25: I need to develop quickly

On the peak of the Heavenly Dome Peak, the smell of blood and fear solidified in the air.

Hua Qianmei's mournful screams seemed to still echo in everyone's ears.

Luo Bingli and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen, these two formerly supreme queens, were now like the most obedient maidservants, prostrating themselves at Lin Chen's feet, their delicate bodies trembling, not daring to lift their heads.

All the pride in their hearts had been crushed into dust by the bloody scene and Lin Chen's god-like methods.

Below the peak, tens of thousands of cultivators were silent.

They looked at the young man standing with his hands behind his back, his clothes flapping in the mountain wind, and their eyes no longer held any contempt or doubt, only the most primitive and purest... awe!

From today onward, Qingyang City only had one King.

That was Lin Chen!

"Get up."

Lin Chen's voice sounded flatly.

Luo Bingli and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen felt as if they had received a great pardon, quickly climbed up from the ground, and stood respectfully with their hands hanging by their sides.

"From today onward, your lives and everything you possess belong to me." Lin Chen did not look at them, but spoke in an unquestionable tone, "Open your Sea of Consciousness and let me plant a Soul Imprint."

Soul Imprint!

The delicate bodies of the two queens trembled violently again!

That was the most overbearing Soul Contract; once planted, their lives and deaths would be decided by a single thought from Lin Chen! They would completely become his most Loyal Servants, forbidden from betrayal for all eternity!

This was a yoke heavier than death.

But did they dare resist?

Looking at the ground not far away where the Demoness's flesh and blood still remained, they had no doubt that if they dared to utter the word "no," their fate would be a hundred times more miserable than Hua Qianmei's!

In the end, the two could only close their eyes in humiliation, completely giving up resistance.

Lin Chen flicked his finger, and two Golden Runes containing the Aura of Chaos instantly sank into their glabella.

After completing all this, the System prompt sounded wildly in Lin Chen's mind again!

[Ding! Congratulations host, the [Loyal Servant] System has been officially activated! Successfully subdued the first Golden Core Stage Loyal Servant: Luo Bingli!]

[Reward issued: [dragon elephant particles x 1000]! host's cultivation level increased to [Middle Foundation Establishment Stage]! Unlocked Divine Ability [Hand of Space]!]

[Ding! Successfully subdued the second Golden Core Stage Loyal Servant: Blood Moon Wolf Queen!]

[Reward issued: [dragon elephant particles x 1000]! host's cultivation level increased to [Late Foundation Establishment Stage]! Unlocked Talent [Affinity for Ten Thousand Demons]!]

Boom! Boom!

Two incomparably vast streams of energy instantly poured into Lin Chen's body!

His cultivation level soared like a rocket, breaking through two stages consecutively, skyrocketing directly from the Initial Foundation Establishment Stage to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage! He was only one step away from the Golden Core Stage!

Moreover, the dragon elephant particles inside his body reached a terrifying number—three thousand five hundred!

Three Thousand Five Hundred Dragon Elephant Power!

He was now several times stronger than before!

"Very good."

Lin Chen felt the explosive power within his body and nodded in satisfaction.

These two queens were truly premium "Experience Packages"!

He turned around, preparing to announce the return of the troops.

However, just then, Luo Bingli, who had just had the Soul Imprint planted, suddenly turned pale, as if she had thought of something extremely terrifying, and urgently said:

"M-Master! We are in huge trouble!"

"Trouble?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's the Blood Demon Cult!" Luo Bingli's voice carried an uncontrollable tremor, "Master, y-you killed Hua Qianmei!"

"If I killed her, I killed her. She was just trash." Lin Chen was unconcerned.

"No! You don't know!" Luo Bingli was so anxious she was about to cry, "Although Hua Qianmei wasn't the strongest among the Blood Demon Cult's Four Great Protectors, she... was the most favored concubine of the Blood Demon Cult's Vice Cult Master, 'Blood Slaughter Old Demon'!"

"That Blood Slaughter Old Demon is a true Nascent Soul Stage Old Monster! Moreover, he is narrow-minded and vengeful! Now that Hua Qianmei has died in Qingyang City, he... he will absolutely not let the matter rest! We... our entire Qingyang City will face utter devastation!"

Nascent Soul Stage?!

As soon as this term was uttered, the expressions of everyone present, including Lin Zhan and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen, changed drastically!

If the Golden Core Stage was the King who dominated a region.

Then the Nascent Soul Stage was the "Old Ancestor" capable of founding a sect and controlling the life and death of a nation! They were beings of a completely different dimension!

The wrath of a Nascent Soul Old Monster was enough to completely wipe Qingyang City off the map!

The joy and hope that had just arisen were instantly shrouded by a dark cloud named "Despair"!

However, facing this news that was enough to make anyone tremble.

Lin Chen's expression remained as calm as still water.

He looked at the despairing Luo Bingli and asked indifferently, "Is the Nascent Soul Stage very strong?"

Lin Chen's light and casual words stunned both Luo Bingli and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen.

