Chapter 2453 Divide and Reap the Benefits

This scene deeply shook Starry Jade Emperor and the others. Only after a long pause did she speak in a low voice, “Brother Ling, thank you.”

Lin Xun responded casually, “I owed you a favor from the Ancient Nightmare Battlefield. Consider it repaid.”

Starry Jade Emperor was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile. “Brother Ling, you must be joking. Back then, I was only trying to take advantage of the situation to collect some life orbs from the king-level Bloodspirit Nightmare Demons.”

Lin Xun said, “It’s the same this time. I’m also here to collect the star source buried here.”

As soon as he said that, the expressions of the people beside Starry Jade Emperor shifted. Anger rose visibly on their faces.

“Ling Xuanzi, I didn’t think you’d be this kind of person!” someone snapped.

“How disappointing...” another muttered bitterly.

They had risked their lives to protect the star source, and they thought that Lin Xun had come to help them, but who would have thought he was here to take the very thing they fought for? They seethed with resentment, feeling thoroughly deceived.

Lin Xun’s dark eyes gleamed coldly as he swept his gaze across the angry group and said flatly, “What? I repaid a favor, and it’s still not enough for you?”

His tone was calm, but it carried an invisible weight. Starry Jade Emperor’s expression shifted. Forcing a smile, she said, “Brother Ling, don’t misunderstand. We’ll take our leave now.”

Without another word, she turned and led the others away without hesitation.

Only when they had disappeared did Lin Xun withdraw his gaze, a sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

Do they really think that I’m someone who repays grievances with kindness?

What a joke!

In truth, ever since Xing Mutian, Mad Scholar Emperor, Ning Daozhi, Starry Jade Emperor, and the other ‘comrades’ had deliberately distanced themselves from him in Origin City out of fear of bringing trouble upon themselves, Lin Xun had stopped viewing them as friendly figures!

He didn’t blame them. After all, they never shared a true bond.

On the flip side, from that point on, he treated them accordingly. There was no friendship between them, yet now they dared to resent him for claiming the star source? Did they not fear that he might strike them down in anger?

If Starry Jade Emperor hadn’t decisively pulled them away, Lin Xun wouldn’t have hesitated to give them a harsh lesson. Shaking his head, he flicked his sleeves.

Boom!

In the distance, the black mountain laced with vitality collapsed with a thunderous rumble. A gleaming piece of star source shot into the air and Lin Xun caught it with one hand. After a quick inspection, he stored it away and silently drifted into the void.

At the same time...

“Miss, we were the first to discover that star source, but Ling Xuanzi just snatched it from us. That guy is too despicable!”

In the distant void, someone grumbled angrily.

“Yes, we thought he helped us out of kindness, but who knew he was such a shameless bastard?”

Others quickly joined in.

“Silence!”

Starry Jade Emperor could no longer suppress her anger. Her voice turned cold, “First, we already drew a clear line between ourselves and Ling Xuanzi.

“Second, if Ling Xuanzi hadn’t intervened, not only would the star source have been taken by someone else, but we would’ve also had no chance of escaping unharmed.

“Third, considering the circumstances, the fact that he stepped in and resolved the conflict, whether it was out of self-interest or not, is already a form of help.”

The crowd fell silent like cicadas in winter.

Starry Jade Emperor continued, saying each word with a noticeable pause, “Even if you are ungrateful, you should at least understand right from wrong. What right do you have to be angry and bitter?”

Faces around her paled and flushed, shifting awkwardly between shame and resentment. Starry Jade Emperor sighed in her heart, feeling a regret that words could not express.

......

On the second day of his search for star sources in the sixth district, Lin Xun encountered a massive siege while trying to seize a piece of star source. Three forces had joined hands against him.

One was led by a white-haired young man, a formidable seventh realm supreme Emperor called Wu Tianchen. He was surrounded by three Ninth Realm Ancestors and a group of powerful Emperors.

Another was led by an old daoist in red robes. Though not a supreme Emperor, his cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Ninth Realm Ancestor Stage and he had mastered many terrifying secret arts. He was even more dangerous than Granny Xue who accompanied Wen Shaoheng.

And the third group... It was a group of familiar faces: Mad Scholar Emperor and his entourage!

When the battle broke out, neither the Mad Scholar Emperor nor his followers showed a shred of emotion. They regarded Lin Xun as nothing more than an enemy, attacking with full force and without hesitation.

Lin Xun was neither shocked nor angered. To him, their actions were unsurprising. In the end, he chose to retreat. However, he didn’t leave. Instead, he stood at a distance, coldly observing the unfolding standoff.

This made all three factions visibly uneasy, and the situation descended into a tense and peculiar standoff. Lin Xun’s presence became a silent threat. None of the three groups wanted to give up the star source buried nearby, but his watchful gaze kept them on edge.

If they began fighting among themselves, Lin Xun could easily swoop in and seize the prize. For the moment, the situation fell into a stalemate.

Lin Xun remained calm and indifferent, but the expressions of the three groups grew increasingly sour. They all understood that the longer this dragged on, the more rivals would arrive from other directions and chaos would only escalate.

“Brother Ling, we’re on the same side. Help us win this star source, and we’ll repay the favor when your turn comes.” Mad Scholar Emperor suddenly spoke, his expression sincere and his voice earnest.

