Lin Hao, lying on the ground, heard his father's voice and felt the golden light protecting him. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He weakly spoke, his voice hoarse, "Father... Father, save me... Kill him, you must kill him!"
Lin Zhentian's illusory figure frowned slightly but did not respond to Lin Hao. His gaze remained fixed intently on Hu Nan, his tone softening again: "Fellow Daoist, please reconsider. Spare my son's life, and all the treasures will be yours. This will be no loss for you."
Qin Changsheng, controlling Hu Nan, slowly raised his head, his gaze coldly fixed on Lin Zhentian's illusory figure in mid-air. Through the eye sockets of his black iron mask, a hint of disdain and mockery was conveyed.
He had already made his decision—a swift victory, to seize the Foundation Condensation Grass as quickly as possible, and then immediately retreat, giving Lin Zhentian's true body no chance to arrive.
The instant Lin Zhentian's illusory figure finished speaking, Hu Nan moved!
Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his full magical power, his figure transforming into a black afterimage. The Black Wind Sword in his hand, carrying a world-destroying force, stabbed fiercely towards the golden light enveloping Lin Hao!
"You ungrateful fool!" Seeing this, the restraint in Lin Zhentian's illusory eyes vanished instantly, replaced by intense killing intent.
He roared angrily, channeling the remaining spiritual power within his illusory form to reinforce the golden light shield, attempting to block Hu Nan's fatal blow.
But he was ultimately just an illusory figure, his spiritual power limited. Even with his full strength, he could not withstand the full force of a Qi Refining Stage 10 cultivator's attack.
"Clang—!!!" A deafening collision resounded as the Black Wind Sword slammed into the golden light shield. The sharp sword energy instantly tore through the surface of the golden light. The surging spiritual power collided, creating a massive shockwave that swept away the weeds and withered trees on both sides of the path, instantly turning them to ashes.
Lin Zhentian's illusory figure trembled violently, a look of pain appearing on his face. The figure blurred, clearly due to excessive depletion of spiritual energy.
Hu Nan didn't pause. He slightly tightened his wrist, channeling more spiritual energy into the Black Wind Sword. The sword energy at the tip grew even sharper. With a crisp "crack," the seemingly indestructible golden light shield was instantly shattered by the Black Wind Sword. The golden light scattered like broken glass, gradually dissipating into the air, no longer offering any protection.
The instant the golden light was shattered, Hu Nan's figure had already closed in on Lin Hao, the Black Wind Sword raised once more.
But at this critical moment, a vast and powerful pressure, several times stronger than the illusory figure, suddenly emanated from the entrance of the path. Like an invisible mountain, it crushed down, carrying a bone-chilling cold and overwhelming killing intent, instantly enveloping the entire path!
"Lin Zhentian?" In the courtyard, an incredulous look of astonishment flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes.
He never expected Lin Zhentian's true form to arrive so quickly!
Qin Changsheng's mind cleared instantly.
He absolutely could not afford to be greedy and kill Lin Hao now! Lin Zhentian's true form was already upon him. With his current cultivation level of the tenth level of Qi Refining, he was no match for a Golden Core cultivator. If he insisted on killing Lin Hao, he would have no chance of obtaining the Foundation Condensation Grass.
In a split second, Qin Changsheng made his decision: abandon the attempt to kill Lin Hao and prioritize obtaining the Foundation Condensation Grass.
Killing Lin Hao was merely a momentary pleasure; his ultimate goal was to seize the Foundation Establishment Grass. To lose the treasure in the process of killing Lin Hao would be a greater loss.
The thought flashed through his mind, but Qin Changsheng hesitated no longer. He manipulated Hu Nan's figure, abruptly lowering it, abandoning the idea of killing Lin Hao. His right hand shot out with lightning speed, avoiding Lin Hao's terrified gaze, and grabbed the exquisite storage bag at Lin Hao's waist.
He knew that the Foundation Establishment Grass, the mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill, and Lin Hao's own treasures given to him by Lin Zhentian were all contained within this storage bag.
Hu Nan grasped the storage bag, certain that the Foundation Establishment Grass was inside.
