554: Fake death? Real death? (4k)

"My Lord, this is what happened..."

He Linxue immediately began explaining.

Following He Linxue's explanation, Lin Yang quickly understood the cause of the matter.

On their way home from his separate courtyard, He Linchuan and his sister received a great deal of attention.

Along the way, several strong experts questioned them right on the street about He Linxue's treatment, asking if they had seen any treasures.

He Linchuan was quite astute and discerned their intentions from the questions they asked.

Initially, both of them insisted there were no treasures.

But no one believed that.

So later, He Linchuan simply claimed that he had remained outside the house during the treatment and hadn't seen how it was done. He had He Linxue say that she had immediately fallen unconscious during the treatment and was completely unaware, thus allowing them to escape.

Furthermore, upon returning to the He Family, they were immediately summoned for questioning by He Zhang and the others.

After fobbing off He Zhang and the others with the same story, He Linchuan also learned from them that experts from Bone Bloom were planning to ambush him outside the city.

Therefore, He Linchuan used a precious Teleportation Talisman left behind by their father, teleporting directly into the depths of the Desolate Grassland, hoping to lure a Great Ferocious Beast to extricate him from the predicament.

Because he had left the city immediately, he didn't know that his act of curing He Linxue had led the city residents to mistakenly believe he possessed a treasure, making He Linchuan extremely anxious.

The matter itself wasn't complicated to recount, but Lin Yang could tell how much pressure and danger He Linchuan and his sister had endured during this short period.

"Then He Linchuan... how will he return?"

Lin Yang was silent for a moment after hearing the story, then slowly asked:

"How many Teleportation Talismans does he have?"

Teleportation Talismans are Talismans crafted from special materials by experts of the Space Dao or those above the Guiyuan Realm.

The principle is simple: the moment the talisman is used, it achieves an effect similar to Instant Movement, performing a Transmission Leap within a certain distance.

This kind of talisman is not cheap.

Because the space in the Mirror Ruins Realm is very stable, a talisman capable of long-distance teleportation must be crafted by a Boundary Realm expert of the third layer who has grasped the Dao or rules of space, or by someone in the Guiyuan Realm.

There is a significant difference between the difficulty of self-teleportation and crafting a talisman.

Crafting a Teleportation Talisman is more difficult than self-teleportation.

Therefore, ordinary people usually only use this item for escaping during critical moments.

Lin Yang hadn't expected He Linchuan to possess such a Teleportation Talisman.

After all, even though it was left by their parents, they had been living such a difficult Life—why hadn't they sold the Teleportation Talisman for money?

He Linxue replied in a low voice, "My Lord, my brother... he only has one Teleportation Talisman."

"Hmm? Only one?"

Lin Yang was startled, then immediately understood:

"He Linchuan, he... didn't intend to return alive?"

He Linxue nodded slightly: "My brother said that because you saved me, the people in the city mistakenly believe you possess a Supreme Treasure, prompting experts to mobilize to rob you. If not for this, you would only have needed to pay the normal fee like everyone else. But now that your Life is in danger, it's trouble we brought upon you, so..."

She didn't continue, but Lin Yang completely understood the implication.

He Linchuan felt that he and his sister had brought great trouble upon him, so he wanted to risk his Life to lure a Great Ferocious Beast to rescue him.

"This foolish boy, so what if they misunderstood? They can't do anything to me!" Lin Yang's expression was complicated.

With only one Teleportation Talisman, he had clearly gone with the intention of never returning.

A Spirit Realm cultivator going to provoke a Great Ferocious Beast basically has no chance of survival.

"My Lord, my brother said you shouldn't worry about it. Since you saved me, he... it is only right for him to repay you..."

As He Linxue spoke, she began to choke up:

"He said he had made preparations, and if he couldn't return, you shouldn't worry."

"Alas..." Lin Yang sighed deeply, feeling heavy-hearted and unable to speak.

He Linchuan was truly too honest for his own good!

After a moment of silence, Lin Yang told He Linxue to rest in another room while he stood in the courtyard.

Looking at the bright full moon, his mood was chaotic.

A moment later.

"No, I have to find a way to save that foolish boy. Although the chances are slim—he provoked a Great Ferocious Beast and has no chance of survival—what if?"

Lin Yang's eyes flickered.

That Great Ferocious Beast was so violent; clearly, it hadn't yet swallowed the culprit who angered it, which is why it was becoming increasingly furious.

He Linchuan might not be dead yet.

