Boom!!
Lin Xiye's voice echoed between heaven and earth like an exploding thunderclap, sending the Zhao Household's armored guards staggering backward...
Even the Zhao Household's third elder suddenly turned pale.
"The Bone Refining Realm! You're in the Bone Refining Realm..."
He could not help crying out, fear and wariness appearing in his eyes.
On the path of immortal cultivation, the gulf between major realms was like the divide between heaven and earth, nearly impossible to cross.
The Zhao Household's third elder might have been at Blood Refining Perfection, but before someone in the Bone Refining Realm, he was still utterly powerless to resist... If Lin Xiye wished, he could even kill him with a single palm strike.
In the blink of an eye, however, the Zhao Household's third elder regained his composure.
The Zhao Household also had Bone Refining Realm cultivators, and more than one at that. Its ancestor was a master at Late Viscera Refining.
"Senior, so what if you're in the Bone Refining Realm?"
"You've already left the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect. You alone are not enough to contend with my Zhao Household..."
"My Zhao Household is determined to take Qiao Town! You're a clever man, Senior. You should know what happens to those who oppose us!"
"But out of respect for you, Senior, my Zhao Household can take just seventy percent of Qiao Town's businesses..."
Atop the giant ferocious tiger, the Zhao Household's third elder spoke again.
He had regained his confidence and composure, for the Purple River City Zhao Household stood behind him!
Upon hearing the third elder of the Zhao Household's words, the Lin Household's elders all fell silent.
Lin Changge let out a quiet sigh.
He gazed at Lin Xiye's back, his feelings immensely complicated...
But on second thought, keeping thirty percent of Qiao Town's businesses would already be a very good outcome for the Lin Household.
The Lin Household's foundations were ultimately insufficient before the Zhao Household.
If they fought the Zhao Household head-on, they would have no hope of holding them off, even with their ancestor there.
Just as Lin Changge and the Lin Household's elders all thought Lin Xiye would choose to compromise, his figure suddenly turned into a series of afterimages, whipping up a fearsome gale as he landed directly in front of the Zhao Household's third elder.
"Senior... if you dare lay a hand on me, the Zhao Household will never let you off! It won't spare your Lin Household either."
"When that happens, the Lin Household, and even all of Qiao Town, will be slaughtered to the last... You-ah!!"
The Zhao Household's third elder let out a terrified scream.
By the time everyone came to their senses, Lin Xiye was holding him casually in one hand, as though he were a rag.
The giant ferocious tiger had been pressed to the ground by Lin Xiye's presence, its body trembling.
"Noisy!!"
Lin Xiye looked at the Zhao Household's third elder in his hand and gave a casual squeeze... A million jin of force erupted.
In an instant, a cloud of blood exploded in the air! The Zhao Household's third elder died on the spot, not even his bones left behind.
"You dare threaten this old man? Who gave you the courage?"
Lin Xiye's tone was indifferent, as though he had just crushed a worm to death rather than the Zhao Household's third elder.
At the sight of Lin Xiye crushing the Zhao Household's third elder's body outright... everyone in the Lin Household and the Zhao Household's armored guards alike froze.
None of them had expected Lin Xiye to be so outrageously bold and decisive in killing!
But before anyone could recover, Lin Xiye struck again...
The power of the Early Bone Refining Realm manifested in Lin Xiye.
His Qi and Blood surged, and he was like a God or Devil walking among mortals. Moving with extreme speed, he killed numerous Zhao Household armored guards with a wave of his hand!
Under the bright moonlight, clouds of scarlet blood blossomed outside Qiao Town! The scene was eerie and horrifying...
Lin Xi spared none of them, killing them all on the spot!
In the space of just two breaths, two hundred Zhao Household armored guards vanished from the world entirely.
"Ancestor, why did you...?"
After a long while, Lin Changge gradually came to his senses. Worry appeared on his face as he looked at Lin Xiye, hesitating to speak.
Lin Xiye had killed the Zhao Household's third elder with overwhelming force and slaughtered all two hundred armored guards... It meant he had completely cut off the Lin Household's path of retreat.
Looking at Lin Changge and the many panicked clansmen, Lin Xiye collected the Zhao Household's third elder's belongings and spoke calmly.
"There's no need to say more. This old man knows what you're thinking."
"The Purple River City Zhao Household is indeed powerful, but our Lin Household has never been a soft persimmon, either!!"
"The Zhao Household wants to drive our clan into a dead end, so our only choice is to kill our way to survival."
"You needn't worry about the Zhao Household's revenge. With this old man here, the Lin Household's sky... will not fall!"
Bathed in the mist of blood, Lin Xiye spoke in an aged voice, yet it carried an overbearing confidence.
During his hundred years of cultivation in the Falling Rosy Clouds Sect, Lin Xiye had encountered all kinds of conflicts... Back then, in a secret realm, he had dared to scheme against and even set up senior brothers whose cultivation far surpassed his, sending them to their deaths!
Lin Xiye was wary of the Zhao Household, but since they were already riding on his head, he had to strike back ruthlessly!
Even so, Lin Xiye had not lost his head or grown conceited because he had broken through to the Bone Refining Realm...
Rather, he had set his sights on the cultivation resources the Zhao Household's third elder carried.
As one of the Zhao Household's elders, the third elder was only at Blood Refining Perfection, but his personal wealth was clearly substantial.
When Lin Xiye had been observing him in secret, he had noticed an array flag hanging from his waist.
That array flag was none other than a Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure.
A "Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure" was a Law Treasure used by Spirit Nourishing cultivators! Even the lowest-quality Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure could sell for one low-grade Spirit Stone!
Of course, the Zhao Household's third elder's Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure was merely a damaged one!
But even damaged, the array flag was still astonishingly valuable.
And there was no forgetting that Lin Xiye also had the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror.
All he had to do was use the Immortal-Appraising Treasure Mirror to repair the Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure, then raise his cultivation further before the Zhao Household launched a full-scale attack... With the repaired Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure array flag, Lin Xiye would not fear even the Zhao Household's ancestor in the Organ Refining Realm.
The power of a Spirit Nurturing Law Treasure was truly fearsome.
But Lin Xiye's contingencies did not end there.
He also planned to visit an immortal cultivation market and trade for attack items such as "spirit poison bottles" and "low-level talismans."
Then he would see whether he could take the opportunity to find any overlooked bargains and obtain some treasures at the market.
Faced with pressure from the Purple River City Zhao Household, Lin Xiye had never considered compromising.
The Zhao Household wanted to swallow Qiao Town and expand its territory, but did Lin Xiye not also want to replace the Zhao Household and turn the Lin Household into the new hegemon for a thousand li around Zichuan City!?
The Zhao Household was strong, but it was not invincible.
A cultivator should lie low when it was time to lie low, and go mad when it was time to go mad...
If one kept one's head down and cringed at every turn, how could one attain the Great Dao?
Besides, even if Lin Xiye backed down, would the Purple River City Zhao Household really spare the Lin Household?
Over the years, every time the Zhao Household had expanded its territory, the forces that chose to yield and submit had all either declined or vanished altogether in the end...