NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12 - The Jiang Family Strikes, Lin Song Takes Action
“Big brother, about tomorrow and the Jiang family…” Lin Hui asked Lin Xuan with some confusion as they left the dungeon.
With Lin Xuan, a Golden Core cultivator, now guarding the family, Lin Hui wasn’t afraid of the Jiang family attacking. In fact, he felt excited at the prospect of battle. But Lin Xuan hadn’t laid out any specific plans for tomorrow, and instead had tasked Lin Song with killing Jiang Tianyang. This left Lin Hui puzzled.
“The Jiang family is nothing to worry about, easily wiped out with just a wave of my hand,” Lin Xuan said calmly. “I just want to conduct a little experiment.”
“Tomorrow, regardless of whether Lin Song succeeds in killing Jiang Tianyang or not, the Jiang family will cease to exist.”
Seeing the confusion in Lin Hui’s eyes, Lin Xuan explained his reasoning. There was no possibility of a peaceful resolution with the Jiang family, nor did Lin Xuan ever plan on one.
If the Jiang family had the strength to annihilate the Lin family, they wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. Since they were already at the doorstep, there was no reason for Lin Xuan to show any mercy. That wasn’t his style, nor was it practical.
The only reason Lin Xuan hadn’t obliterated the Jiang family the moment he left seclusion was simply that he didn’t consider them a threat. His primary focus was on growing the Lin family’s power, not provoking unnecessary conflicts. However, if pests like the Jiang family dared to stir up trouble, he would swat them down without hesitation.
“Big brother, you’re incredible!” Lin Hui exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. “Destroying the Jiang family? Count me in! Tomorrow, I’ll cut them down one by one!”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t leave you out of such a big event,” Lin Xuan said with a smile, patting Lin Hui on the shoulder. “Make sure you focus on the cultivation technique I gave you and don’t slack off.”
Now that he had access to stronger Heaven-tier techniques, Lin Xuan wasn’t just investing in others. With the Lin family still relatively weak, he couldn’t afford to be too open about sharing these techniques with everyone. That would attract unnecessary attention.
Lin Xuan only passed down the techniques to a select few loyal and promising individuals, like Lin Teng and Lin Hui. He planned to gradually teach more members of the family, but for now, this slower approach would help avoid complications.
In the cultivation world, possessing treasures far beyond one’s ability often led to disaster. The phrase “a person without sin but guilty for holding treasure” applied perfectly here. Treasures could bring ruin if they attracted too much attention.
Only a rare few, like the “Children of Destiny,” could safely possess such treasures due to their extraordinary luck. For most others, having such treasures often led to misfortune and even death.
Lin Xuan wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he disliked unnecessary complications, especially ones that could easily be avoided.
“Don’t worry, big brother. I feel stronger every day. I might even break through again soon!” Lin Hui replied confidently.
“Good. Keep up the hard work, then,” Lin Xuan said with a laugh before vanishing into thin air.
…
The next day.
In the Jiang family’s meeting hall, all the cultivators were assembled, ready to march on the Lin family and wage war.
“The three-day deadline is up, and we haven’t heard a word from the Lin family. It seems they aren’t planning to hand over that quarter of their resources,” Jiang Tianyang said with a cold look in his eyes.
“If the Lin family won’t hand it over willingly, we’ll just take it by force. Who will follow me to the Lin family and reclaim what’s ours?” he asked, his voice filled with authority.
“We will follow the family head! Crush the Lin family and reclaim our resources!” the crowd of Jiang family members roared in unison.
…
Meanwhile, in the Lin family’s territory, the majority of the family members went about their daily lives as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Only a select few knew what was coming.
“Clan leader, the Jiang family has begun their advance. The other two families have yet to make any moves. It seems they are waiting to see how things play out,” reported one elder who managed the Lin family’s network of informants.
The Jiang family had made no attempt to hide their actions, almost as if they wanted the world to know. The moment they began their advance, the Lin family’s informants had brought back word.
“The Lu and Feng families are likely hoping to benefit from the conflict,” said another elder, his face showing his age and experience. “If we fall, they’ll side with the Jiang family to pick at our bones. If we survive, but both sides are weakened, they’ll swoop in and drink the spoils.”
“They’re trying to reap all the benefits without taking any risks,” the elder sneered.
Lin Xuan sat at the head of the table, listening to the discussion. He nodded slightly, his gaze thoughtful.
“They’re here,” Lin Xuan said suddenly, sensing the approaching presence of the Jiang family’s forces.
“Lin Song, are you ready?” he asked, turning his attention to the corner where Lin Song stood, gripping his sword tightly.
“I’m ready,” Lin Song replied in a low voice, his grip on the sword tightening.
At this point, Lin Song had no thoughts of anything else. His only focus was killing Jiang Tianyang and seizing the slim chance of survival. Even if he were to die in battle, it was better than dragging his family down into shame.
Outside the Lin family’s main gate, Jiang Tianyang halted his advance and called out loudly, “Lin Xuan! Lin Teng! Come out and answer me!”
“The enemy has arrived. Lin Song, it’s time for you to act,” Lin Xuan said calmly, though he noted that Jiang Tianyang’s cultivation had surpassed what their intelligence suggested.
Jiang Tianyang had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. While this presented a bigger challenge than the late-stage Foundation Establishment originally expected, it wasn’t enough to change Lin Xuan’s plan.
The difference between the peak and late-stage Foundation Establishment wasn’t insurmountable. Besides, in battle, anything could happen.
With the half-sword technique Lin Xuan had taught Lin Song, combined with the support of the Lin family and the advantage of fighting on home turf, there was still a chance of victory.
If Lin Song failed, it would only mean he was fated to die here.
Jiang Tianyang was about to call out again when suddenly, a figure flashed in front of him, sword in hand, striking without warning.
“Who are you? Why are you attacking me?” Jiang Tianyang roared, swatting away the sword strike with his palm. His face showed a mix of shock and anger.
This wasn’t what he had expected at all. He had come here to pressure the Lin family into giving up a portion of their resources and, ultimately, planned to swallow the entire family. But now, instead of facing the Lin family’s leaders, some unknown figure had jumped out and attacked him.
Lin Song didn’t respond. Instead, he tightened his grip on the sword and launched another attack.
The day before, Lin Xuan had transmitted half of the [Seven Kills Sword Scripture] to Lin Song. While Lin Song could feel the profound nature of the technique, he wasn’t a prodigy. The short amount of time he had wasn’t enough to fully comprehend it.
Still, Lin Song had no choice but to fight with all his might. Whether he lived or died would now depend on his determination and fortune.