This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 328 Hanging on a Branch (Please continue reading)

After leaving the courtyard, Lin Yan headed to the stables area of ​​the Inspector's Mansion.

The Inspector's Office has a special area for feeding fine horses and birds. As an inspector with special privileges, one can directly select birds in the Inspector's Office without incurring any fees.

"grown ups."

The steward in charge of guarding the birds, upon seeing Lin Yan's token, hurriedly said, "Sir, there's another Golden Falcon with Wind Feathers in the manor. Would you like it?"

"Golden Falcon with Phoenix Feathers?"

Lin Yan was somewhat surprised. The fastest he had ever ridden was the Wind Feather Falcon, which was the flying bird arranged by the Sword Sect to besiege the Sword Ruins. It was indeed extremely fast, but in terms of riding comfort, it was not as good as the White Feather Falcon.

The former is fast, while the latter is slower, but very comfortable to ride.

Although I still have plenty of time to travel to southern Guangdong, since there is a faster way to get the Wind Feather Gold Collection, I might as well give it a try.

Being free is its biggest advantage.

Led by the steward, Lin Yan arrived at the area of ​​the Wind Feather Golden Falcon.

The Golden Falcon and the Golden Falcon are the same size and shape, the difference being that the Golden Falcon's feathers are all gold.

"etc!"

Just as Lin Yan was about to board the Wind Feather Golden Falcon, the anxious shouts of the steward who had previously received Lin Yan came from behind.

Lin Yan stopped and turned to look at the steward.

"Lord Emei Peak, this—"

When the manager saw Lin Yan, he looked somewhat embarrassed and didn't know how to phrase his words.

"That person wanted this Wind Feather Golden Falcon."

Seeing the manager's expression, Lin Yan roughly guessed what had happened.

"The reason why that high-ranking official came to the Inspector's Mansion was not only to see several officials, but also mainly for this Wind Feather Golden Falcon."

"Understood."

Lin Yan nodded: "Since the other party wants it, then let's give it to him."

Lin Yan had no intention of fighting with the other party for a bird. No matter how fast Feng Ling Jin Ji was, he could only arrive in Yue Nan Xing Dao a few days earlier. With his current level, cultivating on a bird was not a difficult task, and being a few days late would not delay anything.

"Thank you for your understanding."

Hearing Lin Yan's answer, the manager breathed a sigh of relief.

That high-ranking official was a fifth-level inspector whom he couldn't afford to offend, while this Emei Peak official, although not a fifth-level inspector, was also a Dharma Aspect expert. Most importantly, he had enjoyed the privileges of the Heavenly Authority since he was a first-level inspector, and his status was extremely noble.

He was just afraid that even the Lord of Mount Emei wouldn't give in, and things would escalate. Because the Inspector and the two Deputy Inspectors were not at their residences, the situation became uncontrollable and difficult to resolve.

Fortunately, the esteemed Lord Emei eventually relented.

"What level of cultivation is that person at?"

Lin Yan suddenly asked out of curiosity, and the manager was taken aback. According to the rules, the strength of each inspector could not be revealed to outsiders.

But considering that this Lord Emei Peak was highly regarded by the Emperor and had just conceded a step, the steward hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and answering, "That Lord broke through to the Dharma Aspect Realm three years ago and passed the Level 5 Inspector Assessment half a year ago."

"What level of ability is generally needed to pass the Level 5 Inspector Assessment?"

"As long as you reach the second level of the Void Realm, the probability of passing is extremely high."

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. He broke through to the Dharma Aspect Realm three years ago and reached the second level of the Void Aspect Realm in just over two years. This cultivation speed is not bad. If he can maintain it, he will have a chance to break through to the next realm within twenty years.

Watching the steward lead away the golden falcon with its feathered plumage, Lin Yan ultimately didn't choose the falcon, but instead opted for a white-feathered bird.

