Prince of Demonic Greed.

Time carried no meaning to Yao Jun during his training, only the tearing of his flesh and the spilling of his blood registered in his mind. The laws contained within the attacks that tore him apart slowly seeped into his mind, engraving themselves within his very bones thanks to the suicidal cultivation method that sent shivers down the spines of all his Demonic beasts.

He himself didn't pay much attention to how much his proficiency with his laws increased, but there was no way his sparring partners could fail to notice it. And looking at the speed at which his proficiency increased, looking at how smoothly he incorporated and studied the laws, only a single word appeared in their minds, terrifying. It was slow at first, but he grabbed onto every single strand of understanding he could and drew the laws closer and closer, each strand of understanding increasing the speed at which he incorporated the laws.

But while time carried no meaning to him, it continued to pass along in the outside world, meaning that the thing he was preparing for was going to inevitably appear. And appear it did, Ba-Shei entering the Time-Altering Spire while Yao Jun was resting to restore his energy. He knelt down in front of Yao Jun, who immediately understood what he came for.

"So they've come? How many, which ones, and how are our preparations?"

Yao Jun stood up as he spoke, finally discarding the tattered remains of the leather armour that now only covered his groin. A bit of warm water rushed over his body and cleaned him off, a few sparks of fire drying him before he donned his black robe and swept back his hair. He only now noticed that his hair actually reached down to his waist, a sharp gust of wind cutting it so that it only reached to just beneath his ears. While he was preparing himself, Sirius and the others arrived in front of him, Ba-Shei answering the questions.

"Yes, they've come just as you said they would. Lin Gaozhi is the one leading them and he has brought with him only three other people, one is Shisui Juan Hai from the Shisui clan, another we have determined to be Fa Ong who is a decently famous mercenary working for the Heaven's Secrets Company, he is a part of the God Hunter Pavilion and has reached the Monarch Hunter rank. As for the final member, he matches the description of Lin Tsai, the 1st Elder of the Lin clan. As for our preparations, thanks to the fact that you had us start early we've managed to finish them all. The escape route is prepared should it be needed and the trap is also in place. As for the enemies, the two from the Lin clan only have the backing of the Lin clan, Shisui Juan Hai has the Shisui clan, and Fa Ong has a brother who has married into the Dongye clan of the Snow Dragon Territory. We don't have any enmity with the final two yet, but their strength is on par with the Lin clan so if we can take one then we can take the others."

Yao Jun nodded his head after Ba-Shei finished delivering his report, inwardly surprised that they had managed to dig up so much while he was training. From the looks of it, Du Xiao had probably worked extremely hard on her information gathering, striving to make up for the fact that they had lost her previous information network now that they had entered a new universe. Yao Jun praised Du Xiao and the others, casually stretching his body as he did so.

"You must have worked hard to gather so much information and to finish my unreasonable request, thank you all. How much time has passed, did it take them long to respond?"

Yao Jun raised his head and looked at the sky above him while waiting for a response, his vision piercing through the floors of the Time-Altering Spire and landing on Guo Luo. She had fetched Yao Xuelian and was helping her train a bit on the 5th floor, teaching her how to best use her Qi to resist the hazards of nature. Xun Xue, the rainbow-coloured sparrow that could be considered Yao Xuelian's Soul Beast had left her body in a rare moment, flittering about around her and joining her in the training. A soft and gentle smile floated up on Yao Jun's face, his gaze lowering as Ba-Shei informed him of the passage of time.

"It's a little over two years in here, so about seven days have passed outside. It's taken them this long to respond so we're fairly certain that the Lin clan is seeing some effects thanks to the spread of the news about their bloodline, they've probably had to spend more than a bit of time calming down their own members before they could make a move."

Yao Jun once again nodded his head, he had expected them to make a move on him earlier, he was actually expecting them to attack the day after he returned. But them having to spend more time on their own affairs was good for him, it gave him the time to train for longer. Yao Jun transported himself and the others up to the 5th floor with a quick thought arriving in front of Guo Luo and Yao Xuelian.

"Papa!"

Yao Xuelian quickly dashed over to Yao Jun and launched herself at him headfirst, Yao Jun catching her before she crashed into his chest and hurt herself. Xun Xue gave him a respectful greeting and then sank into Yao Xuelian's chest, Yao Jun's gaze landing on Guo Luo.

"You should go to Yang Yuhuan and get her to come in here, things will get a bit rocky out there for a little bit."

