Chapter 78: Eradicating the Roots, Destroying the Traces

In the middle of the night, Lin Fanyun sat meditating in his bedroom when he suddenly opened his eyes.

“Come in.”

He looked quizzically at Li Shuang as he entered.

“Weren’t you instructed to recover and consolidate your cultivation this afternoon? Why come here in the middle of the night?”

Li Shuang replied, “Master, my injuries are not a concern. It’s just severe exhaustion. If I were to focus solely on consolidating my cultivation now, it might take several months. I didn’t want to keep you waiting. After answering your questions, I will go into seclusion.”

Lin Fanyun nodded, pleased with Li Shuang’s sensibility and understanding.

“Alright then. Old Li, you’ve lived in the Abyssal Sea for quite some time. What’s your view on it?”

“The spiritual energy is dense, and resources are abundant. It’s both a paradise and a purgatory for martial artists,” Li Shuang responded without hesitation.

Having lived here for decades, he had only dared to roam the land areas around the Abyssal Sea and never ventured deep into it to seek opportunities, indicating its ferocity.

Apart from the fierce sea beasts, there were members of various clans from the endless wilderness, all fighting and competing for resources in the Abyssal Sea.

Not to mention his previous state as a mere Innate stage cultivator, even now, having advanced to the True Core stage, he was still cautious about venturing deep into the Abyssal Sea.

Previously, Li Kong had also just roamed the edges of the Abyssal Sea, not daring to delve deeper, which was why he was able to return so quickly after receiving the message.

Lin Fanyun also reflected on the intelligence he knew about the Abyssal Sea.

This boundless sea, sprawling across the endless wilderness and connected to the territories of various major races, remained unexplored to its ends by anyone to date.

The deeper one ventured into the Abyssal Sea, the more hostile the environment and celestial phenomena became, with some areas being uninhabitable even for those at the Law Manifestation or Demi-God stages.

However, due to its unique environment, the Abyssal Sea nurtured countless rare and precious natural treasures.

This led to various races competing and rushing into the sea to vie for these treasures.

Every day, battles and skirmishes unfolded, with numerous powerful beings meeting their end in the deep sea.

‘But with the diverse races cohabitating their influences and cultures intertwine, creating a unique blend of customs and culture,’ Lin Fanyun pondered this in his mind, temporarily setting the matter aside.

“Li Shuang, what are your thoughts?” Lin Fanyun asked. 

While he appreciated Li Kong’s previous actions, he still needed to ask. After all, what if Li Kong possessed other intolerable flaws?

Li Shuang didn’t hesitate or plan to flatter. The bond formed was personal, and he wouldn’t fabricate anything in front of his master.

“Li Kong is a man with ambition and often acts impulsively, sometimes lacking rationality. He can be ruthless, but at critical moments, he shows a softer side due to certain principles. Without a doubt, he is a man of loyalty and righteousness. I could tell that his initial contact with me was out of interest in the cultivation method I possessed. However, his long-distance rush to assist me in a life-and-death situation shows he values morality and adheres to his own code of conduct.”

Li Shuang didn’t say much, but it was enough.

‘Interested in the Mountain Fire Technique, huh,’ Lin Fanyun thought to himself. 

He wasn’t surprised by this. For a solitary cultivator to possess a True Core legacy was already a stroke of luck, and those with further cultivation techniques were exceedingly rare.

The Mountain Fire Technique Li Shuang previously had could only be cultivated up to the third layer of True Core. However, its essence was apparent to those in the know, and suspecting Li Shuang of possessing the True Core part of this technique was quite normal.

“But you actually allowed others to glimpse the cultivation technique you’re practicing. You, ah!” Lin Fanyun’s tone carried a bit of stern reproach. 

It was imprudent of him to be so careless. Lin Fanyun had always emphasized that without sufficient strength, it was best not to expose one’s valuable possessions, as it only invites trouble.

Li Shuang felt ashamed.

“Forget it,” Lin Fanyun shook his head. “Tell me everything you know about the Hundred Horses Guild and the situation of their base at Hundred Reefs Island.”

