Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 506 - 500: Overwhelming 5

Chapter 506: Chapter 500: Overwhelming 5

Zheng Qing had already overexerted all the strength in his body, all concentrated on the Soul Locking Chain, but it was still of no use.

His body had become nearly translucent and was gradually beginning to disappear into the void.

"Boundless void, heed my call, oh eternal Holy Spirit, grant me thine power..." Lin Xin chanted slowly in an eerie script.

He slowly reached out, beckoning to the sky.

A massive and terrifying golden Array suddenly appeared, floating above Lin Xin’s head, covering hundreds of miles in radius, and enveloping the entire Evil God Temple within it.

The Array resembled an extremely intricate combination of countless clocks, each with a round center that slowly opened to reveal golden eyes.

These eyes blinked like those of a living person, gazing down upon the Forbidden Land of the Shape-shifting Cave beneath the Array.

"Go."

Suspended high above, Lin Xin watched as countless eyes behind him lit up, emitting strands of golden light.

Hissss!!!

The first golden beam was cast from the Array like a shooting star, complete with a long tail angling down toward the desert dunes surrounding the temple.

Then the second, the third, the fourth...

Gradually, more and more densely packed streams of golden light, like a meteor shower, furiously bombarded the Forbidden Land where the Evil God Temple was located.

Lin Xin, with his hands crossed before his chest, slightly intoxicated, admired the beautiful scene unfolding before him.

Countless golden meteors flew from behind him down onto the vast, ancient surrounds of the Evil God Temple.

Tens of thousands of beings cried, screamed, and roared in anguish, yet they could only struggle helplessly under the meteoric golden radiance.

At this moment, in his eyes, the earth below should have been bathed in golden light, yet now it was steaming with rising black mists.

These were the natural emanations of fear, despair, terror, and anger from tens of thousands of beings.

Zheng Qing looked upon this scene, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

By now, his body had been riddled with holes by the Golden Light Formation, powerless to resist just like the figures shrouded in the yellow mist.

As a True Monarch, he surely would not fall so easily, yet at this moment, he could only watch helplessly as Lin Xin slaughtered the cultivators and sinners of the Shape-shifting Cave.

Countless black smokes of negative emotions, along with translucent souls, involuntarily flew towards Lin Xin.

In front of him, two peculiar beads appeared, one engraved with ’evil’ and the other with ’righteousness.’ All the black mist and souls automatically burrowed into the Evil Soul Orb, turning into pure Evil Soul Power.

"Next time we meet, spare me such trivial tactics. I shall choose a day to personally visit the Shape-shifting Cave and pay my respects to the Demon Venerable."

Lin Xin reached out and grasped towards Zheng Qing.

Instantly, the opponent’s already phantom-like figure shattered on the spot, transforming into a pitch-black bead that shot out, falling into Lin Xin’s hand.

"Indeed, it’s a Soul Substitute Bead."

Slowly descending, he landed softly at the top of a sand dune. The two beads beside him continued to orbit, ceaselessly absorbing and transforming the Lord’s Power.

Such beads could only be instantly used by a True Monarch — capable of swapping between reality and illusion in an instant to achieve a death substituting effect. Even now, Lin Xin was not entirely clear on the principle.

After toying with the now useless Soul Substitute Bead, Lin Xin casually crushed it and turned around.

Behind the sand dune, at this moment, was a group of unfamiliar cultivators who had somehow made their way there.

The sudden arrival of Lin Xin had scared them half to death, they were indeed terrified.

But they saw Lin Xin turn around and smile at them.

"Good disciple, it seems you have indeed passed my test."

Among the crowd, Sima Nanjiu and his two sisters, upon recognizing Lin Xin’s face, instantly froze as though petrified.

"That book... bookworm?!"

Sima Qing couldn’t help but blurt out inadvertently.

She could never have imagined that the poor scholar they thought was seeking to take advantage of Sima Family’s hospitality, was actually the terrifying character of the Demon Path standing before them now.

Not to mention, this place being the Forbidden Land of the Shape-shifting Cave, the recent explosion, golden light, meteor shower, and chaotic sky—such scenes weren’t typical of ordinary cultivators being so unaffected, composed, and extraordinary.

Sima Kongyan, however, immediately focused on the two beads orbiting Lin Xin.

The fierce aura hidden within those fist-sized beads, even from dozens of meters away, she could clearly feel.

This so-called poor scholar was definitely not as simple as she had imagined. His disguise as an ordinary person, engaging in conversation with her younger brother, might have had an ulterior motive!

With this thought, her vigilance towards Lin Xin only increased.

"Sir?!" Sima Nanjiu, however, simply cried out in joy.

Lin Xin glanced and could naturally discern the different depths of each sibling’s thoughts.

However, he naturally did not care about the thoughts of Sima Qing and her sister; his interest had always been solely in Sima Nanjiu.

Like Qing’er, with a powerful talent, and inexplicably deciding to take him as a master after just a few words on the boat.

He didn’t believe in too many coincidences; when coincidences are too frequent, they are inevitably deliberate.

Sima Nanjiu’s current energy and physical condition were clear at a glance; he had strictly followed the postures taught by him, standing for the designated time.

