197: Chapter 197 Demonic Sect's Encirclement and Attack, Golden Immortal's Strike

"Hehe... Fellow Daoist Lin, this old woman knows your strength is formidable; you can suppress the army of skeletons with a casual gesture, and even refine the remnant Soul of a Chaos demon god."

The Black-robed Old Woman of the Xuan Yin Sect, clutching a skull staff, hunched over and emitted a strange laugh like a night owl, green fire flickering in her eye sockets, like a ghost.

"But no matter how strong you are, you are only one person. As for my Xuan Yin Sect, we have planned for this day for a long time and brought most of the Sect's elites. Plus, these dozens of Heavenly Immortal skeletons that have been eroded by the resentment of Chaos and refined by my Xuan Yin Sect's secret techniques... Today, you cannot escape even with wings! Hand over the crystals obediently, and this old woman can give you a quick death!"

Behind the Black-robed Old Woman, two Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage old men in black robes stood expressionless, like two statues, but the cold Death Qi emanating from their bodies caused the surrounding temperature to drop significantly. In their hands, they each held a white bone longsword, the blades entwined with black ghost Qi, emitting a wailing sound of ghosts.

Further back, dozens of tall skeleton warriors, their eye sockets burning with ghostly green fire, were wreathed in grey-black mist, exuding an Aura of coldness, brutality, and dead silence, completely sealing off the retreat of Lin Wan and the others. These skeleton warriors were stronger than the previous ones; each possessed the fluctuations of a Heavenly Immortal Early Stage, and they were fearless of death, knowing no pain.

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the Bald Giant's expressions became extremely ugly. Three Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage cultivators, dozens of Heavenly Immortal Early Stage skeleton warriors, plus the mysterious and unpredictable Black-robed Old Woman—this force was enough to crush the three of them! Even if Lin Wan's strength was formidable and he could fight many, facing dozens of enemies of the same rank or even stronger, he would be overwhelmed.

"Old Ghost Xuan Yin! Your Xuan Yin Sect actually colluded with the resentment of a Chaos demon god to refine such evil things! Are you not afraid of divine retribution?!" The Bald Giant of the War God Temple glared, his voice like a great bell, his blood and Qi surging, condensing a golden giant phantom behind him, his Battle Intent boiling, though his eyes carried a hint of gravity. He did not fear death, but he did not want to die without knowing why.

"Divine retribution? Hehe... In this Chaos Ruins, the Heavenly Dao does not manifest, so where would divine retribution come from?" The Black-robed Old Woman laughed strangely, the green light in her eyes intensifying. "Survival of the fittest is the eternal Law. You obtained treasures but lacked the strength to guard them, so it can only benefit this old woman. Hand over the crystals, otherwise... let you taste the flavor of my Xuan Yin Sect's Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Soul!"

As her voice fell, the ghostly fire in the eye sockets of the dozens of skeleton warriors surged violently, emitting a silent roar. They took heavy steps, slowly closing in, surrounding Lin Wan and the others in the center. The cold Death Qi and the viscous grey mist wove into a great net of death.

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén gripped her Ice Soul Divine Sword tightly, her beautiful face cold as frost, the cold immortal essence in her body circulating rapidly, preparing for a desperate struggle. Fairy Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing looked pale, but their eyes also revealed a sense of determination. They knew that today was likely to be disastrous.

"Fellow Daoist Lin..." Palace Master Xuè Wúhén looked at Lin Wan, her eyes filled with a trace of apology and resolution. "It is I who have implicated you. Fellow Daoist has high strength and perhaps has a way to break out. My Ice and Snow Divine Palace is willing to cover the retreat for Fellow Daoist, only asking that Fellow Daoist... can look after my Ice and Snow Divine Palace a little in the future."

"Elder Xue!" Fairy Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing exclaimed, tears in their eyes. They knew that Palace Master Xuè Wúhén was going to sacrifice herself to buy a glimmer of hope for Lin Wan.

