1: The invincible system is activated

A purple-white bolt of lightning, tearing through heaven and earth, like a giant spear hurled by an enraged deity from the Nine Heavens, descended with a destructive, tyrannical aura! Its target was precisely the precarious figure atop that solitary peak.

Lin Xuan’s consciousness was forcibly dragged from a chaotic void by the extreme pain, enough to incinerate the soul.

Unspeakable agony!

It was as if every inch of his flesh was vaporized by the lightning’s calcination, every bone was shattered by the crushing might of the heavens, and even the soul that constituted his very existence was like being thrown into a millstone, emitting a groan of unbearable strain, threatening to completely vanish at any moment.

“Where am I?” Confused thoughts surfaced like dregs, only to be immediately drowned by a more overwhelming pain.

His vision was blurry, with only the blinding lightning seared onto his retina. The gale, like countless icy, bone-scraping steel blades, carried gravel and destructive arcs of electricity, tearing at his broken body. The rocks beneath his feet groaned under the lightning’s residual power, cracking inch by inch. Below the ten-thousand-foot cliff was a churning, roaring, bottomless sea of dark clouds, like the greedy maw of a giant beast.

He, Lin Xuan, an ordinary office worker who was just worrying about next month’s rent, how did he end up in this godforsaken place being struck by lightning the moment he opened his eyes?

What was with this tattered, ancient robe covered in scorched bloodstains? What was that faint yet real power within him, like a trickling stream, frantically resisting the lightning’s erosion? Countless unfamiliar memory fragments, like shatteredColored Glaze, were forcibly crammed into his mind with a burning pain.

Lin Xuan, an Outer Sect Disciple of Qinglan Sect, possessed mediocre talent. After twenty years of arduous cultivation, he had barely reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement. To seek a chance for Foundation Establishment, he took a desperate risk, sneaking into the sect’s forbidden area, Buried Thunder Cliff, attempting to steal the legendary Lightning Guiding Stone, which could supposedly draw down heavenly lightning to temper one’s body. And then, there was no ‘then’.

He got the Lightning Guiding Stone, but what it attracted was a terrifying heavenly tribulation far beyond what his meager cultivation could withstand!

“Idiot! This isn’t how you court death!” Lin Xuan cursed inwardly, but his consciousness rapidly dimmed and dispersed under the violent lightning. The icy shadow of death, like a maggot clinging to bone, completely enveloped him.

Just as the last remnant of his consciousness was about to be completely erased by that merciless purple lightning!

Ding!

A cold, emotionless, yet strangely soul-piercing electronic sound, without any warning, echoed deep within his nearly extinguished core of consciousness!

“Detecting strong will to survive and special spatio-temporal disturbance waves, binding conditions met. The Invincible Sect of the Heavens System is initiating forced binding: 1%... 15%... 50%... Binding successful!”

“Host: Lin Xuan”

“Identity: Outer Sect Disciple of Qinglan Sect”

“Binding Reward: Novice Supreme Gift Pack has been issued! Host, please check and use it as soon as possible!”

Lin Xuan’s almost completely sunken consciousness was jolted by this sudden electronic sound, like a drowning person grabbing a straw! The numbness of near-death was forcibly torn open by a strong will to survive!

“System? Novice Gift Pack?” These familiar yet unfamiliar terms were like sparks ignited in the darkness! Having immersed himself in web novels in his previous life, he knew exactly what this meant!

“Open! Open it immediately!” He roared in his consciousness, using the last shred of his soul’s strength!

“Novice Supreme Gift Pack successfully opened!”

“Obtained: One Nine Revolutions Reincarnation Creation Pill. Reverses life and death, reshapes foundation, nine revolutions of reincarnation, boundless creation!”

“Obtained: All Heavens Myriad Paths Source Scripture. Supreme grade! Absorbs the origin power of all heavens and myriad paths, forging the unique supreme Dao foundation of all ages!”

“Obtained: Elementary Chaos Undying Body! The physical body initially bears the power of chaos, impervious to all magic, capable of shattering mountains!”

