"Haa..."

Meng Lin's cold gaze fell upon the last two griffins, causing their muscular wings to flutter about, their sharp beaks opened and closed in a clear display of fear and the hard scales on their bodies glistened under the harsh sunlight, creating an eerie glow that only added to the tense atmosphere.

She flew a step forward, her robes swaying with her movement. The two griffins flinched, their eyes widening as they cowered back before flying off towards the massive tree behind them.

Meng Lin saw this and sighed a little, she had very little spiritual energy and she didn't want to enter the brute qi stage just to chase after them.

Swiping her hand over her storage ring she took out a bottle of pills before opening her mouth to pop a few within, feeling a little return in her spiritual energy she continued eating pills before finishing the bottle with her spiritual energy back 30%.

She looked towards the griffins who had already reached the massive tree and was just about to follow them when a peculiar sensation crept into her spiritual consciousness. It felt as if a cold wind had blown through her soul, sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned her surroundings, her senses on high alert.

Then, she felt it - the surge of multiple powerful auras hurtling toward her from a few hundred meters away. A group of men, thirteen to be exact, clad in black robes were flying towards her. Their robes billowed in the wind, and their faces were hidden under the shadows of their hoods. But their eyes, glowing with a sinister light, were visible.

Each of them exuded an overwhelming aura that was ominous. The sight of them stirred a sense of caution within her. She had a bad feeling about this, and she didn't want to stay longer to find out.

As they flew towards her Meng Lin also took flight, flying in the opposite direction at a fast pace, however from the group of men came a few talismans that flew directly into the ground a few hundred feet below.

Boom

Bursting into the ground, the talismans turned into golden lights and Meng Lin suddenly felt stuck in place.

Cluck!!!

Golden chains emerged all around her body as she suddenly felt her weight increase before she fell towards the ground.

Thud!!

The chains drilled into the ground and restricted her even more. Meng Lin gritted her teeth, trying to circulate her energy, but to her surprise, she found that she couldn't. Panic started to well up within her as she realized the gravity of her situation.

The group of hooded men flew fast and landed a few meters around her, their faces still concealed, their presence ominously silent. They formed a perfect circle around her, the golden chains glinting in the sunlight, reflecting off their black robes.

The man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, pulling back his hood to reveal a face that was as cold and emotionless as a statue. His eyes were as black as the night, devoid of any emotion.

In his hand, he held a black, rusted dagger that was giving off a demonic aura. Its jagged edges were covered in what looked like ancient runes, and it seemed to pulse with demonic power.

Meng Lin's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the dagger. She could feel an intense pressure radiating from it, even from this distance. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure.

"Who are you?" Meng Lin asked, her voice steady despite the fear creeping into her heart.

The man didn't respond, only stepping closer, the rusted dagger gleaming ominously in his hand.

"What do you want?" she tried again, but still, there was no response.

"Stop, don't approach!" she commanded, but her words seemed to not affect the man. He continued to advance, the dagger in his hand seeming to grow more menacing with each step he took.

Meng Lin's body started to shake as even more panic emerged from her eyes as the man raised the knife, ready to swing it down.

Meng Lin's eyes which were full of panic flickered a cold glint as a massive force erupted from the ground, sending the man flying back. The rusted dagger slipped from his grasp, spinning through the air before disappearing into the dust-filled surroundings.

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The other hooded men were taken aback, their hands quickly reaching into their robes to pull out golden talismans. But as they were doing so, a violent blur struck, emerging from the dust cloud and targeting three of them.

Peng! Peng!! Peng!!!

The three men's bodies whirled through the air like leaves in a storm, landing heavily on the ground as translucent barriers flickered around their bodies before fading out.

BOOM!!

From the cloud of dust and debris, a chaotic aura erupted outward and the nine hooded figures remaining all took a step back at the aura they felt.

The air was bellowing yet the cloud of dust didn't fade away and from the cloud suddenly emerged 9 different spikes that hurtled towards the men with lightning speed.

The sharp points of the spikes gleamed ominously under the harsh sunlight. Each spike is identical, carrying the same pattern, almost looking like a claw.

The hooded men's faces, normally concealed by their robes, were now visible due to the shock that was reflected in their eyes. In the blink of an eye, a spike appeared before each one of their heads with chaotic intensity.

Peng!!!

