Lin Zheyu swam upstream along the demonic river, heading toward its source. The closer he got, the denser the demonic qi became, and the oppressive pressure grew increasingly terrifying. His form began to change. The purple-black energy surrounding him spread further as his muscles swelled, his body grew larger, and a pair of massive, grotesque flesh wings burst from his back.

He sped through the river, his massive body sending waves splashing around him. His body had expanded to over four meters tall and was covered in dense, hardened growths. At the center of each was a dark hollow that continuously emitted black smoke. The smoke functioned like propulsion, driving him rapidly toward the river's source.

Suddenly, a yao's roar echoed from upstream. Lin Zheyu swam past it as if nothing was wrong, brushing by the creature without provoking an attack.

"I am starting to look more and more like a yao..." Lin Zheyu murmured softly. He leaped upward, bursting out of the river with a splash. As he emerged, the flesh wings on his back spread wide. With a single beat, he rose into the air and soared upward.

Sharp winds howled past his ears as Lin Zheyu's speed kept rising. However, mach two was his limit.

"Only twice the speed of sound?" Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

As his Primordial Golden Body improved, his yao form had inexplicably grown flesh wings, granting him the ability to fly. Though fast, it was still far behind his top speed. On the ground, Lin Zheyu could burst out at over eight times the speed of sound. However, this was only temporary. His Primordial Golden Body's second stage had not yet reached Perfection. Once it did, his speed might increase further.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 23]

[Skills: Primordial Concealment Technique (Perfection), Primordial Golden Body (Second Stage: 82%)]

"As the time for the rule fragments draws near, more and more cultivators are appearing. It is no longer suitable to keep using Origin Force to improve at the outskirts of the demon god barrier," Lin Zheyu said, looking at the data in his mind and shaking his head helplessly.

This time alone had attracted so many cultivators. Next time, there might be even more. Fortunately, none of them had reached the Golden Core realm, or it would have been real trouble. There was only 18% left before his Primordial Golden Body's second stage reached Perfection. Lin Zheyu planned to complete it before joining Ji Zitong's group.

Lin Zheyu folded his flesh wings as black smoke vented from the growths across his body, slowly descending to the ground.

Suddenly, a yao burst out from the ground and lunged at Lin Zheyu. Without even glancing at it, he remained expressionless. His right arm shot forward, extending over ten meters in an instant.

Boom!

A deafening sound rang out as the yao's head exploded like a firework, its roar cut short. Lin Zheyu's arm snapped back, gripping the headless corpse. Dense purple-black energy surged out, enveloping the body and suppressing its regenerative ability. He had discovered that this energy strongly countered the yao's powerful regeneration.

A Foundation Establishment realm yao has some research value, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Gripping the corpse tightly, he flapped his flesh wings lightly and vanished in an instant, continuing toward the space-time node.

The closer he got to the space-time node, the more powerful yao appeared. Lin Zheyu found a small hill and stopped.

The moment he landed, a turtle-like yao roared and shot its neck forward, snapping toward him. This was its territory, and Lin Zheyu's arrival was an intrusion that triggered its attack. In his yao form, his face was grotesque, with large, bell-like eyes. Yet within his deep pupils, his gaze remained utterly calm. He watched the gaping maw rushing toward him, its astonishing speed reduced to a crawl in his perception.

Lin Zheyu shot out his right hand. Sharp claws sprouted from his palm and sank into the yao's skull. With a violent pull, he tore the entire head off.

Too weak. My current strength surpasses peak Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, but I am still far from so-called Golden Core realm cultivators.

Compared to fighting cultivators, he preferred battling yao. Their methods were straightforward, without the strange techniques and dharma artifacts that required constant caution.

Lin Zheyu scanned the area and fixed his gaze on the demonic lake ahead. "This will do!"

This lake was connected to the demonic river, and the energy within was far purer than what he had used before. It was not far from the space-time node. Looking up, he saw a massive golden begging bowl radiating light. A thick golden arm extended from it like a towering mountain, suppressing the pitch-black space-time rift in the sky.

Wasn't it said that when the demon god barrier fully undergoes demonization, it will shatter the laws, trigger spiritual energy storms, and unleash Heavenly Dao pressure? If so, what role does that golden Buddha hand play? Lin Zheyu pondered as he looked at the colossal golden hand in the distance.

After observing for a while, he stopped thinking about it. The owner of that golden hand was unimaginably powerful, far beyond his comprehension. Whatever such a being intended was not something he could fathom. His priority now was to bring the second stage of his Primordial Golden Body to Perfection and continue studying the demonic patterns on yao to refine his technique.

There are still three yao inside. I will deal with them first, Lin Zheyu thought, looking at the demonic lake.

This natural demonic lake was the place he had chosen to train. After dealing with the three powerful yao inside, he planned to dig a winding tunnel beneath the lake to connect to a hidden inner reservoir. With the tunnel's cover and the lake's pure energy concealing his aura, he could at least delay detection for a few breaths while advancing.

With a tap on his storage pouch, the Setting Sun saber appeared in his hand. Lin Zheyu dipped his toes into the lake, and threads of golden energy spread outward. Compared to spiritual qi, this energy was far more enticing to yao.

As expected, the moment the golden energy spread, the nearest yao lunged forward like a predator catching the scent of blood.

With a powerful flap of his wings, true origin energy surged. His figure blurred into a chain of afterimages. Hundreds of purple-black blade arcs flashed through the air, and the yao's roar abruptly stopped.

Moments later, the massive yao, over ten meters long, shattered into chunks of flesh that fell to the ground.

"One," Lin Zheyu said softly.

He moved again, repeating the same method, using golden energy to lure out the yao. Lin Zheyu found that this approach worked perfectly. Each attempt drew one out without fail.

Sharp blade arcs tore through the air. The remaining two yao were lured out one by one with golden energy and dispatched with ease by Lin Zheyu.

"Done." Lin Zheyu looked at the scattered remains of yao without expression.

He walked toward the demonic lake step by step. Standing at the edge, Lin Zheyu gazed at his reflection. The flesh wings on his back folded away. His massive yao form looked grotesque and terrifying, covered in dense growths and hollow openings. Yet its overall structure carried a strange, fluid elegance. The body's design was perfectly suited for airflow dynamics, almost identical to the totem formed by the golden runes on his body.

"When the second stage of the Primordial Golden Body reaches Perfection, will the golden body manifestation take this form?" Lin Zheyu murmured as he studied his reflection. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Saha Scripture totem, originally constructed from golden runes, had undergone a mutation during cultivation. The demonic pattern laws hidden within the runes were activated as the totem formed, gradually shaping his current appearance. This was something Lin Zheyu had never anticipated.

From now on, I will call this ability Yao Transformation, Lin Zheyu thought as he looked at his reflection.

At this point, he had pushed his Yao Transformation to 70%. Massive demonic qi continuously assaulted his sea of consciousness. Yet the accumulated golden energy formed a thick barrier, resisting the corrosion.

Even if he pushed it to 90%, he could still endure it. However, the golden energy in his sea of consciousness could only sustain it for less than four hours. Once depleted, it would take several days to rebuild. He was also concerned that pushing it too far might lead to an accident, leaving him unable to revert to human form.

Lin Zheyu leaped and plunged into the demonic lake. He shot straight down to the lakebed. Standing at the bottom, he bent slightly as energy surged through his body.

A thunderous explosion rang out, leaving a massive crater in the lakebed. Lin Zheyu jumped into it and began striking with his fists. Relying on his Perception Domain and precise force, he carved out a winding tunnel beneath the lake with nothing but his punches.