Everyone turned toward the voice.
It was Lin Qing.
She stood tall with graceful curves and a beautiful face, calm and poised like she didn't belong among the crowd.
"Qing'er?"
Lin Xiaotian frowned slightly, puzzled as he looked at this granddaughter who was always sharp and meticulous.
Facing the confused gazes of all her elders, Lin Qing's voice rang out clearly in the hall. "His Highness Yang Cheng's regard for Lin Shu is obvious to everyone. No matter what, Lin Shu is still a Lin. She carries the blood of our Lin clan."
"This blood tie… how could it be broken just like that?"
Her gaze swept over the crowd, carrying a subtle persuasive force. "His Highness Yang Cheng might've seemed cold today, but he didn't take any real action against the Lin clan. What does that mean? It means that, for Lin Shu's sake, he still left us a sliver of room. That—right there—is the Lin clan's greatest chance!"
The Lin clan members' hearts skipped.
But Lin Qing wasn't finished. Her voice lowered a bit, but that only made it more impactful. "Also, Grandfather, elders—have you ever thought about why His Highness values Lin Shu so much?"
"I heard it was because she was saved by Yang Cheng when she was five," Lin Hui replied, though not too sure of his own words.
Lin Qing let out a soft laugh. "That might explain why Lin Shu is so grateful to him. But it doesn't explain why he values her."
"You mean…?" Lin Hui asked.
Lin Qing's eyes shimmered as she looked around. "His Highness is already a young man. Why does a man pay attention to a woman? Do I really need to explain that for you all? And as for Lin Shu's looks… well, everyone here has seen her."
Lin Xiaotian chuckled. "Qing'er has a point. Men have always loved strength—and beauty."
Then Lin Qing said, "If just one Lin Shu is enough for His Highness to shield her like that… then what if the Lin clan had another girl who could form an even deeper connection with him?"
The entire room went silent in shock.
Her meaning was too clear: use another outstanding woman from the Lin clan… to bind Yang Cheng.
Lin Xiaotian's pupils suddenly shrank, and his withered fingers unknowingly gripped the armrest of his chair tight.
The other elders all looked at each other, eyes full of shock—and a glimmer of ignited hope.
Lin Qing stood tall and calm. Her voice trembled slightly but rang with clarity. "Grandfather, Father, elders… for the future of the Lin clan, I'm willing to give it a try!"
Outside the Lin residence.
The night wind gently blew, and moonlight spilled down faint and hazy.
Yang Cheng walked along the street.
Lin Shu followed closely behind, two steps away.
All the noise and scheming back at the Lin residence seemed far behind them now.
Lin Shu turned her head slightly to look at Yang Cheng's calm side profile. Her heart was at peace.
No matter the chaos of the world, as long as she stayed by His Highness's side, she feared nothing.
But that peace didn't last long.
Just as they reached a broader intersection, a sudden surge of bone-piercing killing intent erupted from all directions without warning. It flooded the entire area instantly.
The air felt frozen still, even the moonlight seemed to grow dim and eerie.
"Shhh-shhh-shhh…"
Dozens of figures darted out like ghosts from rooftops and alleys, completely surrounding Yang Cheng and Lin Shu.
Leading them were three men—Huang Gui'nian and Lu Canglan, who had returned after leaving earlier, and a middle-aged man with a sinister face. He was He Tianfu, the Patriarch of the He clan.
Huang Gui'nian's eyes were covered in blood-stained cloth strips. His aura was weaker now, clearly affected by pain.
But the hatred and killing intent radiating from him were even stronger than before.
He "looked" in Yang Cheng's direction, his voice hoarse and piercing like a night owl screech. "Yang Cheng, you little bastard. Did you really think the Huang clan would bow to you and submit?"
"The humiliation in broad daylight was nothing but a trick to buy time."
"You destroyed my eyes and humiliated the Huang clan. This grudge is one that can't be shared under the same sky!"
Lin Shu's expression turned icy cold.
Yang Cheng came to a halt and looked toward Lu Canglan. "And you?"
Lu Canglan's face was dark as stone, all traces of humility gone, replaced by deep-seated hatred. "Yang Cheng, you stole the clan's ancestral treasure and broke the Lu clan's foundation. This hatred runs deep. You think we'd just let it go?"
"Interesting."
Yang Cheng's gaze shifted to He Tianfu.
He Tianfu's eyes bulged in fury, glaring death at Yang Cheng. "Yang Cheng, you murdered my nephew Rongping with ruthless means. Today, the He clan will make you pay in blood. We'll tear you to pieces!"
Yang Cheng didn't show the slightest fear. He moved to shield Lin Shu behind him.
His calm eyes swept across the bloodthirsty crowd before settling on Huang Gui'nian. His tone was indifferent. "Oh? You're not afraid of retaliation from the White Fish Society?"
"Retaliation?"
Huang Gui'nian let out a crazed laugh. "Little bastard, you're only alive now because of some flimsy connection with the Young Master of the White Fish Society."
"Sure, they might show you a little face while you're breathing. But once you're dead, just a cold corpse—do you really think they'll still care?"
"You think they'd go to war with us, the major clans, over a dead man? Ridiculous. Utter fantasy."
He Tianfu could no longer hold back his monstrous killing intent and roared, "Brother Huang, what are we wasting time for? Let's kill him! If we don't grind his bones to dust, we'll never get rid of the hatred in our hearts!"
Huang Gui'nian and Lu Canglan exchanged a look and said no more.
"Kill!"
At He Tianfu's shout, three Insight God realm experts from the He clan, who had been waiting in ambush, shot out like arrows.
The He clan was known for their blade techniques. In an instant, three streaks of blade light tore through the air, locking onto all of Yang Cheng's vital points.
At the same time, six more Insight God realm experts from the Huang and Lu clans joined the assault, each launching their strongest killing techniques in a full-out siege.
Blade lights and sword shadows crisscrossed wildly. Violent waves of destruction surged over the area where Yang Cheng and Lin Shu stood.
Faced with an attack strong enough to threaten even a normal Yin God cultivator, Yang Cheng's expression didn't change at all.
"Clang!"
A sharp and resonant sword cry suddenly echoed. It carried an overwhelming aura of slaughter.
What followed was the appearance of a dark-red longsword—the Shura Dao Sword in Yang Cheng's hand.
The moment the sword appeared, Yang Cheng's entire aura transformed.
A terrifying aura of killing, like it came from the deepest pits of the Nine Nether Hells, surged to the heavens.
"Fifth Form of the Northern Sea Sword Codex—Spreads Wings in Fury!"
Yang Cheng slashed without hesitation.
In that moment, countless waves of sword qi burst from his body like a dam breaking.
The sword qi held the vast might of the Northern Sea and seemed to morph into a furious roc spreading its wings, sweeping through everything with unstoppable dominance.
"Not good!"
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
The sound of flesh being ripped and the scream of pain happened almost at the same time.
The three Insight God experts from the He clan who had launched the first attack realized something was wrong the instant they clashed with Yang Cheng, but it was already too late.
The blade light they unleashed melted away instantly like snow under scorching sun the moment it met Yang Cheng's sword qi.
Next was their so-called protective divine aura—it was shredded like paper.
Then came their bodies.
Blood sprayed wildly. Severed limbs flew in all directions.