147: Hunted? Hunted back!

Under the towering Liuzhong Mountain, on a soft patch of grass, Old Ancestor Yan Hui of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, the Buddhist World-Honored One, and the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master were sitting cross-legged, waiting silently.

Suddenly—

"Buzz!"

The Void Realm rippled, followed by a vortex appearing out of thin air.

The next moment, a figure appeared with tattered clothes, covered in grime, and with a thick growth of beard on his chin.

"Lin Yi, you're out!"

Seeing the figure, Old Ancestor Yan Hui's eyes immediately lit up.

Martial Saint-level existences can easily identify others through their life aura. Let alone Lin Yi merely being a bit dirtier than he was over a year ago, even if he had hired the most skilled disguise artist in the world to mask his appearance, Old Ancestor Yan Hui would have been able to recognize him at a glance.

"Correct! Old Ancestor, it's me, I'm out."

Lin Yi nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

"Good! It's good that you're out!"

Old Ancestor Yan Hui smiled, then looked at Lin Yi with glowing eyes.

"Lin Yi, you stayed inside for so long this time; the benefits must be significant, right? Did you obtain the True Spirit Liquid and the peerless divine weapon?"

"True Spirit Liquid?"

Hearing these four words, Lin Yi was slightly confused, but quickly realized Old Ancestor Yan Hui was referring to the treasure that supposedly helps with breaking through to Martial Saint. He nodded with a smile.

"I got them! I obtained both the True Spirit Liquid and the peerless divine weapon."

"Haha! Good!"

Getting Lin Yi's affirmative answer, even though Old Ancestor Yan Hui had prepared himself mentally, he couldn't help but be ecstatic.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Lin Yi's talent is extraordinary; this monk is impressed!"

The chubby Buddhist World-Honored One, looking like Maitreya Buddha, also pressed his palms together, smiling as he performed a Buddhist salute, his eyes squinting into slits.

"Little guy, quite impressive!"

On the other side, the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master, who seemed like ten-thousand-year-old ice, also managed a sliver of a smile and praised him.

With the peerless divine weapon and True Spirit Liquid, Lin Yi truly had the hope of rivaling the Yuan Emperor.

Although this hope was extremely slim, for even with their intervention, the Yuan Emperor wouldn't foolishly let Lin Yi grow slowly.

Furthermore, even if Lin Yi grew, his speed in breaking through beyond Martial Saint would definitely be slower than the Yuan Emperor's. He might still be killed by the Yuan Emperor, who would have broken through first.

Regardless, a sliver of hope was better than none.

Everyone thought joyfully.

After a moment, the chubby Buddhist World-Honored One was the first to snap back to reality, smiling as he said:

"Benefactor Lin Yi, it is indeed worth celebrating that you obtained the peerless divine weapon and True Spirit Liquid."

"However, I have some bad news to tell you. One day after you entered the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, the Yuan Emperor came here, he..."

As he spoke, the Buddhist World-Honored One informed Lin Yi of all the previous agreements with the Yuan Emperor, and finally suggested:

"So, after some discussion among the three of us, we've decided to send you overseas immediately to Cultivate and take refuge."

"The overseas regions are massive, practically boundless; even the entire Nine Provinces combined cannot compare."

"If a person hides overseas, finding them would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

"At that time, Benefactor Lin Yi, you can take refuge and Cultivate overseas, returning once you achieve the Innate Golden Core. What do you think?"

"Go overseas?"

Hearing this, Lin Yi fell silent.

Truth be told, he really didn't want to go overseas.

Firstly, he was currently too far from the Innate Golden Core; once he went overseas, there was no telling when he could return to the Nine Provinces.

Secondly, he possessed the martial emperor gold token, giving him another chance to enter the Martial Emperors Relic Palace after breaking through to the Xiantian Golden Core Realm.

If he went overseas, that opportunity would be lost.

Thirdly, and most importantly, compared to the Nine Provinces, the overseas regions were too sparsely populated. Sometimes, one could sail in one direction for months or even years without seeing a single person.

Without people, there's no money; without money, he can't use Talent Evolution. How could Lin Yi accept that?

"World-Honored One!"

At this thought, Lin Yi's gaze sharpened, and he took a light breath.

"I am unwilling to go overseas. It's not because I can't endure hardship, but because the environment there is truly unsuitable for my cultivation."

"I, Lin Yi, come from the vast Mortal World, and my cultivation must also be drawn from the Mortal World!"

"If I Cultivate overseas, not only will my progress be difficult, but it might even affect my Breakthrough to Martial Saint and beyond in the future. Therefore, I absolutely cannot go overseas."

