Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow and carefully put away the red jade pendant and the innate energy. "Now we just wait for the black jade pendant to refresh. Once we get it, we can go and comprehend the cultivation technique and enter the core area of the Cave Heaven Immortal Realm."
Outside the secret realm, at the entrance to Falling Star Village, Village Chief Old Locust and Fang Family Head Fang Lie stood there, eagerly awaiting the results of the third trial.
Suddenly, a beam of light descended from the sky, and Huo Zheng landed on the ground in a disheveled state. As soon as he regained his footing, he roared at the air, "Lin Zhou! I'm not done with you!" But his roar was filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Before Fang Lie could ask what was going on, another beam of light struck, and Fang Rui fell to the ground, his face deathly pale as he cried out:
"Patriarch! We've lost! Lin Zhou is too strong. He stole our jade pendants and drove us all out!"
Immediately afterwards, Luo Yun Chu, along with other eliminated cultivators, were teleported out one after another by the pillar of light, their faces all extremely grim.
Fang Lie watched as people were eliminated one after another, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, his tone full of doubt and anxiety:
"What happened? Why were so many people eliminated? Didn't Rui'er team up with Huo Zheng? Even they couldn't beat Lin Zhou?"
Old Huai also narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the direction of the entrance to the secret realm, his heart filled with astonishment.
He originally thought Lin Zhou was quite strong, but he never expected him to be this powerful, directly expelling most of the cultivators from the secret realm!
He had a vague feeling that the landscape of Falling Star Village was about to be completely changed because of this outsider cultivator.
“Something’s not right…” Old Huai murmured, “Lin Zhou is probably doing this for more than just the jade pendant.”
Fang Lie ignored Lao Huai's words. Looking at Fang Rui, who had been eliminated, and thinking that the Fang family's ambitions might be dashed, his face grew increasingly grim, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
No matter how strong Lin Zhou is, he can't let the Fang family's plan fall through!
Old Huai was still pondering Lin Zhou's intentions when a sharp streak of light crashed onto the open ground in front of him with a "bang."
Amidst the flying dust, Lu Zhizhou staggered to his feet, his once impeccably tailored black robe now creased with wrinkles.
Her hair was disheveled, and her face had lost all its previous composure, leaving only a panicked and shaken expression.
He looked up and saw Lao Huai and Fang Lie, as if grasping at a straw.
A trembling, shrill voice cried out: "Village Chief! Patriarch Fang!"
"How dare you, Falling Star Village, allow outsiders to slaughter us cultivators!"
"Not only did Lin Zhou forcibly seize the jade pendant, he also tried to kill us."
"Quick! Stop him! Otherwise, the forces behind us will not let this go!"
This was a deliberate exaggeration; he wanted to use the name of the Star Luo Sect behind him to force Falling Star Village to take action against Lin Zhou.
After all, no matter how strong Falling Star Village is, it wouldn't dare to offend forces like Star Luo Sect and Blazing Flame Clan at the same time.
Fang Lie was already furious because Fang Rui had been eliminated. Upon hearing the word "slaughter," his face instantly darkened, and he was about to rebuke him.
Suddenly, he felt a terrifying pressure descend from above, making him gasp for breath and unable to speak.
Old Locust's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly looked up at the void, where the space was slightly distorted.
A figure emerged slowly from the water; it was Lin Zhou.
He remained calm, still holding the red jade pendant between his fingers, as if he hadn't been the one who drove everyone away in the secret realm.
"You...how did you get out so quickly?"
Upon seeing Lin Zhou, Lu Zhizhou was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly, his legs going weak. He was about to shout again...
But then he found that the invisible pressure suddenly locked onto him, as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down on him.
He couldn't even open his mouth; he could only stare helplessly, his face filled with fear.
Fang Lie was both shocked and furious upon seeing this. Lin Zhou not only dared to make a move in the secret realm, but also dared to exert pressure in public at the entrance of Falling Star Village, showing that he didn't take Falling Star Village seriously at all!
More importantly, he has a long-standing relationship with the Star Luo Sect. If Lu Zhizhou were to have an accident here, the Fang family would never be able to obtain spiritual vein resources from the Star Luo Sect again.
"How dare you!"
Fang Lie roared, forcefully resisting the oppressive force, and his spiritual power surged.
His right hand clenched, a wisp of pale golden energy coiling around his fist.
It turned out to be a trace of his hidden innate energy!
This was his trump card, which he had originally intended to save for breaking through to the mid-stage of the Dao Realm. But now, in order to protect Lu Zhizhou, he had no choice but to go all out.
"How dare you attack us on the territory of Falling Star Village! Do you really think there's no one in Falling Star Village?"
Before Fang Lie's roar had even faded, his fist, imbued with innate energy, slammed fiercely towards Lin Zhou!
The fist whistled through the air with a force that tore through it, causing even the surrounding space to tremble slightly; clearly, it was a display of all its might.
Old Huai stood to the side, his expression complex, but he did not stop them.
He wanted to see just how strong Lin Zhou really was.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Lu Zhizhou's eyes. He knew Fang Lie's strength, and with his innate energy, even if he couldn't defeat Lin Zhou, he could still force him to retreat!
But the next second, everyone's expectations were shattered.
Facing Fang Lie's all-out punch, Lin Zhou didn't even move his feet. He simply raised his right hand and lightly swung it away from the incoming fist.
There were no fancy moves, no overwhelming spiritual power; it was as casual as an ordinary person swatting away a fly.
"Bang!"
The moment the two fists collided, a dull thud exploded.
The innate energy on Fang Lie's fist dissipated instantly, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.
He felt an irresistible force coming from Lin Zhou's palm, spreading along his arm and throughout his body.
The bones made a cracking sound, and the blood and qi surged like a raging storm.
"puff--"
Before Fang Lie could even utter a sound, he was sent flying towards the distant mountains like a boulder thrown at high speed!
It crashed through several ancient trees, snapping them in half, before finally slamming into the mountainside with a deafening roar.
The mountain shook violently, sending rocks flying and creating a bottomless crater.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Fang Lie slid out of the pit like a lump of mud.
Covered in blood, his black robe torn to shreds
He had countless broken bones and couldn't even stand up; he could only lie on the ground.
He coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, each cough...
A trickle of blood foamed from the corner of his mouth, a truly pitiful sight.
But he didn't die. Lin Zhou's casual strike didn't even use one-tenth of his strength.
I never intended to kill him; I just wanted to teach him a lesson.
Lu Zhizhou froze completely, his hope turning to despair, his body trembling like a leaf.
Fang Lie, with his innate Qi, couldn't even withstand a casual attack from Lin Zhou? What kind of monster is this?!
Old Huai also gasped, and his gaze towards Lin Zhou held not only awe but also a deep sense of dread.
He finally understood that Lin Zhou was no ordinary outsider cultivator, but probably a powerful being from a higher realm!
Fang Lie lay on the ground, struggling to lift his head, his cloudy eyes fixed on Lin Zhou.
His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows, filled with resentment and fear: "Who...who are you?"
"Falling Star Village has rules: killing within the village is forbidden!"
"If you dare to break the rules, aren't you afraid...aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the powerful forces behind them?"
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