“By the way, Big Brother, I’ve got one more piece of intel. From what I know, among Dongyuan Prefecture’s generals, there are demon beasts disguised as humans and humans who’ve defected to the demon clan,” Yang Wan said.
“I’m aware of that,” Lin Yun replied, his gaze sharpening.
“But I don’t know who they are specifically,” Yang Wan added.
“I’ll find out.”
Huo Zhen stepped forward. “Big Brother, about those three human traitors Yang Wan mentioned—I’ll head out now with him to take care of them.”
He rubbed his fists, eager to get moving.
“Go ahead. I’ll head back and wait for your good news,” Lin Yun agreed.
“Got it, Big Brother.”
“Yang Wan, let’s move!”
Huo Zhen called out to Yang Wan, and they leaped off the vessel, with Yang Wan leading the way.
Only Lin Yun and Wei Qi remained on the flying vessel.
“Wei Qi, this Crystal Coffin can help you turn two rudimentary mysteries into fully mastered ones. I’ll lend it to you,” Lin Yun said, summoning the Coffin of Mysteries with a wave of his hand.
If he trusted someone, he wouldn’t doubt them; if he didn’t, he wouldn’t use them. Having recruited Wei Qi and promised to help him reach the Tribulation Realm, Lin Yun intended to follow through.
The Coffin of Mysteries was a key tool in that plan.
It was useless to Lin Yun now, but it could nurture his subordinates’ talents.
“This crystal coffin—is it really that miraculous?” Wei Qi stared at it in astonishment.
“Lie in it and see for yourself,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“I’ll give it a shot.”
Wei Qi climbed into the Coffin of Mysteries and began cultivating his mysteries.
“Hmm? What a strange sensation—it’s really boosting my mysteries!” Wei Qi quickly felt its wondrous effects.
Moments later, he emerged.
“Big Brother, this coffin’s an absolute treasure!” he exclaimed.
“Of course it is. Now you see why I’m confident you’ll reach Tribulation Realm in two years?” Lin Yun said with a grin.
“I get it! I totally get it!” Wei Qi nodded, beaming.
He’d experienced the coffin’s power firsthand and had no doubts.
“Until you break through to Tribulation Realm, it’s yours to use!” Lin Yun said warmly.
“Big Brother, this… it’s too precious. I can’t accept it,” Wei Qi said, shaking his head.
“It’s no use to me anymore, but it’s vital for you. Don’t be polite—take it,” Lin Yun said, clapping him on the shoulder with a smile.
“Big Brother, you’re willing to share a treasure like this with me. I’ll never forget this kindness! From now on, I’d walk through fire for you!” Wei Qi saluted, his voice resolute.
He was deeply moved—who’d share such a treasure so generously?
“No need to overthink it. Just focus on cultivating. As for mastering the Mysteries of Light and Darkness, I’ll figure something out for you,” Lin Yun said.
…
The vessel flew back to Dongyuan Prefecture’s capital.
At the prefect’s palace…
Lin Yun had Steward Sun arrange a residence for Wei Qi. Once settled, Wei Qi eagerly dove into cultivation, keen to use the Coffin of Mysteries.
Lin Yun excused him from the evening banquet—cultivation took priority.
After giving instructions, Lin Yun returned to his chambers.
Today’s outing had been fruitful: he’d recruited Wei Qi, a promising talent, and Yang Wan, a Sixth-Turn Tribulation Realm cultivator.
His team now boasted three Tribulation Realm fighters, plus Wei Qi at Third-Stage Mahayana.
“And one more gain,” Lin Yun murmured, flipping his hand to reveal the Qilin blood essence.
“With this much Qilin blood, I’ll refine it into its purest form.”
He entered the Mind-Clearing Tower space.
There, he took out a medicinal cauldron, poured in the Qilin blood, and began refining it.
The process took a full 26 hours.
“Almost done!”
With a wave, five drops of concentrated Qilin essence floated out of the cauldron, hovering in the air.
From that vast amount of blood, these five drops were the cream of the crop.
Lin Yun’s Qilin Demon Bone had been upgraded twice already. Further enhancement didn’t depend on quantity but quality—only highly refined essence could push it further. Lesser purity, no matter the volume, wouldn’t suffice.
These five drops of concentrated essence were of exceptional quality!
“Here we go!”
Lin Yun removed the Frost Heart, then used his Purple Qiong Sword to slice his skin, injecting the five drops into the Demon Bone.
*Boom!*
As the essence entered, a ferocious demonic aura erupted within him.
Lin Yun wasn’t fazed—he’d anticipated this and was prepared.
“Suppress!”
Gritting his teeth, he willed the aura into submission.
For someone with a weak will, this energy could corrupt their mind, driving them mad. That’s why few dared implant demon bones—cultivation had safer paths.
But for Lin Yun, it was manageable. He quickly purged the aura.
As the five drops merged with the Demon Bone, it glowed with countless specks of light.
Soon, the reaction subsided.
“Done,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
This refinement had elevated the Demon Bone another tier, boosting his strength by roughly thirty to forty percent beyond its previous level.
That might sound modest, but the actual increase was substantial!
The bone’s quality was now exceptional. Upgrading it further would likely require the essence of a Sky Demon-grade Qilin.
“Next, I need to focus on my realm. That’s the foundation. But after jumping two stages last time, it’s still unstable—I’ll need to solidify it first,” Lin Yun mused.
“Time to head out.”
He stood and left the Mind-Clearing Tower, returning to his chambers.
The 26-hour process inside equated to just over five hours outside. It was now 7 p.m.
As he settled in, Lin Yun sensed someone outside. A quick scan with his divine sense revealed Huo Zhen and Liang Yuan waiting at the door.
“Huo Zhen, Brother Liang, come in,” Lin Yun called.
The door opened, and they stepped inside.
“Big Brother, Yang Wan led me to take out those three demon clan traitors,” Huo Zhen reported.
“No hiccups? How’d Yang Wan do?” Lin Yun asked.
“Big Brother, it went smoothly. Yang Wan worked hard—maybe he knows his past sins run deep and wants to prove himself,” Huo Zhen said.
“Is that so? Good,” Lin Yun nodded.
“Big Brother, we scored decently too. From those three, we got over 20 million Spirit Crystals, 2,300 Tribulation Pills, and some weapons and artifacts—worth a bit if sold. It’s all in here,” Huo Zhen said, handing Lin Yun a storage ring.
