Hand over all the spiritual fruits and divine springs!

"Who are you? How did you end up here with us?"

Liu Zhiyun stepped forward and questioned him.

Lin An's appearance was simply too bizarre. No one had detected his presence during the long journey inside the gigantic bronze coffin, yet now, upon arriving in this mysterious world, he had suddenly popped out of nowhere.

Only a fool would believe he had arrived here slightly ahead of them.

Even within the same city on Earth, encountering someone required hours, if not longer.

They had literally left Earth behind, having even landed on Mars, and someone was trying to tell him he had just arrived a bit earlier? Who was he trying to fool?

"What business is it of yours who I am? This place isn't your home. Do I need to file a report with you just because I came here?"

Lin An retorted with a look of disdain, holding absolute contempt for the actions of these people.

Wang Yan had forcefully coerced Liu Yiyi into trading her Buddhist artifact for something completely useless. If anyone claimed this was solely Wang Yan's independent idea, not a single person present would believe it; someone among them had undoubtedly put her up to it.

"Don't speak so arrogantly. You're just one person—do you really think you can take on all of us here at once?" Liu Zhiyun challenged.

While Lin An's previous slap was certainly beyond the capability of an ordinary person, they possessed a numerical advantage and knew one another. In the event of a conflict, no one would ever assist a stranger.

All hostility in the area instantly converged on Lin An.

"Besides, that mysterious giant crocodile on the bronze coffin was capable of controlling human minds. For all we know, he might have already perished, and what stands before us now is one of those mysterious crocodiles. Otherwise, why else would he suddenly appear only now?"

Liu Zhiyun's subsequent words were truly vicious. Quite a few familiar faces among them had perished at the hands of those mysterious crocodiles. If this suddenly appeared person were indeed connected to them, then regardless of any deep-seated grievances among the crowd, they would undoubtedly join forces on the spot to slaughter Lin An.

"Heh, have you ever heard the saying that in the face of absolute strength, all schemes and plots are utterly meaningless? So what if all of you join forces? If I so desired, I could wipe out every single one of you with a single hand. Why would I ever need to resort to such petty tricks?"

Lin An said dismissively. Upon arriving in any plane of existence, the very first thing Lin An always did was test whether his powers remained usable.

At this moment, although his battle qi was temporarily inaccessible, his physical strength remained entirely intact.

"Is that so? Are you admitting that you're already one of those mysterious giant crocodiles?"

Liu Zhiyun pressed the angle cunningly. Lin An had neither admitted nor denied his identity, but given such an aggressive and overbearing attitude, if he truly were merely an ordinary human from Earth who had arrived in this world alongside them, how could he possibly have the courage to confront so many people at once?

"Wasting so much breath on you is truly a waste of my time."

The moment his voice fell, Lin An's figure vanished entirely from where he stood. By the time he materialized once more, he was already standing directly behind Liu Zhiyun.

Casually lifting the bottle containing the divine spring water from Liu Zhiyun's possession and bestowing upon him a light slap, he sent Liu Zhiyun's entire body flying backward out of control.

Although the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins suppressed all cultivators' internal powers, physical prowess could still be unleashed to its absolute limit, far surpassing the capabilities of these ordinary mortals.

The sudden display of speed and power by Lin An gave everyone present a genuine fright. In their eyes, this had already crossed into the realm of the supernatural.

Virtually no one among the onlookers had managed to track Lin An's movements; he had simply appeared out of thin air.

The divine spring water of the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins was a supreme treasure, and he had no reason to refuse it. Miraculous and priceless, there was no telling when he might ever have the opportunity to enter the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins again.

"Now, is there anyone else who doubts me?"

With those words, Lin An cast his gaze toward Wang Yan.

Meeting Lin An's eyes, Wang Yan trembled inwardly, panic overwhelming her gaze. Without a second thought, she immediately returned the Buddhist artifact she had extorted from Liu Yiyi, not even daring to reclaim what she had originally given in exchange.

Lin An's might exceeded everyone's imagination.

Even those who harbored resentment in their hearts did not dare utter a single word of dissent at this moment.

At the same time, their doubts regarding Lin An's identity vanished completely. Given the terrifying power he had just exhibited, if he genuinely intended to kill them, not a single person among the crowd would be his match.

Lin An was not someone bloodthirsty by nature; besides, killing them would yield negligible soul points. Therefore, he chose not to press them any further for the time being.

Making them realize his strength and ensuring they dared not provoke him was quite enough.

"I never expected this brother to be so formidable. Could you possibly be from one of Earth's ancient martial arts families?"

Although Lin An's performance transcended ordinary limits, Pang Bo—having experienced the Dragon-Pulled Coffins and witnessed the Great Lanyin Temple—found it somewhat astonishing and enviable, yet still well within his capacity to accept.

He recalled the urban legends claiming that their world still harbored a circle of ancient martial artists entirely hidden from ordinary society. By now, Pang Bo had mentally categorized Lin An as one such individual.

However, did legendary martial arts truly grant such terrifying speed? Ye Fan harbored lingering doubts.

Yet, he chose to remain silent.

Since Lin An bore no malicious intent toward them and had even been willing to lend a hand to Liu Yiyi, it was clear he was not a vicious or depraved individual.

"From here on out, hand over all the spirit fruits and spring water you acquired in the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins to me."

Just as Ye Fan was thinking that Lin An possessed a benevolent nature, Lin An abruptly began shaking down the crowd for the fruits and spring water they had gathered, leaving Ye Fan somewhat speechless.

Hesitating for a moment, Ye Fan handed over a portion of the spring water, keeping the container with the largest share for himself.

Lin An took note of this internally, but refrained from pressing the matter aggressively.

After all, Ye Fan was the protagonist of the Shrouding the Heavens universe. If possible, Lin An preferred to cultivate a positive connection with him; after all, one could not simply treat the protagonist of every single realm as an enemy.

As for the rest of the people present, Lin An chose to ignore them entirely.

They were nothing more than minor extras, utterly incapable of stirring up any waves.

Sweeping the collected divine spring water and spirit fruits into his system space in one go, he performed a feat that shocked everyone present all over again.

Even those who had secretly held grievances did not dare harbor any further complaints against Lin An in their minds.

If his memory served correctly, once they crossed over this single mountain, they would successfully exit the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins, and the true plot of the Shrouding the Heavens universe would unfold completely.

The only real regret was failing to taste the divine fruits of the Forbidden Land of Archaean Ruins firsthand.

Lin An had indeed considered venturing out alone to pluck the remaining fruits, but an overwhelming, invisible force actively barred his path, permitting him only to exit the area while restricting movement in any other direction.

Any attempt to defy it would invite mortal peril.

Left with no alternative, Lin An had no choice but to abandon the notion of harvesting all the divine fruits.