Chapter 767: Exposed – Vengeance for a Son

“Eight Directions Primordial Art!”

Whoosh!

As Lin Langtian’s voice fell, the eight demonic pillars shot forward at a speed beyond description, tearing straight through the void.

By the time human eyes could follow their trail, they were already beneath the descending Blood Sandfall Hand.

“Break!”

Song Zang’s eyes bulged as he roared, driving his spiritual power to its limits.

The colossal palm of blood-soaked sand crashed down, meeting the eight pillars—each one charged with a different attribute—head-on.

Boom!

The collision was like two titans ripping open the sky and slamming into each other with annihilating force.

Visible shockwaves rolled outward layer by layer, shredding space into jagged shards.

Razor-edged fragments of the void fanned out in all directions.

The blast zone was too wide to ignore.

Both Heaven-Earth and Domain of Chaos experts flung up barriers at once.

Walls of light flashed into being, catching and dissolving the deadly shrapnel before it could carve through their ranks.

At the very heart of the storm, Lin Langtian and Song Zang retreated into their Avatars, unwilling to be caught bare by the blast.

Lin Langtian dropped into the Myriad Phenomena Demonic Body, letting its formidable defenses absorb the shockwaves and flying fragments.

Even so, deep gouges tore across its frame.

If not for the Avatar’s toughness, that single impact might have crippled it.

The tempest raged on.

Countless eyes stayed locked on the center of the clash.

There, the eight pillars trembled violently, spewing ice, flame, lightning, and more in a wild storm that fused into a single, world-rending edge.

A blade of destruction forged from eight fused attributes.

Under its assault, the Blood Sandfall Hand began to crack.

A faint line at first—then more.

Song Zang’s face drained of color.

The fissure spread at terrifying speed, racing across the bloody sand until it laced the entire palm.

An instant later, it could hold no more.

With a thunderous crack, the crimson hand split cleanly in two.

Gasps exploded across the battlefield.

The eight pillars, dimmed but still deadly, ripped through the remains of the Blood Sandfall Hand and hurtled toward the Sandfall Avatar, locking onto it like hunting beasts.

Lin Langtian had no intention of letting this opening pass.

Song Zang’s expression twisted.

He scrambled to drive the Avatar forward, but with his strength already spent, he could not stop what was coming.

The pillars slammed home.

They punched straight through the Avatar’s chest.

Bang!

The Sandfall Avatar shattered, bursting apart into a shower of light.

A battered figure tumbled from the debris, blood spraying as he crashed into a nearby peak.

The mountaintop collapsed under the impact, the entire summit sliding down in a roar of stone.

Rumbles rolled across the land.

Yet neither army so much as stirred.

All eyes were fixed on the fallen figure, shock carved deep into every face.

Lin Langtian hadn’t just survived Song Zang’s strongest technique—he had used it to turn the tide and utterly crush him.

With the shattering of the Sandfall Avatar, the outcome of the wager was sealed.

And almost no one had predicted this end.

High above, the scarred Myriad Phenomena Demonic Body finally faded away.

Lin Langtian’s slightly unsteady form appeared in its place.

His face was pale, blood tracing a line down from the corner of his mouth.

The clash had not left him unharmed—but he had known worse.

Compared to the enemies who had fallen before him, Song Zang would be just another name on a long list.

He wiped the blood away slowly and looked over the silent battlefield.

Then he turned toward the Heaven-Earth side, cupped his hands toward the golden throne, and said simply, “Sect Master, the task is done.”

The tall figure in green hovered over a ravaged landscape, his robes tattered but his bearing as calm and composed as ever.

Many found themselves struck momentarily speechless.

That quiet, star-deep gaze made more than a few hearts skip.

After witnessing such a battle firsthand, no one dared look down on Lin Langtian again.

On the Heaven-Earth Sect’s side, the kings all let out long-held breaths.

Jiang Yinlan’s frosty features softened into a brilliant smile.

She watched the distant figure in the sky and exhaled, this man who had once nearly been turned away at her gates now delivering a victory greater than any she had dared expect.

The sect’s commanders traded glances and shook their heads, a shared look of reluctant admiration passing between them.

Whatever they had thought before, Lin Langtian’s name was now firmly carved into the Heaven-Earth Sect’s foundation.

First Commander of the Heaven-Earth Sect—Lin Langtian had earned the title beyond dispute.

“Hehe, Sect Master’s eye is as sharp as ever,” the Third Elder said with a smile. “Truly, you know how to pick talent.”

For many in the upper ranks, Lin Langtian had seemed too shallow in years and status for such a crucial role.

Yet Qian Tian had reached past them all to pluck him from the commander ranks—and that choice had now carried the entire sect through the final trial.

“A minor thing,” Qian Tian replied with an easy smile. “The credit lies with the Grand Elder.

“He recommended Lin Langtian. I simply decided to give the boy a chance.

“I did not expect him to exceed expectations so thoroughly.

“To rise from a lower plane to this level… he is a true genius.”

“Quite a good one,” the Grand Elder agreed, chuckling.

He had been the one to bring Lin Langtian back and place him under Jiang Yinlan’s wing.

He had hoped for something from the young man—but even he had not expected such a flawless performance, nor the reflected glory it brought him in turn.

On the other side, joy and elation were replaced by grim quiet.

Faces had turned ashen across the Domain of Chaos’s forces.

No one had thought the third bout—where victory had seemed all but guaranteed—would end in an upset.

Yet here they were, with a million drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid and a thousand cities on the line.

Even for the Domain of Chaos, it was enough to sting.

Many eyes glared at Lin Langtian with a murderous chill, as though they wanted to tear him apart on the spot.

