Chapter 126: An Uninvited Guest

Escorted by Tang Yulin, Lin Feng returned to the Hualong Villa district.

Stepping into Villa No. 1, Lin Feng bathed once again in the spiritual energy gathered by the Sanqing Spirit-Gathering Array. He sat cross-legged in meditation, continuing his cultivation. For some time, he had vaguely sensed that his cultivation bottleneck was beginning to loosen; he was likely to break through from the first-grade Vessel-Opening Spirit Master realm to the second-grade Foundation-Building True Human realm within the next few days. Consequently, he had been completely absorbed in his cultivation these past few days.

As Lin Feng circulated the Sanqing True Spirit Art within his body, he suddenly frowned. He activated his spiritual sense, scanning the entire villa. Moments later, he discovered an uninvited guest deep within the living room.

"Come out. Why hide?" Lin Feng called out loudly, slowly standing up.

"Clap, clap, clap—"

A round of applause echoed, and from a shadowed corner of the living room, a man in a black robe with long white hair and a beard stepped out.

"The victor of the Five-Province Martial Arts Tournament lives up to his reputation. It seems I underestimated you by sending only a Blood Mage."

The white-haired man’s expression was stern, yet he wore a mocking smile as he approached Lin Feng and lounged casually on the sofa. However, in an instant, his eyes erupted with killing intent and greed as he said contemptuously, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Wang Youlin, the舵主 (Helmsman) of the Dongxuan Branch of the Moluo Society. That 'Blood Demon' kid was one of my subordinates."

"Blood Demon? I don't know anyone by that name."

"Right, you probably wouldn't know his title. I’m talking about the black-robed man you killed with a single sword strike at the Five-Province Martial Arts Tournament—the Blood Mage. He was a core cadre of my Dongxuan Branch. You were fast, precise, and ruthless, taking his life with one blow."

"Oh? So, you’ve come to kill me?"

"Kill you? That’s a given. However, I seem to have discovered something very strange here—the ancient array in this house is incredibly profound. It could easily rival the outer arrays found in the ancient tomb ruins of the Southern Border."

"I’ll give you two choices. First, hand over the diagrams for the array in this house, and I’ll let you die quickly. Second, I’ll go to the trouble of using a few torture methods to force you to divulge the diagrams, and then I’ll kill you. Which do you choose?"

The white-haired man was incredibly arrogant. He didn't take Lin Feng seriously at all, treating him like an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

"And if I choose neither?" Lin Feng said calmly.

"Heh, you seem to have misunderstood something. I’m not asking for your opinion; I’m informing you that you’re a dead man."

With that, the white-haired man threw out a black jade token. In the center of the token, the word "Death" was inscribed in blood-red seal script.

"A 'Must-Kill' order from the Moluo Society. Your name is on the back of this token. Being marked by this means you are as good as dead, kid."

The white-haired man, having lost his patience, stood up, gave a disdainful laugh, and said coldly, "Since you chose the second option, don't blame me!"

As he stood, energy surged through his entire body, erupting like a volcano. The entire living room was thrown into disarray by the sheer force of his martial aura. Lin Feng sensed it immediately: this fierce energy belonged to a Grandmaster-level martial artist—and one who had been at that level for years. He was at least at the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm!

"Kid, crushing you is as simple as crushing an ant!"

Before the words had even finished, the white-haired man vanished amidst a blast of wind, turning into a blur as he lunged toward Lin Feng’s face!

"Soul-Severing Palm!"

With a sharp, piercing cry, the white-haired man thrust out his palm, accompanied by a sound like the roar of tigers and dragons. A terrifying force of internal energy manifested into a screaming, ghostly skull upon his palm. The phantom opened its bloody maw, lunging toward Lin Feng’s neck as if to bite it clean off!

Seeing this, Lin Feng immediately raised his right hand, forming a sword-finger to block.

"Hahaha, blocking now? Too late! Go to hell!"

The white-haired man laughed wildly, his fierce palm closing in on Lin Feng’s neck. However, just as the palm was about to strike, Lin Feng let out a soft sigh:

"Heaven of the Azure Falling Retribution!"

An ancient, vast aura, as if surging from the eighteenth level of hell, rolled forth. Lin Feng’s sword-finger was enveloped in a blade intent akin to that of an Asura. The white-haired man suddenly realized that Lin Feng possessed the Moluo Blade Intent; his sword-finger was like an Asura incarnate!

"How is this possible! Who exactly are you?"

Lin Feng ignored him entirely. With a flick of his sword-finger, he unleashed a blade of energy that slashed directly across the man’s chest, cutting a wound deep enough to expose bone.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of blood sprayed out as the blade energy tore through him. His body was flung backward like a discarded rag. The white-haired man never imagined Lin Feng’s strength would be so formidable. He had assumed Lin Feng had only barely managed to defeat the Blood Mage; he never expected him to be a master of the blade. To wound him with a single strike without even drawing a weapon or using standard internal energy—this level of strength would be considered top-tier even at the main headquarters of the Moluo Society!

The white-haired man struggled to his feet, smiling bitterly. "I truly underestimated the world. I never thought a young man in his early twenties could have such a profound understanding of the blade. Even I cannot fathom the depth of your blade intent."

"I, Wang Youlin, have fallen today. But you’d better think carefully—I am the Helmsman of the Moluo Society’s Dongxuan Branch. By killing me, you are declaring war on the Moluo Society! Do you really dare to fight the Moluo Society to the death?"

The white-haired man had intended to make quick work of Lin Feng to fulfill the order from headquarters. Who would have guessed that this seemingly harmless young man would have such brutal methods, defeating even a seasoned Grandmaster like himself?

"To the death? Haven't I already been locked in a fight to the death with that so-called Moluo Society? One more or one less makes no difference to me!"

As he spoke, Lin Feng flicked his finger. A surge of blade energy erupted instantly, piercing straight through the white-haired man’s forehead. Before he could even dodge, he was struck down by the blade intent, collapsing onto the ground, dead beyond a doubt.

Lin Feng sat down quietly. He hadn't expected a minor Five-Province Martial Arts Tournament to involve the Moluo Society. In the past, Lin Feng wouldn't have cared—it was just another demonic organization in an age of fading magic. But now, he had plans to return to Jinling City, where his parents and grandfather resided. If they were to suffer retaliation from the Moluo Society, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It seems there are some matters that require Gu Feng to step in."

With that thought, Lin Feng made a phone call, summoning Gu Feng to the Hualong Villa district.