“Obtained: Elementary Divine Sense Origin! Divine sense strength undergoes initial transformation, perception is meticulous, a single thought commands power!”

“Obtained: Core Invincible Sect of the Heavens Construction Order, establishes the foundation of the sect, binds the luck of all heavens!”

A torrent of item information, shining with golden light and exuding supreme Dao charm, flooded Lin Xuan’s consciousness. He didn’t even have time to examine it closely; the icy grip of death was already at his throat!

“Eat, eat that pill!” Lin Xuan’s consciousness roared, all his thoughts focused on that divine pill, radiating a shimmering nine-colored glow, as if containing the profound mysteries of the universe’s creation and destruction, its cycles of reincarnation!

The moment the thought fell, an indescribably vast surge of vitality, mixed with incomprehensible profound Dao principles, erupted from the deepest part of his collapsing body!

Buzz!

A stream of nine-colored divine light, condensed to the extreme, shot up from Lin Xuan’s broken body! The originally violent, destructive purple heavenly lightning, upon touching this nine-colored divine light, was like ice and snow meeting the sun, emitting a mournful wail, instantly purified and melted away!

His shattered bones emitted a jade-like luster, rapidly reorganizing and reconnecting in the divine light, producing crisp sounds; the charred and carbonized flesh peeled away, replaced by new, pearly white skin, flowing with a faint chaotic luster, containing unimaginable explosive power; his withered and torn meridians were widened a thousandfold, like the vast channels of a star river, surging with the supremely pure origin spiritual power brought by the Nine Revolutions Reincarnation Creation Pill!

His weak fifth-level Qi Refinement spiritual power was like molten iron poured into an endless ocean, instantly diluted, transformed, and sublimated! Sixth level of Qi Refinement... seventh level... eighth level... ninth level... bottlenecks were like paper!

Rumble!

A majestic aura, far surpassing the Qi Refinement stage, suddenly spread out! The sea of Qi was opened, spiritual power liquefied, Foundation Establishment complete!

But this was only the beginning!

Foundation Establishment first level... second level... third level... his aura climbed steadily, without any hindrance! The vast torrent of spiritual power, guided by the supreme cultivation method of the All Heavens Myriad Paths Source Scripture, circulated frantically. Each cycle of the Great Zhou seemed to resonate with countless Great Daos in the ethereal realm! Wisps of indescribable, yet immensely grand and profound origin Dao charm were forcibly extracted from the void, integrating into his spiritual power, his physical body, his soul!

His consciousness was clearer and stronger than ever before! The perception granted by the Elementary Divine Sense Origin, like invisible tentacles, instantly covered the entire solitary peak! The trajectory of every speck of dust blown by the wind, every faint arc of electricity remaining in the air, every subtle change in the surging sea of clouds below the cliff, all clearly reflected in his mind, in minute detail!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The remaining tribulation clouds seemed to be thoroughly enraged, and even more terrifying, almost liquid-like, purple-black lightning poured down like a celestial river, striking frantically! However, Lin Xuan, bathed in the nine-colored divine light, merely raised his head slightly.

All the scorched grime on his body vanished, revealing a young face with a somewhat profound outline. His sword-like eyebrows slanted towards his temples, and as his eyes opened and closed, there seemed to be a fleeting vision of chaos opening and stars appearing and disappearing. His tattered robes were shaken into dust by the aura naturally emitted by his new Chaos Undying Body, and then instantly transformed by the nine-colored divine light into a simple, dark-colored long robe flowing with a faint chaotic aura.

Facing the world-ending lightning tribulation that could incinerate even Golden Core cultivators, Lin Xuan merely extended a finger calmly.

At his fingertip, a point of chaotic light condensed.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no world-destroying energy explosion. The pouring liquid lightning, the moment it touched that point of chaotic light, was like being cast into the entrance of the universe’s return to nothingness, silently annihilating and vanishing. As if it had never existed.

