Chapter Sixty-One: Brothers Meet

Tensions were running high.

The atmosphere on Mount Ziyun plummeted to freezing point.

For how many years had such a monumental event not occurred?

Above, nine dragons of killing intent roared, sounding like death-knells that fiercely stimulated everyone's nerves.

Gaze after gaze all fell upon Ling Xiaotian.

Right now, he was the protagonist.

Any decision he made next would directly affect the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The assassins of the First Grade Hall radiated a killing intent like a rising tide; their eyes held not a shred of emotion, resembling fearless suicide squads.

What kind of people were truly terrifying? People who did not fear death were the most terrifying of all.

You should never try to out-ruthless such people; when they went mad, they could reach the absolute extremes of madness.

As top-tier assassins of the First Grade Hall, they underwent a highly systematic training process.

And the very first lesson in becoming an assassin of the First Grade Hall was the lesson of life and death.

Every time they embarked on a mission, they did so with a determination to die.

Just like at this moment, the assassins who could appear on Mount Ziyun would, at the mere word of command from Lin Zhenxi and Lin Zhenbei, fight desperately without a second thought, battling to their very last breath.

"Perhaps I might say a few words."

A voice rang out from beyond Mount Ziyun.

The crowd looked over and saw the Pill King appear once more. With his sleeves fluttering in the breeze, he took the initiative to walk right into the heaven-shrouding killing array.

This killing array was one you could enter, but never leave.

Yet, knowing the current state of Mount Ziyun, the Pill King still walked in with elegance and composure. This fortitude alone commanded admiration, proving him truly worthy of the title Pill King.

Valuing talent, the Pill King had stepped forward once before. Although he had left, he had not gone far, continuously monitoring the situation on Mount Ziyun.

Seeing the two sides at daggers drawn and refusing to yield, he knew deeply that a peacemaker was needed at this moment to give the Ling clan a way out.

Given his own status and standing, he was the most suitable person to act as this peacemaker.

The Ling clan cared deeply about their pride; without a face-saving exit, they truly could not back down.

After all, this concerned the glory and dignity of the foremost martial arts clan.

"It's the Pill King."

Seeing the newcomer, the tense nerves of countless people involuntarily relaxed somewhat.

With him stepping in to mediate, a fight would most likely be averted.

The most powerful assassin organization and the martial arts clan with the deepest heritage—if they truly threw all caution to the wind, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter if they beat each other to a pulp; the Jiang clan and the Xuan clan would even be happy to watch them fight. The three great martial arts clans of the Great Xia were never on good terms to begin with. If anyone wished for the decline of the Ling clan, it was certainly the Jiang and Xuan clans.

The Pill King reappeared on Mount Ziyun, his expression serene as he stood between the Ling clan and the First Grade Hall.

"Brother Ling, today's affair has escalated to this point; a solution must be found."

The Pill King looked toward Ling Xiaotian. "You want to kill Lin Hao, while the First Grade Hall and the Supreme Mystic Sect want to protect Lin Hao. If you tear down all pretense of civility, tens of thousands will be buried with them, and both sides will suffer heavy losses. Such an outcome is something no one wishes to see."

"Indeed, what Brother Dan says is entirely correct."

Yi Tianya also spoke up.

"Are you implying that my Ling clan should give up on killing Lin Hao?"

Ling Xiaotian demanded, "Hmph! That is impossible. The enmity between that brat and the Ling clan is irreconcilable. He destroyed our Heavenly Thunder Dojo and stole our clan's closely guarded secret arts. For this reason alone, the Ling clan cannot allow him to remain alive in this world."

"Quite right, the stance of the Ling clan will never change."

A Ling clan elder shouted aloud.

"It seems my meaning was not expressed clearly enough."

The Pill King smiled. "I do not interfere with the feud between you and Lin Hao, nor do I have the qualification to do so. But to speak fairly, Lin Hao is merely a genius at the Qi Sea realm. For the Ling clan to make such a massive fuss today and deploy this kind of formation is going somewhat too far. If word gets out, it will make the world ridicule you, and it does not look good for the Ling clan's prestige."

"Why not have both sides take a step back? The martial arts culture of the Great Xia is flourishing, and the struggles of the younger generation of prodigies will always be the greatest spectacle. You and I were both young once and experienced the boiling passions of youth."

