Chapter 343: The Massive Iron Block

Seeing Lin Dong charging toward him at full speed, Chang Qianren swiftly darted into the jungle on the left.
Furious, Lin Dong gritted his teeth. Chang Qianren clearly intended to tie him up first. Once Dai Qingyi defeated Yun Lan, it would be easy for him to turn around and deal with Lin Dong.
With Yun Lan’s strength, she could hold out at most half an hour. If Lin Dong didn’t defeat Chang Qianren in the shortest time possible, unless Old Ding arrived in time, there would be no chance of escape.
Relying on Old Ding to arrive in time carried an enormous risk—if he lost, the consequences would be too severe for Lin Dong even to consider.
Without hesitation, Lin Dong quickly turned, leaped upward, channeling his spiritual energy into his meridians. He swung the Ruyi Stool at Dai Qingyi, who was fighting against Lan Chen’s sword.
“Overestimating yourself!” Detecting Lin Dong’s sudden attack, Dai Qingyi showed slight disdain. Facing a warrior at the ninth level of the Mental Phase, a fighter at the ninth level of the Heart Phase was at most slightly more troublesome than a fly.
Blocking Lan Chen’s sword with a single strike, Dai Qingyi didn’t even glance at the Ruyi Stool. With a wave of his right arm, his spiritual sword, glowing like lightning, pierced toward Lin Dong’s heart.
Dai Qingyi’s indifferent expression made Lin Dong snarl. The Ruyi Stool’s momentum didn’t weaken at all but grew even more fierce. His body twisted slightly in midair.
“Wanting to die? I’ll grant your wish!”
Lin Dong’s desperate fighting style left Dai Qingyi momentarily stunned, but he still didn’t pull back his sword for defense.
With a hiss, the tip of the sword pierced less than three centimeters from Lin Dong’s heart.
The next second, a loud crash erupted as Lin Dong’s Ruyi Stool struck Dai Qingyi’s energy shield. The invisible shield rippled, and a powerful rebound force sent Lin Dong flying backward, barely saving his life.
When the spiritual sword penetrated five or six centimeters deep, it left a trail of bright red blood droplets on Lin Dong’s chest as he was flung backward.
“Perfect timing, good judgment!” Dai Qingyi couldn’t help but praise. As he took a step forward to chase after Lin Dong, Lan Chen’s sword charged at his throat with a howl.
Gag!
Yun Lan’s flying sword was beyond Lin Dong’s attacks. Even Dai Qingyi didn’t dare rely solely on his energy shield to defend. Forced to act, he swung his sword to block it.
Yun Lan, who had been at a disadvantage for several rounds, managed to turn the tide slightly.
Lin Dong jumped up from the ground. With a gesture of his right hand, the Ruyi Stool, which had fallen to the ground, instantly flew back into his palm. He bent his legs slightly and shot forward, aiming at Chang Qianren, who was rushing back.

Glancing at the gushing wound on Lin Dong’s chest, Chang Qianren sneered coldly. His rapidly moving body suddenly halted, then came to a complete stop. The spiritual sword in his hand was pointed at Lin Dong’s throat.

Lin Dong dismissed it with disdain. He understood that Chang Qianren wanted to lure him into chasing after him, thereby deliberately buying time. Normally, using this tactic once would be enough; after failing, he still wanted to try it again…

This second elder wasn’t strong enough, yet he thought he was brilliant.

Lin Dong also stopped. The Ruyi Stool in his hand was suddenly raised, and under Chang Qianren’s wary gaze, it was thrown toward Dai Qingyi behind him.

With his mind controlling it, the Ruyi Stool swung down toward Dai Qingyi’s head.

Bang!

With a wave of his hand, the spiritual sword effortlessly cut the Ruyi Stool into two pieces.

However, the advantage they had just gained vanished in this brief interruption. Yun Lan’s Blue Chen Sword turned the tide once again.

“I didn’t expect you to be able to control spiritual weapons in mid-air,” Chang Qianren said in surprise as he looked at Lin Dong. He had already figured out Yun Lan’s identity when she cast her flying sword, which already surprised him.

He never thought someone else could also control spiritual weapons for attacks in mid-air.

In Chang Qianren’s memory, no sect in the Great Han Nation, let alone the Tianjian Sect, possessed such a spiritual skill. This meant there were two people behind them, likely representing two different forces. It might even be the Tianjian Sect along with a peak-level expert.