"As for the Great Yuan Dynasty's pursuit? To be honest, with my current strength, I don't even care about the Xiantian Golden Core Realm Grandmasters of the Great Yuan Dynasty."

"After the trials in the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, my strength has increased greatly. Now, even if I'm not as strong as the top five on the Earth Ranking, entering the top ten is no problem."

"And although the Great Yuan Dynasty is powerful, they only have one expert in the top five of the Earth Ranking."

"Facing that person, even if I can't win, it won't be difficult just to save my own life."

"What! Strength comparable to the top ten of the Earth Ranking, enough to survive against the top five?"

"Lin Yi, are you sure?"

As soon as Lin Yi finished speaking, even the three Martial Saint Old Ancestors couldn't help but be shocked.

"Ancestral Masters, I am sure! If you don't believe me, you are welcome to test me."

Facing the skepticism of the Martial Saints, Lin Yi nodded firmly again.

The gap between the Earth Ranking's top ten and a newly advanced Xiantian was indeed massive, like the difference between a second or third-rank Martial Artist and an eighth or ninth-rank one—it was simply immense!

However, after the transformation in the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, Lin Yi's current strength was truly not inferior to theirs.

First, in terms of basics, a Xiantian-level Body Refining physique, plus Xiantian True Essence, plus a Xiantian-level divine weapon; the combination of these three immediately made his basic strength and speed no less than that of an ordinary Xiantian Golden Core Realm Peak expert.

And the Force Exertion Realm?

In the year plus spent at the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, although Lin Yi didn't deliberately Cultivate his Force Exertion Realm, his Flesh Body Control had increased significantly after mastering the Heavenly Origin Profound Spirit Body, plus he had mastered a Saint-level Martial Art.

So he had already reached the sixth level of Limit Breaking, only one level away from the seventh level common among the top ten of the Earth Ranking.

Although his Force Exertion Realm was one level lower, Lin Yi's Martial Arts Techniques were much stronger than those of the top ten Earth Ranking experts.

Because the Martial Arts Techniques Realm of the top ten Earth Ranking experts was generally at the Great Perfection of a Medium-Grade Xiantian martial art or the Perfection of a High-Grade Xiantian martial art.

Lin Yi's Entry-Level Saint-level Martial Art was comparable to the Perfection of a High-Grade Xiantian martial art. Furthermore, his King of Battle talent could raise his Saint-level Martial Art technique Realm by another level, which was equivalent to raising a High-Grade Xiantian martial art by two levels.

Thus, Lin Yi's overall strength was naturally not inferior to the top ten of the Earth Ranking. In fact, he was extremely strong among them, and might even be touching the threshold of the top five!

Therefore, saying he was in the top ten of the Earth Ranking was actually Lin Yi being modest.

Setting aside Lin Yi's thoughts, seeing the confident look on his face, the three Martial Saints finally believed him, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

"Benefactor Lin Yi, we believe you; there's no need for a test."

The Buddhist World-Honored One sighed in amazement:

"I just didn't expect the Martial Emperors Relic Palace to be so incredible, to actually allow a newly advanced Xiantian to rival the top ten of the Earth Ranking. Such methods are truly Heaven-Defying! It is indeed a palace left by a Martial God!"

"Benefactor Lin Yi, since you have this kind of strength now, there is indeed no need to head overseas for the time being. I just wonder what you plan to do next?"

"What to do?"

Lin Yi was taken aback, then after thinking for a moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened, a surge of killing intent flashing through his eyes:

"It's simple. Since the Great Yuan Dynasty can send people to kill me, I can naturally go and kill them!"

"Tower Master, your Wanxiang Tower is spread across the world. You must know where some of the Great Yuan Dynasty's branch strongholds for gathering intelligence in the Nine Provinces are, right?"

"Please give me the locations of those branch strongholds. From now on, I will kill my way through them one by one. I want to see how many Xiantian Golden Core Realm experts the Great Yuan Dynasty has for me to kill!"

"Good! You have spirit."

Hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared on the cold face of the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master:

"As expected of a Prodigy who obtained a peerless divine weapon, you are indeed extraordinary."

"Since you have this intention, I will naturally help you."

"Follow me to the Wanxiang Tower headquarters in Martial Province in a while. I will give you the locations of the Great Yuan Dynasty's branch strongholds then."

"Furthermore, after you kill those Innate True Essence and Xiantian Golden Core Realm masters of the Great Yuan Dynasty, you can also bring their tokens to my Myriad Phenomena Tower to exchange for treasures or silver."

