Lin Qiye dragged his exhausted body forward in the darkness. He did not know where he was going, but simply relied on a faint intuition in his heart as he walked in an unknown direction. In this world destroyed by the Gods, clear paths no longer existed, and ruins and dangers were everywhere.
After walking for I don't know how long, Lin Qiye arrived before an ancient mountain range. This mountain range had already existed before the catastrophe, and it was said to conceal many mysterious ruins and treasures within. However, because the mountains were filled with all sorts of dangerous traps and ferocious monsters, very few people dared to venture deep inside.
"Perhaps the power I need is here." Lin Qiye looked at the mountain range before him, a flicker of hope welling up in his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he walked toward the mountains. The moment he entered the mountain range, Lin Qiye sensed a dense, mysterious aura. The surrounding trees were exceptionally tall with dense foliage, blocking out almost all the sunlight and making the interior of the mountains appear particularly gloomy.
Lin Qiye walked cautiously, observing his surroundings with vigilance. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound, as if something was approaching. He quickly stopped in his tracks and tightened his grip on the long sword in his hand. A swarm of huge bees came flying toward him; their bodies were the size of fists, and the stingers at their tails gleamed with a cold light.
"Hmph!" Lin Qiye let out a cold snort, his figure flashing to evade the bees' attack. He swung his long sword, slashing toward the bee swarm. However, these bees were extremely fast, nimbly dodging Lin Qiye's attacks while continuously firing stingers at him. Although Lin Qiye was able to avoid most of the stingers, a few still grazed his body, leaving tiny scratches on his skin. These wounds rapidly began to blacken and swell, making it obvious that the bees' stingers contained a potent poison.
"Troublesome." Lin Qiye frowned, knowing he could no longer take a passive beating. He channeled his Spiritual Power, forming a protective barrier around his body to temporarily block the bees' assaults. Then, he began observing the bees' flight paths, attempting to find their weakness.
After some observation, Lin Qiye noticed that the movements of these bees seemed to follow a pattern. They flew around a central point, which should be the location of the queen bee. Once the queen bee was dealt with, these bees would naturally scatter. Seizing the right moment, Lin Qiye charged directly toward the queen's position. Sensing his intent, the bees went wild, hurling themselves at Lin Qiye in a frantic attempt to stop him.
Disregarding the bees' attacks, Lin Qiye forcefully broke through their defense line and arrived right in front of the queen bee. The queen was massive, resembling a small calf, and its body displayed dazzling, multicolored hues that were as beautiful as they were lethal. Seeing Lin Qiye approach, the queen opened its huge mouthparts and spat a stream of green venom at him.
Lin Qiye quickly sidestepped to avoid the venom, then swung his sword to slash at the queen. The queen nimbly dodged his attack while directing the bee swarm to assault him. Lin Qiye fell into a bitter struggle; he had to dodge the bees' attacks while simultaneously dealing with the queen's counterattacks, finding himself somewhat battered for a moment.
Just as Lin Qiye was starting to feel overwhelmed, he suddenly recalled a method he had once seen in an ancient text for dealing with bee-type monsters. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a fire starter and ignited the surrounding trees. The fire spread rapidly, billowing thick smoke. Highly sensitive to smoke and flames, the bees began to panic and scattered in all directions. The queen bee was also affected, its movements becoming sluggish.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Qiye launched an all-out attack on the queen bee. He unleashed the "Star Slash", and a dazzling sword light sliced toward the queen. The queen tried to dodge, but it was already too late. The sword light cleaved fiercely into its body, splitting it in two. With the death of the queen bee, the remaining bees also scattered and fled in all directions.
Lin Qiye let out a sigh of relief. He sat on the ground and began tending to his wounds. The bees' venom was extremely potent, and he had to force the poison out as quickly as possible, or his life would be in danger. After a strenuous effort, Lin Qiye finally forced all the poison out of his body, though this left his physical condition even weaker.
"I cannot stop; I must keep moving forward." Lin Qiye gritted his teeth, stood up, and continued walking deeper into the mountain range. After an arduous trek, he finally arrived before an ancient ruin. This ruin looked as though it had been abandoned for a long time; the structures were covered in moss and vines, and the walls were carved with all sorts of mysterious runes and patterns.
