The blood mist in front of the door had not yet dissipated.
A few wisps of dark blue smoke drifted slowly in the twilight, like a snake dissipating, its tongue flicking out in its final moments.
Before the onlookers could fully recover from what had just happened, new voices erupted from behind the crowd.
"He... he's that Lin Fan?"
"The one who killed Jin Zhen's clone and possessed the Immortal Seed?!"
"Holy crap... Immortal Seed? That legendary Immortal Seed? It's in his hands?"
" The Jin Clan, Tang Clan, and Ouyang Clan all laid an ambush on the Mysterious Pass Ancient Road, but they couldn't stop him. He was driven back by his father's single sword strike!"
The news spread faster than the wind, like a burning haystack, sweeping from the city gates in all directions.
Some people subconsciously took a few steps back, as if afraid that getting too close to the figure in white would result in being hit by some unseen aftershock.
Some people pushed forward, trying to get a good look at what this Lin Clan prince, who was stirring up trouble at the Emperor Pass, actually looked like.
"He's kind of handsome!"
"Does he truly possess Immortal Seed?"
"I don't know, but the Jin Clan's prodigy did indeed die at his hands."
" The Jin Clan family has probably already received the news."
"It's not just the Jin Clan; the Tang Clan and the Ouyang Clan are probably also keeping an eye on him."
"His killing in the street today... is probably going to be troublesome."
"Trouble? Does he seem like someone who hates trouble?"
The news spread like wildfire, burning from the city gates all the way into the streets and alleys of Emperor Pass.
The murmurs rose and fell in the streets and alleys, like fallen leaves swept up by the wind, drifting into every open window and half-closed door.
Lin Fan walked along the main street of Emperor Pass, his boots treading on the dark gray stone slabs, feeling the pulse of the city.
The stone houses on both sides of the street are of varying heights, some with simple and unadorned signs, and some with a few fragments of religious artifacts displayed at their doorways, like street stalls.
Several cultivators dressed in shorts squatted on the threshold, peeling some kind of spiritual fruit with its shell still attached; the shells fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
He walked slowly, his gaze casually sweeping over his surroundings, like a tourist visiting a market for the first time.
But the invisible pressure spread slowly with each step he took, like unseen ripples spreading outward from the stone slabs beneath his feet.
No one got too close.
The cultivators who were peeling spirit fruits stopped in unison as he passed by, their gazes lingering on him for a moment before quickly shifting away, as if they dared not look at him any longer.
However, just as he crossed the third street corner, the sky suddenly changed color.
The original gray-gold twilight was instantly covered by a thick layer of dark gold clouds, deep within which surged a rich Law of the Emperor Dao, like a volcano slowly awakening.
"Buzz!"
A deep, rumbling sound came from the clouds.
That wasn't thunder; it was the might of the Emperor.
It swept in from the depths of the Emperor Pass, like a raging ocean churning and approaching.
Three illusory figures of imperial power simultaneously emerged from the sky, their bodies shrouded in a dark golden light of laws. Their faces were blurred, yet they exuded an aura that suffocated the entire neighborhood.
Blinding the sky and blotting out the sun, the emperor's might was overwhelming!
One of the phantoms had a more solid outline than the other two, and its body was surrounded by fine golden arcs of electricity, like an ancient being emerging from a sea of lightning.
The Jin Clan.
" The Tang Clan."
" The Ouyang Clan."
Someone whispered these three names in the alley, their voice extremely low, as if afraid of being caught by the three imperial auras.
"Found you!"
The three illusory figures of emperors hovered in the sky above Lin Fan's head, their gazes locked on him simultaneously, like a ferocious beast finally confirming the location of its prey.
" Lin Fan!"
A voice descended from the sky, carrying an undeniable authority, like thunder sweeping across the entire street. "Do you know your crime?"
The Great Emperor is going to judge Lin Fan!
The moment the sound rang out, the cultivators in front of the city gate all changed their expressions. Some knelt down directly, while others tried to steady themselves but couldn't even lift their heads. Quasi-Emperor level cultivators seemed as insignificant as ants in the face of this imperial might.
"As a resident of the Three Thousand Provinces who entered the pass, you openly killed Quasi-Emperor Realm cultivator at the gates of the Emperor Pass, showing contempt for the laws and regulations of the Emperor Pass. You should be severely punished!"
The second voice followed, carrying an undeniable sense of judgment. "According to the rules of the Emperor Pass, those entering from the Three Thousand Provinces must guard the pass for three days before they can enjoy the same rights as cultivators of the Emperor Pass."
"You've only just entered the pass and you've already become so ruthless and bloodthirsty. Do you even have a shred of respect for the laws of the Emperor Pass?"
The sound echoed through the street like a sword hanging over everyone's head, ready to fall at any moment.
Lin Fan stopped in his tracks.
He looked up at the three illusory figures of the Emperor in the sky, then looked down at his right hand, which had just flicked his fingers. He tilted his head, his tone tinged with genuine confusion. "Finished?"
"How dare you!"
The first illusory figure's voice suddenly rose, like an enraged lion, "As an intruder, to face the Great Emperor's questioning with such an attitude is an even greater crime!"
"An additional crime?" Lin Fan repeated the phrase as if hearing it for the first time. "You say I'm guilty? Then tell me, what crime have I committed?"
You killed someone in the street!
"Oh, you mean him." Lin Fan nodded, his tone still calm. "He blocked my way and stole my Ancient Tower Comprehension Token, and even said he wanted to teach me the rules of the Emperor Pass."
"I thought the rule in your Emperor Pass was that whoever steals it gets to keep it? Why didn't anyone speak up when he tried to take it from me, but you all suddenly appear when I kill him?"
The street fell silent for a moment.
Someone muttered under their breath in a corner, "That seems to be the case."
"Shut up!" The third illusory figure of the Emperor spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable domineering authority, "The laws of the Emperor Pass forbid those who enter from killing cultivators without permission; this is an ironclad rule."
"You have just entered the pass and openly violated the rules. If you are not severely punished, what will become of the Emperor Pass authority?"
"So, you're going to hold me accountable?" Lin Fan raised his eyelids slightly, his tone remaining calm, without even changing his voice.
"Of course," the first illusory figure said, "You..."
"You son of a bitch."
Lin Fan's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire street, like a pebble dropped into still water, creating a silent ripple.
The air on the street seemed to tighten for a moment.
"If you want an excuse to attack me, just say so. Why resort to such underhanded tactics under the guise of Emperor Pass decrees?" Lin Fan looked up at the three illusory figures of the Emperor's Path, his tone disdainful. "Isn't your goal to obtain the Immortal Seed within me? Why go through all this trouble?"
The three illusory figures of the Emperor Dao fell silent for a moment, their thoughts exposed, and they became enraged.
"Presumptuous!"
"You brat, how dare you disrespect this Emperor!"
"You will be apprehended and brought to justice today!"
A gigantic, dark golden hand of law emerged from the sky, blotting out the sun and carrying the power of laws at the Great Emperor level. Like a mountain pressing down, it descended upon Lin Fan.
The cultivators who were watching on the street all changed color at the same time. Some of them retreated abruptly, while others turned around and tried to run away.
"Boom!"
The moment that giant hand of law descended, Lin Fan stood still, without retreating.
He didn't even look up.
Because a voice, faster and clearer than his, carried a calm and unhurried quality, like the sound of a zither carried by a gentle breeze, pierced through the surging imperial might.
"Let's see who dares to touch anyone from the Lin Clan."
The moment that voice fell, a streak of azure sword light swept across from the side, silent and stealthy, like a silver thread washed by moonlight, and landed precisely on the dark golden giant hand of law.