Stalemate

At the Beast Horn Arena, the three factions stood in a standoff, the atmosphere remaining tense.

"Lei Bao, if we keep fighting like this, it will benefit none of our three families. How about we call a truce here?"

Seeing that Lei Bao had regained his composure, Lin Xiao felt a slight sense of relief and spoke in a deep voice.

Lei Bao remained silent, his expression shifting between light and shadow. He clenched and unclenched his fists, a look of contemplation appearing in his eyes.

Judging by the current situation, even if the Lei and Xie clans joined forces, it would be difficult to defeat the Lin Clan. After all, both Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao were currently experts at the Heaven Origin Realm, and beyond them, there was Lin Ge, who—despite being nearly exhausted—was also a genuine Heaven Origin Realm expert.

Yet, if they could not bury Lin Ge here today, once this dragon left the abyss, no one in Green Sun Town would be able to stop him.

"No, even if we have to pay a heavy price, Lin Ge must be killed!"

After weighing his options repeatedly, Lei Bao felt that this was the best moment to kill Lin Ge; if he missed this chance, it would likely be impossible to find another in the future.

"Lei Bao, do not lose your reason over a moment of anger. If you fight the Lin Clan to the death today, your Lei Clan will surely be besieged by all in Green Sun Town later. By then, the day of the Lei Clan's destruction will not be far off."

Seeing the monstrous killing intent erupting in Lei Bao's eyes, Lin Xiao's heart tightened, and he could not help but shout again.

This time, Lin Xiao's shout did not affect Lei Bao; instead, it only made him more determined to kill Lin Ge here.

Lei Bao slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Lin Ge behind Lin Xiao, the killing intent in his eyes no longer hidden in the slightest.

"No matter what happens today, this old man will kill this little bastard! No one can stop me!"

Hearing this, not only did Lin Xiao's expression change, but even Lin Zhentian, not far away, looked equally grim.

Clearly, neither of them had expected Lei Bao to be this insane. To kill a fourteen-year-old boy at the cost of his clan's future was beyond everyone's expectations; even Xie Qian had never imagined it.

He looked at Lei Bao, his expression slightly hesitant. He did not want the Xie Clan to fall into ruin because of Lin Ge.

The only reason he had blocked Lin Zhentian earlier was because he thought Lei Bao could secure a kill in one strike, never anticipating that they would fall into such a stalemate.

If they turned hostile now, it would be equivalent to officially declaring war on the Lin Clan. This was not what Xie Qian wanted, and because of this, he was extremely hesitant.

Having spent so many years with Xie Qian, how could Lei Bao not know his character? He could not help but warn him loudly: "Brother Xie, if you give up on killing Lin Ge now, you will surely regret it in the future."

Xie Qian narrowed his eyes and glanced at Lei Bao, asking, "What does Brother Lei mean?"

"Old thing, still playing dumb with me!"

Lei Bao cursed inwardly, but he was helpless against Xie Qian. Since he could not afford to offend him at this moment, he had to soften his tone: "Brother Xie, you should understand that there is no possibility of reconciliation between us and the Lin Clan. This boy, Lin Ge, is gifted with extraordinary talent. If we cannot kill him here, he will eventually become a great disaster!"

Xie Qian frowned upon hearing this. Lei Bao's words were not without reason, but to strike now would mean both the Lei and Xie clans would suffer heavy losses, perhaps even failing to recover for decades.

"To fight, or not to fight?"

Xie Qian was indecisive, and everyone's eyes turned to him, waiting to see how he would decide.

"Brother Xie, this boy is already a Heaven Origin Realm expert, and his strength is no weaker than ours! If we don't kill him now, there will be no hope of doing so later!"

Xie Qian's hesitation made Lei Bao irritable, and he could not help but roar loudly.

Once these words were spoken, Xie Qian finally understood. Lei Bao was right; if they didn't kill him now, there would basically be no chance in the future. Therefore, no matter what, he had to die!

Lin Zhentian looked at the now-determined Xie Qian with a gloomy face. He understood that the Lei and Xie clans had made up their minds to wage a full-scale war against the Lin Clan.

"I will hold him off; you find a chance to escape!"

Lin Xiao's expression was equally grave as he whispered to Lin Ge behind him.

Lin Ge's face was pale and his body weak, but there was not a hint of tension or panic in his eyes; instead, he was remarkably calm.

"No need. I only need a moment to recover, and by then, we won't need to fear them at all."

"You!"

Lin Xiao wanted to scold him, but seeing the confidence in Lin Ge's eyes, he held his tongue.

Lin Ge did not mind Lin Xiao's tone; his gaze remained fixed on Lei Bao.

Setting other things aside, Lei Bao's decisiveness in the face of an enemy truly surprised Lin Ge. By comparison, Xie Qian's indecisiveness was somewhat contemptible.

Facing a future threat that could wipe out his clan, yet still haggling over minor immediate interests—Lin Ge found it hard to imagine how such a person had become the head of the Xie Clan.

"Lin Xiao, get lost! Don't force me to kill you!"

Lei Bao looked coldly at the fully armed Lin Xiao, his face full of killing intent.

"Dream on!"

Lin Xiao refused without a second thought.

Lin Ge was a disciple of the Lin Clan; how could Lin Xiao watch a Lin disciple be killed by an enemy right in front of him? Furthermore, Lin Ge was exceptionally talented and represented the future of the Lin Clan—perhaps even their only hope of entering the inner clan. He could not possibly abandon him.

"Then don't blame me!"

At this point, there was no point in further talk. Lei Bao had lost the patience to communicate with the Lin Clan and lunged at Lin Ge, unleashing the Spirit Snake Palm!

Facing Lei Bao's full-force Spirit Snake Palm, Lin Xiao dared not be careless. His Origin Power surged, and he threw a punch.

Bang!

The two forces collided, the resulting violent fluctuation of Origin Power forcing both men to retreat dozens of steps.

On the other side, Lin Zhentian and Xie Qian were not idle either. Both unleashed lethal moves, their Origin Power splashing everywhere. Though they flickered in and out of sight, neither could gain the upper hand.

Lin Zhentian and Xie Qian were both at the Heaven Origin Realm, and their strength was not far apart, making it difficult to determine a winner in the short term.

The more this was the case, the more unsightly Lin Zhentian's expression became. Lin Xiao had not yet fully recovered to his peak state and was certainly no match for Lei Bao, so the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for them.

"Brother Luo, if you help my Lin Clan through this calamity, my Lin Clan is willing to form an iron alliance with Mad Blade Martial Hall and never abandon you!"

Suddenly, Lin Zhentian, with his Yuan Force mixed in, shouted towards the sky.

Beside him, Xie Qian's expression suddenly changed slightly upon hearing Lin Zhentian's shout. He had forgotten about Luo Cheng's existence!

Not only Xie Qian, but even Lei Bao's expression changed slightly upon hearing this shout. His gaze fixed intently on Lin Zhentian, killing intent contained within his eyes.

"Haha... Brother Lin, do you stand by your words?"

Just then, a hearty laugh came from outside the Beast Horn Arena.

Upon hearing this laugh, everyone from the Lin Clan breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles appeared on their faces. In contrast, the Lei and Xie families saw dark clouds gather on their faces.