Chapter 2209 - Burning Heart

Tianming had called them piglets! The sarcasm, combined with the outcome of the battle, was so vivid that none could refute it. Amidst the silence outside the battlefield, his words sounded especially loud and abrupt. Because of the formation, his words echoed over and over again. It was obviously a provocation, but the youths of Lin Bei's line had been utterly crushed. Although they were humiliated, they froze up when they saw all ten of their strongest in such a tragic state.

Lin Bei and the others were speechless!

"How…."

Trembling, they stared at Lin Xiuzhu, who was still in Tianming’s hands, their eyes filled with doubt. They each felt like their entire face was swollen, like thousands of ants were crawling over their skin, nibbling on their flesh. It was both painful and itchy.

"What happened, Brother? What?" Grabbing Lin Bei's arm, Lin Lang awkwardly asked.

"How should I know!" Lin Bei angrily shouted.

Lin Weijian managed to come up with a reason and, glaring at Tianming, let loose a torrent of abuse. "It's simple! Lin Feng is clearly at least a ninth-level stellaminor. He’s been hiding his strength all this time. Wouldn’t Xiuzhu be defeated, since that’s the case? There’s also that divine wonder freak. It’s such a despicable move—how disgraceful!”

"Hold on, his lifebound beasts seem to possess the power of order." Lin Bei frowned.

"But he doesn’t have a heptastar cosmic physique, let alone order!" Lin Lang argued.

Whatever the case was, Tianming's cultivation level and strength suddenly seemed incomprehensible.

......

In the Infinitum Bodhimanda.

Lin Xiuzhu was upset. "Lin Feng, it’s because you’re more than thirty years older than me! When I reach your age, not even ten thousand of you can defeat me!"

"You dare speak?" Tianming wasn’t polite at all. Grabbing his defeated opponent once more, he continued beating him. Lin Xiuzhu’s screams never stopped and his face and entire body was swollen and bruised. The other children from Lin Bei's line were also chased and beaten by Tianming.

"Stop!" Outside the Infinitum Bodhimanda, Lin Bei and the others hastily yelled, for fear that Tianming would cripple Lin Xiuzhu.

Lin Wuyi and Lin Xiaoyun were equally anxious. They stood atop the formation and shouted, "This duel is over! Lin Feng, there’s no need for you to continue fighting."

"Why don’t you announce the winner then? Hurry up. They’ll be dead if you’re too slow, and you’ll be responsible. Blame it on your own useless tongues!" Tianming looked up.

Lin Xiaoyun and Lin Wuyi’s expressions were completely dark. Their faces had gone through the process of turning stiff and purple throughout the battle. Lin Xiaoyun's face was now as green as the crown on his head, while Lin Wuyi's face matched her purple dress. Their hearts were smoldering with rage.

Their original intention had been to suppress Tianming and his wives. However, they had performed extraordinarily well in the duel. The combined age of the four was only two hundred years old, yet they’d faced ten opponents with a combined age of close to three thousand and had beaten them to a pulp. The members of the second branch were almost speechless at the moment; some of them even opened their mouths, but were too shocked to speak. There was a dramatic reversal in the popularity of Tianming and his wives, whose reputations soared.

"He’s no hundred-year-old wastrel, is he? He isn’t as talented as his wives, but he’s still above average."

"I don’t see a reason to mock this kid. He’s got ideas. What he did here was amazing!"

"He’s fierce!"

"Lin Xiuzhu couldn’t do anything to him."

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"It's hilarious that Lin Xiuzhu wanted to beat all four of them on his own. He was overconfident."

"You can definitely trust the wisdom of the two reges mundi. This kid’s interesting."

"The most shocking thing is that his three wives are under thirty. I bet there’s no one in Ebonia who can beat them in their age range."

The three-hundred-year-olds had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of thirty-year-olds. It was unprecedented. Those who had previously sighed in disappointment now looked at Tianming in a new light. This was what Tianming wanted—one move to change everything. More importantly, the victory was a critical step in keeping their position as the primary line.

