68: You will bear the consequences for whom you pity!

The Imperial Palace, Kyoto.

Emperor Long Zhiyang lay on his Dragon Throne, resting with his eyes closed.

A eunuch stood behind him and whispered,

“Your Majesty, the Demonic Artifact has descended, and it’s ranked first! You’ll have to trouble yourself again!”

Long Zhiyang shook his head, “It hasn’t affected the empire yet, so I don’t need to worry. Let Dao Heaven Sect assess the situation first!”

The eunuch asked, puzzled, “Your Majesty, why have you left the position of Demon Suppression Envoy vacant for so long? Now, traces of the Demonic Path are appearing everywhere under Heaven!”

Long Zhiyang’s lips curled slightly, “Before, I never decided who to use. After all, the power of this position is too special; whoever takes it will affect the balance… Oh, right, how many days has Jiang Lin been gone?”

The eunuch replied, “That dissolute young master of the Jiang Family, Jiang Lin? He’s been in Black Yuan City for six days already!”

Long Zhiyang looked and said, “Going during the Beast Tide… that little fellow is quite interesting!”

The eunuch whispered, “Your Majesty, I heard that Jiang Lin and His Highness the Crown Prince don’t get along well, and there seem to be some conflicts…”

Long Zhiyang pondered for a moment with a blank expression, then said indifferently, “With the Sima Family’s support, if he still can’t handle Jiang Lin, giving the throne to the third prince isn’t out of the question, is it?”

The eunuch asked, puzzled, “But the Bloodline of the Prince of Yan…”

Long Zhiyang shook his head, “The Azure Dragon Old Ancestor is about to perish, and his Dragon Source is completely enough to improve the third prince’s Aptitude! So, that brat Long Zhan better not disappoint me!”

Your Majesty, does he intend to depose the Crown Prince?!

The eunuch’s pupils constricted, and he dared not speak further.

After a long while, Long Zhiyang seemed to remember something and continued speaking,

“Look at you, always changing the subject!”

“That brat Jiang Lin is good. He has brains, talent, and knows his place. I admire him greatly!”

The eunuch asked, puzzled, “Is it just because of one Wanxiang Pill? Your Majesty, he has concealed his strength for so long; he must have ulterior motives!”

Long Zhiyang retorted, “Is one Wanxiang Pill not enough?”

“And also, you all keep saying he’s been hiding his strength and so on.”

“Has he ever hidden it?”

At Long Zhiyang’s question, the eunuch paused for a second, then suddenly realized.

That’s right, Jiang Lin’s apparent strength is just Nascent Soul Stage!

He merely used some method to win two minor levels in a row, reaching the Late Stage.

Which Family doesn’t have such methods? Moreover, Jiang Lin has a Low Grade Emperor-level Bloodline; it’s perfectly normal!

The Jiang Family has always exaggerated his combat power by four or five times in their external promotions.

If anyone were hiding their true abilities, it should be Jiang Lin’s biological younger brother, Jiang Yu!

Internal sources say he should have already reached Soul Transformation.

The only truly surprising news about Jiang Lin these past few days is probably just the “Grand Antiquity Poison Scripture”!

No one expected a dissolute young master to comprehend the “Grand Antiquity Poison Scripture” so thoroughly.

The huge disparity made the whole situation incredibly dramatic!

At most, this counts as a trump card!

In today’s Cultivation World, which Cultivator doesn’t have a trump card?

If he truly intended to hide his abilities, it would only involve some extinct flowers in the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. The Jiang Family could compensate with some items, and he wouldn’t expose something he had painstakingly hidden for so many years!

Moreover, when the incident occurred, he had no intention of concealing it.

He handled it gracefully and presented his identity very clearly!

The more the eunuch thought about it, the more he realized how meticulous Jiang Lin’s thoughts were.

Long Zhiyang opened his eyes, looked at the dazed eunuch, and smiled, “Understood?”

The eunuch quickly came to his senses, nodding repeatedly, “Your Majesty is indeed brilliant and insightful, perceiving the hearts of men!”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Long Zhiyang’s lips gradually faded, and a sinister, cold glint flashed in his eyes.

“I like these truly intelligent people who understand their place!”

“Not those who play with fire, thinking themselves clever!”

“For example, the Sima Family!”

“And also, those old subordinates of the Xiao Family!”

…

Outside Black Yuan City.

Jiang Lin flicked the folding fan in his hand, and it transformed into a white robe that appeared on his body.

“Are you really not afraid of this Demonic Artifact backfiring?”

Lin Qingxue stepped forward, looking somewhat worried.

Jiang Lin shook his head, “No, this isn’t a Demonic Artifact. Its front is Dao, its back is Demonic. With the Heaven and Earth Grand Formation balancing Yin and Yang, how could it backfire?”

Lin Qingxue asked, puzzled, “Don’t lie to me, where’s the Dao?”

Jiang Lin smiled, “Hundreds of Divine Artifacts of the God Race, with various Dao intents, have completely fused into it!”

Lin Qingxue then asked, “What about Dao Arts and Dao Rules?”

Jiang Lin smiled and shook his head, “Dao Arts? Dao Rules?”

“No need!”

“My things, my law, my rules, are enough!”

Jiang Lin spoke casually, but his tone was filled with immense domineering power.

Thinking of Jiang Lin in the Chaotic Current Secret Realm, Lin Qingxue couldn’t help but feel a surge of longing again.

He didn’t just say it; he did it!