Lin Xun’s expression turned mocking. “In Origin City, you already drew a line between us. What changed now?”

He paused briefly, then added coldly, “When you attacked me, I didn’t see any sign that we were on the same side.”

Mad Scholar Emperor’s face stiffened and after a moment, he sighed, “That was then. Things are different now.”

However, Lin Xun turned to the leaders of the other two factions and said, “If the two of you join forces to take down this despicable man, I’ll walk away immediately and promise not to interfere.”

Those words clearly stirred the white-haired youth and the red-robed old daoist. Mad Scholar Emperor’s expression changed dramatically. He exclaimed, “Brother Ling, are you trying to kill with a borrowed knife?!”

“Is there a problem?” Lin Xun chuckled. “Don’t forget, we’re not allies or friends. We’re enemies. And when dealing with enemies, any means necessary is fair game.”

Mad Scholar Emperor’s face darkened, hatred seething in his bloodshot eyes.

“Ling Xuanzi, why don’t you help us take that guy down first, then leave afterward?” suggested the white-haired youth suddenly.

“Yes, yes.” The red-robed old daoist quickly agreed.

“That would be great, of course.” Lin Xun smiled brightly.

Mad Scholar Emperor and his followers felt their hearts sink, gripped by a mix of shock and fury. Moments ago, they were part of a siege against Lin Xun. Now they had become the targets!

“You fools! You really believe Ling Xuanzi’s words?” Mad Scholar Emperor roared, his face twisting with fury.

The white-haired youth replied indifferently, “Whether we believe him or not doesn’t matter. What matters is having one less opponent. That benefits us.”

“Attack!” The red-robed old daoist commanded, leading his group of Emperors into a ferocious assault.

Lin Xun also did not hold back and charged forward, directly attacking Mad Scholar Emperor and his entourage.

“Retreat!” Mad Scholar Emperor shouted angrily, fleeing with his group, not daring to engage head-on.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“You two can fight amongst yourself now.”

Lin Xun did not disappoint them. With a loud laugh, he tore through the void in pursuit of Mad Scholar Emperor and his entourage. The white-haired youth and the red-robed old daoist both sighed in relief.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xun, Mad Scholar Emperor and his group were gone. The battlefield abruptly quieted, the tension lifted. Then, as if they had planned it in advance, the white-haired youth and red-robed old daoist exchanged a look and then struck at the same time...

Rumble!

The two leaders clashed with their forces in a fierce, all-out battle.

Far off under the distant sky, Lin Xun was relentlessly chasing down Mad Scholar Emperor and his followers. Every strike he unleashed was without mercy and his speed was incredibly fast.

Pu!

Pu!

Pu!

Blood blossomed through the air like crimson flowers. One Emperor after another was slain before Mad Scholar Emperor’s eyes. They were erased as if they were weeds under a blade with both their body and spirit obliterated.

Driven to the brink, Mad Scholar Emperor screamed, “Ling Xuanzi, must you go this far?”

His eyes were red, vein bulging in rage.

“Back when you and the others attacked me, did any of you show mercy?” Lin Xun’s expression was devoid of emotion.

“It was just a fight for the star source. But you...haven’t you already given it up? So why are you still doing this?” As Mad Scholar Emperor roared in fury, another Emperor at his side was slain. Streams of blood flashed past his eyes. His body trembled, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

“Do you really think I gave up on that star source?” Lin Xun’s eyes flickered with a trace of pity.

Mad Scholar Emperor froze. At that moment, Lin Xun struck. The Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron, shrouded in a cascade of radiant dao light, came crashing down.

Rumble!

An earth-shaking attack erupted and chaos descended. Though Mad Scholar Emperor was formidable, he was utterly outmatched.

In mere moments, he was caught in the Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron’s sweeping might. His body was cleaved in two and ground to ashes in the turbulent storm of sword qi. Before death, his eyes brimmed with bitterness and disbelief. Even in his final moments, he couldn’t comprehend why Lin Xun had been so merciless, ruthless, and decisive.

“Anyone who regards me as an enemy must be eliminated.”

Lin Xun’s dark eyes remained as calm as a still lake, cold and unfathomable. He turned and retraced his steps.

He had gone to such lengths not out of vengeance, but instead to divide and conquer. Only by separating his enemies could he stand a chance. Taking on white-haired youth, the red-robed old daoist, and Mad Scholar Emperor all at once would have been far too dangerous.

Now, with Mad Scholar Emperor and his group wiped out, it was time to deal with the white-haired young man and the red-robed old daoist.

To Lin Xun’s surprise, when he returned, the white-haired youth and the red-robed old daoist were locked in a bitter, frenzied battle, and both sides had suffered heavy casualties.

Lin Xun nearly laughed aloud at the sight. He mused, “When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. The ancients really were wise!”

“Ling Xuanzi!”

Amidst the chaos, the white-haired youth’s expression shifted drastically when he saw Lin Xun reappear. “Why are you back?”

“Damn it!”

The red-robed old daoist’s face turned ashen. He understood instantly and growled, “We’ve been played by that damn bastard!”

Meanwhile, Lin Xun walked through the air, his robes fluttering, his bearing as graceful as an immortal. A brilliant, carefree smile lingered on his handsome face. “Don’t mind me. By all means, keep fighting. The more damage you inflict on each other, the easier it is for me to clean up what’s left.”