Chapter 104 - 103: Offer
"If my perception is not mistaken... your beautiful bride’s cultivation is currently being suppressed by a Soul Transformation restriction."
The words fell softly.
But Lin Yuan’s expression changed.
The spatial teleportation he had been channeling violently aborted. The crackling purple lightning that had begun to spark around his body snapped out of existence. Lin Yuan froze, his back perfectly rigid.
Lin Yuan slowly turned around, his deep purple eyes narrowing into two lethal slits. He did not utter a single word of confirmation or denial. Instead, Lin Yuan planted his boots firmly onto the floorboards, and the might of his Late Stage Nascent Soul realm violently erupted.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave did not shatter the room, a testament to Lin Yuan’s flawless and pinpoint control over his internal energy. Yet the sheer pressure of his aura was overwhelming.
An invisible pillar of purple lightning and killing intent erupted into the sky, radiating throughout the estate like a beacon of absolute wrath. The air itself seemed to tremble beneath the sudden eruption of power.
Out in the grand courtyards and the sprawling banquet areas, the festive atmosphere was in full, joyous swing. Beautiful dancers from the Jade Water Pavilion were twirling gracefully in the air, and sect masters were trading enthusiastic toasts of thousand-year-old spirit wine.
Suddenly, the ambient Qi of the valley violently staggered.
The vibrant red spirit-lanterns hanging from the pines flickered wildly, turning a sickly violet before instantly dimming. A suffocating pressure washed over the thousands of celebrating guests, pressing them down into their seats.
"Heavens!" an elder of the Iron Mountain Clan gasped, his wine cup slipping from his trembling fingers and shattering against the paving stones. "What is this pressure?!"
"It’s coming from the main hall!" another cultivator shouted, pointing a visibly shaking finger toward the central pavilion. "That... that is the groom’s aura! It’s the exact same slight pressure he released during the ceremony to announce his realm, but this time... it’s entirely saturated with absolute killing intent!"
Panic rippled instantly through the esteemed guests. Prominent sect leaders immediately began circulating their spiritual energy, desperately erecting glowing defensive barriers over their younger, more vulnerable disciples.
"Why is Daoist Lin releasing his aura now?!" a beautiful matriarch of a prominent alchemy guild whispered, her face draining of all color. "The wedding was concluded perfectly! So who could possibly be drawing his wrath on his own wedding night?!"
"Are you all blind?!" hissed a sharp-eyed Core Formation patriarch, viciously grabbing the sleeve of his companion. "Did you forget who stepped through space to deliver a gift just a few incense sticks ago? The Lord of the Zhao Province!"
The realization hit the sprawling crowd like a physical blow.
"Lord Zhao Shenming..." a disciple murmured, his teeth audibly chattering. "I saw the Lord enter the second reception room to seek a private audience with the groom right after the vows. You don’t think...?"
"Is a battle brewing?!" an elder from a Sky Jade City sect shouted, his voice cracking with sheer terror as he looked at the sky. "A clash between a Peak Nascent Soul expert and a Spirit Severing cultivator?! If they exchange blows, the shockwaves alone will completely vaporize this entire valley! We will all be reduced to ash!"
"Fools! Lord Zhao would not act in such!" argued a wealthy merchant, though he was already subtly inching his way toward the outer exit gates. "But Daoist Lin is an anomaly! He forced Envoy Zhao Wuhen to retreat! If the Lord of the Province demanded something unreasonable, the Young Immortal might actually refuse!"
"This is madness! We came to celebrate a union, not to be buried in a grave!"
The murmurs rapidly escalated into a frantic symphony of gossip and fear. The entire guests held their collective breath, staring at the closed doors of the main pavilion, desperately praying that the sky wouldn’t suddenly tear open.
Meanwhile, the reality inside the second reception room was a terrifying standoff.
Lin Yuan stood, his crimson wedding robes whipping wildly around his legs despite there being no wind in the enclosed space. His purple eyes were practically glowing with lightning, locked dead onto Lord Zhao Shenming.
