Chapter Nineteen: The Siege of Lin Jun

Rumble!

The arrival of so many powerful figures caused the very heavens and earth within the Great Dao Sect to shift, their combined momentum truly terrifying. Many disciples who had received word in advance shut themselves away, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

"Lin Jun, you demonic monster! Face divine judgment and meet your end!"

The voice arrived before the person—the booming, thunderous roar of the Sect Master rolled across the sky. Several long swords tore through the firmament, plunging down with lethal intent from the summit of Heavenly Sword Peak. The burst of Nascent Soul energy was so overwhelming that the very space could not contain it, fracturing into jagged tears. Had it not been checked, this single strike would have reduced the entire Ten Thousand Laws Peak to dust!

"Sect Master, wait!"

A cold voice rang out. Ji Qingyou transformed into a streak of spiritual light, soaring upward. With one hand, she hoisted a defensive artifact, manifesting a silver barrier of light to intercept the swords unleashed by the Heavenly Sword Venerable.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A cacophony of clashing steel echoed through the air. In the next instant, Ji Qingyou’s face flushed red, and she spat out blood, plummeting from the void. With only a Golden Core cultivation base, she was worlds apart from the Heavenly Sword Venerable’s Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul. That she had managed to block even a single strike was due entirely to the forbidden techniques of her past life.

The cost was immense.

She could have chosen to remain idle, for she knew full well how powerful her master, Lin Jun, truly was. Yet, she held to the belief that to be a master for a day is to be a father for a lifetime. As a member of Ten Thousand Laws Peak, she could not simply stand by and wait for her master to act; her conscience would not allow it.

*Boom!*

At that moment, a majestic golden radiance erupted from the direction of the Peak Master’s main hall. A streak of golden light shot into the sky, catching the bloodied, falling Ji Qingyou.

Lin Jun stood suspended in the air, his entire body glowing with brilliant, golden light. His aura was deep and bottomless, like a god descended to the mortal realm, peerless and invincible. Feeling a surge of pure spiritual energy pour into her body, dissolving her injuries, Ji Qingyou blushed, knowing her master had arrived.

He placed her gently on the ground, then rose back into the air, staring coldly at the Sect Master and the others.

"Senior Brother Sect Master, what is the meaning of this?" Lin Jun asked, his gaze icy. He felt not a shred of fear. At this moment, in terms of pure combat power, there was likely no one left in the Great Dao Sect who could be his match.

"You!"

Seeing Lin Jun now, with his long, steady breath and vast, surging spiritual power, he looked nothing like a demonic deviant who had sacrificed his future for a temporary boost in power. He appeared, rather, like a true Nascent Soul Venerable who had cultivated for years, stepping forward with solid, unwavering determination.

Judging by the faint aura leaking from him, he seemed even stronger than the Heavenly Sword Venerable himself!

The Heavenly Sword Venerable’s expression turned grim. This situation had spiraled far beyond his control, forcing him to doubt his own judgment. He had been certain that the pathetic, useless Lin Jun had turned to demonic arts—perhaps even mass murder—to attain this fleeting strength. He never imagined that Lin Jun would display such a profound and solid foundation, one that might even render him superior to the Sect Master himself.

It was not only the Heavenly Sword Venerable who noticed; the other Peak Masters, all at the Nascent Soul stage, saw it too. They felt the authentic, undeniable aura of a Nascent Soul radiating from Lin Jun, and their expressions turned to ones of shock. This was nothing like what they had expected.

"You... Junior Brother, have you been hiding your strength all this time? Have you possessed Nascent Soul cultivation all along?" the Master of Hundred Battles Peak asked, his face pale. Though he was a master of his own peak, he was only at the early Nascent Soul stage. Lin Jun’s sudden display of true power made him deeply uneasy.

To offend a mortal who had gained temporary power through demonic arts was one thing; to offend a true Nascent Soul Venerable was a life-or-death crisis.

"Impossible! How could you suddenly possess Nascent Soul cultivation? What kind of evil art did you use? Speak! How many lives have you slaughtered?" The Heavenly Sword Venerable’s tone was frigid, his tongue like a sharp blade. He branded the golden-clad Lin Jun a demon. Partly, he refused to believe in such instant cultivation; partly, even if it were true, he would ensure it was labeled a lie.

As long as he remained, Ten Thousand Laws Peak would be his! Lin Jun had to be expelled from the sect.

"Senior Brother Sect Master, your eyes are truly remarkable. Where exactly do I look like a demon? It’s a tragedy you aren't the Palace Master of the Dao Palace—what a waste of talent!" Lin Jun mocked.

"Enough talk! Confess what evil art you are practicing!"

"Otherwise, today, I shall annihilate both your body and soul!"

The Heavenly Sword Venerable stood cold and stern, backed by the endless ranks of Great Dao Sect disciples.

"If that is how it is, then come!" Lin Jun sneered. "When all is said and done, it is merely a matter of who holds the greater strength! Today, I shall open your eyes, so you stop assuming that everyone who isn't you is a follower of the demonic path!"

"Kill him!"

At the Heavenly Sword Venerable’s command, the surging disciples of Hundred Battles Peak charged forward in unison. Unlike the other peaks, every disciple here specialized in the path of slaughter and dominated the sect’s military campaigns; their combat power far exceeded that of the others. As they charged together, their momentum was overwhelming, bolstered by the looming presence of the Sect Master and the other Peak Masters, a sight to chill the blood.

But Lin Jun was unafraid. Having lived a second life, he would live it with reckless abandon!

In the blink of an eye, he was submerged by the endless sea of disciples. Yet, immediately, a dazzling golden light erupted from within their ranks.

In the next moment, Lin Jun flared with infinite combat power, like a second sun. In an instant, he sent the entire peak’s disciples scattering in defeat!

"How dare you!" Seeing this, the Master of Hundred Battles Peak flew into a rage. He instantly manifested his 'Dharma Heaven and Earth' technique, transforming into a thunderous god of war, and bore down upon Lin Jun.

*Puff!*

But he came fast only to retreat faster. With a single strike from Lin Jun’s golden fist, his Dharma body was shattered. He retreated, vomiting blood, stumbling all the way back to the side of the Heavenly Sword Venerable. Only after the Sect Master reached out to steady his back did he manage to stand, his internal energy in complete disarray.

The remaining Peak Masters turned pale, casting glances at the dark-faced Heavenly Sword Venerable.

"Junior Brother, I never imagined you possessed such strength. Today, we brothers shall join forces to test you, lest you become too arrogant for your own good!"

As they spoke, the Masters of Hundred Grass Peak, Rune Spirit Peak, Tai Xuan Peak, and Alchemy & Artifact Peak all struck at once. In an instant, a massive wave of Nascent Soul energy blanketed the sky, like a celestial tribulation, aiming to utterly annihilate Lin Jun!

"Well fought!" Looking up at the combined assault of these peak masters, Lin Jun laughed toward the heavens, his body feeling invigorated, his mind clear and bright.

For thirty years on Ten Thousand Laws Peak, unable to cultivate, he had endured every form of mockery. Though he held the title of Peak Master, and these Nascent Soul masters called him "Junior Brother," he had never been held in any regard.

Today was the day Lin Jun would finally hold his head high; it was the day Ten Thousand Laws Peak would rise!

Born a human, why should he be bullied?

"Dissipate!" he roared. His golden fist, imbued with all his strength, suddenly transformed into black and white, like the true hand of a god or demon, threatening to tear the very sky asunder.

*Boom!*