Lin Xun let out a sigh and clapped Bochuan on the shoulder. “If you leave, who will lead the way for me?”

Bochuan explained anxiously, “Brother Lin, you are new to the Dark Hidden Purgatory so you might be unaware that Meng Xingzi has issued an order that whoever dares to team up with me will be treated as his enemy. If I work with you, it is equivalent to bringing harm to you!”

Then, he told Lin Xun about Meng Xingzi’s background.

However, who would have thought that after listening to it, Lin Xun looked disinterested and even too lazy to discuss the topic. He just asked, “Are you coming or not?”

Bochuan blinked blankly at him, and after a long pause, he clenched his teeth and said, “Let’s go!”

Lin Xun chuckled. “That’s right.”

An hour later.

The two appeared before a blood-red vortex tunnel, which was the path that led to the second level.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Very quickly the two disappeared into it.

……

The second level of the Dark Hidden Purgatory.

The world was still as dark and oppressive as ever, with blood-red tint in the air. A violent, destructive aura filled the atmosphere, making each breath feel heavy and difficult.

As they arrived in this world, Bochuan staggered and almost fell.

This was because the oppressive force in the second level was even more terrifying. It felt like carrying a mountain on his back, with pressure from every direction bearing down on him as he walked.

Lin Xun looked at Bochuan and concluded that he could train on the second level at most. If they went any further, he would likely meet with disaster.

Chi!

A thumb-sized blood-red shadow shot out from the void, silently aiming to pierce the back of Lin Xun’s head like a bolt of lightning.

Without a glance backward, he effortlessly seized the blood-red shadow and gripped it firmly.

It turned out to be a fiend spirit, its body surrounded by swirling blood-red qi. Its features were twisted and menacing, and its mung-bean-sized eyes glowed with a violent crimson light. It exuded a power rivalling that of a supreme quasi-Emperor.

Despite that, it was imprisoned in Lin Xun’s grip like an earthworm, without even the chance to struggle, and from its mouth that was lined with jagged fangs came a high-pitched hiss.

“It’s full of resentment”

After examining it briefly, Lin Xun applied power to his fingers and effortlessly crushed the fiend spirit. An almond-sized Dao Essence Crystal appeared in his hand. It was clearly of a much higher grade than the Dao Essence Crystals obtained on the first level.

Watching Lin Xun hunt down such a powerful fiend spirit with ease, Bochuan felt a wave of dizziness. If it were him, he would have had to endure a brutal fight first.

“Let’s go and check out the wonders of this level.” Lin Xun walked ahead first. It was also Bochuan’s first time on the second level so it did not make sense to rely on him to lead the way. ṛ₳Ŋ𝐎𝐁ЁṦ

After an hour—

Lin Xun and Bochuan encountered nineteen attacks along the way. The strongest fiend spirits that they dealt with were equivalent to a second-level quasi-Emperor, and the weakest possessed strength of the first-level Quasi-Emperor Stage.

For Bochuan, the second level was way too dangerous. If it weren’t for Lin Xun leading him, he would have fled countless times already.

Naturally, to Lin Xun, it was nothing special.

He crushed all spirits along the way!

His overwhelming strength left Bochuan speechless with shock, his body going numb.

He couldn’t imagine when such a fierce, heaven-defying character appeared in Copper Sparrow House.

……

One day later.

“I’m going to the third level,” Lin Xun decided.

In the course of this one day, he had already grasped the situation of the second level of the Dark Hidden Purgatory, and he only had one feeling about it—Boring.

Perhaps, the only reward he gained was that he had hunted many fiend spirits along the way and collected hundreds of valuable Dao Essence Crystals of varying sizes.

As for legacy treasures like the azure cauldron, he found none. As Bochuan said, their appearance depended on luck and they could only be encountered by chance.

“Brother Lin, do you really plan to go to the ninth level?” Bochuan couldn’t help but ask.

At first, he could not believe Lin Xun said that. After all, he was new to the Dark Hidden Purgatory and still unaware of its terror.

Now, having followed Lin Xun this far, he came to realize what terrifying strength Lin Xun had, and he was starting to believe he would succeed.

Lin Xun nodded and gave Bochuan some of the Dao Essence Crystals he had collected these days. He bid farewell and was about to leave.

Bochuan was reluctant to part with Lin Xun, but he knew that if he continued to follow Lin Xun, he would never have the chance to personally take action and hone his skills.

After taking a deep breath, Bochuan bowed and said with a cupped fist salute, “Brother Lin, take care. I look forward to seeing you match the glory of the Lord of Copper Sparrow House back then and carve your path to the ninth floor in one fell swoop!”

Lin Xun smiled and was about to say something when his brows lowered in a frown and his dark eyes flashed like lightning.

In the far distance, the void distorted as it slowly revealed figures one after another. Leading them was a handsome young man dressed in crimson armor, his long hair fluttering behind him, and with a wide sword hung at his waist.

Standing around the young man was a group of men and women. Among them were Liu Xiao, the seductive woman and the others.

When Bochuan saw the handsome young man who was leading the group, his expression dramatically changed and he unhesitatingly urged, “Brother Lin, quickly go!”

His voice was filled with anxiety, panic and unease.