The tribulation clouds churned, emitting unwilling, muffled roars, but could no longer condense a single decent bolt of lightning. Moments later, the thick, leaden clouds covering a thousand miles rapidly dissipated, as if in fear, under the illumination of the nine-colored divine light and Lin Xuan’s calm gaze, which seemed to contain supreme heavenly might.

Sunlight once again fell upon the scarred solitary peak, and also upon Lin Xuan’s reborn body. He stood there, his aura as deep as the sea, yet as pure as nascent chaos. Every movement of his hands and feet seemed out of place with this heaven and earth, yet he subtly became the center of this heaven and earth.

“Ding! Novice Supreme Gift Pack absorption complete! Host status updated.”

“Realm: Great Perfection Foundation Establishment”

“Physique: Chaos Undying Body”

“Divine Sense: Elementary Divine Sense Origin”

“Cultivation Method: All Heavens Myriad Paths Source Scripture”

“Item: Elementary Invincible Sect of the Heavens Construction Order”

“System Core Mission Activated: Host, please select a mountain gate and establish the Invincible Sect of the Heavens within three months! Recruit disciples and found the sect! Mission failed: Erase!”

The cold system prompt sounded again, pulling Lin Xuan back to reality from that profound, almost all-controlling sense of power.

“Great Perfection Foundation Establishment? Chaos Undying Body? Invincible Sect of the Heavens?” Lin Xuan looked down at his fair, slender hands, which contained enough power to crush mountains, feeling the endless, vast spiritual power surging within him, a thousand times greater than that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the supreme scripture deep within his soul, operating on its own, connecting to endless profound Dao principles.

A huge sense of absurdity and an indescribable excitement intertwined, impacting his mind. One second he was being struck by heavenly tribulation until his soul scattered, the next he became a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment cultivator with divine techniques and a divine body? And he had to found a sect, what Invincible Sect of the Heavens? This system was truly simple, crude, and invincible!

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the thin clouds that had not yet dispersed, towards beyond the cliff. Buried Thunder Cliff was located on the edge of Qinglan Sect’s sphere of influence. Further out was a desolate and lifeless area known as the “Ancient Battlefield,” said to be the ruins of an ancient great war, where spiritual energy was violent and chaotic, filled with spatial cracks and eerie malevolent qi, rarely visited by people.

“Founding a sect, this godforsaken place is a good starting point, desolate enough, and hidden enough.” Lin Xuan’s thoughts stirred slightly, and his figure had already vanished from the spot, leaving only a faint afterimage of chaotic airflow.

The elementary Chaos Undying Body not only granted formidable defense and strength, but also a natural affinity for subtle spatial fluctuations. Lin Xuan’s figure, like a wisp of smoke merging with the wind, silently swept past the cliffs and precipices, drifting deeper into the Ancient Battlefield.

The ground beneath his feet rapidly transitioned from jagged rocks to a plain of dark red gravel, as if soaked in countless blood. The air became heavy and viscous, permeated with a rusty, bloody smell and an ancient malevolent qi that made one’s mind restless. As far as the eye could see, broken giant weapons were stuck in the soil, long since rusted beyond recognition; huge, hill-like unknown beast skeletons were half-buried in the sand, their empty eye sockets staring blankly at the gray sky; fragments of broken armor were everywhere, silently narrating the tragic events of ancient times.

Violent and disordered spiritual energy, like countless tiny blades, irregularly cut through space. An ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator here would probably be torn apart within fifteen minutes. But for Lin Xuan, who possessed the Chaos Undying Body and the All Heavens Myriad Paths Source Scripture, these chaotic energies were like a gentle breeze, even instinctively devoured and assimilated by the chaotic airflow circulating on his body, becoming part of his own nourishment.

The Elementary Divine Sense Origin silently unfolded, scanning an area of several miles like the most precise radar. Deathly silence, desolation, only the wailing sound of the wind sweeping through the gaps in the bones, like the low sobs of departed souls.

“Hmm?” Just as Lin Xuan was about to retract his divine sense and continue deeper, an extremely faint spiritual energy fluctuation, mixed in the violent spiritual energy currents and carrying alarm and despair, was keenly captured by him.

