82: He dispelled the miasma and vanquished evil, displaying his supernatural powers for the first time.

Deep in the Ancient Stele Forest, in the Poison Miasma Valley. The grey-green mist was so thick it wouldn't disperse. Even with a Cultivator's eyesight, it was difficult to see clearly beyond ten zhang. The air was filled with a strange, sweet yet putrid smell. Upon inhaling, one would feel their Divine Soul slightly dizzy and their spiritual power circulation somewhat sluggish. The surrounding ancient stone steles, having weathered ages of wind and frost, were covered in a layer of dull green rust under the erosion of the poison miasma, adding a touch of gloom.

Lin Fan stood at the valley entrance, his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils operating at full power. Golden light and starlight intertwined in his eyes, piercing through layers of poison miasma to take in the entire scene within the valley.

In the center of the valley, in a relatively open area, a complex dark green Formation was carved into the ground. The Formation lines twisted like countless entangled venomous snakes. At the center lay a skull Magical Artifact burning with ghostly green flames, which was the source of the poison miasma. Around the Formation, seven black stone pillars carved with malevolent ghost patterns were scattered. Pale green light orbs floated atop the pillars, faintly forming a trapping and killing Formation that locked down the space.

Five figures were hidden throughout the Formation, their auras merging with the poison miasma and the Formation. Had Lin Fan not possessed keen perception and been prepared, they would have been nearly impossible to detect.

Directly ahead was the one-armed Lord Ying. He sat cross-legged in the shadow of a stone pillar, his aura even colder and gloomier than last time. In the black Qi wrapped around his severed arm, tiny insects seemed to be squirming. Standing behind him were two assassins entirely shrouded in blood-colored tight-fitting clothes, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes. Their code name was "Blood Blade." Their auras were sharp, their cultivation was at the Early Stage of the Divine Power Realm, and they carried a thick, bloody Killing Intent, clearly being executioners specialized in slaughter.

Deep within the poison miasma on the left, two figures could be vaguely seen. One was dressed in a green robe and held the green skull Magical Artifact; he was the "Green Robe Emissary." The other was a burly man whose exposed skin was covered in tattoos of pale white skull patterns. His aura was savage, and his code name was "Skeleton." The two were connected by their auras, resonating with the entire poison miasma Formation, clearly the ones presiding over it.

"They certainly think highly of me—five in the Divine Power Realm, plus the assistance of a Formation and poison miasma." Lin Fan sneered inwardly, yet his face showed no fear. He stepped into the valley, and the poison miasma immediately surged forward like a living thing, attempting to erode his protective spiritual light.

The golden light of the Eternal Indestructible Body flowed, keeping the poison miasma at bay. The star pagoda vibrated slightly, emitting pure starlight that caused the approaching miasma to sizzle and continuously dissolve. He walked calmly, as if strolling through a courtyard, heading straight toward the central Formation.

"Jie jie jie, Lin Fan, you really came! For that little girl? How truly loyal and righteous!" The Green Robe Emissary's raspy laughter came from within the poison miasma, filled with mockery and triumph. "Unfortunately, today this place will be your burial ground! How does the Soul Erosion Miasma taste? Do you feel your spiritual power moving slower and slower, and your Divine Soul becoming heavier? Once you've completely lost the power to resist, we will 'entertain' you properly!"

"Enough nonsense." Lin Fan's voice was calm as he stopped about thirty zhang from the central Formation. "Hand over the Soul Erosion Miasma Antidote, and I can give you a quick death."

"Arrogance!" Lord Ying snapped his eyes open, the resentment in them nearly overflowing. "Boy, for the grudge of my severed arm and the hatred of the Young Lord, today you shall repay it a hundredfold! Activate the 'Seven Fiends Soul-Locking Formation'!"

Buzz! The pale green light orbs atop the seven black stone pillars brightened simultaneously! Streaks of dark green light shot from the orbs, intertwining in the air to instantly form a massive, inverted bowl-shaped light barrier that covered the entire core area of the valley! Inside the barrier, the concentration of poison miasma increased several times over, and an invisible soul-chain force targeted at the Divine Soul spread out, attempting to bind and weaken the captive's soul!

