...

Lin Zheyu stayed in Guanghua City for about half a month.

After staying for a while, he found that there wasn't much difference between the main sect and the eight branches.

As for the treatment of inner sect disciples, the main sect's was a bit better, but for true disciples, it was about the same.

As long as one showed enough strong talent and aptitude, it was similar anywhere.

"Junior brother, won't you stay a few more days?"

Outside Guanghua City, Liang En tried to persuade him to stay.

Liang En had a good temperament, was passionate about martial arts, and a bit naive. Over the ten days, Lin Zheyu had formed a good friendship with him.

"No, it's more comfortable staying at Bitao Pavilion. Senior brother, if you have time, you can come to Bitao Pavilion to find me, and it's best to bring Senior Sister Baoyu with you~"

"It's getting late. Senior brother, until we meet again!"

Lin Zheyu smiled, waved his hand, and turned into the forest.

Finding a secluded place, Lin Zheyu changed his clothes, and his appearance slowly transformed into that of a plain-looking middle-aged man.

"Let's wander around and see if I can find some strong magical constructs to test my skills."

Lin Zheyu grinned, a simple smile appearing on his middle-aged face.

He identified the direction and headed towards Wuling City.

In the deep mountains, there were almost no hunters or herbalists to be seen, but from time to time, there were small teams of at least three martial artists and soldiers.

They were all there to search for traces of magical constructs and to slay them.

"The spatial nodes nearby haven't been opened; where did so many magical constructs come from?" Lin Zheyu was curious.

With a light step of his toe, his body moved swiftly through the forest, almost as if weightless.

Thanks to his strong perception, he could sense the subtle movements within about 200 meters around him.

But in broad daylight, the magical constructs were all hiding.

Lin Zheyu searched for over an hour before finally sensing a familiar aura.

"There is one here!"

Lin Zheyu's expression lit up with mild joy, and power exploded from under his feet in an instant.

Boom——

His speed instantly soared to an astonishing level that surpassed the speed of sound as Lin Zheyu darted into the forest, his long knife sweeping through the air.

With a 'pff' sound.

A ferocious beast's head flew into the sky, letting out a deafening roar mid-air.

"Too weak..."

Lin Zheyu halted, not even looking at the magical construct's corpse behind him, his enthusiasm waning.

With a physique comparable to a Martial Artist with Transforming Force, a golden Qi Blood energy ten times stronger than an ordinary martial artist, and a powerful perception field.

Lin Zheyu's strength had long since become something incomparable to before.

Though he hadn't advanced to Transforming Force, his overall combat power could rival that of a Grandmaster.

...

Rustle...

A gentle breeze blew through.

In the dark forest shrouded in mist and poison, the trees rustled.

"Report, my lord, the Lin Zheyu you asked us to monitor has left Guanghua City." Inside the hall, a man walked in quickly and spoke respectfully. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Oh?"

"Finally left, this kid made me wait long enough."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan put down his wine cup, revealing a calm yet eerie smile.

As a Demon Martial Artist, he was now a wanted man and didn't dare approach any large cities. He could only rely on the forces of the Demon Celestial Palace to keep track of Lin Zheyu's movements.

"An enemy?"

The man opposite Pei Xuan showed a hint of interest.

"Just a little guy in the Bone Marrow Refining Realm, with some grudges." Pei Xuan said blandly.

He looked at his subordinate and asked calmly, "Did anyone follow him?"

"My lord, we lost him."

"That man's perception is very strong and highly alert. Once he entered the forest, we lost sight of him."

"Please forgive me, my lord."

The man hurriedly knelt down in fear and said.

"I'll be back soon. I'll leave the matters here to you."

Pei Xuan said to the man beside him.

He didn't blame this subordinate.

In his view, it was normal for a genius disciple like Lin Zheyu to be protected by a powerful person.

Duan Ping and a group of subordinates he sent out all fell at the hands of the opponent, showing the person's strength was formidable.

Pei Xuan stood up, his figure moved, and he disappeared from the hall.

When he reappeared, he was already in the center of the forest, inside a grand temple.

Inside the temple, a towering demon god statue was enshrined.

Pei Xuan took the incense handed by a nearby attendant, lit it, and began to worship the tall Divine Demon Statue devoutly.

This was a somewhat eerie Divine Demon Statue.

The statue's hands were clasped together, with ten arms growing from its back, holding various weapons as if about to launch a fatal strike.

Its face showed pain and ferocity, but its eyes were filled with an incomparable peace and calm.

The whole body was a mixture of conflicting yet bizarre harmony.

As he worshipped, an inexplicable emotion surged in Pei Xuan's heart, making his gaze even more peaceful and calm.

"You've come." A calm voice sounded from behind him.

It was a tall and burly man wearing unique ceremonial attire.

"Give me the item."

Pei Xuan extended his hand and said calmly.

"Have you decided?" The man said calmly.

"Do I have a choice?"

"I can't suppress it anymore. There's no way for a Demon Martial Artist to become a Grandmaster; apart from this path, I have no other choice."

Pei Xuan said calmly.

He had tried many methods, but they all failed.

A Demon Martial Artist was a road of no return. If he continued to advance, he would soon be assimilated into a half-demon.

At Pei Xuan's level of strength, after becoming a half-demon, there wouldn't be much difference from a true demon, and it would be impossible to retain consciousness like Duan Ping.

"Indeed, there isn't."