559: Cloud Palace Shock (65k words)

Inside the He Family.

He Zhang and the leader from Bone Bloom walked out of the secret chamber, and the latter immediately concealed themselves.

He Zhang continued walking towards the main gate, preparing to welcome Lin Yang's arrival.

However, before he had walked more than a few steps, a somewhat panicked and urgent voice whispered in his ear:

" He Linchuan, that brat, committed suicide! "

" What?! "

" That Xiao Hu actually committed suicide?! "

He Zhang was instantly shocked and turned around abruptly, intending to return to the secret chamber to check the situation.

Panic appeared in his eyes, and he said frantically towards the direction where the Bone Bloom leader was hiding:

" Lord Leng, what do we do now? "

" He Linchuan, that Xiao Hu, actually committed suicide. "

" Wouldn't Lin Yang be able to sense it immediately? "

" If he knows that He Linchuan is dead, he will surely be suspicious, and I fear he won't come anymore?! "

The leader was clearly silent for a moment, then said:

" Don't panic. Although that little brat chose to commit suicide to warn him, which might make Lin Yang suspicious, it doesn't necessarily mean he won't come again! "

" After all, this is his disciple; he might still come to check the situation. "

" You should continue to wait at the gate. You can even take the initiative to inform Lin Yang, tell him that He Linchuan died suddenly by accident, and have him come to collect his disciple's body! "

He Zhang was taken aback, then nodded: " Understood. By taking the initiative to inform him, I can turn passivity into initiative! "

" Smart! " The leader praised, then concealed themselves again.

He Zhang no longer went to the secret chamber but quickened his pace to leave, preparing to contact Lin Yang proactively as the leader had just suggested.

But the next instant.

A terrifying aura suddenly enveloped the entire He Family.

The originally clear sky above the He Family became chaotic.

All areas of the He Family were shrouded by an invisible force, making it impossible to communicate with the outside world.

" Hmm? "

" That is... "

He Zhang's expression changed abruptly, and he couldn't help but look up.

He saw a person wearing a dragon-head mask appear from above, gazing coldly at the crowd.

" This aura... "

He Zhang's heart trembled.

He felt a power from this person with the dragon-head mask that made his heart tremble.

The next instant.

He Zhang didn't have time to think too much; he immediately bowed to the person wearing the dragon-head mask and shouted:

" I do not know which lord has descended? If my He Family has offended you in any way, I ask for your forgiveness, Lord! "

His attitude and tone were very respectful, and his voice was even trembling slightly.

To be able to openly isolate a large area in Yun Que City, to the point where his perception couldn't even reach out a single bit—such methods and strength were beyond the scope of what the He Family could contend with.

He cooperated with Bone Bloom mainly by relying on the power of Bone Bloom.

The He Family did not possess the strength to isolate an area in the city to kill people.

Furthermore, even for this operation by Bone Bloom, they needed to plan and arrange certain methods in advance to isolate a small area to conceal the fluctuations during the action.

But now, this mysterious person with the dragon-head mask had isolated the entire street where the He Family was located with their own power alone.

This level of strength made He Zhang tremble, and it also made him puzzled.

Such a big shot, the He Family wasn't even qualified to offend them, even if they wanted to.

Yet now, the other party had truly isolated the area where the He Family was located, filled with killing intent; they were clearly here with ill intent.

Therefore, he immediately begged for mercy as soon as he spoke.

Facing such a big shot, regardless of whether they were at fault or not, the right thing to do was to bow their heads and admit fault first.

This was He Zhang's way of survival.

Facing a powerful existence, especially one that they shouldn't have offended, the other party might sometimes just care about one's attitude and couldn't be bothered to haggle with weaklings like them.

As long as one's attitude was good and humble enough, perhaps they could be forgiven.

He had used this trick successfully many times before.

The members of the He Family also looked up at the sky in terror.

But under the isolation of power, all they could see was the person with the dragon-head mask standing in mid-air.

Hearing the humble pleas of their family head, He Zhang, and feeling the monstrous chill and killing intent from the other party.

The entire He Family was instantly thrown into chaos.

Every member of the He Family was trembling in their hearts, not knowing how they had attracted such a terrifying expert to target their family.

He Zhang felt the chaos and panic among the family members; he wanted to scold them, but he didn't dare to speak out easily, so he could only remain humble, trying to obtain the forgiveness of this lord.

But.