At the same time, the two "Blood Blade" assassins moved! They were like two streaks of blood-colored lightning, attacking Lin Fan from the left and right at bizarre angles! The blood-colored short blades in their hands were silent, yet they carried a pungent smell of blood and a sharpness capable of piercing through any protective spiritual light!

Facing the pressure of the Formation and the sudden attack of the two assassins, Lin Fan neither dodged nor avoided.

He formed Seals with his hands in front of his chest and shouted low, "Star Realm Seal: Solidify!"

Boom! With him as the center, the space within a radius of three zhang suddenly solidified! The air seemed to turn into solid crystal, and light distorted! The two incoming blood-colored figures were like they had crashed into an invisible mire; their speed plummeted, and their movements showed obvious lag! Even the poison miasma in the air and the invisible soul-chain force were greatly weakened within this solidified space!

This was precisely the enhanced application of the "Solidify Void" power after the preliminary Fusion of the shattering and Dao Rhyme of Sealing and Suppression!

"What?!" For the first time, alarm appeared in the eyes of the two Blood Blade assassins. They felt as if their bodies were entangled by countless invisible threads, requiring several times the effort for every movement!

"Star Shattering Finger." Lin Fan pointed with both his left and right hands simultaneously. From his fingertips, starlight condensed into rapidly spinning tiny star vortexes, their edges carrying fine spatial cracks, silently shooting toward the brows of the two assassins!

The speed didn't seem fast, but within the solidified space, it was even harder for the opponents to dodge!

The two assassins roared, twisting their bodies with all their might and swinging their Blood Blades to parry.

Puff! Puff! The Star Vortex Finger force accurately struck the tips of the Blood Blades! The high-quality blood-colored short blades actually let out a groan of being overwhelmed, and fine cracks appeared on the blades! The power of the shattered space contained within the finger force passed through the blades; although weakened, it still slammed hard into the two assassins' protective spiritual light!

Bang! Bang! The two groaned and were sent flying backward, their protective spiritual light flickering violently; they had clearly suffered a hidden loss. Had they not been battle-hardened and used a secret technique to redirect the force at the critical moment, they might have been heavily injured by the finger force.

"Space solidification?! He can actually use spatial power so skillfully?!" The Green Robe Emissary's expression changed deep within the poison miasma. He exchanged a glance with "Skeleton" beside him, and both saw the gravity in each other's eyes.

"We can't give him a chance to breathe! Skeleton, go break his spatial lockdown! Ying, control the Formation to suppress him! Blood Blades, continue the fight!" the Green Robe Emissary quickly ordered.

The burly man covered in skull tattoos, "Skeleton," let out a roar. The pale white patterns all over his body lit up, unexpectedly emitting a thick Death Qi and corrosive power! He slammed his fists together, and a greyish-white shockwave suddenly expanded, actually managing to erode and weaken Lin Fan's "Solidify Void" Domain! At the same time, he was like a maddened beast, charging toward Lin Fan. Every step made the ground tremble, and his fist carried a whistle that tore through the air, aiming straight for Lin Fan's face!

Lord Ying also pushed the Formation to its limit. The green light of the seven stone pillars intensified, and the invisible soul chains became more solid, like countless venomous snakes winding toward Lin Fan's Divine Soul from all directions, attempting to interfere with his spellcasting.

The two Blood Blade assassins also rallied. Their movements became even more elusive, their Blood Blades tracing tricky paths as they coordinated with Skeleton's frontal assault.

Facing the joint attack of the three and the suppression of the Formation, Battle Intent instead ignited in Lin Fan's eyes.

"Good timing!" He no longer maintained the large-scale "Solidify Void" Domain but instead concentrated the power on himself. The golden light of the Eternal Indestructible Body flared up, tanking Skeleton's frontal punch and the Blood Blades' side attacks. Simultaneously, his figure moved like a ghost, stepping in the pattern of the Seven Stars. Each step secretly aligned with the star trajectories as he dodged and shifted within the narrow space, narrowly avoiding most of the attacks.

At the same time, his right hand formed a sword finger while his left hand clenched into a fist.