Although the white-feathered birds are slow, a little over a month is enough for them to travel to southern Guangdong. It will also be more comfortable for me to cultivate on their backs.

Most importantly, no one would think that a Dharma Aspect Realm expert riding a white-feathered flying bird wouldn't attract too much attention.

As Lin Yan rode the white-feathered bird and took off from the mansion, soaring towards the sky, a sharp bird cry echoed behind him. Without turning around, Lin Yan could sense that a golden light was shooting straight into the distant clouds from a thousand feet away, disappearing into the depths of the sky in the blink of an eye.

"Wind Feather Golden Falcon, this beast is so fast. With my current sword escape technique, I can catch up for a short time when I unleash my full power, but once the distance is greater than five breaths, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

Looking in the direction where Feng Lingjinji disappeared, Lin Yan also made a judgment about the beast's speed.

If you ever encounter an opponent riding the Wind Feather Golden Gathering, you must never let them escape five breaths ahead of you.

Above the Shu-Nan Traveling Road, Lin Yan rode a white-feathered flying bird, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth while occasionally checking the terrain below.

After learning about the ancient waterway from Luo Daren, he began to pay special attention to it.

The roads in southern Sichuan are dotted with waterways. From the air, almost every prefecture is surrounded by waterways, making the Thousand Rivers Basin a well-deserved name.

"Water is the lifeblood of the earth's veins. Where water flows, the earth's energy follows. By observing the gathering and dispersing of water energy, one can determine the strength of the earth's veins."

Lin Yan recalled the words in the True Explanation of Earth Veins, compared the contents of the book with reality, and based on the water element annotations in the True Explanation of Earth Veins, he saw places where the earth energy was condensing and there might be spiritual herbs. He landed and searched, and he actually found quite a few spiritual herbs, including two rare treasures of heaven and earth.

"If I were at the True Qi stage, I could have—that's a load of rubbish. My perception isn't high enough at the True Qi stage, and I can't see that far."

Lin Yan laughed at himself, realizing he was getting too greedy.

This precisely demonstrates the cruelty of the martial arts world. The martial arts resources that many lower-level martial artists spend years or even longer to collect are simply readily available to those who are strong.

Thinking back to the beginning————

"I won't dwell on it. I'm only twenty-six, and I've already entered the Dharma Aspect Realm. It's the prime of my life, so what's the point of looking back? If someone keeps reminiscing about the past, either they're not doing as well as they used to, or they're just getting older."

On the flying bird, Lin Yan shook his head, began to calm his mind, and started to cultivate in peace.

Lin Yan didn't rush to refine the strange bone that the night owl had given him as a gift. It wasn't that he didn't want to refine it, but rather that he wanted to keep the bone to cultivate the third level of the Eight Desolate Dragon Elephant Technique.

Instead of refining the strange bone, Lin Yan focused more on the Flowing Sound Sword Control Technique.

This trip to southern Sichuan has allowed him to accumulate many martial arts fruits, and he has obtained one hundred sword techniques from the sword sect in advance. Now, the number of his sword intents has exceeded two hundred.

The five sword pellets circulated even faster.

Three days later, Lin Yan left the Shunan Road and entered the Shannan Road.

If the Shu Road is where a thousand rivers converge, then the Shannan Road is where a thousand mountains stand guard.

After traveling along the mountain road for several days, Lin Yan discovered that there were endless mountain ranges to fly over.

A white-feathered bird swept across a range of mountain peaks, and Lin Yan sat cross-legged on its back, circulating the Taiyi Divine Technique to continuously absorb and release the energy of the surrounding heaven and earth.

Within the divine palace, the power of the Dharma images circulated calmly. With each breath, the power of the Dharma images slowly flowed over the three Dharma images. Both the power of the Dharma images and their outlines were significantly thicker and more solid than when they had just taken the great medicine a few days ago.

This is the terrifying extent of the Divine Palace and its incredibly high absorption efficiency.

