Good words can't persuade a ghost that's destined to die.
Li Yu thought to himself that this affair had nothing to do with him. Since Wang Chengyu was so determined to seek his own death, why should he stick around to accompany him? With that, he turned to leave.
But in that very instant, a figure flashed and appeared before him.
Lin Yun blocked Li Yu's path.
"Since you're here, don't be in such a hurry to leave," Lin Yun said flatly, his tone laced with contempt.
Forget Wang Chengyu; even Liu Xiaolu was dumbfounded. He had been interacting with Lin Yun frequently over the past few days, but who would have thought that this "Cai Ji" was so powerful? Liu Xiaolu's jaw hung open.
Li Yu, however, instinctively raised his hands. "Your Excellency, please wait. I… I have not provoked you. Why must you make things so difficult?"
He wasn't a fool. Lin Yun was too dangerous; any discerning person could see that.
"You're a smart one," Lin Yun said. "But it is precisely for that reason that I cannot let you leave so easily." He placed a hand on Li Yu's shoulder.
The latter struggled with all his might, channeling all the Yuan Qi in his body. But to his horror, no matter how much he struggled, it was like a stone sinking into the great sea, having no effect whatsoever.
What terrifying power! Just a casual press of his hand was enough to render him completely immobile. Li Yu was shocked to his core by the depth of Lin Yun's strength. This was a level of power that no ordinary person could possibly command.
Li Yu knew his own limits. They were in the middle of nowhere. If a fight truly broke out, he would have no advantage. Even with Wang Chengyu at his side, defeat was certain.
"Senior, I wonder how this junior has offended your venerable self? I ask for Senior's guidance," Li Yu asked with utmost sincerity.
Wang Chengyu stared at him as if he were an idiot. "I say, Li Yu, have you lost your mind? What kind of bullshit 'senior' is this kid? Cai Ji has been in our Myriad Evils Valley for three years and he's still just at the Origin Sea Realm. This kind of trash, you call him a senior?"
Li Yu, naturally, had no time to explain. His life was in Lin Yun's hands.
"I can spare your life," Lin Yun said. "However, what has happened here today cannot be exposed." The Myriad Evils Valley's methods were different from the Crimson Ghost Sect's. They were relatively more cautious. At the same time, they were also known for bullying others with their power. Scum like Wang Chengyu were, in the end, an exception. Lin Yun's current infiltration was of grave importance. The safety of the Adamantine Sect was at stake; he had to consider every detail carefully.
"Rest assured, Senior. I have seen nothing today." Although he had already roughly guessed Lin Yun's identity, Li Yu didn't dare say more.
The more Wang Chengyu watched, the stranger he found the situation. "I say, have you really lost your mind?" he said to Li Yu, before turning his glare on Lin Yun. "Cai Ji! You bastard, get your filthy hands off my friend's shoulder!"
Hearing Wang Chengyu's words, Lin Yun slowly turned around. His cold eyes fell upon him. That single glance made Wang Chengyu take a step back.
What's going on? Is this the same Cai Ji I know? A trace of fear rose in Wang Chengyu's heart. He had thought himself fearless, but facing Lin Yun now, he felt a certain wariness. This guy was just too strange.
Lin Yun took it all in. "Since you wish to help him, then you'll have to defeat me with your own skill first." As he spoke, Lin Yun spread his hands wide.
Liu Xiaolu was now beyond shocked. But he knew. This person was definitely not Cai Ji. The real Cai Ji was far too introverted, and coupled with his poor talent, he was something of a joke within the sect. He rarely interacted with anyone. But the man before him now, whom he had thought was Cai Ji, carried himself with an air of casual confidence. It was clear he was extremely self-assured and didn't give Wang Chengyu a second thought.
Perhaps Li Yu was right. This person was far from simple.
Then another thought struck him. This was the Spirit Realm. How could he have run into so many incredible figures? The most likely person to appear here… wasn't it the incredibly lucky Lin Yun he himself had been talking about?
The moment he thought of this, Liu Xiaolu felt his soul cringe out of his body. Heavens, what have I done? To think that he had been bragging in front of Lin Yun himself, mocking Lin Yun to his face… only he could have done something so embarrassing.
Although Wang Chengyu had sensed that something was off about Lin Yun, he had no idea what it had to do with the Lin Yun. So, at this moment, he had only one choice.
With a furious roar, he charged forward like a meteor. "Since you're courting death, then let me teach you a lesson today!" He threw a punch at Lin Yun. The blow was ferocious and incredibly fast. If it had been the real Cai Ji, he would surely be cowering and weeping in terror right now.
But Lin Yun was not.
Li Yu put a hand to his forehead. This Wang Chengyu is a true idiot. Not enough to succeed, more than enough to fail. He knew Lin Yun was stronger, yet he still dared to provoke him like this. Wasn't he just asking for trouble? But there was nothing they could do now.
The next moment, Lin Yun raised his hand.
POW!
Wang Chengyu's fist slammed violently into Lin Yun's palm.
"What a fool," Wang Chengyu started to gloat. "A mere Origin Sea cultivator dares to try and catch my fist? Watch me…" His words died in his throat.
Lin Yun should have been sent flying by his punch. But now, seeing him standing there completely unharmed, Wang Chengyu's face was a mask of disbelief. Was this the Cai Ji he knew?
When he tried to pull his hand back, he found that Lin Yun's palm was like a pair of iron pincers, gripping his right hand tightly. He couldn't move!
Wang Chengyu was certain he was using all his strength, but his fist remained perfectly still. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his back was drenched in a cold sweat.
"You… you are not Cai Ji!"
Lin Yun smiled. "Compared to your friend over there, you seem to be a bit stupider. Did it really take you this long to realize that?"
Faced with Lin Yun's mockery, Wang Chengyu had nothing to say. His primary emotion now was fear.
Li Yu was left utterly speechless by the display. This idiot, it took him until this point to figure it out.
But unlike Li Yu, Wang Chengyu was not one to recognize the reality of a situation. Even knowing Lin Yun's identity, a strange confidence suddenly surged from nowhere.
"So you were the one who infiltrated the Myriad Evils Valley! No wonder we couldn't find you. You've got some nerve! A pity for you that you ran into me today. This is your greatest miscalculation!"
As he spoke, Wang Chengyu was about to call for reinforcements.
Li Yu hurriedly tried to stop him. "Wang Chengyu, if you do that, both of us will die here!"
Wang Chengyu sneered. "The sect's encampment is less than a hundred li from here. In such a short time, how can he possibly kill me?"