Chapter 29: The Tenth Master

Lin Jiufeng harbored a deep grudge against the Skeleton Clan.

Back in the mortal world, a group of criminals had escaped from the Dimensional Prison, slaughtering countless innocent people. Enraged, Lin Jiufeng took action, displaying the might of a god among mortals. He exterminated a portion of them and forced the rest to ascend prematurely.

Among those forced to ascend was the ancestor of the Skeleton Clan.

Upon returning to the Dimensional Battlefield, the Skeleton Clan ancestor immediately issued a bounty—offering fifty thousand jin of divine essence for Lin Jiufeng's head.

Had it not been for the old guardian of the Ascension Platform warning him in advance, Lin Jiufeng would have unknowingly walked into an ambush, where bounty hunters would have descended upon him like ravenous wolves.

Later, the Skeleton Clan increased the bounty to one hundred thousand jin of divine essence, drawing even more predators eager to claim the reward. Lin Jiufeng was forced to move in secrecy, unable to travel openly under his true identity.

He had never forgotten this grudge.

Now, an opportunity for revenge had presented itself.

Disguised as the Nightshade Prince, Lin Jiufeng lurked in the shadows, preparing to strike at the Skeleton Clan's forces.

By studying Dark Night Asura's memories, he learned that the Skeleton Clan had sent a significant number of their young elites to the Cloud Dream Marsh under the guise of aiding the Nightshade Clan.

The most infamous among them was the Skeleton King.

Anyone with the title of 'King' was bound to be formidable. Lin Jiufeng had no intention of provoking him—at least, not yet.

But the other young Skeleton Clan elites? They were fair game.

Hearing Lin Jiufeng's decision, the Sacred Beast Qilin's eyes lit up. "The Skeleton Clan dared to place a bounty on us. It's time they learned the price of their folly."

Lin Jiufeng nodded. "I'll head out to gather intelligence. You stay inside the White Jade Ring and continue absorbing divine essence. I'll summon you if needed."

Without another word, Lin Jiufeng departed, soaring across vast mountain ranges in search of his prey.

Cloud Dream Marsh was a place of boundless diversity.

It was a world of towering trees and endless waters, where rivers crisscrossed the land like the veins of a living entity. Mist and waterfalls shrouded the terrain, giving it an ethereal, dreamlike quality.

Only now did Lin Jiufeng fully understand why this place was called the Cloud Dream Marsh.

As he scoured the land, he spotted a squad of Nightshade Clan warriors—ten in total—searching for something in the dense forest.

Lin Jiufeng descended.

The warriors flinched in surprise before realizing who he was.

"Greetings, Nightshade Prince!" they called out respectfully.

Lin Jiufeng, maintaining the Nightshade Prince's usual air of arrogance, nodded slightly. "Have you seen any members of the Skeleton Clan?"

The squad leader, an eleven-restriction Nightshade warrior, immediately answered, "We encountered one of their top ten young masters not long ago."

Lin Jiufeng narrowed his eyes. "The Skeleton Clan has a top ten ranking?"

The squad leader nodded. "Each generation, they rank their ten strongest young elites. Their number one is the Skeleton King. This time, all ten have come to the Cloud Dream Marsh, supposedly to aid our clan."

Lin Jiufeng scoffed internally. 'Aid the Nightshade Clan? They're clearly here for the Supreme Immortal Palace.'

"Where is the tenth-ranked one?" he asked.

"Five hundred miles south. We just saw him. He's strong—already at the Fourteen-Restriction Dao Realm."

Lin Jiufeng glanced southward, then took off without hesitation.

Expanding his divine sense, he quickly located a powerful skeleton warrior five hundred miles away.

In his divine vision, the skeleton radiated an intense, fiery aura. Every step he took left searing heat in his wake, scorching the land.

'A fire-element skeleton, huh? Strong, but nothing special. He's only recently broken through to the Fourteen-Restriction level, and he ranks tenth among his peers. He shouldn't be too difficult to handle.'

Confident, Lin Jiufeng chose not to summon the Sacred Beast Qilin.

Instead, he accelerated toward his target.

"Who dares spy on me?!"

Sensing Lin Jiufeng's divine presence, the Skeleton Clan's tenth master erupted in flames. His skeletal body burned with ghostly fire, and the surrounding lakes began to boil from the sheer heat.

A tremendous explosion shook the air.

Lin Jiufeng, now exposed, didn't hesitate.

Twelve restrictions. A perfected martial body. Countless battle techniques at his disposal.

He charged forward like a comet crashing from the heavens.

Human Immortal Fist!

His physical might surged to its peak. The Divine Demon Refining Technique and Panwu Power Art activated in unison, pushing his strength beyond its limits.

The Panwu Power Art alone amplified his force by forty percent.

With everything combined, his punch carried the destructive force of a falling star.

Boom!

The Skeleton Clan's tenth master reacted swiftly, his white bones shimmering as he raised a flaming skeletal hand.

Void Palm Seal!

The air trembled as an enormous handprint materialized, distorting space itself. Tiny spatial rifts tore open, birthing miniature storms of chaotic energy.

But Lin Jiufeng was undeterred.

His Human Immortal Fist crashed down with unstoppable momentum.

Boom!

The Void Palm Seal shattered, unable to withstand the raw, overwhelming power of his attack.

Lin Jiufeng's fist slammed into the skeleton warrior's chest.

Crack!

Bones shattered.

The Skeleton Clan's tenth master was obliterated—his body reduced to scattered fragments.

His flaming skull, still flickering with soul fire, tumbled through the air.

Lin Jiufeng seized it.

With a cold, merciless squeeze, he crushed it to powder.

The soul fire, the last remnant of the Skeleton warrior's existence, danced in Lin Jiufeng's palm.

Lin Jiufeng whispered, his voice like an icy wind.

"Life Scroll."