Overwhelming Palm Force
The palm strike was tyrannical.
In an instant, it felt like tens of thousands of tons of tidal waves surged forward at once.
Jiang Feng's blade aura was swallowed whole—shattered by the violent flood of blood-asura energy.
His pupils shrank.
"Not good!"
The power behind Lin Ye's move was far beyond what Jiang Feng had ever imagined.
"Black Dragon Armor!"
Jiang Feng shouted lowly. In panic, he abandoned all offense and instantly unleashed his profound qi armor. A trace of fear flickered across his face as his defensive shell formed.
BOOM!
His heart trembled.
"So… strong!"
At the very moment of contact, he could already feel his Black Dragon Armor groaning under unbearable pressure.
Lin Ye's power was far too domineering—
and worse, it was rapidly draining Jiang Feng's profound qi, as if devouring it alive.
He pressed both palms against his armor to reinforce it.
Cracks began spreading across the Black Dragon Armor like spiderwebs.
Then—
KACH!
A sharp, crisp fracture echoed.
Jiang Feng froze.
"How is this possible?!"
Under the storm-like force in front of him, an even heavier wave of palm force surged forward—
stronger than the first.
Jiang Feng barely managed one last scream before he was swallowed whole.
Scorched Earth
BOOM!!!
A destructive shockwave erupted in a fan-shaped arc, originating from Lin Ye's palms and spreading across thousands of meters.
Within that area—
all grass, trees, and vegetation were wiped clean.
Not a single blade of green remained.
Jiang Feng lay in the center.
His body was charred black, sprawled on burned soil.
He couldn't move.
He could barely breathe.
Only the faintest trace of life remained, enough for him to gasp weakly.
His profound qi had been completely exhausted.
His armor shattered.
There was no chance of turning things around.
Only now did Jiang Feng truly understand—
he had provoked the wrong person.
Shock and regret filled his mind.
Why couldn't he settle things peacefully?
Why did he insist on killing Lin Ye?
He thought he could crush Lin Ye with ease.
Instead…
he was the one crushed, flipped over, and erased.
No Second Chances
The power of the Nether Vein faded.
Lin Ye's aura began dropping.
The Nether State could last only as long as one's body endured—
and at this moment, Lin Ye's meridians burned as if scorched by fire.
He had kept the state active too long.
But at least…
he had defeated Jiang Feng.
The other two Star River cultivators didn't escape either.
Even though they retreated nearly a thousand meters away, Lin Ye's Blood Luo Heavenly Waterfall Palm still struck them down.
Lin Ye swallowed a pill—one that calmed the mind, stabilized the heart, and soothed the burning pain in his meridians.
Then he walked toward Jiang Feng's unmoving body.
Jiang Feng probably couldn't even see anymore.
His lower body had already been completely destroyed.
"Spare… spare me…"
SHING!
Lin Ye's sword fell cleanly.
Jiang Feng's head flew off.
Only after confirming he was completely dead did Lin Ye take his storage ring.
With a quick sweep of spiritual sense—
he found the other half of the treasure map.
And not only that.
Inside the ring were an astonishing number of spirit crystals.
Spirit Crystals
Spirit crystals were a currency far superior to spirit stones.
Whether for cultivation, construction, or formation arrays—
their effect was hundreds of times stronger than spirit stones.
Only places with extremely rich spiritual energy could naturally produce spirit crystals.
Most often, spirit crystals were used to assist cultivation as a substitute for pills—
because pills were too expensive, too rare.
Even Middle Lands struggled to produce them.
Lower Lands?
Almost nonexistent.
They likely came from Upper Lands.
One spirit crystal, if exchanged fairly, was worth at least ten thousand spirit stones.
Lin Ye narrowed his eyes.
"There are at least five hundred thousand spirit crystals here…"
"What a grand move, Black Dragon Sect."
"These crystals were probably meant to purchase the other half of the map."
That made sense.
Otherwise, who carries so many crystals around like pocket change?
This meant one thing:
the treasure map was far more important than Lin Ye had assumed.
It was something Black Dragon Sect was willing to mobilize massive resources for.
Unfortunately…
they chose the wrong location.
They ran into Lin Ye.
And their attitude was even worse.
If they had offered these five hundred thousand spirit crystals from the start—
Lin Ye might have sold the map.
Because treasure hunts were troublesome.
