"Are you looking for me?" Lin Yun asked with a faint smile.
Wang Chen didn't answer. He flung the dagger from his hand.
SWISH!
The dagger was as fast as a bullet. Lin Yun dodged it with a simple sidestep.
"My, my. I take it you're not in the mood for a conversation?"
Wang Chen snorted. "Lin Yun, you deceived your master, betrayed your sect, and showed nothing but ingratitude! I have nothing to say to the likes of you. You two, form the array! This kid's movement technique is bizarre; we can't let him escape our sight!"
At Wang Chen's command, the other two disciples readied themselves.
Lin Yun looked at their overly cautious posture and burst out laughing. "You people are all the same. You want to bully someone, so you first have to pin a bad name on them. You're from the Wuqian Dynasty—what business do you have meddling in the affairs of my Daye Dynasty?"
After he spoke, he began to move.
Though the three reacted quickly, their efforts were useless against Lin Yun's freakishly good movement technique. They hadn't even finished forming their array before Lin Yun had already broken through it. As for the attacks they launched to try and pin him down, they were an even bigger joke.
After training for so long in the Ancient Forbidden Land, dodging attacks had become second nature to Lin Yun, an instinct he executed with the most minimal of movements. He evaded their attacks at the lowest possible cost to himself, while simultaneously putting immense pressure on them.
Though it was a three-against-one fight, the ones who were truly feeling the pressure were Wang Chen and his companions.
Watching their grave expressions and sweat-drenched brows, Kong Xuan was dumbfounded.
Luo Yunchao, on the other hand, had the smug look of a proud bootlicker. "See? I told you Senior Brother Lin isn't someone an ordinary person can beat. It was no loss for me to be defeated by him."
Kong Xuan shot Luo Yunchao a disgusted glance, but the way she looked at Lin Yun had completely changed. The earlier disdain was gone, replaced by a complex mix of emotions. She had initially thought Wang Chen's group was just incompetent, but now she saw that wasn't the case. It wouldn't have mattered who they were facing. One at the second stage of the Sky-Soaring Realm, and two at the ninth and seventh stages of the Origin Sea Realm. Their team's composition was by no means weak, and it was clear they had worked together often, which should have increased their chances of victory.
Even so, they were being steadily beaten back by Lin Yun's powerful assault.
First, Wang Chen was sent flying with a single kick. The other two were taken down before they even had a chance to react. Lin Yun pinned one under each foot.
"Move again," he snarled, "and I'll kill you right now!"
The two disciples instantly went still. This was no joke. This guy absolutely had the guts to do it.
As for Wang Chen, he climbed to his feet with a complicated look on his face. I was too careless. He had thought that three of them ambushing a single Lin Yun was a sure thing. He never imagined Lin Yun would turn the tables on them so easily.
But what truly terrified Wang Chen was Lin Yun's aura and his eyes during the battle. Compared to him, they were the prey. Lin Yun was the true predator. All he could see in those eyes was killing intent.
"What do you want?" Wang Chen asked, seeing that Lin Yun hadn't killed his junior brothers.
Lin Yun held out a hand. "The Geomancy Map. Hand it over." His calm demeanor was unnerving.
Just then, Wang Chen noticed Luo Yunchao gloating nearby. "Damn it, what are you smiling about? You were all captured too! Why didn't you send a signal? Were you waiting for reinforcements to come and get captured one by one?" Wang Chen vented his frustration. (Translator's Note: "Waiting for the Calabash Brothers to save grandpa" is a reference to a classic cartoon where heroes get captured one-by-one in a futile rescue attempt.)
Luo Yunchao, however, looked as unbothered as a dead pig in boiling water. "I'd advise you to hand over the map. Save yourself a beating," he said with a grin.
Wang Chen was speechless. Damn it. This guy already handed over his map? So quickly?
"You can choose not to," Lin Yun said, his gaze fixed on Wang Chen. "I'll just have to find the next Xuan-Kun Palace disciple."
It wasn't that no one had ever thought of snatching a Geomancy Map before, but doing so was an act that would be universally condemned. Generally, as long as one wanted to remain in the circle, they would more or less abide by the rules of the game.
But the situation was different now. The Beast Taming Sect had provoked no one, yet four sects had ganged up to steamroll them. If he didn't teach them a lesson, they'd never learn. Next year, they still wouldn't know why the flowers bloom so red.
Wang Chen was still hesitating. It was mainly Lin Yun's eyes; they were terrifying, putting him under immense psychological pressure. If he refused, would he be tortured to death? He glanced over at Luo Yunchao, who was tied up but clearly unharmed.
After a moment's thought, Wang Chen said, "Don't harm my two junior brothers, and I'll give it to you." In any case, they hadn't been the ones to instigate this conflict. When the time came, they could just pin all the blame on the Flowing Cloud Sect.
Lin Yun smiled. "Don't worry. There's no benefit for me in killing you."
Wang Chen tossed the Geomancy Map over. Lin Yun gave it a cursory glance before putting it away. He quickly tied all three of them up.
"Alright," he said. "Next, let's talk about the ransom. Take out all the treasures you have on you. One item per person, and I'll let you live." He smiled at them.
???
Question marks practically appeared over Wang Chen's head. What the hell is this? I haven't even had a chance to look for treasure myself, and you're already taking mine?
At first, they considered being stubborn and refusing. But then they turned and saw that Luo Yunchao had already dumped a pile of his personal treasures on the ground.
"Senior Brother Lin, this is everything I have. Please, take your pick."
Lin Yun really didn't know what to say to this exceptionally cooperative fellow. But operating on the principle that it was a waste not to fleece them, he still took something from each of them.
Only when he got to Kong Xuan did she clench her teeth and refuse. "Hmph. The rumors outside were right after all. You really are a despicable and shameless person, Lin Yun."
Seeing her panting with anger, Lin Yun sneered. "Am I? And when your group ganged up to kill me, one person, you didn't think that was despicable and shameless? A one-on-one fight—which of you has the guts to face me? You?" He pointed at one. "Or you?"
His icy gaze swept over them, and they all lowered their heads. He was right. In a true one-on-one fight, with their meager skills, who would dare to face a god of slaughter who had emerged from the Ancient Forbidden Land?
Kong Xuan was rebutted into silence.
Just then, Lin Yun stood up. "The good and bad of this cultivation world isn't decided by the words that come out of your mouths. To judge whether a person is good or bad, it's better to look not only at what they say, but at what they do!"
He shot one last glare at Kong Xuan, then said no more, quickly melting into the jungle.
SNAP—
The ropes binding them broke. They stood up, looking at each other in stunned silence. They never thought Lin Yun would actually let them go.