The killing intent surged, the ten soldiers advancing on Lin Yun instantly turned bloodshot-eyed, as if their sanity was eroding under its terrifying weight.
“Such dreadful killing intent!”
Even the vice commander’s face twisted under its force.
He considered himself a seasoned warrior, yet he’d never encountered such fearsome intent!
Moments ago, Lin Yun had seemed unremarkable, ordinary.
But in an instant, he was a sword unsheathed, his edge blazing!
When the vice commander looked again, his gaze had shifted.
He couldn’t fathom how this young, lean cultivator wielded such terrifying intent.
And Lin Yun’s second-rank Mahayana strength was no trifling matter.
The vice commander himself was also second-rank Mahayana.
Lin Yun reined in his aura and intent, returning to a reserved state, impossible to link to the fearsome force he’d just unleashed.
“Commander, I’m Lin Yun, you can investigate, over a year ago, I entered the Demonic Beast Mountain Range from the Xingwu Empire, I’m sure you’ll find records,” Lin Yun said.
New to the Fire Cloud Empire, he had no desire to stir trouble.
He’d released his aura and intent to intimidate, cutting through unnecessary chatter, getting to the point.
“Fine! But… until we verify this, we’ll need to detain you, hope you understand,” the vice commander’s tone softened considerably.
That was the effect of Lin Yun’s display.
“Detain me? No problem,” Lin Yun agreed readily.
They hadn’t confirmed his story yet, he could respect their duty.
“Then come with us.”
The vice commander gestured politely.
Lin Yun followed him to the imperial camp.
The imposing Grand Commander stood at the front, overseeing the border’s half-million troops.
He sized Lin Yun up, asking, “Commander Zhu, what’s this about?”
The vice commander hurried over, explaining everything.
“What? Crossed the Demonic Beast Mountain Range!?”
Even the usually stoic Grand Commander showed surprise.
He couldn’t believe it.
Even an Immortal wouldn’t dare cross the range casually.
If one tried flying through, the demon clan’s Celestial Demons would swarm them, a grisly end!
Let alone this young man?
“Grand Commander, that’s what he claims,” the vice commander said.
“Send someone to verify his identity, now,” the Grand Commander ordered sternly.
“Yes, I’ll arrange it,” the vice commander nodded.
The Grand Commander turned to Lin Yun, “Friend, until we sort this out, you’ll need to stay in the camp, no wandering.”
“Of course, no issue,” Lin Yun replied.
“Vice commander, handle it.”
The Grand Commander shot him a look, signaling tight supervision.
“Yes, Grand Commander.”
The vice commander nodded, led Lin Yun into the camp, assigned him a lone tent, and sternly warned him it was a restricted area—stay put, no wandering!
Before leaving, he ordered soldiers to guard him closely, Lin Yun’s identity still unconfirmed.
Lin Yun entered the tent alone, its setup basic.
But after over a year of roughing it, this felt luxurious.
For that year, he’d been on constant alert, now he could finally relax.
Inside the tent.
“Suddenly free of the range’s dangers, this ease feels odd,” Lin Yun gave a wry smile.
He pulled out a massive egg, cradling it.
“No idea when it’ll hatch,” he sensed life within.
He’d picked it up in the range.
It felt unusual, with no beasts nearby, so he’d taken it…
His haul from the range wasn’t just this egg.
In his Azure Gourd space, beast corpses piled like mountains.
He’d collected most of his kills, only leaving some behind when fleeing for his life.
His storage rings couldn’t hold them all, so he’d used the gourd.
Next, he took out a Ten-Thousand-Year Immortal Fate Fruit, another range find.
“This fruit’s a supreme treasure!” Lin Yun’s eyes gleamed as he held it.
Effective only for humans, it’d been untouched by beasts, growing for millennia!
The range being a human no-go zone meant no one had picked it.
A thousand-year fruit was valuable, but not a supreme treasure, this one’s ten-thousand-year age made it so!
For Tribulation Realm experts, it was a rare gem, protecting them during tribulation, even boosting success odds.
Lin Yun couldn’t use it now, but he’d keep it for later or trade it.
It was his most precious find, alongside other natural treasures, though none matched this fruit.
Plus, he’d gained vast experience fighting beasts—an intangible boon.
“Next, I’ll focus on boosting my strength, Zhutian Alliance, this debt of blood, I’ll make you pay!” A chilling intent flared in his dark eyes.
In the Fire Cloud Empire, his sole aim was self-improvement!
Everything centered on growing stronger!
When he reached a certain level, he’d return to Xingwu.
Then, everyone who’d targeted the Heavenly Sword Sect would face dire consequences!
*Huff…*
“First, I’ll consume this Devil Fruit.”
Lin Yun took a deep breath, calming himself, then retrieved his Wanhua Tournament prize.
Post-tournament, he hadn’t had time to use it, in the range, constant danger left no chance to focus.
Now, safe and confined here with nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to refine it.
He bit into the Devil Fruit, chewing it down, then began refining.
He didn’t use his One Thought Clarity Tower space, his heightened caution demanded wariness, no one here was trustworthy, if this treasure was spotted, it could spell trouble.
No beasts here, but sometimes, human hearts were scarier!
As the fruit’s potent energy erupted, his divine sense soaked it up, growing at a striking pace!