"After all, since the Great Yuan Dynasty is the public enemy of most forces on the Nine Provinces Continent, many forces in the Nine Provinces have issued bounties for the Great Yuan Dynasty's Innate masters and even some of their more powerful First Rank and Second-Rank masters."

"When the time comes, you give their tokens to the Myriad Phenomena Tower, and my Myriad Phenomena Tower will exchange the treasures and money for you first, and then go to those forces to collect from them."

"In this way, it can be considered a bit of assistance from my Myriad Phenomena Tower for your cultivation!"

"Yes! Thank you, Tower Master!"

Hearing this, Lin Yi felt a surge of gratitude in his heart.

One must know that while Myriad Phenomena Tower Master's promise seemed simple, its actual execution would consume an enormous amount of manpower and resources. Even the core Disciples within the Myriad Phenomena Tower probably didn't have the qualifications to have the tower do this for them.

Yet he was a member of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, and the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master was willing to do this for him, which showed just how much special treatment the Tower Master was giving him.

Of course, this was also because the pressure the Yuan Emperor put on the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master and the others was too great. This led them to help as much as they could, even if Lin Yi only had a sliver of hope to confront the Yuan Emperor.

After all, what if that 'one' chance actually happened?

"Amitabha!"

As soon as the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master finished speaking, the Buddhist World-Honored One on the side also smiled and said:

"Since Benefactor Feng is so generous, then if this old monk doesn't show something, it would instead make me appear stingy."

"How about this? As long as Benefactor Lin Yi really kills a figure in the top thirty of the Earth Ranking, then this old monk will grant Benefactor Lin Yi a small request. What do you think?"

"A small request?"

Hearing this, Lin Yi's eyes suddenly lit up.

One must know, what kind of existence was the Buddhist World-Honored One?

He was a Peak Martial Saint level powerhouse! Even looking at the entire Nine Provinces, he was a figure ranked among the top few!

A 'small request' from his mouth, no matter how small, would probably be worth over ten billion taels of silver!

And ten billion silver was enough to buy a yin-yang creation flower. When that time came, his father's leg injury could be saved.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel excited.

Seeing this, Old Ancestor Yan Hui also laughed:

"Hehe, go ahead, Lin Yi! The World-Honored One and the Tower Master both value you very much now! You must not let them down!"

"In addition, since you have broken through to the Innate Realm this time, as the Old Ancestor of the Tianshan Sect, I naturally must reward you with some treasures."

"Let's do this! Give me half a month. I will go and collect some treasures suitable for you, and strive to let you Cultivate directly to the Peak of the Innate True Essence Realm in one go after half a month."

"In this way, you will be safer when facing the experts of the Great Yuan Dynasty."

"What! Peak Innate True Essence Realm! Old Ancestor..."

Hearing this, Lin Yi's body trembled, and at the same time, infinite gratitude rose in his heart.

To rapidly raise someone from the Early Stage of Innate True Essence to the Peak of the Innate True Essence Realm, even for a Genius with a Profound Violet Level Talent like Lin Yi, would require a sum of resources so vast it was terrifying.

That amount of resources was so huge that even a top ten Heaven Ranking Great Grandmaster like Gu Changsheng could not afford it. Only a Martial Saint standing at the Peak of the Nine Provinces like Old Ancestor Yan Hui could produce it.

But as the only Innate of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, Old Ancestor Yan Hui also carried the entire Heavenly Mountain Sect on his shoulders. Many of the treasures he obtained also had to be given to the Sect to maintain its development.

But now, he was actually willing to take out such a large sum of resources for him.

This kindness was too heavy!

"Sigh! It seems I can only repay it slowly in the future."

Lin Yi thought silently to himself, then followed the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master to the Myriad Phenomena Tower headquarters.

Under the terrifying speed of the Myriad Phenomena Tower Master, in just fifteen to thirty minutes, Lin Yi followed him to the Myriad Phenomena Tower headquarters. There, he received maps of the Great Yuan Dynasty's Branch Divisions in five major provinces: Martial Province, Qing Province, Chu Province, Yong Province, and Shu Province.

Looking at the maps of these five provinces, Lin Yi pondered for a moment and quickly chose a target, which was—

"The Anyang Branch in Anyang Prefecture, Martial Province!"

Looking at the words on it, a cold light flickered in Lin Yi's eyes:

"Its branch leader is the elder brother of the Great Yuan Dynasty's Marquis Huailin, Chen Zhao—the Xiantian Golden Core Realm expert Marquis of Chu Zhuang, Chen Heng."

