The thunder blade slammed directly into the apex of the defensive dome.
KRA-KOOOOM!
The barrier bowed violently inward for a moment before detonating. The deafening sound tore across the area as millions of fading shards rained down upon the disciples below.
But just as the violent shockwave tore through the area, exposing the luxurious guest pavilions hidden deep within the inner sanctum, the fabric of space itself violently rippled.
From the swirling dust, a new overwhelmingly aura abruptly erupted, attempting to desperately push back against Lin Yuan’s descending might.
Before the dust could even settle to reveal the guests the Xu clan had been hosting, a second Nascent Soul projection manifested directly in front of Lin Yuan.
This new projection took the form of a stern, middle-aged man dressed in flowing robes. It was a Middle Stage Nascent Soul manifestation, radiating a dense spiritual pressure. The new Nascent Soul Projection lunged forward with astonishing speed, stretching out a hand to forcibly grab Lin Yuan’s projection by the shoulder, intending to physically halt any further action.
"Fellow Daoist, stop!" a thunderous voice echoed across the area.
Hovering in the sky, Lin Yuan’s gaze did not even flicker with surprise. His expression remained a mask of indifference. He had already sensed another Nascent Soul aura the moment he arrived at the gates, but the presence of another expert changed absolutely nothing.
As the hand reached out to grasp him, Lin Yuan did not retreat or attempt to parry. Through the movement of his will, his Nascent Soul projection simply tightened its grip on the Thunder Blade it had just used to shatter the dome.
With a casual, almost dismissive flick of his wrist, Lin Yuan swung the massive thunder blade horizontally.
The strike was devastatingly fast. The sword met the incoming hand and completely obliterated it. The terrifying energy of the sword continued its arc without losing a fraction of its momentum, cleaving directly through the chest of the middle-aged man’s Nascent Soul projection.
A deafening screech of tearing spiritual energy ripped through the sky. The Middle Stage Nascent Soul projection instantly destabilized, shattering into a million wisps of fading light before it could even fully manifest its martial power.
Down below, the thick clouds of dust finally blew away, revealing the central guest pavilion.
Standing there was the Saintess of the Pure Cloud Sect, flanked by three elite Dao protectors.
But the grand entrance they might have expected was completely ruined. The exact moment the nascent soul projection was cleaved in half in the sky, the man standing immediately to the right of the Saintess—a middle-aged cultivator radiating the terrifying aura of the Middle Stage Nascent Soul realm—violently lurched forward.
"Pfft!"
The elite Dao protector coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, his face instantly draining of all color. He staggered backward, his legs buckling as he was forced to lean heavily against one of the pillars just to keep himself from completely collapsing onto the floor. His breathing was ragged, his spiritual sea churning in absolute agony from the violent backlash of having his Nascent Soul manifestation destroyed in a single, effortless strike.
He stared up at the sky, his eyes wide.
What terrifying Nascent Soul foundation! the middle-aged man screamed in his mind, clutching his chest as he desperately tried to stabilize himself. I am at the Middle Stage! I have cultivated my Nascent Soul for three centuries! Yet my projection! And he... he is only at the Early Stage?! How is this possible?!
He had sensed Lin Yuan’s cultivation level and arrogantly assumed he could easily suppress the younger expert, or at least force a halt to the violence. Instead, he had run headfirst into a towering mountain of pure might.
After consuming the Origin Soul Revival Pill, Lin Yuan’s soul foundation had essentially been reborn. When he formed his Nascent Soul, this extraordinary foundation allowed him, despite being only at the Early Nascent Soul Realm, to contend with cultivators at the Late Nascent Soul Realm. With such a profound soul foundation, one could even argue that Lin Yuan possessed one of the strongest Nascent Souls among cultivators of the same realm.
Beside the middle aged man, the Saintess of the Pure Cloud Sect stood entirely frozen.
She was a fairy of peerless beauty, her features sculpted from the finest porcelain, clad in pristine white robes that seemed to glow with an inner light. Everywhere she went across the provinces, she was greeted with absolute reverence, bowed heads, and the utmost protection.
It was said that the Pure Cloud Sect was heavily favored by the Lord of Zhao Province. To offend the sect was essentially to cross paths with a supreme existence standing at the Spirit Severing Realm.
But as she looked up, the sight that greeted her completely shattered her understanding.