His right sword finger tapped repeatedly, sending out streaks of refined "Star Vortex Finger" like pear blossoms in a storm, shooting toward the two Blood Blade assassins and Skeleton, who was continuously eroding the Domain. The finger forces were either straight or curved, fast or slow, containing different spatial variations—some with "offset" and some with "vibration"—making them impossible for the three to guard against. They were repeatedly struck, adding several wounds to their bodies and making their movements increasingly sluggish.

His left hand, meanwhile, was clenching and gathering power, as the Power of the Stars and the newly fused dao rhymes within him converged frantically.

When Skeleton roared again and threw a punch containing corrosive Death Qi, Lin Fan no longer dodged. His left fist shone with brilliant golden light, carrying the heaviness of suppressing all things and a hint of the sharpness of shattering the void as he met the attack head-on!

"Star Shattering Void-Rending Punch!" The fists collided!

Rumble!!! An explosion more violent than any before rang out! A shockwave exploded in a ring, temporarily clearing a patch of the surrounding poison miasma!

Skeleton let out a miserable scream. His Death Qi punch, which was enough to corrode a Spiritual Artifact, was like snow meeting a blazing sun before Lin Fan's fist, which was fused with the Origin of the Eternal Indestructible Body, the suppression power of the star pagoda, and the dao rhyme of shattered space. It dissolved rapidly! Furthermore, a domineering and peerless force with a sense of spatial tearing followed his arm and slammed into his body!

Crack! Crack! A dense series of tooth-aching bone-cracking sounds rang out! Skeleton's arm bones, which were comparable to fine iron, shattered inch by inch. He was sent flying like a tattered sack, crashing through two black stone pillars before stopping. He coughed up blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, his aura instantly withering to the extreme as he collapsed, unable to get up.

With one punch, he had heavily injured "Skeleton," who was in the Middle Stage of the Divine Power Realm!

"How is this possible?!" The Green Robe Emissary and Lord Ying were aghast. They knew Lin Fan was strong, but they didn't expect him to be this strong! That was "Skeleton," who specialized in the Physical Body and Death Qi! He was actually crippled by a single punch?

"Blood Blades, retreat!" the Green Robe Emissary shouted urgently, while simultaneously pushing the skull Magical Artifact in his hand to its limit. The ghostly green flames flared up, and the entire poison miasma Formation churned violently. Countless strands of poison miasma condensed into ferocious poisonous pythons that lunged at Lin Fan, and a sharp soul attack pierced straight toward Lin Fan's Sea of Consciousness!

The two Blood Blade assassins also sensed that things were going poorly and immediately withdrew.

But how could Lin Fan let them have their way? He took a deep breath, quietly triggering the power of the time-space harmonization fragment. His recently consumed spiritual power was quickly restored, and his Divine Soul remained clear. Facing the lunging poisonous pythons and the soul attack, his eyes turned cold, and he suddenly spread his hands to both sides!

"Void-Shattering Vibration!" Instead of attacking a single point, he triggered the spatial structure within a ten-zhang radius for a brief, comprehensive, high-frequency vibration!

Buzz!!! The space was like a calm lake with a giant stone thrown into it, rippling violently! Under this indiscriminate spatial vibration, the lunging poisonous pythons instantly had their structures collapsed, turning back into poisonous gas! That sharp soul attack was also interfered with, weakened, and deflected by the vibrating spatial waves, its power greatly reduced!

The two Blood Blade assassins, who were about to retreat, felt as if they had hit an invisible wall of vibration. Their figures suddenly stalled, their protective spiritual light flickered violently, their internal blood and Qi churned, and their movements were once again restricted!

"Now!" Lin Fan's figure was like lightning, instantly appearing before the Blood Blade assassin on the left. His right hand's five fingers spread open, starlight flowing in his palm as if he were holding a miniature starry sky. Carrying the power of suppression and sealing, he grabbed downward—a variation of the World Solidification in the Palm!

The assassin was terrified and wanted to swing his blade to counterattack, but he found the surrounding space as viscous as glue, and his movement was half a beat too slow.

