After dealing with the black-clothed killers, Lin Kai did not stay in the area for long.
He knew that Lin Feng would not stop after just one failed attempt.
More danger could come at any time.
He moved quickly toward the deeper parts of the inner region.
The spiritual energy here was much denser than in the outer forest, and the demonic beasts were clearly stronger.
After walking for about an hour, Lin Kai stopped in front of a wide river.
The water was dark blue and moved very fast.
On the other side of the river, he could see several glowing Cloud Spirit Fruit trees.
There were at least ten fruits growing there.
Lin Kai’s eyes lit up slightly.
He was about to cross the river when a huge shadow suddenly moved under the water.
A massive Level 7 water serpent shot out from the river with its mouth wide open.
Lin Kai reacted instantly.
He used Lightning Flash Step to jump backward and avoided the first attack.
The serpent’s body crashed onto the ground, creating a deep hole.
The beast turned its cold eyes toward him and attacked again.
Lin Kai did not retreat.
He activated Void Domain and charged forward.
Black tentacles shot out from his body and wrapped around the serpent’s body, trying to hold it in place.
At the same time, he struck its head with Dark Flame Palm.
The black flame burned against the serpent’s scales, but the beast was very tough.
It thrashed wildly and swung its tail toward Lin Kai.
Lin Kai was hit on the side and thrown several meters away.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and his eyes turned colder.
“Strong…”
He stopped holding back and released more power from the Void Core.
The black energy around him became denser.
This time, when the serpent attacked again, Lin Kai grabbed its body with both hands and activated the devouring power at full strength.
The Level 7 serpent struggled violently as its energy was rapidly pulled away.
After nearly a minute of intense resistance, the beast’s body finally weakened and collapsed.
[Major progress!]
[Current Stage: Late Stage 6]
[Void Energy: 11,400 units]
Lin Kai breathed heavily.
The fight had not been easy, but the reward was worth it.
His cultivation had finally broken through to Late Stage 6.
After resting for a short time, he crossed the river and collected all the Cloud Spirit Fruits on the other side.
[Cloud Spirit Fruits: 27]
With this amount, he was already far ahead of most participants.
As he continued deeper, the forest slowly changed.
The trees became twisted and black, and a faint pressure filled the air.
Lin Kai could feel that he was approaching a special area of the secret realm.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of fighting from not far away.
He carefully approached and hid behind a large rock.
In a small open area, he saw Zhao Rong fighting against three Late Stage 7 participants.
Zhao Rong looked calm as always, using clever techniques and traps to keep the three opponents under pressure.
When Zhao Rong noticed Lin Kai’s presence, he smiled and called out, “Chen Yan, since you are already here, why not come and help? I will give you half of the fruits after we finish.”
The three opponents immediately became nervous when they saw Lin Kai.
Lin Kai thought for a moment and then stepped out.
“Alright.”
With Lin Kai joining the fight, the situation changed quickly.
His devouring power made the three Late Stage 7 cultivators panic.
Every time Lin Kai touched them, their strength dropped.
Combined with Zhao Rong’s clever attacks, the three opponents were forced to admit defeat and hand over their fruits within a short time.
After the fight ended, Zhao Rong tossed a small bag to Lin Kai.
“Your share. Six fruits.”
Lin Kai caught the bag and nodded.
“You are quite bold, calling me over so openly.”
Zhao Rong laughed lightly.
“I told you before. I am interested in your power. Fighting together is a good way to observe it more closely.”
He simply put the fruits away.
Zhao Rong looked at him more seriously and said, “Be careful. I sensed several strange auras moving in this region earlier. Someone is targeting you specifically. Lin Feng’s methods are dirtier than they appear.”
“I already met them,” Lin Kai replied coldly.
Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled.
“You survived again. As expected.”
The two of them separated soon after.
Zhao Rong went in one direction, while Lin Kai continued deeper into the twisted forest.
After some time, Lin Kai found an ancient stone platform half-buried in the ground.
Strange runes were carved on its surface, and a faint pressure came from it.
When he got closer, the mechanical voice of the Void Core suddenly spoke.
[Detected ancient energy remains]
[This place contains a broken inheritance related to devouring power]
[Would you like to absorb the remaining energy?]
Lin Kai’s eyes flashed.
He placed his hand on the stone platform without hesitation.
A large amount of ancient black energy rushed into his body.
The Void Core absorbed it greedily.
Pain spread through his entire body, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
After several minutes, the energy finally settled.
[Absorbed ancient devouring energy]
[Void Core has been strengthened]
[New ability unlocked: Void Drain (Improved) – Can devour energy from a short distance]
Lin Kai opened his eyes.
He could feel that his devouring power had become stronger and more flexible.
Just as he was about to leave the stone platform, several powerful auras suddenly locked onto him from different directions.
Lin Kai’s expression turned serious.
This time, the people coming were not ordinary participants.
And they were coming straight for him.
End of Chapter 24