"Hahaha! Cover the retreat? Today, none of you will leave!" The Black-robed Old Woman laughed wildly, her skull staff thumping heavily, causing the ground to crack. A thick black Qi erupted from her body, turning into countless hideous ghost faces, baring fangs and brandishing claws, rushing towards Lin Wan and the others! At the same time, those dozens of skeleton warriors also launched their attacks simultaneously; bone claws, bone spikes, and bone tails, carrying shrill whistles that tore through the air, attacked the three from all directions!

"The Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner of the Xuan Yin Sect! Be careful!" The Bald Giant roared, throwing out a golden fist print, shattering the rushing ghost faces, but more ghost faces surged like a tide. Palace Master Xuè Wúhén's sword light was like a rainbow, freezing a patch of ghost faces, but the ghost faces were endless and contained potent poison; touching them would erode one's Divine Soul. Fairy Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing struggled to resist, but the gap in strength was too great, and they were in constant danger.

"Senior Lin! Be careful!" Liu Qingqing screamed as she saw a skeleton warrior, its bone claws like sharp blades, silently clawing towards the back of Lin Wan's heart! On those bone claws, grey-black mist was entwined, exuding an Aura that corroded everything.

Lin Wan seemed not to have seen the attack behind him. He looked calmly at the laughing Black-robed Old Woman, slowly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and pointed gently at the Black-robed Old Woman.

"Freeze."

It was another word, plain and unremarkable.

But the moment this word was spoken, time seemed to truly stand still.

The ghost faces rushing towards Lin Wan solidified in mid-air, their baring fangs and brandishing claws expressions clearly visible.

The skeleton warriors attacking from all directions remained in their attack postures, frozen on the spot, the ghostly fire in their eye sockets ceasing to flicker.

The wild laughter on the Black-robed Old Woman's face froze, and the green light in her eyes was like frozen ghost fire, motionless. The two old men in black robes behind her were likewise like statues, even their clothes motionless.

The sword light swung by Palace Master Xuè Wúhén stopped in mid-air. The fist print thrown by the Bald Giant solidified in front of him. The terror on the faces of Fairy Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing was frozen.

With Lin Wan as the center, within a radius of a hundred zhang, everything stood still. The wind stopped, the grey mist did not move, the sound disappeared, and even the light seemed to have solidified.

Space confinement! And it was a space confinement with a larger range and greater power!

Lin Wan took a step out, as if walking in a leisurely courtyard, walked to the skeleton warrior that had ambushed him, reached out, and flicked its skull gently.

"Pop."

Like the soft sound of porcelain shattering, that Heavenly Immortal Early Stage skeleton warrior, starting from its skull, shattered inch by inch, turning into powder, and dissipated with the wind.

Lin Wan did not stop his steps, walked to another skeleton warrior, and flicked it the same way.

"Pop."

Another skeleton warrior turned into powder.

He just like that, step by step, walked in the solidified time and space, one flick, one skeleton warrior turned into powder. Like the Reaper harvesting life, relaxed, freehand, with a kind of cruel elegance.

After ten steps, ten skeleton warriors vanished into smoke.

Lin Wan arrived in front of the Black-robed Old Woman. The green light in the Black-robed Old Woman's eyes was filled with boundless fear and disbelief. She wanted to move, wanted to escape, wanted to beg for mercy, but she could not move, not even able to blink. She could only watch, helplessly, as Lin Wan extended his right hand, index finger, and pointed gently at the center of her eyebrows.

"Extinguish."

A light word, like the whisper of the Reaper.

The green light in the Black-robed Old Woman's eyes instantly extinguished. Her hunched body, as if all her bones had been removed, slumped softly to the ground, with no breath left. Her Divine Soul, under Lin Wan's finger, was completely annihilated.

Lin Wan turned around and looked at the two Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage old men in black robes. Both men's eyes were also filled with fear and despair.

"Extinguish." "Extinguish."

Two fingers pointed out, and the two old men in black robes followed in the footsteps of the Black-robed Old Woman, falling silently, their vitality severed.