Direction: Northeast, about three miles away.

Lin Xuan paused slightly, his gaze piercing through the lingering mist of malevolent qi, looking in that direction. After a brief thought, he changed his trajectory, silently approaching the source of the spiritual energy fluctuation.

Three miles, reached in an instant.

Bypassing a pale hill formed by piled-up giant beast bones, the scene before him suddenly changed. In a relatively open depression, stood a pitch-black ancient locust tree, long dead, yet still a hundred feet tall. Its gnarled and twisted branches were like countless desperate ghostly claws reaching towards the sky, casting grotesque shadows under the dim sky.

Beneath the ancient locust tree, a chase and slaughter were unfolding.

Three figures dressed in uniform dark cyan tight-fitting clothes, with a ferocious wolf head embroidered on their chests, like maggots clinging to bone, were hunting a stumbling white figure fleeing in front. Their speed was extremely fast, their movement techniques strange and elusive, each strike carrying vicious cyan claw shadows, tearing through the air with sharp hissing sounds.

“Little slut, you’ve been hit by my bone-corroding green smoke, where else can you run? Surrender obediently, let us brothers have some fun, and we might even give you a quick death!” A man with a lewd scar on his face grinned menacingly, his claw wind viciously grabbing at the white figure’s back.

“Why waste words with her! Finish her quickly, get the item, and report back! This godforsaken place is unlucky to stay in for too long!” Another skinny man with triangular eyes growled impatiently, his poisoned dagger cunningly stabbing at the white-clothed woman’s ribs.

The fleeing white-clothed woman’s figure was clearly at the end of her rope. Her steps were unsteady, each movement aggravating her injuries, and traces of fresh blood flowed from her mouth, staining her veiled face. Her white dress was torn in several places, revealing blood-stained skin, making her appear even more disheveled. But even so, her only exposed eyes were still as clear as an autumn pond in winter, now filled with icy killing intent and unyielding stubbornness.

“Nether Shadow Pavilion bastards, you want the Moon Soul Glazed Heart? Dream on!” Her voice trembled slightly from injury and anger, yet it was exceptionally clear and firm. Facing the fatal claw shadow and poisoned dagger attacking from behind, she suddenly gritted her teeth, forcibly twisted her body, and the long sword in her hand, flowing with a faint blue moonlight, erupted with its last brilliance, drawing a tragic and beautiful arc. She disregarded her own vital points, risking her life to slash at the scarred man’s head!

“Seeking death!” The scarred man clearly didn’t expect the opponent to be so fearless of death. His claw attack was forced to pause, and he dodged sideways.

Rip!

The moonlight sword light grazed the scarred man’s shoulder, drawing a stream of blood. But at the same time, the triangular-eyed man’s poisoned dagger savagely plunged into the white-clothed woman’s left arm!

“Ugh!” The woman groaned, the numbing sensation of the potent poison instantly spreading. She could no longer support herself, her body went limp, and she heavily crashed against the rough, pitch-black trunk of the giant dead locust tree behind her. The moonlight long sword in her hand flew out, sticking obliquely into the dark red gravel a few steps away.

The veiled gauze fell off during the violent impact, revealing a pale yet still breathtakingly beautiful face. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains veiled in mist, her eyes like autumn waters filled with sorrow, her nose delicately upturned, her cherry lips stained with blood. Even in her current disheveled state, severely injured and near death, her cold and stunning temperament was still like a snow lotus blooming in mud, making hearts tremble.

“Hahaha! What a stunning beauty!” The scarred man clutched his bleeding shoulder, not angry but laughing instead, his eyes filled with lust. “Brothers, it seems we’re in luck today! First, cripple her, then slowly enjoy her!” He approached step by step, and the other two also grinned menacingly, surrounding her, blocking all escape routes.