This time, it left He Zhang desperate and terrified.

This mysterious expert with the dragon-head mask had no intention of forgiving them at all.

Instead, with a wave of their hand, hundreds of terrifying strands of power condensed into threads, penetrating into every courtyard of the He Family.

" Ahhh... "

In an instant.

Inside the He Family, more than a third of the clansmen were instantly killed.

The terrified screams of the crowd resounded through the sky.

" Jinchang!! "

He Zhang also let out a heart-wrenching roar.

A nameless fire rushed straight to his brain, and his eyes became bloodshot from anger.

Because he could sense that the hundred or so people killed in one strike by this mysterious expert were all people of their lineage, or those close to them within the family.

Among them was his only son, He Jinchang.

" Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? Where did my He Family offend you? Why must you slaughter the people of my family like this? "

Afterwards, He Zhang suddenly looked up and glared at the sky.

He had thought that this mysterious expert was targeting the entire He Family, but now, after this one strike, he understood that this was not targeting the He Family, but specifically targeting the people of their lineage!

And the strikes were extremely precise; it was clear they were extremely familiar with the internal relationships of the He Family!

Everyone who had good relations with their lineage was killed, without exception!

This made He Zhang unable to understand, and even more furious.

At this moment, anger overcame the fear in his heart, causing him to question sharply.

However, the mysterious expert with the dragon-head mask still ignored him and spoke coldly:

" Everyone else in the He Family, leave the main courtyard area within three breaths, otherwise, die. "

Swish, swish, swish.

Once these words were spoken, the remaining members of the He Family didn't even have time to be stunned; driven by fear and the instinct to survive, they fled the main courtyard area one after another.

In the blink of an eye, within the entire main courtyard area, apart from He Zhang, the hidden Bone Bloom leader, and the guy in the secret chamber, there were no other He Family members left.

Hum.

Then, He Zhang saw the isolation force that had just shrouded the entire He Family area shrink, covering only the main courtyard.

And those He Family members who had left the main courtyard, feeling the bright sunlight shining on them again, all felt a sense of relief and shock at having survived a disaster.

" That mysterious lord didn't actually kill us? "

" He let us leave the main courtyard, was he actually letting us go? "

Looking at the still-isolated main courtyard, everyone looked at each other in great shock.

Meanwhile.

The situation at the He Family was also sensed by the major forces and experts in the city at the first moment.

" What's going on? The He Family has actually been isolated by someone? "

" Is this... an attempt to make a move against the He Family? "

" Who is so bold as to make a move within the city? "

" Heh, rather than saying someone is bold, it's more like how the He Family managed to provoke such a fierce person. "

" Exactly, this isolation power is too powerful, without any flaws. Although the He Family has some influence in the city, they shouldn't have had the opportunity to provoke such an expert, right? "

" The power to completely isolate the entire He Family, I reckon, could only barely be achieved by the City Lord using the Formation Array inside the city. "

" Since when did such a powerful existence appear in our Yun Que City?? "

The various experts in the city were also greatly shocked.

This isolation power was too strong.

Even the experts at the limit of the third level of the Boundary Realm in the city could not penetrate or sense inside.

Just as everyone was shocked and discussing, they suddenly saw the powerful force that had isolated the entire He Family instantly shrink, releasing all areas except for the main courtyard.

" Eh? The He Family clansmen weren't all killed, but only a hundred or so died? "

" Looking at the state of those corpses, they should all have been killed instantly in one strike, and they were killed within the same second. "

" Killing over a hundred people simultaneously in one second, this strength is indeed terrifying. "

The people in the city discussed again, all very curious about what kind of expert the He Family had provoked.

At the same moment, the Patrol Team in the city had also arrived at the He Family's location.

The captain, Wei Min, was an expert at the limit of the third level of the Boundary Realm. Seeing the power that still shrouded and isolated the He Family's main courtyard, he also felt a tremor in his heart.

It had been a long time since such a thing had happened in Yun Que City.

This made Wei Min feel shocked while also not daring to be careless.

No one who dared to make a move in the city was easy to deal with.

He immediately found a few survivors of the He Family to ask about the situation.

" I ask you, what happened within your family? Who is making a move? What is the situation inside the main courtyard? "

Wei Min asked one by one, trying to gather as much intelligence as possible.

