Jinlong City, City Lord's Mansion.
Murong Clan Patriarch—Murong Ao!
News of Zhong Bai's death had returned. The moment Murong Ao gave the order, the other three major clans within the city were summoned to send their strongest experts.
The three clans mobilized ten elite cultivators—mostly around the Seventh and Eighth Levels of the Dibian Realm.
Murong Ao had a second motive as well.
He wanted to see which of these clans harbored hidden ambitions, which ones were thinking of breaking away, refusing orders, or plotting in secret.
If any revealed such intentions, he would simply wipe them out at the first opportunity. Their assets could be handed over to others and carved up easily.
To Murong Ao's left sat three elders.
One held a snake-shaped staff and was known as Snake Elder—a Tianxiang Realm expert.
Another wore a black-and-white robe and carried two swords on his back, one black and one white. His nickname was Yin-Yang Sword—also a Tianxiang Realm expert.
The third was an old woman with a hunched figure, but her weapon was a massive crescent blade weighing more than six hundred pounds.
She called herself Granny Slashmoon.
Tianxiang Realm.
Just those three seated in the main hall were enough to crush the breathing of the experts from the three clans. They were Murong Ao's most loyal war dogs—men and women he had recruited at immense cost.
When the people of the other three clans arrived, they hurried to salute Murong Ao.
"All three clans are here," Murong Ao said coldly. "Now tell me—whose piece is this Lin Ye?"
If it were merely coincidence, it was far too perfect. The result was too devastating, too targeted toward the Murong Clan.
In Murong Ao's eyes, someone had to be using Lin Ye as a chess piece to strike at Jinlong City.
The leaders of the three clans all shook their heads, claiming ignorance.
Murong Ao slammed his palm down.
The table beside him shattered into powder.
"If they want to play with the Murong Clan," he said, voice like frost, "then we will play to the end. Lin Ye killed my son. I will kill everyone he has ever known. That is not excessive, is it?"
A shiver ran through the hall.
Everyone understood what this meant.
After Murong Ao dealt with Lin Ye, he would return and purge Jinlong City itself. Blood would run through the streets. No one knew how many families would vanish.
Murong Ao's methods were terrifying. Coupled with his strength, who dared oppose him?
His savage gaze swept across the assembled clan leaders. Each patriarch felt their spine tighten, as if Murong Ao could see straight through their hearts.
"Commander Wang," Murong Ao asked, "are the Iron-Tailed Golden Eagles ready?"
Wang Shu—commander of the Golden Eagle Guard, and also Xiong Wei's teacher—stepped forward in full armor.
"Reporting to City Lord: they are ready. We can depart at any time."
"Good. We leave now."
Murong Ao rose. Everyone followed behind him.
Fifteen second-rank ferocious beasts—Iron-Tailed Golden Eagles—stood in formation within the Murong Clan's martial grounds.
The experts from the three clans sucked in cold breaths when they saw them.
Vast wings. Golden plumage. Majestic and lethal.
Their talons wore specially forged grips, strong enough to crush iron and stone with ease. If such a claw closed around a human skull, there would be a banquet on the spot.
There were exactly fifteen eagles—one for each person Murong Ao brought.
Half an hour remained before dawn. Murong Ao had deliberately chosen this time to summon them.
He wanted the entire Leihe City to feel Jinlong City's dominance. Even if Fenglei Sect stood behind Leihe City, it would not matter.
Jinlong City and Leihe City were over a hundred miles apart. With these eagles, half an hour of flight was enough.
They were far stronger than the Wind-Riding Birds used by Fenglei Sect.
Boom!
All fifteen Iron-Tailed Golden Eagles beat their wings at once.
Murong Ao rose first into the sky. Wang Shu and the three Tianxiang experts followed. Only then did the men from the three clans take off.
During flight, the eagles deliberately surged and dipped, making their riders feel sudden terror—a small warning, a subtle humiliation.
In Jinlong City, early risers looked up in shock as fifteen golden-winged beasts tore through the night sky, their passing pressure sweeping over the rooftops like a storm.
Boom!
They vanished into the darkness beyond the city.
The scent of blood had begun to rise.
Many forces watched closely, waiting for chaos—because chaos always created profit.
For example, the Di Lie Sect loved nothing more than such opportunities.
Zhuya Garden.
Lin Ye sat cross-legged beneath an ancient wutong tree.
Before him, a blood armor floated, radiating power. Layer by layer, carved patterns formed along its surface.
As the patterns appeared, the Shura Blood Armor became more complete, more solid—its true shape slowly taking form.
"After consuming two third-tier blood-fiend treasures," Lin Ye murmured, "the Shura Blood Armor has finally broken through to Level Two."
Level Two Shura Blood Armor.
Success.
Lin Ye drew the armor back into his body. From now on, if hostile energy approached him, the armor would automatically manifest.
Extremely convenient.
And once his cultivation grew stronger, he would be able to maintain it constantly with minimal consumption.
The forging had left Lin Ye mildly fatigued. He flipped onto the rooftop and entered a meditative state, refining his body while absorbing the rising violet qi of dawn.
Yesterday, after fierce debate, the Xia Clan had made a decision.
They would recruit Lin Ye.
And they would do it fast.
Xia Wei had prepared a large supply of high-grade herbs, rare heavenly treasures to assist cultivation, and—most importantly—one blood-fiend treasure she knew Lin Ye would desire.
Hundred-Beast Blood Crystal.
It was extremely rare. It required a Tianxiang Realm expert to refine the essence blood of one hundred ferocious beasts into a single crystal.
To cultivators, absorbing it could trigger a profound transformation of the body.
The maid Xue remained outside the inner courtyard and called in:
"My lord, Xia Wei from the Great Prosperity Auction House requests an audience."
"Let her in."
Xia Wei entered Lin Ye's yard.
Lin Ye flipped down from the rooftop and landed lightly, studying her.
"What is it?"
"Apologies for disturbing you, Young Master Lin," Xia Wei said. "I represent the Xia Clan. We wish to invite you to become our honored guest elder."
"No interest," Lin Ye replied, shaking his head.
"You only need to be listed in name. Beyond that—whatever resources or assistance you require, the Xia Clan will spare no effort."
She did not waste time. Lin Ye was direct, so she spoke directly. She showed sincerity without delay.
In her palm was a blood-red crystal, the size of a pigeon's egg.
The moment it neared Lin Ye, his Shura Blood Sea surged violently in response.
Lin Ye's eyes widened. He took it.
"Oh? This is…"
"Hundred-Beast Blood Crystal," Xia Wei said smoothly. "A Tianxiang expert melts the essence blood of one hundred beasts into a single crystal. Absorbing it can rebuild the body and remake the foundation."
When she saw Lin Ye's reaction, she knew the deal was nearly secured.
"Agreed," Lin Ye said calmly.
He accepted the Hundred-Beast Blood Crystal, along with the storage ring Xia Wei brought, and put everything away.
Then his gaze shifted upward.
He saw more than a dozen figures flying over Leihe City from the sky.
Boom!
Fifteen silhouettes cut through the air and shattered the dawn silence, waking the entire city with their arrival.
"Who is Lin Ye? Get out here and face death!"
In the sky, fifteen figures lined up in a straight row. Their eyes seemed to scan every corner of the city. No movement could escape their sight.
"It's the Murong Clan!" Xia Wei gasped. She had not expected them to arrive so quickly.
Lin Ye smiled faintly.
"Since they came, none of them need to leave."
"After I kill them, we can continue our discussion."
He released the power of the earth veins. A terrifying surge lifted him upward into the sky like a divine platform.
"I'm here."