262: Crazy and dead, the stars become sand

That heart-palpitating, terrifying aura vanished from the red sandalwood box in a flash, as if it were merely an illusion.

At that moment, the attacks of all the pirates froze for a split second.

They were all outlaws who lived on the edge of a blade; their perception of danger far exceeded that of ordinary people.

In that instant just now, they truly felt the presence of death!

However, when they looked again, the wooden box Lin Fan held high showed no movement at all.

His body went limp, and along with the wooden box, he collapsed onto the meteorite, his aura completely severed.

Dead?

Just like that?

Scared to death... by them?

Several pirates looked at each other, for a moment not daring to step forward.

Aboard the starship, Scarface's brow furrowed tightly as he stared intently at the water mirror.

Something's not right.

It's far too strange.

A Soul Transformation giant, even if their oil was spent and their lamp was dry, couldn't possibly be scared to death by a few Golden Core and Foundation Establishment juniors.

"Old Third, go take a look and see if he's really dead." Scarface's voice carried a hint of coldness.

The thin, small pirate called Old Third swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and cautiously approached.

He first poked Lin Fan's "corpse" with a Flying Sword; there was no reaction.

He then released his Divine Thought to investigate; indeed, there was no sign of life left in the body, and the Divine Soul was completely extinguished.

He was truly dead.

Old Third breathed a sigh of relief, and a greedy, cruel smile immediately appeared on his face.

He snatched the red sandalwood box from Lin Fan's arms, weighed it, and then impatiently tried to open it.

But no matter what method he used, he couldn't budge the overlapping layers of Restrictions on it in the slightest.

"Boss, I can't open this box!" Old Third turned and shouted.

A glint flashed in Scarface's eyes.

The harder it was to open, the more precious the contents must be!

He had gambled correctly!

"Bring both the man and the box back! Search him and see if he has any other storage Magic Treasures!" Scarface ordered.

"Yes!"

Several pirates swarmed forward, lifting Lin Fan's "corpse" with many hands and dragging him like a dead dog toward the starship... Inside the starship was a dark, damp metal corridor.

The cabin doors on both sides were tightly shut, and the air was thick with the smell of blood mixed with low-quality alcohol.

Lin Fan's "corpse" was tossed casually into a corner, ignored by everyone.

All the pirates' attention was focused on that red sandalwood box.

Scarface handled it personally, his Late Nascent Soul Stage spiritual power surging frantically as he attempted to break the Restriction through brute force.

However, that seemingly ordinary wooden box was as hard as divine iron; no matter what he did, it remained motionless.

"Damn it! This is eerie!"

Scarface was sweating profusely from the effort and couldn't help but curse.

Just then, a pirate responsible for keeping watch rushed in as if he had seen a ghost, scrambling on all fours.

"Bo... Boss! The... the corpse has come back to life!"

"Back to life, my ass!" Scarface was in a foul mood and kicked him over. "What are you making such a fuss about?"

"No... no..." The pirate pointed toward the other end of the corridor, his voice trembling. "That... that guy... is alive!"

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction he was pointing.

They saw the "corpse" that was supposed to be lying in the corner had, at some point, already stood up.

He was patting the dust off his clothes, a hint of disdain on his face.

Then, under everyone's petrified gazes, he stretched lazily and walked casually toward the group.

The entire area fell into a dead silence.

Scarface's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Old Third shuddered all over, nearly dropping the wooden box in his hand.

How was this possible?!

He had clearly investigated just now; this guy was as dead as could be!

Lin Fan ignored the group's shock.

His mind was immersed in the notification sounds from the System panel.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a 'Death by Intimidation'. Death impact level: Squad-level. Death target strength: Small fry.]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Common-grade Death!]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Common-grade reward: Star Sand x100!]

It's here!

Lin Fan felt a surge of secret joy.

Star Sand was one of the most critical basic Materials for repairing the Mustard Seed World!

In the outside world, this material was sold by the grain and was quite expensive.

Now, just by being "scared to death" once, he had obtained a hundred portions!

This deal was a massive profit!

He looked up, his gaze falling on the thin pirate named Old Third who had attacked him earlier.

His eyes were full of "kindness."

This was a good man.

He had to encourage him to keep up the good work.

"Hey." Lin Fan beckoned to Old Third with a finger. "Give me back my things."

Old Third flinched and instinctively took two steps back, hiding behind Scarface.

Scarface's expression had turned so dark it looked like it could drip water.

He had lived for hundreds of years and had never seen something so bizarre.

Resurrection from the dead?

Or had this guy been playing them from the very beginning?

"Who exactly are you?" Scarface asked in a raspy voice.

"Just a passing, destitute Loose Cultivator." Lin Fan spread his hands, looking completely innocent.

His gaze remained locked on Old Third.

"I'll say it one more time. Give me back my box."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a hint of being beyond question.

"Boss, don't believe him! This guy is definitely playing tricks!" Old Third, feeling unnerved by Lin Fan's gaze, shouted with feigned bravado, "He must have used some sinister secret technique to fake his death! He must be at his wit's end now! Let's all attack together and chop him into mincemeat!"

Scarface didn't speak.

