Chapter 246: CH. 246 | Hao Ming Life-or-Death Decision

Hao Yun heeded the order from the Head of the Hao Family without hesitation.

The doors to the main hall swung open, and they stepped inside a spacious chamber where six elders stood in attendance alongside the family head himself.

The elders lined the sides of the room, while the head of the Hao Family sat upon the throne at the center of the hall. His attention snapped immediately toward Lin Tian.

Before Lin Tian could even close the distance, the man launched a flying sword wreathed in fire, aimed directly at him.

The flaming blade stopped dead in the air just short of Lin Tian, who didn't so much as flinch.

"You'd better have good news about my son!" he barked.

Hao Yun shoved Lin Tian forward, forcing him down onto his knees. Lin Tian looked up, meeting the furious, seething glares of the Hao Family head and all six elders surrounding him.

"What answer would you like me to give? I don't know anything about the Hao Family's young master."

One of the elders stepped forward, positioning himself ahead of the others.

He explained that Hao Bao had mentioned taking an interest in a woman from Xiayu Village, the wife of a blacksmith.

"According to what we know of that village's history, you're the only blacksmith it's ever had. That alone makes it clear you're connected to Young Master Hao Bao's disappearance."

"On what grounds? The immortal cultivators already scanned my memory. They found no evidence at all connecting me to anything," Lin Tian answered.

"Silence!"

"How dare you talk back? Do you understand who you're kneeling in front of?" the elder demanded, pointing toward the family head.

"This is the Head of the Hao Family, Hao Ming. The Hao Family is one of only five cultivator families still standing since the Yuanmo disaster!"

"You're nothing compared to Head Hao Ming!"

Hao Ming rose from his seat and closed the distance in the blink of an eye, appearing directly in front of Lin Tian.

His hand shot out, gripping Lin Tian by the throat and lifting him off the ground, his face contorted with rage.

"What did you do to my son?!" he demanded.

Lin Tian looked back at him, struggling only slightly against the grip. He drew in a slow breath and let it out just as slowly, keeping his composure steady.

"Hao Bao was the one who came looking for trouble with me. If I fought back, is that really my fault?" Lin Tian asked.

"YOU?!" Hao Ming roared. "You're the one responsible!"

Consumed by fury, Hao Ming summoned his flaming sword, ready to strike Lin Tian down where he stood.

He drove the blade straight toward Lin Tian's head, but to everyone's shock, the attack simply stopped.

Lin Tian had raised his hand, catching the flaming blade between two fingers of his left hand. The sight left Hao Ming and the rest of the elders utterly stunned.

"Y-You... how is that possible?"

Lin Tian channeled a surge of his primordial qi into the flaming sword, and in an instant, the blade shattered into countless fragments, accompanied by a powerful shockwave of qi that rippled outward through the hall.

Hao Ming was thrown backward, gasping and clutching his chest, while the elders felt the impact just as severely, if not worse, given the gap in their cultivation levels.

"Who are you, really?" Hao Ming asked, panic creeping into his voice.

A spark of golden light flared at the tip of Lin Tian's finger, and his appearance shifted, the ordinary mortal facade melting away to reveal his true form, Lin Tian, Sect Master of the Lingxian Sect and Savior of the Qin Kingdom.

His robes transformed as well, shifting into the pale gray and white colors distinct to the Lingxian Sect. Everyone in the room watched the transformation with faces drained of color, frozen in terror.

"Lin Tian...? The Sect Master of the Lingxian Sect?" Hao Ming asked, barely able to voice the question.

"What? That's impossible! If you're truly Lin Tian, then the woman you married must be—"

"I couldn't care less that you came looking for trouble with me," Lin Tian said. "But I won't tolerate anyone going after my wife."

Lin Tian planted his foot on a platform of pure qi, and instantly the entire Hao residence was struck by an overwhelming wave of cultivation pressure, shaking the very air and inflicting genuine pain on every soul present.

"I-I apologize. This was entirely my junior's fault for failing to recognize you."

"I hope this matter can be resolved peacefully, without further violence," Hao Ming pleaded.

Lin Tian raised his hand and struck it sideways through the air. In an instant, a dimensional rift tore open, startling everyone in the room.

He released the cultivation pressure, granting them a brief reprieve. Lin Tian stepped forward, appearing directly in front of Hao Ming in the blink of an eye.

"I dragged Hao Bao into a void dimension. It's a vast, endless expanse with no boundaries," Lin Tian said, "Any soul trapped inside suffers greatly. Death isn't possible there, but neither is living with any real purpose."

Lin Tian turned to look Hao Ming in the eye, "If you want to save him, you'll have to go in there yourself and find him."

"B-But how would I even find him in there?" Hao Ming asked.

"That's... something you'll need to figure out on your own."

"I'll give you seven days. If you don't come back out by the time I reopen the rift on the seventh day, you and your son will be trapped in there forever."

Hearing the threat, Hao Ming swallowed hard. He glanced toward his elders, and not a single one of them looked willing to step into the void, not without any guidance, not with their lives on the line.

"I... I can't leave my family behind here," Hao Ming said.

"What about my daughter? I'll offer her to you instead. Do whatever you want with her, as long as you free my son," he offered.

"How dare you!" Lin Tian shouted.

He slammed another wave of cultivation pressure into Hao Ming, sending the man crashing to the floor, completely helpless. Lin Tian turned away, extending his hand toward the dimensional rift.

"If no one is willing to go... I'll seal that dimension shut forever!"

"Wait!"

"I'll go."

Hao Ming had no other choice left. Lin Tian smiled and nodded in agreement, allowing Hao Ming to proceed, accompanied by the remaining elders.

The elders, who had initially refused out of fear of dying, ultimately relented under Hao Ming's insistence.

He and the seven elders of the Hao Family flew into the void dimension together, and Lin Tian sealed it shut behind them without another word.

The hall now stood completely empty. Lin Tian reverted his appearance back to normal, concealing his true cultivation base once more.

"What... what have you done to my father?"

Lin Tian paused, then turned around to face the voice. Standing there was a woman dressed in a red gown, distinctly styled in the fashion of the Hao Family.

"I gave them a chance to save your brother," Lin Tian answered, "You'd best keep praying. They're going to need it more than anything else right now."