Rumble!
Whether the lightning tribulation had ended or felt humiliated, its clouds drifted toward the heavens and slowly dispersed.
The terrifying lightning tribulation actually began fleeing as though it had met its nemesis, while Lin Fan chased after it, shouting something.
"Don't run!"
"I haven't finished my bath yet!"
At this sight, many experts felt their scalps prickle and were left speechless for a long time.
Was this a joke?
The nine-nine annihilation divine lightning had struck terror into countless prodigies and experts throughout the ages and destroyed countless monstrous talents, yet this bastard was treating it like a bathtub?
How were those monstrous prodigies who had died in this tribulation supposed to bear this?
Seeing this, the Lin Clan elders finally relaxed and smiled, inwardly chiding Little Fan for being so mischievous and making the entire Lin Clan worry about him. Fortunately, he had not disappointed them.
"Hahaha, as expected of my son! He has the makings of an immortal!"
"A mere nine-nine world-annihilating lightning tribulation is destined to become nothing more than nourishment on my son's path to the Great Dao!"
Holding Ji Ningshuang, whose eyes brimmed with tears, Lin Dong laughed aloud. His pride was plain to see, and he wished he could tell the whole world how outstanding his son was!
In the end...
The lightning tribulation withdrew helplessly.
Lin Fan returned with regret written all over his face.
Standing upon the chaos azure lotus, with phantoms of three thousand Gods and Devils manifesting behind him, he returned to the Lin Clan like a demon king patrolling the heavens.
Seeing their son return, Ji Ningshuang and Lin Dong immediately set off to bring him back to the Lin Clan. With experts from so many orthodoxies watching, they feared an unexpected turn of events.
"Hahaha! Congratulations to the Lin Clan!"
"I, Great Emperor Chiyan, have come with the Wang Clan to offer our congratulations!"
Just then, hearty laughter rang out. It was the Wang Clan's Great Emperor Chiyan, accompanied by some Wang Clan experts and experts from other orthodoxies.
A mighty procession arrived at the Lin Clan, blocking Lin Dong's path.
Lin Dong frowned. He felt that the Wang Clan and the others were like weasels paying a New Year's visit to a chicken-they certainly meant no good. He showed them no courtesy and, without even pretending, snapped at them.
"Scram!"
"Keep me from seeing my son, and don't blame this emperor for turning hostile!"
Ancestor Chiyan and the others, who had been all smiles, knew Lin Dong had seen through their intentions. Naturally, they stopped pretending. Time was what mattered most now! Their faces immediately darkened as they demanded an answer.
"Hehe, Patriarch Lin, what do you mean by that?"
"We came to offer congratulations, yet instead of inviting us in and entertaining us, you tell us to scram!"
"Is this how your Lin Clan treats its guests?"
Great Emperor Chiyan was not the only Great Emperor in this group. There were also Great Emperors from imperial clans such as the Feng Clan and Luo Clan, as well as Quasi-Emperors from the various orthodoxies. Such a force was enough to destroy a major imperial clan, and even a supreme imperial clan would have to take it seriously.
Ji Ningshuang naturally understood Lin Dong's thoughts and did not want anything else to happen to Lin Fan. Like a celestial maiden of the icy heavens, she radiated an utterly frigid presence, her terrifying pressure surging in every direction.
"Scram! Dare to keep this emperor from seeing her son-do you want to die?"
Her stunning face warned strangers to stay away as she mercilessly berated the Wang Clan and the other experts, not even sparing Great Emperors a second thought.
The couple strode forward, their imperial might towering into the heavens. Ji Ningshuang was like a snow maiden of the icy heavens, and Lin Dong like an invincible god of war, neither showing the slightest fear of Great Emperor Chiyan and the other experts.
"Hehe, Patriarch Lin, you jest. We have no intention of blocking your way!"
Great Emperor Chiyan and the other experts exchanged glances. This time, they did not continue obstructing the pair but sensibly stepped aside. Their goal had already been achieved, and they did not yet wish to tear away all pretense.
That brief instant just now was enough for a Great Emperor to kill Lin Fan.
Meanwhile...
On Lin Fan's side, an unexpected change indeed occurred!
