Wang Linchi was grateful that he hadn't chosen to break out initially, as that would have undoubtedly resulted in death.

The beast tide had already arrived; there were countless of them coming from all directions. More importantly, these beasts were not ordinary. Each one had red eyes and radiated an aura of madness. In Wang Linchi's eyes, the souls of these beasts were in utter chaos, all under control. Moreover, some kind of parasitic worm, probably a Gu Insect, was rooted in their bodies.

At least two forms of The Heritage of the Sky Devil, one involves Soul Control, the other is Gu Technique. Wang Linchi felt that this time, things were genuinely troublesome.

Looking at the state of the enemy, it was clear that they intended to massacre everyone in Crouching Tiger City. No, perhaps not just Crouching Tiger City. All cities not under the control of the Dajing Court might become fodder for the Demonic Inheritance Successor. To the Court, the Beast Garden Secret Realm itself was irrelevant. Those who dared to revolt had previously only been killed to vent frustration. But now, it was different. The Demonic Inheritance Successor could not only vent their anger but also use the situation to enhance their own power.

Should I run or confront the enemy? Wang Linchi pondered. There's a chance of winning if I fight back. The Demonic Inheritance Successor's strength is definitely insufficient; at most, they are at the Secret Silver Level. The ability to control so many beasts must be inextricably linked to Gu Insects.

Of course, this was only Wang Linchi's conjecture. Anyone dispatched by the Court to handle this situation would undoubtedly be an exceptional talent; otherwise, how could they possess two instances of The Heritage of the Sky Devil? This implied that the opponent had killed another possessor of The Heritage of the Sky Devil. Otherwise, how could they have two?

As he was contemplating this, the beast tide began to advance toward Crouching Tiger City. All the Beast Hunters of Crouching Tiger City defended from the city walls using long-range weapons. Wang Linchi moved along the various sections of the city walls, observing, trying to find the Demonic Inheritance Successor.

It's obvious Crouching Tiger City can't hold out. The best approach is to kill the controller first; that's the only slim chance of survival.

"Found them," Wang Linchi whispered.

His Soul Vision soon detected an unusual fluctuation. The enemy was well hidden, but if they intended to control the beast tide, they couldn't be too far away. Otherwise, how could they maintain control of the situation? Their skills weren't refined enough; otherwise, Wang Linchi wouldn't have been able to spot them.

Now, I just need to kill them. Wang Linchi summoned the Saint Master to protect him.

BOOM!

Within the beast tide, an invisible force brutally carved a horrifying bloody path, pulverizing all beasts in its way into a gory mess. This bloody path extended directly to a handsome youth hidden amongst the beasts.

Wang Linchi instantly expended all the spiritual power within one Golden Core Illusion. The opponent seemed to possess some method of substituting injury or death, which allowed him to survive Wang Linchi's Fanciful and Fickle attack, suffering very little damage.

"You're quite impressive. You're qualified to become my Blood Marionette." The youth's expression was arrogant, as if looking down on an inferior being.

"Oh? Your origins seem extraordinary. Could you tell me which family you belong to?" Wang Linchi said verbally, but he actually launched another sneak attack with Fanciful and Fickle.

The youth was just about to speak when he was struck squarely by the sneak attack. If Wang Linchi hadn't conserved some spiritual power in his Golden Core, the youth would have died on the spot. The reason he didn't go all out was that Wang Linchi had revealed his identity as one of the Dajing people, and many in Crouching Tiger City had shown hostility towards him. He had the Saint Master's protection, true, but he couldn't leave himself completely without any means to defend himself, could he?

"Pfft—You dare sneak attack me!" The handsome youth spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura immediately weakening. He never imagined Wang Linchi would be so despicable as to attack while he was trying to look impressive.

Just as he suppressed his injuries and was preparing to unleash a powerful counterattack, he was struck by a massive force. It was the Saint Master, who had closed in.

The Saint Master had indeed left, but the Green Snake and Red Snake remained by Wang Linchi's side, along with the Protection Seal, so his safety was still guaranteed.

"You just wait! This isn't over between us!" The youth, clearly having combat experience, reacted instantly to the Saint Master's attack while simultaneously hurling threats.

Wang Linchi, however, completely ignored him, periodically using Fanciful and Fickle to launch sneak attacks and harass him. This made the handsome youth utterly miserable.

I clearly had the upper hand; how did it turn into this mess so quickly?