Suddenly, Lin Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes instantly, looking straight ahead.

-

Several miles ahead, in those mountains, the energy of heaven and earth surged violently, occasionally accompanied by booming sounds.

With Lin Yan's perception at the Dharma Aspect Realm, he could detect from afar that two powerful auras were clashing fiercely. One aura was cold and sinister, while the other was slightly more violent, but clearly showed signs of exhaustion.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, commanding the white-feathered bird to slow down, choosing to observe from a distance instead of approaching directly ahead.

In his field of vision, two figures were entangled and fighting in mid-air.

"Oh, it's someone I know."

Upon seeing the man wearing the golden mask, Lin Yan murmured something. However, this man was no longer as arrogant as he had been when he fought with him for the Wind Feather Golden Falcon. His robes were torn in many places, blood was spilling from the corner of his mouth, and even his breathing was somewhat unstable, clearly indicating that he was at a disadvantage.

The person who fought him was shrouded in a black robe with a crescent moon embroidered on his chest, and his Dharma power exuded a chilling aura when he made his move.

"A member of the Yin-Yang Sect?"

Seeing the crescent moon on the other person's black robe, Lin Yan thought of the description of the Yin-Yang Sect that he had seen in the Sword Treasury.

Yin-Yang Sect is an extremely mysterious sect.

It has existed for tens of thousands of years. Its sect practices strangely, often using evil methods to improve cultivation, and its actions are extremely vicious.

Any disciple of my Taiyi Sword Sect who encounters him shall be killed.

Among the books in the Sword Treasury, there are more than twenty kinds of illegitimate forces. Some have disappeared, and some have gone into hiding. Lin Yan even saw an introduction to the Blood God Sect, where Junior Brother Zhuang belonged.

Even in the descriptions of the Blood God Sect and the Sword Sect elders, they only mentioned being careful and cautious, without using such strong phrases as "if you encounter them, kill them."

After observing for a few moments, Lin Yan discovered something quite interesting.

Below these two figures was a solitary peak dozens of miles below, where a pill furnace sat atop. Wisps of smoke rose faintly from the furnace's mouth. Although the two were engaged in fierce combat, both their positions and the aftershocks of their battle kept them away from the solitary peak where the pill furnace was located, as neither wanted to interfere with the pill refining process within.

boom!

Just as Lin Yan was observing the alchemy furnace, the battle on the field changed. The Yin Yang Sect's huge black palm suddenly pressed down, and this palm directly knocked the gold-collared man back more than ten feet.

This sudden change caused the white-feathered bird beneath Lin Yan's feet to ripple. The man with the gold collar immediately noticed it, turned around to look at Lin Yan on the bird, and hurriedly called out, "I am He Ming, a fifth-level inspector, ordered to hunt down the protector of the Yin Yang Sect. I would be extremely grateful if you could lend a hand."

Every time Lin Yan puts on the inspection mask, he uses the Stone Waist Thunder Spine to change his figure. But now that he has taken off the mask, Lin Yan's figure has returned to its original form, and He Ming does not recognize him.

Lin Yan did not speak immediately, but the black-robed protector of the Yin-Yang Sect also noticed Lin Yan. He glanced around warily and said in a hoarse voice, "You'd better not get involved in the affairs of the Yin-Yang Sect."

Seeing that Lin Yan remained unmoved, He Ming became anxious. Although the Yin Yang Sect was wanted by the imperial court, not all Dharma Aspect experts would attack the Yin Yang Sect members. Some Dharma Aspect experts who were afraid of subsequent retaliation from the Yin Yang Sect would choose to protect themselves.

"If you help me kill the other party, the entire reward for this arrest warrant will be yours. In addition, I will owe you a favor."

Seemingly fearing that Lin Yan might not be tempted, He Ming added, "Killing this person would be a great achievement, and five great achievements can be exchanged for a Void Realm medicine."