Unless the payoff was absurdly great, he'd rather gather herbs and refine pills.
Besides—
even if it was a "treasure" to ordinary people,
to Lin Ye, it might be worthless.
What if he spent months risking his life…
only to uncover a pile of Sixth- or Seventh-grade pills?
He'd rather die on the spot.
With that time, it was far better to improve his cultivation.
Power—
was the true treasure.
Lin Ye put the ring away.
Then he walked to the two Star River cultivators and calmly shot one arrow into each of their heads.
No survivors.
Finishing blows were essential.
And when you held absolute advantage—
there was no need for unnecessary words.
Countless people died because they talked too much and allowed the enemy to strike back.
Lin Ye searched the remaining rings.
Nothing else of value.
He tossed them aside and headed toward Thousand Spirit City.
Fierce Heart Sect's Fear
Only after Lin Ye left did the Fierce Heart Sect people reveal themselves.
In truth, they had already arrived earlier—
but they didn't dare show their faces.
They had hoped Black Dragon Sect would kill Lin Ye.
Instead…
Black Dragon Sect wasn't even enough for Lin Ye to warm up.
Though Fierce Heart Sect had a Moonwheel ancestor present—
he didn't dare appear either.
One wrong move, and Lin Ye might have killed him too.
Better to endure humiliation than die.
Continuing to oppose Lin Ye would only lead to disaster.
And Spirit Medicine Sect was still watching like a tiger behind them.
"Ancestor… are we really letting this go?"
An elder couldn't accept it.
Lin Ye had killed their experts and stolen the Eighth-grade herb.
With that herb, they might have traded for a Seventh-grade pill.
The ancestor glared at him and cursed—
"How stupid are you? If you want revenge, go yourself. I'm not ready to die!"
If he could have acted, he would have done so long ago.
And what—was the elder expecting the ancestor to risk his life for his foolish pride?
The ancestor stormed off, still cursing.
The remaining elders stared at one another in silence.
They didn't understand.
Both sides were Moonwheel.
Shouldn't it be fifty-fifty?
But unless you stepped into Moonwheel Realm yourself…
you'd never understand the true distance between Moonwheel experts.
Returning to Five Spirits Manor
Thousand Spirit City.
Lin Ye returned to Five Spirits Manor.
In the courtyard, Xia Wei was cultivating.
The sky was gradually brightening.
A streak of dawn rose from the horizon, and the first ray of sunlight fell perfectly on her.
The Black Panther Beast lounged nearby, lazily wagging its tail, yawning.
When it saw Lin Ye return, it immediately got up, tail whipping up gusts of wind.
"Lin Ye! You're back!"
Xia Wei's face lit up with joy.
She had been restless all night.
She knew nothing of what happened outside.
But it didn't matter.
As long as Lin Ye returned safely—
that was enough.
"Where are Luo Gui and the boy?"
Lin Ye nodded, a simple greeting.
"Senior Luo Gui is in the next courtyard."
"Good. I'm refining pills."
He had promised to heal Luo Gui's injuries—
then depart together for Thousand Luo Gorge.
Xia Wei froze.
"Ah… o-okay…"
Lin Ye truly never rested.
He never paused.
He never took half a day to relax.
Only now did Xia Wei fully understand—
the talented weren't just gifted.
They were often the ones who worked the hardest.
If she wanted to follow him…
she had to push herself even more.
Nine Yang Pill
Inside the room, Lin Ye adjusted his breathing first, restoring his profound qi.
The Star Bridge continuously drew energy from the stars above the Blood Sea.
Then Lin Ye took out the Crimson Lotus Tribulation Cauldron.
Luo Gui's hidden injuries weren't that serious—
but for cultivators lacking the right methods, it was a death sentence.
They could only watch helplessly as the injuries resurfaced, again and again, until they collapsed.
Lin Ye, however, could refine a Sixth-grade pill that:
purged toxins, repaired internal damage, and restored life force.
Its name—
Nine Yang Pill.
And he had already gathered the required materials.
A thread of profound qi entered the cauldron.
A scorching aura spread instantly.
Lin Ye tossed in the herbs one after another.
The refinement lasted until afternoon.
With Lin Ye's pill mastery—
a Sixth-grade pill was guaranteed.
HUM!
Two steaming-hot red pills flew out from the cauldron.
They landed in Lin Ye's palm.
Nine Yang Pill.
Two pills.