Seeing their Master's completely unconcerned demeanor, they felt momentary confusion.

Could it be... the Nascent Soul Stage really wasn't that terrifying?

But this thought was fleeting, immediately replaced by endless fear.

"Master! That is the Nascent Soul Stage!" Luo Bingli's pretty face was pale with anxiety as she quickly explained, "Although Golden Core and Nascent Soul are separated by only one realm, the difference is like heaven and earth! Nascent Soul Old Ancestors project their Divine Souls onto heaven and earth, their Magic Power is inexhaustible, and a single thought can seal off a hundred miles of space! We... we won't even have a chance to escape!"

"Furthermore..." She paused, her voice carrying deeper fear, "Master, you may not know. That Blood Slaughter Old Demon is not a man. She is called the Blood Slaughter Demon Empress, the Blood Demon Cult's Vice Cult Master, a Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demoness who has lived for nearly a thousand years!"

"Not only is her strength heaven-defying, but her nature is also brutal and bloodthirsty. She especially loves collecting male geniuses with Special Bloodlines, turning them into 'Blood God Sons' to be enslaved by her for eternity! Hua Qianmei was just one of her many favored playthings!"

Blood Slaughter Demon Empress!

A Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demoness!

This name seemed to contain supreme demonic power, causing everyone present to feel a chill rising from the depths of their souls!

If the previous Hua Qianmei was a poisonous snake.

Then this Blood Slaughter Demon Empress was a true Ancient Ferocious Beast capable of swallowing heaven and devouring earth!

Now, the trouble was immense!

The entire Qingyang City seemed to be shrouded by a dark cloud named "Death."

However, Lin Chen's expression, after hearing all this, still hadn't changed much.

Instead of fear, a strong wave of excitement surged in his heart!

A Mid Nascent Soul Stage Demoness?

Likes collecting male geniuses?

This... this was simply a tailor-made, super invincible ultimate deluxe "Experience Package"!

Of course, excitement aside, despise the enemy strategically, but treat the enemy seriously tactically.

With his current Late Foundation Establishment Stage strength, plus the Three Thousand Five Hundred Dragon Elephant Power, dealing with an ordinary peak Golden Core stage might not be a problem.

But facing a Mid Nascent Soul Stage Old Monster, it was still far from enough.

He must, in the shortest amount of time, push and elevate his strength to the limit!

"Why panic."

Lin Chen glanced at the two Golden Core Maidservants in front of him, who were nearly scared senseless, and said indifferently, "If the sky falls, I will hold it up."

His calm and confident voice seemed to carry a strange Magic Power, miraculously stabilizing the frightened hearts of Luo Bingli and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen.

"Now is not the time to be afraid." Lin Chen's gaze instantly sharpened, "Luo Bingli, Blood Moon!"

"Your Servant is here!" The two queens bowed in unison, their posture extremely humble.

"I give you three days." Lin Chen issued the order for war preparations.

"First, Luo Bingli, immediately return to the City Lord's Mansion, activate Qingyang City's highest-level City Protection Grand Array! Transfer all non-combat personnel in the city to the Underground Shelter! At the same time, integrate the resources of all families within the city—Spirit Stone, Medicinal Pill, Heaven And Earth Treasure—bring me as much as you can!"

"Second, Blood Moon, immediately return to Black Wind Mountain, and bring me all the treasures in your Demon Clan Treasury that can enhance Vital Energy and Blood, and temper the physical body! Additionally, have your most elite Wolf Guards set up a cordon around Qingyang City's periphery. I want to grasp all movements of that old Demoness immediately!"

"Third," Lin Chen looked at his father and Lin Ziyan, "Father, Ziyan, you two are responsible for placating the family both inside and out, and stabilizing morale! Tell everyone that with me, Lin Chen, here, the sky will not fall!"

The orders were issued in an orderly manner.

The crowd, who had originally fallen into chaos and despair, seemed to find their backbone under Lin Chen's powerful confidence and clear deployment, and immediately sprang into action!

The entire Qingyang City, like a precise war machine, began to operate frantically in preparation for the impending catastrophe!

...Inside the Saint Son's Courtyard, in the Secret Chamber.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged.

In front of him, mountains of Spirit Stone, Medicinal Pill, and various Heaven And Earth Treasure piled up, emitting intoxicating treasure light.

This was the entire accumulated wealth that Luo Bingli and the Blood Moon Wolf Queen had gathered for him after ransacking the treasuries of their two factions!

"Mid Nascent Soul Stage... Blood Slaughter Demon Empress..."

Excitement flickered in Lin Chen's eyes.

He could feel an unprecedented pressure, like a towering mountain, enveloping his heart.

But it was precisely under this immense pressure that every cell in his body trembled with excitement, yearning for a hearty battle!

"System, convert all these items into energy for me!"

With a thought, Lin Chen began the craziest "Pay-to-Win Upgrade" in his history!

He intended to push his strength to a completely new realm, one that even he could not predict, before the Blood Slaughter Demon Empress arrived!