Golden light illuminated the land like fire.

The giant mountain-like creature was enormous beyond imagination. It seemed to gallop through the air like a mythic beast from ancient times, an existence that could cover the moon and sun and part the mountains and rivers with a roar!

Even from a far distance, Lin Xun could feel a stabbing pain in his eyes. Every fiber of his being trembled uncontrollably as an oppressive pressure suffocated his soul.

The creature resembled a deer but was not a deer, like a horse yet not a horse. It had the head of a dragon, a tail like a flowing rainbow, and was covered in golden fur while intense light seemed to burn from its four hooves.

It galloped through the sky, leaving a trail of flowing golden light. Divine flames rolled through the air, sweeping towards the land like a tsunami. Mountains burned and forests were turned to ash, creating a fear-inducing scene of destruction.

Its opponent wielded a spear that danced in the sky and shot out frightening spear shadow after shadow. However, he was clearly outmatched and was repeatedly forced to dodge during each exchange.

Lin Xun instantly identified the giant creature’s opponent. It was the old man in gray from the group he had met earlier.

So it is them!

A strange smile hung from the corners of Lin Xun’s lips. It would be a lie if he said he wasn’t gloating.

Despite this, the elder’s aerial battle power still astonished Lin Xun. The old man was clearly another Spirit Sea expert.

Together with Xie Yutang, the brute warrior, and the Stone Cauldron Alm’s first young master, Shi Xuan, this was the fourth Spirit Sea expert Lin Xun had seen.

From this, it was obvious that many powerful experts had been drawn to the Three Thousand Great Mountains for the so-called ‘great treasure’.

However, none of this mattered to Lin Xun at the moment. His cultivation was still insignificant to Spirit Sea existences and it was impossible for him to be part of the brewing storm.

Lin Xun’s attention was soon drawn by the giant golden creature again. Was the old man and his group the ones who elicited the golden claw in the afternoon?

But what did they do to make the giant creature so angry?

Rumble!

The land shook as light rained from the sky like a meteor shower and smashed into the ground. Forests burned, mountains were pushed over, and the ground was turned to scorched earth inch by inch.

It was a horrifying sight. Only death awaited anyone who was caught up in it.

Lin Xun did not dare to stay a moment longer and immediately turned around to leave.

His anger had already been dispelled after ascertaining that disaster had befallen the elder and his group. If he didn’t leave now, he would be gambling with his life.

Thud!

Before Lin Xun had made a mile, he heard the rustle of rushing wind. Soon after, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground was heard from the forest nearby. A groan soon followed.

Lin Xun was taken aback. What a familiar voice.

He cautiously approached and discovered a bloody figure miserably lying on the ground.

Despite this, Lin Xun immediately recognized the figure from his clothes. It was the young master from the earlier group!

Lin Xun was overjoyed. It seemed that the heavens were heavily favoring him today. Not only had a giant creature been dispatched to trample over the group to avenge him, but even the main offender had been sent straight to him!

Of course, Lin Xun understood that this was merely delusional thinking from him. He turned his head to check that the battle was still ongoing.

If Lin Xun was not wrong, the young master had been thrown out of the battlefield by the elder in gray to prevent such an important person from being caught up in the battle and dying.

However, the unlucky fellow just had to land right in front of him.

“Young master, we meet once again.”

Smiling, Lin Xun walked forward. The other party was heavily injured and was no different from a cripple in spite of his Spirit Dipper stage cultivation.

“You…” The young man struggled to open his eyes. When he finally saw Lin Xun, he yelled, “Peasant! Quickly take me away from here. When I’m safe, I will guarantee you a life of endless riches and glory!”

His hoarse voice was filled with urgency. Towards the end, he even coughed out a few mouthfuls of blood.

“Young master, I don’t want glory or riches.” Lin Xun shook his head, still smiling as he said, “Seeing you like this has already satisfied me. Goodbye.”

After speaking, he turned around to leave.

“Please wait!” The young master called out, “Little brother, what can I do to make you promise to help me this one time? Say your conditions. I, Liu Yukun, will agree to all of them!

Lin Xun turned around. He looked into the young master’s desperate eyes and sighed, “Young Master Liu, you chased me away earlier like a magpie occupying another bird’s nest. It’s already generous of me to have not killed you. Are you really going to push your luck?”

Liu Yukun cried out, “Little brother, I was at fault earlier and apologize to seek your forgiveness. Please be magnanimous and save me this once.”

He was already begging at this point.

Towards the end, he coughed violently and his entire body trembled before going limp on the ground. Even his presence was growing increasingly weak.

Lin Xun was silent for a while before he walked forward and said, “Fine, there was no major grudge between us anyways. I shall save you this once.”

He bent down and reached out toward Liu Yukun.

Swoosh!

A cold and ruthless glint suddenly flashed in Liu Yukun’s eyes as his originally limp body suddenly sprung up. His arm thrust forward, trapping Lin Xun’s neck. A short sword appeared in Liu Yukun’s hand and was placed at Lin Xun’s throat.

