4: The Heavenly Sword strikes, and is forcefully suppressed!

The sky above Qingfeng County seemed bluer than usual.

Half a month had passed since the Lin Family annihilated the Wang and Zhao Families with a thunderous momentum.

The former three-way standoff was completely broken.

The Lin Family stood alone, having absorbed all resources and industries. Its Family fortune prospered, and its influence grew stronger by the day.

People on the streets, when mentioning the Lin Family, all showed reverence and spoke with humility.

The past turmoil and bloodshed seemed to have been quietly smoothed over by time, leaving only a few heart-stopping tales for after-dinner conversation.

Deep within the Lin Family mansion, inside a Quiet Room.

Lin Dao sat cross-legged, his surrounding Aura perfectly rounded and contained, having completely stabilized at the Peak of the Tongtian Realm Nine Heavens.

A faint purple Jade Slip at his fingertip emitted a soft glow.

It contained some rudimentary descriptions of the Life Soul Realm from the System's treasury.

That was a Domain far more profound than the Tongtian Realm, involving the Soul Origin, and could not be broken by brute force.

"Soul power... comprehending the Heaven Soul Bridge..." he murmured, deep in thought.

The transition from Tongtian to Life Soul was a huge watershed.

Countless Geniuses were stuck here, making no further progress in their entire lives.

Just then—

Boom!!!

A violent and malevolent Aura, like an out-of-control volcano, suddenly erupted from the direction of Qingfeng County's city gate!

Wherever the Aura passed, the sky suddenly darkened, and clouds churned like ink!

A terrifying pressure, like a tangible tsunami, slammed fiercely against the entire Qingfeng County!

"What's going on?!" someone exclaimed.

"Such... such a terrifying Aura! Even more terrifying than Family Ancestor and Zhao Li combined!" someone stammered.

"Enemy attack?! Who dares to invade our Lin Family?!" The Lin Family disciples were incredulous.

Inside the Lin Family mansion, the Family members who had just enjoyed half a month of peace were instantly thrown into a panic.

Those with weaker cultivation were even more intimidated by this sudden pressure, their faces turning pale, almost unable to breathe.

Lin Zhen and several Elders rushed out of the courtyard immediately.

They looked solemnly towards the source of the Aura, their hearts sinking.

This Aura far exceeded the Spirit Sea Realm; it was definitely a Tongtian level existence!

Moreover, the newcomer meant no good!

"Lin Family!!!"

A roar filled with endless rage and sorrow, like a Nine Heavens thunderclap, exploded above Qingfeng County, shaking countless houses!

"Get out here and die, you old man!!!"

The rolling sound waves, carrying monstrous killing intent, clearly reached everyone's ears.

The next moment, a gaunt figure appeared like a ghost above the Lin Family mansion.

It was an old man in tattered gray robes with messy gray hair.

His face was withered, but his eyes were blood-red, burning with flames of madness and destruction.

Tangible gray Evil Qi swirled around him.

The pressure of a Tongtian Realm Third Stage was unleashed without reservation, causing the Lin Family's protective light barrier below to violently twist and flicker!

"It's... it's Zhao Li, that Old Ancestor of the Zhao Family who traveled abroad in his early years!" A Senior Lin Family Elder recognized the newcomer, crying out in alarm, his face drained of color.

"He's still alive?!" He found it hard to believe.

"And... he broke through to the Tongtian Realm Third Stage!" This news made him even more despairing.

This news was like a bucket of ice water, plunging all Lin Family members into an ice cellar.

Tongtian Realm Third Stage!

The Old Ancestor had only broken through half a month ago, and was supposedly only at the Tongtian Realm First Stage.

How... how could they contend against this?!

Lin Zhen suppressed his heart palpitations and rose into the air.

Through the light barrier, he cupped his hands, attempting to negotiate: "Senior, are you Old Ancestor Zhao Li?"

"There's another story to this matter; it was the Wang and Zhao Families who first..."

"Shut up!" Zhao Li interrupted sharply, his voice hoarse and shrill, filled with deep-seated hatred.

"Another story?" His tone was full of disdain.

"This old man only knows that my entire Zhao Family was annihilated, and our Bloodline was cut off!"

"Today, this old man will ensure not even a chicken or dog of your Lin Family remains, to accompany my Zhao Family's sons to their graves!"

He gave no opportunity for explanation.

Or rather, monstrous hatred had already devoured his reason.

His gaunt hand suddenly reached out.

Five fingers formed a claw!

Gray Evil Qi furiously condensed!

The Evil Qi transformed into a gigantic ghostly claw that blotted out the sky, carrying a chilling Aura that corroded the Divine Soul!

This ghostly claw fiercely clawed at the Lin Family's protective light barrier!

"Break for this old man!"

Boom-crack!

The protective light barrier, which had been reinforced by generations of the Lin Family and had just barely been upgraded by absorbing numerous resources, let out an unbearable wail under this furious strike!

The spiritual light on the surface of the barrier instantly dimmed!

Cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb!

"Pfft!" The several Lin Family Elders presiding over the Formation simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood.

Their figures swayed precariously.

"Old Ancestor!" Lin Zhen looked desperately towards the Quiet Room, crying out for help.

"Hmph, the power of ants, daring to struggle?" Zhao Li's face revealed a cruel and ferocious smile.

"Today, no one can save you!" he declared arrogantly.

The second claw condensed again, its power even greater than before!

He had absolute confidence.

In this tiny Qingfeng County, no one could withstand the might of his Tongtian Realm Third Stage!

The news he received was that the Lin Family Ancestor had fortunately broken through to the Tongtian Realm First Stage.