Then, Lin Wan raised his hand, towards the remaining dozens of skeleton warriors, and clenched it gently.

"Shatter."

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Like dominoes collapsing, the remaining skeleton warriors exploded simultaneously, turning into bone powder that filled the sky, scattering and falling all over the ground.

After doing all this, Lin Wan withdrew his finger and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Release."

The solidified time and space resumed its flow.

"Whoosh—!"

The wind blew again. The grey mist surged again. The sound returned to the ears.

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén's sword light continued forward, freezing a patch of ghost faces. The Bald Giant's fist print slammed into empty space, emitting a deafening sonic boom. Fairy Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing, the terror on their faces not yet faded, looked blankly at the suddenly disappeared skeleton warriors and the three from the Xuan Yin Sect.

"This... What... What is going on?" The Bald Giant looked blankly at his own fist, then looked at the three from the Xuan Yin Sect slumped on the ground and the bone powder all over the ground, his brain blank. What just happened? He clearly saw the three from the Xuan Yin Sect attacking aggressively, the skeleton warriors overwhelming the sky, how in the blink of an eye, were they all dead?

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén's beautiful body trembled slightly, she slowly retracted her Ice Soul Divine Sword, her beautiful eyes looking at the grey figure standing with his hands behind his back, her eyes filled with incomparable shock and awe. She saw it! Although it was only for an instant, she clearly saw that when Lin Wan said the word "Freeze", time truly stood still! Then, Lin Wan, as if pinching an ant to death, in a flick of a finger, annihilated the skeletons, and with a pointing finger, executed the three Heavenly Immortals of the Xuan Yin Sect! This... this was no longer power that a Heavenly Immortal could possess! This was at least... a Golden Immortal! And not an ordinary Golden Immortal!

"Senior... Senior Lin..." Liu Qingqing stammered, looking at Lin Wan, as if looking at a god.

Fairy Shuiyun's cherry lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes rippling with brilliance, her heart surging with waves, unable to calm down for a long time. She had long known that Lin Wan's strength was formidable, but to be strong to this extent, to annihilate three Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage cultivators and dozens of Heavenly Immortal skeletons with a flick of his finger, this... this was simply a myth!

"Let's go. This place is not suitable for a long stay." Lin Wan's expression was as normal as ever, as if he had just casually swatted a few flies.

He sensed that deep within the palace, an even more powerful Aura had completely awakened and was rapidly approaching.

That Aura far exceeded a Heavenly Immortal and was even ten or a hundred times stronger than the Black-robed Old Woman and the other two combined! That was... an existence at the Golden Immortal Realm!

"Yes! Yes!" Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the Bald Giant woke up as if from a dream and nodded hurriedly. Daring not to delay for even a moment, they followed closely behind Lin Wan and sped off in the direction they had come from.

This time, there were no more obstacles. Those Grey Mists seemed to fear the Aura on Lin Wan, automatically parting to form a path.

The three turned into streaks of light and, in the blink of an eye, rushed out of the ruins and returned to the Grey Mist Zone.

However, the moment they rushed out of the ruins, the dilapidated palace behind them exploded with a roar!

A grey pillar of light shot up into the sky, piercing through the Grey Mist and heading straight for the heavens!

A vast, ancient, violent, and terrifying Aura filled with resentment erupted from the palace ruins like a waking ancient Vicious Beast, sweeping in all directions!

"Roar—!"

A heaven-shaking roar came from the palace ruins. That roar was filled with boundless anger and malice, as if it wanted to tear all living beings into shreds!

The sound of this roar alone was enough to make Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the Bald Giant's blood surge, and their Divine Souls felt as if they were about to leave their bodies!

"Not good! It's a Golden Immortal resentment spirit! It has awakened! Run!" Lin Wan's expression changed slightly.

He could feel that within that grey pillar of light, an extremely terrifying existence was rapidly coalescing!

Its Aura far exceeded a Heavenly Immortal and was definitely at the Golden Immortal Realm!