" Captain Wei Min, we... we don't know who it is! "

The few people questioned by Wei Min answered in panic:

" We only saw that person wearing a mask; after appearing, they killed people without saying a word, and then told us to leave the main courtyard. "

" When we left, only Family Head He Zhang was left in the main courtyard. "

Wei Min immediately frowned: " The other party was wearing a mask? Do they not want to reveal their identity? "

" We don't know about that. " The He Family members shook their heads repeatedly.

" He let you go but left He Zhang alone; could it be a vendetta against He Zhang? "

Wei Min speculated and then followed up with a question:

" Do you know if He Zhang has ever provoked any experts? "

" This... Captain Wei Min, we are usually just branch members of the family; whether the Family Head has provoked any experts, we wouldn't know... "

The He Family members all smiled bitterly.

Hearing this, Wei Min waved his hand to let them withdraw, without asking any further.

Although there wasn't much effective information, one could see through the clues that this mysterious expert seemed to be specifically targeting He Zhang's lineage and others.

As for how He Zhang and the others could have provoked an expert of this level, although Wei Min was curious, he actually didn't care much.

The City Lord's Mansion and the Patrol Team only maintained daily order in the city; they were not like government police who had to investigate every single murder case.

After all, this was a world dominated by cultivators.

The strong are respected.

If it was something they could handle, they would naturally handle it, but if they couldn't, they wouldn't meddle.

And no one would say anything more about it.

After a pause, Wei Min directly applied for a Formation Array penetration.

The isolation power was still there, and as the Patrol Team, although he knew the other party might be an existence they couldn't deal with, he still had to do what needed to be done.

His application was also quickly approved.

The Formation Array in the city could concentrate power at any location in the city at any time to carry out penetration and attacks.

Even a half-step Returning Origin Realm expert who was stuck at the limit of the third level of the Boundary Realm and had comprehended a tiny bit of Dao rhythm power and was about to break through would be crushed when facing the power of the Formation Array.

This was also one of the main reasons why no one dared to provoke the City Lord's Mansion and the Patrol Team.

However.

Soon, something that made Wei Min and everyone in the city incomparably shocked again happened.

It could be seen that even the power of the Formation Array was still unable to penetrate that power of isolation to clearly see the situation inside the He Family main courtyard.

"This..."

"Holy crap, even the power of the Formation Array can't penetrate it?"

"Could it be that a Guiyuan Realm master is the one who attacked?"

The people were stunned.

A Guiyuan Realm master was suspected to have arrived in the tiny Yun Que City, and was targeting the even smaller He Family??

Everyone was a bit bewildered.

How could the He Family deserve this?

Wei Min was also greatly shocked; he was clearer than anyone else in the city about how terrifying this power of isolation was.

After the power of the Formation Array attempted to make contact, it was instantly dissolved, just like a drop of water entering the ocean.

The gap in power was too great!

Subsequently, Wei Min decisively withdrew the power of the Formation Array and said to the members of the He Family:

"It is a pity, as you can see, the person seeking revenge this time is too powerful, and there is nothing we can do."

Having said that, he led the Patrol Team and left directly.

He needed to immediately report to the City Lord about the situation where he tried to use the power of the Formation Array to penetrate the power of isolation just now.

This mysterious powerhouse here is an existence that cannot be provoked!

The members of the He Family did not say anything, or rather, they dared not say anything.

This is reality.

Even though there are rules in the city against fighting, when one's strength is powerful enough to ignore the city's rules, the Patrol Team is powerless.

In a situation where even the power of the Formation Array could not easily penetrate, it was impossible for the Patrol Team to risk their lives to continue trying to help the He Family.

The surviving members of the He Family stood silently in place, at a loss for what to do.

They were all branch members with average strength, and usually barely participated in the He Family's main businesses.

Now that the important figures of He Zhang's lineage were all dead, the businesses that originally belonged to the He Family would definitely be carved up by other families, and they were all a bit dazed, not knowing how they would establish themselves in the future.

They also dared not run away.

After all, no one knew how that mysterious powerhouse would deal with them afterwards.

Therefore, they were all standing honestly in place, waiting for their fate.

Inside the Star Divination Tower.

In a high-end VIP room, an extraordinary-looking young man stood in front of the window, also gazing into the distance toward the He Family.

Behind him stood an old man who appeared ordinary.

"Uncle Fu, can you sense the situation inside the He Family?"

The young man suddenly spoke.