The white-clothed woman leaned against the dead locust tree, its icy bark pressing against her wounds. The numbing sensation from the potent poison was eroding her consciousness. Looking at the three approaching faces, full of malice, despair, like a cold tide, instantly drowned her heart. She closed her eyes, her teeth clenched, and the remaining spiritual power in her body began to madly surge into her Dantian—she would rather be shattered jade than intact tile!

Just at this critical moment!

A plain voice, devoid of any worldly trace, suddenly echoed in the dead silent depression above:

“Three grown men bullying a heavily injured girl, did your sect elders not teach you how to write the word ‘face’?”

The voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly pierced through the wind and the wailing of the malevolent qi, as if it sounded in everyone’s ears.

The three scarred men were startled, their hair standing on end! With their cultivation, they hadn’t detected anyone approaching at all! The three of them suddenly turned around, their gazes like lightning sweeping towards the source of the voice.

They saw that not far away, atop a giant beast skull half-buried in the sand, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

The man was clad in a simple, ancient-style black robe, its sleeves gently swaying in the blood-scented breeze of the wasteland. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as straight as a lone pine on a mountain peak. His face was young, yet it held a profound calmness that belied his age, as if he had witnessed eons of change. Most unsettling were his eyes, calm and unmoving like an ancient, unchanging cold pool, reflecting the figures of the three of them as if they were three insignificant specks of dust.

There was no powerful spiritual pressure emanating from him, no intimidating aura pressing down. He simply stood there casually, yet he seemed to merge with this desolate and silent ancient battlefield, and at the same time, stood apart from this world. Sunlight filtered through the thin malevolent aura, falling upon him, giving him an unreal, ethereal quality.

“Where did this brat come from, playing tricks! You dare to meddle in the affairs of my Nether Shadow Pavilion? Are you tired of living?!” The man with the triangular eyes reacted first, shouting sharply, his poisoned dagger pointing at Lin Xuan, his gaze sinister. Although the other party’s appearance was strange, his aura seemed to be only at the Foundation Establishment stage in their perception? Although stronger than their three Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators, it was three against one, so the advantage was theirs!

Scarface also suppressed that inexplicable unease in his heart, licked his lips, and sneered, “Kid, if you know what’s good for you, scram! Otherwise, I’ll slaughter you too, just to add a new bone to this ancient battlefield!”

Only the short, burly man, who had not spoken much and whose eyes were the most sinister, frowned tightly, staring intently at Lin Xuan, especially at the black robe he wore. He always felt that the flowing dark light had an indescribable strangeness.

Lin Xuan’s gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on the pale-faced woman in white under the withered locust tree, whose eyes held both shock and a glimmer of hope in her desperate situation. She was also looking at him, and in her clear eyes, the despairing ashes were torn open by this sudden turn of events.

Lin Xuan’s gaze returned to Scarface and the other two, his eyes still calm and unmoving, but he spoke faintly, as if stating a simple fact:

“I’ll give you three breaths to get out of my sight. Or, stay forever.”

“Arrogant!” Triangular Eyes was completely enraged. He was already the most impatient and ruthless of the three, and the other party’s attitude of treating them as nothing thoroughly ignited his killing intent. “I’ll kill you first!” Before his words finished, his figure swayed abruptly, bringing forth a series of afterimages like a ghost, and the poisoned dagger drew a deadly, dark-green arc in the air, stabbing directly at Lin Xuan’s throat! The speed was as fast as lightning, precisely the Nether Shadow Pavilion’s signature movement technique, Ghost Shadow Steps!

The other two also moved at the same time. Scarface and the short, burly man, one on the left and one on the right, sealed off Lin Xuan’s possible evasion space, their ruthless claw winds aiming directly at Lin Xuan’s vital points on his ribs! The three coordinated perfectly, clearly intending to kill in one blow!

The white-robed woman under the withered locust tree’s heart instantly leaped into her throat, and she instinctively cried out, “Watch out for the poisoned dagger!” She recognized it as the Nether Shadow Pavilion’s infamous Jade Phosphorus Poison, which sealed the throat upon contact with blood, extremely malicious!