Yao Jun hadn't sought out Yang Yuhuan while he was training, he knew that she was still anguished over Yun Yantian's death and didn't have any desire to face Yao Jun. But with the people from the Lin clan arriving, having her sit around inside the Pan clan wasn't 100% safe so he felt that it was about time to have her come in here again so that nothing happened to her. But Guo Luo's expression actually turned somewhat complicated after Yao Jun finished talking. She eventually let out a short sigh and looked at Yao Jun somewhat apologetically, shaking her head.

"I can't do that, not because I don't want to, but because Sister Yuhuan isn't here any longer. She left the Pan clan the day I told her about the Bloodwind Code and that Yun Yantian could be revived. I helped her find the right spatial arrays and made sure that she had everything she needs to start her own hunt for a Bloodwind Code. I know you won't agree, that's why I didn't tell you back then. But she wanted to do it on her own, she needed to do it on her own, otherwise, she feared that she would end up slitting her own throat for having to rely on you. She has two of Du Xiao's spiders with her for emergencies, but that's the only thing of yours I could convince her to bring along. She didn't say it out loud, but I fear she might have started despising you a bit for Yun Yantian's death."

Yao Jun's calm was instantly shattered when Guo Luo revealed what she had done. His pupils flickered and landed on Du Xiao and Ba-Shei, who he had sent with Guo Luo when she went to deliver the news to Yang Yuhuan. Both of them lowered their heads and didn't dare to meet Yao Jun's gaze, affirming that Guo Luo wasn't lying and that Yang Yuhuan had indeed left. Yao Jun's thoughts immediately started racing as he unconsciously tapped his chin, his thoughts getting cut off by Guo Luo, who had walked over and cupped his face.

"Don't overthink it. I know that worrying and fearing is in your nature, but you need to give her space and freedom, if you keep things too close for fear that they'll break then you'll just end up breaking them in a different manner. I know that it hurts to lose control like that, that you fear what might happen to her, but try to see it from her perspective. If you were in her shoes, what choice would you end up making? I know that if I were in her shoes... I too would make the same choice. I know that she's weaker than you, we all know that we're weaker than you. But please, have some faith in us, we all aren't so fragile that we'll break the moment you take your eyes off of us. After all, didn't we manage just fine in the time where we were separated?"

Guo Luo looked directly into Yao Jun's eyes, she was probably the only person who found his ghastly grey eyes to be charming and gentle. And faced with her sincere gaze, Yao Jun knew that there was nothing he could do, there was no way he could stand against her gaze. And he knew, he knew that he would make the same choice. If Guo Luo died as Yun Yantian had and his and Yang Yuhuan's positions were switched, he would resent, he would despise and not be able to look at her.

But even so, the worry remained in his heart, the fear of loss that had stuck with him for so long wasn't something that could be banished just like that. All he could do was bury it deep within and let it smoulder within his chest, a constant reminder gnawing at him. And just as always, he would use that fear to push himself forward, raise himself to a position where he would never lose anyone else again. He used one arm to hold Yao Xuelian and placed his other hand on top of one of Guo Luo's, leaning against it while closing his eyes, his soft voice reaching Du Xiao.

"Du Xiao, I'm entrusting her to you. The moment things look bad for her, inform me. She might hate me or end up hating me even more, but I just want her to live. Do I make myself clear?"

His voice was soft, but Du Xiao felt a terrible chill run down her neck, as if the grim reaper was caressing her. She knew Yao Jun fairly well, so she was certain that she did not want to find out what he might do if she didn't tell him when Yang Yuhuan was in danger, much less what he might do if something happened to Yang Yuhuan as a result. Yao Jun opened his eyes again after making sure that Du Xiao understood him, handing Yao Xuelian over to Guo Luo.

"You guys wait here, I won't take long. Once it's done, we can start travelling again."

The Lin clan bloodline was a bust so it was about time Yao Jun and his group started moving again, looking for other traces of Divine Beasts that might suit what he needed for Little Thunder. At the same time, there was a chance that the Bloodwind Code's creator demanded a price for reviving someone, they might have to start looking for that as well. Guo Luo simply smiled softly at Yao Jun and nodded her head, the level of fight that was about to take place was sadly not something she could get involved in yet, she could at best only be a supporting player.

Yao Jun smiled at her one last time and then left his God Gate, appearing outside it and sucking the black gate back into his chest. He stood on the martial field and raised his head to look towards the western sky, his gaze landing on the four figures that were hovering a few hundred metres away, looking at him with suspicion. Yao Jun was only familiar with the orange-eyed and brown-haired man flying at the front, Lin Gaozhi, the current patriarch of the Lin clan.

