221: My Lord invites you, bloody invitation

Lin Fan took a deep breath, his figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in front of Liu Qingqing, firmly protecting her behind him.

“Elder Lin!”

Seeing Lin Fan, Liu Qingqing gasped, as if a drowning person had grasped the last piece of driftwood, and subconsciously clutched his robes tightly.

Lin Fan's spiritual power surged wildly within him, the immense power of the Late Stage Soul Transformation realm coursing through his limbs and bones, his muscles tensing as he entered a state of maximum alert.

His gaze was fixed on the front.

The ten figures were all clad in ancient Immortal Armor that, though tattered, still hinted at its former exquisite beauty.

The aura they emitted was completely different from all the War Souls he had seen before.

It was a bizarre combination of deathly stillness, mingled with a trace of Immortal Spiritual Qi.

Fallen Immortal War Soulss.

Each of their auras far surpassed that of the Void Refining Realm War Soul Commander he had encountered earlier.

Lin Fan’s gaze finally landed on the leading female figure.

She wore a tattered Silver Palace Battle Armor, outlining a breathtaking figure.

Her peerlessly beautiful face was devoid of any expression.

Her hollow eyes held no light, yet they carried a cold indifference and arrogance that seemed to look down upon all living beings.

She merely stood there silently, and the pressure she exuded was several times more terrifying than that of the Body Integration Realm War Soul Monarch.

Lin Fan was already prepared to go all out and die once more.

This time, he probably wouldn't even get a B-rank evaluation.

He began to ponder how he could die a more valuable death.

However, the anticipated thunderous attack did not come.

The leading Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul didn't even glance at Liu Qingqing.

Her hollow eyes simply rested on Lin Fan.

As if scrutinizing.

Or perhaps confirming something.

The deathly silence of the standoff lasted for dozens of breaths.

The surrounding air solidified like iron, and even the eerie wind ceased to howl.

Liu Qingqing’s breathing had long since stopped, feeling as if her Divine Soul was about to be crushed by the invisible pressure.

A moment later.

A cold, ancient Divine Thought, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, directly entered Lin Fan's mind.

“No need to be nervous.”

Lin Fan's heart tightened.

This War Soul retained its complete sentience.

“You carry the aura of ‘that person’.”

That person?

Lin Fan’s mind raced.

What special aura did he have?

Was it the System that granted him Infinite Resurrection?

Or was it his Transmigration Soul, which didn't belong to this world?

Before he could figure it out, the female War Soul's next Divine Thought followed closely.

“My Lord wishes to see you.”

Lin Fan’s pupils imperceptibly constricted.

He forced himself to calm down and began to assess the risks and benefits.

The strength of this female War Soul before him was unfathomable; a direct confrontation was a dead end.

Since the other party hadn't immediately attacked, it meant there was still room for negotiation.

He decided to probe the other party's background first.

Lin Fan pulled Liu Qingqing back another half step, then stepped forward himself and spoke in a deep voice.

“I am Elder Lin Fan of the Cuiyun Sect.”

“Who are you, Your Excellency, and why do you block our path?”

He deliberately invoked the name of the Cuiyun Sect, though he knew that the name of this second-rate Sect might be worthless here, but it was the only intimidating facade he could use at the moment.

The Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul’s exquisite face remained expressionless upon hearing his words.

But Lin Fan caught a clear trace of indifference in her Divine Thought, like one observing an ant's futile struggles.

“Cuiyun Sect?”

“Never heard of it.”

The next moment, an indescribably terrifying pressure descended upon him from her.

This pressure was not directed at Liu Qingqing, but completely and precisely locked onto Lin Fan alone.

Lin Fan's body suddenly sank.

He felt as if he wasn't standing on the ground, but carrying an entire Primordial Divine Mountain on his back.

His bones groaned under the unbearable weight.

His cultivation, which had just broken through to the Late Stage Soul Transformation, was as fragile as thin ice before this pressure.

With just a single thought from the opponent, he would be crushed to dust.

This was the absolute disparity in strength.

All his cleverness, all his calculations, seemed laughable in the face of such power.

Lin Fan struggled to maintain his standing posture, fine beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, his face turning pale.

“Your insignificant Sect background means nothing before my Lord.”

The Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul’s cold Divine Thought continued to echo in his mind.

“The methods you use to feign death and constantly resurrect are also meaningless.”

Boom.

These words were like a clap of thunder in Lin Fan’s mind.

She knew.

She actually knew his biggest secret.

Although her understanding seemed to be slightly off, mistaking the System's resurrection for a special secret technique, this had already touched his core.

The composure on Lin Fan's face cracked for the first time.

He looked up, his eyes filled with unconcealed shock.

Seeing his reaction, the Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul seemed very satisfied.

Her hollow eyes seemed to casually glance at Liu Qingqing behind Lin Fan.

