Chapter 41: Slain in the Origin Realm

A fierce, malevolent light flashed in the eyes of the mustachioed young man. A piercing murderous intent erupted from his body, as if it intended to freeze the very heavens and earth.

In his hand, the long saber was wreathed with intricate, profound secret runes—the signature aura of a mystic-tier saber technique, both formidable and mysterious.

"Saber of Heaven and Earth Splitting!" the mustachioed youth let out a low roar. The runes on the blade instantly blazed with light, and a sharp saber qi, like a streak of lightning, tore through the firmament and thrust directly toward Lin Fan.

Wherever this saber qi passed, the space seemed to be sliced open, leaving behind a deep fissure as though even heaven and earth could be cleaved in two.

Lin Fan’s pupils constricted. He could feel the sheer might of this strike, which far exceeded his imagination.

He knew that he could not take this blow head-on, or he would surely suffer grievous injuries.

Yet, having seized such a hard-won opportunity, how could he possibly let it slip away?

Right at this critical juncture, a dark shadow suddenly materialized, thrusting itself in front of Lin Fan to block the fatal blow on his behalf.

What?

The dark shadow withstood the saber qi, and though it was blasted flying several zhang away, it appeared completely unharmed, its flesh and skin devoid of the slightest scratch.

No, it was a puppet!

The mustachioed youth’s eyes narrowed slightly. He sensed no fluctuation of life from the dark shadow; it was clearly not a living person.

Swish!

Afterimages flickered. Utilizing the puppet's resilience to skillfully evade the attack, Lin Fan moved with ghost-like unpredictability, executing the Phantom Movement Technique.

The rhythm of his footsteps seemed to condense in the air. Every step he took caused subtle ripples in space, as if even time flowed sluggishly beneath his feet.

The mustachioed youth’s pupils constricted. He felt an unprecedented sense of crisis; the strength displayed by this Divine Dan realm martial artist far exceeded his expectations.

Lin Fan’s figure closed the distance in an instant, the long sword in his hand entwined with a bizarre and formidable sword qi.

"Soul-Slaying Sword Technique!"

Lin Fan’s voice was low and steeped in murderous intent. With the sweeping of his sword tip, streaks of sword radiance echoed with sounds akin to weeping ghosts, piercing the air and locking onto the mustachioed youth.

This was his ultimate trump card—a mortal-tier top-grade spiritual art. Compared to the Gale Sword Technique, his comprehension of this sword technique had already reached perfection.

Now, with his cultivation having reached the limit of the Divine Dan realm, augmented by the special fire-attribute spiritual power of the Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art, the might of this technique was infinitely close to that of a mystic-tier spiritual art.

In that very fraction of a second, the mustachioed youth felt the breath of death. Desperate to counterattack, he frantically drove his entire body's true qi, conjuring layer after layer of defense in a futile attempt to fend off this terrifying blow.

However, the puppet that had been sent flying traced a bizarre arc through mid-air. Its joints emitted a faint metallic friction sound, as though it were being manipulated by some mysterious force at this very moment.

"Get lost!"

The mustachioed youth roared in fury, slashing his saber horizontally. The blade radiance bloomed in the night sky like a brilliant bright moon.

This single strike contained all the anger and resentment of the mustachioed youth. He would cleave through every obstacle before him, including that puppet that had brought him such utter humiliation.

The blade radiance collided with the puppet, producing a deafening crash that made the entire space tremble violently under the shockwave of power.

The puppet was sent flying once more. This time, the eerie glow upon it dimmed significantly, as if its energy had been completely exhausted, rendering it unable to rise again.

Meanwhile, the sword radiance unleashed by Lin Fan swept forward unopposed. The defenses the mustachioed youth had dropped due to his entanglement with the puppet—when hurriedly recast—proved as fragile as thin paper under the assault of the sword radiance, shattering one after another.

The final streak of sword radiance, resembling the sickle of the Grim Reaper, mercilessly swept across the mustachioed youth's throat, unleashing a spray of blood.

