“No rush— you’re next!” Lin Xiao turned his head, grinning wickedly.
“I…” Liu He choked on his words, suddenly regretting his loose tongue.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Liu He met the same fate as the others— beaten down by Lin Xiao, then stomped a few times.
“Beating them one by one’s knackering!” Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up, gazing towards the frontmost spot— the entry to the Heavy Force Palace— where countless weapons lay scattered on the ground.
With ten consecutive steps, he walked forward, tempered a bit, then pressed on. In less than half an incense stick’s time, he reached the palace’s edge.
By now, Liu Yan and Liu He had stood up— this force couldn’t truly harm them.
But standing, they dared not threaten Lin Xiao again, fearing another thrashing.
Yet when Liu Yan saw Lin Xiao pick up a sword from the ground, he spat blood uncontrollably.
Lin Xiao wanted to kill them.
“So heavy!” Gripping a longsword, Lin Xiao strained— the weapon’s gravity seemed thousands, even tens of thousands, times heavier than his own burden.
He couldn’t lift it— the Heavy Force Palace clearly forbade external aids.
In the end, Lin Xiao had to abandon the idea of killing here.
“Ugh, shame— can’t use weapons, can’t wipe out the Liu family here,” Lin Xiao sighed helplessly, deeply reluctant.
“…” The crowd.
The Liu family nearly fainted— today could kill them with sheer rage.
“Ugh, pity the Gong family’s not here— I’d give them a beating too,” Lin Xiao lamented again.
“…” The crowd.
What kind of person was this? Wanting to thrash the Gong family too?
The Liu family was utterly speechless— a dozen youths silently prayed: *Heavens, take this monster away— we can’t take it anymore.*
“Hey, what’s with those looks?” Spotting the back ranks of Liu youths, Lin Xiao said kindly, “You’ve trudged half a day for just a few steps— let me be a good soul and lend a hand!”
Turning, he walked back, dragging a Liu youth forward two steps.
“Pfft!” The youth spat blood and collapsed.
Liu Yan spat blood again in fury.
The crowd’s expressions shifted— could he do that? Was this kid planning to finish off the Liu family here?
They sucked in cold breaths.
But Lin Xiao wasn’t faring well either— he felt immense pressure. The gravity surged exponentially, blood churning, body splitting— forcing him to stop.
He adjusted on the spot for a long while.
The Liu family quietly sighed in relief— dragging others to share the gravity was impossible.
Finding murder unfeasible here, Lin Xiao reluctantly dropped the plan.
After tempering his flesh once more, he headed back, casually beating the Liu family’s Martial King down en route.
Only these three from the Liu family caught his eye.
Passing Liu Yan and the black-robed youth, both held their breath— too angry to speak, yet too afraid of another stomping to risk it.
Yet Lin Xiao beat and stomped them again anyway, drawing roars of fury.
Finally, he left the gravity zone, joining Hu Yue at the gate.
“See you lot later!” Lin Xiao waved back, then pulled Hu Yue through the doorway ahead.
“That monster’s finally gone!”
The crowd inwardly sighed in relief.
Qi Mubai and Ji Mo wiped cold sweat— lucky they hadn’t taunted Lin Xiao, or the consequences would’ve been dire.
“Lin Xiao, I’ll wipe out your whole family!”
“Lin Xiao, I won’t be human till I kill you!”
The black-robed youth and Liu Yan roared behind— the crowd trembled, imagining the upheaval once they left the Heavy Force Palace.
A Martial Venerable’s wrath could shake the heavens…
—
“Hiss!”
After a dizzy spell, Lin Xiao emerged elsewhere. As his vision cleared, the scene before them left both him and Hu Yue stunned.
This wasn’t a palace— it was a boundless mass graveyard.
Dim phosphorescent flames flickered, bones gleamed white, and the ground was strewn with skeletons, severed limbs, and remains— a field of corpses. Ashy bone dust drifted faintly in the void, a chill assaulted the nose, and thick yin qi saturated every inch, casting the land in a ghostly, hellish gloom, like a myriad of infernal realms.
“Hiss!” Lin Xiao shivered, hairs standing on end, scalp tingling.
This— a Junzang? It was a bloody graveyard!
“Is this Junzang? Doesn’t seem like it— that bloke wouldn’t bury himself here, would he?” Hu Yue’s face was full of shock and confusion— the sight was too jarring.
Lin Xiao was equally baffled. A palace trial before, now a mass graveyard? A peak Martial Lord, no matter how shabby, wouldn’t bury themselves amid these bones.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, a large group appeared from the void, landing near Lin Xiao and Hu Yue.
“Someone passed the test?” Lin Xiao’s gaze darted sideways, scanning the newcomers.
Dozens— perhaps a hundred— men and women, old and young, all below Heavenly Martial realm— clearly explorers drawn to Junzang.
Lin Xiao was shocked. With their talent and strength, passing the Heavy Force Palace would’ve been impossible— they’d never have made it.
So many at once suggested their trials differed.
Landing here, the group gaped at the scene, faces etched with incredulous horror.
They struggled to believe this was Junzang— a corpse-strewn wasteland, no hint of treasure.
After a long, stunned pause, they stirred, eyes roaming. Spotting Lin Xiao and Hu Yue, many jolted.
These two youths had caused a storm at the stone gate— rumoured to have opened Junzang.
Some showed wariness and hostility— Lin Xiao’s strength was overwhelming. Neither a fourth-tier low-level spirit controller nor a young Martial King had stopped him. With no Martial Kings or Venerables here yet, few could match him— a threat to their treasure hunt.
Not everyone felt that way, though— a group of youths gazed at Lin Xiao with admiration, awed by his defiance against Martial Venerables and mighty factions.
“You’re Lin Xiao!” A clear-faced youth of fifteen or sixteen approached them.
