140: Chapter 140 Reap the Benefits

After Zhao Kun finished speaking, the temporary resting area outside the mine shaft fell silent for a few seconds.

The wind was still blowing, and the dust over the distant Forbidden Ground had not yet fully settled.

Lin Muchen opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Kun. "Does the Elder mean that we should wait for them to both be wounded and then strike back?"

"Yes." Zhao Kun nodded, his expression steady. "Those three Demonic Path monsters are badly injured, and the Demon Lizard is also weakened."

"Now is the perfect time to go back."

Zhou Zhen rubbed his hands nearby. "Senior Brother Zhao, we just retreated. If we strike back now, will the Disciples be in the right state?"

"They will be," replied Li Hu, who was checking a Disciple's injuries. "These are all superficial wounds, and we have enough Medicinal Pills."

"Besides, going back now means fighting a battle with the wind at our backs; morale is high."

Sun Ming also spoke up, "The evil array is broken, and their greatest reliance is gone. We should strike while they're down."

Lin Muchen didn't say anything; he closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the Origin Star.

First, he looked at the pile of bone plate fragments.

They were still floating in that gray space, motionless.

[abyssal bone tablet fragments Seal Status: Stable.]

[Origin Star Origin power isolation in progress.]

Lin Muchen tried to "touch" it with the world will.

There was no reaction.

It was just like a piece of ordinary broken bone.

But he knew it wasn't.

"System, can you analyze what this thing is used for?"

[Analyzing...]

[The bone plate fragments contain high-level Demonic Path Law fragments. The structure is complex and requires more time for analysis.]

[Suggestion: Guide the Yuan Xingchen Tribe to perform preliminary contact analysis to accelerate the analysis process.]

"The tribe?" Lin Muchen was taken aback. "Can they do it?"

[The Chen Tribe has already mastered basic rune knowledge and has a preliminary understanding of energy structures.]

[The world will can guide them to observe and record, providing feedback to the Feedback Efficiency of the analysis.]

"Then let's try it."

Lin Muchen cast his consciousness toward the Chen Tribe camp.

By the campfire, Elder Yan was leading the tribesmen in counting the Materials left over from the rune carving.

Lin Muchen used the world will to gently "nudge" Yan.

Yan's body stiffened, and then his eyes became a bit vacant.

He looked up at the sky—though the sky of the Origin Star now only had clouds and occasional flashes of lightning.

"God... another revelation?" Yan murmured to himself.

Lin Muchen implanted the vague concept of the "bone plate fragments," along with the thoughts of "observation," "recording," and "analysis," into Yan's mind.

Yan froze for a long time, then suddenly stood up.

"Everyone! Stop what you are doing!"

The tribesmen all looked at him.

Yan pointed to an open space in the middle of the camp and said, "There, set up a stone platform! It must be flat! Quick!"

Though they didn't know what the Elder wanted to do, the tribesmen moved quickly.

Several large stones were brought over and assembled into a simple stone platform.

Yan walked to the stone platform, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands against the stone surface.

He was trying to "feel" the vague concept Lin Muchen had transmitted.

Lin Muchen could feel a faint, almost imperceptible trace of energy flowing from the tribal camp toward the independent space where the bone plate fragments were sealed.

It wasn't contact; it was more like a... remote "scan."

[The tribe has begun preliminary energy structure observation and recording of the 'abyssal bone tablet fragments.']

[Analysis progress: 0.1%... 0.2%...]

[Feedback Efficiency has slightly increased due to civilization analysis behavior: 21.5% → 21.8%.]

It went up by zero point three.

Not bad.

Lin Muchen withdrew from the Origin Star.

Only two or three breaths had passed in reality.

Zhao Kun was arranging tasks: "Everyone, meditate and adjust your breathing for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

"After one incense stick, we strike back."

"Yes!"

The Disciples responded in unison, then each found a place to sit, some swallowing Medicinal Pills, others meditating.

Chen Qingxue walked over to Lin Muchen and sat down.

"What are you going to do about those bone plate fragments?" she asked in a low voice.

"Mm," he nodded. "I'll study them when I have time."

"Be careful," Chen Qingxue said. "Things from the Demonic Path are sinister."

"I know."

The time for one incense stick passed quickly.

Zhao Kun stood up. "Everyone, check your equipment and prepare to depart."

Everyone stood up one after another.

Lin Muchen stretched his limbs, feeling that his state had mostly recovered.

The Evil-Expelling Power in the Origin Star was also fully replenished.

"Let's go."

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Kun led the way back toward the Forbidden Ground.

There was no need for stealth this time, so they moved quickly.

They reached the area in a short while, covering the two or three miles.

In the Forbidden Ground, the dust had already thinned out considerably.

The cave had completely collapsed, turning into a pile of rubble.

Beside the rubble, the Black-Robed Leader was standing there, clutching that black banner, which was emitting faint Devilish Qi.

The Devilish Qi was wrapped like a rope around the Earth Fiend Demonic Lizard not far away.

