103: Deterring villains

The entrance to the Black Prison Abyss.

It was not the deep, dark cave one might imagine, but a massive, bottomless rift valley surrounded by enormous circular mountain walls.

Protective Aura winds howled at the mouth of the valley, stirring up black and gray dust, producing wailing sounds like ten thousand ghosts crying simultaneously.

The air was filled with a pungent, acrid smell of sulfur and decaying blood, making one dizzy just by inhaling a breath.

The edge of the rift valley had long been fortified by the Demon Suppression Division into a fortress-like barrier, cast from massive obsidian and refined iron inscribed with runes.

At this moment, dozens of Martial Artists wearing the Demon Suppression Division's black combat attire stood solemnly upon the barrier, their auras fierce.

The lowest among them were at the Peak of the Meridian Opening Realm, most were experts in the Bone Forging Realm and Tendon Changing Realm, and several Divine Treasury Realm practitioners had auras as deep and profound as an abyss.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the figure standing like an iron tower at the edge of the rift valley—Lin Jingyu.

He stood alone at the very front. The Protective Aura winds whipped at his coarse short hair and profound black combat attire, yet failed to move him in the slightest.

Behind him, Qin Shanhe stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his profound black official robe fluttering. His authoritative gaze swept across the scene, implicitly endorsing Lin Jingyu.

“Everyone!”

Qin Shanhe's voice, like a great bell, suppressed the howling winds of the rift valley. “This deep dive into the Black Prison Abyss Demon Den is a Top-Grade A mission! Objective: Ascertain the source of the anomaly, kill or severely wound the Dharma Aspect Realm Ghost King entrenched in the core, and stabilize the Seal! The danger is extreme, a near-certain death! But the merit gained is supreme!”

He pointed at Lin Jingyu: “This is Guest Official Lin Jingyu! A newly advanced Dharma Aspect Realm powerhouse! This mission will be entirely under his command! Seeing him is like seeing me! Obey all orders; transgressors will be executed!”

“Dharma Aspect Realm!”

“Hiss... that's him? The fierce god who single-handedly killed the One-Horned Black Python Demon King and repelled the Corpse Demon?”

“What intense pressure...”

A wave of suppressed gasps and cold intakes of breath echoed across the barrier.

The Dharma Aspect Realm is considered Peak combat power even in the Imperial Capital!

Especially Lin Jingyu's notorious record of breaking through to the realm in a single month added to his mystique and deterrence.

In the crowd, a burly man nearly two meters tall, with skin dark as iron, several hideous scars on his face, and carrying a massive, door-wide blade on his back, had eyes as sharp as a hawk. He was the deputy, 'Bloody Hand' Tu Gang, at the Peak of the Divine Treasury Realm, Ninth Level.

He stared at Lin Jingyu's mountain-like broad back, a flicker of barely noticeable dread and... deep-seated malice flashing in his eyes. Beside him stood a tall, thin man with a chilling aura, holding a pair of oddly shaped Blood Droppers, and a burly man carrying a massive Soul Shattering Hammer.

Lin Jingyu paid no heed to the discussions behind him.

His gaze pierced through the swirling black mist and focused on the depths of the rift valley.

There, the impenetrable darkness writhed like a living thing, and faint, heart-stopping roars and gnawing sounds could be heard.

“Target: the core of the Demon Den. Those who block the way, die.”

Lin Jingyu's voice was not loud, but it clearly cut through the howling wind, carrying an undeniable, iron-blooded intent to kill, instantly silencing all extraneous noise. “Move out.”

There was no extra mobilization, no impassioned speech. The simple command was like a drawn sharp blade, radiating chilling intent.

He took a step forward, his massive figure plunging straight down into the bottomless dark rift valley like a falling meteorite!

The Protective Aura winds automatically parted around him, forming a momentary vacuum tunnel.

“Keep up!” Tu Gang roared, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, and he leaped down immediately after.

The Man surnamed Yin, the Burly Man surnamed Lei, and seven other fierce Divine Treasury Realm elites followed without hesitation, transforming into streaks of black shadow and diving into the abyss right after Tu Gang.

On the barrier, Qin Shanhe watched the ten figures swallowed by the darkness, his expression solemn.