Unbelief filled the mustachioed youth's eyes. His body slowly toppled backward, unable to accept, even in death, that he had been defeated by a martial artist of the Divine Dan realm.

Lin Fan stood in place, his breathing slightly rapid, but his eyes were as calm as still water. He knew he had won this battle.

The young man's victory immediately drew gasps of profound astonishment from the onlookers.

None of them had ever imagined that a martial artist at the peak of the Divine Dan realm could frontally slaughter a powerhouse of the Meta-mansion realm.

It was as if this overturned everyone's understanding of power.

Lin Fan's performance undoubtedly delivered a resounding slap to everyone present, teaching them that true combat involved not merely the height of one's cultivation, but a contest of skill, intellect, and sheer willpower.

The surrounding spectators broke into heated discussions, their gazes filled with awe and curiosity.

Just how had this youth cultivated to such a realm?

His swordsmanship, his movement technique, and even his puppet all demonstrated his extraordinary strength and deep background.

Yet Lin Fan seemed entirely indifferent to this attention.

He took a deep breath, calming the fluctuations within his heart, and then slowly walked toward the corpse of the mustachioed youth.

"You're courting death!"

Abruptly, a harsh shout rang out. Zhao Wuyuan’s eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted with a ferocious murderous intent as he glared fixedly at Lin Fan, roaring angrily.

With the mustachioed man no longer providing cover from the flank, their squad's battle formation seemed to shatter instantly, no longer capable of trapping the black-robed figure who was now operating at full speed.

After a few exchanges, Zhao Wuyuan sustained more injuries, and those accompanying him were faring little better.

Of course, taking on multiple Meta-mansion realm experts single-handedly meant the black-robed figure was hardly in an enviable position either.

At this moment, he was breathing heavily, supporting his weight with his sword blade driven into the coffin, using the sharp weapon like a crutch to keep his exhausted body from collapsing.

Blood once again spattered onto the coffin.

All around, the sounds of battle echoed incessantly, refusing to cease merely because Zhao Wuyuan and his companions had temporarily paused.

Zhao Wuyuan stared at Lin Fan with murderous venom, his eyes holding a viciousness that wished to tear Lin Fan into ten thousand pieces.

Had Lin Fan not intervened, they likely would have already subdued the black-robed figure.

The mustachioed man's demise had shattered their long-held advantage. Although the black-robed figure was now at the end of his tether, Zhao Wuyuan dared not gamble on whether the man would drag him down in a mutual destruction.

He was arrogant and ruthless, true, but he was also exceedingly protective of his own life.

He had no desire to throw his life away in this trial ground.

"Little brother Lin Fan is truly formidable!"

The group behind Gu Ningyun sighed deeply in awe. Though they had not intervened, they had observed the battle between Lin Fan and the mustachioed youth from start to finish.

Having witnessed it, only one thought crossed their minds.

This youth would undoubtedly be accepted into one of the Eight Great Divine Sects in the future.

Fighting across realms—as a proud daughter of heaven from the Gu family of the Tiandu Dynasty, Gu Ningyun had not merely heard of it; she had even witnessed it with her own eyes.

Yet, those capable of achieving such a feat were invariably paragons of heaven, individuals destined for a chance to step into the Eight Great Divine Sects.

Her internal thoughts at this moment aligned perfectly with those behind her.

In this trial ground, this youth would likely become one of the most dazzling figures of all.

"The blood should be enough."

The black-robed figure above the coffin lowered his head to gaze at the blood soaking into the casket, a look of anticipation appearing beneath his black veil as he muttered softly, audible only to himself.

Hum...

Suddenly, the coffin trembled, and blood-red light surged to the heavens. The dense network of secret runes etched across the coffin abruptly erupted with an intensely blinding crimson glow.

The glare was so piercing that the onlookers halted their attacks, turning their gazes toward the coffin in unison.

As for Lin Fan, he clearly perceived that a terrifying presence was brewing within the coffin, as though something was about to burst right out of it.

A corpse coming back to life?