His logic told him the person in front of him was very dangerous.

But the greed in his heart made it impossible for him to give up that mysterious wooden box.

While he was hesitating.

Lin Fan moved.

He didn't charge at anyone; he just walked slowly toward Old Third.

One step.

Two steps.

His pace was very slow, even a bit unsteady, as if he might fall at any moment.

But every step felt like it was treading on the hearts of all the pirates.

Old Third felt his scalp tingle under that calm gaze, and the fear in his heart was replaced by an endless sense of humiliation.

He was the Third Leader of the Black Sail Pirate Crew! A Late Golden Core Stage expert!

Now, he was actually so scared he couldn't move by an unarmed, heavily injured person?

"Fuck you! I'll slaughter you first!"

Old Third roared, his mind clouded by rage.

He stuffed the wooden box into a nearby companion's hands and transformed into a black shadow, carrying a violent killing intent as he punched toward Lin Fan's chest!

He put all his strength into this punch!

The wind from the punch whistled, and even the surrounding metal walls groaned under the strain!

Facing this fatal blow, Lin Fan didn't dodge or avoid it.

He even took a step forward to meet it.

A strange smile appeared on his face.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed.

Old Third's fist smashed solidly into Lin Fan's chest.

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

Lin Fan was sent flying back like a broken kite, crashing heavily against the wall behind him before sliding limp to the ground.

A terrifying bloody hole had collapsed into his chest.

His life force was once again severed.

Dead again.

Old Third panted heavily, staring blankly at his fist.

That was... it?

Why did it feel... easier than killing a chicken?

Scarface and the other pirates were also completely dumbfounded.

What exactly was this person here for?

To commit suicide?

However, before they could figure it out.

In the corner, the finger of Lin Fan's limp "corpse" suddenly twitched.

Then, under everyone's nearly bursting eyes.

The bloody hole in his chest began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He wobbled and once again stood up from the ground.

He thumped his chest, making a series of dull "bang bang" sounds, as if testing its durability.

Then, he looked at the dazed Old Third and furrowed his brow slightly.

"Decent power."

"But your aim was a bit off."

"Next time, aim for the head."

After speaking, he even tapped his temple with his finger.

The entire corridor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the pirates, including Scarface, felt like their brains were failing them.

"Gho... Ghost!"

Someone let out a shrill scream, completely triggering everyone's terror.

Old Third's legs went soft and he slumped to the floor, a dark wet patch quickly spreading across his crotch.

He had wet himself from fear.

Lin Fan didn't pay him any more attention.

Because he had made a new discovery this time.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed an 'Active Cooperative Death'. Death impact level: Squad-level. Death target strength: Small fry.]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Common-grade Death!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Common-grade reward: Basic Body Refining Technique (Fragmented)!]

It wasn't Star Sand anymore.

It seemed that using the same method to die at the hands of the same person would cause the rewards to diminish or even change.

He had to try something different.

A different... more technical way to die.

His gaze scanned all around the corridor.

Soon, his attention was drawn to an energy hub on the wall that was constantly flashing with purple electric arcs.

A prominent skull symbol was engraved on it, with a line of small text underneath.

"High Danger! Contact leads to instant death!"

Lin Fan's eyes instantly lit up.

Isn't this tailor-made for me?

He ignored the pirates who had already fallen into chaos and walked straight toward the energy hub.

"Wha... What are you doing?!" Scarface cried out in alarm when he saw his actions.

That was one of the main power lines of the starship!

Forget a mortal body; even a Nascent Soul Stage Body Cultivator would be instantly turned to charcoal if they touched it!

Lin Fan didn't answer him.

He just turned his head and gave a kind smile to Old Third, who was nearly insane with fear.

Then, he reached out.

Under everyone's horrified gazes, he pressed his hand against it without looking back.

Zzzzt—

Extremely blinding purple electric light instantly swallowed Lin Fan's figure!

The air filled with the smell of scorched protein.

When the electric light dissipated.

In its place remained only a pitch-black humanoid piece of charcoal, still maintaining the posture of pressing its hand against the wall.

A slight breeze blew.

Crackle.

The charcoal shattered, turning into a pile of ashes on the ground.

This time, not even a scrap was left.

Inside the corridor, there was dead silence.

All the pirates were like they had been hit with a freezing spell, motionless, even forgetting to breathe.

A strange "clucking" sound came from Scarface's throat; he felt that his hundreds of years of knowledge had been completely crushed today.

Just then.

A voice that was completely out of place on this pirate ship—somewhat refined and inquisitive—rang out from the end of the corridor.

"Interesting experimental subject."

Everyone looked toward the sound.

A feminine-looking young man wearing a white lab coat and a monocle was walking slowly toward them.

He didn't even look at the terrified pirates; instead, he walked straight to the pile of ashes, squatted down, picked up a bit with his fingers, and sniffed it at the tip of his nose.

"Pure energy annihilation, not even a trace of Divine Soul residue left."

"Yet able to reorganize infinitely..."

"Truly... perfect."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over Scarface and the others as he gave a flat order: "Bring everything he just touched to Lab No. 3."

"Including..."

His gaze fell on Old Third, who was slumped on the ground.

"You lot."