Lin Kai stayed in the cave for about half an hour.
After refining the energy he had absorbed from the four participants, he stood up and left.
The purple sky of the secret realm remained unchanged.
There was no sun or moon, only a constant dim light that made it difficult to tell the exact time.
Lin Kai moved deeper into the forest.
According to the information Elder Zhou had given, the Cloud Spirit Fruits grew more densely in the inner regions, but the demonic beasts there were also much stronger.
After walking for some time, he heard the sound of fighting ahead.
He carefully approached and hid behind a large tree.
In a small clearing, three participants were fighting a Level 5 demonic beast that looked like a black panther with two tails.
The beast was fast and fierce.
One of the participants was already injured and bleeding from his shoulder.
Lin Kai watched for a few moments.
The three participants were not weak — two were at Peak Stage 6 and one was at Early Stage 7 — but they were struggling to finish the beast.
When the black panther was about to bite the injured young man, Lin Kai decided to act.
He appeared behind the beast in a flash of black light and struck with Dark Flame Palm.
The black flame exploded against the panther’s side.
At the same time, a black tentacle shot out and pierced its body, quickly devouring its core.
The Level 5 beast let out a final cry and collapsed.
[Devoured Level 5 Beast Core]
[Void Energy +180]
[Progress to Late Stage 6: 41%]
The three participants turned around in shock.
When they saw Lin Kai, their expressions became complicated.
The Early Stage 7 young man cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for your help, Chen Yan. We would have been in trouble without you.”
Lin Kai nodded slightly.
“There are two Cloud Spirit Fruits on the tree behind you. Take them and leave. This area is not safe.”
The three of them looked at each other.
In the end, they did not dare to be greedy.
They quickly picked the fruits and left after thanking him again.
Lin Kai continued on his way.
As time passed, he collected more fruits and fought several more demonic beasts.
By the time he estimated that half a day had passed, he already had seven Cloud Spirit Fruits in his bottle.
While resting near a small lake, Lin Kai suddenly sensed several strong auras approaching quickly.
He stood up and looked toward the direction of the auras.
The leader was a young man at Late Stage 7 with a cold and arrogant face.
Behind him were five others, all at least Peak Stage 6.
When the leader saw Lin Kai, his eyes lit up with hostility.
“Chen Yan. I finally found you.”
Lin Kai looked at him calmly.
“Who are you?”
The young man sneered.
“My name is Li Jun. I am from the Li Clan. You humiliated my clan several times outside. Today, inside this secret realm, I will make you pay.”
Lin Kai’s eyes turned cold.
“The Li Clan again.”
Li Jun raised his hand.
“All of you, attack together! Do not give him any chance to use that strange draining technique!”
The five cultivators behind him immediately charged forward.
Lin Kai did not retreat.
He activated Void Domain, and a black area spread out around him.
Inside the domain, the movements of the attackers became slightly slower, and their energy flow was disturbed.
Lin Kai moved like a ghost.
He appeared beside the nearest Peak Stage 6 cultivator and touched his chest with one finger.
Black energy poured in, and the man’s strength dropped rapidly.
A second strike sent him flying.
The others attacked with full power — fire, wind, and metal techniques filled the area.
Lin Kai used Lightning Flash Step continuously, dodging most of the attacks while countering whenever he found an opening.
Every time his hand touched an enemy, their cultivation was partially drained.
In a short time, three of the five attackers were already heavily injured and unable to continue fighting.
Li Jun’s face became ugly.
“Useless trash!”
He finally attacked himself.
As a Late Stage 7 cultivator, his power was clearly higher.
A large black spear appeared in his hand, and he thrust it toward Lin Kai with heavy force.
Lin Kai crossed his arms and blocked the spear.
The impact pushed him back several steps, and a small wound opened on his arm.
Li Jun pressed the attack without stopping.
His spear techniques were fierce and continuous.
Lin Kai’s eyes grew colder.
He stopped only defending and released more power from the Void Core.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The two of them exchanged more than twenty moves.
Li Jun’s power was stronger, but Lin Kai’s devouring ability slowly weakened him with every contact.
Finally, Lin Kai found a small opening.
He used Shadow Step to appear behind Li Jun and struck his back with a full-power Dark Flame Palm.
The black flame exploded, and the devouring power activated at full strength.
Li Jun’s body shook violently.
He coughed out a mouthful of blood and fell to one knee.
“You… you monster!” he shouted in fear and anger.
Lin Kai looked down at him coldly.
“Tell the Li Clan that the next time they send people after me, they should send someone stronger.”
He did not kill Li Jun.
Instead, he took the jade bottle from his hand and checked it.
There were four Cloud Spirit Fruits inside.
Lin Kai poured them into his own bottle and threw the empty bottle back.
“Stay here if you want to live,” Lin Kai said.
Then he turned around and left.
After he disappeared into the forest, Li Jun’s face twisted with hatred.
“Chen Yan… Lin Kai… I will not forget this!”
Meanwhile, deeper in the secret realm, in a dark valley filled with thick fog, a black-clothed man quietly appeared.
He crushed a special jade slip and whispered:
“Target has been located. Begin the plan.”
In another part of the realm, Zhao Rong stopped walking and looked toward the direction where Lin Kai had fought.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“You are attracting more and more trouble, Lin Kai. I wonder how long you can keep surviving.”
Lin Kai, who was moving toward the inner region, suddenly felt a faint sense of danger.
He stopped and scanned the surroundings with Void Eye, but found nothing unusual.
His eyes narrowed.
“Something is wrong.”
He continued moving, but this time even more carefully than before.
The secret realm was no longer just a test.
It had become a hunting ground.
End of Chapter 22