A Useless Person Awakens to the Eternal Spirit Emperor Technique

As soon as he finished speaking, the four Qi Refining Level 8 disciples behind the leading man instantly dispersed, forming an encirclement, intending to crush Ling Chen with their spiritual power and then seize the secret realm's resources.

Su Qinghe's expression turned cold. She held her longsword horizontally, her eyes fixed on the group. Azure sword energy swirled around her as she stood beside Ling Chen, providing cover.

He shouted sternly, "Which branch of the Xuanjian Sect are you disciples from? We were the ones who discovered the Spirit Spring first, and we were the ones who killed the Xuan Water Crocodile. How dare you openly steal it? Aren't you afraid of violating the sect's rules!"

"Sect rules?" The leading man scoffed, his face full of arrogance. "In this secret realm, strength is the rule! I am Wang Hu, a disciple personally taught by an inner sect deacon. All of you here are my fellow disciples. You and a mere Qi Refining Level 7 servant dare to talk to us about rules?"

His gaze swept greedily over the spirit spring, then fixed on the storage ring at Ling Chen's waist. There were not only freshly picked Frost Condensation Grass, but also the demon core and inner core of the Xuan Water Crocodile, all of which were priceless treasures. Not to mention that Ling Chen was able to kill a third-tier demon beast, so he must have some unknown opportunities and techniques hidden on him.

"Stop wasting time talking to them, attack together! Kill these two, and the Spirit Spring and all the treasures will be ours!" With a command, Wang Hu unleashed his peak ninth-level Qi Refining power and threw a punch at Ling Chen. His fist was fierce and carried an undisguised killing intent.

Four disciples at the eighth level of Qi Refining followed closely behind, wielding swords and striking with palms. Five spiritual energy attacks came simultaneously, sealing off all space for Ling Chen and Su Qinghe to dodge. Their imposing aura was menacing, as if they wanted to crush the two of them with overwhelming strength.

Su Qinghe's heart tightened. She was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and she was already struggling against a disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining, let alone five powerful enemies. She immediately circulated all her spiritual energy and brandished her long sword, trying to resist the attack.

"Step back!"

Ling Chen rebuked in a deep voice, pulling Su Qinghe behind him. His body shone with golden light once again, and he activated the Eternal Spirit Emperor Technique at full power. The slight fatigue from killing the Xuan Shui Crocodile was instantly suppressed, and an aura of dominance over the world burst forth from his body. Even when facing five sect disciples, he remained as steady as Mount Tai.

"A mere ninth level Qi Refining cultivator dares to be so insolent in front of me."

Ling Chen's eyes were icy. In his previous life, he was the Eternal Spirit Emperor and had seen countless powerful enemies. These people in front of him were just frogs in a well who relied on their slightly higher cultivation level. They were not worth mentioning at all.

Facing the whistling fists and sword strikes, Ling Chen neither dodged nor avoided them. He stomped his right foot on the ground, causing the ground around him to crack open. Golden spiritual energy surged out like a wave, directly clashing with the five attacks.

boom! boom! boom!

The violent collision echoed through the deep ravine, and the shockwave of spiritual energy spread outwards, causing the ravine water to surge and churn, and water mist to fill the sky.

Wang Hu and the others felt an incomparably domineering force rushing towards them along with their attack, as if they had crashed into a towering mountain. Their arms went numb instantly, their spiritual energy became chaotic, and they were forced to retreat continuously, their faces filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible! You're only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, how could you possess such formidable power!" Wang Hu exclaimed in shock, his disdain completely replaced by terror.

Ling Chen gave them no chance to react. With a flash, he darted into the crowd like a ghost. His golden fist, carrying an overwhelming force, went straight for the nearest Qi Refining Level 8 disciple.

The disciple was terrified and hurriedly swung his sword to defend himself, but his sword was like paper in front of Ling Chen's Spirit Emperor Fist, shattering instantly, and the fist slammed heavily into his chest.