Behind him, a white-haired old Enshrined Elder whispered, “Commander, Tu Gang... his Heart-Nature is vicious and he is unruly. Making him submit to others, especially a newly advanced Dharma Aspect, I fear...”

Qin Shanhe's gaze was profound: “In extraordinary times, one must take extraordinary measures. Lin Jingyu... needs a blade, and he also needs... a whetstone. If Tu Gang is sensible, he will be an asset. If not...”

A cold light flashed in his eyes, “Then he will be the stepping stone for Lin Jingyu to establish his authority! The Demon Den is dangerous, but the human Heart-Nature... is even more venomous!”

Below the rift valley, the path did not go straight down but slanted deep into the earth.

The passage was immense, filled with jagged rocks, and the cave walls were covered in dark red moss and dried, blackened bloodstains.

The dense Demonic Evil Qi had almost solidified, carrying intense corrosiveness and spiritual shock, violently eroding the Protective Aura surrounding them.

The ten individuals landed soundlessly.

“Suppress your auras, move!” Tu Gang, being seasoned, ordered in a low voice.

With his massive blade in hand, he vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

However, Lin Jingyu acted as if he hadn't heard.

His massive figure was like a lighthouse in the darkness, openly radiating the vast vitality and ferocious Evil Qi characteristic of the Dharma Aspect Realm!

That aura was like a spark dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting the silent Demon Den!

“Squeak—!”

“Hiss—!”

Sharp, piercing shrieks sounded from all directions!

Countless scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness, dense and numerous, like stars in Hell!

Rumble!

The ground shook, and rubble rattled down from the cave walls! From the corner of the passage ahead, a tide of monsters surged out!

They resembled black giant spiders the size of millstones, covered entirely in oily carapaces, their eight compound eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty red light, and corrosive venom dripping from their opening and closing mouthparts!

The few leading ones were exceptionally large, with twisted ghost face patterns appearing on their carapaces, exuding a ferocious aura close to the Divine Treasury Realm—Ghost Face Venomous Spiders!

“It's a swarm of Ghost Face Spiders! Over a hundred of them! Watch out for the venom!” An Enshrined Elder holding a Chain Gun exclaimed, his face pale.

Tu Gang's expression darkened, and he was about to order them to form a defensive array.

Lin Jingyu moved.

There was no fancy preparatory stance, no warning sign of charging up power.

He simply took one step forward!

Thump!

The ground violently shook! Centered on where his foot landed, spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread out for dozens of meters!

The savage wave of Qi was like an invisible giant hammer, fiercely slamming into the surging spider swarm!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The dozens of ordinary Ghost Face Spiders charging at the front instantly burst open, like watermelons crushed by a ten-thousand-ton heavy wheel!

Foul-smelling green fluid, shattered carapaces, and internal organs splattered everywhere!

The few Ghost Face Spider Mothers were also staggered by the shockwave, letting out painful shrieks!

But this was only the beginning!

With that single step, Lin Jingyu's figure vanished from his spot!

It wasn't a movement technique! It was a pure burst of speed!

His Physical Body tore through the air, leaving a blurry afterimage in the narrow passage and generating a deafening sonic boom!

He charged directly into the most densely packed center of the spider swarm!

“Seeking death!” Behind Tu Gang, the Enshrined Elder surnamed Yin holding the Blood Droppers couldn't help but roar in a low voice, his eyes filled with astonishment and disdain. Charging into the formation so recklessly was simply asking to die!

The next second, everyone's pupils contracted sharply!

Boom!

Wherever Lin Jingyu passed, it was as if an invisible bomb had detonated!

Fist!

It was just the most basic straight punch!

Boom! The hard ghost-face carapace of a Ghost Face Spider Mother exploded like paper, and the three giant spiders behind it were simultaneously pierced and torn apart by the savage force! Green slurry, broken limbs, and severed legs flew everywhere!

Palm!

A massive hand, like a cattail fan, swept across!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Three giant spiders attempting to pounce from the side were swatted away like flies, smashing violently against the cave wall. Even the hard rock was dented into deep pits, and the spiders' bodies were twisted and deformed, clearly beyond saving!

Ram!

Facing the dense spider swarm blocking the path ahead, Lin Jingyu did not dodge. His shoulder slightly lowered, and his entire body slammed forward like a rampaging Primordial Savage Elephant!

