Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

The assembled patriarchs were all murmuring to one another. As the He Family’s old steward and his men were escorted to the Martial Arts Training Ground, Lin Yun’s group arrived. Seeing Lin Yun approach, the patriarchs all bowed.

With a great war against the Qing Zhu Association imminent, Lin Yun knew he had to unify the major families of Wind City. Only then would he have a fighting chance at victory.

"Execute them," Lin Yun ordered in a low voice. The moment the words left his lips, the Bai Family guards decapitated the dozens of people on the platform.

After executing the dozens of men, Lin Yun addressed the assembled patriarchs in a resonant voice. "Patriarchs, you are all vassal forces of the Flawless Palace. Now, the Qing Zhu Association has risen unexpectedly, and they intend to slaughter the billions of citizens in Wind City. A great war is upon us. I hope you will all take these people as a warning..."

It was undeniable that Lin Yun’s actions today had a powerful deterrent effect on the patriarchs of Wind City. But just then, Patriarch Qi and Patriarch Cai—two men who were supposed to be dead—walked into the Martial Arts Training Ground, alive and well.

Seeing that the two men were not dead, the other patriarchs were utterly stunned. ’So, Lin Yun never killed them at all.’

Approaching Lin Yun, Patriarch Qi and Patriarch Cai bowed and declared firmly, "Young Master Lin, the two of us are willing to follow your orders, until death."

The two had been hidden in a secret room within the Bai Family’s estate all this time. With the great war imminent, Lin Yun no longer had a reason to keep them concealed. Besides, all the families that had colluded with the Qing Zhu Association had already been wiped out by him.

Upon hearing their declaration, all the patriarchs of Wind City’s great families shouted in unison, "We are willing to follow Young Master Lin’s command, until death!"

Lin Yun smiled and nodded as he watched the patriarchs pledge their loyalty. ’Although I know these families won’t be of much use in the decisive battle against the Qing Zhu Association, stabilizing matters within Wind City is a necessary first step.’

Having achieved the desired deterrent effect, Lin Yun dismissed the patriarchs and sent them back to their families to make preparations.

After everyone left, Lin Yun returned to his personal courtyard. Wei Yunhang had already gone back to the Flawless Palace, and Li Tian was busy with the final arrangements. Tonight, Lin Yun had a more important task: to break through to the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm in one fell swoop.

He had been busy with the affairs of Wind City recently. Even though Li Tian had handled most of the arrangements, Lin Yun’s cultivation speed had still slowed considerably.

Since the great war was at hand, any increase in his cultivation, no matter how small, would be beneficial.

Seated cross-legged on his bed, Lin Yun gripped the Elemental Power Stone. The stone, originally the size of a chicken egg, had shrunk to the size of a pigeon egg; Lin Yun had already absorbed half of the Elemental Power it contained.

’I’ve reached the limit of the Eighth Layer. Today, I’ll break through to the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm in one fell swoop,’ he murmured to himself. Lin Yun then closed his eyes and began to assault the barrier to the Ninth Layer.

The Ninth Layer was the very limit of the Primordial Ocean Realm. Thanks to the Elemental Power Stone, Lin Yun hadn’t spent long at the Eighth Layer, but assaulting the barrier to the Ninth Layer now was by no means an easy task.

Frantically absorbing the energy from the Elemental Power Stone, Lin Yun’s aura surged higher and higher. Having already reached the limit of the Eighth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm, he relentlessly battered the barrier to the Ninth Layer.

Finally, on his ninth attempt, the barrier to the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm shattered. Lin Yun’s cultivation surged, smoothly breaking through to the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm.

The Elemental Power Stone in his hand was being absorbed at a furious rate. Thanks to it, Lin Yun didn’t need to consume a Low Grade Essence Spirit Pill for this breakthrough; the energy from the stone alone was sufficient.

As if he were a whale devouring the sea, Lin Yun’s body continuously absorbed the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Power as well as the energy from the Elemental Power Stone in his hand.

The process lasted for a full quarter-hour before Lin Yun finally stabilized his breakthrough. He slowly opened his eyes, let out a breath of turbid air, and a faint smile touched his lips.

’Ninth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm. Next up is the Celestial Spirit Realm,’ he mused with a light chuckle.

With his breakthrough successful, Lin Yun noticed the sky outside had already brightened. He quickly washed up and then ordered for Li Tian, Bai Zhicheng, and He Yuntian to be summoned.

"I am returning to the Flawless Palace today," he instructed the three men. "You will all remain in Wind City. Be sure to monitor Guang Xuanji’s every move."

Hearing his words, Bai Zhicheng, He Yuntian, and Li Tian all nodded in agreement.

After settling a few more matters, Lin Yun crushed a Teleportation Sub-array Map, and his body instantly vanished within the Teleportation Array.

Lin Yun emerged from the Flawless Palace’s Transmission Main Array. The Elder guarding it immediately informed him that Luo Feng was already waiting in the Main Hall.

After nodding to the Elder, Lin Yun headed directly for the Main Hall. When he stepped inside, he found only Luo Feng; the Six Supreme Elders were not present.

Seeing Lin Yun approach, Luo Feng began, "A battle with the Qing Zhu Association is now inevitable. However, this matter concerning the Celestial Spirit Auction House..."

The battle with the Qing Zhu Association was indeed unavoidable. However, Luo Feng remained deeply uncertain about Lin Yun’s plan for the Celestial Spirit Auction House. ’What kind of organization is the Celestial Spirit Auction House, really? If Lin Yun’s plan fails, the price we’d have to pay would be immense.’

Understanding Luo Feng’s concerns, Lin Yun said confidently, "Master, please rest assured. I have already arranged everything. It will absolutely be a success."

Seeing Lin Yun’s confidence, Luo Feng said no more on the matter. He merely informed Lin Yun that twenty of the Flawless Palace’s Main Seat Elders had secretly arrived in Wind City yesterday and were now concealed within the estates of the Bai and He Families.

Luo Feng had moved quickly. And that wasn’t all; the Flawless Palace’s Direct Disciples, Core Disciples, and a number of Inner Sect Disciples would also be arriving in Wind City throughout the day to prepare for the battle against the Qing Zhu Association.

Lin Yun was relieved to hear Luo Feng’s report. He had actually explained his entire plan to Luo Feng long ago using a Sound Transmission Stone, so his master knew it inside and out. Lin Yun’s main reason for returning to the Flawless Palace this time was actually to find the Qing Zhu Saint.

Lin Yun already knew the Qing Zhu Association had Semi-Saints. What he hadn’t anticipated was that they actually had as many as three full Saints. However, it was easy to imagine that for the coming battle in Wind City, the Qing Zhu Association would definitely deploy at least one of them.

To counter an enemy that possessed Saints, the Flawless Palace’s own Qing Zhu Saint would have to intervene. Otherwise, Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders alone would be no match for the Saints from the Qing Zhu Association.

After discussing a few more matters with Luo Feng, Lin Yun was told that his master and the Six Supreme Elders would also arrive secretly in Wind City that very night to lie in wait for the Qing Zhu Association.

With everything decided, Lin Yun exited the Main Hall and went to check on Lu Bingning and her companion. When he learned that the two women were still in closed-door cultivation, he decided not to disturb them. ’This is for the best. This battle against the Qing Zhu Association is extremely dangerous. I’m more at ease knowing they’re safely in seclusion.’

To be honest, since Lin Yun didn’t know the true strength of the Qing Zhu Association, this battle was fraught with uncertainty. He planned to use this conflict as an opportunity to probe the enemy and gauge just how powerful the Qing Zhu Association truly was.

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