Hovering a bit behind him was a blue-haired and green-eyed woman with a somewhat short stature yet a surprisingly curvaceous body, Shisui Juan Hui. Fa Ong was a rather tall brown-eyed man who had tanned skin and was missing his left arm, his entire scalp covered in a large scar that made it look as if his head had been torn open. Lin Tsai had a similarily tall build but yellow eyes and swept-back violet hair, his veins occasionally bulging out as if they were pulsating.

Of the four of them, Lin Tsai was the weakest, it was clear that he had only entered the early stage of the Heavenly Deity realm fairly recently, the rest had been in the early stage for some time. The previous patriarch of the Lin clan, Lin Jue, wasn't here so he was likely left behind in the clan in case Yao Jun decided to use this chance to sneak past Lin Gaozhi and assault the clan. Yao Jun looked directly at Lin Gaozhi and didn't bother wasting too much time as he started talking.

"Lin Gaozhi, do you have the Bloodwind Code that should be in your clan?"

Lin Gaozhi's eyes narrowed slightly at Yao Jun's blunt question, his left hand unconsciously tracing his chest. Yao Jun inspected the place where Lin Gaozhi traced his chest but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary so he couldn't say for sure whether or not he had it. Luckily, Lin Gaozhi answered his question with suspicion, answering Yao Jun's question in the process.

"Did Lin Shuyen tell you about it, is she already sharing clan secrets? Are you hoping to use my Bloodwind Code to revive your friend? I feel for you, I truly do, I really wish things didn't have to end like this. We could have been allies, I'm certain of it. But that is no longer possible, so no matter how much I feel for you, I must make sure you don't leave here alive."

Yao Jun calmly raised his right arm and pushed his hand to the right while Lin Gaozhi was speaking, space around his hand rippling and pushing forward. And strangely enough, as the ripple passed through space, Lin Tsai appeared a few steps away from him, his face a touch pale while he held two daggers.

The Lin Tsai behind Lin Gaozhi blurred and vanished into a puff of smoke, Lin Gaozhi's expression sinking drastically. Lin Tsai quickly stepped back to flee, but the ripple in space had already washed over him. He felt space around him turn chaotic, each of his movements seemingly heading in different directions. His step back seemed to shift to the right, his slight neck movement suddenly made his neck lean forward, and the small movements of his arms went in random directions.

It was as if each of his movements triggered the ripple in space, causing it to pull the space around that particular area in a different direction. The sheer discomfort and dissonance this caused made Lin Tsai's stomach churn and toss, nearly making him vomit due to how unexpected it was. It also gave Yao Jun the perfect chance, his merciless grey eyes landing on Lin Tsai and causing his heart to clench.

Seeing that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, Lin Gaozhi quickly shot forward like a bolt of azure lightning while calling out for the two others to follow him. But the moment Lin Gaozhi closed the distance, he saw that Yao Jun's gaze riveted and landed on him, the corners of his lips turning up. And just as Lin Gaozhi felt that things weren't quite right, space around him thickened into what was practically a thick paste, ethereal chains shooting up from the earth and coiling around him.

The earth all around the sandy martial field suddenly lit up, thousands of small green and pink symbols appearing on the ground. The symbols were wriggling slightly, each one actually consisting of hundreds of small spiders that gathered together to form a large array designed to trap foes. Yao Jun himself didn't know much about arrays, he wasn't like Yun Yantian or Yang Yuhuan who had multiple fields of expertise. All he knew was how to fight, how to kill, it was only recently that he started to delve deeper into the field of medicine.

But right now, Yao Jun was within the Pan clan, who had multiple people who knew a lot about arrays. And Du Xiao, who could split up into countless smaller spiders, could learn from all of them at once. So with the help of them, Ba-Shei, and Little Gray, she could spread out all her spiders and hide them within the darkness or folds of space, creating a living array hidden from sight, just waiting for orders to be activated.

Yao Jun had no intention of telling Lin Gaozhi any of this, his only intention was to kill. And now that Lin Gaozhi had moved so close and gotten caught off guard by the array, he presented Yao Jun with the perfect opportunity that he had carefully prepared. His outstretched right hand clenched, his two-metre-long glaive appearing in his grasp.

