"Hmph! Wu Tianli, if you want to cooperate, then show some sincerity," Lin Tianhao snorted.

Wu Tianli had been holding back, which annoyed him greatly.

Wu Tianli, however, appeared as calm and unconcerned as ever. "I’m sure you’re aware of the recently established Hundred Treasures Hall, Brother Lin."

The Hundred Treasures Hall had appeared a few months ago, conducting the same type of business as the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. But its name alone lacked the same prestige, and it had never gained any real traction.

Now, hearing Wu Tianli’s words, Lin Tianhao was shocked. ’Could it be that this insignificant Hundred Treasures Hall is actually connected to one of the four great families?!’

’If that’s the case, this is truly terrifying.’

"You’ve guessed correctly. The Hundred Treasures Hall is one of the Hu family’s businesses! They chose such a generic name just to avoid drawing attention. The Hu family’s power is beyond anything you or I can imagine. It’s said they have businesses in all the major cities, but unlike the Wenren family, they aren’t so ostentatious about it. Their businesses don’t even use the same name."

Wu Tianli had revealed a stunning truth.

"Brother Lin, let’s cooperate. Once we have the person backing Lin Hao, we’ll share the resources. Then, we’ll eliminate the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. With the Lin and Hu families joining forces, the Wenren family will be no match for us!" Killing intent surged in Wu Tianli’s eyes.

Lin Tianhao’s eyes flickered. He wasn’t nearly as optimistic as Wu Tianli, because he was daunted by the Cultivation Technique and martial skills Lin Hao had used.

The person backing Lin Hao was not only an Alchemy Master who had mastered long-lost hand seals, but also very likely a Martial Artist with exceedingly high Martial Dao Cultivation.

Moreover, Lin Tianhao didn’t believe a word Wu Tianli said.

’Once we capture the person behind Lin Hao and eliminate the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, I’m afraid the Lin family will be made the scapegoat. Then, the Wenren and Hu families will join forces to destroy us. The Wu family will also attack the Lin family in War Dragon City.’

Lin Tianhao sneered inwardly. He knew Wu Tianli was definitely hiding something from him, so he had no intention of revealing anything about Lin Hao’s Cultivation Technique and martial skills either.

’You want to use me? Fine, I’ll use you right back!’

Lin Tianhao’s mind raced. He sneered inwardly, but his expression remained impassive. After a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded. "Alright! A year ago, my father disowned me. A year from now, I want him to see that I don’t need him. I can still conquer Imperial City on my own! This time, I’ll make the entire Lin family remember my name!"

The corner of Wu Tianli’s mouth twitched. He then stood up and slapped his palm against Lin Tianhao’s in agreement. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A moment later, the two old foxes, each with their own devious plans, burst into simultaneous laughter.

"Brother Lin, to show my sincerity, let’s set out at once. I’ll help you reclaim your position as Patriarch!" After the laughter died down, Wu Tianli’s tone became earnest.

Lin Tianhao was overjoyed. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Wu."

"My dear nephew, for your own safety, you should stay here and rest." Lin Zheng, who had been silent the whole time, saw they were preparing to leave and moved to follow, but Wu Tianli stopped him with a smile.

With a flick of his sleeve, a nearby door swung open. Inside, two peerless beauties sat gracefully.

From the looks of them, it was clear their pressure points had been sealed.

Wu Tianli flicked his sleeve again. The two beauties shuddered in unison and regained consciousness.

At first, they looked bewildered, but upon spotting Lin Zheng, they flashed enchanting smiles and glided toward him in unison.

Lin Tianhao’s eyes flickered as he shot Lin Zheng a discreet, meaningful glance.

’Wu Tianli is a cunning one,’ he thought. ’He wants to keep Lin Zheng here as a hostage, using beautiful women as bait.’

’Too bad for him, my son is no lecher.’

"Haha, then many thanks, Brother Wu! Zheng’Er, you just stay here," Lin Tianhao said cheerfully, a look of gratitude plastered on his face.

"Thank you, Uncle Wu," Lin Zheng added, understanding his father’s signal.

Wu Tianli smiled and flew out alongside Lin Tianhao...

Lin Hao left the Treasure Hunting Pavilion and strolled leisurely through the streets of War Dragon City. He was in high spirits at first, but it wasn’t long before his expression changed.

To his surprise, someone was watching him in broad daylight—and it was more than one person.

To confirm his suspicions, Lin Hao suddenly ducked into a small alley as he walked.

Just as his figure vanished, several people in plain clothes gathered together before converging on the alley.

They were stunned. The alley was empty; Lin Hao was nowhere to be seen.

But just then, Lin Hao’s voice echoed eerily from behind them. "Are you looking for me?"

"Young Master Lin, you’re mistaken. We’re just passing by," one of them said, starting to back away.

Lin Hao’s expression turned frigid. "Hmph! Passing by? I haven’t been seen in three years, yet you know I’m Young Master Lin. A likely story! Speak! Who sent you?"

"I said we’re passing by, and that’s that. You’re only at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm. Don’t tell me you think you can stop us from leaving! You’re not qualified!" the one who had spoken earlier sneered, staring at Lin Hao with contempt.

There were five of them, all at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Naturally, they didn’t take a lone Lin Hao seriously.

"I’d actually like to try!"

Before his voice had even faded, Lin Hao’s figure flashed, and he had already struck.

The alley was narrow. Lin Hao executed the Ghostly Divine Step, appearing before one of the men in an instant and throwing a punch.

Lin Hao intended to make an example of them, so he held nothing back with this punch.

Lin Hao moved with incredible speed. Before the man could even react, the blow had already landed.

Back at the Lin family’s ancestral hall, a guard who had blocked with his blade was blown to pieces. This man didn’t even have that chance.

