188: Chapter 188 Family Legacy, The Flame Never Dies

Deep within the mist of the Ancestral Land Secret Realm.

Lin Yue stood before a simple stone platform carved with intricate star patterns, which was currently emitting a faint silver light.

"Family Head."

A respectful voice came from behind him.

Lin Yue turned around.

Twelve figures stood quietly; they were all core members of the Lin Family's younger generation.

Leading them was Lin Qing. Her severed arm had been reattached, and though her face was still somewhat pale, her eyes were resolute.

Behind her were eleven direct descendants of the Lin Family, including Lin He, Lin Shan, and Lin Chuan, with cultivation bases ranging from the Late Foundation Establishment Stage to the Early Golden Core Stage.

These twelve individuals were the "sparks" that Lin Yue had carefully selected.

Their talent might not be the highest, but their Heart-Nature was stable, their will was firm, and they had all proven their loyalty to the Family in previous bloody battles.

"Everyone is here."

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice calm.

"I called you here today to entrust you with some matters."

He raised his hand, and the stone platform shone brightly as a silver light gate slowly emerged.

"Behind this gate is an absolutely safe Secret Realm. Within it, I have left a complete Legacy, enough resources to sustain your Cultivation for a hundred years, and all the ancient texts, Cultivation Techniques, and secret arts accumulated by the Lin Family over a millennium."

Lin Qing and the others' breathing hitched.

An absolutely safe Secret Realm. A complete Legacy. A hundred years' worth of resources.

"Family Head, this is..." Lin Qing's voice trembled slightly.

"The final path of retreat."

Lin Yue did not hide it, stating bluntly, "In seven days, the final battle will begin. This battle is perilous, and the outcome is uncertain. If we win, everyone will naturally be happy. But if we lose..."

He paused, his voice remaining steady: "If we lose, the Southern Territory will be devastated, and the Luoxia Sect may face the danger of annihilation. When that time comes, you will be the final sparks of the Lin Family."

"I want you to enter the Secret Realm. No matter the state of the battle outside, you are not to leave within seven days."

"After seven days, if you receive my message, you may come out to clean up the aftermath and rebuild our lands."

"If you don't receive it..."

Lin Yue looked at them, saying word by word, "That means I have fallen in battle, and the front lines have collapsed. At that time, you must hide your identities in the Secret Realm and focus on your Cultivation. Once your cultivation is sufficient, you can then seek to restore our glory."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Lin Qing's eyes instantly turned red. She knelt with a thud: "Family Head! Let us stay and fight! There are no cowards in the Lin Family!"

"Right! Family Head, we are not afraid to die!"

"Let us stay!"

The other eleven knelt in unison, their voices choked with emotion.

Lin Yue looked at them, a flicker of gratification in his eyes, but his tone was brook no argument: "It is precisely because you are not afraid to die that I cannot let you die."

"Dying is easy. Living and continuing the Legacy is much harder."

"I want you to live, not to survive in disgrace, but to preserve the final hope for the Lin Family and the Human Race."

He helped Lin Qing up and gestured for the others to rise.

"Besides, who says I will definitely die?"

Lin Yue smiled, a smile carrying a reassuring confidence: "I am merely... preparing for the worst while striving for the best."

"Your existence is the greatest support for me."

He said no more, waving his hand as twelve Jade Slips flew into each person's hands.

"The Jade Slips record all the arrangements within the Secret Realm, as well as the three Legacy Seals I left behind. Every time your cultivation breaks through a major Realm, you can undo one Seal."

"The final Seal requires at least the Late Nascent Soul Stage to open. Within it is stored... the complete core of the Star Lord Inheritance, as well as some ultimate secrets about this world and the Spirit Devouring Clan."

Lin Qing and the others gripped the Jade Slips tightly and nodded heavily.

"Go in."

Lin Yue pointed to the light gate: "Remember, no matter what you hear or see, you must not step out of the Secret Realm for seven days."

"This is an order."

The twelve took a deep breath, took one last look at Lin Yue, and stepped into the light gate one by one.

The light gate slowly closed and disappeared.

The stone platform returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Yue stood in place for a long time in silence.

Then, he turned and walked toward the other side of the Secret Realm.

There, the older core members of the Lin Family, including Lin Cang, Lin Hu, Lin De, Lin Shi, Lin Laosan, and Lin Yan, had been waiting for a long time.

"Family Head."

Everyone bowed.

Lin Yue waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit.

"Grand Elder, if I fall in battle, you will temporarily take the position of Sect Master and lead the overall situation."