Facing this deadly triangular attack, Lin Xuan didn’t even bat an eyelid.

He merely raised his right hand gently, and with an open palm, flicked his finger at Triangular Eyes, who was leading the charge.

The movement was casual, like flicking away a speck of dust.

Buzz!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only an extremely faint tremor in the air.

A condensed, almost invisible stream of Chaos energy shot silently from Lin Xuan’s fingertip. Its speed was so fast that it transcended visual capture!

Puff!

A dull thud.

Triangular Eyes’ charging figure suddenly froze in mid-air! The sneer on his face solidified, his eyes widened in disbelief, staring fixedly at his right wrist, which held the dagger. There, a finger-sized blood-hole had appeared, its edges smooth as a mirror, with not a drop of blood flowing out, as if annihilated and vaporized instantly by some terrifying force!

Immediately after, an indescribable, destructive power, as if originating from the dawn of chaos, surged into his meridians, bones, and organs through that small wound, like a bursting flood!

“Uh… H-h-h…” Triangular Eyes made unintelligible gurgling sounds in his throat, his body convulsing violently. He watched in horror as his arm, starting from the wrist, his skin and flesh silently melted and annihilated like a wax figure thrown into strong acid, revealing stark white bones, and those bones were also rapidly turning into grayish-white powder!

Annihilation! Complete annihilation!

This terrifying scene happened in a flash of lightning! From Lin Xuan’s flick of a finger to Triangular Eyes’ arm beginning to annihilate, it was but an instant!

“Third Brother!” Scarface and the short, burly man’s eyes were splitting with rage, horrified beyond belief! Their claw shadows, aimed at Lin Xuan, froze abruptly in mid-air, and a bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of their feet straight to their heads!

What kind of method was this? How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator possess such terrifying, such bizarre attacks?

Fear, like a cold viper, instantly seized their hearts!

“Run!” The short, burly man reacted the fastest, letting out a distorted roar, turning around without hesitation, pushing his movement technique to the extreme, transforming into a wisp of green smoke and fleeing desperately out of the hollow! What mission, what beauty, what brotherhood, in the face of such strange and terrifying death, it was all nonsense!

Scarface was also completely scared out of his wits, letting out a strange cry, following the short, burly man’s direction, scrambling to escape, wishing his parents had given him two more legs.

Lin Xuan watched their pathetic fleeing figures, his eyes indifferent, as if watching two ants trying to escape from under a giant's foot. He did not pursue, merely lowered his raised finger.

The short, burly man, who had fled several tens of feet, suddenly felt a slight chill on his back, as if struck by a cold dewdrop. He instinctively reached to touch it, but his fingertips met only emptiness. He looked down in horror, only to see a finger-sized void silently appearing on his chest, its edges also smooth as a mirror. He opened his mouth, wanting to make a sound, but found that even breathing was a luxury. The power of annihilation instantly spread, and he didn’t even have time to let out a scream before his entire upper body, along with his head, silently collapsed like a sandcastle, turning into a plume of grayish-white dust, which was blown away by the wasteland wind, vanishing into thin air.

Scarface, who was desperately fleeing ahead, heard the subtle movement behind him and instinctively glanced back. This glance just happened to catch the last scene of the short, burly man turning into ashes!

“Ah—! Ghost! Devil!” Scarface let out a shrill scream that was not human, and the immense fear completely destroyed his sanity. He frantically urged his spiritual power, even burning his vital blood, his speed soaring to the extreme, only wanting to escape this nightmare land! What direction, what danger, he disregarded it all!

Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze, no longer bothering with the mad, escaped fish. His figure flickered, appearing as if teleported beneath the withered locust tree.

The white-robed woman leaned against the cold tree trunk, her body trembling slightly from the poison and injuries, but her clear eyes, at this moment, stared unblinkingly at Lin Xuan, who was close at hand, with unparalleled shock and the bewilderment of having survived a catastrophe.

