562: People will die, let's gamble on the future (5k words)

"Because scanning high-level powerful individuals requires payment, to avoid unnecessary waste, the System will only initiate a scan when you permit it. Therefore, I apologize, but I am currently unable to provide you with information regarding their strength."

The System replied as follows:

"If you need it, you may authorize the System to perform a scan the next time you see them. At that time, the System will provide the cost, and you can decide whether or not to proceed with the scan."

"..." Lin Yang was speechless and did not say anything more.

Regarding the scanning fees mentioned by the System, he had nothing to say this time.

Because the Mirror Ruins Realm is a high-level space-time, it is indeed not easy to investigate the circumstances of some powerful individuals here.

For instance, in Yun Que City, there are Formation Arrays that involve the power of Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules.

Wanting to penetrate the Formation Array to scan the entire city is extremely expensive!

This is also the reason why he had not used the System to scan the information of the Bone Bloom leader.

Scanning powerful individuals might require the System to pay a cost, such as energy; it is not simply to make him spend more money.

Therefore, he could understand why it did not keep the scan active at all times.

However, from the System's reply, Lin Yang could confirm one thing indirectly.

That is, the gray-robed elder from just now is at least a Guiyuan Realm existence!

If it were the Boundary Realm, even a Boundary Realm expert who had comprehended some of the power of Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules would not be referred to as a powerful individual by the System.

Furthermore, if it were the Boundary Realm, he would have been able to perceive a thing or two himself.

Yet, he had felt absolutely nothing just now.

"To be called 'Young Master' by a powerful individual who is at least in the Guiyuan Realm..."

Lin Yang's eyes flickered; it was hard to imagine the background of the 'Young Master' mentioned by the gray-robed elder.

How noble must one's status be to have a Guiyuan Realm expert serve as a servant?

Most importantly, why would the other party give him all the information on Bone Bloom?

"Could it be that they guessed my identity?"

Lin Yang could not help but speculate, feeling even more puzzled.

Because even if they had guessed his identity, there was no reason to give him this intelligence.

The intelligence given to him did not cost a single cent, which was clearly a gesture of goodwill.

With such an astonishing background and noble status, there should be no need for them to show goodwill toward him, right?

He could not figure it out. He could not figure it out at all.

"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Since the other party has proactively shown goodwill, they will definitely seek me out again. At that time, I will know their true intentions."

Subsequently, Lin Yang stopped overthinking and planned to go to the location of the Bone Bloom headquarters, as recorded in the intelligence provided by the other party, to check the situation.

According to the intelligence, that leader also stays in the headquarters year-round.

He now wanted to go over and verify the authenticity of this intelligence.

Although the possibility of it being fake was extremely low.

"If the intelligence is true, I can also take the opportunity to see the strength of that Bone Bloom leader."

Lin Yang pondered, but he did not head straight there; instead, he returned to the Villa he had rented in the high-end residential area.

That gray-robed elder might be watching him from the shadows all along.

Although the other party might have already guessed that he was the one who had isolated the He Family, Lin Yang did not want to directly use the Absolute Domain to hide right under their nose.

At the very least, before confirming the other party's intentions, he could not give them a direct handle on him.

After returning to the Villa, Lin Yang used the Absolute Domain to conceal himself and quietly left the Villa again.

The courtyards in the residential area were all blocked by the city's Formation Array power, and even a Guiyuan Realm expert could not easily pry into them.

Even the City Lord did not have the qualification or authority to pry into the privacy within the city.

...

In a high-end area in the northeast corner of the city, Lin Yang arrived quietly.

This was the area where the Bone Bloom headquarters was located, as recorded in the intelligence.

The Bone Bloom headquarters was a large mansion located there.

And that mansion was outwardly known as the Xie Family, one of the Five Great Families in the city.

"It's actually hidden within the Xie Family?" Lin Yang was very surprised.

The various major powers within Yun Que City were intertwined.

Apart from the City Lord's Mansion, which was an official power belonging to Kunyu Country, the Five Great Families were the five strongest powers in Yun Que City.

He had not expected that the Bone Bloom headquarters would be in the Xie Family!

"The Xie Family was actually propped up by Bone Bloom!"

