West Creek Lin Clan.
Lin Tianlong’s brows were tightly furrowed as he strolled through the premises alone. Something was hanging heavily on his mind, and he occasionally became lost in thought.
He had not enjoyed a proper night’s sleep ever since he found out about Lin Xun becoming a rune grandmaster.
Lin Xun’s rise was too quick!
So quick that Lin Tianlong had no time to respond. By the time he had realized the severity of the problem, everything had already begun to change.
Firstly, everyone in the Forbidden City now knew that the West Creek, Cloud Weight, and Flying Peak branch clans and Lin Xun were on hostile terms, unable to coexist like fire and water.
Lin Xun’s abrupt rise was undoubtedly a heavy blow to their side, causing their situation to take a turn for the worse.
It might have been fine if that was all. Unfortunately, the three branch clans were already in a tough spot. Their businesses had recently been on a downward turn, resulting in a loss of millions of gold coins every month!
With these heavy losses already hurting them badly, news of Lin Xun’s rapid rise was akin to throwing snow onto an already freezing body. It made a bad situation worse.
Nothing seemed to change no matter how hard Lin Tianlong worked, and he felt like a prisoner on death row. It was a torturous feeling that was nearly about to crush him mentally.It was indeed quite miserable for a mighty Heaven Ascension expert and the ruler of the West Creek Lin Clan to be forced into such a state.
However, there was nothing Lin Tianlong could do.
On Mind Cleansing Peak, Lin Xun was protected by Third Old Zhu and Lin Zhong and had the support of the North Light Lin Clan. If they tried to kill Lin Xun, they would pay an incomparably heavy price that would ultimately leave both parties on the verge of death.
Moreover, this was not even the extent of Lin Xun’s power. He also had the help of Stone Cauldron Alms, the Ning Clan of the Steel-Blood Army, the ‘Never Falling Geezer’ Gong Clan, the ‘East Sea King’ Ye Clan, and other powerful factions.
Due to these circumstances, Lin Tianlong did not dare to act recklessly.
After all, Lin Xun had nearly killed Hua Wuyou and had allowed Third Old Zhu to seriously injure Hua Qiancheng. Despite completely offending Hua Qingling, the Hua Clan did not dare to immediately kill Lin Xun.
He had even gotten off scot-free after beating up two Song Clan disciples in Precious Laughter House.
The Hua and Song Clans were two of the seven high clans! These were some of the most powerful clans that had the greatest authority, influence, and foundation in the empire!
If even titans like them had chosen to endure, how could Lin Tianlong possibly dare to do anything?
Worst of all, he was the one who had sent Old Devil Qu to the Rune Master Association HQ. The original plan was for him to work together with Rune Grandmaster Linghu Xiu to find an opportunity to take control of Lin Xun.
Who could have imagined that Lin Xun would not only emerge unscathed but also cause the nine draconic cries that shook the entire city? He had been acknowledged as a true rune grandmaster and had become the hottest rising star in the Forbidden City.
Furthermore, Linghu Xiu had immediately cut ties with the three Lin branch clans.
Old Devil Qi, whom they had placed all their hopes on, had disappeared. Even if Lin Tianlong was an idiot, it was obvious to him that Old Devil Qu had become afraid and run away!
This series of events was like a sudden downpour that caught Lin Tianlong completely off-guard. He was in a state of panic and had lost the will to oppose Mind Cleansing Peak.
It wasn’t just Lin Tianlong. Cloud Weight Lin Clan’s Lin Nianshan and Flying Peak Lin Clan’s Lin Pingdu were also in similar situations.
After much hesitation and struggling, the trio ultimately came to a decision: to have ‘a talk’ with Lin Xun!
As long as Lin Xun agreed to let their three clans return to Mind Cleansing Peak and give them a portion of the clan authority, they would return with all of their clansmen.
It was undoubtedly a very humiliating decision!
It was not easy for Heaven Ascension existences like them to lower their heads to a mere youth. If news of this spread, everyone would laugh at them.
However, they had no choice. The situation no longer favored them, and even if they didn’t care about themselves, they still had to consider their clan members. It left them with no choice but to admit defeat no matter how sullen it felt.
“Everything will depend…on his decision…”
Lin Tianlong sighed deeply as he continued to stroll through the giant clan estate.
Due to the terrible losses of their businesses, Lin Tianlong had no choice but to tighten their spending. Numerous unnecessary expenses had been cut, and many servants and hired cultivators had been laid off.
The results of these cuts were apparent. The large estate had become much emptier and desolate, and there were almost no servants to be seen.
"Sigh, I can't keep living like this. It’s been three months since I last visited Precious Laughter House. If this continues, I’ll die of boredom.”
“Damnit, why do you have to remind me? I used to have an entourage of servants when I went out and rode an extravagant carriage to all those high-class venues to meet friends. But now…sigh, I don’t want to think about it.”
The sound of complaining was heard from a distance.
Lin Tianlong felt as if his heart had been viciously stabbed by a knife, causing his expression to turn ugly.