Hovering high above was Lin Yuan. His black-and-white Daoist robes fluttered in the chaotic winds. Behind him, looming like an ancient god of war, was his Nascent Soul projection, its hands effortlessly wielding the Thunder Sword. The sheer, overwhelming dominance radiating from him made the heavens themselves seem subservient.
The Saintess slowly turned her head and looked at her Dao protector. She saw the strongest man in her retinue—a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert who could easily level entire sects—stumbling back, vomiting blood, and staring at the sky with absolute terror.
Her heart skipped a beat. She was a prodigy of the Pure Cloud Sect, trained heavily to recognize the unfathomable depths of the cultivation world. She knew instantly that this young man in the sky was no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. To have pushed her strongest protector to the brink of severe injury with a single strike meant his foundation was entirely beyond.
Swallowing her fear, the Saintess rapidly composed herself. She stepped forward, ignoring the groveling Xu Clan disciples on the floor around her. She clasped her hands together, bowing slightly in a gesture of profound respect that she rarely offered to anyone outside her sect’s ancestors.
"Senior," the Saintess greeted. "I am Su Yin, the Saintess of the Pure Cloud Sect. This one pays her deepest respects to Senior."
She paused, carefully choosing her next words, not wanting to provoke the monster hovering above them. "May I respectfully ask why Senior has come barging into the Xu Clan estate with such overwhelming force?"
Lin Yuan’s purple eyes drifted down, landing on the Saintess. His gaze was entirely devoid of lust, greed, or the typical adoration she was used to receiving from male cultivators. It was a cold, and impartial stare that saw right through her motives.
"My business today is with the Xu Clan," Lin Yuan responded, his voice echoing. "The karma I have come to settle does not involve you, nor does it involve the Pure Cloud Sect. You may freely take your people and go."
A weight was instantly lifted from Su Yin’s chest. The sheer relief that washed over her was intoxicating. She had deeply feared they had inadvertently walked into a feud that would claim their lives. The assurance of safe passage from this was truly fortunate.
She immediately stepped aside, completely abandoning any pretense of defending her hosts. She turned to her retinue.
"Stand down," the Saintess ordered sharply, glaring specifically at her injured middle-aged Dao protector, silently warning him not to do anything incredibly foolish to try and regain his lost face. "We are guests, and we will not interfere in Senior matters."
The Dao protectors immediately withdrew their auras, lowering their heads in absolute submission, perfectly content to let the Xu Clan burn to ash as long as they survived the day.
With the Pure Cloud Sect officially stepping back, the final, fragile sliver of hope within the Xu Clan completely evaporated.
Elder Xu Gan, the half-step Core Formation elder who had just sacrificed half his Cultivation to summon the Thunder Sword, trembled violently. His white hair was a mess, his face heavily stained with his own blood. The grand array was destroyed. The ultimate trump card had been stolen and used against them. And their powerful guests had completely abandoned them to the wolves.
Driven by a mixture of despair and the lingering pride, Elder Xu Gan stepped forward. He leaned heavily on his wooden staff, glaring up at the Lin Yuan.
"Why?!" Elder Xu Gan began, his voice cracking with sheer agony and indignation. "Why do you insult our Xu Clan like this?! Even if you are a Nascent Soul senior, what grand offense have we committed that warrants the complete destruction of our foundation?!"
He pounded his staff into the floor. "Our Patriarch, the Thunder Lord, is away! But when he returns, he will see this devastation! Do you not fear the absolute wrath of Xu Canghai?!"
Hovering high above, Lin Yuan merely looked at Elder Xu Gan with a gaze that seemed to say, This old man truly has no idea what has happened.
With a casual wave, Lin Yuan threw a heavy object from the sky.
It plummeted downward, whistling through the air, before crashing violently onto the floor of the martial plaza. It rolled several times, leaving a trail of blood across it, before coming to a complete stop directly at Elder Xu Gan’s feet.
The entire plaza went completely silent.
Elder Xu Gan looked down. The four remaining late-stage Foundation Establishment experts looked down. Every single conscious disciple in the courtyard looked down.
Lying in the dust, clad in torn robes, was a dead body. Its face was swollen, its teeth shattered, and its lower abdomen completely caved in, utterly devoid of power. The eyes were glazed over, the soul completely erased.
It was the corpse of Patriarch Xu Canghai.
Lin Yuan looked down at the hyperventilating clan members, his voice carrying the finality.
"Your Thunder Lord has already returned."