Old Man Zhao had clearly died moments ago.

No matter how powerful a cultivator was, the dead should remain dead.

At least, that was what common sense dictated.

Then the impossible happened. Old Man Zhao’s finger twitched.

The crowd froze. A moment later, his arm moved. His chest rose and fell.

Color rapidly returned to his pale face. The old man slowly opened his eyes.

"What!"

"Look! Old Man Zhao is moving!"

"He came back to life!"

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

The entire marketplace erupted into chaos. Many people stumbled backward in terror.

Some rubbed their eyes repeatedly, convinced they were hallucinating.

Others pinched themselves to make sure they were awake.

"It must be an evil technique!"

"No, impossible! Even evil techniques can’t revive the dead!"

"Who exactly is this man?"

Panic spread throughout the crowd. Yet Old Man Zhao paid no attention to any of them.

The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was Lin Feng’s handsome face.

The old man blinked several times before suddenly remembering the final words he had heard.

"Reward?"

His eyes immediately lit up.

The excitement on his face was so obvious that one would think he had just discovered a mountain of treasure.

As for his own death? He had no recollection of it whatsoever.

To him, it merely felt as though he had closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

How could he possibly know what had happened?

More importantly, he was standing before Lin Feng. The master of countless worlds.

The supreme existence who ruled over this multiverse itself.

In the presence of such a being, concepts like life and death carried little meaning.

If Lin Feng decided someone should live, then they would live.

If he decided death could not claim a person today, then death itself would have no choice but to retreat.

Even the laws governing existence would bow before his will.

For that reason, Old Man Zhao’s resurrection was nothing more than a trivial matter in Lin Feng’s eyes.

However, to the spectators surrounding them, it was a miracle so shocking that it completely shattered everything they thought they knew about cultivation.

Many stared at Lin Feng with trembling bodies.

Others looked at him as if they were witnessing a living god descend into the mortal world.

The bustling marketplace had become completely silent once more.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on Lin Feng as fear, awe, and disbelief filled their hearts.

None of them knew exactly who he was. But they all understood one thing.

The young man standing before them was far more terrifying than they had ever imagined.

"Of course. You deserve your reward."

Lin Feng smiled faintly at the old man.

"You died for it once, remember? Or perhaps not."

He shook his head in amusement.

After all, being brought back from death was not exactly an everyday experience.

Old Man Zhao scratched his head in confusion.

He had absolutely no idea what Lin Feng was talking about, but one thing was crystal clear to him.

There was a reward involved.

And that immediately captured his full attention.

Lin Feng slowly raised his right hand and opened his palm.

A dark ring rested quietly upon it.

The ring appeared simple at first glance, almost ordinary even.

Yet the moment people looked at it closely, they felt something strange stir within their hearts.

It was as if the ring possessed a mysterious allure. An irresistible temptation.

A promise of unimaginable power.

The dark metal seemed to absorb the surrounding light, causing it to appear deeper and more profound than it should have been.

Many spectators found themselves staring at it without blinking.

Some unconsciously stepped forward.

Others clenched their fists as greed began to emerge in their hearts.

Even seasoned cultivators felt their breathing become heavier.

The ring seemed to whisper directly to their souls.

Claim me. Possess me. Become powerful. Become invincible.

Lin Feng paid no attention to the reactions of the crowd.

He simply handed the ring to Old Man Zhao.

"As promised, there are one million spirit stones stored inside this ring."

Old Man Zhao nearly fainted.

One million spirit stones!

That amount of wealth was enough for countless cultivators to spend their entire lives chasing without ever obtaining it.

Yet before he could recover from the shock, Lin Feng continued.

"However, the true treasure is not the spirit stones."

Lin Feng pointed toward the ring.

"This ring itself is the reward I was referring to. The one that could shield you and your family for a thousand years."

The crowd immediately held their breath. Their eyes became fixed on the dark ring.

Every single person present instinctively knew that what came next would be extraordinary.

"With this ring in your possession, any enemy standing before you will eventually have no choice but to swallow defeat."

Lin Feng’s voice remained calm. Yet every word struck the crowd like thunder.

Old Man Zhao’s hands began trembling. Many spectators nearly forgot how to breathe.

"But remember one thing."

Lin Feng’s expression became slightly more serious.

"Great power always comes with great responsibility. Power can elevate a person just as easily as it can corrupt them."

He looked directly into Old Man Zhao’s eyes.

"So be careful not to lose yourself. Be careful not to walk down the dark side of the force."

The old man immediately nodded repeatedly.

"I understand, Senior! I understand!"

Only then did Lin Feng smile.

"Good."

He paused briefly before adding,

"Because that ring is the one ring... the ring to rule them all."

The entire marketplace seemed to freeze.

Everyone stared at the ring in Old Man Zhao’s trembling hands. Many swallowed hard.

Others felt their hearts pound wildly against their chests.

Fear. Awe. Greed. Excitement.

Countless emotions surged through the crowd simultaneously.

Several cultivators could barely suppress the urge to rush forward and snatch the ring for themselves.

The attraction it radiated was simply too great.

It was easier to hold one’s profound yang essence from exploding deep inside the tight wet embrace of a pink flower than resist the call of the one ring.