Chang Qianren didn’t know much about Yun Cangqiong. In his view, the Tianjian Sect was somewhat better—although its sect master was a peak-level expert, the sect had a solid foundation. Even if the heir was captured or killed, they probably wouldn’t go to extreme lengths to retaliate. But a lone peak-level expert was different. Living alone meant having no attachments, so if the disciples they had nurtured over a decade or two were killed, they would retaliate without hesitation.

“There are many things you can’t imagine!”

Glancing coldly at Chang Qianren, Lin Dong clenched his fists. About ten meters behind him, the two pieces of the Ruyi Stool suddenly flew up and swung at Dai Qingyi from both sides simultaneously.

With a clashing sound, Dai Qingyi managed to chop the two pieces of the Ruyi Stool apart one by one.

But the next second, four more pieces of the Ruyi Stool flew up, attacking Dai Qingyi again.

In an instant, Dai Qingyi chose to let those four pieces attack him. With their strength and speed, Dai Qingyi could easily chop them apart as well, but it would cost him a little more time.

Dai Qingyi believed that this extra time would be enough to keep Yun Lan in an unbeatable position.

The pounding sounds continued nonstop as the four Ruyi stools struck Dai Qingyi’s energy shield, falling to the ground one after another, before quickly rising to attack again.
“Elder Chang, hold him back!” Dai Qingyi couldn’t help but shout. Lin Dong’s reckless attacks in the void posed little threat to him, but slowing down slightly could buy Yun Lan some time to catch her breath.
“Understood! Sect Master, go all out and kill her quickly,” Chang Qianren nodded in response.
Lin Dong’s body trembled as his gaze toward Chang Qianren turned icy. Initially, he had been willing to let Yun Lan face Dai Qingyi alone—firstly because it was the only way to have a slim chance of the Old Man Ding arriving in time, and secondly because Dai Qingyi, aiming to get the location of Wuyou Cave without drawing too much enmity with the major sects, would likely refrain from killing her.
He never expected Chang Qianren to suggest such a thing.
What Lin Dong didn’t know was that it was actually Chang Qianren who had miscalculated. If Yun Lan were killed, Yun Cangqiong behind her would surely destroy the Fantasy Rain Sect completely. But if Lin Dong were killed, the indifferent peak warrior, the Old Man Ding, would at most rampage through the Fantasy Rain Sect—without the patience or determination to wipe it out entirely.
Without hesitation, Dai Qingyi acted on Chang Qianren’s words. His original plan to exhaust Yun Lan’s spiritual energy quickly and then subdue her was completely reversed. His spiritual sword glowed brightly; instead of defending against multiple attacks, he used offense to counter, constantly draining vast amounts of spiritual energy to push Lan Chenjian back and close in on Yun Lan.
“Yun Lan, I’ll hold him back!” Lin Dong also hesitated none. The four Ruyi stools flew back swiftly.
Yun Lan paused briefly, stretched out her right hand, grabbed Lan Chenjian, and dashed toward Chang Qianren like a fleeting shadow.
If fighting against a stronger opponent didn’t work, fighting against a weaker one would do as well. It came down to which side’s strongest member could defeat the weakest opponent the fastest.
Chang Qianren was shocked and turned to retreat immediately.
Dai Qingyi was about to pursue, but Lin Dong, wielding the Ruyi stools like a mad lion, swung at him fiercely.
With a quick twist, Dai Qingyi dodged the stools and instantly overtook Lin Dong, chasing after Yun Lan.
Yun Lan paused briefly before darting to the side.
“Sect Master, I’ll hold her back. You take care of the man first,” Chang Qianren also changed his strategy in an instant.
Dai Qingyi stopped immediately, turned to face Lin Dong, who was charging toward him, and met him head-on.
His spiritual sword, coiling like a silver snake, wrapped around Lin Dong’s body.