The Pill King continued, "As the foremost clan with a profound and weighty heritage, the Ling clan possesses countless prodigies. Since you wish to kill Lin Hao, why not give the youth a chance?"

"The emergence of a Ten-Zhang Dragon Gate talent is destined to add distinct colors to this generation. Let the younger generation fight it out. No matter the outcome, it will be a fine tale for the future. Clan Head Ling, wouldn't you agree?"

"The Pill King's words are most wise."

The Ninth Prince was the first to step forward. "Our Great Xia's prodigies leap across the horizon and talent emerges in droves. The prodigies of the Ling clan must also be eager to do battle with a Ten-Zhang Dragon Gate talent."

"Using the strong to bully the weak damages the dignity of the Ling clan," an elder of the Jiang clan remarked.

"According to the rules of the Hundred Sects Grand Tournament, Lin Hao claimed first place in the tournament and should report to the Prodigy Camp of the Great Xia Academy two months from now. Let this group of youngsters fight it out. How does Clan Head Ling feel about this?"

The Pill King pressed on, looking first at Ling Xiaotian, then glancing at Lin Zhenxi and Lin Zhenbei. "And what does the First Grade Hall think?"

"A struggle among prodigies is entirely reasonable and fair. If the Ling clan hadn't used their might to bully the weak today, the First Grade Hall would not have shown up either."

Lin Zhenbei spoke up, adding, "But the First Grade Hall will also make its stance clear here: throughout the entire Great Xia, and even the entire Cangyuan Realm, should anyone use their seniority to bully the weak, with older-generation powerhouses making a move against our young master, the First Grade Hall will exhaust every resource to wipe out their entire bloodline."

The First Grade Hall had made its position known.

In truth, from the moment Lin Hao was allowed to leave the Lin family, the family was well aware that this was Lin Hao's path of trial.

Whether Lin Hao successfully matured or not, they would not intervene.

"Clan Head Ling?"

The Pill King looked once more at Ling Xiaotian.

"Hmph! Does he dare disagree? With my First Grade Hall present here today, if the Ling clan wants to use the strong to bully the weak, they can think again."

Lin Zhenbei let out a cold snort, launching a direct verbal assault without leaving a shred of face for the Ling clan.

Ling Xiaotian's teeth ground together audibly. As the head of the Ling clan and a prominent, illustrious figure in the Great Xia, when had he ever suffered such threats?

Yet today, the First Grade Hall had arrived with a heaven-shrouding killing array, forcing him to compromise.

Surveying the overall situation and pondering for a moment, Ling Xiaotian finally spoke: "It is acceptable for the Ling clan to take a step back, but our clan has previously declared that we will never allow this brat to step foot into the imperial capital alive."

"Therefore, if he wishes to enter the imperial capital and the Great Xia Academy, let's see if he has the ability."

Ling Xiaotian's gaze was like a knife as he fixed it on Lin Hao. "Two months from now, our clan will set up nine checkpoints along the road for Lin Hao's journey to the imperial capital, guarded by the prodigies of our clan. If he has the capability, let him fight his way through."

"Very well! Two months from now, I shall wield my sword and charge through the nine checkpoints to see just how tough the bones of your Ling clan prodigies really are."

Lin Hao shouted resolutely, pointing his finger toward the Ling clan's position. His eyes burned with firm determination, and his killing intent soared to the heavens.

"An abandoned son of a marquis indeed has spirit."

"Setting up nine checkpoints—this is a definite death trap set by the Ling clan, and Lin Hao actually agreed to it in one breath."

"If he can truly break through the nine checkpoints and fight his way all the way to the imperial capital, I shudder to think what a massive sensation it will cause."

...

"Such formidable spirit."

An exceptionally arrogant voice echoed from afar.

Following that, a youth stepped through the void.

Clad in white robes with a transcendent bearing, he was wreathed in dragon-shaped blood Qi on the surface of his body, and with every step he took, golden lotus flowers emerged beneath his feet.

As the youth appeared, tens of thousands of gazes fell upon him in unison.

The youth was far too dazzling; he resembled a glittering star, standing uniquely independent and arrogant beneath the firmament.

"The Heir of the defending Marquis."

Someone recognized the youth and let out a cry of astonishment.