That was why he finally addressed Sima Nanjiu as his disciple.

"Sir, so you are not just an ordinary scholar!?" Sima Nanjiu exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Lin Xin’s current demeanor.

"With nothing better to do, I play with life. Otherwise, how could I have encountered such a fine talent and beauty as my disciple?"

Lin Xin laughed.

Clad in a splendid black robe transformed from the power of his Soul Domain, with red hair cascading over his shoulders and eyes glowing red, hinting at a strong aura of bloodthirstiness and ferocity, two beads, evidently not ordinary, continuously circled and danced around him.

This appearance would make anyone’s first thought associate him with the formidable demons often found in tales of immortal heroes.

"I, Sima Nanjiu, am indeed a genius blessed by heaven. To think that merely getting on a boat and seeking a master could lead me to such an extraordinary figure, not encountered in thousands of years. If there really are children of fate in legends, it must surely be me," he said.

Sima Nanjiu is quite a character, shaking his head and sighing in contemplation.

"With my talents, with my encounters, strong, too strong! If this were to spread out, how would other cultivators live? Surely countless would envy me both openly and secretly."

"Thus, you must do as your master does; treasure your brilliance like a pearl in a casket, and keep your sword ready at your side, awaiting the right moment," Lin Xin also laughed.

This young man seemed to be marveling at himself, but in fact, he was subtly flattering his master.

An unparalleled figure not encountered in ten thousand years, perhaps it would be more fitting for Huang Yuerong, but his disciple’s praise spoke otherwise. From his own disciple’s mouth, these words were indeed pleasing to hear.

"Master is right," Sima Nanjiu agreed.

Indeed a prodigy, Sima Nanjiu is rightfully a naturally talented genius, with both emotional and intellectual intelligence far above the average.

With this diversion, the tense atmosphere originally felt by Sima Qing and Sima Kongyan also eased somewhat. The two started to realize that their younger brother intentionally spoke such playful words to relieve their stress.

"Master..."

Sima Nanjiu continued.

He gazed towards the golden meteor shower that continued to fall in the distance.

"Isn’t this place the Forbidden Land of the Shape-shifting Cave? How could anyone dare to..."

Lin Xin smiled. This youngster indeed suited his taste. Coupled with a sense of familiarity that came from nowhere, he had indeed quickly come to regard him as his true disciple.

"Your master wanted to borrow some ancient relics and texts from the people of the Shape-shifting Cave, but they refused. My desire for these texts was a must, so my actions may have been a bit excessive."

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd suddenly fell silent.

Then a murmur burst forth, and all the hiding cultivators of the Shape-shifting Cave turned pale, all too aware of which side Lin Xin was on from these words and his demeanor.

Some cautiously began to retreat.

Others took out sect’s Message Talismans, attempting to secretly send messages.

Yet more involuntarily took out their strongest Magic Artifacts, infused them with demonic power, and prepared to fight at any moment.

All present were cultivators who had more or less connections with the Shape-shifting Cave, allowed into this Forbidden Land.

Hearing these words raised concerns about the safety of themselves and others.

Hiss!

A flash of red streaked past, and one person, unable to hold back, shot out at full speed, turning into a red light and fleeing, astonishingly a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Lin Xin was talking with Sima Nanjiu and asking about the situation when he heard a faint sound. He glanced up at the streak of red light. For a fleeting moment, a dark red glint flashed in his eyes.

Ah!

The scream stopped abruptly as the cultivator within the red light burst into flames, turning into a pile of black ash in the blink of an eye, scattered by the wind, with even their Magic Artifact spared no mercy.

The cultivators from the Shape-shifting Cave, pondering other thoughts, all fell silent as if chilled to the bone, daring no further movement.

That person’s death was the test that showed whether Lin Xin was all bluster or truly a monster with extraordinary martial prowess.

The siblings of the Sima family also felt a chill in their hearts.

Sima Kongyan immediately worried about her younger brother.

’This person kills as if cutting down chickens, regarding human life as worthless. He is definitely a top tyrant of the Demon Path. With such talent, apprenticing to anyone would be better, but definitely not to him. Otherwise, if ever something angers him in the future, mere death would be the least of worries, for obliteration of both body and soul would be a real tragedy.’

These thoughts raced through her mind, though her facial expression betrayed nothing.

"Master, we came here to visit our cousin who is in the Shape-shifting Cave..." Sima Nanjiu now revealed their group’s purpose.

"And those guards and maids you had with you earlier?"

"They stayed on the ship. The Forbidden Land does not allow outsiders, so just the three of us walked here. But now..."

Sima Nanjiu looked worriedly towards the dense and ceaseless fall of golden meteors in the Forbidden Land of the Shape-shifting Cave.

"I wonder about our cousin..."

"Is he a cultivator in the Forbidden Land?" Lin Xin asked casually.

"Yes, he is one of the Five Pillars’ guardians."

Sima Kongyan quickly responded.

"Then it’s all down to luck." Lin Xin waved his hand, and the Golden Light Formation in the sky slowly dissipated.

He turned back and looked towards the distance.

"It’s about time. Come with me to check it out."