When the Zhao Household patriarch invoked the Song Household's name, the Lin Household clansmen all frowned.
The Song Household's fearsome reputation was known for ten thousand miles!
Across the whole of Huai Mountain Commandery, the Song Household might have been an utterly unremarkable minor power... but within ten thousand miles of Thousand Rocks City, only two or three powers could truly stand against it.
No matter how badly divided the Song Household was, or how much its influence had waned... its foundations remained right there for all to see!!
Even a cultivator who had just broken through to the Early Spirit Nourishing Realm would have to weigh whether he was strong enough before facing the Song Household alone...
After all, no one knew how many trump cards the Song Household had hidden away...
Seeing that he had intimidated the Lin Household clansmen, the Zhao Household patriarch breathed a small sigh of relief.
As far as he was concerned, the only thing to do in the current situation was to stall for as long as possible!
But in the very next second, a blurred figure suddenly swept over Zichuan City's towering walls. Like a meteor piercing dark clouds, it whipped up a skyful of fierce winds and appeared before the Zhao Household patriarch in an instant.
"Kill!!"
"Leave no one alive."
The blurred figure spoke in an aged voice. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he slapped the Zhao Household patriarch's body into a mist of blood!!
Just like that, the Zhao Household patriarch, a Bone Refining Realm cultivator, died on the spot...
As the blood mist dispersed, the Lin Household clansmen and the Zhao Household members alike froze!
The one who had struck was Lin Xiye.
Seeing that their ancestor was as utterly unconcerned as ever, the Lin Household clansmen all smiled bitterly to themselves.
But they soon understood.
The Zhao Household's ties to the Song Household were not close... even if the Song Household was truly willing to intervene, it would not completely fall out with the Lin Household over a worthless Zhao Household on the verge of destruction!
But it was quite possible that the Song Household would send people to Zichuan City under the pretext of protecting the Zhao Household, and compete with the Lin Household for its interests.
"Attack!!"
After Lin Xiye struck the Zhao Household's cultivators, the Lin Household clansmen and armored guards all began wielding their butcher's blades!
The few remaining Zhao Household cultivators immediately abandoned their clansmen to their fate and tried to flee Zichuan City.
They had no courage to fight Lin Xiye to the death!
The difference in strength between the Skin Refining Realm and the Organ Refining Realm was like the difference between a lion and a mouse!
Even if they all fought with their lives on the line, they could not hurt Lin Xiye in the slightest...
"Please spare me..."
"I'm willing to serve the Lin Household as a slave forever. I'm willing to join the Lin Household..."
"My child... please, spare my child!!"
"Damn you! You all deserve to die!!"
All of Zichuan City was in chaos!
Before the Lin Household's armored guards, clad in armor and wielding steel sabers, the Zhao clansmen were like weeds... harvested at will.
"Sigh..."
A Lin Household youth in a long robe, with something of a scholarly air, looked around him, a trace of compassion appearing on his face.
"What is it?"
"Can't bear to watch?"
By then, Lin Xiye had finished killing the Zhao Household's cultivators. Seeing the youth's expression, Lin Xiye gave a faint smile and spoke in an even voice.
"Ancestor..."
Hearing Lin Xiye's voice, the youth immediately came to his senses and hurriedly cupped his hands in salute.
"No need to be nervous."
Noticing the apprehension and unease on the youth's face, Lin Xiye waved a hand casually and shook his head slightly.
"Kindness and compassion aren't bad things."
"But remember, kindness and compassion toward the enemy are the greatest cruelty to your loved ones and your clansmen!!"
"If you don't believe me, look closely! Look at the Zhao Household's women and children..."
"Look into their eyes!"
"Right now, apart from fear, what fills them even more is anger! Madness!"
"Our Lin Household took their city, replaced the Zhao Household as its overlord, plundered everything they had, and killed their loved ones and clansmen..."
"With a blood feud as deep as the sea, only by cutting down the grass and pulling up its roots can we prevent every possible mishap!!"
"You must understand, our Lin Household has stood until today not because of any so-called kindness. The foundations of every power... are built upon the bones of its enemies!"
"Kindness, compassion, justice... are merely a beautiful cloak used to conceal cruel laws!"
Lin Xiye's voice echoed in the youth's ears like a clap of thunder, making his understanding of the world ever clearer...
"If the Zhao Household had won this struggle in the end, our Lin Household would have met the same fate."
"Even worse than this!!"
"Our Lin Household cuts down the grass and pulls up its roots when dealing with enemies, but we never abuse women and children, and never torture our opponents to death..."
"For the sake of the lineage's interests, our Lin Household must put them to death! But our Lin Household... will give our opponents dignity! And we will never implicate more innocents!"
As Lin Xiye spoke those last words, his voice carried throughout Zichuan City.
His earlier words had been a lesson for the younger generation, while his later words... were meant to reassure the people of Zichuan City!!
Of course, what Lin Xiye had said was indeed true!
Unlike the Zhao Household, the Lin Household had neither massacred the city nor plundered at will after entering it.
Everything had been directed solely at the Zhao Household and its vassals.
The Lin Household's actions allowed Zichuan City, where fear had gripped the people and chaos had nearly broken out... to quickly regain order!!
For a power to prosper, it needed to wield the butcher's blade, but even more, it needed to win people's hearts and maintain order in its territory...
"The Lin Household is no simple power!"
"Come, it's time for our Xu Household to enter the city."
"Remember, all of you: after entering the city, no wandering off, no plundering... and no disrupting the city's order!"
"Anyone who dares disobey will be treated as a traitor to the lineage!!"
Outside Zichuan City, among the Xu Household's ranks, the Xu Household ancestor leaned on his cane, his gaze profound. He had been watching everything in Zichuan City closely.
After seeing the Lin Household enter Zichuan City and quickly restore order, he personally gave the order and began leading the Xu Household's party into the city.
Seeing the Xu Household make its move, the Zhou Household, the Bai Household, and those smaller cultivation powers... all followed behind and began entering Zichuan City.
Inside Zichuan City, Lin Changge led the armored guards in taking stock of the Zhao Household's treasury and accumulated resources.
The Zhao Household's legacy stretched back nearly four hundred years! During that time, it had accumulated more than a hundred times the wealth of the Lin Household!
The gold ingots and silver bars of every kind in the Zhao Household's treasury alone... could fill several hundred carriages.
The Zhao Household's treasury had even accumulated some precious medicinal herbs and Spirit Stone fragments... Though these resources were few, they were enough to sustain Lin Xiye for a long time.
"Ancestor, with this wealth, our Lin Household can train an elite force of at least fifty thousand armored guards."
"With this... our Lin Household's overall strength can increase at least several hundredfold."
Looking at the Zhao Household's gold, silver, and treasures of every kind, Lin Changge was full of excitement.
His composure was already quite good, but faced with the Zhao Household's vast accumulated wealth, he still found it hard to contain his excitement.