Regarding this information, while shocked, Lin Yang also suddenly felt it was a little bit reasonable.

After all, although the personnel of Bone Bloom were not numerous, they were definitely not few either.

Yet, as soon as they entered the city, it was very difficult to find any traces of them.

Outsiders were even less aware of the true location of the Bone Bloom headquarters.

But if they disguised themselves as servants or retainers of the Xie Family, it would be much more logical.

As one of the Five Great Families, the Xie Family had tens of thousands of members with the surname Xie, and the number of other branch members, servants, and retainers was countless.

Usually, disguising themselves as members of the Xie Family to enter and exit was indeed a very good way to cover their tracks.

"A dignified member of the Five Great Families was actually propped up by an underground power..."

Lin Yang was momentarily at a loss for words.

He could only say that the power of Bone Bloom in Yun Que City was indeed stronger than imagined, capable of forcefully propping up a top-tier major family on the surface.

"The Xie Family patriarch, Xie Weisheng, is also a third-level Boundary Realm expert who has comprehended the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules; he is really hiding deep!"

Lin Yang concealed himself above the Xie Family and did not rashly go in.

The intelligence that the gray-robed elder gave him was much more detailed.

It was far more detailed than the intelligence purchased in the city for ten thousand blocks.

That kind of intelligence costing ten thousand blocks did not even mention Xie Weisheng's true strength.

On the surface, only the City Lord, the Bone Bloom leader, and the Wei Xu Leader in the city were old-school third-level Boundary Realm experts who had comprehended the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules.

As for whether others had also comprehended the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules, although everyone had their guesses that there must be more than just those three in the city, there was no specific confirmation.

Yet, it was written clearly on that intelligence.

This shows the capability of that gray-robed elder and the 'Young Master' he spoke of!

"If Bone Bloom can prop up a top-tier major family, perhaps Ghost Ruins can too."

Lin Yang suddenly thought of this possibility again.

It's just that... if two of the Five Great Families were really propped up by underground powers, that would be truly ridiculous.

"It seems the rumors are indeed not groundless. These underground powers exist to do some shady business for certain big shots; otherwise, they couldn't possess such great energy."

Lin Yang's eyes flickered.

Although it might be because Yun Que City is relatively small and remote, causing it to be more chaotic and giving underground powers a major advantage.

But it also shows that most cities in the entire Mirror Ruins Realm are probably more or less the same.

I'm afraid only some large cities with many powerful individuals, especially those with Guiyuan Realm experts, might be slightly better.

Guiyuan Realm experts generally disdain being part of underground powers.

In cities where Guiyuan Realm experts exist, it is difficult for underground powers to develop.

Only in small cities without Guiyuan Realm experts can these people from underground powers be so rampant.

"If there is indeed a big shot behind Bone Bloom, then if I eliminate them, it will likely annoy that big shot."

Lin Yang's gaze was deep.

"However, those who only dare to hide their heads and show their tails, concealing their identities to secretly support underground powers, won't be truly powerful either; they are just scum as well."

"I must kill all the members of Bone Bloom to avenge Linchuan."

"If the big shot behind them is unhappy and sends someone to find me, I can take the opportunity to probe the other party's identity. If I can win, I'll kill that big shot as well; if I can't win..."

"If I can't win, I'll wait until I can before I go and kill them!"

Killing intent flared in Lin Yang's eyes; he feared nothing.

Afterward, he observed for a while above the Xie Family and then silently left.

A major family like the Xie Family, because they pay a lot of money to the City Lord's Mansion, receives special allocation of Formation Array power.

Plus, the Xie Family patriarch and that Bone Bloom leader are both existences who have mastered the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules, so it is not easy for him to rashly isolate the Xie Family and take action right now.

If it were in the wild, he would not care about a one-on-two fight at all.

But within the city, Lin Yang still planned to be more cautious.

"I'll let you live a little longer."

As Lin Yang said this, he quietly returned to the Villa, removed his disguise, and left the city again.

To take action within the city, he estimated that his own strength would need to be raised to the third level of the Boundary Realm to be secure.

In a situation where both sides have mastered the power of Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules, the strength of one's power is also very critical.