Lin Cang shuddered, his old eyes filling with tears: "Family Head..."

"Let me finish."

Lin Yue continued: "Little Star's talent in Formations is unparalleled; he shall be the 'First Seat of the Formation Peak,' in charge of all the Sect's Formations."

"Although Star Radiance is a Guest Elder, she is trustworthy and can assist the Grand Elder in handling external affairs."

"Lin Hu will lead the War Department, Lin De will handle Medicinal Pills, Lin Shi will handle Magical Artifacts, Lin Laosan will manage logistics, and Lin Yan will manage forging... Each will perform their duties, and there must be no chaos."

He called them out one by one, giving clear instructions.

Everyone listened, their hearts aching as if pierced by knives.

This was clearly... settling his final affairs!

"Family Head!" Lin Hu's eyes were bloodshot. "Let me go to the front lines with you! My life was saved by you, Lin Hu. If I'm to die, I'll die before you!"

"Nonsense!"

Lin Yue scolded: "Your life isn't mine; it belongs to the Lin Family and the Luoxia Sect! Your duty is to lead the War Department and protect the Sect, not to display reckless courage!"

Lin Hu gritted his teeth and said no more, but his fists were clenched so hard they turned white.

"Do you all understand?" Lin Yue looked around at everyone.

"We understand," everyone replied, their voices raspy.

"Good."

Lin Yue nodded and took out an ancient bronze token, handing it to Lin Cang.

"This token can mobilize the three 'Legacy Seeds' I left in the Ancestral Land Secret Realm."

"Within the seeds are the complete history of the Luoxia Sect, the records and achievements of all Disciples, and a full set of rubbings of the Star Lord Inheritance."

"If the Sect truly reaches a moment of life and death, you can activate the seeds and Seal all the legacies deep into the earth's ley lines to wait for someone destined in the future."

Lin Cang took the token with trembling hands, as if he were receiving a mountain.

Having finished these instructions, Lin Yue seemed a bit more relaxed.

He walked to the edge of the Secret Realm and looked toward the mountain gate.

There, countless Disciples were busy.

The white-haired Legacy Elder was distributing the last batch of Talismans and Medicinal Pills to the Qi Refining Disciples.

Young boys and girls with immature faces formed logistics teams, transporting supplies and building fortifications.

Even those retired old Cultivators, whose cultivation was gone, walked tremblingly to the square, silently wiping the weapons they had used in their youth.

Throughout the entire Sect, not a single person retreated.

Not a single person... was just waiting to die.

"Do you see?"

Lin Yue said softly, "This is the Luoxia Sect."

"This is... what we must protect even at the cost of our lives."

He turned to look at Lin Cang and the others, his eyes shimmering with starlight: "Everyone, after this battle, many of us may no longer be here."

"But the soul of the Luoxia Sect, the blood of the Lin Family, and the bones of the Human Race... must not perish."

"Even if our bodies die, our souls shall forever guard these mountains and rivers."

With those words, he stayed no longer and strode out of the Secret Realm.

His back was resolute, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Lin Cang and the others watched him leave, speechless for a long time.

Finally, Lin Cang wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and straightened his hunched back.

"Did you all hear that?"

He looked at everyone, his voice returning to the steadiness of a Family's Grand Elder: "The Family Head has entrusted the rear to us, so we must guard it well for him."

"Lin Hu."

"Present!"

"Immediately reorganize the War Department. Incorporate everyone capable of fighting, including those old brothers, into the battle Formations. Tell them there is no retreat in this battle."

"Yes!"

"Lin De, Lin Shi, Lin Laosan."

"The three of you will coordinate all resources. Distribute Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and Talismans according to the highest wartime standards. If there aren't enough, even if you have to tear down your own houses to forge them, you must produce them for me!"

"Understood!"

"Lin Yan."

"Take everyone from the Forging Hall and work day and night to repair all damaged Magical Artifacts and forge arrows and blades. In seven days, I want to see a weapon for killing the enemy in every Disciple's hand!"

"Leave it to me!"

Orders were issued one after another, and everyone hurried off to fulfill them.

Lin Cang stood alone in the Secret Realm, looking at the heavy bronze token in his hand, murmuring to himself: "Family Head..."

"This old man will protect this... flame, even if it costs me these old bones."

He turned and walked toward the depths of the Secret Realm.

There lay the final arrangements left by Lin Yue.

And he would defend them with his life.

Outside the mountain gate, the setting sun was as red as blood.

The seven-day countdown ticked away.

And the final battle between the Human Race and the Spirit Devouring Clan...

...was like a fully drawn bowstring, ready to be released at any moment.