But saving him... "I am currently being watched by people from Bone Bloom. If I leave the city, I will inevitably be tracked and intercepted again, making movement difficult. The longer I am delayed, the closer that foolish boy He Linchuan is to death."

"I must find another way!"

Light flickered constantly in Lin Yang's eyes, and then he suddenly addressed the System:

"System, I need a Fake Clone to stay in the city to confuse people and distract the crowd!"

"At the same time, I need something that can mask my aura even from the Great Ferocious Beast, allowing me to bypass its senses and check on that boy He Linchuan."

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

Although people in the Universe Zone can possess the ability to condense Clones in the Endless Spacetime, his current strength is not sufficient yet.

Currently, he can only condense a Power Projection, but projections can be distinguished immediately.

But to leave the city now, he needs a different identity.

"Host, are you asking the System to forge a Clone for you?" the System confirmed.

"Yes, is it possible?" Lin Yang nodded.

"Host, the System does not recommend you risk leaving the city. He Linchuan's probability of survival is less than one percent."

The System did not answer directly but offered a warning first.

"I know, but he risked his Life to provoke a Great Ferocious Beast just to help me escape this predicament. I must at least try my best!" Lin Yang said solemnly.

"In that case, Host, if you insist, you can purchase a Temporary Clone and the Absolute Domain from the Achievement Shop."

The System stopped advising and instead displayed the relevant item information for Lin Yang.

"Temporary Clone comes in three qualities: Ordinary, Advanced, and Super. An Ordinary quality Temporary Clone can only serve to confuse observers. It possesses an aura identical to the Main Body, making it difficult to distinguish unless one's strength is extremely high. It only has twenty percent of the Main Body's power and lacks significant combat ability. It can only support simple intelligent communication and is not recommended for interacting with people, as it is easily exposed. It costs one thousand achievement points and lasts for three days."

"An Advanced Temporary Clone possesses fifty percent of the Main Body's power and the ability to remotely control the Clone for autonomous dialogue and conversation. It costs three thousand achievement points and lasts for seven days."

"A Super Temporary Clone possesses eighty percent of the Main Body's power and the ability to remotely control the Clone to use some of the Main Body's combat methods. It costs five thousand achievement points and lasts for fifteen days."

"Absolute Domain: Forms an area around the user that completely isolates all aura. It is difficult to detect by anyone below the Dao level. Price: thirty thousand achievement points!"

“...”

"That expensive?!"

Lin Yang widened his eyes.

These are achievement points!

Not national treasure value!

He currently only has a total of over one hundred and ten thousand achievement points.

Of this, one hundred thousand were obtained previously by destroying the Mingye Clan base.

In other words, if not for receiving that one hundred thousand points, he would have only earned just over ten thousand achievement points across all the missions he had completed!

achievement points are usually awarded one or ten at a time, and only in extremely rare cases has he received a reward of one hundred points.

achievement points are too difficult to acquire.

Yet the Absolute Domain actually costs thirty thousand... If he hadn't chosen achievement points over national treasure value during the last binary choice reward, he wouldn't even be able to see it, let alone buy it!

Because this item is only available in the Advanced Achievement Shop.

It requires achieving one hundred thousand achievement points to unlock!

"...Can you make it cheaper?" Lin Yang attempted to haggle.

"Apologies, Host, nothing in the Achievement Shop can be discounted," the System directly refused.

"...Fine. Then is there no other cheaper alternative?"

Lin Yang changed his question:

"I only need to temporarily conceal my aura. There's no need to immediately buy something so excellent, right?"

"Host, Great Ferocious Beasts also possess a natural comprehension of the Dao or rules. To ensure one hundred percent undetected movement, the Absolute Domain is the most guaranteed option. Other items might be cheaper, but their effectiveness could be lacking. For your safety, the System still recommends you purchase the Absolute Domain!"

The System coaxed him patiently:

"Furthermore, the Absolute Domain is not a single-use item. After purchasing it, you will certainly find other times when you can use it!"

"...You really are the System I know. This tone, tempting me to spend, is exactly right!"

Lin Yang grinned wryly.

Last time, after this dog System suggested ways for him to save money, he thought the System had finally grown a conscience or changed its ways.

Unexpectedly, it was still the same!

No change!

Whenever there was a purchase, it only recommended the most expensive items.

"Host, all recommendations made by the System are based on ensuring your safety. There is absolutely no behavior intended to induce spending!" the System explained itself.

"Alright, alright. Anyway, I can afford it now."