After seeing the Wang Clan and the other experts head toward the Lin Clan, Lin Fan had felt an ominous premonition.
Not good!
An assassin!
Just then, Lin Fan went rigid, terror appearing on his face. He suddenly felt a chill piercing his soul. The breath of death filled his heart, and he could not move.
A Great Emperor was actually assassinating him. How fucking shameless.
Hiss!
With a hiss, a cold gleam shot out of a point in the void without warning, radiating a chilling presence as though it had come from the Nine Nether Hells.
It pierced the void at astonishing speed, whistling straight toward Lin Fan.
"Fan'er!"
"Great Emperor! Dare to touch my son, and I will exterminate your nine clans!"
Sensing what had happened to Lin Fan, Lin Dong and Ji Ningshuang shouted in agitation. Terrifying imperial might rolled out as they moved to save him, forcing many Quasi-Emperors and Sage Kings to prostrate themselves on the spot.
Anyone discerning among the experts present could see that the Wang Clan's congratulations to the Lin Clan were somewhat ill-intentioned, but they had never imagined the Wang Clan would actually dare attack Lin Fan.
"Slash!"
Lin Dong roared! Sword light flashed in his hand, cleaving through the sky like lightning as he viciously slashed straight at the Great Emperor hiding in the shadows!
He wanted to cut his way through and save Lin Fan, but Lin Fan had already left the Lin Clan to chase the lightning tribulation. He was too far away...
There was simply no time to save Lin Fan!
The cold gleam was terrifying beyond measure, capable of piercing anything, and it was already very close to Lin Fan.
Even a Great Emperor could fall on the spot with the slightest lapse in attention, let alone Lin Fan, who was merely in the Pill Condensation Realm. If it struck him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Boom!
At that critical instant...
A tremendous rumbling erupted from the Lin Clan. Then mysterious, intricate runes rose from the ground, swiftly interweaving into an enormous, terrifying formation that radiated a heart-pounding presence!
The terrifying formation lit up and fired a fearsome beam of light, incomparably sharp and surpassing a Great Emperor in speed and might, shattering the cold gleam.
At that very instant, a dazzling beam of light suddenly burst from the formation, brilliant with myriad colors yet containing boundless killing intent.
The beam streaked across the sky like lightning, its speed far exceeding even the astonishing speed of a Great Emperor's attack!
Wherever it passed, space seemed unable to withstand such immense power, twisting and warping before being torn apart in an instant with a shrill, piercing whistle.
Meanwhile, when the cold, sinister gleam hurtling toward Lin Fan met that terrifying light, it was like fragile porcelain striking solid rock, shattering and vanishing without the slightest power to resist.
With a boom, it pierced the Great Emperor who had attacked from the shadows, killing him on the spot.
A corpse flew out of the void, lying flat. Even in death, it still radiated suffocating imperial might. A fatal, bloody hole gaped in its chest, and dripping imperial blood devoured space to form one black hole after another.
The sight stunned everyone.
Immortal-annihilating strike!
Seeing this formation, Great Emperor Chiyan and the other experts' pupils contracted sharply. A chill swept through them, and sweat drenched their backs. Clearly, they had recognized its origins.
This was the Lin Clan's clan-guarding formation, the Immortal Annihilation Formation.
Renowned in ancient times, it had once killed an Asura in the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, it had been utterly destroyed. Who could have imagined that the Lin Clan had secretly repaired it, allowing it to reappear in the world today?
Fortunately, they had feared the Lin Clan's reserves and had not rashly attacked. The Wang Clan had sent a deathsworn expert at the peak of the Great Emperor realm to carry out the assassination.
Otherwise, they would have been the ones dead now.
"Phew!"
As the pressure vanished, Lin Fan's body relaxed. He felt drenched from head to toe, like someone who had just climbed ashore. His eyes still held lingering fright, and he cursed incessantly inwardly.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear a few little old men laughing. "Hehe, that's it...? A mere Great Emperor couldn't withstand a single blow! I ask you, who else is there!"
Before he could think further, a system notification sounded in his ears: [Ding! Great Emperor killed instantly. Congratulations, host, on receiving +40,000 Villain Points from the four ancestors' protectiveness and +20,000 Villain Points from your father and mother's protectiveness.]