Moreover, it was not an ordinary Golden Immortal, but a Golden Immortal resentment spirit that had undergone Fusion with the resentment of a Chaos Demon God, making it even more strange and difficult to deal with than a Golden Immortal of the same Realm!

"A Golden Immortal resentment spirit?!" Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the Bald Giant were terrified, using all their strength to push their speed to the limit as they fled frantically toward the periphery of the Grey Mist Zone.

Facing an existence at the Golden Immortal Realm, they didn't even have the qualifications to resist; they could only flee!

However, the existence within that grey pillar of light clearly did not intend to let them go.

The pillar of light retracted, transforming into a grey figure.

That figure was a hundred zhang tall, formed entirely from grey mist. Its face could not be seen, only a pair of crimson eyes resembling two blood moons, radiating endless tyranny and resentment.

It took a single step, crossing dozens of miles in an instant, and caught up behind the three of them!

"Ants! You dare to refine My remnant Soul and steal My Origin crystal! Die!" The grey figure let out a muffled roar, like the sound of ten thousand thunders, causing the Grey Mist to surge violently.

It raised its massive palm, condensed from mist, and slammed it down toward Lin Wan and the others!

This palm blotted out the sky and covered the sun, as if the entire sky were collapsing!

Before the palm even arrived, a terrifying pressure had already descended, solidifying the surrounding space!

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the Bald Giant felt as if they were being crushed by a ten-thousand-zhang divine mountain; they couldn't move, and even breathing became difficult!

Despair appeared in their eyes. Facing this world-destroying palm, they were completely unable to resist!

"Senior Lin!" Liu Qingqing's face turned pale in terror. She screamed and threw herself at Lin Wan, wanting to use her body to block the palm.

Fairy Shuiyun also stood in front of Lin Wan without hesitation, her Ice Soul Divine Sword held horizontally across her chest, her beautiful face filled with determination.

"Foolish." Lin Wan sighed softly, reached out, and gently pulled Liu Qingqing and Fairy Shuiyun behind him.

Then, he looked up at the descending grey giant palm, and for the first time, a look of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

A strike from a Golden Immortal, even if only at the Early Stage, was definitely not something a Heavenly Immortal could contend with.

Even if his strength far exceeded those of the same Realm and he had mastered the Law of space, the gap in Realm was like a natural chasm.

"I can only... use it." Lin Wan's mind stirred, and the grey Chaos Dao Seed in his Dantian vibrated slightly.

A chaotic, ancient, and vast Aura permeated from his body. He raised his right hand, and at the tip of his index finger, a point of grey light quietly lit up.

That light was faint, like a candle in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Yet, this very point of light caused the descending grey giant palm to pause slightly! In the crimson eyes of the grey figure, a trace of uncertainty appeared.

"Chaos... Dao Seed?! No! Impossible! How could you have... No! Die!" The grey figure let out an even angrier roar, and the giant palm accelerated its descent, determined to smash Lin Wan into powder!

Lin Wan's expression was calm. Facing the descending giant palm, facing the grey figure, and facing this grey, dark world, he gently pointed his finger.

"Chaos... One Finger."

Silent and soundless.

There was no heaven-shaking roar, no brilliant, dazzling light. There was only a point of grey light that flew from Lin Wan's fingertip to meet the sky-blotting grey giant palm.

The grey light was tiny, like dust. The giant palm was massive, like a mountain.

Dust and mountain collided.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

And then...

"Sss—!"

It was like a red-hot branding iron being plunged into a block of ice. The moment the sky-blotting grey giant palm touched the grey light, it was like spring snow meeting the scorching sun; it rapidly melted and annihilated!

Starting from the palm, it turned into grey specks of light and dissipated into the air.

The grey light did not diminish in momentum; it pierced through the giant palm, pierced through the chest of the grey figure, and then shot into the depths of the Grey Mist, disappearing from sight.

The grey figure stiffened. It looked down at the bowl-sized hole in its chest.