In the end, he took a deep breath and changed direction to avoid them.
He had heard such complaints all too many times these days, mostly from the younger disciples. They were accustomed to a life of luxury, and it was unavoidable for them to compare to how things were before and become discontent.
Although Lin Tianlong tried to avoid them, things didn't go as he wished. He soon heard someone grumbling again.
"Tsk tsk, Lin Xun is truly amazing. I can't believe he's not even sixteen but has already been acknowledged as a rune grandmaster. I heard even Feng Qingyou has acknowledged his abilities."
"That's not all. The Rune Master Association HQ, the Imperial Divine Workshop, Qinglu Academy, and other powerful factions are currently climbing over each other to recruit him!"
"Mind Cleansing Peak is going to be rich. With Lin Xun's capabilities, they will never have to worry about money!"
"Sigh, if…hypothetically if our West Creek Lin Clan had also returned to Mind Cleansing Peak like the North Light Lin Clan, how could we possibly be facing such difficulties now?"
……
Lin Tianlong's expression turned even uglier. These complaints were from the younger generation elites. To think that they were all praising and envying Lin Xun now!
This was basically…a slap to his face!
In the end, Lin Tianlong took a deep breath and forcibly restrained his anger. He turned around and decided that he was done with the stroll.
What choice did he have? He was worried that he would soon cough blood out of anger if he continued.
After returning to the main hall, Lin Tianlong sat alone in his chair and soon became lost in thought again.
The clan’s situation had become extremely dire, and the clansmen were beginning to lose heart. If this continued, the West Creek Lin Clan would fall apart by itself.
It was all because of Lin Xun.
It felt even more agonizing because it had only been half a year since Lin Xun entered the Forbidden City. If he could already achieve so much in such a short span, how much worse would things get if he were given more time?
Lin Tianlong suddenly recalled the time when Lin Xun had promised to give the West Creek, Cloud Weight, and Flying Peak branch clans three years to consider.
They had all scoffed at it back then, believing he was too arrogant. But now…
Lin Tianlong had no choice but to admit that Lin Xun wasn’t arrogant, and it was they who had made the grave mistake of grossly underestimating the boy’s terrifying potential!
In less than a year, he had caused all three branch clans to fall into tough times and made them lose their willpower. At this rate, it wouldn’t even take three years for everything to fall apart.
“Clan Leader, there’s news from Mind Cleansing Peak!”
A voice sounded outside the hall, awakening Lin Tianlong from his thoughts.
He immediately jerked to attention and hurriedly asked, “What did he say?”
The servant’s expression turned conflicted. He hesitated as if not knowing whether he should speak.
A feeling of unease rose in Lin Tianlong’s heart as he lowered his voice and said, “Go ahead.”
The servant took a deep breath and slowly said, “Lin Xun said we can be allowed to return to Mind Cleansing Peak, but he has two conditions.”
Lin Tianlong asked, “What are the conditions?”
The servant painstakingly answered, “The first condition is to hand over all of the treasures taken from Mind Cleansing Peak. He emphasized that not a single item can be missing.”
Lin Tianlong’s eyes narrowed. He forcibly restrained his rising anger and said, “Although it is a little unreasonable, it is a compromise we can make. What is the second condition?”
“Hand over…the…traitors who worked with the outsiders to divide the clan’s assets so they can be sentenced to death!”
The words felt as if they weighed a million pounds, causing the servant’s forehead to be covered in sweat when he finally said them.
Bang!
The suppressed rage and hatred in Lin Tianlong’s heart instantly erupted like a volcano, causing him to slam his palms onto the table.
Wood splinters flew everywhere as the table was turned to dust.
Lin Tianlong’s expression had turned exceedingly ugly. He gnashed his teeth and snarled, “Too much! He’s gone too far! If that’s what he wants, we’ll fight him till we die! Go, invite the Cloud Weight and Flying Peak Clan Leaders here!”
Two figures walked into the hall just as his final words rang out. It was Lin Nianshan and Lin Pingdu. They had evidently also received the same news and rushed over.
When Lin Nianshan stepped into the hall, he immediately said in a gloomy voice, “Tianlong, our three clans aren’t the only ones who seized Mind Cleansing Peak’s assets after that bloody incident years ago. Since we’re about to face a catastrophe, it is time for those factions to step forward!”
“That…”
Lin Tianlong hesitated. He knew that once this decision was made, they would be fully aligned with those factions, and there would be no turning back!
Lin Pingdu also spoke up in a resolved voice, “We can’t hesitate any longer. That little shit Lin Xun is clearly intent on eradicating all of us. Since he’s so callous, there’s no need to blame us for disregarding our ties!”
“Should we discuss this with the ancestors first?”
Lin Tianlong frowned deeply as he struggled internally.
“No!”
The other two immediately responded. They knew that the ancestors would never agree if they knew.
“Then…”
Lin Tianglong’s expression rapidly fluctuated. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, “Let it be done!”