Puff! Lin Fan's palm had already pressed onto his crown! The Power of the Stars mixed with the Dao Rhyme of Sealing and Suppression surged in, instantly destroying his Sea of Consciousness's defenses, shocking his Divine Soul into unconsciousness, and simultaneously sealing his entire cultivation!

Following the same pattern, the other Blood Blade assassin was also easily captured and sealed by Lin Fan under the influence of the spatial vibration.

In the blink of an eye, of the five enemies, one was heavily injured and two were captured!

Only the Green Robe Emissary and Lord Ying, who were presiding over the Formation, remained. Their faces were as pale as if they had seen a ghost.

"It's your turn." Lin Fan turned around, his gaze like cold ice, locking onto the two deep within the poison miasma.

A flash of madness appeared in the Green Robe Emissary's eyes, and he suddenly smashed the green skull Magical Artifact in his hand toward the core of the Formation in the center of the ground!

"Wanting to perish together? In your dreams!" How could Lin Fan let him succeed? He flicked his fingers, and a streak of extremely refined "Star Shattering Finger" arrived first, accurately striking the falling skull!

Crack! The skull Magical Artifact shattered upon impact! But the terrifying poison power and resentment contained within it also erupted instantly, turning into a dark green torrent that surged back toward the Green Robe Emissary!

"No!" The Green Robe Emissary hadn't expected his Magical Artifact to be shattered so easily, much less the backlash of the poison power. Caught off guard, he was submerged by the poisonous torrent and let out a shrill scream. His green robe quickly eroded, his flesh and skin dissolved, and in the blink of an eye, he turned into a pool of bloody pus, his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!

Having lost its host, the Formation immediately shook violently and began to become unstable.

Seeing this, Lord Ying's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. No longer caring about anything else, he turned and tried to flee into the shadows.

"Stay behind." Lin Fan spoke coldly, making a grasping motion from a distance.

It wasn't a spiritual power capture, but a spatial confinement! The space around Lord Ying suddenly solidified, locking him firmly in place! He discovered in horror that he couldn't even merge into the shadows!

Lin Fan walked slowly to him, his gaze icy. "The antidote. Also, tell me all of the Nether Pavilion's schemes in the Remnant Realm, and I'll give you a quick death."

Lord Ying's face was ashen. Feeling the other's unfathomable aura and undisguised Killing Intent, he knew he had no hope of survival. He laughed miserably. "The antidote is in my breast. As for the schemes, hehe, boy, you've ruined the Nether Pavilion's great plans, and the Pavilion Master won't let you off! We'll be waiting for you at the 'Starfall Core'; there are 'surprises' there that you can't imagine." Before he could finish, a look of decisiveness flashed in his eyes, and the aura within his body suddenly went wild!

"Wanting to self-detonate?" Lin Fan's gaze sharpened, and he slapped Lord Ying's Dantian while simultaneously triggering the suppression power of the star pagoda, forcibly interrupting the self-detonation but also scattering his last shred of life.

Lord Ying's eyes quickly dimmed, and he breathed his last.

Lin Fan searched his body and found several jade bottles. Checking them with his Delusion-Breaking Divine Pupils, he quickly found the white Medicinal Pill labeled "Soul Erosion Miasma Antidote." He put away the antidote and then quickly searched the Green Robe Emissary's remains, finding a Jade Slip that recorded part of the Remnant Realm's map and several sections of ciphertext.

Within the valley, the poison miasma began to slowly dissipate as the Formation collapsed and its masters died.

Lin Fan collected his spoils of war, glanced at the heavily injured and unconscious "Skeleton" and the two sealed "Blood Blades," but didn't finish them off. Instead, he turned and left quickly.

He had to return to Starfall Lake as soon as possible to treat Lin Xue.

As for the Nether Pavilion's schemes at the "Starfall Core," Lin Fan looked toward the deepest part of the Remnant Realm, which was marked on the map as an extremely dangerous area where the Power of the Stars was most violent and space was most unstable.

"Starfall Core... it seems the final leg of this Remnant Realm trial will not be peaceful." His figure turned into light and disappeared deep into the Ancient Stele Forest.