As Lu Chen walked out of the market gates, a cold smile played on his lips. He quickened his pace, heading towards a less crowded alley.

Soon, Lu Chen reached a quiet dead-end. He stopped calmly and turned to look behind him.

Lu Chen shouted coldly, "You've been following me for so long, and now I'm cornered. Are you sure you don't want to show yourself?"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

With the sound of applause, a middle-aged man wielding a large blade and at the 7th-level Martial Warrior Realm emerged from around the corner, approaching Lu Chen step by step.

Lu Chen mocked, "You really know how to do business. You sell something one moment, and then follow up the next."

Indeed, the man eyeing Lu Chen was none other than the stall owner who had sold him the Blood Lingzhi at the market earlier.

Li Yu said coldly, "Old man, I don't want to waste words with you. Hand over the goods immediately."

Lu Chen replied, "You want the Blood Lingzhi, but not my life?"

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Li Yu's eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold light. "Hand over the Blood Lingzhi, and I can leave you with an intact corpse. Otherwise, you'll die a horrible death."

Not my life? How could that be possible? He still wanted to use the Blood Lingzhi to lure more wealthy fools; he couldn't let someone ruin his reputation.

Lu Chen saw through Li Yu and sneered, "I should really thank you for being so considerate, even offering me an intact corpse."

Li Yu questioned coldly, "You won't give it?"

"I really don't want to give it to you. If you have the skill, come and take it," Lu Chen replied coldly.

"Then die!"

Without another word, Li Yu leaped forward, swinging his large blade at Lu Chen.

As Li Yu's blade descended, flames ignited along the blade's edge, and the air exploded with a crackling sound, showcasing its formidable power.

Li Yu was confident in his strike. Over the years, he had killed dozens of Martial Warriors with a single blow, never failing.

However, this time he was destined to pay for his actions because the person he provoked was not an ordinary Martial Warrior but the once Titled Martial Emperor, Lu Chen.

Facing the attacking Li Yu, Lu Chen showed no fear. He executed the Soaring Heavens Step and vanished from his original position.

In the next second, Li Yu's blade struck empty air, followed by a cold voice behind him.

"Rushing Thunder Fist!"

Before the voice faded, Li Yu's face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly raised his blade to defend.

However, Lu Chen gave Li Yu no chance. His speed was too fast. Just as Li Yu reacted, Lu Chen's fist was already upon him.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Li Yu's eyes instantly filled with blood. His entire body flew backward, crashing into the wall and then falling into the corner of the alley.

"You..."

Bang!

With a single punch, Lu Chen struck Li Yu's vital point with brute force. Li Yu struggled unwillingly for a moment before collapsing, completely lifeless.

After killing Li Yu, Lu Chen expressionlessly walked to his corpse, took the Storage Ring from his hand, and quickly disappeared from the alley.

Once out of the alley, Lu Chen walked down the street in the Western District as if nothing had happened. After leaving the Western District, he used the Soaring Heavens Step to head towards the Lu Family.

Back in his room, Lu Chen immediately changed into his usual clothes. After ensuring no one was watching, he entered the Stone Pearl World with excitement.

As soon as he entered the Stone Pearl World, Lu Chen approached six stones, discarding four of them and focusing on the remaining two.

Stone gambling might fool others, but not Lu Chen. He bought the six stones because he knew these two contained something valuable.

One of these stones held a Primordial Aura, while the other was even more special, causing the Stone Pearl within him to vibrate.

The Stone Pearl was a Divine Artifact, and for this stone to elicit a reaction meant it might contain something similar.

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Chen pointed left and right, finally deciding to first unravel the stone with a life aura, saving the better item for later.

Then, Lu Chen released his Soul Power and carefully began to unravel the stone.

After a quarter of an hour, Lu Chen unveiled the first stone, revealing its true form: a rat.

This rat was large, about the size of a kitten, completely hairless, with plump flesh and skin the color of a newly hatched chick.

Although it appeared dead, with no breath, its body was warm, similar to human temperature.

"Ah, this... why is it a hairless rat!" Lu Chen was dumbfounded. He never expected to unravel such a thing.

At that moment, the hairless rat's plump paw twitched, and it slowly began to breathe, opening its eyes in a daze.

Then, Lu Chen appeared in its line of sight.

"Human, where is this place?" the hairless rat opened its mouth, speaking in human language.

"You can talk?" Lu Chen, initially disappointed, was surprised, as Demon Beasts typically needed to reach the sixth level to speak human language and take human form.

The hairless rat nodded.

Lu Chen said, "This is my world."

"Your world?" The hairless rat stood up, staring directly into Lu Chen's eyes.

Lu Chen replied, "Yes, this is indeed my world."

Hearing this, the hairless rat surveyed the surroundings and then said to Lu Chen, "Human, tell me how you came to possess me."

If it were anyone else speaking like the hairless rat, Lu Chen might not have bothered to respond, as he was once a lofty Titled Martial Emperor with his own pride.

But for some reason, facing this hairless rat, Lu Chen didn't feel repulsed and simply recounted the events.

After hearing Lu Chen's story, the hairless rat thoughtfully pointed to the other stone. "Brat, open that remaining stone too."

Lu Chen was also intensely curious about the other item that could cause the Stone Pearl to vibrate. Then, under the hairless rat's watchful gaze, he carefully began to unravel the stone.

After a while, Lu Chen revealed a miniature cauldron.

The moment the cauldron appeared, the hairless rat became unsettled, its gaze shifting between Lu Chen and the cauldron.

At this moment, it was particularly curious about who Lu Chen was, not only having the choice of two Primordial Divine Artifacts but also carrying the aura of an old acquaintance.