Chapter 23: If You Dare Strike First (2)
To a Foundation Establishment cultivator, facing a full-powered, killing strike from a Core Formation expert was a guaranteed death sentence. The disparity in raw power was simply too vast. It was like attempting to stop a raging river with a handful of dry sand.
But Lin Yuan did not rely on raw power.
He stood perfectly still, his left arm wrapped securely around Bai Qingyue’s waist, shielding her from the violent winds generated by the descending palm. His expression was not one of fear, nor of desperate resolve. It was a mask of absolute, chilling tranquility.
"I gave you the chance to retreat," Lin Yuan murmured, his voice cutting through the roaring wind. "Since you have chosen the path of death, the heavens will not pity you."
Lin Yuan raised his right hand, and with a blinding flash of azure light, the Rain Blade materialized in his grasp.
The moment the Dao-infused sword appeared, the oppressive atmosphere created by the attack was instantly shattered. The temperature in the surrounding plummeted, and the sharp scent of incoming rain filled the air.
High above, Uncle Yan let out a maniacal roar, pushing the last reserves of his spiritual energy into the descending handprint. "Die! Turn to dust!"
Lin Yuan looked up at the descending handprint, his pupils flashing with the profound depth of his Dao!
He swung the Rain Blade upward in a singular arc.
Swish.
The moment the sword energy attack collided with the handprint.... The handprint simply parted.
Lin Yuan’s Dao carried an impartial essence. It did not care what the obstacle was made of. Rain falls from the heavens, and water eventually cuts through all things.
The sword energy attack cut effortlessly through the palm, vertically bisecting the attack from the bottom to the top.
"What?!" Uncle Yan shrieked, his triumphant voice dying in his throat. His eyes bulged in absolute horror as he watched his ultimate technique vanish like smoke.
But the sword energy attack did not stop.
Having effortlessly neutralized the handprint, the sword energy shot upward into the sky, crossing the fifty-foot distance in a fraction of a heartbeat.
Uncle Yan tried to dodge. He tried to summon his defensive barriers. But he was locked in place by the terrifying Dao intent.
Then,
Puchi!
The sword energy attack sheared diagonally across Uncle Yan’s chest.
"Ah... ah..." Uncle Yan gasped, looking down at his own chest.
A perfectly clean, diagonal line had been drawn from his left shoulder down to his right hip. A second later, a geyser of blood erupted from the wound. The strike had not just cut his flesh; it had instantly flooded his meridians, extinguishing his golden core and shattering his cultivation base entirely.
His eyes rolled back into his head, and the old man plummeted from the sky like a broken kite whose string had been brutally severed.
CRASH!
Uncle Yan slammed a mere twenty feet away from Lin Yuan, cratering the stone upon impact. He lay in a rapidly expanding pool of his own blood, his limbs twitching weakly. He was not dead, but he was permanently crippled, his Core Formation cultivation erased in a single strike.
Lin Yuan slowly lowered the Rain Blade. He had achieved victory across a major cultivation realm, all thanks to the supreme power of the Dao.
At that exact moment, a figure stumbled into the plaza, panting heavily.
It was Xu Tianyang.
The young master of the Xu Clan had desperately chased after his rogue Dao protector, using every movement technique at his disposal, hoping to stop the old man from committing a fatal error.
He arrived just in time to witness the impossible.
He watched a cultivator swing a mysterious sword. He watched a Core Formation attack get sliced in half. And he watched his invincible Uncle Yan plummet from the sky, crippled and defeated in a single move.
Xu Tianyang’s legs gave out. He collapsed onto his knees, his mind was a swirling vortex of absolute terror.
’He defeated a Core Formation expert! He didn’t even sweat!’ Xu Tianyang mused internally.
The young master realized with sickening clarity that the man standing before him could exterminate the entire Xu Clan if he so desired.
As Lin Yuan turned his cold, indifferent gaze toward the kneeling young master, Xu Tianyang completely abandoned his pride, his status, and his dignity.
Thud!
Xu Tianyang forcefully slammed his forehead against the floor, performing the most desperate kowtow of his life.
"Senior! Senior, please show mercy!" Xu Tianyang cried out, his voice trembling violently. "This junior was blind! My dog of a servant acted on his own foolish arrogance! The Xu Clan had no intention of offending you! Please, I beg you, spare my life and spare my clan!"
Lin Yuan looked at the groveling young master, his expression unchanging. Beside him, Bai Qingyue watched the scene with wide eyes, her heart swelling with an indescribable mixture of awe and pride for her invincible husband.
Seeing that Lin Yuan remained utterly silent, Xu Tianyang’s terror peaked. He needed to offer a guarantee, a way to prove his absolute submission.
Without hesitation, Xu Tianyang bit the tip of his tongue. He forced a drop of blood out from between his lips. This was not normal blood; it was his Soul Blood. In the cultivation world, handing over one’s Soul Blood meant handing over absolute control of one’s life and death. If the master crushed the blood, the servant’s soul would instantly detonate.
The glowing drop of Soul Blood floated through the air, hovering respectfully a few feet in front of Lin Yuan.
"Senior!" Xu Tianyang pleaded. "I swear absolute loyalty to you! Take my Soul Blood! I will be your dog, your servant! The entire Xu Clan will bow to your every command! Just spare us!"
It was the ultimate prize for any cultivator. Control over the heir of a major clan meant control over a massive network of resources, wealth, and inner-city influence.
Lin Yuan looked at the hovering drop of Soul Blood. He tilted his head slightly.
Then, he let out a dismissive scoff.
"A dragon does not accept the servitude of a rat," Lin Yuan stated, his voice laced with disdain.
With a casual wave of his left hand, a burst of qi struck the hovering drop of Soul Blood, violently blasting it back into Xu Tianyang’s chest.
The young master coughed violently, stunned by the rejection. In the cultivation world, refusing a willing slave usually meant only one thing: an impending execution.
"I have no use for an overly-clever liability," Lin Yuan continued, looking down at the trembling young master. "Your Dao protector sought death, and he found it. That settles the karma between us."
Lin Yuan sheathed the Rain Blade, storing it back into his spatial ring.
"Take your broken dog and return to your clan," Lin Yuan ordered, his tone carrying the finality of an imperial decree. "If the Xu Clan dares to investigate me, or if you ever cross my path with hidden intentions again, I will not just take your Soul Blood. I will erase your bloodline from the annals of this city."
Xu Tianyang trembled so violently his teeth chattered, but a wave of suffocating relief washed over him. He survived.
"T-Thank you, Senior! Thank you for your mercy!" Xu Tianyang wept, kowtowing repeatedly against the stones.
Lin Yuan did not spare him another glance. He turned his attention back to his wife, his cold demeanor instantly melting into a warm, gentle smile. He wrapped his arm securely around Bai Qingyue.
"Let us go home, Wife," Lin Yuan said softly.
With a use of the Immortal Cloud Step, Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue flashed....