90: A dying entrustment, a heavy responsibility for the sect

The fall of the Sect Master was like the final funeral bell, tolling heavily in the hearts of every Elder and Disciple loyal to the Sect. Inside the main hall, cries of grief shook the heavens, the atmosphere was bleak, and despair and rage intertwined, nearly bursting through the roof of the hall.

Lin Yang stood before the Sect Master's remains, his back as straight as a lone pine on a mountain peak, yet he exuded a heart-palpitating coldness and deathly silence. Extreme grief did not cause him to lose control or go mad; instead, it transformed into a deeper, more terrifying rage and killing intent capable of annihilating everything, surging and galloping within him, waiting for an outlet to vent.

He slowly raised his hand, without containing any True Qi, just a simple action. However, an invisible pressure spread out, and the deafening cries in the hall were as if choked by an invisible hand, gradually ceasing. Everyone had red eyes, forcefully suppressing their grief, looking at the new Sect Master who had just been entrusted by the Sect Master on his deathbed, and who radiated an awe-inspiring yet reassuring Aura—Lin Yang.

"Elders," Lin Yang's voice was terrifyingly calm, with no hint of emotional fluctuation, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty, clearly reaching everyone's ears, "The Sect Master has passed away, the Sect has undergone a drastic change; this is an unprecedented crisis for our Star Moon Sect. However, with a great enemy at the gates and traitors yet to be cleared, this is not the time for grief."

His gaze swept over the core Elders: "From this moment on, you shall temporarily preside over the Sect Master's funeral arrangements and stabilize the emotions of the Disciples in the palace. Without my order, no one is allowed to leave their post, no one is allowed to conspire in private, and those who violate this order—will be treated as traitors to the Sect!"

"Yes! We respectfully obey the Sect Master's order!" The Elders forcefully suppressed their grief, bowing to accept the command, their voices choked but firm. At this moment, Lin Yang's return, with his unfathomable strength, and as the legitimate new Sect Master, was undoubtedly the only hope and backbone for all loyal Disciples. His calmness and decisiveness quickly infected everyone, temporarily stabilizing the panicked hearts.

Lin Yang's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on the cold coffin: "I will avenge the Sect Master. I will clear the traitors of the Sect. What you need to do is to guard this place, guard the Sect Master's final dignity, stabilize the overall situation, and do not let panic spread."

"Sect Master!" An Elder with a fierce temperament stepped forward, his tear stains still wet, but his eyes burning with raging fire, "After that traitor, the Grand Elder, succeeded in his sneak attack, he gathered his party members, controlled the Scripture Pavilion, Alchemy workshop, the Sect treasury, and other important locations, cutting off our resources, and is even suspected of having contact with the outside world! Their strength is not weak, and they have the support of outside enemies, you must be careful!"

"Clowns, just lingering on their last breaths." Lin Yang's tone was cold, as if stating a fact, "After today, within the Star Moon Sect, there will no longer be the faction of the Grand Elder. I will go and take their lives myself."

He turned around, his gaze looking at the five women who had been following behind him, also with grave expressions and eyes filled with concern.

"Wanqing, Senior Sister Qingyue," he looked at Bai Wanqing and Su Qingyue, "You stay here, assist the Elders in stabilizing the situation, and strictly guard against the traitors acting out of desperation, attacking the main hall, and disturbing the Sect Master's funeral hall."

"Yunxi, Yuning," his gaze turned to the Chu Sisters, "You are familiar with the possible methods of the Sword Sect and the Immortal Palace. Take my Sect Master token, patrol the palace, suppress any disturbances, and kill anyone suspicious on sight! Especially in important areas like the treasury and Alchemy room, if you encounter resistance, there is no need to show mercy."

"Mu Yao..." Lin Yang finally looked at the young girl whose eyes were a bit complex and carried a hint of timidity, "You... stay with Wanqing and the others for now. Your identity is special, and it is not suitable to be exposed for the time being, so as to avoid complications."

Mu Yao nodded obediently and said in a low voice: "I understand, Lin... Sect Master." She knew that now was not the time to cause trouble, and being able to stay in the relatively safe main hall to help was already the best arrangement.

After making the arrangements, Lin Yang did not linger for a moment longer. He stepped out of the main hall in one stride.

Outside the hall, both sides who were originally in a tense standoff clearly heard the commotion inside the hall and that cold Sect Master's order. The Disciples supporting the Sect Master were filled with indignation, their weapons drawn, Protective Aura circulating, waiting only for Lin Yang's order to tear these traitors to pieces. The traitor side, however, looked panicked, their formations in Chaos; some had flickering eyes, attempting to retreat, while others were putting up a fierce front, forcefully holding on.

Lin Yang's gaze was like a cold blade, slowly sweeping across those traitorous Disciples. His voice was not loud, but it clearly overwhelmed all the noise: "Those who lay down their weapons and kneel to surrender will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the Sect, and their lives will be spared."

He paused, his voice suddenly becoming incomparably cold, like a cold wind from the Nine Nether Hell, scraping across everyone's Soul: "Those who resist to the end—"

"Will be killed without mercy, and their entire clan will be wiped out!"

The terrifying killing intent mixed with the majestic pressure of the Mid-stage Gang Qi Realm swept out like a tangible tsunami! Those traitorous Disciples instantly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; those with weaker cultivation had their legs go soft and collapsed to the ground, and some even had their pants soaked through, with a foul, fishy stench spreading!

"Hmph! You yellow-mouthed child, what big talk! You just happened to get some Opportunity by luck, and you really think you are someone?" An angry shout came from behind the traitors. The crowd parted, and the inner Sect Grand Elder walked out slowly, surrounded by a group of confidant Elders.