The old man shook his head, his expression solemn: "Young Master, I also cannot sense it. That power of isolation is continuous and endless; it seems to have no threatening power at all, but my senses were instantly swallowed the moment they entered it."

Upon hearing this, the young man's eyes, bright as stars, revealed a hint of surprise. He turned his head and asked in astonishment: "Even you, Uncle Fu, cannot penetrate it?"

"Yes, I cannot penetrate it! The power doesn't feel strong to me, but I just can't get inside."

The old man shook his head again:

"From this point of view, the opponent's strength is likely at least not weaker than mine, and perhaps even stronger than me."

The young man was even more surprised: "Uncle Fu, you are..."

He did not finish his sentence, but seemed to have thought of something and stopped abruptly.

The old man's eyes flickered, and he said: "Young Master, a powerhouse of unknown origin has suddenly appeared in Yun Que City. Perhaps we should leave immediately; staying here is somewhat dangerous."

The young man pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Uncle Fu, I know you are afraid that if an accident happens, you won't be able to protect me well, and you are also worried whether this suddenly appearing powerhouse might be one of their people."

"However, we have hidden our identities all the way here, so we shouldn't have been exposed. This should be a coincidence!"

As he spoke, the young man turned around and continued to gaze into the distance toward the He Family, saying:

"Uncle Fu, please go and investigate all the intelligence on this He Family. This mysterious powerhouse is seeking revenge, yet only killed a portion of the people. It seems he isn't the type to kill the innocent indiscriminately."

"Perhaps..."

The old man was stunned: "Young Master, are you thinking of recruiting this powerhouse?"

"Why not?"

The young man raised an eyebrow:

"As long as we can confirm that this person is not an enemy, it wouldn't hurt to try and befriend him."

"Anyway, failure won't cause us any loss, but if we succeed, we will have gained another major ally!"

The old man was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "I understand. I will go now; Young Master, please wait here."

"Mm." The young man nodded slightly, the light in his eyes flickering ceaselessly.

...

He Family main courtyard.

He Zhang was already on the verge of vomiting blood.

This masked mysterious powerhouse had killed everyone in his lineage, yet actually let everyone else go.

This targeting was simply too obvious!

He did not understand how such a powerhouse could have set his sights on his lineage!

"He Zhang, are you very confused now, unable to figure out why I didn't kill others but specifically killed your people?"

Under He Zhang's angry and puzzled gaze, the person in mid-air suddenly took off the mask.

Subsequently, a familiar face entered He Zhang's eyes.

In an instant, He Zhang's body trembled. As if seeing a ghost, he subconsciously pointed over and stammered:

"You... you... are... Lin... Lin Yang?!"

"How could it... be you?!"

He Zhang was dumbfounded.

Or rather, he was scared silly.

Because the person who took off the mask was none other than Lin Yang!

At this moment, the anger and killing intent in Lin Yang's eyes were no less than He Zhang's.

He stared coldly at He Zhang:

"Why couldn't it be me?"

"He Zhang."

"You forced my disciple to his death. I have only killed everyone in your lineage and spared the others."

"This is already my mercy."

"Lin Yang!"

He Zhang roared instantly, acting like a madman:

"How can you be so strong?"

"Aren't you just an ordinary first-level Boundary Realm?!"

He also understood at this moment why Lin Yang only killed the people of his lineage!

This was to avenge He Linchuan.

But he could not understand why Lin Yang was so strong!

"Want to know the answer?"

Lin Yang looked down at He Zhang, and a power infused with Dao rhythm power was pointed out directly:

"Go ask the King of Hell."

He couldn't be bothered to say anything more to He Zhang.

He Linchuan, such an optimistic person who yearned for the light, was forced to the point of suicide.

He wished he could slice He Zhang into a thousand pieces!

He Zhang's complexion changed drastically in an instant, his pupils dilated. Feeling this power, he exclaimed in crazy disbelief:

"This... this is the power of Dao Rhythm?!"

"You... are not a first-level Boundary Realm... but a half-step Returning Origin Realm?!"

He Zhang was completely terrified.

He was also a third-level Boundary Realm, so he had some insight.

He immediately felt that Lin Yang's power contained the power of Dao Rhythm.

Because comprehending Dao Rhythm was also something he dreamed of.

He had also imagined countless times that one day he would suddenly have a flash of inspiration, be able to comprehend a trace of Dao Rhythm, and rank among the top powerhouses of Yun Que City.

