Great rewards inspire brave men.

Her long hair was swept up into a high, backward-curving ponytail. Her gaze was cold, exuding an aura that kept people thousands of miles away.

"Young hero, where are you headed?" the woman took the initiative to ask, a trace of indifference lingering in her voice.

Lin Chen vaulted onto his donkey and said calmly, "Miss! Inquiring about someone else's destination out of nowhere seems rather improper, doesn't it?"

"True, it was rash of me." The woman cupped her fists in apology, her movements crisp and decisive.

"No harm done! And where might you be going, Miss?" Lin Chen asked in return, with a hint of amusement.

The woman rolled her eyes and spat out three words with annoyance: "Nanyang City."

"What a coincidence! I'm heading to Nanyang City too," Lin Chen said, frowning slightly.

"Is that so? Then why not travel together?" the woman smiled.

"I'd be more than happy to. May I ask your name, Miss?" Lin Chen nodded.

"My name is Xiao Jingya. And yours?" Xiao Jingya asked with sudden curiosity.

Lin Chen was momentarily stunned, muttering inwardly to himself, "How unlucky, running into a member of the Xiao family just like that."

"My name is Wang Ergou," Lin Chen fabricated casually.

Suddenly, a group of masked men rushed out from behind, brandishing long sabers and attacking with lightning speed. A piercing murderous intent instantly swept across the entire street.

Without a second thought, Lin Chen leaped a dozen feet into the air and charged straight ahead.

The cold wind blew wildly, sharp as blades.

Lin Chen stood alone, his robes snapping violently in the wind, surrounded tightly by ghost-like, masked figures.

The ten masked men moved with practiced coordination, closing in on Lin Chen in a fan shape. Their footsteps were light, yet they radiated a lethal aura.

The sharp blades in their hands gleamed with a chilling, steely light.

Lin Chen showed no trace of panic; his pure eyes were as calm as a tranquil lake.

A masked man on the left made the first move. Like a black lightning bolt, his long saber whistled through the air, slashing directly toward Lin Chen's head.

Unflustered, Lin Chen shifted his body slightly, letting the razor-sharp edge brush past his garments.

At that exact fraction of a second, Lin Chen's right hand shot out like a cannonball from its chamber, the force of his punch whistling through the air as it struck squarely against the masked man's chest.

With a crisp "crack," the sound of breaking ribs echoed clearly. The masked man flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily onto the ground. A mouthful of blood spewed wildly from his mouth, and he breathed his last breath right on the spot.

This sudden counterattack made the remaining masked men's hearts skip a beat.

The leader of the masked men commanded in a harsh voice, "Quickly, kill him together! The bounty for this job will be split evenly."

Hearing this, far from retreating, their assault grew even more ferocious.

The remaining nine men attacked simultaneously from various directions, the intertwining flashes of swords and sabers weaving a web of death.

Yet Lin Chen showed not the slightest fear. His figure threaded through the web of blades with effortless ease, every movement dodging fatal attacks with pinpoint precision.

Seizing the right moment, Lin Chen lunged forward toward the two masked men directly ahead.

His legs lashed out in rapid succession, moving like two heavy hammers.

"Bang! Bang!!"

With two dull thuds, the two masked men had no time to react before taking direct blows to their abdomens.

Their bodies contorted as they flew backward, slamming into the wall by the roadside. The impact sent a flurry of dust showering down from the masonry, and the two men slumped lifelessly, unmoving.

At that moment, a masked man approaching from behind spotted an opening, leaping high into the air to plunge his blade straight into Lin Chen's back.

Sensing the attack, Lin Chen spun sharply around, his left hand shooting out to seize the masked man's wrist in a tight grip.

Panic seized the masked man as he tried to break free, only to discover that Lin Chen's hand was like an iron vise, completely immovable.

A cold gleam flashed in Lin Chen's eyes as he put strength into his arm, hefting the masked man up and hurling him heavily into his nearby companion.

The two collided with a dull thud, then collapsed to the ground, their fates unknown.

Lin Chen's figure grew faster and faster, blurring like a phantom.

He punched, he kicked, and every single strike was accompanied by the sickening crunch of breaking bones and agonized screams.

Blood splattered through the air, staining the ground red. As time wore on, the number of masked men dwindled, and their attacks gradually lost all coordination and form.

At last, only a single masked man remained. Gazing at the corpses of his comrades, his heart was consumed by terror.

He spun around to flee on foot, but Lin Chen watched him coldly, not a shred of mercy in his eyes.

Showing kindness to the enemy was never a good habit.

Closing the distance to the masked man in a flash, Lin Chen took a fierce step forward and threw his right punch with unstoppable momentum.

This single punch contained the entirety of Lin Chen's strength, striking the back of the masked man's head head-on.

With a soft "squelch," the masked man's skull burst open like a ripe watermelon, and his body slowly pitched forward and fell.

Lin Chen stood quietly in place amid absolute silence.

Ten corpses lay scattered across the ground in disarray, their blood pooling into a puddle beneath his feet.

He searched the bodies of the masked men one by one, gathering all items of value into his storage ring while selecting a slightly superior saber for himself.

Only then did he slowly raise his head to look at Xiao Rourou, who was still standing by as a spectator.

He teased, "Miss, these wouldn't happen to be your men, would they?"

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother sending lackeys—doing it myself would be much faster," Xiao Rourou said with a smile.

However, this young woman possessed a rather blind self-assurance; her mere seventh-realm cultivation was far from enough to kill him.

Lin Chen chuckled. "Fair enough. Let's go!"

"Young Hero Wang, let us part ways here. I have no wish to be implicated by you. Right now, someone in the Yaoguang Holy Land has posted a bounty for your life. With heavy rewards come brave men, and I imagine plenty of others will still try to kill you. If you manage to make it to Nanyang City alive, we shall certainly have a fight then." With those words, Xiao Jingya spurred her mount and rode away.

Lin Chen muttered with a hint of surprise, "So you knew all along. Still, you might not be able to stop me."

With that, he vaulted back onto his donkey and departed Xining Town as well.

Upon learning that Lin Chen had appeared in Xining Town, numerous individuals converged from all directions, every single one of them arriving with the intent to kill him.

The Yaoguang Holy Land had issued the bounty under the banner of executing a traitor to the human race.

Many righteous individuals, forgoing the reward entirely, swore an oath to eradicate Lin Chen, a turncoat who bit the hand that fed him.

Not long after, as Lin Chen traveled through a dense forest, a masked woman flew toward him.

Though she wore a mask, to Lin Chen, her identity was completely transparent.

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Weren't you locked away in the forbidden grounds? Don't tell me you sneaked out."

"How did you know it was me?" the latter asked, her face filled with curiosity.

"Have you forgotten? I used to navigate without relying on my eyes, so whether you wear this mask or not makes virtually no difference," Lin Chen patiently explained.

"Makes virtually no difference? What do you mean? I am blessed with such breathtaking beauty, yet you say it makes no difference? You're infuriating!" The masked woman stamped her foot, pouting in anger.

"Hahaha... Is it really that serious? Where are you planning to go now that you've slipped out?" Lin Chen burst into laughter.

"Wherever you go, I go. My heartless man is just missing you to complete the collection. I'll find a time to sleep with you too, and then this lifetime will finally be fulfilled and complete." She removed her mask and spoke with a provocative, knowing smile.