42: Senior, please enlighten me!

"The Sword Tomb... only here, under the pressure of ten thousand swords, can I achieve ultimate sublimation and condense my Sword Dao Life Soul."

Lin Hao's gaze was firm, without the slightest hesitation. Taking a step, his figure was like a streak of Cyan Sword Light, resolutely shooting into the depths of the valley filled with destruction and sharp Sword Intent.

In an instant, ten thousand swords within the valley rang out simultaneously. Countless residual Sword Intents surged toward him like a startled swarm of bees!

Lin Hao let out a long cry. With Sword Heart Clarity, the Ancient Sword in his hand left its sheath. Man and sword merged, transforming into a swimming Dragon, traversing, fighting, and gaining enlightenment within the endless storm of Sword Intent... Meanwhile, under another distant and hidden starry sky, in a desolate Gobi Desert, the night sky was exceptionally clear, and the stars seemed within reach.

Lin Yun stood quietly. Within his eyes, those special pupils—the Dual Pupils—slowly rotated, reflecting the stars filling the sky.

Threads of barely perceptible Star Power crossed infinite space, pulled down by him, integrating into his eyes, and nourishing his Divine Soul.

In his hand, he held a dim fragment that seemed to have Starlight flowing within it. He had accidentally obtained this in an Ancient Ruin, and it pointed toward the entrance of a potential "Starfall Secret Realm" deep within the Gobi Desert.

"Star Power, Soul Power Tide... the opportunity to break through my Pupil Technique Bottleneck might be right here."

Lin Yun muttered softly to himself. His figure gradually blurred under the starlight, as if merging into the shadows, and he stealthily moved toward the deepest part of the Gobi Desert... Green Province, Lin Family.

Inside the Ancestral Hall Quiet Room, Lin Dao slowly opened his eyes. The light of Chaos in his pupils was restrained, and the Nirvana Realm aura circulating around him was steady and vast.

With a slight shift of his mind, he could sense the Family's pale golden Luck covering all directions like a Canopy, continuously providing feedback that, although slow, steadily raised his Cultivation.

The feedback brought by the expansion of the Family's influence was even more massive. Various resources, talents, and intelligence converged like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, pouring into the Lin Family, this precisely operating machine.

[Ding! Received Family expansion feedback, Cultivation +950...]

[Ding! High-quality disciple achieves a Breakthrough, feedback +700...]

[Ding! Vassal Sect offers rare Mineral Veins, feedback +1200...]

The System's notification sound occasionally rang out.

His Divine Thought crossed infinite space, allowing him to vaguely perceive the general status and location of his three grandsons.

Ye Chen's courageous progress, Lin Hao's soaring Sword Intent, and Lin Yun's Soul Power fluctuations all caused him to nod slightly.

"The young eagles have spread their wings." Lin Dao revealed a satisfied smile.

But immediately, his gaze turned toward the Central Province, and his eyes grew deep.

The Emperor's bestowal, the honorary title of "family protecting the nine provinces," brought not only glory and resources but also invisible responsibility and... a vortex.

Factions were numerous within the Central Province Imperial Dynasty, the Calamity Demon Kingdom lurked in the shadows, and the top forces in the other major Province Territories were not monolithic either.

The Lin Family suddenly receiving such an honor meant countless pairs of eyes were secretly watching, filled with envy, jealousy, apprehension, and even malice.

The appearance of Zhao Kuo from the Marquis Zhenhais Estate, and his collusion with the Shadow Kill Tower and the Ghost Fiend Sect, was a clear signal. This was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

"The tree desires calm, but the wind refuses to cease." Lin Dao whispered softly, "Since we cannot avoid it, then let the storm come even more fiercely.

It is time for the Lin Family to truly let the world witness the sharp edge of a 'family protecting the nine provinces'."

With a thought, a command was transmitted through the System directly to Lin Xuan, who was in charge of external affairs.

"Thoroughly investigate the possible connections between the Marquis Zhenhais Estate, the Shadow Kill Tower, the Ghost Fiend Sect, and the Calamity Demon Kingdom. Intensify intelligence gathering efforts, covering the Central Province and all surrounding provinces.

