Chapter 346: Clouds Disperse

In the Royal Empire stood a low-key yet luxurious summer villa. The King of Molong Country, Wu Muxuan, was watching a video Wu Yuanfeng had sent him.

Although the video did not capture the direct fight between the Master Astral Cultivators and the Dragonfist Sect Master, the aftershocks alone showed the extent of the destruction caused by the battle.

The shockwaves had caused a palace to collapse, and the blast wave had flattened an area of a hundred meters. The windows of buildings hundreds of meters away were shattered, ceilings collapsed, and lights burst.

Wu Muxuan broke out in cold sweat watching this terrifying display of power.

He couldn't withstand an attack of this magnitude without taking on his starlight form. The impact would blast him to death in an instant.

However, as Wu Muxuan switched to another video, his thoughts soon shifted regarding taking on the attack with his starlight form.

The dozens of cameras within the vicinity had been damaged. Only one had survived, far enough not to trigger any "hostile" reactions.

Through the blurry image, three people could be made out, engaged in intense combat in midair.

The footage showed a person turning into dazzling starlight only to be engulfed by the Celestial Magnetic Field in the next moment.

Although the starlight later erupted in an ultimate burst, breaking through the Celestial Magnetic Field, Wu Muxuan knew this was the Mental Spirit Storm. It was a power that only Master Astral Cultivators with mental spirit attributes over a hundred could grasp.

By resonating their strong spiritual will with the Atomic Will, they break the barrier between mental spirit and reality, allowing their mental spirit to interfere with the physical world, causing both mental spirit and physical damage.

Such an attack was an immense drain on even a Master Astral Cultivator. It was no less exhausting than him maintaining his starlight form for several breaths.

Having used the Mental Spirit Storm and realizing the Dragonfist Sect Master's overwhelming strength, the two Master Astral Cultivators from Great Shang could only flee in the face of the unbeatable enemy.

Wu Muxuan immediately knew Molong Country was finished.

"This is very bad!"

A Master Astral Cultivator was equivalent to the human race's upper echelons, and the Human Alliance strictly prohibited life-and-death battles between them.

The remnants of Great Moon had been desperately trying to train a Master Astral Cultivator because only with such power could the revived Great Moon gain the Human Alliance's recognition and international support.

Although the remnants of Great Moon had failed to train a Master Astral Cultivator, the Dragonfist Sect Master had achieved the power of a Master Astral Cultivator as a Martial God! This not only meant that the Dragonfist Sect's own significance had taken a boost, but it also signified that it would now become the new sacred land of martial arts, following the Divine Martial Sect!

Furthermore, martial artists could infiltrate the territories of ferocious beasts and demonic creatures undetected! Now that a Martial God whose power could rival a Master Astral Cultivator had risen, what would that signify?

It signified that places too dangerous to normally explore could now be accessed freely! Be it the Tenfold Heavenly Domain, Bloodmoon Gorge, Dark Moon Island, Demon-Sealing Fortress, and Slave Valley! Every hidden secret would be laid bare before humanity, allowing them to know the enemy and themselves.

For this reason alone, the weight of that Martial God's power already surpassed a Master Astral Cultivator, placing them on the same playing field as a Legend!

The Dragonfist Sect Master might even be able to nurture even more Martial Gods. Under these circumstances, it wasn't just a matter of taking over Molong Country. He could easily establish a new nation that could join the Human Alliance, and the Legends from various countries would warmly welcome it.

Now, there were only two choices left for Molong Country's King. One was to honestly pledge allegiance to the Dragonfist Sect and serve its sect master. The other was to... pack up and leave.

As a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator, even if he joined the Royal Empire, he would still hold a high position of authority and live well.

Wu Muxuan looked conflicted.

After a long time, he let out a breath. "Forget it, the Dragonfist Sect is closely connected with Great Moon. If I join them, I would have to bow down to the people of Great Moon, and that's something I can't accept. The arm can't twist against the thigh! If he wants the Molong Kingdom, then let him have it..."

After making this decision, he felt a weight lifted off his chest.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Wu Muxuan immediately ordered Wu Yuanfeng to bring all their wealth back to the Royal Empire.

He was done playing with them.

***

On the other side, in Black Gold City.

In recent days, due to the deaths of three Top-Tier Astral Cultivators from Great Shang, King Wu Muxuan fled to the Royal Empire in fear. The originally aggressive alliances with Molong Country—the Starshower Kingdom and Crimson Gold Kingdom—also began to retreat. His generals, anxious and unsettled, ceased their attacks and settled into a standoff.

They were waiting for the situation to be clarified.

This gave the Lin Clan, who had been retreating step by step and believed they were doomed to fail like before, a bit of relief.

However, although they had gained some breathing room, the situation for the Lin Clan did not improve. Lin Langya's branch, along with several others, had intensified their conflicts over the family division.

When faced with an external enemy, Lin Langya could suppress all dissent with violence. But now that they were in a standoff, the other branches had time to catch their breath. Moreover, Lin Yusheng's defection with over a hundred people had been exposed, pushing the other families to the brink of rebellion.

Just yesterday, a riot broke out within Black Gold City.

Even though Lin Langya knew that any disturbance within Black Gold City at this sensitive time could lead to a collapse of morale, he still allowed the incident to occur.

In the end, he quelled the rebellion with lightning-fast methods, killing over a hundred people on the spot and stripping dozens of influential elders, including three High-Class Astral Cultivators, of their authority.

***

At this moment, Lin Langya was standing in the courtyard.

