99: Chapter 99 Breaking Through the Mountain Gate

His tongue was severed in an instant, and intense pain immediately surged through his entire body. The Elder of Qiushan Sect's throat twitched violently as a low, agonizing groan was forced out from between his teeth.

In just that single moment of confrontation, he recognized a cruel reality: he was absolutely no match for the youth before him. The opponent completely crushed him in both speed and power; the two were simply not on the same level of combat strength.

Now completely shrouded in the fear of death, the Elder of Qiushan Sect no longer possessed his previous arrogance. Enduring the excruciating pain in his mangled mouth, he immediately channeled his Divine Thought to send an urgent transmission to Lin Qing, his tone thick with terror:

"Wait! Lin Qing, you cannot kill me!"

"I am a registered Elder of Qiushan Sect. If you dare to kill me today, Qiushan Sect will not let you off!"

A sliver of hope still lingered in his heart.

After Lin Qing arrived at the market, he had directly summoned everyone there without conducting a detailed investigation into the market's situation, and the Elder had not previously announced his identity.

He believed that invoking the name of a top-tier Sect would be enough to intimidate a newly emerged Prodigy.

However, after listening, Lin Qing simply shook his head gently. He had thought the man would offer clues to some treasures or shocking secrets in exchange for his life.

He hadn't expected another threat based on Sect background—it was the same old, unoriginal rhetoric.

To others, the Qiushan Sect was an untouchable behemoth, but to Lin Qing, it was not worth mentioning. His growth rate was simply too fast.

Since there was no useful information, there was no need to hold back.

He raised his longsword again. With a speed that no one could track, a flash of cold sword light suddenly flared up, vanishing in an instant like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Puchi—!

The crisp, clean sound of slicing rang out as a head soared into the air before rolling onto the green brick floor. The cut on the neck was smooth and even, and the scent of blood instantly filled the entire hall.

A dignified sixth-rank Elder of Qiushan Sect had been decapitated by a single sword strike, dying on the spot!

As the dust settled, the hall fell into a deathly silence, leaving only a dense, lingering Killing Intent. Lin Qing's expression remained calm as he took the Storage Rings from the two men.

He first easily broke the Restriction on the ring of the fifth-rank Elder of Songyun Temple. Inside, apart from over a thousand Spirit Stones, most of the contents were mediocre low-grade Medicinal Pills and Spells.

Lin Qing didn't bother to sort through them carefully and directly transferred all the resources into his own Storage Ring, then casually placed the two still-warm corpses into this new Storage Ring.

He also collected the two Spiritual Weapons that had fallen to the ground. As for the Storage Ring of the sixth-rank Elder of Qiushan Sect, with his current strength, it would take about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to break it open.

For now, matters at the market were not yet finished, so he would deal with it later.

Having finished this, he held his blood-stained longsword and, carrying a lingering, piercing Killing Intent, slowly walked out of the management office.

The market shopkeepers had not yet left; they were all standing on the distant street, craning their necks to look over.

When they saw Lin Qing's figure emerging from the hall with sword in hand, everyone instinctively took several steps back.

In truth, the shopkeepers knew that Qiushan Sect stood behind Songyun Temple; otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to rashly join forces with Songyun Temple to swindle Luoxia Valley. They had been certain that Luoxia Valley wouldn't dare to act even after learning the truth.

Earlier in the hall, while the two powerhouses remained hidden, the crowd had tacitly accepted the rules Lin Qing set.

But no one had expected that while the two were fine as long as they didn't step forward, once they did, they were easily killed by Lin Qing within moments, both losing their lives.

Lin Qing's indifferent gaze swept across the area. Anyone his eyes touched felt their heart tremble, and they hurriedly lowered their heads. No one dared to meet his gaze.

Lin Qing's Aura intimidated the entire crowd as he spoke slowly:

"Now, I will ask you all one more time."

"Is anyone willing to provide funds to have me take action and help you reclaim the justice you lost after being deceived by Songyun Temple?"

As his voice fell, the deathly silent crowd instantly erupted. The shopkeepers all showed earnest expressions, competing to cup their hands and shout.

"We implore Lord Lin Qing to seek justice for us!"

"We were foolish and were bewitched and deceived by Songyun Temple. We hope your Lordship can be magnanimous!"