Lin Dong didn’t care at all and swung the Ruyi Stool straight at Dai Qingyi’s head.
“Damn it!”
Seeing that Lin Dong wasn’t avoiding the attack, and recalling Chang Qianren’s instructions, Dai Qingyi had no choice but to force himself to stop the attack aimed at Lin Dong’s vital points.
With a loud crash, accompanied by several sharp sounds, something suddenly erupted between Lin Dong and Dai Qingyi. The next second, Lin Dong staggered back several steps before finally stabilizing himself.
Glancing at Yun Lan, who had already caught up to Chang Qianren, Lin Dong stood still, waiting for Dai Qingyi to attack.
“Don’t think I really can’t kill you!”
Seeing Lin Dong’s calm expression, Dai Qingyi became furious. He suddenly swung his spiritual sword, which transformed into an impenetrable wall of swords, charging toward Lin Dong.
Lin Dong raised his right arm and swung the Ruyi Stool at the sword wall.
With a bang, the sword wall remained unshaken, while the Ruyi Stool was crushed into powder and blown into the air.
As the sword wall closed in, Lin Dong suddenly charged headfirst at it.
Dai Qingyi was furious. He had thought he could intimidate Lin Dong with the overwhelming force of the sword wall, making him think he was truly angry enough to kill him. Then, he would take advantage of Lin Dong’s evasion to seriously injure him.
But unexpectedly, Lin Dong was even more ruthless, throwing himself directly into danger.
His anger surged, but fortunately, Dai Qingyi had remarkable composure. He forced himself to suppress his fury, withdrew his spiritual energy, ignoring the backlash, and managed to reverse the attack.
Pfft…
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Dai Qingyi’s mouth.
He had used all his strength to execute this move to create a powerful impact, aiming to scare Lin Dong into retreating and exposing his back or side.
Even for Dai Qingyi, reversing such a powerful attack in such a short time was not easy.
Although spitting blood didn’t greatly affect his strength, his growing anger made his usually serene face look extremely grotesque and terrifying.
“Master Dai, you seem quite angry?” Lin Dong said with a smile.
“Do you really think I dare not kill you?” Veins bulged on Dai Qingyi’s forehead, showing the intensity of his anger.
“Master Dai should understand what Elder Chang meant, right?” Lin Dong said calmly. “Killing me will bring endless troubles to your Fantasy Rain Sect.”
“Endless troubles?” Dai Qingyi gritted his teeth. He wanted to say something harsh, but suddenly, an idea struck him, and his gaze toward Lin Dong turned icy.
“You’re just buying time!”

“Is that so? I just want to advise Master Dai that with the strength of the Fantasy Rain Sect, in my master’s eyes…” Lin Dong pointed at the blood flowing continuously from his body and said coldly, “Just this is enough to turn the Fantasy Rain Sect upside down. It’s best for Master Dai not to make me suffer even more for a Wuyou Cave that may not even be obtainable. Otherwise, the debt will only keep piling up.”
“Still trying to buy time? Right, Elder Chang told me not to kill you, but I am the sect master of the Fantasy Rain Sect.”
Dai Qingyi flipped his right hand, and a person and a sword, like a straight beam of light, shot toward Lin Dong’s heart.
Lin Dong smiled bitterly. Pressuring too hard had hurt the pride of a great sect master.
By offering his vital points willingly, he could only do it once—Dai Qingyi, as the sect master, would never allow such mockery to happen again. Lin Dong stamped his right foot on the ground and lunged to the left.
Whoosh…
A string of blood droplets appeared on Lin Dong’s left arm. Before Lin Dong could react, Dai Qingyi thrust his left palm forward with force.
A gust of wind howled as Lin Dong instinctively twisted his body.
With a loud noise, the powerful palm wind swept past Lin Dong’s right arm.
The aftereffect sent Lin Dong flying like a cannonball, accompanied by streams of bright red liquid.
Dai Qingyi chased after him. Lin Dong, already in trouble after just two exchanges, could only clumsily avoid the deadly attacks. With Dai Qingyi’s fifth level of the Heart Reversal Phase, he had no chance to fight back.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Dong was covered in wounds. Aside from the serious injury from the first sword, none of them were vital points. But given Dai Qingyi’s determination to capture him if possible or kill him otherwise, the situation became increasingly perilous.
Bang!
Once again, Lin Dong was flung backward and crashed into a large tree, sliding down slowly.
Leaves fluttered down, creating a green world around him.
As Dai Qingyi closed in and Lin Dong regained consciousness, Lin Dong slapped the ground and dived into the woods behind him.
At Lin Dong’s speed, even in the forest full of obstacles, it took only a dozen meters before Dai Qingyi caught up to him.
After several consecutive sword strikes, Lin Dong lay limp on the ground, unable to move at all except for slight tremors, let alone get up and escape.
“If you want to die, just kill yourself!”
Dai Qingyi stepped closer, his gaze filled with growing coldness.
“Sect master…”
A scream came from outside the woods, making Dai Qingyi freeze. Not daring to delay any longer, he turned his left hand into a blade and shot as a shadow toward Lin Dong.
Lin Dong grinned and closed his eyes slightly.
Five meters, four meters, three meters…

