A true fifth-grade pill had fallen into Lin Ye's hands.
The fragrance drifting from the Candlebone Starforging Pill alone was enough to drive the ferocious beasts within a hundred miles into madness. If it were auctioned, its price would be beyond estimation—so high that even the Zhang Clan, the wealthiest family, could not afford it even with an entire year's earnings.
So Lin Ye did not hesitate.
He opened his mouth and swallowed it whole.
A normal Earth-Transformation cultivator who dared to ingest a fifth-grade pill would most likely explode on the spot. The medicinal power would erupt violently, shredding the body from the inside. Without a higher expert—at least a Heaven-Phenomenon realm cultivator—to guide and disperse the energy, death was guaranteed.
But Lin Ye discovered something terrifying:
Nine Revolutions Asura Art could refine the pill's power with ease.
Boom!
The moment the pill dissolved, its medicinal force detonated inside his body like a star collapsing. Yet Lin Ye's cultivation method ran instantly—his body becoming a ravenous beast devouring everything.
The power surged into his Qi Sea, expanding it at an insane pace.
Boom!
Earth-Transformation Sixth Realm!
He reached it effortlessly—then continued.
Boom!
Seventh Realm!
Boom!
Eighth Realm!
One fifth-grade pill was worth over ten years of bitter cultivation for an Earth-Transformation expert.
Boom!
And then—
Earth-Transformation Ninth Realm!
At the instant Lin Ye reached the peak, the Blood Peak within the Asura Blood Sea began to rise again.
On it—
The long-awaited inscription appeared.
Nine Revolutions Asura Art — Second Layer.
Lin Ye's divine sense swept forward, absorbing every line into his mind. He began circulating it immediately.
At first, it felt slightly stiff.
But soon it became smooth, natural—his meridians and acupoints shifting as though they had always been built for this method.
He broke into the Second Layer.
His cultivation speed increased tenfold.
One hour of absorption now equaled an entire day of prior cultivation.
And the techniques he possessed—his sword art, his secrets—would now reveal their true brutality.
"This Asura Art is terrifying…"
Even in his previous life, Lin Ye's cultivation methods had been exceptional—but the second layer of this art already rivaled a Heaven-grade technique.
The speed, the refinement power, the sheer dominance of blood-aspect absorption…
It thrilled him.
"And this is only the second layer… what about the third? The fourth?"
"No wonder it says… nine revolutions complete, and even Saints can be slain."
A Saint-tier existence—how absurdly powerful must that be?
In his past life, even at his peak, he could not shake the Heaven-blessed Imperial Bloodline. But now, with Nine Revolutions Asura Art in hand, Lin Ye was climbing toward a level where everything became possible.
He exhaled slowly.
"Earth-Transformation Ninth Realm… not bad."
"I refined about eighty percent of the pill's power. The remaining twenty percent has merged into my body and needs time to settle."
"Once it fully stabilizes… I'll be able to touch the threshold of the Heaven-Phenomenon Realm."
Even Lin Ye found it hard to believe.
Only a few days.
And his cultivation had exploded like this.
Even the greatest prodigies in Divine River Continent could not achieve such a leap.
At his current strength, killing Geng Shiqiu would be as easy as flicking a finger.
But Lin Ye wasn't in a hurry.
His priority remained cultivation.
Killing and fighting were only tools to pave the road.
However—
Someone had assassinated Murong Xuan'ang, deliberately framing Lin Ye.
That disgusted him.
Whoever dared to scheme against him would be dragged out and crushed.
He glanced at the sky.
Tonight, there was no moon. Heavy clouds pressed down, and an oppressive, sinister energy covered the land like a lid.
Lin Ye draped a dark cloak over his shoulders and headed toward the East City Gate.
Tonight was also the time he'd arranged to meet the mysterious seller—who claimed to know a tomb worth exploring.
Lin Ye moved quickly.
Even though Lei Yongbiao had placed watchers around his residence, none of them could clearly track his movements.
East City Gate
Under a tree stood three figures in hunting clothes.
When Lin Ye appeared from the gate, their gazes met for a moment—then fixed onto him.
"You're the one interested in what's inside that ancient tomb?" one of them stepped forward.
Only weak firelight flickered atop the city wall. Their faces couldn't be clearly seen.
But Lin Ye didn't need to see them.
"Yes."
"We can take you in," the person said. "But first you pay five hundred thousand spirit stones."
"And whether you come out alive… we don't care."
Lin Ye's voice was calm.
"I'll give you one million, and we leave now."
The three sucked in a sharp breath.
"Are you serious?" one of them nearly shouted, the tone cracking.
Lin Ye simply tossed over a spirit pouch—exactly one million spirit stones.
Even a high-ranking sect official like Xu Liang had accumulated only four million after a lifetime of work.
Yet Lin Ye had just handed over a million like it was loose change.
That confirmed what they already believed:
This man was a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Back when they sold him the Ghostface Flower, they expected maybe seventy or eighty thousand at best.
But Lin Ye had shouted five million without even letting anyone bid.
They'd been certain he was either insane or too rich to understand money.
Now—
They were thrilled.
"爽快!" the central figure laughed loudly. "I, Thirteen Lady, like your kind of temper!"
"Brothers—mount up!"
She removed her hood.
Her face revealed itself in the firelight.
A girl—not even twenty.
Her smile showed sharp little tiger teeth. Her cheeks were round, but her figure was tall and slender, waist tight, a delicate short sword strapped to her side.
A rose with thorns.
Lin Ye stared, momentarily speechless.
A girl this young… calling herself Thirteen Lady?
The other two revealed their faces as well.
One was short and chubby, eyes like green beans.
Nickname: Fat Sun.
The other was thin as a monkey, eyes sharp like a night hawk.
Nickname: Old Falcon.
None of them were old. Even Old Falcon was barely in his early twenties.
Then an awkward moment—
They had only prepared three horses.
Thirteen Lady hesitated.
Lin Ye tossed another pouch at Fat Sun.
"Your horse is mine."
Fat Sun caught it, checked inside—and nearly fell straight off his mount.
"Ten thousand! Ten thousand spirit stones!"
He beamed.
"Hehe… please, young master. I'll ride with Old Falcon!"
Thirteen Lady's eyes narrowed in surprise.
This guy… how rich is he?
Into the Wild
"Keep up!" Thirteen Lady smirked.
She wanted to teach this newcomer a truth:
Money alone wasn't enough in this world.
You needed strength.
She squeezed her legs, and her horse shot forward like an arrow.
"Hyah!"
Lin Ye urged his mount after her.
Fat Sun and Old Falcon followed behind—Old Falcon's horse clearly unhappy about carrying an extra two hundred pounds.
Though it was midnight and the forest was dark, Thirteen Lady's riding skill was terrifying. She slipped through the trees without slowing even a little.
She was feeling proud—
Until she realized Lin Ye remained tightly behind her.
"That guy… interesting."
They rode for nearly an hour.
At least one hundred fifty miles.
Fast enough to leave ordinary cultivators choking on dust.
Finally, Thirteen Lady slowed.
"We're here."
"But don't say I didn't warn you…"
"If you're scared, don't go in."
Ahead lay a region drenched in sinister aura.
Dead trees twisted like claws. Broken branches littered the ground.
A gust of cold wind swept through—
Enough to make even brave men feel their spines go cold.