Looking at the crater in the ground blasted by a single pair of bracers, Luo Yunchao was dumbfounded.
Even Xiao Pingtian's face was a mask of shock.
How did this guy do it?
He finally understood why Lin Yun hadn't had a breakthrough just now. These bracers had been suppressing Lin Yun's Yuan Qi all along, while also constantly increasing the load on his body. If the Lin Yun from before had been going all out, then his power now had to be at least five times greater!
What kind of monster did this guy encounter in the Beast Taming Sect's Ancient Forbidden Land?
Watching Lin Yun's current display, Xiao Pingtian's displeasure grew. From the very first time he had met Lin Yun, the guy had gotten stronger each and every time, breaking Xiao Pingtian's records at every turn. Even Gu Xiande had often spoken of Lin Yun with praise. Xiao Pingtian was truly sick of it.
Though he was unwilling to admit it, he was intensely jealous of Lin Yun. He wished for nothing more than to kill this lucky bastard right now and take all his treasures for himself.
"How… how is this possible?"
"That guy was wearing bracers like that and he still beat us so easily?"
The group of cultivators, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, were all stupefied. This was just too demoralizing. They could admit that Lin Yun was strong, but they had been certain they could kill him today. Who could have known that Lin Yun hadn't even been going all out when he fought them? He hadn't even been serious.
It was an unbearable blow to their pride.
"Shut up, you bunch of trash!" Xiao Pingtian roared. "All of you, attack him together! I refuse to believe that with so many of you, you can't take down one Lin Yun! Whoever kills him, or even just wounds him, will be handsomely rewarded by the Flowing Cloud Sect!"
The crowd looked at each other, then back at Xiao Pingtian. This isn't how the script is supposed to go. Shouldn't you, Xiao Pingtian, be the one to step up and fight back? How did it end up being our job to solve your problem for you?
Of course, none of them dared to say this out loud. They just looked at Lin Yun, all of them still feeling incredibly cowardly. It was no joke. A casually tossed bracer could blast a crater in the ground. If he threw a punch, wouldn't it smash their heads straight into their stomachs?
Lin Yun burst out laughing. "Truly worthy of you, Xiao Pingtian. What's wrong? Worried you're not my match now, so you want these guys to test the waters first? I really never expected that the great and famous Sword-Bearer is nothing more than a worthless coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!"
Seeing the mockery in Lin Yun's eyes, Xiao Pingtian's rage intensified. He's just a piece of trash from the Origin Sea Realm! He truly didn't understand why this guy still dared to be so arrogant in front of him. Why was there always someone there to help him at the critical moment?
But fortunately, this time, Lin Yun's luck had run out.
"There are so many of you! Are you still afraid of a single Origin Sea cultivator?" Xiao Pingtian berated them. "This kid is just bluffing!"
Although many were unhappy with his words, they had to admit it was ridiculous that so many of them were being intimidated by one person. If word of this got out, they would be a laughingstock.
Luo Yunchao glanced at the two junior brothers beside him. "This is a great opportunity for our Constant Sun Sect to achieve glory! Follow me, and we will bring Lin Yun to justice!"
The three of them looked confident, as if they weren't the same ones who had been instantly subdued by Lin Yun before.
With someone taking the lead, the others instantly grew bolder. Treasures of all colors were thrown into the air.
"Lin Yun, time to die! We will repay the humiliation we suffered before a thousand times over!"
Lin Yun sneered as he watched the group, all of them filled with a sense of self-righteous indignation. How interesting. They attempted murder, and now they're blaming the victim for being too strong?
He looked coldly at the charging cultivators, his face devoid of any emotion. He had been prepared for this the moment he spoke those words.
"Those who wield the sword should be prepared to be killed by it."
After saying this, Lin Yun looked at Xiao Pingtian, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk.
You want to rely on a mob of stinky fish and rotten shrimp to deal with me? Dream on.
Although on the surface Luo Yunchao was shouting and charging at the front, in reality, the coward ran halfway and then hid behind the others. The rest of the cultivators, their minds clouded by rage, had forgotten all about holding back.
"Hehe, better you than me," Luo Yunchao thought with a sliver of cunning. "After you're all dead, I can just swoop in and pick up the scraps!" In his mind, this battle couldn't possibly end so quickly. He didn't need to rush in. If Lin Yun was so easy to kill, would Xiao Pingtian have given them this chance? He had to admit, the Sword-Bearer of the Flowing Cloud Sect was a cautious coward.
Xiao Pingtian watched the scheming cultivators below and sneered. He didn't mind their little tricks, as long as they could cause some trouble for Lin Yun. Though even he couldn't explain why he was fighting this way. Perhaps it was because Lin Yun had escaped several times before. He now preferred a battle where victory was a near certainty.
"With bone as the sword!"
"With spirit as the edge!"
"Azure Origin Sword Style!"
Lin Yun's roar echoed, and in the next instant, a滔滔 (tāotāo - torrential) wave of killing intent erupted like a geyser, instantly flooding the entire valley. Though it was the dog days of summer, the cultivators shivered as if they were freezing.
"What is this evil technique? Why do I feel like I'm moving so slowly?"
"This Lin Yun must have cultivated some demonic art! Otherwise, how could he slow down our powers?"
Before the group could even react, Lin Yun had already moved.
A battle-hardened lion versus a flock of sheep that had never seen the ferocity of a real battlefield—there was no comparison!
Luo Yunchao was indeed clever, thinking he could let others die for him. But they had all underestimated Lin Yun's strength. And they had underestimated his resolve to kill them.
Including Xiao Pingtian.
To Lin Yun, on this day in Soul-Hooking Valley, no one was innocent!
Lin Yun's movement technique was ghostly and unpredictable, further honed by his trials in the Ancient Forbidden Land. It was not something this mob of cultivators could possibly contend with. The moment he unleashed the Azure Origin Sword Style, combined with his terrifying aura of slaughter, the instantaneous carnage it created made even Xiao Pingtian look on in shock.
He had indeed thought of using these people to bog Lin Yun down. But it was all happening too fast.
In the space of a single breath, the cultivators who had just been charging forward, screaming for blood, suddenly stopped.
They stared at Lin Yun in terror.
Then, slowly, they collapsed.
Every single one of them died with their eyes wide open, unable to comprehend what had just happened. They would never have imagined that even though their strength was roughly the same, in Lin Yun's eyes, they were no different from piglets.