Stepping into the ruins, Lin Qiye was hit by a wave of an ancient and mysterious aura. He walked carefully, dreading the activation of any traps. In the great hall of the ruins, he spotted a massive statue. It depicted an ancient god of war clad in battle armor, holding a long spear, gazing sternly ahead. At the base of the statue lay several glowing items, which appeared to be some kind of treasures.
A surge of joy rose in Lin Qiye's heart as he walked toward the statue. Just as he drew near, the ground around him suddenly began to vibrate violently. Massive cracks split open across the floor, from which numerous gargoyles emerged. Wielding their stone wings and claws, these gargoyles pounced on Lin Qiye.
"More enemies." Lin Qiye tightened his grip on his long sword, preparing for battle. He knew these gargoyles would not be easy to deal with; their bodies were incomparably hard, making it difficult for ordinary attacks to damage them. Yet, with no retreat left, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight.
Lin Qiye charged at a gargoyle, swinging his sword toward its head. However, when the blade struck the gargoyle's head, it merely sparked and failed to inflict any damage. Seizing the opportunity, the gargoyle lashed out with its claws, grabbing at Lin Qiye. Lin Qiye hastily retreated, dodging the attack.
"It seems I must find their weakness." Lin Qiye thought to himself as he began observing the gargoyles' movements. He noticed that while they moved with agility, their attack patterns were rather singular. Moreover, they appeared quite sensitive to light.
An idea struck Lin Qiye. Channeling his Spiritual Power, he condensed a sphere of light in his palm and hurled it into the pack of gargoyles. The light sphere detonated among them, generating a blinding glare. Stung by the intense light, the gargoyles let out painful roars, and their movements slowed down considerably.
Seizing the chance, Lin Qiye sprinted toward a gargoyle. Unleashing his full strength, he thrust his sword straight into the creature's eyes. The eyes were the gargoyles' weakness; as the blade pierced its eyes, the creature let out a shrill scream before crashing heavily to the ground and shattering into a pile of rubble.
Seeing their companion destroyed, the remaining gargoyles grew even more frantic. Disregarding the stinging light, they lunged at Lin Qiye. Relying on his nimble footwork, Lin Qiye wove through the swarm of gargoyles, constantly searching for openings to strike their eyes. After a fierce battle, Lin Qiye finally eradicated all the gargoyles.
He walked to the base of the statue and picked up the glowing items. These items consisted of ancient gems and cultivation manuals, and they contained formidable power. Lin Qiye knew these objects would be of immense help on his path of vengeance. Stowing the treasures away safely, he continued exploring the ruins.
Deep within the ruins, Lin Qiye discovered a secret chamber. The door of the chamber was engraved with complex runes that radiated a mysterious glow. Lin Qiye tried pushing the door, but it remained completely immovable. He carefully examined the runes on the door, attempting to figure out how to open the secret chamber.
After some study, Lin Qiye realized these runes functioned like an ancient combination lock. He needed to activate the runes in a specific sequence to unlock the chamber. Lin Qiye began experimenting with different combinations, and after multiple failures, he finally cracked the correct password. As the final rune was activated, the door of the secret chamber slowly swung open, and a powerful surge of energy gushed out from within.
Stepping into the secret chamber, Lin Qiye beheld a massive stone platform. Resting upon it was a sword radiating a mysterious light, its blade engraved with ancient runes that seemed to recount its legendary tales. Feeling the potent power emanating from the sword, Lin Qiye knew this was precisely what he had been searching for.
He stepped onto the platform and reached out to grasp the sword. The moment his fingers closed around the hilt, a massive surge of energy flooded into his body. He felt his entire being swell with power, and his previous fatigue and injuries were instantly swept away. The sword seemed to share a special connection with him, responding directly to the deep yearning in Lin Qiye's heart.
"With this sword, I can enhance my strength even faster." Lin Qiye looked at the sword in his hand, his heart brimming with joy. He knew this was a crucial turning point on his road of vengeance. Taking the sword with him, he left the ruins and set forth once more upon his journey.