Passively taking hits was never Lin Fanyun’s style.

Li Shuang’s eyes lit up, “Yes!”

At the hour of Yin, Lin Fanyun quietly left the Li residence and headed toward Hundred Reefs Island, located in the Abyssal Sea. It was a small island near the mainland, inhabited solely by members of the Horse Clan.

“Their leader is a late-stage True Core, around the seventh layer, from the Horse Clan. With a dozen or so True Core early to mid-stage warriors under his command. With such strength, they could occupy a small, not-so-significant island on the edge of the Abyssal Sea.”

But to Lin Fanyun, these were hardly a challenge.

Flying through the night, he arrived at Hundred Reefs Island at sunrise.

Unnoticed by anyone, his senses expanded, his divine eyes scanning.

“Good, the intelligence is accurate, no hidden strong individuals lurking in the shadows, I can proceed with confidence.”

Lin Fanyun clapped his hands, and waves of surging blood energy erupted, enveloping the entire Hundred Reefs Island.

This was a barrier he had created, imitating a martial arts formation.

With the power of a True Core master, it would be impossible to break through this barrier in a short time.

Although the blood-red canopy enveloping the sky would inevitably alarm the members of the Hundred Horses Guild, Lin Fanyun still proceeded with this plan. He was determined not to let any member of the clan escape.

Eradicate them all. Leave no future troubles.

“Moreover, they will serve well to aid my cultivation,” Lin Fanyun clenched his fist and swung it downwards, sending a colossal fist shadow thundering down.

He was ready to unleash a massacre.

The sudden upheaval left the warriors of the Hundred Horses Guild bewildered. They had no idea what was happening or who the attacker was.

After Hong Lan’s death, the members of the Hundred Horses Guild who went with him to the Li residence had all perished, leaving no one to inform them about the Law Manifestation expert behind the Li family.

With one punch, the buildings and solid rocks below shattered and collapsed, forming a massive crater a hundred yards wide.

In the pit, there were pools of thick, blood-red substance.

That was the remnants of the Horse Clan members, pulverized into a mush.

Ma Jian, the leader of the Hundred Horses Guild, was the first to react, furiously flying out from the guild’s headquarters.

Before he could get close, he sensed the undisguised Law Manifestation aura emanating from Lin Fanyun, his heart skipping a beat.

This was a dire situation.

In his horror, Ma Jian tried to calm himself.

“Senior… you…” 

Before Ma Jian could stammer out his words, a streak of blood-red light flew past, and everything above Ma Jian’s neck vanished, leaving only a headless body plummeting to the ground.

The gap between True Core and Law Manifestation was vast. Even a late-stage True Core martial artist had no chance against a Law Manifestation powerhouse.

The other True Core members of the Hundred Horses Guild, who were just a moment too late to react, were terrified out of their wits at this scene.

Their invincible leader, who had always been a towering figure in their everyday lives, was gone just like that. 

“You! You! You!” some of the True Core members stammered in terror, while others, realizing the gravity of the situation, sought ways to escape.

Still others gambled on a last-ditch effort, hoping to leverage their affiliation with the Horse Clan, expecting that the aggressor would hesitate to provoke the clan’s wrath.

After all, the Hundred Horses Guild was a force of the Horse Clan, albeit a minor one. Surely, attacking them would invite retaliation from the clan. But unfortunately, all these thoughts that flashed through their minds in an instant were rendered impossible to act upon.

Lin Fanyun spread his palms, unleashing hundreds of blood rainbows with his surging qi and blood, killing every living being on the island in an instant.

In a moment, a thick fog of blood filled the air, and the stench of blood rose in all directions.

With his senses fully extended, Lin Fanyun confirmed that aside from himself, there were no more living creatures on Hundred Reefs Island.

“Good, with the flesh and blood of hundreds of warriors, and the dozen or so True Core warriors, I should be able to refine the life-bound treasure I desire.”

Lin Fanyun took a deep breath, highly satisfied with the pervasive scent of blood, which contained immense power.

He descended onto the mountainside where the headquarters of the Hundred Horses Guild was located and spread out an array diagram.