Liu Yuxun smiled sinisterly, “Little mongrel! You’d better obediently listen or this sword will take your life!”

Lin Xun remained still, but there was no trace of panic in his expression. Instead, he smiled and said, “As I expected. I knew that someone like you would be up to no good even while seeking help.”

Liu Yukun coldly said, “What are you trying to say?”

Thud!

Lin Xun’s shoulder muscles suddenly expanded, releasing a huge ripple force that instantly blew away the arm Liu Yukun had placed on Lin Xun’s neck.

At the same time, he pulled his head back as his wrist flipped in a strange manner to firmly trap Liu Yukun’s arm, before giving it a forceful twist.

With a crack, Liu Yukun’s arm was dislocated, causing him to lose his grip on the short sword and it fell to the ground.

Piak!

Lin Xun slapped the other party’s face, causing him to cry out in pain. Several teeth had been dislodged and fell from his mouth.

“How is this possible, you…”

Liu Yukun was alarmed and frightened. How was it possible for the person he had already subdued to turn the tables on him in an instant?

All of this was thanks to the Joint Disruption Art Lin Xun had learned from the battles with Xia Zhi. In close combat situations, this technique was definitely far too enigmatic and near impossible to guard against.

Unfortunately for Liu Yukun, he had assumed that Lin Xun was only an ordinary True Martial fourth layer practitioner. As a result, Liu Yukun had only been on guard against Lin Xun’s aeth power, completely ignoring the terror of his physical prowess.

“Young Master Liu, I was kind enough to try and save you and this is how you repay me?”

Lin Xun sighed and picked up the short sword. He pierced Liu Yukun’s throat without hesitation, causing blood to spurt out.

Lin Xun observed the shock and resentment in the other’s eyes and smiled, “Young Master Liu, although I’m just an unremarkable little peasant, I know how to distinguish between love and hate. Once given the chance, I can also kill scum like you without any hesitation. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame yourself. Isn’t that right?”

All Liu Yukun could do was make gurgling noises as he slowly choked on his blood. In the end, he unwillingly collapsed to the ground and died.

Lin Xun withdrew his smile and turned his head again to check on the battle. His heart immediately shivered when he realized the battle had already ended at some unknown time.

His hands swiftly scoured Liu Yukun’s corpse, but only managed to find a purple jade belt.

It was likely some kind of storage artifact. Lin Xun did not look at it and hurriedly turned to flee.

The scaled horse soon began to gallop away, carrying Lin Xun as they swiftly disappeared into the night.

He needed to leave as soon as possible!

Lin Xun clearly understood that Liu Yukun, who had a Spirit Sea expert bodyguard, absolutely did not have an ordinary identity. As such, his death would most certainly result in a lot of trouble.

Roar~~

An earth-shaking roar suddenly thundered from far away, alarming and agitating the scaled horse as it neighed in fear.

Lin Xun twisted his neck and saw an enormous golden creature roaring in the sky. Its roar was filled with rage.

Endless flames poured down in streams, turning the land into a burning hellscape.

Too terrifying!

Lin Xun secretly rejoiced. If he had left just a little later, he would have been caught up in the destruction and met his end.

However, Lin Xun could not ascertain whether the elder and the rest of the group had died in battle.

“No matter what, I need to leave this place as fast as possible.”

Lin Xun took a deep breath and urged on the agitated and uneasy scaled horse.

“Golden flame beast!”

“To think that it’s that creature, could it be that…”

“How many years has it been? Who could have expected that a golden flame beast has been hiding in the Three Thousand Great Mountains? It’s a variant that has a sliver of the ancient divine beast, fire qilin, bloodline!”

“This place is not simple at all. It seems that we’ve underestimated the Three Thousand Great Mountains. This is the first time such a creature has been discovered in nearly a thousand years.”

“Quickly go over and take a look. The creature’s appearance might be related to the prophesized treasure.”

Meanwhile, at various areas in the Three Thousand Great Mountains, the golden flame beast’s earth-shaking howl drew the attention of the many peak experts that had come searching for the prophesized treasure.

The Xie Clan’s ninth young master, Little Sword Lord Xie Yutang, the Stone Cauldron Alms’ first young master Shi Xuan…

It was certainly not going to be a peaceful night for Lin Xun and the many cultivators that had gathered in the Three Thousand Great Mountains.

However, Lin Xun would remain unaware that Liu Yukun’s burnt corpse would soon be discovered and cause a giant ripple.

That was the southwest city governor, Liu Wudiao’s, eldest son!

Liu Wudiao was a Heaven Ascension stage expert and was well-known in the empire’s cultivation world.

He was a cold-blooded and heroic military man, who had been stationed at the empire’s southwest province for nearly fifty years. He was a famous cultivator with great influence.

With Liu Yukun dying in the Three Thousand Great Mountains, how could his father, Liu Wudiao, ever leave this matter alone?