"Hmph!" He snorted disdainfully.

"First Stage and Third Stage are worlds apart!"

Just as the destructive second claw was about to descend, and the Lin Family members showed despair—

"Noisy."

A calm and indifferent voice quietly sounded.

The voice wasn't particularly loud.

Yet, it seemed to contain a strange Law.

Instantly overpowering the howling of the monstrous Evil Qi.

Clearly reaching everyone's ears.

It even caused Zhao Li's assured claw to freeze in mid-air!

The stone door of the Quiet Room had opened at some unknown point.

Lin Dao, dressed in white, slowly walked out.

With a flash of his figure, he had silently appeared above the Lin Family, facing Zhao Li, who was overflowing with Evil Qi.

He stood opposite Zhao Li, who was overflowing with Evil Qi.

He still looked young and handsome.

Not a trace of powerful Aura emanated from him, as if he were an ordinary person.

But he just stood there casually.

Zhao Li's terrifying pressure, enough to make ordinary Tongtian Realm Early Stage Cultivators' hearts tremble, was like a breeze sweeping over a mountain, failing to cause him the slightest ripple.

Zhao Li's blood-red pupils suddenly constricted.

He stared intently at Lin Dao: "You are that junior of the Lin Family who fortunately broke through?"

"Tongtian Realm First Stage?" he questioned.

"Hmph, hiding your head and tail, reveal yourself to this old man!"

His Divine Sense roughly swept towards Lin Dao, attempting to see through his true strength.

However, his Divine Sense was like a mud ox entering the sea.

Upon touching three feet around Lin Dao, it vanished without a trace, unable to probe his depth at all!

This strange situation caused a sudden, inexplicable jolt in Zhao Li's heart.

But his monstrous hatred and absolute confidence in his own strength immediately suppressed this hint of unease.

"It must be some secret treasure used to conceal Aura!" he told himself.

"Junior!" he roared, no longer hesitating.

"No matter what methods you've used, today you will die!" he declared death again.

The gigantic gray ghostly claw abandoned the light barrier, carrying even more terrifying Evil Qi and destructive will, and directly clawed towards Lin Dao!

The claw wind was fierce, and space itself seemed to be faintly distorted.

The Lin Family members below held their breath.

Facing this claw capable of tearing apart mountains, Lin Dao's eyes remained as calm as an ancient well.

Even with a hint of... boredom?

He slowly raised his right hand.

His index finger and thumb gently met, making a gesture of plucking a flower.

Then, he lightly flicked it towards the terrifying ghostly claw that covered the sky.

There was no earth-shattering energy explosion.

No dazzling light of techniques.

Only an extremely subtle, almost transparent ripple, emanated from his fingertip.

Silently colliding with the gigantic ghostly claw.

Hiss—!

Like a red-hot branding iron plunged into ice water.

The ferocious, evil, and monstrous gray ghostly claw, the moment it was touched by that transparent ripple, began to silently annihilate and dissipate from the fingertips!

It wasn't shattered, not defeated, but the most thorough erasure from the very level of existence!

As the ripple swept past, half of the gigantic ghostly claw vanished into thin air!

Zhao Li's ferocious smile instantly froze.

Then it transformed into extreme horror and disbelief: "What?!"

"This is impossib—" he cried out, unable to believe his eyes.

Before he could finish, the subtle ripple had already penetrated the remaining ghostly claw.

Its speed seemed slow, but in reality, it surpassed thought.

It instantly struck Zhao Li's chest.

"Pfft—!"

Zhao Li's body violently shook, as if struck head-on by an ancient divine mountain!

His protective Evil Qi shattered like paper.

His chest visibly caved in.

The sound of bones breaking rang out densely, like popping beans!

He spurted a mouthful of thick blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

His eyes were filled with absurdity, fear, and utter bewilderment!

"How is this possible?!" he roared internally.

That casual flick... what kind of power was that?!

"Tongtian Realm First Stage?" He felt utterly absurd.

"Nonsense! This is definitely a terrifying Realm far beyond his!" He instantly understood.

While flying backward, he struggled to lift his head.

He looked at the young man, still clad in snow-white, spotless robes.

The way the other looked at him was as indifferent as gazing down at a struggling insect.

"Tong... tian... nine..." He squeezed out a few blurry syllables with his last ounce of strength.

The next moment, his consciousness was completely swallowed by endless darkness.

Bang!

His body heavily crashed into the barren mountains outside Qingfeng County, kicking up a cloud of dust.

His life force was completely severed.

His eyes remained wide open, frozen in the horror and unwillingness of his final moments.

Between heaven and earth, the terrifying Evil Qi pressure receded like a tide.

Sunlight once again shone down.

Inside and outside the Lin Family mansion, there was dead silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the rising dust cloud outside the city.

Then they looked at the white-robed figure standing with hands behind his back in the air, as if he had done nothing at all.

A powerful enemy at Tongtian Realm Third Stage... was instantly killed by the Old Ancestor... with a single flick of his finger?

Lin Zhen and the others' mouths hung open.

Their throats were dry, their minds blank, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Lin Dao slowly retracted his hand.

As if he had merely flicked away a speck of dust.

[Ding! Killed a hostile Tongtian Realm Cultivator, eliminated a potential threat, and increased the Family's hidden prestige. Received cultivation feedback.]

A pure energy flowed into his body.

Although it was minuscule to him at the Tongtian Realm Nine Heavens, accumulation adds up.

His gaze swept over the Family members below, who were still in a petrified state.

He spoke lightly:

"Clean it up."

With that, his figure flashed, and he was back in the Quiet Room.