His face was as gloomy as water, but deep in his eyes, he hid a trace of hard-to-conceal fear and hysterical madness. He never expected Lin Yang to return so quickly, nor did he expect the Sect Master to be so decisive before his death, directly passing the position of Sect Master to this brat! This completely disrupted his plan to gradually erode and completely control the Sect, and then receive the starship in the guise of "setting things right"!

But now that things had reached this point, both sides were already locked in a life-and-death struggle, with no room for any turning back!

"Lin Yang, you killed fellow Elders, colluded with a demoness, and now you have even forced the Sect Master to his death and usurped the throne! Your heart is punishable, and your crimes deserve death! Disciples, do not listen to his rumors! Follow me to take down this fiend, avenge the Sect Master, and clean up the Sect!" The Grand Elder falsely accused him, his voice infused with True Qi, attempting to incite those Disciples who did not know the truth or were wavering in their stance.

However, the response to him was Lin Yang's cold, disdainful sneer, a laugh filled with extreme contempt.

"Grand Elder, at death's door, you are still wagging your tongue and using such despicable tricks." Lin Yang walked forward step by step; with every step he took, his Aura climbed by a point, dark golden Chaos Gang Qi circulating on his body surface, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression, like an ancient Vicious Beast waking up, "Do you think that by colluding with the Misty Immortal Palace and the Xuantian Sword Sect, secretly passing on my whereabouts, setting up an ambush to put me to death, and then turning back to sneak attack the Sect Master, you can turn black into white and seize everything?"

Lin Yang's voice was like a thunderclap, directly exposing all his conspiracies! The voice was incomparably clear, spreading throughout the entire square, and even reaching further places.

Many neutral Disciples, and even those who were originally slightly inclined towards the Grand Elder, were in an uproar upon hearing this, their gazes towards the Grand Elder filled with shock, disdain, and anger.

The Grand Elder's face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly: "You... you are spouting blood! Produce evidence!"

"Evidence?" Lin Yang did not stop his pace, the corners of his mouth curving into a cruel arc, "When I twist off your head and search your Soul and refine your spirit, I will naturally have all the evidence!"

"Arrogant! Even if you have reached the Breakthrough of the Gang Qi Realm, so what? This Elder has long been at the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm! Today I will let you know that the gap in Realm cannot be made up by a little luck! Everyone, follow me, kill him!" The Grand Elder knew he could not let Lin Yang continue speaking, roared, and the Aura of the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm erupted, attempting to use the Realm pressure to intimidate Lin Yang and his supporters. In his hand appeared a strange long saber tempered with dark green poisonous light, the blade trembling, emitting a shrill ghost-howling sound, and he made the first move, the saber light like a poisonous Dragon coming out of a cave, slashing directly at Lin Yang's face! The confidant Elders beside him also simultaneously agitated their True Qi, and attacks of various colors poured towards Lin Yang like a violent storm!

The great battle erupted instantly!

Cold light exploded in Lin Yang's eyes; he did not dodge or avoid, but instead accelerated forward!

"Chaos Domain, open!"

Hum! A slightly blurry yet vast and terrifying gray-golden force field suddenly expanded with him as the center, instantly enveloping the charging Grand Elder and his five or six confidant Elders!

Within the Domain, the power of engulfing, suppression, and distortion instantly acted on the enemies! The Grand Elder and the others only felt their bodies suddenly stagnate, as if they had fallen into an invisible quagmire, the circulation of True Qi suddenly becoming obscure and sluggish, the power of the slashed saber light and sword shadows suddenly decreasing, and the trajectories even becoming skewed!

"What?! Domain?! This is impossible! You are only at the Gang Qi Realm!" The Grand Elder was horrified, he simply could not understand how a brat at the Mid-stage Gang Qi Realm could possess such a terrifying and complete power of a Domain? Although the range was not large and it was slightly embryonic, the high quality and the Chaos meaning contained within it far exceeded his cognition, even making his Spirit Sea Realm cultivation feel inexplicably suppressed!

Just at the moment he lost his composure, Lin Yang moved!

"Protective Aura Manifestation: Chaos Tribulation Finger!"

He pressed his fingers together like a sword and pointed out! A dark golden finger Aura, condensed to the extreme, as if it could pierce through the Void Realm and annihilate everything, ignored the distance, arriving first despite starting later, and instantly appeared in front of the Grand Elder's chest!

Fast! Ruthless! Accurate! Containing an unstoppable, resolute killing intent!

The Grand Elder's Soul was terrified, a fatal sense of crisis making his scalp explode! He desperately turned sideways, at the same time fiercely placing that extraordinary dark green poisonous saber across his chest, injecting the True Qi of the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm into it without reservation!

Rip!

However, that seemingly indestructible poisonous saber, in front of that dark golden finger Aura, was like paper! The finger Aura was like a hot knife cutting through butter, easily piercing through the blade, and then fiercely penetrating the Grand Elder's right shoulder blade!

Bang! Blood mixed with broken bone fragments exploded! The Grand Elder let out a shrill, painful scream, his whole body as if hit by a giant hammer, flying backward, crashing heavily into a stone pillar in the square, his eyes filled with disbelief and unprecedented fear!

One strike! Just one strike! He, at the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Sea Realm, was actually defeated and severely injured head-on by a junior at the Mid-stage Gang Qi Realm!

The whole scene was deadly silent!

Everyone was stunned by this crushing, cognition-subverting scene!

The side supporting Lin Yang was dumbfounded, and then erupted into earth-shaking cheers! The traitor side, however, turned ashen, their morale instantly collapsing!

Lin Yang was expressionless, like a god of death walking out of Hell, walking step by step towards the Grand Elder who was seriously injured, lying on the ground, and coughing up blood.

Cleaning up the Sect, officially begins!