44: The core of the ruins, the foundation grass appears

The bone-chilling cold didn't come from the dampness of the cave.

It originated without warning from the deepest part of every Qingyun Sect Disciple's heart.

Creeping up their spine, joint by joint, frantically ascending to the top of their head.

They were not the first ones to arrive here.

By the side of the pool, a group of people had silently appeared at some unknown time.

Leading them was a young Young Master, dressed in moon-white robes and holding a white jade folding fan.

His face was so handsome it seemed otherworldly, and his peach blossom eyes seemed to contain all the spiritual essence of the heavens and earth.

Yet, the aura he exuded was like an abyss that devoured all things.

Just looking at him from afar made one's Divine Soul tremble uncontrollably, almost forcing them to prostrate on the spot.

Behind him, four guards in uniform black armor stood silently.

They were like four silent iron towers, their aura blending with the surrounding darkness, obscure and profound.

They just stood there, as if they had existed for thousands of years.

Yet, the Qingyun Sect group, from the Golden Core Elder to the Qi Refining Disciple, not a single person had detected their presence beforehand!

The young Young Master seemed to notice the gaze of these uninvited guests and slowly turned his head.

Those peach blossom eyes, which should have been full of emotion, lightly swept over Lin Gou, Zhao Linger, and all the Qingyun Sect Disciples, one by one.

His gaze was icy.

Indifferent.

Without a trace of human emotion.

It was as if a high and mighty god was scrutinizing a group of dead, bothersome ants.

"A bunch of chickens and dogs, daring to covet such a divine item?"

His voice was clear and pleasant, yet it carried a bone-deep contempt.

"Leave your Storage Pouches, then scram."

"I can spare your lives."

As his words fell, the air in the entire cave seemed to solidify.

The ecstatic expressions on the faces of the Qingyun Sect members were instantly replaced by shock, anger, and humiliation.

They had fought their way here through a bloody struggle, suffering heavy casualties, only for this person to open his mouth and demand everything they had, and then tell them to scram like dogs!

The Leading Elder's expression became incredibly solemn; he stared intently at the young Young Master, every word seemingly squeezed from between his teeth.

"Your Excellency, who are you? This is an ancestral relic of my Qingyun Sect. There is always a first come, first served principle for everything."

Upon hearing this, the young Young Master seemed to hear the funniest joke in the world.

A playful arc curved at the corner of his mouth, and he lightly tapped his palm with his folding fan.

"Qingyun Sect?"

"Never heard of it."

"As for rules..."

He paused, the teasing in his eyes turning into pure indifference.

"The rules of this world have always been set by the strong."

"And you all are too weak."

This undisguised humiliation made the Qingyun Sect members' anger almost erupt.

But more than that, it was a sense of powerlessness stemming from their hearts.

What the other party said was the truth.

Lin Gou's pupils contracted slightly; he wasn't blinded by anger but immediately issued an order to the System.

【Probe.】

The next second, a line of blood-red data clearly appeared in his mind.

【Name: Ye Chen.】

【Identity: Direct Disciple Prodigy of the top cultivation family, the 'Ye Family' in Tiannan County.】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Ninth Layer Perfection.】

【Cultivation Technique: Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique incomplete fragment, "Blazing Heaven Profound Art".】

【Magic Treasure: Three High Grade Magical Artifacts set.】

【Overall Danger Rank: Extremely High!】

【System Suggestion: Host should immediately abandon all resistance, discard dignity and wealth, and escape the scene at the fastest possible speed, which may offer a slim chance of survival.】

Lin Gou's heart instantly sank to the bottom.

Dimensionality reduction strike!

The Leading Elder clearly also realized this insurmountable gap; he took a deep breath, still wanting to say something more to strive for a slim chance of survival.

But Ye Chen had already lost his last patience.

"Noisy."

Before he finished speaking, he casually raised a hand and pointed.

A slender golden line of fire erupted from his fingertip, instantly piercing through space, shooting towards the Elder at an utterly unreactable speed!

The Elder's pupils constricted violently, his Golden Core Stage spiritual power instantly erupting, and a spiritual power shield blocked in front of him.

Bang!

The shield, like a bubble in the sun, was instantly penetrated by the golden line of fire.

The line of fire, with undiminished momentum, fiercely struck the Elder's chest.

"Pfft!"

The Leading Elder was struck as if by a massive hammer, spitting out a large mouthful of fresh blood, and his entire body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the rock wall dozens of meters away, sliding down, his aura instantly weakening.