Anyone showing signs of acting against the Lin Family, regardless of their backing, must be placed on a surveillance list. When necessary... preemptive action may be taken."

The command was concise and ruthless, filled with a bloody resolve.

The current Lin Family is no longer the ignorant fool of the past; it possesses sufficient confidence and strength to meet any challenge!

"Nirvana Realm... is still not enough."

Lin Dao felt his own strength, his gaze once again cast toward the Void Realm. "The limit of the Nine Provinces Continent is far from this. The existence of the System, the Family's feedback, and the unexpected Breakthrough brought by that 'Invincible Trial Card' all prove that my Dao is unique."

He closed his eyes again, sinking his mind into Cultivation.

Supported by his Nirvana Realm Cultivation, the Chaos Law became even more profound and unpredictable, beginning to interweave and evolve on a deeper level, seemingly brewing a power capable of splitting heaven and earth.

The Lin Family, this war machine, began to show its terrifying side under Lin Dao's will.

Countless overt and covert lines of operation began to move, resources were shifted toward intelligence and combat departments, and vassal forces were more tightly integrated and mobilized.

Outside a newly acquired Mining City on the border of Green Province, a squad of Demon Cultivators operating under a hidden Calamity Demon Kingdom banner and attempting to seize resources was annihilated by the sudden appearance of the Lin Family's Black-Clad Guards using thunderous methods. Not a single corpse remained; only a tattered Demon Flag was sent back to the Lin Family Estate.

In a bustling Tavern somewhere in the Central Province, several Cultivators who were secretly spreading rumors that the Lin Family was unworthy of their position, relying solely on the Emperor's favor, mysteriously disappeared that night, leaving no trace.

The Lin Family's counterattack was quiet, yet efficient and deadly. Like an iceberg hidden beneath the deep sea, it quietly revealed a massive and ruthless corner of itself.

A storm was brewing, but this time, the Lin Family was no longer passively waiting for the storm to arrive; instead, they were actively stirring up the winds and clouds!

The undercurrents across the entire Nine Provinces Continent grew even more turbulent and fierce. Many top-tier forces vaguely sensed that the newly promoted "family protecting the nine provinces" was perhaps not merely a lucky upstart, as it appeared on the surface; its submerged power was heart-stopping.

Everyone was watching, waiting for the next flashpoint.

At this moment, deep within the Western Region Sword Tomb, Lin Hao, who had endured countless baptisms of Sword Intent and was covered in blood but whose Sword Intent shone ever brighter, finally arrived at the Core of the Sword Tomb.

Before him, a rusty Ancient Sword, yet one exuding an aura of eternal desolation, was plunged into a massive Sword Stele.

Lin Hao's Sword Heart resonated strongly with that Ancient Sword.

The opportunity to condense his Life Soul was close at hand!

...Western Region, Core of the Sword Tomb.

Ten thousand swords hummed softly, and Sword Qi formed frost.

The air was filled with an eternal sharpness and silence. Countless broken swords and shattered blades were stuck in the earth like gravestones, narrating past glory and demise.

Lin Hao stood before the massive Sword Stele. His Cyan Robe had been torn into countless fine slits by the sharp, ownerless Sword Intent, letting blood beads seep out. Yet his posture remained straight as a pine, and his gaze was as sharp as the Ancient Sword in his hand, fixed firmly on the rusty Ancient Sword atop the stele.

That sword was too ancient. Its body was almost completely covered by dark red rust, making it barely possible to discern the long sword's outline.

Yet, it exuded a heart-stopping sense of desolation and immortality, resembling a sleeping ancient War God. Though silent for ten thousand ages, once awakened, it could still cleave the firmament with a sword!

Lin Hao could feel that the final opportunity to condense his Sword Dao Life Soul rested on this sword!

His Sword Heart was trembling wildly, not from fear, but from desire—an extreme excitement at meeting its peer, at encountering its supreme goal!

"Senior, please guide me!"