Lin Yang curled his lip, too lazy to argue further with the System, and without hesitation, he bought the Absolute Domain.

It was a little expensive, but the System wasn't wrong.

Since it wasn't a single-use item and had such powerful concealment capabilities, buying it was definitely not a loss. It might come in handy again sometime.

Whether it was money, national treasure value, or even achievement points, if they weren't spent, they would forever remain just a string of numbers, unable to provide any improvement to his strength.

Only by spending them and allowing his strength to increase did earning them hold any meaning!

He was not a Miser!

Then... "As for the Temporary Clone, the Ordinary one is too weak, and the duration is too short. He Linxue is also here with me, so it would be inconvenient if the Clone couldn't communicate."

Lin Yang muttered to himself and chose to exchange for an Advanced Temporary Clone.

Three thousand achievement points, only usable for seven days!

The price made his heart ache!

"Wait, why can even the Super Temporary Clone only possess eighty percent of the Main Body's power at most? Can't it inherit one hundred percent?"

Lin Yang asked this question while setting up the Temporary Clone after exchanging for it.

"Host, that is because your current strength is still quite far from truly condensing a Clone, so the quality of the current Temporary Clones is not particularly good. In the future, there will be higher quality Temporary Clones available for you to choose from," the System replied.

"...When it comes to doing business, I feel like even the most black-hearted merchant is probably inferior to you."

Lin Yang was inexplicably amused by this remark.

The System had perfectly mastered the grading of quality and the disparity in prices.

It was simply segmented to the extreme.

Then, he quietly slipped out of the city.

After the Absolute Domain was activated, a special aura surged around him. His entire being could be concealed within a void inside the domain, merging with the natural world as if he didn't exist at all.

No abnormality could be detected from any angle or by using perception. He wouldn't even cause any abnormal spatial fluctuations while moving at high speed.

"It was a bit expensive, but it really is powerful enough!" Lin Yang exclaimed.

When leaving the city, he even tested it: not even the Formation Array inside the city could sense his presence.

"If I use the Absolute Domain to kill someone inside the city, I wouldn't be discovered!" Lin Yang mused.

The Absolute Domain was not just simple aura concealment; the domain area could also be expanded.

As long as his power was sufficient, he could expand the coverage area of the Absolute Domain.

Of course, if the range was expanded, the consumption would increase, and the larger the range, the easier it would be for anomalies to appear.

But without a doubt, this was absolutely a lethal weapon for covert assassinations!

Under the coverage of the domain, outsiders had no way to spy on him.

Even within the city, if he killed someone and left immediately, the killer would be impossible to find!

While thinking, Lin Yang approached the direction from which the Great Ferocious Beast's violent aura was emanating, moving at maximum speed.

Earlier, the Great Ferocious Beast had been incredibly violent, looking as if it were about to attack Yun Que City.

But after approaching, it inexplicably turned around and retreated back into the Desolate Grassland.

However, its violent aura and roars did not diminish; instead, they became even more ferocious.

Clearly, the thing or person it was searching for was not in Yun Que City.

Lin Yang followed the trail, attempting to locate He Linchuan.

For three consecutive days, this Great Ferocious Beast vented its malevolence back and forth within a certain area of the Desolate Grassland, without returning to the depths.

"Could that boy He Linchuan still be alive within the Great Ferocious Beast's active area?" Lin Yang guessed, moving closer.

At the same time, he released his senses, and even asked the System to help scan and locate He Linchuan.

Of course, it was paid service.

"Host, the System has detected He Linchuan's location."

Suddenly, the System spoke, simultaneously transmitting a Location Coordinate directly to Lin Yang.

"Indeed, he is within the Great Ferocious Beast's active area!"

A flash of surprise appeared in Lin Yang's eyes after seeing the location:

"This boy has some skill; he can actually prevent the Great Ferocious Beast from pinpointing his exact location?"

"Host, he seems to have used a method of Feigning Death. The System detected a layer of liquid made from special materials covering his body, which appears to isolate certain senses. He also has no breath."

The System transmitted a Real-time Image to Lin Yang once again.

Lin Yang saw He Linchuan lying in a deep pit, covered in a thick layer of grayish-yellow liquid, the outer portion of which had solidified into a paste.

Even his mouth and nose were completely sealed.

The entire person seemed to have absolutely no signs of Life, not even a heartbeat.

"This... System, are you sure he's not dead?" Lin Yang was somewhat astonished.

This state doesn't look like Feigning Death; it looks more like True Death!