Then, as if on cue, a barrier automatically appeared over each of their body as if a safety measure. The barriers shimmered in the air, creating a halo of different auras that formed around them.

But the spikes arrived fast. They struck the barriers with an almost deafening force. The air around them seemed to tremble, and the ground beneath their feet shook violently.

It was a sight that could have been taken straight out of a nightmare. The spikes, only a few inches long and endowed with brute qi had made contact with the barriers, and blood was drawn.

Boom!!!!

Puchu!

Puchu!!

Three of the hooded men were not protected enough. Their barriers shattered like glass, and the spikes tore through their heads with a sickening sound.

Their bodies fell to the ground, lifeless. The spikes, having lost their targets, dissipated, leaving only the lingering sense of dread in the air.

The remaining six men were struck with their barriers cracking all over, they were thrown back with various minor injuries on their bodies, they looked at the cloud of dust which began to slowly fade to reveal a monstrous figure.

The monstrous figure that emerged from the cloud was none other than Meng Lin. She looked nothing like the delicate girl that had been captured by the golden chains.

Her body had transformed into a creature that was half-human, half-beast. Her face was still the same, but her body was covered in black scales, her tail, now more vivid and deadly than before, swayed behind her, the snake head at the end hissing menacingly.

The scales gleamed under the sunlight, reflecting a cold and deadly light. Her eyes were now a radiant purple with slits akin to a snake's, and they shone with a dangerous light.

The leader of the hooded men, who had been thrown back by Meng Lin's sudden surge of power, slowly got up. His previously cold and indifferent face was now filled with uncertainty. He looked at the rusted dagger lying on the ground not far away from him and then at Meng Lin.

He was in shock at the transformation that had just taken place and even more shocked at the terrifying chaotic aura that she exuded, it was an aura that he saw once before.

"You". The man was only able to utter these words as Meng Lin's eyes locked onto him, prompting him to stop speaking.

Her gaze was cold and detached. She took a step forward, with the ground beneath her feet sinking at her step. She turned towards the remaining men, her gaze piercing through their hoods and into their souls.

"Who sent you?" she asked, her voice echoing through the area, cold and curious.

The men remained silent, but their bodies were shaking visibly. Meng Lin let out a cold laugh, her voice filling the air with tension.

"Very well," she said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Then you will die."

The chaotic aura surrounding Meng Lin intensified as she finished speaking and with a swift movement, she raised her left hand which had four of its nails missing. The last nail, resembling a spiky claw was raised as a threatening aura appeared within the air.

Rumble!

An intense bolt of chaotic energy emerged from her fingertip as Meng Lin called out twice "Heaven's Punishment"!

Purchi!

Purchi!!

And with each call of 'Heaven's Punishment', a bright bolt of chaotic energy shot forth from Meng Lin's raised claw, striking two of the remaining men with unerring precision.

The chaotic energy bolts, each one more powerful than before tore through their barriers like they were made of paper, and two men were struck down where they stood.

And just like that, in less than a blink of an eye, two more men fell to the ground, their bodies limp and lifeless. Their faces were stuck in an expression of shock and terror, a silent testament to their gruesome end.

Four of the remaining men, now down to five, scattered in fear, taking out golden talismans that glowed mystical before teleporting them a few dozen meters away. But Meng Lin was not about to let them escape. She pointed her claw towards each one of them that reappeared and with each point she said the words "Heaven's Punishment"

Four bolts of chaotic energy flashed through the air and four different bodies fell to the ground, hundreds of meters apart.

Finally, the only one left standing was the leader, the man who had initially held the rusted dagger. He stood there, his body trembling, his face a mask of fear and shock.

Meng Lin turned her gaze towards him, her eyes shining with an eerie light. She took a step forward, her tail swaying ominously behind her. The man took a step back, his eyes darting around in a desperate search for an escape.

"You... beast… one of… chaos…!" he finally blurted out, his words almost inconsequential between their language barrier.

Meng Lin didn't respond. Instead, she took another step forward, her gaze never leaving his. The man's fear intensified, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Please... I... I... Coming here..." he spoke with Meng Lin barely able to understand his sentence.

But Meng Lin didn't stop. She continued to advance, her tail raising, the snake head hissing menacingly.

The man's pleas or threats were cut short as Meng Lin's tail struck. The man’s body went rigid before collapsing onto the ground, headless.