A shrill, hoarse scream tore through the silence of the cold canyon. The sound was so horrifying, it sounded like human vocal cords being forcibly stretched to their breaking point. Behind a dark crevice in the cliff, Lin Xuanyin sat hugging her knees, her hands pressed tightly over Lin Tian's ears, while she herself squeezed her eyes shut, trembling violently.In the middle of a pool of blood and the corpses of the tracking squad, Xiao Chen knelt beside Gou Yan, whose legs had been crushed by a rock.The servant-clothed young man wasn't cutting off fingers or skinning the executioner like some low-level torturer. Instead, the two blood-covered fingers of Xiao Chen's left hand were pressing precisely on three acupuncture points centered on Gou Yan's neck and spine.It was the Hell's Reversal Nerve Lock, a basic torture technique from the Holy Realm that relied purely on mortal anatomical precision. By pressing certain nerve clusters, Xiao Chen blocked the pain-relieving hormones in th

Dust mixed with wood splinters and torn tent fabric slowly settled to the ground. In the middle of the night's silence that suddenly felt suffocating, Xiao Chen coughed hard. A thick glob of blood sprayed from his mouth, soaking the sand and gravel beneath him. Every time he took a breath, a pain as sharp as a blade tore through his left chest. Two of his ribs were definitely cracked, pressing against his lungs from the impact of the Qi wave just now. The slash wounds on his left shoulder and right thigh that he had bandaged were now blown wide open. The makeshift bandages were drenched in fresh blood pouring out, mixing with the dirty mud covering his entire body. His Dantian, which was only at the 1st-Class Warrior stage, was bone dry. Without a single drop of Qi to protect his internal organs, this mortal body was nothing more than a lump of meat waiting to be minced. From behind the smoke and the remains of the split

A light drizzle began to fall from the dark night sky, bringing a bone-chilling cold. Raindrops hit the sandy ground, extinguishing some of the remaining torches and washing away the pools of blood that were beginning to dry in the outpost yard. In the middle of the ruined tent, Advisor Zhao was still kneeling. His giant body trembled violently. Thick black blood continued to drip from his mouth, mixing with the rainwater soaking his beard. The meridians inside his body had been utterly destroyed, turning him from a Peak 3rd-Class Warrior into a paralyzed lump of flesh awaiting his demise. Xiao Chen stood towering over him. The young man's breath came in ragged bursts, puffing white vapor into the cold air. In his left shoulder, Zhao's massive sword was still deeply embedded, piercing through from his chest to his back. With a blank expression, Xiao Chen raised his free right hand, gripping the large blade that was wet w

Dust motes from the luxurious silk parchment floated down from between Xiao Chen's fingers, staining the dusty wooden floor of the main hall. The morning sunlight piercing through the cracked window seemed to spotlight a scene that violated all the hierarchical rules of the mortal world. The silence in the hall lasted for three full breaths. "What are you doing, you crazy slave?!" A hoarse shout broke the silence. One of the old servants standing near the door, Uncle Fu, a gray-haired man who had served the Lin Family for three generations, glared with a face red with rage. The veins on his wrinkled neck bulged out. For Uncle Fu, the Lin Family was everything. Tradition and etiquette were non-negotiable. To see a young servant who hadn't even worked for a full year dare to interrupt the Young Lady, let alone destroy an invitation from the City Lord, was an insult equivalent to treason. <

The weathered wooden warehouse door creaked loudly before shutting tight, locking out the last of the moonlight. The sound of the iron bar being slid into place was heavy and final. Outside the stone building, Lin Tian stood frozen. The cold night wind blew through his hair, but his small hands gripped the hilt of the iron sword, which was far too large for his frame. "Tian'er," Xiao Chen's voice was muffled from behind the thick door, but its cold tone pierced through the wood. "From this moment until sunrise, I don't care who comes. Whether it's guards, loan sharks, or even your own sister. If anyone dares to step past this door, cut off their neck. Don't hesitate." Lin Tian swallowed hard. "Y-yes, Brother Xiao. I won't let anyone pass." Inside the dim warehouse, Xiao Chen turned around. The room smelled musty, filled with thick dust and cobwebs. In the corner, sacks of medicinal plants, left for y