Jiang Lin in the final moments of the Chaotic Current Secret Realm indeed had the capital to be arrogant!

With a Mortal body, he refined the God Race and transformed the Demonic Fan!

Truly awe-inspiring might!

“Hmph, don’t think you can sweet-talk your way out of this. Once I find you using the Demonic Fan to commit evil, I will show no mercy and eradicate you, this scourge, for the Human Race!”

Jiang Lin didn’t respond to her words but handed her a stone-shaped object.

Lin Qingxue asked, puzzled, “What is this? For me? Are you giving me this to shut me up?”

Jiang Lin nodded, “A Nine Heavens Treasure, the Philosopher’s Stone!”

Lin Qingxue pouted, “Nine Treasures, and you give me a broken stone? At least give me a Divine Artifact!”

Jiang Lin replied, “Those two Divine Artifacts can only be used with Divine Power; they’re useless to you!”

Lin Qingxue said irritably, “And you can use them?”

Jiang Lin nodded, “Once my Invisible Fan devours them, I’ll be the one in charge!”

Lin Qingxue gritted her teeth, “Hmph, what’s so amazing about that? Be careful, I might snatch it from you!”

Jiang Lin smiled, “It’s useless. The core of this fan is me. Without me, even the Heavenly Dao can’t touch this fan!”

“This stone, its value to you far exceeds that of a Divine Artifact!”

Lin Qingxue took the stone, asking, puzzled, “Is it as mysterious as you say?”

Jiang Lin said, “I originally wanted to give my second sister an Immortal Sword, but then I thought your sword must be a Natal Weapon, perfectly connected to your will, so you definitely wouldn’t change it. So, I reluctantly gave you this stone to be your sword-grinding stone!”

Lin Qingxue was puzzled, “Sword-grinding stone?”

Jiang Lin nodded, “When you exhaust it, your sword will become a Divine Artifact!”

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Qingxue’s eyes, “Really? Is that true?”

Jiang Lin extended his hand, “If you don’t believe me, give it back!”

Lin Qingxue immediately put it into her ring, “Why should I give it back to you? I also took action, helping you by getting rid of that Ye Duanjiang… Speaking of which, that person was just a Nascent Soul. With your strength, why were you so indulgent with him? That’s not like your style!”

Jiang Lin didn’t hide it, “I’m a little afraid of him, mainly afraid of his Luck. I don’t want to confront the chasm of Luck so soon!”

Lin Qingxue frowned, pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement,

“Indeed, he just casually picked an ancient text and found a Half-step Dao Art!”

“For ten thousand years, no one found the Secret Trove, yet he went and found it directly. His Luck is indeed Heaven-Defying!”

“No wonder you were so friendly to that kid!”

“You’re just using his Luck to find the Treasure Trove!”

Just then, a group of Yao Beasts suddenly appeared in the distance, clashing with the city defenders.

This group of Yao Beasts was extremely powerful, and Human Race members were constantly being injured and killed.

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Qingxue’s eyes, and her hand was already on her long sword.

Jiang Lin smiled and shook his head, pulling Lin Qingxue’s sleeve and walking towards the Black Yuan Forest.

“Next, I’ll investigate the Secret Realm. You go deal with the Evil Mark Dark Sun Python!”

“This Beast Tide in Black Yuan City has nothing to do with us. You’d better not intervene!”

Lin Qingxue’s face was filled with reluctance, “As fellow Human Race members, and heroes guarding the Human Race border, how can we stand by and do nothing?”

Jiang Lin stopped and said indifferently,

“If I told you this is a trap, a trap specifically designed to swallow high-level Cultivators, would you still intervene?”

Lin Qingxue tilted her head back, unconvinced, “Have you forgotten who I am?”

“I am the number one sword in the Nine Provinces. In the Nine Provinces, there aren’t many traps that can trap me!”

Jiang Lin laughed wryly, “When outside the trap, you’re perfectly clear-headed, but once deep inside, you can’t see through it, can’t think clearly!”

“In the tavern, before I killed Sixth Leader Li Leopard of Black Cloud Peak, you advised me not to meddle. Now it’s your turn!”

“In return, I’ve told you: this is a trap, a Karma trap that you cannot bear either!”

“Whoever you pity, you must bear their Karma!”

“If you want to intervene, you must be mentally prepared!”

“Don’t forget how the Xihua Lin Family was annihilated!”

After speaking, Jiang Lin released Lin Qingxue and walked alone towards the Black Yuan Forest.

Lin Qingxue took a deep breath,

Looking at the continuously falling Human Race Cultivators, the image of the mother and daughter in the commoner district, and the bloody Lin Family courtyard, flashed before her eyes again.

She loosened her hand and chased after Jiang Lin without looking back.

She prided herself on her strength, looking down on those Yao Beasts.

With just one sword, the Yao Beasts would come and never return!

Those Human Race members would definitely not die!

But she dared not fall into Karma!

Under Heaven and Earth, Karma is the greatest!

Cultivators need to avoid Karma and preserve their original intentions!

Hearing the rushing sound of wind, Jiang Lin’s lips curved slightly.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, attacking the heart is paramount!

In this situation, he didn’t want Lin Qingxue to intervene!

He wanted things to proceed according to the original plot!

This way, his foresight advantage would truly be an advantage!

This way, his subsequent plans would be useful.

Any slight mistake could make his entire plan futile!

As for a few people?

If they died, then they died!

I am not a savior; I am a villain!

What does it have to do with me? Not adding insult to injury is already my greatest mercy!