were people killed by the Blood Demon Cult.

Their souls are free.

Lin Yu watched the souls dissipate, his face expressionless.

He was not some compassionate saint.

Lin Yu was thinking about something else.

Why did the Blood Demon Cult choose this time to launch a surprise attack on the player gathering point?

They are a new force and are probably not familiar with the situation in the community.

Normally, they should observe first, understand the distribution and strength of various forces, and then decide whether or not to take action.

But they launched a surprise attack as soon as they arrived, killing more than thirty people.

This doesn't seem like something a cautious force would do.

Unless... they desperately need their essence and soul to do something.

Or, someone is directing them from behind the scenes.

Lin Yu frowned.

"Red Demon," Lin Yu said. "Take some men and clean up the scene. Also, increase patrols in the southern district."

"Okay." Red Demon nodded, then glanced at Lin Yu.

……

Back at his apartment, Lin Yu didn't rush to start cultivating; instead, he contacted Mr. Fang first.

"How much do you know about the Blood Demon Cult?"

"Blood Demon Sect?" Mr. Fang replied quickly, "From the Blood River Realm, a cultivation world that primarily focuses on blood cultivation."

The sect leader, Blood Demon Elder, is a mid-level Legendary, while the two elders are both early-level Legendary.

Their overall strength isn't particularly high, but their techniques are unorthodox and they're not easy to deal with.

Why did they suddenly attack the player gathering point?

Mr. Fang was silent for a moment, then replied, "Now that you mention it, I also feel something's not right. Although the Blood Demon Cult is evil, it's not a reckless organization. They've just arrived in a new world; normally they should observe first, unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless they received word that the players' power is waning and the defenses of their strongholds are weak," Mr. Fang said. "But they couldn't possibly know that on their own. They've just arrived and know nothing about the player world."

"Someone told them," Lin Yu said.

"Highly likely," Mr. Fang said. "Moreover, the person who informed them is extremely knowledgeable about the player world. They know which gathering points are weakly defended, that the players' strength is waning, and when is the best time to act."

Lin Yu's eyes turned cold.

A mole.

Or, to put it another way, there is a force that knows everything about the player's world and is secretly instigating forces from other worlds to attack the player.

The Council of Eternal Night? The Hand of Ashes?

Or is there... a problem within the balancing organization?

The Balance Organization has been out of contact for several days. If someone within the Balance Organization has defected, or if the entire organization has been infiltrated by the Void forces, then all the player information they possess will be leaked.

This possibility sent a chill down Lin Yu's spine.

"Mr. Fang, can you find out why the Balance Organization has gone missing?"

"Cannot find it," Mr. Fang said. "The Balanced Organization's command system is independent and not directly connected to the system core. Even the seventh level of authority cannot see their internal situation."

But I can tell you one thing—the timing of the organization's loss of contact perfectly matches the timing of the first major fluctuation in the system's core.

It's exactly the same.

This means that the loss of connection of the balancing organization is not accidental, but a direct consequence of system failure.

Or... someone took advantage of the system's decline to tamper with the balance mechanism.

"I understand," Lin Yu said. "Thanks."