Without pausing or even glancing at Lin Hao again, he activated his divine sense to its fullest extent. His figure transformed into a black afterimage once more, turning and speeding towards Qingyun Lake at extreme speed, his only desire being to escape this place as quickly as possible and avoid Lin Zhentian's true form's pursuit.
At that moment, at the entrance of the path, Lin Zhentian appeared like a ghost, his golden core radiating immense power and overwhelming killing intent.
His gaze was like a knife, fixed on Hu Nan's fleeing figure. He then glanced down at Lin Hao, who lay on the ground, barely alive and filled with despair. His killing intent almost burst forth as he roared, "You little thief, don't run! How dare you hurt my child and steal my treasure! I will tear you to pieces!"
With that roar, Lin Zhentian moved instantly, his immense power driving him in full speed as he pursued Hu Nan.
Shortly afterward, Qingyun Lake appeared before Hu Nan.
Hu Nan's figure swiftly reached the shore of Qingyun Lake. Without the slightest hesitation or even a moment's pause, like a nimble swallow, he leaped directly into the deep waters of Qingyun Lake.
Almost the instant Hu Nan jumped into Qingyun Lake, Lin Zhentian arrived swiftly, landing steadily on the lake's shore.
"Where do you think you're going!" Lin Zhentian slowly raised his right hand, a ball of dark golden spiritual energy quietly condensing in his palm, mixed with a trace of eerie black energy.
"Go!" Lin Zhentian shouted, his wrist flashing. The ball of dark golden spiritual energy in his palm instantly transformed into a sharp beam of light, carrying a chilling aura and strange fluctuations, imbued with the immense spiritual power of a Golden Core cultivator, directly striking Hu Nan's body.
Seeing the beam of light successfully hit the spot Hu Nan had jumped into, a smug and sinister smile finally appeared on Lin Zhentian's face, and the Golden Core pressure surrounding him gradually subsided.
"You little thief, this 'Heart Demon Curse' of mine is an ancient evil technique, activated by the spiritual power of a Golden Core cultivator. It is formless and intangible; once you are tainted, it will penetrate deep into your spiritual meridians and soul. Every time you break through a cultivation level, the Heart Demon will erupt wildly, tearing at your soul and devouring your spiritual power. There is no way to break free except through death!"
Lin Zhentian was extremely smug.
Although he hadn't managed to kill Hu Nan,
this powerful Heart Demon Curse would definitely give Hu Nan a hard time.
The effect of this Heart Demon Curse was that every time Hu Nan broke through a cultivation level, he would be attacked by the Heart Demon.
This curse could only be broken by finding a Golden Core cultivator with a higher cultivation level than him, or by death.
He didn't believe that the Qi Refining cultivator could find a Golden Core cultivator to help him break it.
Lin Zhentian glanced at Qingyun Lake, then vanished in a flash.
...
Heavenly Sword Sect.
Inside the courtyard.
Qin Changsheng slowly withdrew his divine sense from Hu Nan, and with a gentle wave of his hand, a storage bag appeared in his palm.
Qin Changsheng was somewhat relieved.
Luckily, he had given up on killing Lin Hao; otherwise, he wouldn't have had time to seize this storage bag.
After all, killing Lin Hao would have made the storage bag extremely cost-effective.
Qin Changsheng's calculations this time were excellent.
However, he overlooked one thing: Lin Hao actually possessed a defensive treasure.
Moreover, Lin Zhentian arrived incredibly quickly.
Even so, obtaining this storage bag was still quite good.
At the same time, Qin Changsheng's gaze fell upon Hu Nan's attribute panel.
[Name: Hu Nan]
[Status: Inner Demon Curse]
[Inner Demon Curse: The curse of Lin Zhentianxia, a Golden Core cultivator. Whenever his cultivation breaks through, his inner demon will inevitably erupt, and he will follow him indefinitely unless he dies!]
Looking at Hu Nan's state, Qin Changsheng's lips curled into a cold smile.
This Inner Demon Curse might be effective against others.
But Hu Nan was merely an avatar.
Even if he died, Qin Changsheng could simply spend one spirit stone to summon Hu Nan again.