One move.

Just one move.

A Golden Core Early Stage Elder, severely wounded and on the verge of death!

The entire cave fell into a deathly silence.

All the Qingyun Sect Disciples were stunned, a bone-deep chill rising from their hearts—that was the emotion called despair.

Ye Chen retracted his finger, dusting off non-existent dust, his eyes utterly cold.

"It seems you choose death."

He gently waved his hand.

"Kill them all."

The four black-armored guards behind him moved simultaneously!

They made no sound, but like four black lightning bolts, they instantly formed a profound battle formation, and a mountain-heavy aura of slaughter crashed down!

"Form a formation! Fight to the death!"

The surviving Qingyun Sect Disciples let out a tragic roar, subconsciously protecting Zhao Linger and the heavily wounded Elder in the center.

The battle instantly erupted.

However, it was a massacre without suspense.

The Qingyun Sect's defensive formation crumbled almost at the first moment of contact!

"Ah!"

A Disciple was split by a black-armored guard's saber, his protective Magical Artifact shattered in response, and his entire body was cut in half at the waist!

"Senior Brother!"

Another female Disciple let out a shrill scream, and then she too was pierced through the chest by a sharp saber light.

Zhao Linger's pretty face was deathly pale; she wielded her longsword, struggling to hold on, but every clash of weapons made her tiger's mouth numb and her Qi and blood surge.

Pfft!

She failed to dodge in time, and the blade grazed her shoulder, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound, and blood instantly stained her moon-white dress.

Despair.

Boundless despair enveloped everyone.

They were like a helpless, swaying small boat in a raging storm, liable to be completely torn apart and swallowed at any moment.

And in this deepest despair.

Lin Gou, who had been standing at the back of the crowd, seemingly scared stiff, had no fear in his eyes.

In his mind, a frantic shout was taking place.

"System! System!!!"

"Are there any temporary ultimate moves for mutual destruction?!"

"If it can take out that guy named Ye! Just him alone is enough!"

"I'm willing to pay all my Dao points! If it's not enough, I'll pay in advance! I'll pay with my life later!"

His will was so strong, so frantic.

【Ding!】

The System's cold voice, at this moment, seemed like the most beautiful sound in the world.

【Detecting Host's strong desire for death... no, for victory!】

【Activating one-time skill: "Resurrection Counterattack (Low-Tier Version)"!】

【Effect: At the moment of Host's next death, the attack that caused Host's death will be combined with all of Host's power, doubled in amplification, and fully returned to the attacker!】

【Warning: This skill will cause severe damage to Host's Divine Soul, significantly extending resurrection time! Some System functions will temporarily go dormant!】

Lin Gou looked at the two blood-red warnings without the slightest hesitation.

Let's do it!

A never-before-seen madness flashed in his eyes.

At this very moment, he quietly sent a Divine Soul message to Zhao Linger, who was fighting desperately not far in front of him.

"Senior Sister, trust me one last time!"

Zhao Linger's delicate body trembled; in the midst of the chaos, she looked back at him, her eyes full of confusion.

Lin Gou's voice carried an undeniable determination.

"Later, no matter what happens, don't mind me!"

"Rush over immediately and snatch that foundation establishment grass!"

"Quick! This is our only chance!"

Zhao Linger wanted to ask more, but she saw Lin Gou's eyes—an expression that completely disregarded his own life and death.

Her heart clenched suddenly.

She didn't know what Lin Gou was going to do, but she chose to trust him unconditionally.

She nodded heavily.

Having done all this, Lin Gou slowly walked out from the protection of the crowd.

He walked past his struggling fellow Disciples, past the corpses lying in pools of blood.

Step by step, he reached the front of the formation.

He faced Ye Chen, who was standing in the distance, enjoying the massacre with a playful gaze.

He spoke loudly, his voice not grand, yet it clearly echoed throughout the entire cave.

"Ye Family Prodigy, nothing more than this!"

"Do you only send lackeys to die?"

"If you want to kill me, come and try it yourself!"

As his voice fell, both sides of the intense battle paused their movements.

The playfulness on Ye Chen's face instantly froze.

He slowly turned his head, his icy peach blossom eyes locking onto Lin Gou.

A murderous intent, ten times more terrifying than before, erupted like a tangible cold current.

"You are seeking death."

He was completely enraged.

An ant, an ant he could crush with a flick of his hand, dared to publicly provoke him.

He took a step, and personally, walked towards Lin Gou.