The Demon Lizard lay on the ground, eyes half-closed, breathing heavily, looking as if it might expire at any moment.

The luster of its scales was dull, and several of the bone spikes on its back were broken.

The Black-Robed Leader was also in terrible shape.

His face was deathly pale, there were traces of blood at the corners of his mouth that hadn't been wiped clean, and the hand holding the black banner was trembling slightly.

Beside him, Black-Robed Cultivator A was leaning against a rock, his chest clothes torn open to reveal a deep wound that was still seeping blood.

There were only the two of them.

Black-Robed Cultivator B lay motionless on the ground, likely killed instantly by the Demon Lizard earlier.

"They truly are both wounded," Zhao Kun whispered to the group behind him. "Wait for my command, then we all charge together."

"Little Friend Lin, Junior Brother Sun, the two of you deal with the injured one."

"Junior Brother Zhou, Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Sun—the three of us will surround that leader."

"Other Disciples, spread out and stay alert. Don't let any small fry from the Blood Wolf Gang come and interfere."

"Understood."

Everyone responded in low voices.

Chen Qingxue gripped her sword tightly and nodded.

Zhao Kun took a deep breath, then suddenly waved his hand. "Go!"

"Kill—!"

The people from the Iron Sword Sect rushed out from behind the rubble where they had been hiding.

The Black-Robed Leader's expression changed drastically.

He hadn't expected the people from the Iron Sword Sect to strike back so soon after retreating.

"You're looking for death!" he roared, waving the black banner in his hand.

The Devilish Qi wrapped around the Demon Lizard suddenly tightened.

The Demon Lizard let out a low growl of pain, struggling to stand up, but its body was too weak; it only raised half its torso before collapsing again.

"Useless!" the Black-Robed Leader cursed, forced to face the battle himself.

Zhao Kun and the other two had already surrounded him.

Lin Muchen and Sun Ming headed straight for Black-Robed Cultivator A.

"You again!" Black-Robed Cultivator A's eyes were bloodshot as he pulled a black short blade from his robes, its surface carved with twisted runes.

He was seriously injured, and his movements were noticeably a beat slower.

Lin Muchen didn't waste any words and immediately activated Wind and Thunder Evasion.

With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, he was already in front of Black-Robed Cultivator A.

His right hand's fingers were joined like a sword, and a pale golden light—the Origin Star's Evil-Expelling Power—glowed at his fingertips.

Black-Robed Cultivator A raised his blade to stab.

Lin Muchen sidestepped it, his left hand lashing out like lightning, not to attack the opponent, but to grasp the air.

Origin Star power surged.

Black-Robed Cultivator A felt the short blade in his hand suddenly grow heavy, as if it were being yanked by something.

In that split second of hesitation,

Sun Ming's sword arrived.

It stabbed straight toward his chest.

Black-Robed Cultivator A retreated in a panic, but Lin Muchen's right hand had already pressed forward.

The pale golden Evil-Expelling Power slammed solidly onto his shoulder.

"Ah—!"

Black-Robed Cultivator A screamed in agony.

The Evil-Expelling Power was like a red-hot branding iron, making his shoulder sizzle as black smoke billowed out.

The short blade flew out of his hand.

Lin Muchen took the opportunity to follow up with a palm strike.

This time, it wasn't just Evil-Expelling Power, but the newly perfected "Wind Thunder Evil-Breaking Seal."

Blue-green lightning entwined with gold threads exploded with a crackle, slamming hard into Black-Robed Cultivator A's chest.

Bang!

Black-Robed Cultivator A was sent flying backward, crashing into the rubble pile and sliding down limply, motionless.

"That's one down." Lin Muchen shook his hand.

On the other side, the siege by Zhao Kun and the others had also reached a critical moment.

The Black-Robed Leader's strength was indeed great; even though he was injured, he was only at a disadvantage while fighting one against three.

However, he had to divide his attention to control the Demon Lizard, so the Devilish Qi on the black banner fluctuated in strength.

"Now!" Zhao Kun spotted an opening and slammed his heavy sword down.

The Black-Robed Leader hurriedly raised his banner to block.

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal rang out.

The Black-Robed Leader was shaken back two steps.

The moment he retreated, Zhou Zhen stabbed forward from the side.

The Black-Robed Leader tried to dodge, but Li Hu's attack arrived as well.

He was being attacked from three sides.

He grit his teeth and chose to endure Zhou Zhen's sword strike while sweeping his black banner toward Li Hu and Sun Ming.

Puchi.

Zhou Zhen's sword pierced his left shoulder.

The Black-Robed Leader grunted, swept Li Hu and Sun Ming back with his banner, and then stomped his foot hard.

"You want me dead? Then we'll all die together!"

He roared, and a thick cloud of Devilish Qi suddenly erupted from his body.

The Devilish Qi seemed alive, spreading frantically in all directions.

"Careful! He's going to self-detonate his Devilish Qi!" Zhao Kun's face changed as he shouted.