"Five years of taxes were entirely swallowed. We ask your Lordship to take action and recover our losses!"

Although Songyun Temple had the backing of Qiushan Sect and was not to be trifled with, they were even more afraid that Lin Qing would kill them on the spot right now.

Looking at the crowd, a faint curve formed at the corner of Lin Qing's mouth.

He then turned around and looked at Yuan Kun and Elder Fang standing at the entrance, saying:

"I'll trouble you two to handle the mess here."

"I'm going to take a trip to Songyun Temple."

Before his words had even faded and without waiting for a response, Lin Qing's figure suddenly soared into the air, appearing as if he would vanish into the horizon in an instant.

On the spot, Yuan Kun and Elder Fang looked at each other in blank dismay. It took several breaths for Yuan Kun to react; he slapped his thigh hard and said excitedly:

"Elder Fang, you handle the follow-up matters. I need to return to Luoxia Valley immediately."

He had to go back to report the news so the Sect could prepare to take over Songyun Temple's industries, while also discussing how to deal with the wrath of Qiushan Sect.

The situation was urgent and allowed for no delay. Yuan Kun immediately circulated his spiritual power, preparing to take flight.

Just then, Lin Qing's figure returned and landed in front of the two.

He asked with a calm expression:

"By the way, in which direction is Songyun Temple?"

Yuan Kun didn't know whether to laugh or cry and hurriedly pointed in a direction:

"One thousand five hundred miles in this direction, there is a Yunwu Mountain Range. That is where the Songyun Temple mountain gate is located!"

Having obtained the accurate location, Lin Qing did not linger. His figure soared into the sky again, turning into a streak of light as he sped away.

Songyun Temple was situated on the main peak of the Yunwu Mountain Range on the western side of Qingzhou. The mountain was majestic and shrouded in mist, with a thin haze covering the summit year-round. The entire mountain was lush and green, lined with ancient pines, and a winding blue-stone path spiraled from the foot of the mountain all the way to the peak.

Countless courtyards of varying sizes were scattered across the mountain. The closer to the summit, the more grand and magnificent the buildings became, with finely carved mountain stones and pavilions dotting the landscape.

Near the summit, there was an extremely wide and level giant plaza, which served as the daily assembly ground for Songyun Temple.

A Sect of this level had no such thing as a mountain-protecting array. Within a single hour, Lin Qing had crossed fifteen hundred miles of mountains and rivers to arrive above the Songyun Temple plaza.

At this moment, several Utility Disciples were cleaning the plaza. When they looked up and saw the unfamiliar youth standing in the air, they instinctively gripped their brooms and stared fixedly at Lin Qing in the sky as if facing a great enemy.

Lin Qing had no intention of making things difficult for these low-level Disciples. With a thought, his vast and boundless Divine Thought spread out without reservation, instantly covering the entire Yunwu Mountain Range!

As the pressure of the Divine Thought enveloped the mountain gate, alarm bells instantly rang out within Songyun Temple. Figures began to take flight from various locations, gathering in the air above the plaza.

In the crowd, Daoist Guiyun stood in the center. He gazed at Lin Qing in mid-air, a flash of surprise in his eyes, and spoke in a heavy voice:

"Lin Qing."

"You have trespassed into my Songyun mountain gate without cause and are exerting pressure from the air. I wonder what your business is?"

Lin Qing did not answer. With a light flick of his wrist, the corpse of the fifth-rank Elder of Songyun Temple was casually tossed out, slamming onto the plaza ground with a dull thud.

The Elders on the plaza were stunned at first, but when they saw the face of the corpse clearly, they were instantly enraged.

Daoist Guiyun's pupils constricted, and the spiritual power around him surged as he shouted sternly:

"Lin Qing! What exactly do you mean by this!"

Everyone's gaze was locked onto the youth in mid-air, their eyes filled with Killing Intent.

Lin Qing ignored their Killing Intent and spoke slowly:

"This person intentionally caused trouble at the Xilin Market under the jurisdiction of my Luoxia Valley. According to the rules, I have killed him on the spot."

"As for the reason I have come to Songyun Temple today..."

His gaze was cold as he looked down at the crowd below.

"The entire merchant body of Xilin Market has jointly funded my employment."

"They say your Songyun Temple defrauded them of five years of taxes,"

"Today, I have come on their behalf to demand justice!"