"Help you transcend? How about I help you transcend first!"
Wu Sha grinned viciously. He stomped hard, spread his five fingers, and clawed at Lin Dong on the Tiger's back, his hand slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.
A Fourth-Grade Martial Art, the Wind-Ripping Hand!
Wu Sha's signature technique—the Second Stronghold Master of Black Dragon Stronghold's claim to fame!
"Noisy."
Lin Dong cast an indifferent glance at the approaching figure. The next instant, ferocious Spiritual Power surged from his Niwan Palace and condensed in midair into an invisible giant hand that slammed down.
"Boom!"
The ground shook violently. The imposing Second Stronghold Master of Black Dragon Stronghold vanished, leaving only a mass of blood and flesh behind.
"Gulp!"
The sound of nervous swallowing rang across the scene.
Hundreds of Black Dragon Stronghold members recoiled in terror, all taking a step back together. Had their Second Stronghold Master, the mighty Heavenly Yuan Stage Expert Lord Wu Sha, really been killed by a single word from some unknown kid?
"Spiritual power? Are you a Talisman Master?"
Yan Kuo, the First Stronghold Master of Black Dragon Stronghold, had been glaring like an enraged Vajra. He shuddered at the sight. Well-informed as he was, he recognized this as a Talisman Master's method of attack.
A Talisman Master who could kill a Heavenly Yuan Stage Expert with a casual strike had to be at least a Two-Seal Talisman Master. Even in Flame City, where experts abounded, a Two-Seal Talisman Master would be an honored guest of every major power—an expert comparable to one of the Lesser Yuan Dan Realm.
"Correct answer. Would you like a reward?"
Lin Dong's gaze lingered on Yan Kuo, deep and unreadable.
"No, no need."
Yan Kuo's face went pale, and he waved his hands in refusal. Then he forced himself to stay calm and said, "You are a Two-Seal Talisman Master. May I ask why you have come to our Black Dragon Stronghold?"
"I heard your stronghold has some Shattered Yuan Profound Steel in stock. As it happens, I've recently been wanting to forge a weapon that can channel spiritual power, so I thought I'd come and take it."
Lin Dong patted Little Flame beneath him, who looked ready to attack, signaling it to relax.
"Shattered Yuan Profound Steel — Lord Lin Dong, please wait a moment. I'll send someone to fetch it right away."
Yan Kuo wiped a fistful of cold sweat from his forehead, then barked at a minor subordinate beside him, "Hurry to the storehouse and bring back that piece of Shattered Yuan Profound Steel."
"No need." Lin Dong waved a hand.
"L-Lord, why not?"
Yan Kuo cautiously studied Lin Dong's expression, afraid that the slightest mistake would provoke this god of death.
"Because I plan to go get it myself. You may all rest."
A mysterious smile crossed Lin Dong's face. Yan Kuo had spent years living on the edge of a blade; his expression changed at once, and he turned to flee into the distance.
"It's no use. There's no escaping."
Lin Dong sighed with sorrowful pity. An invisible spear arrived in an instant and pierced through the lean figure fleeing ahead.
"Heh, heh... you, you're not a Two-Seal Talisman Master at all..."
Yan Kuo's fleeing figure stiffened. Blood foam trickled from the corner of his mouth, and terror filled his eyes.
"Of course I'm not a Two-Seal Talisman Master."
Lin Dong glanced at Yan Kuo, puzzled, as the man's life force faded away.
"The First Stronghold Master is dead too! Run!"
"Run, aaah!!"
"Lord, have mercy!"
Within minutes, the members of Black Dragon Stronghold watched their First and Second Stronghold Masters die one after another and fell into utter panic. Some tried to flee, while others knelt and begged for mercy.
"Don't be bandits in your next life."
Lin Dong swept an indifferent gaze over the panicked crowd. His vast Spiritual Power became a dense mass of sharp tendrils that pierced outward, like a clawing, fanged tentacle monster.
"Splat, splat, splat..."
The dull sound of flesh being pierced echoed again and again. Members of Black Dragon Stronghold fell in swaths like harvested wheat, while a thick stench of blood spread across the entire stronghold.
"Little Flame, you know where the storehouse is, right? Take me there."
Lin Dong patted Little Flame beneath him. Little Flame lowered its head and sniffed the air, then flicked its tail and dashed in one direction.
"Boom!"
A solid wall was instantly smashed down by Little Flame, and a massive storehouse piled high with all manner of valuables came into Lin Dong's view.
Lin Dong's gaze passed over the gold, silver, and jewels and settled on a piece of black metal about half the size of a head in the corner. A satisfied smile crossed his face. "Shattered Yuan Profound Steel—there you are."
Ten minutes later, a great fire ignited at the center of Black Dragon Stronghold and devoured the entire stronghold at astonishing speed.
Black Dragon Stronghold had housed two Heavenly Yuan Stage Experts and terrorized the region for more than twenty years. Now it was destroyed!
"Haha, Little Flame, let's go — home, back to Ironwood Manor. Let's try to make it back before dawn."
Amid the flames, a fiery-red figure flickered into view before streaking away.
.....
Ironwood Manor covered a vast area, with exceptionally beautiful scenery.
At that moment, Lin Dong lay on a slope with a blade of dog-tail grass between his teeth, leisurely admiring the beautiful scenery in the distance.
Seven days had passed since the fall of Black Dragon Stronghold. Lin Dong had retrieved Shattered Yuan Profound Steel from its storehouse and had it made into a Yuan-Shattering Shuttle.
At that thought, Lin Dong's intent stirred. Ten strands of black light shot from his sleeve and circled him with the agility of swimming fish.
The ten strands of black light were ten small black shuttles, each about the size of a thumb. Serrated teeth lined their edges, gleaming with a cold luster. They were undoubtedly excellent offensive weapons.
And, of course, they could also serve as a means of flight.
"Combine!"
As Lin Dong's spiritual power enveloped them, the ten strands of black light instantly merged together, forming a Black Longsword that flew beneath his feet, holding him aloft quite steadily before carrying him into a short flight above the ground.
After several days of practice, Lin Dong could fly a short distance through the air. The vast Spiritual Power of a Four-Seal Talisman Master was enough to sustain him during long-distance flight.
"Roar! Roar!"
Little Flame, left behind on the ground, looked up at the airborne Lin Dong. Without wings, all it could do was keep tilting its head back and roaring, on and on without stopping.
"What's the rush, you. Once you devour a Flying Demonic Beast someday and mutate again, maybe you'll grow wings too."
Tired from flying, Lin Dong descended, and Little Flame pounced at him again.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A series of sharp whistles rose from below. A tall figure hurried up the mountain and called out with a loud laugh, "Dong'er, I knew you'd be here."
"Father."
Lin Dong put away the Yuan-Shattering Shuttle and stepped forward to greet him.
"Seven days ago, a mysterious expert wiped out Black Dragon Stronghold, and you disappeared for most of that day. Don't tell me you did it, kid?"
Lin Xiao appeared and studied Lin Dong with suspicion; he knew his son's exact Cultivation.
"Yeah. I heard Black Dragon Stronghold had some Shattered Yuan Profound Steel, so I went and grabbed some while I was at it."
Lin Dong nodded in confirmation, and Lin Xiao immediately laughed. "Just some bandit den — no great loss if it's gone. Come on, your grandfather wants to discuss something with you."
"Oh? Something big happening?"
"Something like that. Let's go."
Amid quiet conversation, father and son's figures swiftly vanished from where they stood.