74: To stop the source of chaos

A cold killing intent, like the biting wind of the twelfth lunar month, surged up from the deepest part of his heart, instantly sweeping through his entire body, as if the temperature in this underground secret chamber had dropped by several degrees.

The corner of his mouth twisted into an almost sinister arc, his eyes as sharp as poisoned blades.

'I have the lives of two Qi Refining Fourth Layer Cultivators in my hands now! Lin Chengyuan, you old dog, do you really think I'm still that trash Cultivator you could manipulate at will, who wouldn't even dare to fart?'

He touched the Storage Pouch hidden close to his chest—the thunder fiend talisman, with its swirling purple light and destructive power, appeared in his hand. The flickering thunderous spiritual light upon it was his greatest source of confidence now.

The slight numbing, stinging sensation from his fingertips was like a spark falling into an oil barrel, 'booming' and igniting an even fiercer flame in his heart!

The tempering of his Mental Energy brought him to the State of Clarity.

It was not just an enhancement of his ability to control his body.

It was a comprehensive transformation and enhancement.

His strength now far exceeded what it was before!

If he were to encounter Lin Jingxie again, defeating him would be very easy.

'With this boost in Mental Energy, combined with a full-force strike from the thunder fiend talisman, even if I can't blast you old dog into dust, I'll at least blast you into a serious injury!'

Lin Jingyu thought viciously.

'Crazy! This old dog is absolutely crazy!' Lin Jingyu gritted his teeth until they clicked, an indescribable sense of absurdity and anger rushing straight to his head.

'Just because you saw the ground ravaged by the thunder fiend talisman. And because of a little speculation, you disregard the lives of dozens of Cultivators in the Lin Family. You f***ing want to drag the entire Lin Family into the water? Treat the lives of dozens of clansmen as stepping stones? As cannon fodder?'

No matter how small or dilapidated the Lin Family is, it is still the place where this old dog was born and raised.

To be so ruthless and heartless is worse than an animal, total trash and scum.

Those faces in the ancestral hall—some numb, some fearful, some carrying a hint of kindness—flashed before his eyes one by one.

Even a petty person like the Grand Elder, who trades the Family for benefits, is a hundred times better than such scum.

Selfish and self-interested, unworthy of being human!

'Luring that pack of jackals from the Black Wind Stockade here? And you still want to pin it on me as the 'mastermind'?' Lin Jingyu was so angry he almost laughed out loud, cold light exploding in his eyes.

'What a great move of shifting the blame, what a great way to use someone else's knife to kill! Lin Chengyuan, you f***ing aren't afraid of being struck by lightning? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?'

He knew too well what kind of character the Black Wind Stockade had. That was a pack of jackals in human skin!

Greedy, bloodthirsty, and without any bottom line! Reasoning with them? Providing evidence? That's like playing the lute to a cow!

Never mind that three 'minor leaders' at the Qi Refining Mid-Stage died; even if they only suspected the Lin Family was involved, they could use that as an excuse to tear the entire Lin Family apart and swallow it whole! Not even a bone fragment would be left!

By then, all the spirit fields, houses, and clansmen... would be meat on their chopping block! The men would be slaves, the women would be prostitutes, and the slightest resistance would mean certain death!

The Lin Family would be reduced to nothing in an instant!

What about his sister, Lin Jingxia? What about those innocent clansmen?

As for that so-called ally, the Liu Family? Expecting them to go head-to-head with desperate criminals like the Black Wind Stockade for the sake of the Lin Family? Keep dreaming!

If they don't kick us while we're down, that would be considered benevolent of them! They might even take the Opportunity to step on us and grab a share of the spoils!

He got up and paced back and forth in the courtyard.

He couldn't imagine how this old dog could infer so much from the traces left after using the thunder fiend talisman.

To be so vicious!

If there really were a mysterious thunder-attribute Cultivator at the Qi Refining Great Perfection, that would be great.

Relying on his relationship with Fei Yangyang, Lin Jingyu could guarantee that before sending this Cultivator over, they would certainly have informed him about the situation.

Perhaps they would have already made contact.

Never mind a mere Qi Refining Fifth Layer Lin Chengyuan; even if the entire Black Wind Stockade went all out, it would be futile.

In the eyes of Fei Yangyang's Family, it's estimated that even a great Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage is just like an ant.

After all, they have several Golden Core Immortal Masters.

Without a Nascent Soul, they are unrivaled.

The key is that no one was sent at all.

Those traces of devastation were merely caused by his sneak attack on 'Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle'.

As luck would have it, by a twist of fate, Lin Chengyuan saw it, leading to the current situation.

'Old dog! You f***ing want the Lin Family to be buried with you!'

Lin Jingyu slammed his fist against the nearby stone wall, making a dull thud, and gravel fell with a rustle. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes were filled with suppressed violence and a trace of... powerlessness.

He hated Lin Chengyuan's vicious selfishness, and he hated his own powerlessness even more!

The intelligence panel let him know about this old dog's poisonous scheme in advance, but so what if he knew? He, Lin Jingyu, was now just a small Cultivator at the Qi Refining Third Layer!

What could he use to resist the coming storm of the Black Wind Stockade? What could he use to protect his sister and clansmen?

'Damn it! If I had a few more years... no, even one year! Just one year!' Lin Jingyu clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, bringing a sting of pain that allowed him to calm down slightly.

With the Heaven-Defying 'brick' that is the Taihao Elixir Canon, and the boost in Mental Energy from the 'State of Clarity', the threshold of a Trainee Alchemist was not unattainable for him. Once successful, Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones would roll in, and the speed of his cultivation improvement would definitely be a thousand miles a day!

By then, it wouldn't be the Black Wind Stockade coming to hold him accountable, but him going to eradicate this evil force.

But unfortunately, time waits for no one! That old beast Lin Chengyuan simply wouldn't give him time to develop! Like a mad dog, just based on a vague, unsubstantiated guess, he wanted to push the entire clan out as a shield.

'No! I must absolutely not let this old dog's plan succeed!' Lin Jingyu suddenly raised his head, the confusion and anger in his eyes instantly replaced by a resolute ruthlessness, like a quenched blade, cold and firm.

'I must kill him before he leaks the news to the Black Wind Stockade!' This thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap, carrying an unquestionable decision.

Lin Chengyuan was the source of all the chaos!

As long as he died, the so-called lie of 'the Lin Family colluding with outsiders to kill Black Wind Stockade Cultivators' would have no source!

The Black Wind Stockade would never make a big fuss over small fry like the Lin Family.

Just as the intelligence said, the few Qi Refining Fourth or Fifth Layer Cultivators of the Black Wind Stockade were just low-level existences. No one would even ask about their deaths.

Even if the Black Wind Stockade remembered later, they might not necessarily link it to the Lin Family.

Besides, if he gained time, his trump cards would also continue to grow stronger.

'Kill!'

Lin Jingyu's killing intent boiled in his heart, and he had no more hesitation.

He quickly calmed down and began to calculate.

At this point in time, the old dog Lin Chengyuan had already been to the 'crime scene' to take a look, and now he was probably scared out of his wits, pondering how to execute his beastly plan.