"puff!"

The disciple coughed up blood and flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the rocks by the stream. He immediately lost consciousness and was rendered unable to fight.

In the blink of an eye, they had lost one of their own. Wang Hu and the others turned pale and finally realized that the young man in front of them, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, was not someone they could afford to provoke. His combat power was far more terrifying than he appeared.

"Let's form a battle formation and join forces to fight the enemy!" Wang Hu roared, and quickly stood back to back with the remaining three disciples, trying to form a combined attack formation to barely resist.

Ling Chen's speed was extremely fast, his figure weaving through the chaotic flow of spiritual energy, and with each strike, someone would fall to the ground.

The Spirit Emperor Fist was incredibly powerful, capable of breaking through all kinds of spiritual energy defenses. The remaining three disciples at the eighth level of Qi Refining had no chance to fight back. In just three breaths, they were all struck in vital points by Ling Chen, collapsing to the ground and groaning in pain.

In the blink of an eye, the five who had been so aggressive just moments before were reduced to just Wang Hu, who stood alone, drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling uncontrollably, and looking at Ling Chen as if he were looking at a devil.

"You...you stay away! I am a disciple of the inner sect's steward. If you kill me, the steward will never let you off!" Wang Hu threatened, his voice trembling with fear, as he retreated, his previous arrogance completely gone.

Ling Chen stepped forward slowly, the golden light around him gradually fading, his eyes as indifferent as if looking at a dead man: "When you harbored murderous intent just now, you should have thought of today's fate. The sect rules cannot protect you, and your backing cannot protect you either."

In this dog-eat-dog world, being merciful to your enemies is being cruel to yourself. In his past life, he met his end because he was too soft-hearted. Now reborn, he will never make the same mistake again.

Ling Chen raised his hand, golden light condensed in his palm, and a concentrated fist force aimed straight at Wang Hu's face.

Wang Hu screamed in terror, trying to dodge, but he was firmly locked in place by Ling Chen's aura and could only watch helplessly as the force of the punch came.

Just then, Ling Chen suddenly raised an eyebrow, paused, turned his head to look at the dense forest above the deep ravine, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

He sensed that several other presences were hidden in the dense forest, watching this place intently. They were clearly also attracted by the strange phenomenon of the spiritual spring and intended to reap the benefits.

Seeing Ling Chen stop, Wang Hu assumed he was afraid of the power behind him and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy: "Young master, spare my life! I was wrong! I will never dare to steal treasures again! Please spare my life!"

Ling Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at Wang Hu, who was kneeling and begging for mercy. A cold smile appeared on his lips: "I'll keep you around; you're still useful."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of spiritual energy landed on Wang Hu's dantian, instantly crippling his cultivation and rendering him completely powerless.

Then, Ling Chen turned and walked to the spirit spring, looking at the shocked Su Qinghe, and said in a deep voice, "This place is not safe to stay for long. The fight just now has alerted many more people, and there are other cultivators lurking in the shadows. Let's immediately set up a simple formation by the spirit spring. You will protect me, and I will immediately consume the Frost-Condensing Grass to break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining!"

Su Qinghe snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly. At this moment, she had complete faith in Ling Chen and did not hesitate at all. She immediately gripped her longsword and looked warily at the surrounding dense forest.

Ling Chen no longer hesitated. He sat cross-legged on the stone platform in the center of the spiritual spring, put a Frost Condensation Grass into his mouth, and at the same time activated the Eternal Spirit Emperor Technique, frantically absorbing the pure spiritual energy in the spiritual spring and the medicinal power of the Frost Condensation Grass. The spiritual energy around him boiled again, and the opportunity for a breakthrough had arrived.

Meanwhile, in the dark forest, several shadowy figures were stirring. Sensing the increasingly dense spiritual energy fluctuations beside the spiritual spring, their greed grew stronger. An even greater crisis was quietly approaching.