"Even the greatest achievement requires being alive to claim it!"

The black-robed protector of the Yin-Yang Sect suddenly grinned maliciously. He used the Yin-Yang Sect's Insight Technique to see that the person in front of him was only at the second level of the Dharma Aspect Realm, even weaker than He Ming.

He had only held back his strength because he was afraid He Ming would take a risk and destroy the alchemy furnace. He wanted to give He Ming the hope that he could defeat him and seize the pills, and then slowly wear down He Ming's strength. Now, He Ming no longer posed a threat to the alchemy furnace.

As for the person in front of me, whose strength is even inferior to He Ming's, I'll leave him here as well.

The black-robed protector's Dharma power surged forth, and with a swift grab of his right hand, the Dharma power transformed into a long whip.

The long whip lashed out, whistling towards Lin Yan.

Seeing the Yin-Yang Sect protector take the initiative to attack the opponent, a hint of joy flashed in He Ming's eyes. As long as he could drag this person into the battle, he would have a chance to escape.

There might even be a chance to steal the Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill.

Sensing the terrifying power of the Dharma form contained in the opponent's long whip, Lin Yan remained calm, drew his Abyss Sword, and swung it out.

The sharp sword energy instantly shattered the black whip, and even more sword energy rushed towards the black-robed protector.

boom!

The black-robed protector struck out with his palm, taking the sword energy head-on. His body sank, and he retreated several feet, looking at Lin Yan with a surprised and uncertain expression.

How can it be so strong?

The Yin-Yang Insight Technique is infallible; the opponent must be at the second stage of the Dharma Aspect realm, while I am already at the third stage. How could I possibly be repelled by a single sword aura from the opponent?

Just as the black-robed protector was filled with doubt and surprise, Lin Yan's longsword moved again.

As the Taiyi Divine Technique was activated, the power of the Dharma Image within the Divine Palace poured out like a raging torrent. Four golden sword energies roared, directly blocking all the escape routes of the black-robed protector.

He only used half of his strength in that previous sword strike.

These four sword strikes used 70% of their power.

The first golden sword energy was blocked by the old man in black robes, but he retreated three zhang once again.

The second path is seven zhang long.

The third path is ten zhang long.

The fourth one, the old man in black robes spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turned pale, and he fell from the sky.

The black-robed protector was horrified. This opponent was not just at the second level of the Void Realm; the power of his sword energy was even greater than that of the fourth level of the Void Realm.

Even the most talented disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Taiyi Sword Sect probably couldn't do it. Where did this monster come from?

run!

The black-robed protector was very decisive; he even disregarded the alchemy furnace and turned to run in another direction.

If you're about to die, what use are elixirs?

"Trying to run away?"

Seeing the black-robed protector's movements, Lin Yan's figure flashed, and the next moment his figure streaked through the air like a sword. When he reappeared, the black-robed protector's figure fell directly to the ground, crashing heavily into the upward-pointing fork of a giant tree in the forest. The branch pierced through his chest, and his entire body hung on the tree.

This scene made He Ming's eyelids twitch. This person—is he that strong?

Is this youthful appearance realistic?

Although he was shocked, He Ming saw Lin Yan looking over and quickly clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your help. As agreed before, I will give you all the credit for killing the enemy. If you do not have an official position in the imperial court, I can exchange for anything you wish to exchange."

Lin Yan did not respond to He Ming, but instead pondered his own strength.

The protector of this Yin-Yang Sect is at the third level of the Void Realm, which means that my current strength is actually comparable to that of the fourth level of the Void Realm.

My own strength is greater than I imagined.

call out!

Lin Yan landed on the solitary peak, and seeing Lin Yan walk towards the alchemy furnace on the peak, He Ming's expression changed slightly. He could relinquish the credit for being a Dharma Aspect Protector of the Yin-Yang Sect, but the Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill inside the furnace—

"Your Excellency, this alchemy furnace contains the Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill, refined by this scoundrel of the Yin-Yang Sect. This pill is effective for martial artists who cultivate the Yin-Yang Sect's techniques, but for us—if we were to consume it, we would very likely suffer a backlash."

