C34 The Master of the Wang Family

"It's not that I don't want to tell you; it's just that telling you now would be pointless," Lin Yurou said, shaking her head. She had been reluctant to speak, but faced with Xiao Yu's determined gaze, she relented. "You claimed you could break the Six Soul Lock Heart Incantation, didn't you? Once you do, I'll tell you everything."

She doubted Xiao Yu could ever break the Six Soul Lock Heart Incantation. Despite his rapid progress, she believed it impossible for him to achieve such a feat within a mere three years. Her words were merely meant to appease him.

"Alright," Xiao Yu conceded with a nod.

Three years!

For the first time since regaining his memories, Xiao Yu felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. If he couldn't reach the Spirit Realm within three years, he wouldn't be able to save even Lin Yurou's life.

"Strength! I must increase my strength as quickly as possible!"

Memories of past injustices flooded his mind. With strength, they wouldn't have faced disdain from the Lin Family. With strength, they wouldn't have been exiled by Lin Wentian to the Outer Mansion, and their childhood friends wouldn't have turned into strangers. In this world, only absolute strength could bring about change.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang. Several of the Lin Family's servants stormed in.

"Xiao Yu, you insolent brat, how dare you injure Young Master Wang Fei? You're coming with me to see the Patriarch!"

These servants were older and different from those who had previously escorted Xiao Yu and Lin Yurou to the Outer Mansion. They quickly encircled Xiao Yu, and one of them produced a chain, intending to bind him.

"Think you can disgrace me?" Xiao Yu fumed. The idea that these servants would dare to chain him was outrageous. Though they possessed some skill, he was confident he could take them down in a fight.

However, catching sight of Lin Yurou, he ultimately chose not to resist, allowing the servant to shackle him with the chain.

These individuals were formidable. Though he was capable of killing them, it wouldn't be an easy feat. Engaging in combat could potentially endanger Lin Yurou.

"What's going on here? Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?" Lin Yurou, typically the epitome of composure, found herself unable to maintain her calm, her face betraying her anxiety.

"Hmph, your precious son has audacity beyond measure, to have grievously wounded Young Master Wang Fei. Now, with the Wang Family patriarch demanding justice, you might as well prepare for your son's funeral," the servant binding Xiao Yu spoke icily. "Take Xiao Yu away!"

The three servants acted swiftly, escorting Xiao Yu out with haste.

"Yuer seriously injured the Wang Family's young master? What's going on?" Lin Yurou, clueless about the details, had no time to ponder. She quickly followed them out of the house.

The servants leading Xiao Yu away wore expressions of indifference, offering him no conversation.

Xiao Yu's brow was furrowed in concern. Wang Fei's survival was unexpected, and the Wang Family's prompt confrontation caught him off guard, leaving no time to prepare.

Yet, having inscribed the Dragon Transformation Heavenly Talisman, Xiao Yu felt no panic. If necessary, he would activate the Talisman and fight his way out of the Lin Family.

Soon, Xiao Yu, shackled in chains designed to restrain cultivators of the Spirit Origin Stage, was brought before Lin Wentian in the grand hall. Lin Yurou, lacking the speed of the practitioners, lagged behind.

"Bastard, kneel down!" Lin Wentian's icy glare met Xiao Yu as he commanded with a stern voice.

By the time the servants had taken Xiao Yu, Lin Wentian had confirmed that Wang Fei's injuries were indeed caused by Xiao Yu.

Now, Lin Wentian harbored a lethal intent towards Xiao Yu. His actions had left Wang Fei in a critical state, and if the Wang Family sought retribution, the Lin Family's alliance through marriage—and possibly their very relationship—could be at stake.

"Other than my parents, not even the heavens and earth are worthy of my kneeling. What makes you think you can demand such a thing?" Xiao Yu, though shackled in chains, stood tall and unyielding.

As the Ninth Heaven Sovereign, he wielded the power to obscure the skies with a mere gesture, and not even the laws of the Heavenly Dao could bind him. Whom had he ever knelt before?

His words were directed at a group of strangers, among whom he noticed Wang Fei lying on a stretcher. Wang Fei was alive, against all odds. Xiao Yu realized in that moment that nothing other than a Death Substitute Talisman could have spared Wang Fei's life in such dire circumstances.

Pills could save lives, but they were of no use to the dead. When Xiao Yu had departed, Wang Fei had been lifeless; even the most potent Pills required the spark of life to work.

"Hmph, the Lin Family sure has backbone, daring to show such disrespect for the heavens, earth, and even more so for your own patriarch!" Wang Yue scoffed from the sidelines.

He had made it his business to understand Xiao Yu's standing within the Lin Family before arriving. Normally, someone of Xiao Yu's status wouldn't have merited his attention, but after Xiao Yu had dared to kill his son, Wang Yue felt compelled to investigate.

"How dare you!" Lin Wentian, already seething with anger, darkened further at Wang Yue's words. Channeling the power of his Spirit River, he directed a crushing pressure towards Xiao Yu and commanded with a fierce tone, "Kneel!"

In that instant, the glow of ten Spirit Rivers emanated from Lin Wentian, focusing all the oppressive force onto Xiao Yu alone.

The disparity in their cultivation levels was vast. As the pressure bore down, Xiao Yu felt an intense pain, as if the air itself had turned to stone, compressing against his body. Yet, who was he? His indomitable will was beyond imagining; his posture remained as rigid as a spear, though his eyes blazed with an inferno of rage.

Lin Wentian had the audacity to demand his submission in front of the Wang Family. Xiao Yu had never endured such indignity.

When the gap in cultivation is immense, the mere presence of a stronger individual can be lethal. Lin Wentian, intent on making Xiao Yu suffer, concentrated his formidable pressure on him. Although it couldn't physically harm Xiao Yu, it subjected him to excruciating discomfort.

Despite his formidable will, Xiao Yu's cultivation level remained relatively weak, and before long, sweat had soaked through his clothes.

"Still putting up a fight, I see!" Wang Yue mocked from the side, his own Spirit River shining brightly. He boasted a total of eleven Spirit Rivers, each surpassing Lin Wentian's in both width and luminosity.

Simultaneously, another oppressive force bore down, joining Lin Wentian's to weigh heavily upon Xiao Yu. The mounting pressure caused Xiao Yu intense pain, as though his skin was being sliced with a knife, draining the color from his face. Yet, he stood resolutely upright.

"Really? The head of the Lin Family? The head of the Wang Family? Are you two venerable gentlemen using your superior cultivation to gang up on me? I won't forget today's events," Xiao Yu said, his pallor stark, as he stared icily at the pair.

Had Lin Yurou not been within the Lin Family's hold, giving him pause, he would have already unleashed the Dragon Transformation Talisman and reduced them to lifeless bodies.

"He can still speak?"

Both Lin Wentian and Wang Yue were taken aback. They had combined their pressures in an attempt to force Xiao Yu to his knees. Anyone else might have already collapsed, unable to even stand, but Xiao Yu was still capable of articulating his defiance.