"Because his younger brother failed in his duties, he has now been executed by the Yuan Emperor. Subsequently, he, as the elder brother, was also implicated and sent from the comfortable Yuan Capital to a dangerous place like the Martial Province to serve as a Secret Guard and gather intelligence."

"Now, after more than half a year, Chen Heng has established a new, simple Branch Division in Anyang Prefecture City of the Martial Province."

"In the Branch Division, besides the sinner Marquis of Chu Zhuang, Chen Heng, there are also the two sinners Black and White Impermanence."

"Among them, the Marquis of Chu Zhuang, Chen Heng, is ranked fifty-seventh on the Earth Ranking. His strength is in the middle-to-lower tier of the Xiantian Golden Core Realm, with a total bounty of about 2.8 billion taels."

"Although Black and White Impermanence individually belong to the tail end of the Xiantian Golden Core Realm, when the two combine, they are ranked twenty-eighth on the Earth Ranking. Their strength is in the upper tier of the Xiantian Golden Core Realm, with a bounty of about 4.3 billion taels."

"Then adding the promise of the Buddhist World-Honored One, this trip will be worth over 17 billion taels of silver!"

"17 billion taels of silver... tsk tsk. Once the extermination is successful, this will really be a huge fortune for me!"

Inside a pavilion in the Myriad Phenomena Tower, Lin Yi smiled as he stroked the long saber in his hand that shimmered with starlight. After returning the maps to the Myriad Phenomena Tower, he strode out the door... Anyang Prefecture City was an ordinary Prefecture City in the Martial Province, ranking near the bottom among the twenty-seven prefectures of the province.

However, as a Prefecture City in the 'Martial Province', the center of the Nine Provinces, no matter how poor Anyang Prefecture City was, its strength far exceeded many prefecture cities in the Qing Province.

The city's population exceeded twenty million. Second-Rank masters were countless, and even First-Rank Masters were very common.

Even the high and mighty Xiantian Grandmasters numbered as many as four in Anyang Prefecture City, each standing above the rest and suppressing the entire Anyang Prefecture.

Anyang Prefecture, East City, Sea Sand Gang.

This was a newly risen Gang in Anyang Prefecture. The Gang leader, Wang Long, was an extremely powerful Second-Rank Martial Artist.

Since arriving in Anyang Prefecture more than half a year ago, he had defeated many masters in the city, possessing peerless prestige for a time. Therefore, in just over half a year, he had developed the entire Sea Sand Gang into a formidable force, quite famous throughout Anyang Prefecture.

And at this moment, in the dead of night, inside a dark basement of the Sea Sand Gang.

One could see the Sea Sand Gang leader, Wang Long, who was usually so majestic in front of outsiders, now holding a pile of letters with a humble face, smiling apologetically to a man wearing a bronze ghost mask:

"Lord Marquis of Chu Zhuang, these are the various major events that have occurred in Anyang Prefecture City recently, as well as the secret whereabouts of some key figures from various Family forces in the city. Please have a look, Lord Marquis."

"Hmm, well done! You may leave!"

"Yes!"

Hearing the words of the man in the bronze ghost mask, Wang Long nodded respectfully and then lightly moved his steps to leave.

But just then—

Swoosh!

A slight sound of breaking air rang out.

The next moment.

Puchi!

A blood hole suddenly appeared in the center of the forehead of Wang Long, who was still walking out of the basement.

Gurgling blood flowed down from the hole, instantly extinguishing all of Wang Long's life force.

"Who is it!"

Seeing this scene, the man in the bronze ghost mask immediately roared in alarm and anger, his voice spreading in all directions. At the same time, he picked up a Purple-Gold Coiled Dragon Staff beside him, his tiger-like eyes fierce, scanning the surroundings.

And by his side.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two streaks of light, one black and one white, flashed.

The next moment, an old man with a dark face and short stature, looking fierce and wearing a black robe with 'Peace Under Heaven' written on his hat, and an old woman with a white face and thin body, wearing a white robe and a high hat with 'Fortune at First Sight,' appeared simultaneously.

The two of them had hideous faces and let out unpleasant laughter from their mouths:

"Jie jie jie! Who is it? How dare you trespass into our Great Yuan Dynasty Secret Guard Anyang Branch? Come out and meet your death!"

"Oh, meet my death?"

"Just you lot... I'm afraid... you're not enough!"

As the voice fell, under the gaze of the three, a youth dressed in black, carrying a black long saber shimmering with starlight and wearing a faint smile on his face, slowly appeared.

"What! Lin Yi, it's actually you!"

Seeing the youth's appearance, which had hardly changed from more than a year ago, Black and White Impermanence were first stunned, and then ecstatic.