Lin Xun patted Bochuan on the shoulder. “I will have to leave, but before I do, there’s no harm in helping you solve some problems first.”

Bochuan stared at him, stunned.

At the same time, Liu Xiao pointed at Lin Xun from afar and said in a cold voice, “Senior Brother Meng Xingzi, that’s the guy who disobeyed your orders and insisted on going against us!”

The handsome young man in red armor nodded in response and fixed an emotionless gaze on Lin Xun, saying, “Do you have anything else to say?”

His voice carried an air of superiority.

He was Meng Xingzi!

Bochuan had informed Lin Xun earlier that Meng Xingzi entered the Dark Hidden Purgatory one hundred and ninety-three years ago and he was regarded as one of the Seven Great Supremes at the Quasi-Emperor Stage in Copper Sparrow House. Fierce in combat and with a terrifying foundation, he was a leading figure of his generation.

Lin Xun looked over and noticed that the other party indeed radiated an extraordinary bearing and powerful aura. He was no doubt a peerless figure at the Supreme Quasi-Emperor Stage.

Unfortunately, that was it.

A long time ago, Lin Xun had already dismissed those at the same cultivation stage. Even ordinary experts at the Emperor Stage didn’t intimidate him anymore. How would he attach any importance to Meng Xingzi?

“Senior Brother Meng, Brother Lin is new here and doesn’t know anything about the situation. This has nothing to do with him. If you want to punish someone, I will bear all responsibility!” Gritting his teeth, Bochuan stepped forward.

It was clear that he feared Lin Xun would be dragged into this because of him, so he wanted to shoulder all the responsibility himself.

Lin Xun glanced at him, helpless and touched.

This guy has a very good heart, but his eyes...are not as good…

“Just because you said he has nothing to do with anything and we should believe you?” Liu Xiu’s face was twisted with hatred. “Listen, Bochuan, today it’s not just that guy—even you won’t get out of this either!”

“Bochuan, if you two know what’s good for you, then quickly kneel down!” the seductive woman shouted.

They were all fearless, as if with Meng Xingzi around, they could do whatever they wanted without restraint.

Bochuan’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched tight, and he hissed, “Kill me today if you dare, otherwise, one day, I, Bochuan, will make you pay tenfold!”

His voice was clear and powerful, brimming with determination!

The atmosphere became still for a moment.

No one dared to kill fellow members of their sect in the Dark Hidden Purgatory. This was an ironclad rule!

Regardless of how much Liu Xiao and the others hated Bochuan, though they might humiliate and torture him, but they would not dare to kill him.

However, it was obvious that Bochuan now despised them completely. If they did not kill him this time, he would definitely get revenge on them in the future!

“Make us pay? Tenfold? Bochuan, you’ve got guts...”

Meng Xingzi’s voice was ice-cold, and a chilling menacing gleam flashed in his eyes. “I’ll give you one chance. Kneel down and apologize to me now, and I can forgive you for what happened. I won’t even mind letting you two go this one time. Otherwise…you should know what serious consequences there are for angering me.”

Bochuan’s face turned red from trying to contain his anger.

At that moment, Lin Xun stepped forward. “Bochuan, I don’t care about the history between you and these people, or who is right and who is wrong. But since this has happened and I got involved, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

The expressions of Liu Xiao and the others changed slightly. Even though they were full of confidence, when facing Lin Xun, they couldn’t shake the feeling of unease and apprehension.

Meng Xingzi frowned. “It seems like you refuse? Or perhaps, is this your explanation to me?” His voice was even colder than before.

Lin Xun ignored him and said to Bochuan, “Also, by the way, your eyesight is really terrible. Now, watch carefully and see who stands and who kneels.”

As his voice died away, he strode forward in the void.

“Die!” A murderous light flashed in Meng Xingzi’s eyes as he thrust his palm forward.

Boom!

The force of the palm sliced the sky like a blade, emitting dazzling flame laws.

However, this strike struck nothing.

With a flash, Lin Xun appeared in front of Liu Xiao, startling him so much that he froze. And before he could react, Lin Xun’s hand was pressing on his shoulder.

“Kneel.”

As his indifferent voice sounded, Liu Xiao fell from mid-air like a chunk of wood. His knees struck the earth with a force that sent the ground quaking and dust and debris flying everywhere.

The seductive woman and the thin man nearby all turned pale and dodged without a second thought, screaming at the same time, crying for Meng Xingzi’s help.

In truth, Meng Xingzi was already upon him, wielding a wide blade and swinging it down with unparalleled power.

Lin Xun didn’t so much as glance at him. He flashed away and Meng Xingzi’s attack missed again.

“Kneel.”

At the same time, Lin Xun’s indifferent voice sounded again. Without any visible movement from him, the seductive woman, thin man and others suddenly dropped to their knees like dumplings.

Even the experts who came with Meng Xingzi were not spared. A wave of oppressive power pressed down on them, forcing them to their knees one by one, unable to move a muscle.

As Meng Xingzi prepared to launch his third attack, he glanced around, only to realize that no one was standing beside him anymore!

All this happened almost in the blink of an eye, so unbelievably quickly!

Meng Xingzi’s face turned ashen, and an uncontrollable chill gripped his heart.

How can that guy be so strong? Who…is he?