But he had never thought that the time he would feel the existence of Dao Rhythm would be in this situation.

"I... I..."

He Zhang opened his mouth.

He was unwilling!

He felt the existence of the power of Dao Rhythm, but it was before he died!

Thud.

The next second, He Zhang's corpse fell straight down.

Under the power of Dao Rhythm, an ordinary third-level Boundary Realm only had the fate of being instantly killed.

Afterwards, Lin Yang stared at the location where the team leader was hiding, and similarly pointed out a power of Dao rhythm power:

"Garbage from Bone Bloom, you've watched enough; it's time to pay for my disciple's life!"

Chi!

Accompanied by Lin Yang's power and words, the team leader's corpse also fell directly out of the void.

His eyes were wide open, filled with thick fear.

He died with his eyes open.

Lin Yang didn't even glance at this guy's and He Zhang's corpses, but instead took a step, walking step by step toward the secret room.

Inside the secret room, that Bone Bloom person responsible for guarding He Linchuan was currently trembling like a sieve.

Standing at the entrance of the secret room, watching Lin Yang approach step by step, his heart made "thump thump" sounds due to extreme fear, as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

Thud.

The next moment, this guy couldn't withstand the huge pressure brought by Lin Yang; his legs went soft, and he knelt down directly.

"Master, spare my life, this lowly one..."

This person tried to beg for mercy.

However, with a wave of Lin Yang's hand, a force pierced into his brow, not giving him a chance.

These pieces of garbage from the underground forces all deserved to die.

Lin Yang did not stop his pace, walked into the secret room, and lifted He Linchuan's corpse.

Looking at the two tear stains on his face, Lin Yang couldn't help but feel a sourness in his nose:

"Silly boy, even if they wanted to plot against your master, your master wouldn't be afraid."

"How could you be so silly!"

As he spoke, boundless grief surged in Lin Yang's heart.

He Linchuan was afraid that he would be plotted against and meet with an accident, so he chose to commit suicide to warn him.

This made his heart ache.

"Silly boy, this is the apprenticeship gift Master gave you. Did you see it?"

Afterwards, Lin Yang took out the set of weapon armor with one hand. He also regretted not going to the Star Divination Tower to recycle the ferocious beast materials to buy the apprenticeship gift as soon as he returned, and then giving the apprenticeship gift to He Linchuan.

The seclusion at that time would not have been affected by that little bit of time.

If he had given it earlier, perhaps this silly boy would have been happier when he left.

"You must be very regretful that you didn't even receive your apprenticeship gift, right?"

Lin Yang dared not think, and could not imagine, what He Linchuan was thinking at the moment he made the decision to commit suicide.

Perhaps he was regretting not yet receiving the formal apprenticeship gift he bestowed.

For this silly boy, a formal apprenticeship gift was of too great significance.

"Linchuan, Master... is now officially taking you as a disciple!"

Lin Yang endured the grief and said softly:

"Go in peace. Your sister, He Linxue, Master will also do his best to let her live longer!"

"Master did not kill all the people of the He Family."

"Because you said that many of them were forced, and they never harmed the two of you."

"So Master spared their lives."

"Besides that, Master also intends to let your sister take over the position of He Family head."

"Now that you are gone, if she has nothing to sustain her, Master is afraid that she will not be able to hold on."

"Don't worry, Master will take good care of her and... your family."

Lin Yang finished speaking slowly, withdrew the power covering the He Family main courtyard, and under the concealment of the Absolute Domain, returned to the Villa with He Linchuan's corpse.

At the same moment, the people in the city also saw that the power of isolation over the He Family courtyard had suddenly dissipated, and they all immediately paid attention, trying to see who had left.

But, everyone gained nothing.

They only saw the corpses of He Zhang and two Bone Bloom people lying on the ground inside the main courtyard.

In an instant, the whole city was shaken.

It was not shaken because of He Zhang's death.

He was not worthy.

But rather.

"Aren't those two people from Bone Bloom?"

"One of them is even at the captain level!"

"How could they be inside the He Family?"

"Could the He Family have some secret dealings with Bone Bloom?"

The people were stunned again.

"Things are really getting more and more interesting."

Inside the Star Divination Tower, in the VIP room.

The young man saw this scene, and his curiosity was also piqued.

"Family within the city, underground forces, mysterious powerhouse..."

"Really interesting."