Chapter 115: The Emergence of the Blessed Land

"Boom!"

At the edge of the Blackwater Swamp, Senior Brother Sun was sent flying by a claw strike from the Ghost-Face Spider, his magical artifact staff falling to the ground.

"Senior Brother Sun!"

Lin Yan and the others were horrified.

They had thought they could quickly take down Senior Brother He, but they hadn't expected him to have so many tricks up his sleeve. Despite being besieged by four people, he managed to hold his ground until the Ghost-Face Spider defeated Senior Brother Sun.

"Hahaha!"

Senior Brother He burst into laughter and said indifferently, "Junior brothers, today I'll send you on your way. At least you'll have company on the road to the Yellow Springs!"

"Ghost-Face Spider, kill them!"

As Senior Brother He's words fell, several strands of spider silk shot out from the Ghost-Face Spider's mouth, heading straight for the group.

"You take Senior Brother Sun and run! I'll hold it off!"

Lin Yan leaped forward, a sky-blue pearl appearing in his hand. He threw it with all his might at the Ghost-Face Spider.

Boom!

The sky-blue pearl exploded, releasing a terrifying burst of energy. Blue flames engulfed the Ghost-Face Spider.

This Thunderfire Pearl was a defensive artifact his sister, Lin Xun'er, had sent him for protection. He hadn't used it earlier because of its immense power, fearing it would harm Senior Brother Sun.

Now that Senior Brother Sun had been carried away by Junior Brother Ma, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.

The shockwave from the explosion swept outward.

"Ugh!"

Lin Yan was caught in the peripheral blast, his body flung through the air. He spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily to the ground.

He was only on the outskirts of the explosion and had already sustained severe injuries. One could only imagine the damage the Ghost-Face Spider had taken at the epicenter.

"You actually have a Thunderfire Pearl!"

Senior Brother He's face was filled with disbelief. Thunderfire Pearls were one-time-use treasures that required a fourth-grade artificer to craft. Their explosive power was comparable to a Golden Core cultivator's attack.

Moreover, the process of making them was extremely complex. Even a fourth-grade artificer had a low success rate, and each pearl cost over ten thousand spirit stones. How could Lin Yan, a mere outer disciple, possess such a valuable treasure?

Bang!

As the dust settled, the Ghost-Face Spider's legs were shattered, and its body was smoking, looking as if it had been cooked.

Senior Brother He's face twisted with pain. He had spent a fortune nurturing the Ghost-Face Spider to the Foundation Establishment peak, only for it to die like this!

Even if he killed Lin Yan today and collected the remaining fifteen hundred spirit stones from Young Master Qi, he would still be at a loss of thousands of spirit stones. Besides the spirit stones, nurturing a Foundation Establishment peak beast also took a lot of time.

"Dammit, I don't believe you have another Thunderfire Pearl!"

Senior Brother He attacked furiously. Even without the Ghost-Face Spider, he was still a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. With some time, he could still kill them all. He would confiscate their storage bags and then collect the rest of the payment from Young Master Qi, which might somewhat offset his losses.

A sword aura shot out from Senior Brother He, rapidly splitting into four and hurtling toward the four disciples.

"Junior Brother Ma, take Senior Brother Sun and run! The three of us will hold off this traitor!"

One of Lin Yan's teammates shouted.

Without hesitation, Junior Brother Ma carried Senior Brother Sun and sprinted toward the edge of the Blackwater Swamp.

But before they could get far, over a dozen black-clad figures appeared in front of them, charging toward them with killing intent.

"Senior Brother Lin, there are assassins too!"

Junior Brother Ma didn't dare delay. Carrying Senior Brother Sun, he rushed back toward Lin Yan and the others. He was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and in this situation, sticking with the group was his only hope.

Seeing the menacing black-clad figures, Senior Brother He's expression turned grave. He retracted his attack and stood with his sword, eyeing the newcomers warily.

Young Master Qi had only instructed him to lead Lin Yan's group into the territory of a Golden Core beast. There was no mention of sending other people.

"Gentlemen, I'm also with Qi—"

Before Senior Brother He could finish, the leader of the black-clad group waved his hand, cutting him off.

"Kill them all. Leave no one alive!"

The other black-clad figures didn't speak, silently and methodically surrounding the group to attack.

The assassins were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, with three of them at the peak. Their leader was even at the early Golden Core stage.

Clearly trained killers, their movements were swift and decisive. In just three breaths, Senior Brother He, who had tried to escape, was cut down.

Despite their teamwork, Lin Yan and the others were severely injured in just a few exchanges.

Only Lin Yan had relatively minor injuries.

"What's going on?"

Hidden in the void, Li Changsheng frowned slightly.

Even Lin Yan himself might not have noticed, but his body was undergoing subtle changes. His once-red blood had turned a pale blue, and his ability to withstand the assassins' attacks was largely due to this transformed blood.

"Could Lin Yan also possess a divine demon bloodline?"

But the divine demon bloodline in Ximen Xue, like his own from cultivating the Divine Demon Nine Revolutions, was a pale gold color. It was entirely different from Lin Yan's blue bloodline.

"Boom!"

Lin Yan was struck by another blade from the black-clad assassin, sending him flying and crashing to the ground.

"This kid is a bit strange," one of the assassins remarked.

"No matter how strange, he's only an early Foundation Establishment cultivator," the assassin leader stepped forward and reached out his hand.

Lin Yan's body was pulled toward him uncontrollably.

Just as Lin Yan was midair, the leader released a burst of energy.

Boom!

A surge of powerful true essence erupted.

"Ugh!"

Lin Yan vomited blood and was sent flying.

At that moment.

Li Changsheng looked toward a cliff a thousand meters away. He could clearly sense spatial fluctuations in that area.

"Who would have thought that a blessed land would be hidden in such a desolate place?"

Li Changsheng sighed deeply.

The Blackwater Swamp wasn't considered a particularly dangerous place in the Cangqing World. The strongest beasts there were only at the Nascent Soul stage, and the area was filled with poisonous creatures. There weren't many valuable spiritual herbs, so few people ventured in.

He hadn't expected the blessed land to be hidden at the edge of the Blackwater Swamp.

"Xun'er, I'm afraid I'll never see you again."

Lin Yan's eyes were filled with despair.

Although he could feel the changes in his body—his cultivation was on the verge of breaking through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage in just a few breaths, and his injuries were healing faster than he imagined—the enemies he faced were too powerful. At least a Golden Core cultivator. Even if he broke through to mid Foundation Establishment, it wouldn't be enough. But he wasn't about to give up without a fight.

Kill one, and it's worth it. Kill two, and it's a profit.

"Die!"

The assassin leader swung his blade, unleashing a devastating sword aura toward the group.

"Ah!"

Lin Yan let out a roar. At the brink of death, a surge of immense power erupted from his body. He swung his sword fiercely, and a red sword aura over ten meters long transformed into a fire dragon, charging straight toward the assassin's attack.

At that moment, Li Changsheng's face lit up with joy.

Just as Lin Yan's power erupted, the portal to the blessed land opened!