Everything that had just happened was like the most absurd and terrifying nightmare. In a flick of a finger, three infamous Nether Shadow Pavilion Foundation Establishment mid-stage assassins—one dead, one annihilated, one scared mad! What kind of world-shaking methods were these? Who exactly was this black-robed young man? Was he a hidden master? Or some being revived from the ancient battlefield?

Lin Xuan’s gaze fell on the wound on her left arm. Where the poisoned dagger had pierced, the skin had turned a strange bluish-black, and numbness was rapidly spreading. He squatted down, extended two fingers, a wisp of imperceptible Chaos energy swirling around their tips, and gently pressed on several acupoints around the wound.

A warm and vast aura, carrying supreme purifying power, instantly surged into the white-robed woman’s body. The rampaging Jade Phosphorus Poison, like accumulated snow under the scorching sun, made faint “hissing” sounds as it was rapidly forced out and dissolved! The bluish-black around the wound faded at a visible speed, returning to normal fairness, leaving only a shallow cut.

The numbness quickly disappeared, replaced by a warm and comfortable sensation, which also alleviated most of the severe pain from her other injuries.

“You…” The white-robed woman’s cherry lips parted slightly, her voice trembling with the weakness of having survived a catastrophe and disbelief. She could clearly feel the ease of the toxins in her body being instantly cleared, which was simply miraculous!

“Thank you, Senior, for saving my life!” She struggled to get up and bow, but Lin Xuan raised his hand to stop her with a gentle press.

“No need for formalities.” Lin Xuan’s voice remained calm, showing little emotion. “It was just a small effort.” He stood up, his gaze sweeping over this desolate and silent ancient battlefield, then returning to the woman’s exquisitely beautiful face, which now held both alarm and gratitude.

“Senior?” The white-robed woman paused slightly.

Lin Xuan looked at her, and in his deep, unfathomable eyes, a hint of imperceptible thought seemed to flash. A moment later, his lips curved slightly, revealing a faint smile that was calm yet held an inexplicable profound meaning.

“The cliché of pledging yourself to me is unnecessary.” His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the woman’s ears, carrying an undeniable certainty.

Upon hearing this, the white-robed woman’s pale cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in her eyes. In her haste earlier, she had indeed had the thought of “if I escape this predicament, I am willing to be your servant,” and she hadn’t expected it to be pointed out by him.

Lin Xuan’s gaze, however, had already swept past her, casting over this desolate, silent, and bone-strewn land, his tone flat, yet as if stating a future that was about to be realized:

“This ancient battlefield, though heavily imbued with malevolent aura, also isolates it from the mundane world, with ruins everywhere. With a little tidying up, it would be a good foundation for a sect.”

Sect?

The white-robed woman was completely stunned. Establishing a sect in this ancient battlefield, this perilous land of malevolent energy? This idea… how insane?

Just then!

Ding! Detected a disciple who meets the recruitment criteria!

Name: Yun Qingyao

Identity: Contemporary Saintess of Moonflower Palace

Aptitude: SSS-grade, Moon Soul Saint Body not fully awakened!

Character: Resilient and unyielding, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, values loyalty and righteousness. Current status: Severely injured and weak, filled with gratitude.

Meets the recruitment standards for a core disciple of the Invincible Sect of the Heavens!

Recruitment reward issued: Divine Beast Lie Tian Divine Tiger!

The cold system prompt sounded in Lin Xuan’s mind.

Lin Xuan’s eyes flickered. SSS-grade aptitude? Moon Soul Saint Body? Core disciple? Reward of a divine beast cub?

His gaze returned to the woman named Yun Qingyao before him, with a hint of scrutiny. So she was the Saintess of Moonflower Palace? No wonder her temperament was so cold and outstanding. SSS-grade aptitude was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

“Senior?” Yun Qingyao felt a little uneasy under his gaze and called out softly.

Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze, the faint smile on his face seemed to broaden slightly. He looked directly into Yun Qingyao’s clear yet bewildered eyes, and in a calm but strangely alluring tone, he slowly spoke:

“Be my disciple.”

