Chapter 232: Core Clansman

Wang Lin stopped and followed the sound. He saw a rather weak middle-aged man in a distant corner. This man stared blankly at Wang Lin, his eyes filled with recollection.

In Wang Lin’s eyes, this person looked vaguely familiar. He took a few steps and arrived before the middle-aged man. Wang Lin crouched down and slowly asked, “What did you just say?”

The middle-aged man hesitated, gave a bitter smile, and respectfully whispered, “Senior, this Junior mistook you for someone else. Please don't take offense.”

Wang Lin looked closely at the man, pondered for a moment, and said, “Oh? Who did you mistake me for?”

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and sighed, “Senior, many years ago, I had a Junior Brother whom I brought up the mountain…”

Wang Lin’s heart trembled. He finally remembered who this person was. He remained silent for a moment, flicked his sleeve, and immediately swept the man away, vanishing from the Joyful Union Sect.

On a cliff a hundred li away from the Joyful Union Sect, Wang Lin appeared. After placing the middle-aged man on the ground, he calmly looked at him.

The middle-aged man looked around him, a complex expression on his face, and whispered:

“You…”

“Senior Brother Zhang, since you recognized me, why pretend not to?” Wang Lin sighed softly and slowly said.

The middle-aged man trembled, fell silent for a moment, and then smiled bitterly, “I… alas…”

“How is the Hengyue School now?” Wang Lin looked at the man before him. Scenes from the past slowly surfaced in his mind. After a long silence, he asked with deep melancholy.

“I haven't been back for many years…” the middle-aged man whispered.

“Senior Brother Zhang, why are you in the Joyful Union Sect, and your cultivation…” Wang Lin frowned, grabbed the middle-aged man's arm, pondered briefly, and continued, “The spiritual power in your body is abnormally scattered, and your Meridians are extremely fragile.”

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and said, “After you left that year, you never returned. Our Grandmasters then focused their efforts on cultivating me, spending an enormous price to help me raise my cultivation to the Core Formation stage. I left the Hengyue School, intending to gain experience and strive to form a Nascent Soul one day, thereby restoring the glory of my Hengyue School. But I unexpectedly met a woman. That woman was a Joyful Union Sect Disciple. I… alas, all my cultivation went down the drain. Perhaps that bitch remembered our past affection and didn't kill me, but instead used my body to refine a Joyful Union Pill. Before this Medicinal Pill is refined, although I am a cripple, my Lifespan will not be severed. If not for this, I would have long ago turned into a pile of white bones.”

Wang Lin was silent for a moment. He patted his Storage Pouch and took out a small white jade bottle, handing it to the middle-aged man. He said, “There are seven Medicinal Pills inside. Take one every month. After seven months, your cultivation can be restored by at least half. Senior Brother Zhang, I have important matters to attend to. I hope we can meet again after this parting.”

After speaking, Wang Lin gave the middle-aged man a deep look, turned, flashed, and vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already in mid-air, standing upon the Mosquito Beast, carrying dense, countless corpses, and gradually flying into the distance.

The middle-aged man looked enviously at Wang Lin's disappearing figure, a trace of melancholy on his face. When he had called out the other party's name just now, he had already recognized him. However, Wang Lin's change was too great, and his cultivation was even more incredible. Although he was certain in his heart that this was Wang Lin, he was somewhat afraid to acknowledge him.

Gripping the white jade bottle in his hand, he took a deep breath, got up, and slowly walked away with a limp.

As Wang Lin flew, his Divine Sense spread out. At this time, the entire Teng Family Bloodline within the State of Zhao had learned about the slaughter through various channels. Exactly as Wang Lin had planned, these people were all migrating.

Their destination was Teng Family City!

A cruel look appeared in Wang Lin's eyes, and he thought inwardly, “Migrate then. The day you are all gathered in Teng Family City is the day I go to meet Teng Huayuan.”

The large-scale migration continued, but under Wang Lin's Divine Sense detection, he found seven light spots that remained completely motionless from beginning to end.

Through various methods during these days of slaughter, Wang Lin had learned that the Teng Family had nine Core Clansmen.

Few people knew the cultivation of these nine people, aside from Teng Huayuan. These nine could be said to be the future successors of the Teng Family, personally trained by Teng Huayuan.

To allow these nine Core Clansmen to Cultivate, Teng Huayuan paid a huge price to open up nine Spiritual Vein points across the entire State of Zhao. These nine people almost constantly remained in seclusion there.

The supply of Medicinal Pills, Magic Treasures, and Cultivation Techniques was entirely delivered by the Teng Family Clansmen. The mission of these nine people was singular: to Cultivate!

Every so often, Teng Huayuan would take these nine people to dangerous locations in neighboring countries for practical combat training. It could be said that these nine people, whether in terms of cultivation or combat experience, had almost reached a certain peak.

These nine people were forcibly pushed forward using the resources of the entire Teng Family.

Furthermore, these nine people were not immutable. Every fifty years, all Teng Family Clansmen had one chance to challenge them. If the challenge was successful, they immediately gained the qualification of a Core Clansman, taking the Spiritual Vein point for cultivation and receiving the full financial support of the Teng Family.