"You have my interest, Lord Zhao," Lin Yuan hissed, his voice dropping to an abyssal register that vibrated the very structure of the room. "If there is something you wish to say regarding my wife, you should do it quickly. And it had better be worth halting my departure."
Lord Zhao Shenming remained seated in his chair. He did not summon a defensive barrier. He did not flare his own aura to contest Lin Yuan’s. The youthful Lord of the province simply sat in the dead center of the hurricane, entirely untouched by the roaring Late Stage Nascent Soul pressure.
"Retract your aura, Daoist Lin, and have a seat," Lord Zhao instructed smoothly, his voice polite but carrying an unquestionable undertone that demanded compliance.
Lin Yuan did not move a single muscle. His aura only flared higher. He was the master of this estate. He would not be ordered around like a subordinate disciple, not even by the absolute ruler of the province.
"I will stand," Lin Yuan replied coldly.
Lord Zhao Shenming let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. He looked at the teacup resting on the table before him, which was currently vibrating violently from the immense spiritual pressure Lin Yuan was actively emitting.
Slowly, unhurriedly, Lord Zhao reached out and lifted the teacup. He then brought it to his lips and took a small, measured sip of the fragrant tea.
Then, he lowered the cup, bringing it down to the table. He gently slammed it on the wooden surface.
Clink.
It was a mundane, completely ordinary sound. It carried no explosive essence, no flashy light show, and no roaring aura.
But the very moment that clink resonated, the absolute conceptual laws of the room were forcefully rewritten.
Suddenly, without a single warning, Lin Yuan’s Late Stage Nascent Soul aura was immediately extinguished.
It did not fade gradually. It was not violently pushed back by a superior force. The crackling purple lightning vanished into thin air. The suffocating pressure lifted instantly, which had sent the thousands of guests outside into a blind panic.
Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes widened in sheer shock. The bridge that allowed his intent to manifest and affect the outside world had been casually cut.
What power! Lin Yuan’s mind violently reeled. I didn’t even sense a fluctuation of Qi! He didn’t overpower my lightning; he simply denied my aura the right to exist in this space! Is this... is this the might of the Spirit Severing realm?!
It was a terrifying and humbling revelation. The Spirit Severing realm was not merely a quantitative increase in raw power; it was a qualitative mastery over the conceptual laws of the Great Dao. Lord Zhao Shenming had severed Lin Yuan’s connection to the ambient world with nothing but the gentle placement of a teacup.
Realizing that brute physical intimidation was completely meaningless against an entity that could manipulate conceptual reality at will, Lin Yuan composed himself. The lethal coldness remained sharp in his eyes, but he reigned in his spiritual energy.
Zzzzt!
With a crisp, sharp fold of space, Lin Yuan teleported from his standing position, instantly materializing back into the chair situated directly across from Lord Zhao.
Lord Zhao Shenming offered an approving, placid smile, completely ignoring the fact that he had just casually demonstrated his absolute supremacy over Lin Yuan. He picked up the teapot and graciously poured more steaming, fragrant tea into both of their cups.
"A wise choice, Daoist Lin. As I said previously, I did not come here to fight, nor did I come here to threaten the beautiful sanctuary you have built for your bride," Lord Zhao began, sliding the refilled cup across the table. His starry eyes grew serious, adopting a serious tone.
"You have gone to extraordinary lengths to protect her, and your devotion to your Dao Companion is highly commendable," Lord Zhao continued, resting his hands gracefully in his lap. "But a Soul Transformation restriction is not a mere illness or a standard curse. It is a punitive lock placed by a powerful expert himself, an intricate weaving of laws designed to eternally cripple the target’s foundation. No pill, no elixir, and no artifact hidden within the borders of the Zhao Province can possibly break it."
Lin Yuan’s fists clenched tightly under the table, his mind flashing to his plans regarding the upcoming Barrier Realm. He remained silent, listening intently.
"However," Lord Zhao Shenming said, his voice dropping to a low whisper that carried immense weight. "I believe there’s a power capable of unraveling it. The restriction may be lifted by the Emperor of the Central Continent... an absolute, peerless expert standing at the legendary Void Refinement realm."