Suddenly, Dai Qingyi raised his head abruptly to look at the sky. The already gloomy forest grew even darker. Between the dense leaves, it was faintly possible to see something blocking out the scorching sun. His mind raced as he realized that, twenty-odd meters above, a huge iron block was expanding at an incredible speed and falling downward. Lin Dong’s face, turned toward the falling leaves, showed a cold smirk. From start to finish, he had been trying to minimize the consumption of his spiritual energy while guiding Dai Qingyi deeper into the forest. And the Ruyi Stool, after turning into powder, had also remained above, moving along with him. What he had been waiting for was this final strike. The obstruction of the leaves prevented Dai Qingyi from noticing what was happening in the sky right away, while the trees also slowed down his escape. Lin Dong had been planning this final strike all along; if successful, he was confident he could hold off Dai Qingyi for another three to five minutes, even though he would be powerless to counterattack. Three to five minutes was enough time for Yun Lan to arrive, and he could also recover much of his energy by then. Upon realizing the size of the iron block, Dai Qingyi made a decision instantly. He raised his right arm, swiftly twisted his wrist, and his spiritual sword formed a wall of blades to block the descending iron block. Boom! The iron block, covering hundreds of square meters, crashed down in an instant, causing the entire ground to shake violently. At the center of the block, Lin Dong lay motionless. The moment his back made contact with the iron block, a sound like paper being torn rang out. No one could have guessed that the giant iron block wasn’t entirely solid—this was to prevent the trees from adding resistance when the block pressed down on them. Additionally, Lin Dong himself was also within the block’s range. Although he hadn’t been chased in the forest for long, Lin Dong had already used his mental power to firmly remember the locations of the nearby trees, including his own position. Where the block met the trees, there were only two layers of indistinguishable-colored, almost imperceptibly thin films—inside, it was completely hollow. Even a powerful warrior in the Heart Reversal phase wouldn’t be able to detect the difference in an instant without careful sensing. From afar, Chang Qianren, who was also forced to temporarily avoid the attack with his unpredictable Lan Chen Sword and had no ability to counterattack, heard the loud noise and couldn’t help but glance toward the forest, his heart breaking at the sight. The huge iron block emitted a dark, awe-inspiring glow.

Chang Qianren simply couldn’t understand how that huge iron block had appeared out of nowhere. And the Blue Dawn Sword didn’t give him time to ponder this matter—it silently appeared at his throat.

Yun Lan, who had been keeping a close eye on Lin Dong’s situation even when he continued to fight bare-handed without drawing his Golden Leaf Sword, had already guessed his intentions. When the iron block began to form in midair, she realized Lin Dong was at his absolute limit. At the same time, she decided it was time to deliver the final blow to Chang Qianren.

After regaining some strength, Lin Dong opened his palm, and a Spirit Restoring Pill appeared silently. Then, as his arm moved slowly, he put it in his mouth.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, it quickly transformed into streams of warmth rushing toward his dantian. The slightly restored spiritual energy spread throughout his body, significantly reducing the intense pain.

By the time Lin Dong got up, more spiritual energy emanated from his dantian due to the effects of the Spirit Restoring Pills. Without hesitation, aside from leaving a little energy to leap onto the iron block, most of his energy continued to flow toward Dai Qingyi’s location.

A protrusion about six or seven square meters in size kept growing on the iron block. As Lin Dong focused on that protrusion, Yun Lan silently appeared beside him.

“Are you okay?”

Their questions were asked almost simultaneously. They shook their heads at about the same time.

“Recover your spiritual energy as quickly as possible,” Lin Dong said, taking out another Spirit Restoring Pill and putting it in his mouth. Then, he sat down alongside Yun Lan and closed his eyes to accelerate the absorption of the pill’s effects.

Unnoticed by either of them, not far from the edge of the iron block, a large tree was slowly sinking.