Many servants were cleaning the bloodstains that had yet to fully dry.

Beside him stood several elders, along with Lin Fuxing who looked awfully cautious around his father.

He knew his father was ruthless, but he never imagined he could be this ruthless.

A man who looked to be in his forties or fifties stood beside Lin Langya. He warned, "Langya, you're taking too big of a risk. Killing and imprisoning so many clan members at once has further weakened the army's combat strength."

He was Lin Baichi, one of the greatest pillars of the Lin Clan, or more specifically, in Lin Langya's branch.

In the battle with Molong Country, he had fought alone against the combined forces of Wu Muxuan and the kings from the Crimson Gold and Starshower Kingdoms, returning severely injured.

However, after some time recuperating, he recovered.

This was why Lin Langya dared to allow the other branches to rebel, knowing he could suppress them.

"I know you don't agree with my ideas, Fourteenth Brother," admitted Lin Langya in a deep voice, "but the Lin Clan must reform. These peoples' existence was hindering its progress."

"But there's no need for such severe massacre." Lin Baichi sighed. "The Lin Clan barely has anyone left that we can use."

Lin Langya was extremely resolute. "The value of an army lies in quality, not quantity. If any one of us can become a Master Astral Cultivator, what difference does it make whether the Lin Clan has a thousand, a hundred, or even just ten people? After a few generations, it will still flourish and thrive.

"Moreover, the reason Molong Country and the surrounding nations are in a standoff with us is because they fear the influence of the Dragonfist Sect. If we want to continue leveraging Dragonfist Sect's influence, those who would bring trouble or conflict to the Lin Clan must be eliminated."

He chuckled coldly. "I don't want things to escalate to the point where we can't even protect ourselves."

Lin Baichi shook his head and said, "Although we are indeed currently dependent on others, whether the Dragonfist Sect can withstand the counterattack from Great Shang remains uncertain. You taking action now... seems too early."

"Once the Dragonfist Sect withstands Great Shang's counterattack, it will be impossible to do such a thorough cleanse. If we leave any hidden dangers and cause the Lin Clan to clash with the Dragonfist Sect in the future, Master Li won't show us much mercy," Lin Langya pointed out.

Lin Baichi glanced at him.

Black Gold City was already unsettled, and now, the Lin Clan had a rebellion within, completely losing the strength to fight. If at this moment, the allied forces of the Molong Country and other nations launched a counterattack... things could be devastating.

At this moment, a High-Class Astral Cultivator from Lin Langya's faction hurriedly approached, excitedly saying, "They've retreated! Clan Master, the multinational coalition forces have withdrawn! They are retreating!"

Lin Langya was stunned. "What did you say?! They're retreating!?"

He rushed forward. "The multinational coalition forces are retreating?!"

"They've retreated!" repeated the High-Class Astral Cultivator in excitement.

Lin Langya and Lin Baichi exchanged a glance before hurrying to the frontlines.

From a distance, they saw the opposite fortress, where clouds of dust billowed as hundreds of thousands of troops were retreating in haste.

The retreat was so hasty that an outsider might have thought this was a rout rather than a strategic withdrawal.

The threat of annihilation hanging over the Lin Clan... had just dissipated like smoke.

"Investigate! Find out exactly why! Why did the multinational coalition forces suddenly retreat? Go investigate!" Lin Langya ordered loudly.

Though they were trapped in Black Gold City, they hadn't lost all contact with the outside world. In less than half an hour after Lin Langya gave his order, news of the battle between Li Pin and the two Master Astral Cultivators from Great Shang was already on his desk.

When Lin Langya saw the report, he almost couldn't believe his eyes. He immediately sent someone to double-check the information, but the result remained the same.

Lin Langya felt a moment of mental disarray.

"The Lin Clan... has survived?"

Lin Baichi didn't speak. Instead, he kept reviewing the report of Li Pin defeating the two Master Astral Cultivators.

After a long while, he exhaled and said, "Ying Zhao and Hong Zhenshan were both well-known among the Master Astral Cultivators... yet they were defeated by Master Li alone...."

He looked at the intelligence regarding the retreat of the multinational coalition forces and said, "Although we've had some minor disagreements with the Dragonfist Sect, in their eyes, we and the Dragonfist Sect are still on the same side.

"Once they learned that Great Shang's two Master Astral Cultivators couldn't defeat the Dragonfist Sect Master, they quickly realized the situation was hopeless. Naturally, they fled as fast as they could."

"Sect Master Li..." mumbled Lin Langya, snapping out of his stupor.

He looked at the report detailing Li Pin's battle with the two Master Astral Cultivators, and his expression turned complicated. "I knew that Sect Master Li was extraordinary, and his future achievements would be limitless, but I didn't expect... this day would come so soon."

"Becoming a Master Astral Cultivator is like entering an entirely new realm, becoming one of the true leaders of the human race. He'll surely have a place in the Human Alliance... let alone..." Lin Baichi paused, "he is also a Martial God! A Martial God... who can hide so well that neither Astral Cultivators nor demonic creatures can detect him! Because of this point alone, his potential is comparable to a Legend!"

With such ability and influence, establishing himself on the Great Moon's land would be effortless.

Even though he killed two of Great Shang's Master Astral Cultivators, it didn't affect his international standing at all.

Lin Baichi sighed and glanced at Lin Langya. "Who would've thought that none of us had the foresight of Lin Yusheng, who came from a branch family."

Lin Langya silently nodded.

After a while, Lin Langya finally said, "Fortunately, we still have some opportunities left.... But before that, we must reassess our position."