Lin Langtian and the others immediately noticed the masked Lin Yi's arrival, especially since he emerged from the same hall as Ling Qingzhu, an unspoken implication that momentarily changed the atmosphere. But the surprise was quickly dismissed by Lin Langtian.
He ignored Lin Yi, fixing his cold gaze back on Lin Dong.
"Lin Dong," Lin Langtian stated, his voice ringing with a lofty, imperial authority. "As a member of the Lin Family, you have not only attempted to create discord between our Lin Clan and the powerful Wang Family, but you also attempted to steal a treasure that the Wang Family had rightfully claimed. Return the treasure you stole and apologize immediately. Do not tarnish our main clan's name further."
Before Lin Dong could utter a word, Lin Langtian unleashed the full force of his Qi Creation Realm pressure. It was not a physical strike but a monumental, invisible weight of pure Yuan Power that descended on Lin Dong's unready form. The pressure was suffocating, overwhelming the Yuan Dan Expert.
Bang!
Lin Dong's knees immediately sank, colliding painfully with the ancient stone floor. He clenched his fists, his body trembling, his face contorted in a silent snarl of absolute humiliation as the weight of the Lin Langtian tyranny literally pressed him down. The surrounding figures, including Wang Yan and even Ling Qingzhu, watched with an indifferent, almost cold acceptance of the social order being enforced.
It was at this moment, amidst the tense, crushing silence, that a voice sounded… a voice calm, clear, and imbued with an utterly unexpected, resonant contempt.
Lin Yi, still standing at the entrance, his arms crossed and his red eyes fixed on Lin Langtian, finally spoke.
"I heard that the Lin Clan has produced a genius who may shine the Yan Empire's name in the upcoming Hundred Empire Battle competition," Lin Yi said, a faint, chilling smile curving his masked lips. He slowly shook his head, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now it seems, these are merely rumors. A genius who suppresses his own people in order to please others is just a waste, nothing else. It seems the Lin Clan won't thrive if you are that genius."
Lin Langtian's pupil shrank to a needle point. His elegant demeanor fractured under the unexpected, biting contempt from the masked stranger.
"Who are you to speak on the affairs of my Lin Clan?" Lin Langtian spat out, his voice cold and laced with building fury, a clear edge of Qi Creation pressure tightening around Lin Yi. "You have no right to meddle in matters of which you have no knowledge!"
A few meters away, Ling Qingzhu, who had been observing the scene with her customary glacial indifference, glanced toward Lin Yi, confusion clouding her crystal eyes. 'What is he doing?'
She thought to herself, then immediately thinking of something… her mind immediately flashed back to the handsome face of Lin Yi without the mask, then immediately her gaze fell on Lin Dong, who is trying to stand up despite the pressure.
'Are they related? Is he also from the Lin Clan?'
She instantly registered the uncanny physical resemblance of the two brothers' subtle facial contours… guessing the patterns of Lin Yi's previous actions and his connection to the Lin Family, a wave of doubt flickered in her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her.
Before she could process the flickering realization, the atmosphere in the cavernous hall fundamentally changed.
The immense, crushing weight of the Qi Creation Realm pressure that Lin Langtian had released was instantly met and annihilated by an absolute, divine force. This new pressure was not mere Yuan Power; it was a law… vast, ancient, and utterly supreme, Nirvana Qi descending from the heavens to flatten a gnat.
Bang!
Lin Langtian's wide eyes instantly filled with shock and incomprehensible terror. He didn't even have a chance to release a defensive Yuan Power shield as the pressure slammed into him, driving his elegant blue robes directly into the stone floor.
Crack!
The stone cracked beneath him. Next to him, Wang Yan, the prideful Form Creation master, was similarly destroyed, his body sinking with a pained grunt as he too collided with the floor. The force was so immense that his golden spear clattered away from his grasp.
'What the hell is this?' The two prodigies lay prone, struggling to breathe, their eyes bulging as they were pinned by the overwhelming gravity of the unseen force. Their thoughts are chaotic and filled with humiliation and anger.
"Ni... Nirvana…" Lin Langtian gasped, the word escaping his lips in a ragged, fear-filled whisper. Wang Yan, equally pale, could only echo the word, his eyes reflecting the terrified realization: the masked man was not a Creation Expert. He was a being in the legendary, terrifying Nirvana Realm.
Lin Yi, his arms still crossed, his blazing red pupils completely devoid of emotion, simply looked down at the two figures. The overwhelming pressure was not directed at Lin Dong, who instantly felt the suffocating weight lift from his own body.
"No one," Lin Yi's voice rang out, flat and chillingly clear, resonating throughout the hall, "dares to talk to me like that. Apologize, or you will die here."
He paused, his red gaze sweeping over the two figures, a subtle threat of annihilation in his tone. "I assure you, I do not mind paying a visit to the capital Lin and Wang clan either, after eliminating you two insolent bastards."
A profound chill, colder than the ice of the northern wastes, instantly spread through the hearts of Lin Langtian and Wang Yan. The fear of death and the terrifying threat to their clans completely shattered their arrogance.
Lin Dong, released from the oppressive pressure, slowly rose, his gaze fixed on the masked man in a daze of confusion and disbelief. 'Who… who is he?' thinking in his heart.
"Kid, this is good for you," Little Marten's surprised voice, laced with frantic excitement, suddenly echoed in Lin Dong's mind. "That red-haired freak is helping you. This is a genius! A terrifying, terrifying monster among them all!"
The surrounding Wang Clan members and the few Lin Clan juniors, including Lin Ke'er and Lin Chen, had all turned pale, their bodies trembling. Although the Nirvana pressure was only focused on Langtian and Wang Yan, the heavy, annihilating atmosphere was more than enough to suffocate them.
....