The bodies of Xiao Feng and his subordinates lay motionless, their qi completely drained, their once-powerful auras reduced to nothing. Their bodies still had warmth, but their cultivation—the very essence of their existence—was gone.
Lin Tian stood among them, his expression indifferent. His golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight, reflecting the quiet satisfaction of a predator who had fed well.
His body pulsed with newfound strength. The fresh qi he had absorbed from Xiao Feng and his assassins surged through his veins, refining itself within his dantian, merging with his ever-expanding Golden Core.
It had barely been a fight.
They had come to hunt a monster.
Instead, they had become his prey.
Lin Tian tilted his head, watching the last flickers of energy fade from Xiao Feng's empty eyes.
"They sent weaklings."
Disappointing.
He had expected more.
With a flick of his wrist, he turned away, stepping over their bodies without a second glance. He had no use for the dead.
The real enemies had yet to arrive.
And when they did… he would be ready.
Far away, within the grand halls of Heaven's Gate Sect, a storm was brewing.
A group of high-ranking elders sat in tense silence. The room, usually filled with the quiet dignity of ancient cultivation masters, was now heavy with something far more dangerous—fear.
Xiao Feng was dead.
His elite team, carefully trained and handpicked, had been completely wiped out.
And worst of all—they hadn't even managed to send a final message.
The sect master's fingers tightened around the edge of his throne. His face remained composed, but his aura flickered with suppressed rage.
"This… is unacceptable."
An elder, his face pale, swallowed nervously. "Sect Master, what do we do? This boy, Lin Tian… he's not normal. If he can consume qi as the reports say, then—"
"Then we send someone stronger."
The voice that spoke was cold and absolute.
The room fell silent as all eyes turned to the man who had spoken—Elder Ji, a cultivator who had long since stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.
He rose to his feet, his long robes billowing with the sheer force of his presence. His expression was calm, but his eyes burned with something dangerous.
"This child believes he is above the heavens," Elder Ji murmured. "It is time we remind him of his place."
The other elders nodded in agreement.
"Send word to the three great sects," the sect master commanded. "If Lin Tian is allowed to grow any further, he will become a calamity beyond our control."
The decision was made.
The hunt would continue.
But this time, they would not send assassins.
This time, they would send a true cultivator.
Lin Tian walked through the desolate landscape, his robes flowing behind him. The night wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of blood—a reminder of the massacre he had left behind.
But he did not care.
He had other matters to attend to.
The small world he had lived in for years was no longer enough.
His power had surpassed the limits of ordinary cultivation.
The sects that once towered over him now seemed irrelevant.
He needed something greater.
And so, he set his sights on the Forbidden Lands.
An ancient, untouched region at the edge of the cultivation world, where powerful beasts roamed and forgotten legacies lay hidden beneath the ruins of civilizations lost to time.
Many who ventured there never returned.
But Lin Tian?
He was not like the others.
He would not search for opportunities.
He would take them.
As he walked deeper into the wild lands, Lin Tian's steps slowed.
Something was watching him.
His golden eyes flickered as he felt it— a powerful presence lurking within the shadows of the ancient trees.
A beast? No.
This was something else.
And then—
BOOM!
The earth shattered as a figure dropped from the sky, landing with the force of a meteor.
Dust and debris exploded outward, obscuring Lin Tian's vision for a brief moment. When the smoke cleared, he saw him.
A man stood before him, dressed in flowing azure robes embroidered with golden runes. His aura burned with the intensity of the Nascent Soul Realm, a pressure so overwhelming that the very air around them distorted.
Lin Tian's smirk widened.
"Finally, someone interesting."
The man's gaze was sharp, filled with the unshakable confidence of the strong. He studied Lin Tian for a long moment before speaking.
"You are Lin Tian." It was not a question.
Lin Tian tilted his head. "And you are?"
The man clasped his hands behind his back, his expression unreadable. "Ji Wuye, Elder of Heaven's Gate Sect."
"Ah," Lin Tian mused. "So they finally sent someone who isn't worthless."
Ji Wuye's expression didn't change. "You have committed unforgivable crimes. Massacring sect disciples, defying the heavens, stealing the very essence of cultivation itself." His voice was steady, devoid of emotion. "You are an abomination."
Lin Tian laughed.
"Abomination?" His golden eyes gleamed. "Is that what you call someone stronger than you?"
Ji Wuye's fingers twitched. The air around them tensed.
Lin Tian stepped forward. "You came here to kill me, didn't you?"
Ji Wuye's expression finally darkened.
"You do not deserve to exist."
Lin Tian smirked. "Then come. Let's see if you can erase me."
The wind howled between them, and then—
The battle began.
Ji Wuye moved first.
A single step, and the ground beneath him cracked. His palm strike tore through the air, carrying the full force of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The sheer impact shattered trees, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Lin Tian's golden eyes flickered with excitement.
This was it.
He raised his hand—and caught Ji Wuye's attack.
BOOOOOM!
The earth exploded beneath them.
Dust and debris shot into the sky, but Lin Tian did not move an inch.
Ji Wuye's eyes widened.
Lin Tian's smirk deepened.
"Is this all the Nascent Soul Realm has to offer?"
Before Ji Wuye could react, Lin Tian countered.
He moved at impossible speed, appearing behind Ji Wuye in a blink—
And touched his back.
Ji Wuye's entire body froze.
Then—
His qi began to drain.
A look of horror crossed the elder's face.
"You—!"
Lin Tian grinned.
"Did you really think you could kill me?"
The battlefield shook.
The world held its breath.
And Ji Wuye…
Realized he had made a mistake.
---