Chapter 9

Half an hour later, Junior Brother Su emerged from the narrow crevice in the stone wall, still carrying a hint of lingering drunkenness on his face. He glanced at the nearby Yin River, thinking that he would soon be able to leverage his relationship with Song Tianxing, which made him feel unusually good.

As long as he could latch onto this powerful connection, leaving the Ice Cave would be a minor matter. If he could please Senior Brother Song, getting himself into the Inner Sect wouldn’t be a problem either.

To think, he really had to thank that kid named Lin Yun. Otherwise, with Senior Brother Song’s status and position, how would there ever be a use for someone like him?

Next, it would all depend on how well he performed. What did it matter if he was an Inner Sect disciple? In the Ice Cave, he could still manipulate them as he pleased. After a month or two, he would have them completely under his control. If he wanted them to mine, they would mine; if he wanted them to clean the latrines, they would clean the latrines. When they faced Senior Brother Song, they would probably just bow and admit their faults.

"Huh, where is that kid?" As he thought, Junior Brother Su suddenly realized that he couldn’t find Lin Yun’s figure by the Yin River. This instantly sobered him up. Damn, did something really happen? Although he had sounded very confident in front of his junior brothers, that kid was still an Inner Sect disciple. If anything happened to him, it would definitely draw the attention of the sect, and then he would be in trouble...

With this thought, Junior Brother Su hurried towards the Yin River...

"Whoosh!"

However, at this moment, a wave of water suddenly surged in the Yin River, and then a four-winged, snake-bodied monster broke through the waves.

"Damn!" Junior Brother Su’s face instantly turned pale, and the remaining half of his drunkenness was completely scared away. This was a Winged Snake Demon, one of the most terrifying creatures in the Yin River, known for its ferocity and bloodthirstiness. With its four wings, it could move incredibly fast, and a single misstep could result in being drained dry.

What the hell, don’t Winged Snake Demons usually nest at the Eagle Beak Cliffs downstream? Why would they come here?

Junior Brother Su cursed his bad luck and didn’t have time to ponder why the Winged Snake Demon was here. He took off running, cursing his parents for not giving him an extra pair of legs.

However, the speed of the Winged Snake Demon was unmatched among creatures below the Transformation stage. How could Junior Brother Su, an Outer Sect disciple who hadn’t yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, possibly compete? In the blink of an eye, the Winged Snake Demon was already right behind him, and the strong stench of blood and the hissing of the snake’s tongue could be heard...

"Finished..."

Junior Brother Su was filled with regret. If he had known he would encounter a Winged Snake Demon, he would never have come to the Yin River. Today, he had truly been bewitched. If he had just gone back to sleep after getting drunk, everything would have been fine. But no, he had to come down to patrol the Yin River, and now he was about to die...

Just as Junior Brother Su’s face turned ashen, a sword light suddenly appeared behind him.

"Huh?" Junior Brother Su turned around and saw the sword light lightly circling around the Winged Snake Demon...

Before Junior Brother Su could even understand what was happening, a spray of foul blood splattered, and a grotesque head flew high into the air...

Then, with a "thud," the body of the Winged Snake Demon fell heavily to the ground.

The sword light, which seemed to have come from nowhere, did not fly away after killing the Winged Snake Demon. Instead, it flew out several dozen feet and landed in the hands of a youth dressed in simple clothes.

Junior Brother Su immediately recognized him. The youth who had killed the Winged Snake Demon with a single sword strike was none other than Lin Yun, whom he had just thrown into the Yin River.

"It’s you!" Junior Brother Su couldn’t believe it. The Lin Yun he had imagined would last no more than three days in the Yin River, begging for mercy and a meal, actually had the ability to kill a Winged Snake Demon with a single sword strike.

How could this be!

Although the Winged Snake Demon was just a demon soldier, its combat power far exceeded that of an average Foundation Establishment cultivator. How could this guy kill it so effortlessly?

Wait...

In Junior Brother Su’s mind, the scene from just now flashed by: the sword light, the blood, the head...

Yes, the sword light...

Thinking about this, Junior Brother Su felt he had found the key. The sword light was incredibly powerful, and it only took a light circle to kill the Winged Snake Demon. This kind of sword light was definitely not something a Foundation Establishment cultivator could wield.

Unless, it was a magical artifact!

And not just any magical artifact, but one of the Yin Talisman level!

Only a magical artifact with at least eighteen restrictions and an internal Yin Talisman could have such overwhelming power to crush a Winged Snake Demon!

"It’s actually a Yin Talisman magical artifact..." This discovery shocked Junior Brother Su even more than seeing Lin Yun kill the Winged Snake Demon...

This realization made Junior Brother Su’s face turn pale. Years ago, Luo Yuzhen, who was just an Outer Sect disciple, had a fortuitous encounter in the Cloudy Mountain Range and brought back a Yin Talisman magical artifact from an ancient ruin. This immediately drew the attention of the sect leader, who took Luo Yuzhen as his personal disciple. Everyone in the Sword Inquiry Sect knew this story.

Now, Luo Yuzhen is the chief disciple of the Sword Inquiry Sect and the top candidate to succeed the sect leader in a hundred years...

If news of Lin Yun obtaining a spiritual magical artifact in the Ice Cave spreads, who can guarantee that he won’t become the next Luo Yuzhen? At that time, he, the Outer Sect disciple who had sent Lin Yun to the Yin River to die, might be crushed like an ant.

The world is so unfair...

He had joined the Sword Inquiry Sect from a young age and had endured for so many years to become an Outer Sect disciple. But because he couldn’t reach the Foundation Establishment stage, he was stuck in the Ice Cave. On the surface, it seemed like a carefree life, but in his heart, he knew that compared to the Inner Sect disciples who could ride the wind and control swords, his carefree life was nothing.

Look at him...

Younger than him by a few years, yet he possesses a Yin Talisman magical artifact. As soon as he leaves the Ice Cave, his future will be boundless. Being from the Jade Balance Peak means nothing; there are plenty of elders who would be willing to take a disciple with a Yin Talisman magical artifact. At that time, even the sect leader might be moved again.

If only that Yin Talisman magical artifact was mine...

Yes, if only it was mine!

This sudden thought made Junior Brother Su’s heart race...

Yes, even if Lin Yun has a Yin Talisman magical artifact, he is still in the Ice Cave. As long as he can think of a way to take the Yin Talisman magical artifact from him, no one would know. Then, the one with the Yin Talisman magical artifact would be him, and perhaps in a few decades, he could become the next Luo Yuzhen!

"Lin Yun, you have a lot of nerve!" Finally, Junior Brother Su gritted his teeth and made a decision, his face turning stern: "Daring to control a demon to harm the duty guard!"