Blood-Stained Clothes Arrive

Days passed, and the tension within the Lin Family grew ever thicker. Lin Dong dared not slack off in the slightest, training with desperate intensity.

One day, as Lin Changqiang was sparring with Lin Dong in Martial Arts, the ground suddenly began to tremble faintly. Both of their expressions shifted, and they immediately raced toward the gates of Ironwood Manor.

At the end of the road, a crimson tide suddenly surged into view, then swept toward Ironwood Manor like a gale, its momentum overwhelming.

"The Blood-Clothed Sect has arrived! Lin Family scum, come out and die!"

The massive force charged to the gates of Ironwood Manor in a flash, and then a thunderous roar, wrapped in Yuan Power, exploded above the manor like a clap of thunder.

Nearly a hundred figures clad in red robes blocked the entrance to Ironwood Manor, an intangible Sha Qi spreading outward, chilling the heart.

At the head of the crowd stood a burly man with dark skin, built like an iron tower. Even standing still, he exuded an imposing authority without anger.

The man wore a red robe, his gaze icy and unreadable. His faintly reddened eyes added a savage edge to his presence. This was Wei Chen, the sect master of the Blood-Clothed Sect.

Beside Wei Chen stood an old man with a hooked nose, clearly the Blood-Clothed Sect's chief elder, second only to Wei Chen in strength.

"The Blood-Clothed Sect has arrived, and you still dare to shut your gates? Are you courting death?" the gaunt old man sneered, his face dark and sinister.

"Creak!"

The gates of Ironwood Manor slowly swung open. A flood of guards poured out, lining up on either side of the entrance, their faces tense as they stared at the Blood-Clothed Sect.

"I am Lin Zhentian, head of the Lin Family. May I ask what business Sect Master Wei has with us today?"

Lin Zhentian led Lin Xiao and the others out slowly, cupping his fist toward the dark-faced man.

"I didn't expect to find a Lesser Yuan Dan Stage cultivator in this backwater," Wei Tong said, his gaze indifferent as he glanced at Lin Zhentian. "You should know why we're here. Gu Ying was my Blood-Clothed Sect's deputy sect master, and he died at the hands of your Lin Family. As they say, a life for a life, a debt for a debt. Don't play dumb."

Seeing the man's resolve, Lin Zhentian's expression shifted slightly. "Sect Master Wei, just tell me plainly what you want from the Lin Family."

"At least you're reasonable." Wei Tong's tone was utterly flat, but everyone could feel his confidence. "Have the one who killed Gu Ying commit suicide to atone, and have your Lin Family merge into my Blood-Clothed Sect. Then I'll let bygones be bygones."

"Who the hell do you think you are? You dare demand a Lin Family member kill himself?"

The outrageously arrogant words rang out abruptly. Everyone in the Blood-Clothed Sect stared in disbelief at the youth swaggering out from the crowd ahead. The Lin Family members were even more terrified.

"Changqiang, get back here!" Lin Zhentian froze for a moment, then his eyes nearly split with fury. As expected, Wei Chen didn't hesitate for an instant—he lunged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight at Lin Changqiang.

Lin Dong, Lin Xiao, and the others immediately moved to intervene, but several figures from the Blood-Clothed Sect flashed out to intercept them, clearly intent on preventing interference.

Lin Changqiang watched the ferocious Wei Chen without a trace of tension. He simply sneered, then instantly pulled the Dragon Gallbladder Bright Silver Spear from his backpack.

"Seven Killings, Po Jun, Unity of Man and Heaven!"

A dazzling white light blazed from the spear tip and rapidly extended. In an instant, the roughly two-meter-long spear swelled to nearly three meters!

Pure Yuan Gang Qi surged as Lin Changqiang leaped fiercely toward Wei Chen, raising the spear high and slamming it downward. At the same time, a nearly transparent blue barrier formed around him.

"Boom!"

The spearhead and the fist collided heavily. A violent ring of air exploded outward, sweeping all the dust from the surroundings clean.

"Stomp, stomp, stomp!"

Footsteps rang out in succession. Then, both the Lin Family and the Blood-Clothed Sect stared in utter disbelief.

The one forced back several steps was none other than Wei Chen, the sect master of the Blood-Clothed Sect—while the arrogant youth stood completely unmoved!

Even Lin Changqiang himself was stunned. He'd been confident he could beat Wei Chen, but it shouldn't have been this easy. After a moment, he remembered the Body Protection Charm he'd overlooked. He blinked, then his expression turned serious.

"Have you figured out how you want to die?"

At that moment, Lin Changqiang seemed possessed by the spirit of a supreme show-off. His face was cold, his voice flat, as a violent surge of Yuan Power exploded outward, amplified even further by the Overbearing Path of Action and four Storm Greatswords.

At the same time, a mysterious Rune slowly rose from the crown of his head, quickly transforming into a rapidly spinning vortex.

"Lesser Yuan Dan Stage, and a First Grade Talisman Master?!"

Wei Chen's breathing grew heavy. He could sense that the youth's Yuan Power was slightly inferior to his own, but not by much. That wasn't the most important thing, though—what mattered were those bizarre techniques!

He stared at the three-meter spear in Lin Changqiang's hand and the strange mark beneath his feet, then recalled the flash of gold and blue light during their collision. A chill crept into his heart.

"What the hell are those things? How can they both take my attacks without a scratch and drain my Yuan Power?"

Wei Chen's face was as dark as water, his mind racing, but he couldn't find an answer.

His gaze flickered. The rest fell silent, all eyes fixed on Wei Chen. His next move would decide whether today ended in a river of blood or a hasty retreat.

"Hmph. I'll remember this grudge!"

"Retreat!"

Wei Chen was a decisive man. After throwing out a threat, he immediately turned his horse and charged toward the end of the road, leading the way. Behind him, the Blood-Clothed Sect's forces dared not linger and followed in unison.

Outside Ironwood Manor, Lin Changqiang watched the rapidly retreating force and narrowed his eyes.

"I really want to kill him right now..."

If he used everything he had, Lin Changqiang was fairly confident he could take down Wei Chen within ten minutes. If he went all out, trading injury for injury, it would only take five.

But he couldn't guarantee that Lin Xiao and Lin Zhentian would come out unscathed in those few minutes. After all, the enemy had four or five more Heavenly Origin Stage cultivators than they did.

That was one reason. The second was that if he killed Wei Chen now, the old-timers would come after the young ones. Then Wei Chen's boss, the Blood Wolf Gang, would show up, and he'd really be out of options.

Lin Changqiang sighed helplessly, then dispersed all his Yuan Power and stowed the Dragon Gallbladder Bright Silver Spear back in his backpack before turning to look at the Lin Family.

"!!!"

"What the... hell? Why are you all standing so close to me?" He barely managed to swallow the classic curse, staring speechlessly at the crowd before him.

Sure enough, at some point, Lin Dong and the others had quietly moved behind Lin Changqiang, staring at him with fervent eyes!

At that moment, Lin Changqiang felt like he'd just used a Mid-Autumn Mooncake.