As a result, except for one person, the other eight Core Clansmen had been replaced at least three times.

Under these various trials, the cultivation of the Core Clansmen was naturally imaginable.

The seven motionless light spots Wang Lin sensed were precisely the Core Clansmen. Two others were not among them because they had been recalled to Teng Family City earlier.

A fierce glint appeared in Wang Lin's eyes. Currently, almost everyone with the Teng Family Bloodline was heading towards Teng Family City according to his plan, so Wang Lin no longer needed to participate. Now, his target was these seven people!

The seven Core Clansmen that the Teng Family had continuously eliminated and cultivated over countless years!

These seven must die!

It was a dark and windy night for murder. A trace of bloody Qi slowly spread from the sky. Wang Lin's figure, like a Life-Claiming Rakshasa, slowly flew towards a distant stretch of dunes.

Teng Jiu was a name, and simultaneously, an honorable title.

This name had already changed owners several times—six times, to be precise!

Teng Jiu sat cross-legged in a secret chamber. This chamber looked quite simple, but Teng Jiu knew that this room was something countless Teng Family Clansmen would go crazy for.

He, too, was one of those crazy clansmen back then.

Having been called a Genius since childhood, his lifelong dream was to replace someone and become a Core Disciple, because only by becoming a Core Disciple could he stand out in the Teng Family, gain the Old Ancestor's appreciation, and become a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.

Growing up in a collateral branch of the Teng Family, he had witnessed the snobbery and coldness of the clansmen, and seen all the injustice and resentment. Everything in his childhood caused his heart to gradually turn cold. He would stop at nothing for strength.

Even when he learned he had the qualifications to challenge a Core Clansman, the first person he killed was his own elder brother, because his brother was one of his competitors.

The entire Teng Family only held a ceremony to challenge the Core Clansmen every fifty years. This ceremony would only select nine people as challengers.

Step by step, through various means, he finally became one of the nine. All of this was bought with blood and the abandonment of dignity and humanity.

To succeed in the challenge, he did not hesitate to Cultivate the most vicious Secret Technique in the Family, which increased his cultivation by devouring the spiritual power of others. Although this Cultivation Technique severely reduced the practitioner's Lifespan, it could rapidly increase cultivation.

After all, his enemy—the previous owner of the name Teng Jiu—had a cultivation that had already reached the Core Formation Late Stage.

Teng Jiu looked at the secret chamber with satisfaction. The spiritual power here was ten times that of the outside world. Although the entire chamber looked simple, upon closer inspection, one could find that the Materials used to build this chamber were entirely High-Grade Spirit Stones!

Below this secret chamber was an underground Spiritual Vein. Although this Spiritual Vein was not large, using it for one person to Cultivate was unimaginably luxurious.

Teng Jiu lacked no Medicinal Pills. Any Medicinal Pills he requested would be procured for him by the Teng Family through various means.

Teng Jiu had many Cultivation Techniques. Any Cultivation Technique he wished to see would be procured for him by the Teng Family through various means.

Teng Jiu possessed a great number of Magic Treasures, and every single one was a Nascent Soul-grade Magic Treasure.

Teng Jiu certainly lacked no women. Whenever he needed them, the Teng Family would immediately send countless women with a certain level of cultivation for him to absorb.

Everything was taken care of for Teng Jiu. This was everything one could enjoy as a Core Clansman. His mission was singular: Cultivate, Cultivate, and Cultivate again.

Wang Lin floated in mid-air. With his Divine Sense, he clearly saw a secret chamber beneath the dunes, and the person inside was his prey.

This person’s cultivation was the first Nascent Soul Cultivator Wang Lin had seen in the Teng Family besides Teng Huayuan. Beyond his cultivation, this person also carried a strong, condensed Killing Intent that did not disperse.

Without going through numerous killing tribulations, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to possess such Killing Intent. Although it was several grades lower than Wang Lin's Evil Qi, this person's Killing Intent was even heavier than that of some Devil Cultivators in the Cultivation Devil Sea.

The corner of Wang Lin's mouth twitched. This Teng Family Clansman actually made his eyes light up!

One must know that the primary requirement for becoming a Devil Head was to possess a fierce nature. The fiercer the nature, the more terrifying the power displayed after becoming a Devil Head.

Wang Lin formed Hand Seals with his right hand and abruptly pressed down on the ground. Immediately, a palm print appeared on the entire dune area. Amidst rumbling sounds, the palm print deepened, pressing straight down.

Teng Jiu, inside the secret chamber, suddenly opened his eyes. He didn't hesitate at all. His body flashed and vanished from the secret chamber. The moment his body disappeared, the entire secret chamber collapsed with a bang. A large amount of sand flowed down, forming a deep pit Vortex.

When Teng Jiu reappeared, he was already in mid-air. A strong murderous intent flashed in his eyes. After glancing down at the secret chamber, he unreservedly raised his Killing Intent to the limit and stared at Wang Lin.

——

Still writing, one more chapter to go.