Bai Xue hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Without Lu Yin, the capital city couldn't even be defended, let alone protect this stone. Besides, they didn't understand it anyway.
Soon, Dean Lian and Bai Xue left, leaving Lu Yin alone.
Lu Yin looked at the stone, slowly took it out, and held it in his hand. It felt icy cold to the bone but nothing else special. After a while, Lu Yin couldn't discern anything and was about to put the stone back and leave.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened. Using the You Shen step, he reached out to grab toward a corner. A shadow was revealed, staring at Lu Yin in surprise. Raising a hand, a cold aura spread out. Lu Yin squinted his eyes, and his probing palm transformed into a beast claw. He struck out with a Heavenly Beast Claw. The shadow cried out and hurriedly dodged.
Lu Yin only used a basic Heavenly Beast Claw technique with moderate power. The shadow easily avoided it and stepped into the light, revealing a woman—beautiful in appearance but exuding a cold aura, staring at him indifferently.
"Who are you? What's your purpose?" Lu Yin asked. This woman was definitely a student, and quite strong, though not as strong as Mono, probably similar in strength to Las.
The woman replied arrogantly, "My name is Jenniona, from the Ona family. You must have heard of us."
Lu Yin frowned. "Never heard of you. State your purpose."
A cold flash appeared in Jenniona's eyes. "How dare you speak to me like that?"
Lu Yin was annoyed. This woman was just as full of superiority as Las. Ona family? That sounded serious, but he didn't care. "No matter who you are, since you're here, you're not leaving," he said, rushing toward Jenniona.
Jenniona was startled. She knew the man before her had defeated Mono, so she admitted she was no match. "Stop! I'm from the Ona family. My father is Snow Mountain Ona, and my uncle is the captain of the Ninth Team of the Imperial Court's Thirteenth Squad. Don't fool yourself."
Lu Yin grabbed Jenniona roughly. She didn't resist much and glared at him angrily. "One more warning: I'm not comparable to Las. Our Ona family influences imperial decisions. Don't misunderstand."
Lu Yin's gaze shifted sharply. Suddenly, he released Jenniona and quickly dashed toward the stone. At the same time, a figure swiftly approached the stone, attempting to snatch it, but Lu Yin blocked the way.
He grabbed the newcomer's arm. The touch was smooth. Raising his eyes, he saw another woman.
The second woman wore green, like an elf. When she realized Lu Yin had grabbed her arm, she snorted, flipped, and kicked him. Lu Yin tried to forcibly twist her body to deflect the attack but was shocked to find he couldn't move her. This woman was surprisingly strong.
Helpless, Lu Yin let go, dodged her kick, and struck out with his left hand's Heavenly Beast Claw. Three strikes of the Heavenly Beast Claw would be enough to defeat an expert like Ede, but it had no effect on the green-clothed woman. She raised her fist and smashed it directly. The Heavenly Beast Claw shattered, and the leftover force even slammed into Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was shocked by the power. Activating the Tianxing Skill, he saw many changes in her punch—it wasn't just one punch but ten punches delivered in an instant.
Lu Yin's expression turned serious. He barely dodged the punch wind and watched her warily.
The green-clothed woman looked at Lu Yin in surprise. "You dodged it?"
Lu Yin frowned tightly. This woman was very strong, definitely not weaker than Mono, maybe even stronger. That punch was no less powerful than the Seven-Strike Heavenly Beast Claw. It looked like she had thrown it casually. Where did such a terrifying expert come from? Was the target that stone?
Just as Lu Yin was about to speak, another figure emerged from the darkness. All these people could conceal their star energy and evade personal terminal combat power detection, meaning they were extremely powerful.
The third newcomer made Lu Yin's heart sink—Xialuo. She had once given him a strong sense of crisis, a feeling as intense as when he first encountered Yin under the moonlight.
In the cramped underground space, four people faced off: two men and two women.
Jenniona looked surprised—she hadn't noticed the other two hiding.
The green-clothed woman also looked surprised at Xialuo. When had this person hidden herself?
"Your target is this stone, right?" Lu Yin asked gravely.
Jenniona and the green-clothed woman said nothing. Xialuo smiled gently. "Correct. Lu Yin, do you know the origin of this stone?"
Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "I don't."
Xialuo said, "Then we can talk. This stone is an heirloom of a powerful clan in the universe. It is said that one can obtain that clan's combat techniques from it. The reason Qing Yu was wanted is because of this stone. Since you don't know its purpose, we can explore it together. I'll tell you how. What do you say?"
The woman in green looked at Xialuo in surprise. "You know the method?"
Xialuo smiled. "I know a bit. No one can take this stone away, except those with the bloodline of that powerful clan. Others can't explore this stone. That's why that clan hasn't acted personally—otherwise, the entire Canglan Domain would be doomed. So there's no need for you to fight over it."
The woman in green glanced at Lu Yin. "What do you say?"
Lu Yin swept his gaze over the three of them. Aside from Jenniona, he wasn't confident he could defeat the other two. Not even all the experts in the capital combined could stop them. "Alright, we'll explore it together, but none of you can take the stone away."
Xialuo nodded with a smile. "No problem. It's not just us. If you have friends who want to explore as well, that's fine. The method is simple: blood. Blood can activate the stone. Whether you receive the inheritance depends on yourself. I can tell you—it's almost impossible to succeed."
Lu Yin glanced at Xialuo and immediately contacted Bai Xue and Zhang Dingtian. Soon, the two arrived, followed by Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng.
Jenniona frowned, arrogantly staring at the newcomers.
Zhang Dingtian and the others watched them warily. Three experts, two of whom were no weaker than Mono. If a fight broke out, it would be a disaster for the capital.
"No need to be on guard. I bear no hostility toward you. We're just exploring this stone together. I'll start then," Xialuo said, making a polite gesture.
Lu Yin tossed the stone out. Xialuo casually let a drop of blood fall onto one face of the stone. Immediately, the stone floated into the air, absorbing the blood. Strangely, everyone felt a heavy pressure descend. Countless combat techniques seemed to flash before their eyes, and in an instant, they experienced an indescribable cold and terrifying aura.
Xialuo sat cross-legged on the ground, looking up at the stone with a thoughtful gaze.
The woman in green went second. After her blood was absorbed into the stone's surface, she also sat down, staring deeply at the stone.
The stone had sixteen faces. Everyone formed a circle and began.
Before starting, Lu Yin glanced at Xialuo. He was sure that if he acted now, he wouldn't gain anything. These people seemed unguarded but surely had their own defenses.
Without further thought, Lu Yin sliced his hand to draw blood and dropped a drop onto one face of the stone. As the blood was absorbed, suddenly, a fist that pierced through the sky appeared before his eyes, crossing ancient space and time to strike at him.
Pfft—
Wu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale. He had failed. Immediately after, Zhou Shan also failed.
Like a chain reaction, Bai Xue, Jenniona, Zhang Dingtian failed one after another, all pale and staring at the stone in shock.
The fist before Lu Yin grew closer and closer. He saw the starry sky, boundless darkness, and seemed to see the river of time. Countless people had died under this one punch. This punch turned day into night.
Instinctively, Lu Yin activated Tianxing Skill, gritting his teeth and biting his lip. The speed of the incoming fist gradually slowed, and he began to see it clearly.
Although the fist covered the starry sky and reversed day and night, it was not impossible to dodge.
Wait, why dodge?
Lu Yin's eyes suddenly opened wide. Three stars on his body rotated, and suddenly, a fourth star faintly appeared. He had been observing the star map recently. At the moment of the fist's pressure, the fourth star barely showed its shadow.
With a star's explosion, just as the fist was about to hit him, it vanished, and he seemed to have traveled an infinite distance, arriving outside a long corridor.
Endless darkness enveloped all directions, with no sense of distance. The only thing visible was a corridor filled with an ancient aura, permeated with the scent of blood.
Lu Yin couldn't describe the corridor before him. There was no light source, yet the entire corridor was clearly visible. Though clearly visible, the next moment it changed. This was a corridor that could change.
The whole corridor was dark red. On both sides, stone walls were carved with incomprehensible murals. The figures depicted emitted no sound but gave Lu Yin the feeling of howling and screaming. The walls seemed to drip blood, and the air smelled strongly of blood.