Lin Yuan woke up on his oversized luxury bed, feeling refreshed and energized—as if the whole world had changed.
Even though he was still lying in the same spot.
But now, with his Divine Sense, he could clearly “see” countless razor-sharp energies floating in the air, invisible to the naked eye.
Sword intent!
Ubiquitous sword intent!
With a single thought, an invisible strand of sword energy condensed at his fingertip, slicing a thin crack through the air before him.
Azure Abyss Sword Intent—Heaven-tier Top-Grade Technique!
Another divine skill, maxed out upon acquisition, with no cultivation required!
“Young Master, you’re awake.”
A beautiful maid entered, pushing a breakfast cart, and set an absurdly extravagant meal on the table.
There was Eight-Treasure Spirit Porridge rich in spiritual energy, fried eggs made from 4th-tier fierce beast “Golden Thread Canary” eggs, and a glass of juice extracted from dozens of rare Spirit Fruits.
Any single item here could cause an all-out war among ordinary martial artists.
But here, it was just Lin Yuan’s typical breakfast.
As Lin Yuan lazily enjoyed being fed by the maid, he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
Sigh… invincibility really is this plain, this dull…
…
In stark contrast to the luxury and ease of the Lin Family Estate was another world beneath Yanjing City.
The black market.
A lawless land filled with sin, desire, and bloodshed.
In its dark, damp passageways, all kinds of shady characters mingled, and the air reeked of rust, alcohol, and cheap medicine.
Ye Xuan kept his face hidden under a hood, quickly weaving through the noisy crowd like a lone wolf.
He walked into the Mission Hall of the black market.
At the center, a massive light screen continuously displayed all sorts of shady missions—from retrievals and assassinations to revenge contracts.
Ye Xuan ignored all the ordinary Rank 1 and Rank 2 tasks and locked eyes on the very top of the board.
There was only one mission.
Written in blood-red font, it marked the highest level of danger available to the public: Rank 6!
[Mission Name: Hunt the Nether Panther]
[Mission Objective: Enter the core region of the Blackwind Mountain Range, hunt a mature Stage-2 Fierce Beast “Nether Panther,” and retrieve its Spirit Core.]
[Mission Reward: 1 million Celestial Dragon Coins or equivalent cultivation resources.]
“Hiss—”
Upon seeing this task, many thrill-seekers nearby gasped aloud.
“Nether Panther? That’s one of the toughest Stage-2 beasts! It appears without a trace, masters shadow assassinations—they say even early-stage Qi Sea Realm cultivators have died at its claws!”
“This mission’s been up for almost a month. Seven or eight people already died trying. Who would still go throw their life away?” Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
“1 million? You’ve got to live long enough to spend it!”
While the crowd buzzed in debate…
Ye Xuan stepped forward silently and pressed his finger heavily onto the blood-red Rank 6 mission.
[Ding! Mission Accepted!]
The entire hall fell dead silent.
Everyone turned to stare at this man who clearly had a death wish.
“Kid, don’t be rash! There’s still time to cancel!” a one-eyed brawny man beside him urged kindly.
Ye Xuan didn’t even turn his head. He only replied coldly, “No need.”
Then he turned and walked off decisively.
Inside his consciousness, the voice of the Extreme Dao Ancestor rang out in alarm, “Kid! Are you crazy?! With your current strength, going after a Stage-2 Fierce Beast is no different from suicide!”
“Master, I have no choice,” Ye Xuan said calmly, with a hint of madness.
“Lin Yuan is like a mountain pressing down on me. If I don’t risk everything, I’ll be trapped in his shadow forever! I’d rather die charging forward than live on in humiliation!”
The Extreme Dao Ancestor fell silent. He could feel Ye Xuan’s will—so resolute it was almost burning.
After a long pause, he sighed deeply, “Fine! The path of martial arts has always been one of defiance—against heaven, against earth, and against death! Since your heart is set… I’ll go mad with you this once!”
…
Blackwind Mountain Range, core region.
Ancient trees towered, poisonous mists drifted thick, and even sunlight could not penetrate through.
The air was saturated with danger and death.
Ye Xuan moved cautiously through the dense forest like a seasoned hunter, suppressing his presence to the extreme.
Suddenly!
His hair stood on end. A surge of fatal danger shot up from behind!
“Watch out!”
The Extreme Dao Ancestor’s voice exploded in his mind.
Without hesitation, Ye Xuan dropped to the ground in a messy roll, diving forward.
Rip!
A black claw tore through the air with a shriek, grazing just above his back.
His shirt was ripped open by five deep, bone-revealing gashes, and blood instantly soaked the fabric.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Ye Xuan turned to look.
In the shadows of a nearby tree stood a sleek, jet-black panther, its form like living shadow, its eyes glowing with ghostly purple light.
The Nether Panther!
It moved!
No sound. No warning. In a flash, its body vanished into the shadows.
Ye Xuan’s pupils contracted. He pushed his Spiritual Power to the limit, scanning his surroundings, but couldn’t locate its presence at all!
“Swish!” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Another claw strike came from an impossible angle, leaving a bloody gash on his thigh.
“Damn it!”
Ye Xuan roared, but could do nothing but endure the beating.
This Nether Panther was too cunning!
It never fought head-on—only using its ghost-like speed and concealment to toy with him, whittling him down bit by bit.
In just minutes, Ye Xuan’s body was covered in wounds, and most of his Spiritual Power was drained.
“Master! What now?!” He asked urgently.
“Don’t panic! This beast’s strength lies in concealment, but every time it strikes, it uses shadows! Watch the movement of all shadows carefully!”
The Extreme Dao Ancestor commanded sternly.
Under his guidance, Ye Xuan forced himself to calm down.
He closed his eyes, giving up his vision, and immersed his awareness in the environment.
The wind, the rustling of leaves, the flow of poisonous mist…
Now!
A subtle distortion appeared in the shadow to his rear left!
Ye Xuan’s eyes snapped open. Instead of retreating, he charged forward and gathered the last of his Spiritual Power into his fist, slamming it toward that shadow!
“Mountain-Crushing Fist!”
Roar!
A shrill scream rang out. The Nether Panther was forcibly knocked out of the shadows, blood spilling from its mouth.
It clearly didn’t expect this prey to have seen through its movements.
After landing the blow, Ye Xuan dared not relax. He lunged in with a flurry of wild attacks like a raging storm.
Man and beast clashed in the thick forest, engaging in a most primal and blood-soaked battle to the death!
In the end, when Ye Xuan used the last bit of strength he had to plunge a dagger into the Nether Panther’s heart, he was already on the verge of collapse.
Covered in blood, Ye Xuan lay beside the beast’s still-warm corpse, panting heavily, too weak to even move a finger.
But he was laughing.
Laughing freely. Laughing like a madman.
With trembling hands, he dug out a fist-sized Spirit Core from the Nether Panther’s body, glowing with deep purple light.
High-Grade Nether Spirit Core!
Feeling the pure and vast energy within it, the fire of hope rekindled in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
He traded the Spirit Core in the black market for a massive amount of cultivation resources.
Then, dragging his severely injured body, he found a remote mountain cave and entered seclusion.
“Lin Yuan… Just wait! I, Ye Xuan, will never lose!”