He prepared to proceed according to his previous plan.

First, go outside the city to hunt down the members of Bone Bloom and cut off this source of wealth for them.

If he could annoy the Bone Bloom leader and provoke him to go outside the city, that would be even better.

Outside the city, without the power of the Formation Array, even though his own strength is currently only at the first level of the Boundary Realm, Lin Yang was confident in dealing with the Bone Bloom leader.

As for whether the Bone Bloom leader would be wary and run away after he revealed some of his identity and strength.

Lin Yang also had absolute certainty that the other party definitely would not!

Having taken such deep roots in Yun Que City, he believed that unless it was an absolute last resort, the leader of Bone Bloom would never easily abandon this foundation.

Moreover, he had only exposed his strongest power to the level of killing anyone in the third level of the Boundary Realm who had not mastered the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules.

The leader of Bone Bloom would certainly not feel any fear or trepidation toward him.

To become the leader of an underground force, Lin Yang believed that such a guy would, more or less, possess some level of arrogance.

It was absolutely impossible for him to just turtle up or run away without engaging him in battle.

And as long as he came out of the city to engage him, he would not give this guy any chance to escape!

Of course, if this guy was truly too cowardly, then at worst, he would just expend a little more effort, raise his power to the third level of the Boundary Realm as soon as possible, and kill him inside the city.

As the thoughts and plans flashed through his mind, Lin Yang had already arrived outside the city.

This time, he did not head deep into the wilderness.

He even slowed down after leaving the city, purely to wait for the people from Bone Bloom to catch up and make a move.

At the same time, he spread out his senses to search for the Bone Bloom Squad that was already stationed outside the city, responsible for plundering.

And the situation was indeed as Lin Yang had previously thought.

The incident with the He Family happened too suddenly; it was difficult for Bone Bloom to immediately link him to that mysterious powerhouse.

Even if they did make the connection, now that everyone was convinced he held a treasure, the people from Bone Bloom would not give up.

Therefore, not long after he left the city, another Bone Bloom Squad followed him.

However, unlike last time, this time there were two individuals at the limit of the third level who hadn't grasped the Dao Rhythm and Power of Rules, along with several ordinary third-level individuals.

The overall strength was more than twice as strong as the previous Squad.

Clearly, after more than half a year, their level of importance placed on Lin Yang had increased significantly.

This time, these guys had no intention of hiding; unlike last time when they were quietly lurking behind Lin Yang, they were now charging toward Lin Yang with a clear goal.

"The lineup is much bigger than last time. Hehe, it seems you are determined this time; you must seize the treasure from my hands at all costs."

Lin Yang stood in place, smiling as he watched these people approach at high speed.

"Lin Yang, you were lucky last time and encountered a rampaging Great Ferocious Beast, but you won't have such good luck this time. If you know what's good for you, hand over the treasure. The previous conditions still apply, otherwise, you die!"

One of the limit third-level experts said coldly.

After such a long time, they had basically concluded that Lin Yang had no background, so their words this time were not as polite as before.

"Haha, this is the way an underground force should do things."

Lin Yang smiled slightly, then his smile suddenly vanished, and he said coldly as well:

"Someone will indeed die today, but it won't be me."

"Instead, it will be you!"

After speaking, he didn't even give these guys a chance to reply and struck first.

He had made up his mind not to hide too much, so there was no need to waste breath on these guys now.

Right now, he just wanted to kill these scumbags to collect some interest!

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The space power transformed into whip-like cords, lashing out at all of them simultaneously.

Seeing that Lin Yang was not only uncooperative but actually initiated an attack—and was attacking all of them at once—the members of Bone Bloom all roared out simultaneously.

"Arrogant!"

"Too insolent!"

"You're courting death!"

"..."

They all felt insulted!

Lin Yang was just one person, a mere first-level Boundary Realm cultivator.

Instead of showing any fear or awe when facing them, he attacked all of them at once.

This was something they could not tolerate!

In an instant, their power surged violently as they charged at Lin Yang.

This scene was also immediately noticed by the various experts within Yun Que City.

In fact, from the moment Lin Yang left the city, his every move had been closely watched.

Everyone was curious about what he intended to do by leaving the city at such a critical moment.