"I didn’t think there’d be any suspense to the outcome of the succession override. Lin Bei's entire line was already ready to celebrate their rise to power. But look, the plot thickened!"

"Second Patriarch and Dongshen Yue are on their own. They’ll be two against ten. But if you compare Lin Bei to the second patriarch in their respective peaks, Lin Bei isn't even fit to carry his shoes!"

Because of Tianming's performance, the people started addressing Lin Lao’er as Second Patriarch once more.

With all the commotion Tianming had caused, Lin Wuyi had to announce the results even if she didn't want to. "In the first duel of the succession override, Lin Xiao's line wins!"

A thunderous noise resounded throughout the battlefield. Many people were overwhelmed with emotion. Their earlier sighs had signified disappointment, but now their high spirits meant their hopes had been rekindled and their hearts shaken. At the end of the day, strength was the most important thing; however, it was also clear that the second branch both loved and hated Lin Xiao.

Regardless, it was a good start.

"There we go." Only then did Tianming let go of his opponents. Lin Xiuzhu and the others had long since conceded defeat and the Infinitum Bodhimanda would dissipate as long as Tianming nodded.

"Xiuzhu!"

The elders of Lin Bei's line, including Lin Xiuzhu's mother, flocked toward their children and grandchildren to take them away.

Tianming withdrew.

"Thank you for your hard work." He turned around to see his three ‘wives’ standing by his side.

"I worked the hardest. I'm the most tired!" Ji Ji popped up, looking glum.

"You’ll be generously rewarded!" Tianming said.

"Do you have merit points, Big Brother?" Feiling asked with a smile.

"Hush now, I’ll owe you first..." Tianming whispered.

He had returned basking in honor with his wives. It didn’t matter that there were only two people to welcome them. Under the moonlight, the two elders stood side by side, fixedly staring at their grandson for a long time. They were actually holding hands, despite how difficult it was to still be so intimate at their age. Even someone as firm as Dongshen Yue couldn’t help but look at the youths before her with red eyes and trembling lips.

Lin Xiao gave them a toothy grin. There was light in his cloudy eyes. It was as if he had returned to his younger days.

"Grandpa, Grandma!" Opening his arms wide, Tianming embraced Lin Xiao under the eyes of the spectators. The strong hug swept away the haze that had settled in Lin Xiao's heart over many years.

"Wonderful, just wonderful!" Dongshen Yue couldn’t help but repeat herself.

"Wonderful, my ass! Xiaoxiao has a saturated divine artifact, but I don’t have anything. Am I still your grandson?" Tianming protested.

"How can you be so petty? She’s your wife!" Dongshen Yue smacked him on the forehead.

“Well, egg on your face! Do you feel that? Are you still burning with pain?" Tianming laughed.

"Yes, my face hurts, but my heart feels great," Dongshen Yue said.

"That's good. It’s a happy kind of pain," Tianming said. Light conversation was what he longed for.

"It’s our turn next. Our grandson and granddaughters-in-law have won us dignity. If we lose it again, we’ll have lived all these years in vain." Dongshen Yue turned to Lin Xiao.

"Let’s go, wifey! We’ll destroy them!" Lin Xiao took her hand.

"Let’s go." She had followed him her entire life and continued to do so at this moment.

This would merely be child’s play for the two of them.

"Grandpa, Grandma!" Tianming called out.

"What now?" Dongshen Yue asked.

"Fuck’em up!"

"You don’t say.…"

......

The audience buzzed with excitement once more as a new Infinitum Bodhimanda was about to take shape

In the council hall, Ku comfortably leaned against his chair, a long-lost smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"Though the tiger’s gone down to the plains, killing a few puppies is nothing," Lin Xiong sneered. Turning around, he glanced at the reformists.

Lin Jie's face was hidden in the darkness, his expression as black as ink. Everyone else was silent.

"The heavens haven’t forsaken Lao’er. His grandson is fate’s gift to him," Ku said. His words had already defined Tianming’s value.