Chapter 481: Chapter 285: Tier Three Profound Flame, The Song-Jin Change

Of the two cultivators he’d recently encountered who had the power to do this, the first was the old man at the market stall. His cultivation was suspected to be at the True Core realm, or possibly even higher.

But they had only exchanged a glance from a great distance and had no further contact, so the likelihood was slim.

The second was Master Linghu.

While they hadn’t had much contact either, they did have some dealings and had been in closer proximity.

Regardless, Lin Changheng just wanted to stay far away from them.

He certainly wouldn’t travel with them again, fearing it might lead to unexpected trouble.

So, he made a casual excuse and stayed behind.

Lin Changheng returned to the Immortal Inn and continued to ponder. ’What should I do next?’

Strength!

Suddenly, the root of all his problems came to Lin Changheng’s mind.

’All his problems, all his worries, stemmed from a lack of strength. As long as he was strong enough, everything would resolve itself!’

His eyes suddenly lit up.

He really did have a way to rapidly increase his strength!

The Red Sky Profound Flame!

Lin Changheng had already collected three Molten Fire Crystals. They contained a powerful and abundant Flame Essence that could help his Tier Two Innate Demon Fire transform.

’Since I don’t feel safe, I’ll just hole up in this Marketplace for a while. I’ll finish the Red Sky Profound Flame’s transformation, touch the threshold of Tier Three, and then worry about everything else.’

’By then, my own strength and deterrent capabilities will have grown even greater!’

However, the question of how to deal with the mysterious mark on his body was a difficult one for Lin Changheng.

He sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber, his brow slightly furrowed. His Divine Sense swept over his body again and again, carefully probing the faint mark branded on his skin—a mark that was like a festering disease clinging to his very bones.

The mark’s structure was complex and its aura ancient. It maintained an extremely subtle connection with its caster.

’If I try to remove this mark rashly, the risks will be difficult to control.’

First, he couldn’t be sure if the removal process itself would trigger some unforeseen event.

Take his own Divine Blood Curse Seal, for instance. If someone tried to forcefully remove it, Lin Changheng had a way to detonate the seal instantly, so long as the connection wasn’t severed at the very first moment.

The resulting damage in such a case would be devastating.

Second, and more importantly—

He couldn’t be sure if the act of removal itself would immediately alert the mark’s caster!

Marks like this were often Heart and Spirit Linked with their master. The moment he began the removal, the caster—wherever they were—would immediately sense it. They would know he’d discovered the mark and was trying to break free. This was no different from tipping his hand prematurely.

’How would the other party react then?’

’Would they hunt me down at all costs, trying to kill me before I could completely remove the mark?’

’Or would they change tactics and resort to other, more hidden and insidious means?’

With the enemy hidden while he was exposed, alerting them would be foolish.

’Looks like I can’t touch it for now...’ Lin Changheng slowly exhaled. A trace of helplessness and cold determination flashed in his eyes.

For now, the safest method seemed to be feigning ignorance and biding his time. He would let the caster mistakenly believe he hadn’t noticed the mark, causing them to lower their guard.

Meanwhile, he would use this time to focus on increasing his strength, especially completing the transformation of his Red Sky Profound Flame. Once he was powerful enough and had the confidence to handle any sudden developments, he would find the right opportunity to eradicate the mark completely and decisively!

And then vanish without a trace!

A Tier Two Upper Grade Red Sky Profound Flame was likely not powerful enough, but a Tier Three version just might be!

With his mind made up, Lin Changheng went straight to a brokerage in the Marketplace and rented a "high-priced" cultivator’s abode.

The high price wasn’t due to malicious gouging. The abode was situated on the main artery of the local Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Vein, where Spiritual Qi was relatively abundant. With a limited number of such locations, the price was naturally higher.

Still, in a small Marketplace like this, no matter how high the price, it couldn’t compare to places like Floating Immortal City or Jade Belt Lake.

For the next period of time, Lin Changheng settled down to cultivate peacefully in the Golden Sand Marketplace.

...

Two years passed in a flash. Lin Changheng had barely stepped out of his abode’s main gate.

He hadn’t even left his Seclusion Room.

Dust had settled and accumulated on the stone steps at the entrance and on the copper ring handles, making the place look like an abandoned old house, untended and unvisited.

In contrast to the quietness of his abode, the situation in the Outer World had changed once more.

First, the Purple Extreme Sect publicly announced that the group of Tribulation Cultivators who had attacked the Jade Belt Lake Dao Field had been captured and publicly beheaded as a warning.

Their leader, said to possess a Fake Core Cultivation, was also executed among them.

The man had been incredibly defiant, but the Purple Extreme Sect had called upon a Core Formation Ancestor to personally intervene and slay him.

His soul was shattered, cutting off any chance of rebirth. His head was paraded through the sect’s domain, an object of revulsion for all.

Some speculated that the Purple Extreme Sect’s actions were meant to intimidate other cultivators, a message to the unruly that this was the price for provoking an Upper Sect.

However, more astute observers noted that the Purple Extreme Sect had always been rather proper, rarely stooping to such measures—at least not publicly. Did this unusually excessive and almost vengeful act signify a change in the Purple Extreme Sect’s disposition?

Or did they have some other objective? Some hidden agenda?

But the result was clear: those who offended the Upper Sect would be hunted down no matter how far, and even a Fake Core expert was no exception. The Purple Extreme Sect’s prestige soared. For a time, everyone praised the Upper Sect’s wisdom, proclaiming it as brilliant as the sun and moon.

With one voice, a chorus of praise rose up, and no one dared utter a single word of dissent.

...

Second, the Beast Tide issue at the Cyan Mist Temple had been rapidly brought under control.

The front lines were still at a stalemate, but under the capable organization of the Cyan Mist Temple, the Human Race Cultivators’ orderly offense and defense were steadily tipping the scales in the Human Race’s favor.

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