Within the demon god barrier, on a desolate hill, Tu Yuan's figure suddenly appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, it has been a while."

"Hmph!"

Yuan Qiu snorted coldly and waved his hand. A streak of dim light shot toward Tu Yuan's location. With a loud boom, a massive crater appeared where Tu Yuan had been standing. Within the pit, a layer of purple crystal emitted an extremely chilling aura.

Tu Yuan's head popped up from another spot as he hurriedly shouted, "Fellow Daoist, do not attack! Damn it, I told you not to attack! I came to cooperate!"

But the moment he finished speaking, his brow twitched, and he moved instantly, disappearing once more.

At the instant he vanished, an invisible cold wind swept through, and icy flames suddenly ignited in the air where he had been.

This time, Tu Yuan had learned his lesson and reappeared at a much greater distance.

"Damn it, stop attacking! We can talk this out!"

This was the temporary base of Yuan Qiu and Liao Xingfan. Numerous powerful formations and restrictions had been set up around it. The moment Tu Yuan appeared, he had nearly fallen into a trap.

Damn it... If not for all my dharma artifacts and treasures being taken, I would have smashed you with a single strike... Tu Yuan cursed inwardly.

However, he did not show it. After all, he had come this time seeking cooperation.

Yuan Qiu glanced at Tu Yuan coldly and said indifferently, "Speak. What is it?"

"Do you not want that secret treasure? Let us cooperate," Tu Yuan said with a smile.

Lei He snorted and said bluntly, "Hmph, get lost. We do not trust you."

Tu Yuan was notorious. Relying on his powerful earth escape techniques, he had committed countless outrages. If not for his strong backing, great strength, and exceptional ability to escape, he would have long since been reduced to dust.

"Oh, come on. Why such hostility? I am just here to share some information. In my estimation, that secret treasure might possess the powerful ability to purify and refine demonic qi into spiritual qi. Are you sure you are not tempted?" Tu Yuan said with a sly grin.

"Heh..." Yuan Qiu let out a faint chuckle, his gaze sharpening slightly.

"We are all smart people. Back at the outskirts of the demon god barrier, that demonic lake was artificially created. I am sure you all noticed. Creating a demonic lake to test a secret treasure within it... Heh. I have said enough. You can decide for yourselves." Tu Yuan chuckled, then his figure flickered and sank into the demon-tainted soil, disappearing without a trace.

Yuan Qiu, Liao Xingfan, and Lei He exchanged glances, a hint of temptation in their eyes. However, they did not fully follow the line of thought that Tu Yuan had tried to lead them toward.

"What do you think?" Yuan Qiu asked in a low voice as he looked at the two, who seemed slightly tempted.

"Tu Yuan's words cannot be trusted too much. That person took his storage pouch. I suspect he intends to use us as tools," Liao Xingfan said after a moment of thought, shaking his head.

"That is indeed the case. But that person is quite strong. If Tu Yuan truly wants to take back his storage pouch, we alone would not be enough. Let us wait. He will definitely make another move," Lei He said calmly.

The other two nodded in agreement and continued setting up defensive formations.

***

Lin Zheyu looked at the massive Buddhist hand in the sky and pondered, "If that Buddha hand were not suppressing this place, would countless spatial gaps form here?"

He felt an odd sense of frustration, like trying to scratch an itch through a boot. Although the void fluctuations here were far stronger than those emitted by teleportation formations, the interference of demonic qi made them much harder to comprehend. Suddenly, Lin Zheyu turned toward the darkness on his left, his brows furrowing slightly.

A few breaths later, Shi Mulan opened her eyes as well and shouted sharply, "Who goes there!"

The three moved at once and quickly gathered together, watching the distance with vigilance. The demon god barrier was now filled with powerful figures, including talents like Lei Yongtao and Ji Ziyang, who roamed about provoking and testing others. If given the chance, they would not hesitate to kill. The fewer competitors there were for the rule fragments, the greater their own chances. If killing were an option, people like Lei Yongtao would show no mercy.

"Be careful! That person's aura is very strange," Lin Zheyu said in a low voice.

The aura was extremely peculiar, somewhat like that of barbarian warriors, yet not quite the same.

"That person is very likely a barbarian shaman," Lin Zheyu said after a moment of thought.

The barbarians had two cultivation paths. One was the totem warrior, the other the shaman. One specialized in close combat, while the other was skilled in spellcasting.

"Oh?" Bai Lin's expression shifted slightly as his aura began to stir.

Among the three, his perception was the weakest. Shi Mulan and Lin Zheyu had both sensed the anomaly, yet he could detect nothing. He had only felt a vague sense of danger approaching, a martial artist's instinct. Bai Lin could sense the danger, but he could not determine where it came from, let alone perceive the other party's aura.

A calm voice came from the darkness. "Interesting. Such keen perception. I heard that among the martial artists, a rather interesting youngster has appeared. I came specifically to take a look."

The moment the voice fell, a streak of dim light flashed and shot straight toward Lin Zheyu's forehead. His brows tightened slightly. Within his Perception Domain, several powerful auras appeared around him.

Lin Zheyu tapped the ground lightly with his toe and retreated swiftly. With many watching from the shadows, he did not want to engage rashly and reveal too much of his strength.

A sharp sound rang out as another streak of dim light shot toward him.

A cold, hoarse voice rang out, "Slow!"

Lin Zheyu's body shifted sideways abruptly, but the instant he heard the voice, he faltered. An invisible force pressed in from all directions, crushing toward him.

"What kind of ability is this?" Lin Zheyu was deeply shocked. This was his first time fighting a barbarian shaman, and the opponent's almost command-like power left him astonished.

"With this level of strength, you think you can restrain me? Hmph!" Lin Zheyu snorted coldly as his body shook violently, his muscles swelling and bulging.

Lin Zheyu stomped down fiercely, and the ground let out a deafening roar. Invisible energy waves spread outward from him in all directions.

An extremely cold strand of energy brushed past Lin Zheyu and sank into the nearby demon-tainted soil, making a deep and unfathomable hole. Thick black smoke rose from within the pit, exuding an eerie aura.

"What a strange technique!"

Sensing the aura emanating from the pit, Lin Zheyu frowned slightly. Although he was confident that even if he took that attack head-on, it would not harm him in the slightest, he had no intention of testing it. Fighting brute martial artists was much more straightforward. At least he would not have to deal with all kinds of bizarre and unpredictable techniques.

I need to end this quickly. His abilities may be strange, but as long as I close the distance and do not give him the chance to use them, it will be fine.

Power erupted beneath his feet, and Lin Zheyu's speed surged instantly, reaching an astonishing seven times the speed of sound in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!" Bai Lin exclaimed in shock.

He had not seen any sign of Lin Zheyu opening his divine repositories, yet he could already unleash such terrifying power.

Bai Lin was deeply shocked. However, a moment later, doubt arose in his mind.

No, perhaps he has already perfectly mastered the power of the three great divine repositories and fully integrated them into himself, which is why there is no obvious change, Bai Lin thought to himself.

A sharp wind howled. Sensing Lin Zheyu rushing toward him at astonishing speed, the shaman in the darkness remained completely calm. He lifted his right hand slightly and parted his lips.

"Confuse! Dream!"

A dim light radiated from the shaman's hand, merging into the void and vanishing without a trace.