The nearly twenty-square-meter array, flickering with a faint luminescence, was already inscribed with array patterns.

He channeled his qi into it, activating the array.

In an instant, the blood qi and spiritual qi from the surroundings were drawn toward the center of the array.

Lin Fanyun then took out a thorny vine from his storage bag and threw it into the formation.

The vine, originally the length of a hand, swirled and expanded into a massive ten-meter-long, ten-centimeter-thick vine. Twisting and ferocious, it indicated that this section of the vine was still alive and vigorous.

“A Law Manifestation level natural treasure, the Gluttonous Demon Vine. A treasure extremely compatible with me, perfect for refining into my life-bound magical treasure.” 

This segment of the Demon Vine was found in the Little Blessed Land Bottle, cut from a vigorously growing mother root.

This type of Demon Vine had the ability to devour all things, although there was a limit to each consumption.

However, the Demon Vine could transform the devoured matter into pure qi, replenishing its own energy and healing its injuries. If refined into a magical treasure, the holder would gain a continuous supply of qi.

For Lin Fanyun, who only had a fifth of his original form’s endurance, this was significantly meaningful.

Droplets of blood, filled with resentment, began to coalesce and fell upon the Gluttonous Demon Vine.

It hissed audibly.

Lin Fanyun sat next to the array, his expression solemn as he continuously formed hand seals to adjust the array and refine the Demon Vine.

The Gluttonous Demon Vine was ferociously difficult to tame and prone to back lashes. But Lin Fanyun didn’t just preserve its ferocity. He also refined it with blood steeped in the grudges of fallen warriors, elevating its viciousness.

After several days, on the array, a large mass of ominous crimson blood enveloped the Demon Vine. Originally over ten meters long, the vine had now shrunk to just twenty centimeters, as thin as a twig, yet it emitted an even more awe-inspiring and heart-stirring aura.

It was captivating.

“Is there no more resentful blood left?” Lin Fanyun scanned over the entire Hundred Reefs Island.

Hundreds of corpses had all turned into mummies, their essences completely drained. Their bodies bore signs of disintegration, and a slight breeze could carry away sand-like remains.

With a slice across his index finger, Lin Fanyun forced out ten drops of his heart’s essence blood and mixed them into the pool of resentful blood.

The pool of resentful blood boiled instantly.

“Hmph!” Lin Fanyun snorted coldly.

“While alive they were easily suppressed by my mere flick, and now these mere resentments think to overturn their fate?”

The ten drops of heart’s essence blood whirled, emitting a faint red glow, instantly suppressing the resentful blood. They then seeped into the Demon Vine, imprinting Lin Fanyun’s mark upon it.

Seeing this, Lin Fanyun brought his palms together, and the array, along with the resentful blood and Demon Vine, rose and returned to his hands.

“This resentful blood is sufficient. Now, I need to add other natural treasures, and in about a year, the Gluttonous Vine I envision will take shape.”

Lin Fanyun clenched his fist excitedly. Possessing another life-bound magical treasure that could grow with a martial artist, especially one that compensated for his weaknesses, would surely cause his overall strength to surge dramatically. 

“It’s time to leave this place,” Lin Fanyun said softly.

After more than a week, it was enough time for outsiders to react, staying any longer would invite trouble.

Having collected all the resentful blood and scavenged other resources, there was no reason to linger.

He flew up, dispelling the blood qi barrier.

Unleashing the power of his physical body, he rained down hundreds of punches towards Hundred Reefs Island below. Amidst the continuous thunderous booms, the island, spanning hundreds of kilometers, was utterly destroyed, leaving no part intact.

“It’s a pity I couldn’t sink the entire Hundred Reefs Island into the sea due to its size,” Lin Fanyun remarked with some regret.

His actions were meant both to conceal his deeds and to eliminate any possible surviving members of the Hundred Horses Guild who might have been hiding somewhere.

After all, the Hundred Horses Guild was part of the Horse Clan’s forces. What if they had some hidden means to preserve a few of their members?

Though in the end, he found nothing.

But a thorough cleansing, he thought, was always a good measure.