Without a shred of suspense, the man was torn to pieces before he could even scream. Blood and gore flew everywhere!

Having landed a successful blow, Lin Hao didn’t pause. With a slight shift of his feet, he threw another punch!

Fast!

Impossibly fast!

By the time the others reacted, Lin Hao’s fists, like a reaper’s scythe, had already claimed two more lives.

"Quick, run!"

A Martial Artist at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm had been blown apart with a single punch. The remaining three were scared out of their wits, scattering in a panic like startled birds.

The threat of death spurred the three to flee with unprecedented speed, but before Lin Hao, it still wasn’t nearly enough.

"Trying to run? Not one of you is getting away!"

Executing the Ghostly Divine Step, Lin Hao vanished from the spot.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more punches were thrown in quick succession, and two more fell.

The last survivor was the one who had spoken arrogantly earlier. He was running so fast he was practically flying, about to escape the alley.

Seeing freedom just ahead, he couldn’t help but show a glimmer of joy at his narrow escape.

However, in the next instant, an iron-like grip shot through the air and dragged him back.

Lin Hao threw him to the ground, loomed over him, and asked indifferently, "Am I qualified now?"

"Yes! Yes, you are! Young Master Lin, I was blind! Please, spare me!" The man’s eyes were filled with terror.

In the blink of an eye, four Martial Artists at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm had been reduced to just him. He was chilled to the bone by Lin Hao’s brutal methods.

"Speak, who sent you?" Lin Hao was unmoved, his gaze icy.

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! We’re from the Wu family! Our Patriarch ordered us to follow you." The man no longer had the courage to refuse.

Lin Hao’s expression changed. "Why did he want you to follow me?"

"I don’t know! The Patriarch only mentioned Lin Tianhao... something about cooperation... I really don’t know anything else!" The man shook his head like a rattle.

"What!" Lin Hao’s face fell.

He finally understood why he hadn’t seen Lin Tianhao and his son on the main road. ’So they went to the Wu family!’

’The Wu and Lin families have always been at odds. If Lin Tianhao is truly cooperating with the Wu family, the Lin family’s fate will be utterly tragic.’

Seeing that Lin Hao was distracted, the last man began to scoot backward, hoping to escape.

BOOM!

Lin Hao struck out abruptly, and the man’s life was extinguished.

The Wu family was savagely ambitious. If he let this man go, someone from the Lin family might die at his hands in the future. Lin Hao would never allow such a potential threat to live.

’Now that Lin Tianhao has joined forces with the Wu family, he’ll definitely use this chance to storm the Lin family. I have to inform Third Uncle immediately!’ Lin Hao’s mind raced, and he prepared to move.

’Wait, Yi Mingcheng!’ Lin Hao froze. ’If Lin Tianhao moves quickly, he’ll definitely target Yi Mingcheng first. If he or the Wu family discovers Yi Mingcheng’s secret, the consequences will be disastrous!’

With a single step, Lin Hao executed the Ghostly Divine Step, vanished on the spot, and raced toward the Lin Mansion...

「Lin Mansion」

Yi Mingcheng’s body trembled, his face flushed with excitement as tears streamed down his aged cheeks.

After a single night of cultivation, he had broken through to the Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm!

This was a realm he had never dared to imagine reaching before, and the speed of his advancement shocked even him.

It wasn’t that his natural aptitude was particularly good. Rather, it was the lingering medicinal effects of the Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pill and the Rejuvenation Blood Pill he had consumed, which had allowed him to achieve the magnificent feat of reaching the Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm in a single night.

Furthermore, Yi Mingcheng had a feeling it was also closely related to his Cultivation Technique and his bloodline.

The Cultivation Technique, needless to say, was countless times more powerful than his old one.

As for his bloodline, however, Yi Mingcheng felt something was strange.

For a Spirit Body, the bloodline’s color should be red.

His bloodline was indeed red, but when he cultivated, he could clearly feel faint orange threads weaving through the red.

Orange—that was the color of a bloodline beyond a Spirit Body! Even though it was just the faintest trace, Yi Mingcheng couldn’t stop his Divine Soul from trembling.

Because even a single trace meant his constitution would surpass that of a Spirit Body!

A constitution superior to a Spirit Body was one in ten thousand!

How could Yi Mingcheng not be ecstatic!

’I have to tell the Young Master this news!’

As soon as the thought occurred to him, Yi Mingcheng bolted from his room, nearly crashing headlong into Lin Hao, who was sprinting back.

"Young Master..." Yi Mingcheng called out joyfully.

"No time to talk! You know the main road leading to the capital. Go there quickly and tell my Third Uncle to come back! Also, you and Xiuniang need to go stay at the Treasure Hunting Pavilion for a few days. I’ll tell her to leave now; you head straight there."

The situation was urgent. Lin Hao gave the orders without giving Yi Mingcheng a moment to react.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yi Mingcheng sped away without another word.

After giving Xiuniang a few instructions and watching her leave, Lin Hao finally felt a sense of relief.

Now, in the vast Lin Mansion, he had no more attachments holding him back.

His loved ones were all at the cliff on the back mountain, guarded by two elders, so they would naturally be safe.

Lin Hao’s heart was completely calm as he strolled through the Lin Mansion.

At that very moment, Lin Tianhao and Wu Tianli were leaving the Wu family’s rear courtyard, making their way toward the Lin Mansion...

He was merely at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, while Lin Tianhao and Wu Tianli were both experts at the Elemental Realm. The gap between them was as vast as that between a single drop of water and a great river.

For Lin Hao not to lie low and wait for Lin Tianxiao’s return, but instead to remain so calm, was baffling...

Could it be that a single drop of water could truly stand against a great river?