Crack! Crunch! Snap!

The teeth-grinding sounds of cracking bone and carapace merged into a single noise! The dozen or so Ghost Face Spiders blocking the front, regardless of size, were instantly pulverized into a shower of minced meat!

Green fluid splashed like torrential rain, staining the cave walls with filth!

His massive body forcibly carved out a path paved with blood and flesh through the dense spider swarm!

Tear!

Two Ghost Face Spider Mothers lunged from above, their sharp, venomous claws flashing with eerie light as they fiercely aimed for Lin Jingyu's head!

Lin Jingyu didn't even look, extending his arms like lightning to precisely grab the two Spider Mothers' thickest forelegs!

“Tear—!”

A scalp-numbing tearing sound rang out!

The two Ghost Face Spider Mothers, possessing Divine Treasury Realm auras, were actually ripped clean in half by him!

Viscous internal organs and foul-smelling blood rained down like a waterfall, but they were blocked by the faint Silver Radiance that automatically appeared on his body's surface, leaving not a single stain.

Simple! Brutal! Efficient!

Fist, palm, ram, tear!

The most basic Physical Body movements were transformed into the most terrifying art of slaughter in his hands!

Not a single Ghost Face Spider could get within three zhang of him! Wherever he passed, only scattered minced meat, broken limbs, and flowing rivers of green blood remained!

The intensely sickening smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the sulfur odor!

In less than ten breaths!

The surging, tidal swarm of Ghost Face Spiders was completely annihilated!

In the passage, only Lin Jingyu remained standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. His massive figure was unstained by a single drop of blood, like a Demon God returned from Hell!

Silence!

Deathly silence!

Tu Gang, Enshrined Elder Yin, Burly Man Lei, and all the Demon Suppression Division elites froze in place, as if struck by a paralysis spell.

Their palms gripping their weapons were slick with cold sweat, and their eyes were filled with extreme shock and... unspeakable fear!

They had seen powerful Dharma Aspect Realm experts, but they had never seen one... so savagely strong! So utterly unreasonable!

How could this be called a battle? This was a unilateral massacre! A feast of flesh and blood!

“Gulp...” Burly Man Lei's Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed hard, looking at the massive Soul Shattering Hammer in his hand. For the first time, he felt that this fierce weapon, which had accompanied him for years, seemed utterly ridiculous compared to Lin Jingyu's pure Physical Body strength.

Enshrined Elder Yin's face was deathly pale, and the knuckles of the hand gripping the Blood Droppers were white.

His strange weapon, which he took immense pride in, seemed like a child's toy in the face of the opponent's savage and unreasonable absolute power.

Tu Gang stared intently at Lin Jingyu's back, the scars on his face twitching slightly. The malice deep in his eyes was violently suppressed by intense dread, replaced instead by a chilling coldness.

For the first time, he truly felt the chasm-like gap between his Peak of the Divine Treasury Realm and the Dharma Aspect Realm! This Lin Jingyu... was even more terrifying than he had imagined! Even more... ruthless!

Lin Jingyu shook off blood that wasn't there, acting as if he had merely swatted a few flies.

He walked up to the shattered head of a Ghost Face Spider Mother, flicked his finger, and a walnut-sized Demon Core, radiating a faint emerald green glow, landed in his hand.

“System, convert.”

[Ding! Converted Shenzang Realm, Third Level Ghost Face Spider Mother Demon Core! Received 15,000 evolution points!]

The green light flashed, and the Demon Core vanished.

His gaze swept across the chaotic passage, then looked toward the deeper darkness ahead, where even more profound and terrifying roars faintly sounded.

“Continue forward.” Lin Jingyu's voice remained calm. He stepped forward, the sound of squelching flesh and blood accompanying his steps.

The crowd behind him awoke as if from a dream. They looked at the massive figure advancing through the sea of blood and corpses, no longer harboring any contempt or distracting thoughts, only deep reverence and obedience.

Tu Gang took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and commanded in a deep roar: “Keep up! Clear the remnants!”

The team advanced once more, silent and oppressed.

A deep imprint was left on everyone's mind by Lin Jingyu's terrifying power—simple, brutal, and capable of crushing everything.