At that instant, Lin Fan keenly caught a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation in her gaze when it touched Liu Qingqing.

“Your petty tricks may deceive these mindless specters and this ignorant little girl, but they cannot deceive my Lord.”

Her Divine Thought carried a coldness that saw through everything.

Lin Fan's heart sank little by little.

He knew that he had completely lost the initiative.

Today, it was probably not a question of whether he wanted to die, but whether the other party wanted him to die.

But why?

Since the other party knew he could resurrect, why didn't she just directly kill him, or imprison him with some means?

Instead, she said her master wanted to see him?

What was the relationship between that so-called “master” and the aura of “that person” on him?

Countless questions churned in his mind.

Just then, the Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul slowly raised her right hand.

Her movements were slow, yet they carried a rhythm that seemed to draw in the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

A crimson light gathered at her fair, jade-like fingertips.

The crimson light was initially only the size of a grain of rice, but it emitted an unsettlingly sinister aura.

It rapidly expanded and transformed, eventually condensing into a Crimson Invitation, as thin as a cicada's wing and palm-sized.

On the invitation, two twisted, murderous characters were written in an unknown ancient divine script.

Trial.

“This is the invitation for the ‘Blood Trial’.”

The Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul’s Divine Thought sounded again.

“My Lord will be waiting for you at the end of the Trial.”

Before her voice faded, she flicked her finger.

The Crimson Invitation transformed into a stream of light, ignoring the distance of space and Lin Fan's protective spiritual power.

Pfft.

A soft sound.

The Crimson Invitation directly sank into Lin Fan’s glabella.

Lin Fan only felt a chill in his glabella, followed by a cold and domineering energy instantly merging into his Divine Soul Origin, as if an indelible mark had been branded on his Soul.

He could clearly feel that this mark was slowly draining his life force.

At the same time, a stream of information also entered his mind from the invitation.

The Blood Trial would begin three months later.

If he didn't participate, this invitation would directly detonate his Divine Soul, causing his spirit and body to be completely annihilated.

True annihilation of spirit and body.

The kind that even the System couldn't resurrect him from.

This was a forced invitation, one that could not be refused.

Or rather, a death warrant.

Having done all this, the Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul gave Lin Fan a deep look.

“Do not attempt to escape, nor think of stripping it away.”

“Prepare well, this is your glory.”

In her Divine Thought, for the first time, there was a trace of an inexplicable emotion, like pity, or perhaps... envy?

Lin Fan's face became incredibly solemn.

He stood rooted to the spot, silent, as if his entire being was shrouded in a shadow.

Liu Qingqing felt the heavy aura emanating from him, and her heart clenched as well.

She didn't know what had happened.

But she could feel that Lin Fan seemed to be in an unprecedented predicament.

“Elder Lin...”

She called out softly, her voice filled with worry.

Lin Fan did not respond.

He just stood quietly, like a stone statue.

However, deep within his heart.

In stark contrast to his outward solemnity and despair.

A storm of ecstasy was brewing.

Forced to receive a mark?

Die if he doesn't go?

That “master’s” strength was at least above the Body Integration Realm, perhaps even the Mahayana Stage, or even... the Undergoing Tribulation Stage?

The danger level of a trial hosted by an existence of this caliber was unimaginable.

How generous would the death rewards be?

S-rank?

Or S+ rank?

Or even the legendary SSS-rank?

This was hardly a death warrant.

This was clearly a VIP ticket to heaven!

Lin Fan was overjoyed, almost unable to suppress his laughter.

He forcefully pressed down the corners of his upturned mouth, maintaining a solemn expression on his face, one that suggested “a storm is brewing.”

Risk and reward are directly proportional.

This time, he was going to play big.

The Silver-Armored Female Battle Soul seemed to have completed her mission.

Her figure, along with the nine Fallen Immortal War Soulss behind her, began to turn ethereal, like reflections in water, slowly merging into the Void Realm.

Before they completely disappeared, that cold Divine Thought echoed in Lin Fan’s mind one last time.

“Considering you carry the aura of ‘that person,’ I’ll give you a piece of advice.”

“Protect this ‘Spiritual Source’ by your side.”

“In the Trial, she might be your only chance of survival.”

As the words faded, the aura of the ten Fallen Immortal War Soulss completely vanished from this Crimson Wasteland.

As if they had never appeared.

Only Lin Fan and Liu Qingqing remained, standing amidst the pulverized ruins.

“Elder Lin, are... are you alright?”

Liu Qingqing looked at Lin Fan, her voice choked with tears.

“They... what did they do to you?”

Lin Fan slowly came back to his senses. He looked at the girl's face, filled with worry and fear, and the flame of the 'death-seeking maniac' within him burned even more fiercely.

He forced a smile on his face that was uglier than crying, full of determination and tragedy.

“I’m fine.”

“It’s just... I received an invitation that cannot be refused.”