The Burning Gold Mountain Range, located in the heart of the Country of Hou Fen, was a scorching land shrouded in flames and lava.
The mountains soared into the clouds, their peaks perpetually enveloped in crimson flames, looking like countless fire dragons coiling among the summits.
The mountains were composed of black volcanic rock. Their surfaces were covered with crisscrossing cracks from which molten lava constantly spewed forth, like the earth's blood boiling over.
Every nightfall, the Burning Gold Mountain Range became even more magnificent. The crimson glow of the lava intertwined with the golden hue of the flames, illuminating half the sky as if the entire world were ablaze.
Lin Che, holding Li Muwan's hand, instantly appeared at a volcanic crater. If he wasn't mistaken, the Burning Gold Fruit, the primary medicinal ingredient for refining the Spirit Melting Pill, was inside.
Although this item was useless to him, it was crucial for Li Muwan. She would need the Spirit Melting Pill to aid her in breaking through to the Core Formation stage and ensure a smooth success.
"Senior Brother, the Burning Gold Fruit only grows within the Burning Gold Mountain Range. Every year when it ripens, disciples from all four sects personally come to harvest it."
Li Muwan took Lin Che's arm, pointed to the blue mist rising from the top of the volcano, and smiled gently. "Senior Brother, look. That blue mist means the Burning Gold Fruit is ripe and ready to be harvested. If the blue mist doesn't appear, the fruit cannot dissolve the volcanic poison within it."
Hearing Li Muwan's explanation, Lin Che nodded slightly. He waved his left hand forward, and the Burning Gold Fruit growing deep within the volcano was uprooted entirely, roots and all.
If this root were transplanted within the Heng Yue Sect, they would have a continuous supply of Burning Gold Fruits.
However, at this moment, several figures arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the Burning Gold Fruit in Lin Che's hand, they immediately flew into a rage.
"Where did this junior come from, daring to pick the Burning Gold Fruit of my Corpse Yin Sect? You have quite the nerve!"
The middle-aged man leading the group was Zhou Gang, an elite disciple of the Corpse Yin Sect with a cultivation level reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Beside him were a man and a woman, both also at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
"We only dare to take a maximum of ten Burning Gold Fruits each year for fear of damaging the root. You actually severed the entire root!"
Zhou Gang glared and roared, "No matter which sect you belong to, you will pay a heavy price for destroying this root!"
With that, the three cultivators from the Corpse Yin Sect immediately released their refined corpses and charged toward Lin Che and Li Muwan, intending to kill them on the spot.
Lin Che snorted disdainfully. He was actually waiting for these three from the Corpse Yin Sect. If these three hadn't appeared, then that person probably wouldn't have shown up either.
"Die!"
His Divine Sense expanded outwards, crashing down like thunder. In almost an instant, the charging refined corpses were annihilated, along with the three Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Corpse Yin Sect.
Their bodies turned to ashes under the pressure of his Divine Sense, vanishing without a trace.
Lin Che turned around, looking at a cloud of white mist flying out from one of the corpses, and said coldly, "Take another step, and you die."
Hearing Lin Che's words, the white mist suddenly froze in mid-air. It immediately transformed into a tiny figure no bigger than a palm, trembling as it flew to Lin Che's side.
The handsome little man swallowed hard and hurriedly bowed toward Lin Che, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please have mercy! This junior is Xu Liguo, a disciple of the Tian Gang Sect from a Rank 4 Cultivation Country. I have offended you just now. Please, let's talk things over and not be impulsive!"
"It really is him."
Lin Che looked at the little man, Xu Liguo, in front of him. He then expanded his Divine Sense into the volcano. Deep inside, he sensed that Wang Lin, who had disguised himself as Ma Liang, had already hidden inside the Heaven Defying Bead.
The moment Lin Che appeared and took the root of the Burning Gold Fruit, Wang Lin had sensed the threat. Therefore, before Lin Che could even act, Wang Lin had directly entered the Heaven Defying Bead's space.
Lin Che ignored Wang Lin inside the Heaven Defying Bead and instead focused his gaze on Xu Liguo. This type of Origin Soul was suitable to be refined into a Devil and would be easy to use later.
Seeing Lin Che remain silent, Xu Liguo assumed he was about to be let go. He secretly rejoiced, thinking, 'Judging from this guy's aura, he should also be a Nascent Soul cultivator. If I still had my physical body, I could kill a hundred of him with my strength.'
Just as Xu Liguo was feeling smug, he saw Lin Che's fingers twitch slightly, and a ball of blood-red energy enveloped Xu Liguo's Origin Soul.
Lin Che naturally understood Xu Liguo's slippery personality. He planned to refine him into a Devil immediately so he wouldn't have to worry about the guy escaping or causing trouble later.
"You... what do you want to do?!" Xu Liguo stared nervously. "Let me tell you, I am a disciple of the Tian Gang Sect! If you lay a hand on me, the Tian Gang Sect will not let you off!"
"Shut up!"
Lin Che's pupils suddenly turned blood-red, and the killing intent emanating from his body became chillingly intense. Even a light touch of that energy felt like an unprecedented oppression.
Xu Liguo's expression changed instantly. Tears streamed down his face as he hugged Lin Che's arm (or finger), choking out, "Fellow Daoist, calm down! As long as you let me go, I will give you anything you want! I just beg you not to kill me!"
Li Muwan walked over at this time, asking in confusion, "Senior Brother, what is the use of this Origin Soul?"
"Naturally, it has a special function." Lin Che nodded. He grasped Xu Liguo in his hand, and an extremely violent energy suddenly crashed into the soul, intending to wipe his memories.
As the energy washed over him, Xu Liguo immediately feigned ignorance, asking blankly, "Who are you? And who am I?"
Lin Che snorted coldly. He knew Xu Liguo's cunning nature better than anyone. According to the original story, even if his Divine Sense was erased, this guy would still "recover" his memories later, he was an expert at playing dead.
Lin Che's killing intent condensed again, this time with incredibly powerful energy. Even Xu Liguo, who had been a Nascent Soul cultivator in the past, felt a terror he had never experienced before.
Xu Liguo immediately dropped the act, reverting to his original state and repeatedly begging for mercy, "Ah... Fellow Daoist, don't kill me, don't kill me! I don't want to die, I really don't want to die!"
"Shut up."
Lin Che's tone became even colder. Even Li Muwan could clearly feel the surrounding temperature dropping rapidly, and she could see cracks appearing in the air with Lin Che at the center.
"Senior Brother... you're so scary."
Li Muwan gently bit her lower lip. This was the first time she had seen her Senior Brother's face turn so cold. He looked like a demon from hell, giving off an indescribable feeling of dread.
"Absorb the killing intent here, or I'll shatter your soul right now!"
Xu Liguo cried out, his face contorted with despair. He had no choice but to gulp down the killing intent Lin Che was feeding him. However, the energy was too volatile, causing him to let out a piercing scream.
"Stop releasing the killing intent, Senior! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!"