“Ah?!” Yun Qingyao was completely dumbfounded, her cherry lips slightly parted, her mind a blank. The kindness of saving her life, without expecting anything in return, and then asking to take her as a disciple? And on this bone-strewn wasteland?

However, before she could recover from this immense shock.

Woof!

A tender, yet soul-piercingly majestic and primally wild tiger’s roar, sounded without warning beside the two of them!

Space, like ripples, gently undulated for a moment.

Immediately after, under Yun Qingyao’s horrified gaze, the air beside Lin Xuan silently split open a foot-long crack. Faint Chaos energy flowed along the edges of the crack, as if connecting to some unknown primordial world.

A fluffy, chubby little paw, with soft, squishy pads, was the first to emerge from the spatial rift. The fur on the paw was pure, unblemished snow-white, but its tip carried a golden, glittering sharpness.

Then, a small head squeezed out.

Was that a little tiger?

Its body was no bigger than an adult house cat, with a round head and a round face, comically adorable. Its fluffy, soft fur was pure, snow-white at the base, with mysterious and noble pale golden tiger stripes flowing through it, like molten gold. Its large eyes were like the finest amber gemstones, clear and bright, currently filled with the innocence and curiosity of a newborn calf, looking around at this strange world. On its forehead, a faint, almost invisible “King” character pattern, seemingly formed by Chaos energy, flickered.

The little fellow seemed a bit unaccustomed, its four short legs scrambling at the edge of the spatial rift, trying hard to pull itself out completely, making “hmm-hmm-woo-woo” sounds like a spoiled child, clumsy yet adorable.

Crack!

It pulled too hard, and a piece of invisible spatial fragment at the edge of the spatial rift was accidentally broken off by its little paw, making a crisp cracking sound, then turning into specks of flowing light and dissipating.

The little fellow was startled, and its large amber eyes instantly misted over with tears, looking at Lin Xuan with a wronged expression, letting out a trembling “awww” whimper, as if saying, “I didn’t break it…”

Lin Xuan: “…”

Even though he was now at Great Perfection Foundation Establishment and possessed the Chaos Undying Body, looking at this little creature that had just crawled out of the spatial rift, adorable yet capable of shattering space with a single paw, his eyelids couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

Lie Tian Divine Tiger? Infant stage?

He looked at the wronged little fellow trying to rub against his feet, then at Yun Qingyao, who was completely petrified, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, bent down, and carefully pinched the thickest fur on the back of the little fellow’s neck with two fingers, lifting it out of the spatial rift. It felt heavy in his hand, its fur incredibly soft and warm, and it carried a pleasant, fresh scent like a forest after rain.

The little fellow was held in mid-air, its four short legs pedaling a few times, finding it impossible to break free, so it simply gave up. It extended its pink little tongue ingratiatingly, trying to lick Lin Xuan’s fingers, and made comfortable “purring” sounds in its throat.

Lin Xuan held it in his arms. The little fellow immediately curled up in a comfortable position, rubbing its small head in his arm, finding a snug spot, and then its eyelids began to droop. Was it falling asleep?

A desolate and silent ancient battlefield, piled with white bones, permeated with malevolent aura.

The black-robed youth stood with his hands behind his back, holding a purring little tiger in his arms.

Before him was a severely injured, weak, and utterly shocked and bewildered beautiful Saintess.

Lin Xuan lowered his head, looking at the little tiger in his arms, sharp-clawed yet adorably rolling around and sleeping soundly, feeling the terrifying life energy and spatial affinity hidden within it, like a young star. Then he looked up, gazing at the vast, desolate, and dangerous yet opportunity-filled ancient battlefield ruins in the distance.

A thought, incredibly clear, rose in his heart.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the pervasive malevolent aura, looking towards the farther, deeper All Heavens Myriad Realms, a smile of indescribable arc playing on his lips.

“It seems,” Lin Xuan’s voice was very soft, yet it carried a certainty as if opening up heaven and earth, echoing across this battlefield that had been silent for eons.

“It’s time to take in a few thousand monstrous disciples.”