Hearing He Ming's words behind him, Lin Yan paused slightly, recalling the book in the Sword Sect that introduced the elixirs and medicines that could be taken by those in the Dharma Aspect Realm, including the record of the Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill.

The Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill is a unique elixir of the Yin-Yang sect.

The concepts of Yin and Yang need no further explanation, but the words "Blood Lotus"—

Blood lotus is extremely beautiful, but here it refers to the blood of a live infant.

The elixirs of the Yin-Yang Sect are mostly this vicious.

This is why, when the senior swordsman mentioned the Yin-Yang Sect, he wrote the words "If you encounter them, kill them."

Lin Yan's gaze fell on the few shriveled little corpses not far from the alchemy furnace, then suddenly turned to He Ming.

Is this a case of entrapment?

"Entrapment?"

He Ming was somewhat taken aback by the meaning behind Lin Yan's words.

But when he saw Lin Yan's gaze fall on the few shriveled little corpses, his expression suddenly changed: "You've misunderstood!"

"The Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill requires three days and three nights to refine, and every hour, the furnace needs to be opened to inject blood hearts, a total of thirty-six blood hearts. The injection is only stopped at the last quarter of an hour after the pill is completed. And it just so happens that you arrived at the last quarter of an hour?"

Lin Yan looked at the lid of the alchemy furnace, which had begun to pulsate; this was a sign that the elixir was about to be completed.

Lin Yan recalled that He Ming left the Inspector's Mansion at the same time as him. He Ming rode the Wind Feather Golden Falcon, and judging from the speed displayed by the Wind Feather Golden Falcon, he should have arrived here several days earlier than him.

"Indeed—it really is such a coincidence," He Ming replied, his expression unchanged.

"Whether it's true or false, I believe Your Excellency's Wind Feather Golden Falcon will provide the answer."

While birds like the Golden Falcon are fast, they also consume a lot of energy. He Ming couldn't possibly feed the Golden Falcon himself; he could simply check how long ago the Golden Falcon arrived at the local post station.

"How did you know I was riding the Wind-Feathered Golden Falcon?"

Upon hearing Lin Yan mention the Wind Feather Golden Falcon, He Ming's expression changed drastically. The next moment, his figure transformed into a streak of rainbow light and fled directly into the distance.

A terrifying thought lingered in his mind.

This person probably arrived early as well, just like me, hiding in the shadows to give the Yin-Yang Sect's protector time to refine the Yin-Yang Blood Lotus Pill.

Now that the pill is complete, it's time to kill him to silence him.

"He felt guilty."

Seeing He Ming about to run away, Lin Yan sighed softly. The next moment, he used the Sword Escape Technique and shot out like a rainbow. At the same time, he used his supernatural power for the first time: Supernatural Light.

A flash of light passed between Lin Yan's brows, and the next moment He Ming, who was still fleeing ahead, paused and fell downwards. However, due to inertia, he still maintained his forward momentum, but his speed was no longer comparable to before.

"I am a fifth-level inspector. Kill me, and the imperial court will—"

call out!

The sword energy pierced through He Ming's heart, ending his words.

He Ming's eyes widened in shock. Under the deliberate pull of the sword energy, the corpse was hung on a branch of the same tree as the black-robed protector of the Yin-Yang Sect, each keeping the other company.

"When I lacked strength, even if I was filled with anger when I encountered injustice, I could only bow my head and walk away to protect myself. That was beyond my power, so don't blame me." Lin Yan shook his head slightly. "Now that I've reached the Dharma Aspect Realm, if I can't even draw my sword to slay the filthy things I encounter, wouldn't all my years of martial arts training have been for nothing?"

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