“The three duels are done,” Qian Tian said, his voice echoing calmly through the air. “The Heaven-Earth Sect has two wins and one loss.

“The million drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid and the thousand cities… see that they are delivered promptly.

“Do not force me to come and collect them personally.”

The words sent a ripple of cold through the Domain of Chaos camp.

Their three great leaders clenched their jaws, then turned as one to Huang Kurong.

The Earth Desolation Hall Master’s expression did not change.

His deep, shadowed gaze, however, was fixed on Lin Langtian.

The weight of that stare crept across the battlefield like a sudden frost.

Lin Langtian felt it land on him.

A chill prickled across his skin, and a warning bell rang quietly in his chest.

“Hehe.”

At last, Huang Kurong laughed softly.

“Since we have lost, we will, of course, honor our word,” he said.

The Blazing Fist Gate Master and his peers could only nod through clenched teeth.

To defy the Heaven-Earth Sect now would only invite an even more disastrous reckoning.

“That’s settled then,” Qian Tian said, his tone indifferent.

Huang Kurong’s gaze lingered on Lin Langtian a moment longer before he turned toward the golden throne.

“There is, however, a separate matter I would like to raise—with Commander Lin,” he said mildly.

Lin Langtian’s eyes narrowed, a shard of ice sliding into his gaze.

So.

He really had noticed.

“Around half a year ago,” Huang Kurong continued, his voice still light, “a disciple of my Earth Desolation Hall, Han Lin, vanished shortly after attending an auction in Northern Ridge City.

“Several Sovereign-level experts from my hall died along with him.

“Word is that the culprit came from a lower plane.

“And now the Eight Directions Primordial Art, once mastered by that very disciple… appears again in the hands of another young man from a lower world.”

The temperature of the world seemed to drop one measure at a time as his words drifted across the sky.

Understanding dawned quickly.

So Lin Langtian had crossed paths with Han Lin before—and killed him.

On the Domain of Chaos’s side, many watched with open satisfaction.

The Heaven-Earth Sect’s triumph now had a heavy shadow hanging over it.

On the sect’s side, faces tightened.

Handled poorly, this could ignite a fresh war far worse than any clash with the Domain of Chaos.

The Earth Desolation Hall was no mere regional force.

They were peers—true giants of the continent.

“Han Lin might not have been a top elder,” Huang Kurong said softly, “but he was the son of our Ice River King.

“You killed his son. Surely you’ll give us some kind of answer.”

He flicked his sleeve.

Space tore open behind him, forming a yawning portal.

Light shot out, solidifying into a new figure at his back.

A man in white stepped forth, his features bearing a clear resemblance to Han Lin’s.

His face was carved from ice, eyes overflowing with killing intent as he fixed them on Lin Langtian.

Lin Langtian’s own expression hardened.

This, then, was Ice River King.

“Are you the one who killed my son?” the man asked, voice like a winter wind.

“If so… you can go down and keep him company.”

Even as the last word left his tongue, his body flashed.

He appeared before Lin Langtian in the space of a blink.

A dagger of solid ice slipped into his hand, stabbing toward Lin Langtian’s brow in a burst of cold light.

His strike radiated deadly power.

And Lin Langtian, drained from the duel, found his exhausted body sluggish to respond.

Yet even tired, he refused to simply wait for death.

He was already gathering what little strength he could…

When a slim figure appeared between them.

A silver sword snapped out, intercepting the dagger in a straight, lethal thrust.

Bang!

Power flared as steel met ice.

The woman’s body shivered, forced back more than ten steps.

Ice River King too slid backward a few paces before catching himself.

His eyes fixed on the slim form now standing in front of Lin Langtian.

“This man killed my son,” he said coldly. “A father taking revenge is his right.

“If the Heaven-Earth Sect blocks me here… are you looking to start another war?”

Jiang Yinlan stood like a blade in front of Lin Langtian, face cold as frost.

Lin Langtian could still see the faint tremor in her clenched hands.

This, clearly, had taken even her by surprise.

Huang Kurong lifted a hand, halting Ice River King.

His gaze swept over the pair, then rose to meet Qian Tian’s.

“This man killed the son of one of my hall’s upper echelon,” he said evenly. “I expect you to hand him over.

“In return, my Earth Desolation Hall will pay you two million drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid.

“And in the upcoming Continental Hunt, my people will not target the Heaven-Earth Sect.”

The air shuddered.

The offer was like a hammerblow.

Two million drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid—and more importantly, a temporary peace in the Continental Hunt.

Every major power knew that event would decide the fate of the continent’s top sects.

A clash between Heaven-Earth Sect and Earth Desolation Hall there could cripple them both.

To avoid that kind of confrontation… was a temptation few could ignore.

And the price?

One Lin Langtian.

Many present felt the answer was obvious.

Jiang Yinlan’s face paled.

She had never expected Huang Kurong’s hatred to run this deep—or his offer to be this ruthless.

She knew all too well the weight such terms would carry.

Her cold hand closed around Lin Langtian’s, and she leaned in just enough for her words to escape only to him.

“If things turn,” she whispered, “run with everything you have. I’ll hold them back.”

Lin Langtian blinked.

He had long since prepared himself for any decision the Heaven-Earth Sect might make.

But that quiet promise… shook him more than any shout.

He had not expected Jiang Yinlan to be willing to cut ties with the sect for his sake.

The tension in the air became almost suffocating.

All eyes turned toward the golden throne.

Qian Tian tapped a finger against the armrest and smiled.

“Hehe. A tempting offer indeed,” he said.

Lin Langtian and Jiang Yinlan both stiffened, power coiling through their tired bodies once more.

“But…”

The single word hung there for a heartbeat.

Then his voice rolled out, flat and implacable.

“I refuse.”

(END CHAPTER)