Finally, gritting his teeth, he summoned all his Beast King Species, intending to kill the Saint Master as quickly as possible. Using his Soul Vision, Wang Linchi clearly saw the youth manipulating the Beast King Species.

"Actually, you made one mistake," Wang Linchi suddenly said. His voice wasn't loud, but his words clearly reached the youth's ears.

If the youth hadn't manipulated the beast tide, or at least hadn't done so right under Wang Linchi's nose, it would have taken Wang Linchi considerable time to analyze the control method. However, the youth had provided Wang Linchi with enough data and variables. Even if Wang Linchi couldn't control it immediately, he could still suppress it.

His Thought Field, combined with his spiritual power, instantly interfered with the youth's actions.

"The essence of a Soul Skill," Wang Linchi stated, "is actually interference."

As his words fell, it was as if the entire beast tide had been simultaneously frozen, like a paused recording.

With Wang Linchi's current strength, it was indeed impossible for him to control such a vast beast tide. The youth could do so only because he possessed The Heritage of the Sky Devil. However, what Wang Linchi needed to do was quite simple: sever the signal between the youth and the beast tide. Previously, he couldn't sever it because he lacked sufficient data to perform the necessary interference. The youth's sudden change of tactics, however, had inadvertently given Wang Linchi an opening. Once the beast tide lost its signal, they would become mere automatons.

"What did you do?!" The handsome youth exclaimed, having never expected this at all.

"Just some minor, unpresentable tricks," Wang Linchi replied nonchalantly, keeping his distance while the Saint Master captured the youth.

This youth is very powerful, already at the Secret Silver Level at such a young age. For someone like me, that kind of cultivation speed is simply unimaginable. Aside from being a little weaker in certain aspects, he has no other flaws.

"This was my fault, and I am willing to pay the price. For the sake of my Shi Family, please show some consideration. Whatever Your Excellency asks, I can provide." The handsome youth, now captured by the Saint Master, didn't arrogantly spout foolish words about fighting to the death or try to intimidate Wang Linchi into surrendering by revealing his background. Instead, he admitted defeat and offered compensation. He clearly understood that he also had a powerful background; killing him would bring trouble for Wang Linchi, so it was better to turn conflict into peace.

"The Shi Family? Let me think... the Shi Family from Wuling Heaven in the Dou Residing Domain?" Wang Linchi inquired.

"Precisely! It seems Your Excellency is also from Wuling Heaven. I implore you to grant me this consideration, and I will not be stingy with my reward." The Shi Family youth rejoiced inwardly. This should be settled now.

The Shi Family was roughly equivalent to the Sheng Family of Xuan Spirit Heaven in the Jing Room Domain. Descendants of such major Great Families, while adhering to the principle that 'a dead genius is no genius,' would still investigate if one of their own died. If the murderer was found to be weak or lacking a strong background, the family would certainly avenge them.

"Of course, we can. However, compensation is one thing... I believe you also want Crouching Tiger City, don't you?" Wang Linchi said with a smile.

"That's negotiable; the price can be discussed." The Shi Family youth knew he would definitely have to make a huge concession this time, but it would surely be enough to buy his life.

The fact that Wang Linchi knew about the Shi Family and also wanted Crouching Tiger City was enough to confirm he was no ordinary person. The former proved he had been to Wuling Heaven, perhaps was even a native. The latter showed he knew about The Heritage of the Sky Devil, indicating an extraordinary information network, as ordinary people wouldn't know about it. Which Great Family or Sect does he belong to? To be able to handle me so easily, they must be on par with my Shi Family. This narrows down the possibilities considerably. Even so, he couldn't recall anyone like him. Wuling Heaven had numerous Great Families and Sects, with vast numbers of people. How could he remember everyone? At most, he'd only remember the exceptional talents and his own peers. Wang Linchi was clearly neither.

"As the saying goes, 'Fixed Damage for the poor, percentage-based damage for the rich.' Looking at you, you're definitely wealthy. I don't ask for much: half of your net worth. I won't take the other half, but you must swear that you, your Shi Family, and any forces backing you will not seek trouble with me, directly or indirectly." Wang Linchi didn't intend to push things to an extreme.

"I presume," he added, "you must have a Soul Device or some Natural Treasures on you that can be used for making binding oaths?"

Killing him would bring trouble. Extorting him, on the other hand... he'll be unwilling, but he'll obediently comply to save his own life.

"No problem," the Shi Family youth agreed without hesitation. His life was in Wang Linchi's hands; how could he possibly try to bargain?

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