Everyone retreated one after another.

But the Devilish Qi spread too fast.

Lin Muchen felt a cold aura rushing toward him, like countless needles pricking his skin.

He immediately channeled the Origin Star's Evil-Expelling Power to protect his entire body.

A pale golden light shield emerged, blocking the Devilish Qi.

Chen Qingxue also circulated her spiritual power for protection.

But the Iron Sword Sect Disciples who were closer weren't so lucky.

Two Disciples were touched by the Devilish Qi and immediately screamed as their skin began to fester.

"Retreat! Quick, retreat!" Zhao Kun said urgently.

The Black-Robed Leader took advantage of the chaos, grabbed the black banner on the ground, and turned to flee deep into the Forbidden Ground.

But he had forgotten the Demon Lizard.

The Demon Lizard had been tortured by his forced tightening of the Devilish Qi earlier and was already in a semi-frenzied state.

Now that the Black-Robed Leader had self-detonated his Devilish Qi to escape, his control over the Demon Lizard instantly weakened.

The Demon Lizard's blood-red eyes snapped open.

It saw the fleeing Black-Robed Leader.

It also saw the human who had been torturing it and extracting its power.

"Roar—!!!"

The Demon Lizard let out a roar full of resentment and, using the last of its strength, its tail lashed out like an iron whip, slamming hard into the Black-Robed Leader's back.

The Black-Robed Leader never expected the Demon Lizard to turn on him at this moment.

He heard the wind and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

Bang!

The tail slammed squarely into his back.

The Black-Robed Leader was sent flying like a tattered sack, crashing into a protruding rock.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

He slid down limply and lay on the ground, motionless.

The black banner fell beside him, its Devilish Qi rapidly dissipating.

This blow had also used up the last of the Demon Lizard's strength; its tail hung powerlessly, and its head slumped to the ground, its breathing becoming shallow and irregular.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Only the whistling of the wind through the rubble could be heard.

Zhao Kun was the first to react: "Quick! Check everything!"

Everyone approached cautiously.

The Black-Robed Leader was dead; a large part of his back had collapsed, and his internal organs were likely crushed.

The Demon Lizard also had only one breath left, its eyes half-closed, lacking even the strength to lift its head.

"It's over." Zhou Zhen let out a long breath.

Lin Muchen walked over to the Black-Robed Leader's corpse and crouched down.

First, he picked up the black banner.

The black banner was ice-cold to the touch, and the runes on it had dimmed, turning it into an ordinary Magical Artifact.

Lin Muchen casually tossed it into a corner of the Origin Star—he would study it when he had time.

Then he began to search the Black-Robed Leader's Storage Pouch.

The Storage Pouch was tied to the waist and had no Restriction on it—or there had been one, but it had automatically failed when the owner died.

Lin Muchen opened it and looked inside.

There wasn't much.

A few dozen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a few bottles of Medicinal Pills, and some spare clothes.

But at the very bottom, he felt something hard.

He pulled it out; it was a black Jade Slip.

The surface of the Jade Slip was smooth, without any patterns.

Lin Muchen tried to probe it with spiritual power.

A vague piece of information came from the Jade Slip, like some kind of record, but it was incomplete.

[...Blood Sacrifice... Summoning... Abyss... Coordinates...]

There were only a few fragmented words.

Lin Muchen frowned and put the Jade Slip into the Origin Star as well.

He then looked at the Demon Lizard's corpse.

Although the Demon Lizard was dead, its entire body was a treasure.

Scales, bone spikes, poison sacs, and essence blood.

Zhao Kun walked over: "Little Friend Lin, we owe this success to you. You get first pick of the spoils."

Lin Muchen didn't stand on ceremony.

He walked over to the Demon Lizard and pressed his right hand onto its head.

Origin Star power surged.

The residual essence blood inside the Demon Lizard was slowly extracted, condensing into over a dozen dark red blood beads that flew into Lin Muchen's palm and then disappeared—into the Origin Star.

[Obtained 'Earth Fiend Demonic Lizard Essence Blood' x15.]

[Energy Nature: Contains Earth Fiend power and a faint demonic nature; must be purified before use.]

After doing this, Lin Muchen stepped back. "Elder Zhao, you and the others can handle the rest."

Zhao Kun nodded and called the Disciples over to begin dismantling the Demon Lizard's corpse.

Chen Qingxue walked to Lin Muchen's side and looked at him. "Where to next?"

Lin Muchen looked deep into the Forbidden Ground.

"The Blood Wolf Gang's nest shouldn't be far now," he said. "While they are leaderless, we should wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Zhao Kun happened to hear this and turned to look. "Little Friend Lin is right. We must pull up the weeds by the roots."

"Today, we will completely erase the Blood Wolf Gang from Luofeng Town."

He looked at everyone and raised his voice: "Everyone, pack up the battlefield and prepare to depart."

"Target—the Blood Wolf Gang Headquarters!"