The Lin family had just escaped disaster, but the atmosphere remained tense.
The courtyard was cleaned of blood and corpses, and the damaged walls and buildings were being quickly repaired. However, everyone's hearts were not at peace. The shadow of the Ancient God's Tomb hung over the entire clan like a dark cloud.
Lin Yan sat cross‑legged in his room, absorbing the massive energy from the system reward. His Late Golden Core cultivation was rapidly stabilizing, and every meridian in his body was filled with surging spiritual power.
The Supreme Sky Halberd floated quietly in front of him, its golden radiance growing increasingly restrained yet more terrifying. The upgraded divine artifact could now unleash power close to that of a Nascent Soul expert when paired with his domain.
[Ding! Divine Soul Detection activated! Host can now sense all malicious intent within five hundred meters!]
A faint warm flow spread from his soul to his entire body. Lin Yan closed his eyes, and his perception instantly spread outward. The movements of every disciple, elder, and even the rustling of leaves in the courtyard became clearly visible in his mind.
This ability would be a huge advantage in future battles.
Just as he was about to continue refining his new power, a cold, dangerous aura suddenly appeared at the Lin family's main entrance.
It was not strong, but it carried an indescribable gloom—not demonic, but cold and deadly.
Lin Yan's eyes snapped open.
"Finally here."
He stepped out of the room in an instant and appeared at the front gate.
His grandfather and the elders had already gathered there, their expressions extremely grave.
At the gate stood a man dressed in a black shadow cloak, his face hidden in the darkness. He exuded a deathly aura, and his cultivation was unfathomable—at least at the Late Golden Core realm.
When the man saw Lin Yan, he let out a strange, hoarse laugh.
"Lin Yan, you're more impressive than the rumors say. You actually wiped out the entire Black Blood Clan."
Lin Yan stood calmly, his eyes cold.
"Shadow Hall?"
The man's body stiffened slightly, clearly surprised that Lin Yan had guessed his identity so quickly.
"Hmph. You have some insight. I am a messenger from the Shadow Hall."
He took out a black token engraved with a twisted shadow pattern and tossed it to Lin Yan.
"The Hall Master has taken a fancy to your talent. If you surrender the ancestral token and join my Shadow Hall, you will be granted the position of Elder, enjoying endless resources and status."
The elders beside him were immediately enraged.
"Arrogant bastard! How dare you come to our Lin family to recruit people?"
"Get out of here before we kill you!"
The shadow messenger's gaze turned cold, and he released a trace of his killing intent. The weaker disciples nearby turned pale and staggered back.
"Lin family? Just a small clan. If it weren't for the Ancient God's Tomb, you wouldn't even be worthy of our attention."
He looked back at Lin Yan, his voice filled with threat.
"I'll give you three days to think about it. Surrender the token and submit, or the Shadow Hall will send a Golden Core Great Circle army to flatten the Lin family. Not even you will be able to stop it."
Lin Yan held the black token, his fingers slightly tightening.
The Shadow Hall was more cautious and secretive than the Black Blood Clan. They did not attack immediately but first sent a messenger to intimidate and recruit.
This meant they were not fully sure of defeating him and wanted to take the token without a fight.
Lin Yan lifted his lips into a cold smile.
"Three days? I don't need three days."
He raised his hand, and the black token shattered into pieces with a crunch.
"I'll give you an answer now."
The shadow messenger's expression changed drastically.
"You dare—"
"My answer is: get lost."
Lin Yan's aura exploded. Late Golden Core pressure mixed with divine domain power pressed directly toward the messenger.
"Since you dare to step into the Lin family, you don't need to leave alive."
The messenger's face turned pale with terror. He had not expected Lin Yan to be so decisive—he attacked directly without any hesitation.
"You're courting death!"
He roared and formed a seal. Black shadow energy surged, turning into countless sharp shadow blades that shot toward Lin Yan.
"Shadow Thousand Blades!"
Lin Yan's expression did not change.
"Domain Expansion!"
The golden domain spread, instantly suppressing the shadow power.
He took a step forward and punched out.
The golden light fist intent directly shattered all the shadow blades. Before the messenger could react, his chest was pierced by the fist force.
"How… is this possible…"
The messenger's eyes widened, and his body slowly turned into black smoke, dissipating into the air.
Everyone in the Lin family stared blankly at Lin Yan.
Another expert killed with one punch.
Lin Yan retracted his fist, his gaze cold as he looked into the distance.
"The Shadow Hall has already made their stance clear. Next time, it will be a full-scale war."
His grandfather stepped forward, his voice heavy.
"Yan'er, the Shadow Hall is far more powerful than the Black Blood Clan. They have many Golden Core experts. We…"
Lin Yan turned to look at him, a faint confidence in his eyes.
"Grandfather, don't worry. Since I dare to kill their messenger, I have the confidence to face their revenge."
At that moment, the Supreme God System's voice resounded in his mind.
[Ding! Main mission triggered: Defend the Lin family and annihilate the Shadow Hall's invading army!]
[Mission difficulty: Extremely high!]
[Mission reward: Cultivation base upgraded to Golden Core Great Circle! Supreme Sky Halberd upgraded to High‑grade Divine Artifact! Domain fully upgraded! Unlock Supreme Body Refining!]
Lin Yan's eyes lit up.
This reward was enough to raise his strength to a whole new level.
"Bring it on."
"The Shadow Hall wants a fight. I'll give them a fight they'll never forget."