However, although everyone had considered many possibilities, none of them had expected that when faced with such a powerful plundering Squad from Bone Bloom, he would not choose to flee back into the city immediately, but instead chose to launch an active attack—and against all of them at once!

"Could it be that he really has a supreme treasure?"

"It seems there really is a treasure; otherwise, why would he be so arrogant?"

Subsequently, in addition to being shocked, the people in the city all had their eyes light up.

In their view, Lin Yang's actions could only prove one thing: he indeed possessed a treasure!

Otherwise, how would he dare to commit such an arrogant, suicidal act!

The members of Bone Bloom were also the same; after their initial rage, they were pleasantly surprised.

Inside the VIP room of the Star Divination Tower.

The old man, Uncle Fu, watched this scene from afar, frowning:

"Young Master, I already delivered the intelligence to him, yet he did not take action. This suggests his strength might not be that impressive. Have you overestimated him?"

The young man shook his head slightly and smiled upon hearing this:

"His strength might indeed be weaker than I previously thought, but doesn't this precisely prove that he isn't some powerhouse hiding his identity here?"

Uncle Fu was stunned.

The young man continued:

"No matter what method he used to achieve it, the fact remains that after he concealed himself, even you, Uncle Fu, could not detect him."

"This point alone proves his uniqueness. In fact, I am even more hopeful that his strength is as low as it appears on the surface."

Uncle Fu was instantly puzzled:

"Young Master, what is this...?"

The young man smiled slightly and said leisurely:

"If he is currently only at the first level of the Boundary Realm yet can achieve that level, it can only mean two things."

"Either his treasure is astonishing, or his methods are uniquely astonishing!"

"If it's the former, it proves his luck is heaven-defying."

"If it's the latter, it proves his talent and methods are heaven-defying."

"If it's the former, I also need some of that good luck."

"If it's the latter, then it's even better!"

"The lower his true strength level, the more it proves his terrifying potential!"

"And I have plenty of time to wait for him to grow."

The young man's eyes were filled with a burning intensity.

Uncle Fu was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"Young Master's thoughts are not without reason. Let's continue to observe. If he is truly worth cultivating, even if we can't use him now, we can plan for the future."

"That is exactly my thought. Let's bet on the future." The young man said softly.

"Hmm..."

Uncle Fu nodded and was about to say something else, but the next moment, his eyes involuntarily widened, his face showed an expression of astonishment, and he even exclaimed:

"How is this possible?!"

At the same moment, at the Yue Family.

"Father, are you saying that Bone Bloom sent two limit third-level Boundary Realm experts and several third-level guys to plunder Uncle Lin this time??"

In front of Yue Duanjiang, his two children and some other juniors were gathered, all of them wearing expressions of shock.

Their strength had not reached the Boundary Realm, so they could not view the situation outside the city from afar, unless they paid money to purchase some broadcast.

But they had Yue Duanjiang, so whenever such things happened, they would usually gather around Yue Duanjiang to hear his account.

Upon hearing Yue Duanjiang describe the strength of the team Bone Bloom had sent to plunder Lin Yang this time, they were all greatly astonished.

"This power is too strong. Uncle Lin... I'm afraid he will definitely die this time." The children all muttered.

They did not believe Lin Yang could survive under such power.

The people in the city all had the same thought.

Even Yue Duanjiang himself could not understand why Lin Yang had to leave the city, and at this moment, he was also full of worry.

Even he had no confidence in Lin Yang anymore.

However, hearing the children's muttering, he subconsciously still wanted to scold them a few times, to make these little ones say something pleasant and auspicious.

But before he could speak, he looked as if he had seen something incredible, instantly freezing in place, his face filled with horror.

Seeing him like this, the children became curious and anxious one by one:

"Father (Uncle), what's wrong with you? What did you see?"

"Did Uncle Lin get killed by the people from Bone Bloom?!"

Yue Duanjiang shook his head blankly, his words sounding like sleep-talking as he muttered:

"No, it's not..."

"It's Brother Lin..."

"Brother Lin... he actually killed... all the people from Bone Bloom!!"

"What?!"

The children were also instantly stunned.

(End of chapter)