A horrendous amount of energy and killing intent burst forth from Yao Jun's body as he opened all nine channels and drew upon the power of his Demonic beasts, instantly entering his strongest state. And he immediately struck out, his glaive sweeping out and bringing with it every ounce of power that Yao Jun could muster.

Lin Gaozhi struggled to raise his shackled arm to block, pushing aside the chains on it as a crystalline azure armour appeared on the entire left side of his body. But just as the arm and the weapon were about to collide, Lin Gaozhi's arm was pulled forward and down, several nearly invisible strands of spider silk having coiled around it and yanked on it.

His Qi burst forth in a last-ditch attempt to block the attack, but it was to no avail. The law of slicing cut straight through the final defence and allowed Yao Jun's glaive to touch Lin Gaozhi's body. The glaive cut through the crystalline armour and left a deep gash on Lin Gaozhi's chest, blood gushing forth and spraying through the air.

But before Lin Gaozhi could rejoice that he was still alive, a sudden flood of water clogged his throat and lungs, the tip of Yao Jun's glaive having entered his lungs and changing into a torrent of water. The water filled his lungs and throat, his lungs collapsing under the weight and filling Lin Gaozhi's entire chest with water. The water contained the law of crushing and slicing, all of Lin Gaozhi's ribs pulverizing under it while his flesh was lacerated and shredded into a fine paste.

His heart was right by his lungs so it was one of the first things that fell apart under the internal assault, Yao Jun instantly taking advantage of the sneak attack to assault Lin Gaozhi's weakest point. He was all alone when he was caught by the array and he was right in front of Yao Jun, so as a result, the other Heavenly Deities could only look on in horror as an Earthly Deity defied all logic and reason and slew a Heavenly Deity.

When the last trace of life left Lin Gaozhi's body, Yao Jun saw something appear in his chest, his left hand shooting forward and digging into Lin Gaozhi's chest. He tore out a red bead covered in countless fine runes that released a soft light, the bead releasing a faint and pleasant warmth in his palm.

He guessed that this was the Bloodwind Code, but a bright light burst forth from the bead before he could ascertain it. The bead escaped his grasp and shot directly into his chest, seemingly melting into his flesh and blood the moment it merged with his chest. And as the bead merged with him, two voices echoed in his head, first came a feminine one, but that one was quickly cut off by a more mechanical and stiff voice.

"So one of the Bloodwind Codes of this universe has found a new owner. Hear me, I am the fourth Disci..."

"Congratulations, you have been acknowledged by the Bloodwind Code and will replace the Prince of Star-Swallowing Greed on the Multiverse Bloodwind list. Please choose a title."

Yao Jun didn't know much about these Bloodwind Codes, but he knew that the Multiverse Bloodwind list was most likely the list he was aiming for. The founder of the Lin clan had been on this list when he made his request to the creator of the Bloodwind Codes so there was a non-negligible chance that being on the list was a requirement for making the creator revive someone.

Something rushed past Yao Jun while he was still caught slightly off-guard by the actions of the Bloodwind Code, Lin Tsai snatching Yao Jun's glaive and dashing away. He snatched the glaive in a rather strange manner, Yao Jun felt as if his hand suddenly lost all power, his grip loosening just as Lin Tsai touched the glaive. Lin Tsai quickly called out to the two other Heavenly Deities, who were still reeling from shock.

"I've taken his weapon, attack him while he's unarmed!"

Shisui Juan Hai and Fa Ong swiftly recovered from their shock when Lin Tsai called out, but both were a bit hesitant on being the first to act. Lin Tsai fumed at their hesitation, quickly opening his mouth to shout out again. But before the words could leave his throat, the cold voice of Yao Jun reached his ears and snuck down his spine like an icy dread.

"Taken my weapon? I'd like to see you try."

The entire martial field suddenly exploded forth with energy, thousands of swords and glaives appearing in both the air and on the ground. They covered the sky like stars and the earth like a forest, a seemingly endless amount of weapons surrounding the three Heavenly Deities. And standing at the centre of it all was Yao Jun, his black robe and violet hair fluttering slightly as his gaze remained as cold and merciless as before.

Lin Tsai's arms were trembling slightly, the glaive he had snatched from Yao Jun suddenly feeling so insignificantly small, but Yao Jun ignored him and touched upon the Bloodwind Code, responding to what it stated earlier. And as he contacted it, the Bloodwind Code was quick to respond.

"Demon."

"Congratulations, your title has been set to Prince of Demonic Greed and your Bloodwind Code and now be used to contact people of the same Ruler rank."