Tu Yuan's face was filled with terror. This guy was simply monstrous. He had actually used pure strength to force him out of his earth escape state. People like Liao Xingfan and Yuan Qiu would need to prepare all kinds of targeted dharma artifacts, restraints, and formation flags in advance just to have a chance of catching him. Even then, success was not guaranteed.

Just like now, those three had already been lured elsewhere by his tricks. Yet the man before him had used astonishing means and overwhelming strength to force him out of his earth escape. This was not something brute strength alone could achieve. One had to pinpoint his exact position and track his movements with precision, then apply force with perfect timing to shake him out.

"Ugh... cough, cough... l-light... go easy!" Tu Yuan's eyes bulged as he struggled to speak.

The palm hovering a few centimeters from his face suddenly shot forward and clamped onto his throat like iron tongs. Lin Zheyu ignored Tu Yuan's plea and tightened his grip, cutting off his voice entirely. Lin Zheyu was no saint. Anyone who dared make a move against him would have to pay the price.

Besides, Lin Zheyu was quite interested in the dharma artifacts on Tu Yuan. The bone artifact and skull he had used earlier were clearly different from the ordinary artifacts he had obtained before. If sold, they would surely fetch a high price.

"Miss Ji, are you asking me to spare him?" Lin Zheyu said calmly, gripping Tu Yuan as he looked toward Ji Zitong. He had no ties with her, and her reputation meant nothing to him.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please spare his life. He is a friend of my cousin, Ji Ziyang. What would it take for you to let him go?" Ji Zitong asked. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Ji Ziyang? Never heard of him." Lin Zheyu shook his head slightly and asked, "What price are you willing to pay, Miss Ji?"

Before Ji Zitong could answer, Lin Zheyu's brow suddenly furrowed. True origin energy surged from his arm and rushed into Tu Yuan's body, scattering the spirit power he had been gathering. His expression turned cold as he slammed Tu Yuan hard into the ground.

A violent tremor spread out as Tu Yuan was smashed into the ground. The cunning gleam in his eyes flickered for a moment. The divine sense and spirit power he had just gathered were completely disrupted by the sudden blow.

"Try anything again, and you die," Lin Zheyu said coldly.

He lifted Tu Yuan by the neck again and searched his body with his left hand, quickly finding six ten-cubic-meter storage pouches and one high-grade hundred-cubic-meter storage pouch. Seeing the hundred-cubic-meter pouch in his hand, Lin Zheyu was slightly surprised. Storage pouches of such capacity could not be made with restrictions alone. They required special materials from exotic beasts.

Such exotic beast materials naturally possessed spatial talent. Only by using these materials or rare heavenly treasures could one create storage pouches exceeding one hundred cubic meters in capacity.

"Wa... wai..." Seeing his storage pouches filled with valuables taken away, Tu Yuan's face turned extremely ugly as he struggled to speak.

Lin Zheyu shot him a cold glance, and a dangerous aura spread out. The overwhelming killing intent cut off whatever Tu Yuan was about to say. Staying alive was what mattered most. If he lost his life, nothing else would matter. Lei Yunshu, Lei Yunhan, and Lei Yunzhi all showed subtle changes in their expressions upon seeing Lin Zheyu's domineering and ferocious side. Lei Yunshu blinked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you walk the path of Immortal Martial Cultivation, don't you? If you spare Tu Yuan, I can offer you three Lesser Profound Pills and one seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill," Ji Zitong said confidently.

As her words fell, the surrounding cultivators cast curious and astonished looks. It was unclear whether they were shocked that Lin Zheyu walked the Immortal Martial Cultivation path, or that Ji Zitong was willing to trade three Lesser Profound Pills and a seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill for Tu Yuan's life. At that moment, Liao Xingfan, Yuan Qiu, and Lei He also returned.

Their expressions were extremely ugly. Three veteran cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm had joined forces and used every method at their disposal, yet still failed to capture Tu Yuan. It left them unable to save face. In this era where advancing to the Golden Core realm required qualifications, peak Foundation Establishment realm cultivators were considered the mainstream powerhouses.

"Hmph!" Yuan Qiu snorted coldly and did not act rashly.

They still had to give face to Ji Zitong of the Ji Family, especially since Tu Yuan had brought up Ji Ziyang.

Lei He frowned deeply. "This Earth Demon Rat has actually connected with Ji Ziyang!"

He did not suspect Tu Yuan was lying. From Ji Zitong's attitude, it was clear that Tu Yuan's connection with Ji Ziyang was real. Otherwise, Ji Zitong would not be willing to pay such a high price to save his life. Even he felt tempted by the Lesser Profound Pills and the seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill.

"Are we still making a move?" Liao Xingfan asked with a frown.

"Wait for an opportunity. Tu Yuan is connected to Ji Ziyang, not that man. The storage pouches are now in his hands. We will find a chance later and take them from him," Yuan Qiu said coldly.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at Lin Zheyu, as if trying to see through his strength. From the brief clash earlier, it was clear how powerful this man was. The three of them had joined forces and used everything they had, yet not only failed to capture Tu Yuan, but were toyed with instead. And yet this man had so easily forced Tu Yuan out of his earth escape state. It was almost unbelievable.

"Mm." Lei He and Liao Xingfan both nodded slightly.

"Lesser Profound Pills and a seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill... Miss Ji is truly generous."

"I am more curious that this man walks the Immortal Martial Cultivation path. How interesting. To reach this level, he must have opened at least two Divine Repositories, right?"

"More than that. He might already be starting to break the shackles!"

"Shackles? Impossible. Those who reach that realm are comparable to Golden Core realm experts. His strength has not reached that level, has it?"

"He has not broken them yet, but I think he is close."

"I think so too. He might be about to tear through the Strength Shackles. Otherwise, his power would not be this outrageous."

The surrounding cultivators whispered among themselves.

Those who dared enter the demon god barrier were either powerful themselves or had strong backing from protectors. Their knowledge was far from ordinary. Just by listening to their discussion, Lin Zheyu gained useful insight.

Immortal Martial Cultivation? Opened two Divine Repositories? Shackles realm? Is my current strength equivalent to someone on the Immortal Martial Cultivation path who has opened two Divine Repositories? Lin Zheyu raised his brow slightly.

Despite asking around before, he had not managed to learn this information. Yet today, he heard exactly what he wanted from casual conversation. The world worked in amusing ways.

"Not enough," Lin Zheyu said calmly, shaking his head.

From the others' discussion, it was clear that the Lesser Profound Pills and the seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill were extremely valuable. Lin Zheyu had previously seen the Phoenix Blood Pill being sold on the black market. According to the seller, taking one each month could temper the physique and increase strength. After ten years of use, there was even a chance of gaining a trace of the legendary Fire Phoenix bloodline.

However, the stall owner had not mentioned the grade of the Phoenix Blood Pill at the time. In the cultivation world, medicinal pills were divided into nine grades, with the first grade being the highest and the ninth the lowest. A seventh-grade pill was already considered quite decent. Lin Zheyu guessed that the one sold back then must have been a very inferior Phoenix Blood Pill. Otherwise, it would not require ten years of continuous consumption just for a chance to gain a trace of the Fire Phoenix bloodline. But this seventh-grade Phoenix Blood Pill was different. With just one pill, there might already be a considerable chance of obtaining the Fire Phoenix bloodline.