At the edges of the hole, the grey mist rolled violently, trying to heal, but a trace of Chaos Aura remained in the hole, like a maggot on a bone, preventing the wound from healing.

"No... impossible... Chaos... Dao Seed... you are... Chaos..." The grey figure let out a roar of unwillingness, fear, and malice.

Its body began to shatter inch by inch, turning into grey specks of light and dissipating between heaven and earth.

Those crimson eyes stared fixedly at Lin Wan, as if wanting to brand him into the depths of its Soul.

"I... will remember you... when I... return... I will certainly... destroy your Divine Soul completely..." The malicious voice echoed in the Grey Mist and gradually dissipated.

The grey figure completely dissipated. That world-destroying strike, that terrifying Golden Immortal resentment spirit, had just been extinguished by Lin Wan with a single finger.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Palace Master Xuè Wúhén, the Bald Giant, Fairy Shuiyun, and Liu Qingqing were all dumbfounded, their minds blank.

What had they just seen? Lin Wan, with a single finger, extinguished a Chaos resentment spirit at the Golden Immortal Realm? Was this... was this an illusion?

Lin Wan withdrew his finger, his face slightly pale.

That finger just now looked effortless, but in reality, it consumed a massive amount. He had utilized the Origin power of the Chaos Dao Seed to execute the Chaos One Finger, and only then did he barely manage to defeat the Golden Immortal resentment spirit's strike.

If that Golden Immortal resentment spirit's true body were here, he would have had no chance of winning.

Fortunately, that was only an Incarnation condensed from resentment, not a true Golden Immortal; its strength was less than one-tenth of its peak, and it was restrained by the Chaos Dao Seed, which was why he was able to kill it with one strike.

"Let's go!" Lin Wan forced himself to gather his breath, swept up the still-dazed Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the other three, and turned into a grey streak of light, fleeing frantically toward the periphery of the Grey Mist Zone.

He could feel that the disturbance just now had already alerted even more terrifying existences deep within the Grey Mist Zone; they had to leave immediately!

It wasn't until Lin Wan brought them out of the Grey Mist Zone and returned to the stronghold that Palace Master Xuè Wúhén and the others dazedly came back to their senses.

They looked at Lin Wan as if looking at a living myth.

"Senior... Senior Lin... you..." The Bald Giant's voice was dry. He wanted to say something, but found himself at a loss for words.

Extinguishing a Golden Immortal with one finger—this had already exceeded the scope of his understanding.

"I hope you will all keep today's events a secret." Lin Wan's face was still pale, but his gaze swept over the four with unquestionable authority.

"I do not wish to invite unnecessary trouble."

"Yes! Yes! Senior Lin, rest assured! We will never dare to leak even half a word about today's events!" Palace Master Xuè Wúhén said hurriedly, her tone extremely respectful.

She knew that if Lin Wan's secret were leaked, it would surely bring about tremendous trouble.

Being able to extinguish a Golden Immortal resentment spirit with one finger, even if it was just an Incarnation, was enough to shake the entire Beichen Immortal Domain! It might even attract existences of an even higher Realm!

The Bald Giant, Fairy Shuiyun, and Liu Qingqing also nodded repeatedly, swearing to keep it a secret.

Lin Wan nodded slightly and said no more. He needed to recover the consumed Chaos Origin as quickly as possible.

Although that finger had terrifying power, it had also damaged his Foundation, and it would take some time to recover.

"Senior Lin, are... are you alright?" Liu Qingqing asked cautiously, her eyes filled with worry.

"It is nothing, a few days of meditation will suffice."

Lin Wan shook his head and looked toward the depths of the Grey Mist Zone, a flash of solemnity in his eyes.

The words the Golden Immortal resentment spirit spoke before it died made him vigilant.

It seemed the Chaos Demon God Wuyin had not completely fallen and still had the possibility of returning. Moreover, deeper within the Grey Mist Zone, there seemed to be even greater secrets hidden.

"It seems this Chaos Ruins is even more complex than I imagined. I must increase my strength as quickly as possible," Lin Wan thought to himself.