As expected.
Lin Chen’s shout of “Lin Hu is dead” rang like a funeral bell, striking directly into Lin Xu’s heart amid the chaotic explosions of spiritual energy.
Lin Xu, who had been locked in fierce combat with Lin Zhan, the Second Elder, and the Third Elder, suddenly froze. His ferocious offensive faltered for a split second.
He turned toward the arena in disbelief.
There stood Lin Chen, hands behind his back, calm and unmoving. Beneath his foot lay Lin Hu’s lifeless body.
Lin Hu’s eyes were wide open, his face frozen in extreme terror and agony. The deep collapse in his chest was horrifying to behold.
“Hu… Hu’er?!”
Lin Xu’s mind buzzed, going completely blank.
All his ambitions, all his calculations, shattered in that instant before the cold corpse.
It felt as if everything inside him had been ripped away. Even his powerful Master Realm aura began to fluctuate chaotically.
This was not just death.
This was the complete destruction of his lifelong hopes and efforts.
Everything he had plotted for years had been for Lin Hu to ascend as the heir and secure control of the Lin Family for his lineage.
But now…
It had all turned to nothing.
“Lin Xu, die!”
The Second Elder, who had once remained neutral, now needed to prove his loyalty. Lin Xu’s moment of distraction was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
With a sharp palm strike, he attacked directly toward Lin Xu’s back.
“Pu—!”
Lin Xu took the blow head-on, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body staggered forward.
Ahead of him was Lin Zhan’s struggling sword light. From the side came the Third Elder’s cunning finger strike.
He had fallen into a dead end.
Despair.
Endless despair wrapped around his heart like poisonous vines.
His son was dead, and he no longer had the strength to defeat Lin Zhan, the Second Elder, and the Third Elder together.
Defeated.
Completely defeated.
“Hahahaha!”
“Lin Chen, you killed my son. How could I possibly let you and your father live in peace?!”
Lin Xu suddenly burst into manic laughter, like a madman.
A crazed and resolute intent ignited in his eyes, a hysterical desire for destruction.
Even in death, he would drag others down with him.
He would make the entire Lin Family pay with their lives.
The entire Training Ground fell silent for a moment.
Could it be…
Lin Xu intended to take the entire Lin Family down with him?
Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed.
Lin Xu’s chaotic aura suddenly began to surge violently at an abnormal speed. The spiritual energy within his body churned like boiling water, compressing inward. Fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, and his entire body looked like a powder keg on the verge of ignition. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Not good!”
“He’s going to self-destruct!”
“Fall back!”
Lin Chen, Lin Zhan, and the others reacted instantly.
An 8th stage Master Realm expert self-destructing…
No one in the Lin Family could withstand such power.
Panic spread as everyone instinctively retreated.
“Everyone, fall back!”
“We’ll hold him!”
Lin Zhan roared.
Immediately, he joined forces with the Second Elder and Third Elder, forming a solid defensive barrier.
“Let’s all die together!”
“Hehehehehe!!!”
Lin Xu laughed madly as he charged straight toward Lin Chen.
At that very moment, the violent energy within him broke past its limit.
Boom!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted from Lin Xu’s body.
Blinding white light swallowed everything. The destructive shockwave surged outward like a tidal wave, tearing up layers of stone beneath it and reducing them to dust. The edges of the arena collapsed instantly.
Dust and debris shot into the sky, blotting out the sun.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
After a long while, the dust slowly settled.
At the center of the Training Ground, a massive crater dozens of meters wide appeared, shocking to behold.
Inside the crater, everything was charred black. Lin Xu had been reduced to nothing, not even bones remaining.
At the edge of the crater, the three-colored barrier shattered with a crack. Lin Zhan, the Second Elder, and the Third Elder all spat out blood at the same time. Their faces were pale, their auras unstable. It was clear they had all suffered internal injuries.
Blocking that attack had not been easy.
The entire place fell into silence.
Lin Xu and Lin Hu, father and son…
Were completely dead.
The life-and-death duel had come to an end.
The internal conflict of the Lin Family was finally settled.
All eyes slowly turned toward the black-clothed youth still standing on the arena.
His robes fluttered in the lingering shockwaves, yet his body stood firm like an unshakable rock.
He looked down calmly at the massive crater and the stunned crowd, as if the devastating explosion just now had been nothing more than a passing breeze.
No one could have predicted this outcome.
Lin Chen looked toward his father.
Lin Zhan wore a relieved smile and nodded slowly at him.
Lin Chen then swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke loudly, “Lin Xu and Lin Hu are dead. Are you all willing to follow me?”
“We swear to follow the heir to the death!”
The Second Elder, that old fox, was the first to react. He bent his waist respectfully toward the arena.
That single act was like lighting a fuse.
“We swear to follow the heir to the death!”
“We swear to follow the heir to the death!”
“We swear to follow the heir to the death!”
The shouts rose like waves, echoing three times over and sweeping across the entire Training Ground.
Whether they had originally supported Lin Zhan, remained neutral, or even once followed Lin Xu, all now bowed their heads willingly.
Their eyes were filled with awe, shock, and a trace of fear.
This young man had not only crushed his opponent in the life-and-death duel, but through sheer confidence and strategy, he had forced the Second Elder to take his side, completely reversing the situation.
In the end, by killing Lin Hu, he shattered Lin Xu’s will and secured victory.
From this moment onward…
His position as heir could no longer be shaken.
And no one would dare try.
…
The Lin Family disciples began cleaning up the ruins of the Training Ground.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhan, Lin Chen, the Second Elder, the Third Elder, and the other core elders headed toward the Clan Hall.
Though the internal conflict had been quelled, there was no sense of relief beneath the gray tiles of the Clan Hall. Instead, the atmosphere grew even heavier, as if a dark cloud loomed over the Lin Family.
At this moment, Patriarch Lin Zhan sat at the main seat, his face devoid of color. Forming the barrier earlier had aggravated his old injuries. He pressed his hand to his lips, suppressing violent coughing.
Lin Chen stood beside him, his expression calm.
Below them, the Second Elder, Third Elder, and several other core elders took their seats. Not a trace of joy could be seen on anyone’s face.
Lin Zhan swept his gaze across the hall, his voice carrying a hint of weakness, “Lin Xu and Lin Hu are dead. The internal threat has been resolved. But the external threat… still looms.”
Everyone present knew exactly what he meant.
The Zhao Family and Wu Family of Luoyun City.
And behind the Zhao Family…
The Li Family of Leizhou.
If it were only the Zhao Family and Wu Family, the situation would not be so grave. The three great families of Luoyun City had competed for years, maintaining a balance that prevented any one from completely dominating the others.
But the Li Family of Leizhou…
That was a colossal force.
Even a mere steward within their family possessed at least Master Realm strength.
Such an existence was something the Lin Family simply could not contend against.