Chapter 492: Following the Clear Breeze

Glancing at the stunned crowd, a faint smile appeared on Lin Dong’s lips. It was a domineering and stern smile. He was only half a businessman—though he wouldn’t go so far as to neglect other restaurants for the sake of his inn’s business, if its profits fell short of expectations, he would without hesitation work to strengthen it and steal customers from other establishments. If any restaurant resorted to underhanded tactics against Lin’s Inn, he wouldn’t hesitate to crush them into bankruptcy.

Yet he had no interest in joining the martial world, where survival of the fittest was even more brutal—a lifestyle he didn’t favor. Thus, he had no interest in seizing territory or destroying other sects for resources. As long as the Imperial Heaven Sect possessed enough deterrence to keep others from causing trouble, that was sufficient.

But he wasn’t stupid. He could see what these twenty-one sect leaders and elders were planning. If it weren’t for his own design to provoke their greed and hostility, given Lin Dong’s aversion to being targeted, he would have inflicted a pain they would never forget.

Although he had no intention of doing anything to these twenty-one sects, deterrence was essential. Firstly, for the shops on Tianfeng Street; secondly, to show just how wealthy he was—he needed to match that wealth with corresponding presence and strength.

Soon, Lin Dong’s gaze settled on Hao Qingfeng’s face.

Hao Qingfeng moved like willow fluff, drifting slowly and calmly in front of Lin Dong. Without a word or any formality, he seemed to be waiting for Lin Dong to act. Under such circumstances, Lin Dong had nothing to say—neither polite words nor harsh ones, as their strengths were now evenly matched, and he couldn’t afford to lose face.

“Elder, please teach me,” Lin Dong said, positioning his drumstick in a defensive stance. Before understanding Hao Qingfeng’s strengths, he didn’t want to make a mistake that could cost him everything.

Hao Qingfeng didn’t hesitate either. His body slowly rose into the air. It was indeed a bit embarrassing to act first as the elder, but if they were both considered sect leaders, it was another matter. Contrary to Lin Dong’s thinking, Hao Qingfeng believed that with their equal strengths, striking first and using his most powerful spiritual technique to control the opponent’s rhythm would give him the advantage.

Lin Dong’s right hand, gripping the drumstick, tightened slightly. If he could defeat Hao Qingfeng, who was nearly at the peak of strength, then he would have absolute confidence in defeating any other strong opponent at this stage. Although the Wind and Moon Pills were precious, there were still twelve left. If it came to it, Lin Dong wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

Compared to Zhang Quanyue’s bold and aggressive style, Hao Qingfeng’s behavior left Lin Dong somewhat confused, adding to his tension. Initially, he thought Hao Qingfeng was approaching slowly, not wanting to bully the weaker one. It wasn’t until Hao Qingfeng was within five meters that Lin Dong realized this might well be one of Hao Qingfeng’s characteristics.

“Yun Qing Feng Sui of the Wind and Cloud Sect is truly extraordinary!” Zhang Quanyue’s voice rang out not far away. “It’s like clouds and mist—impossible to grasp or touch, like wind and shadow—unavoidable and inescapable! Yun Qing Feng Sui, with the wind following the clarity of the clouds—no wonder the founder of the Wind and Cloud Sect once dominated the Great Han Kingdom. If Master Hao reaches the realm of a peak warrior, only those who excel in sword and blade energy can possibly counter him.”

It sounded like praise, but no one was foolish. Behind Zhang Quanyue’s admiration lay a clear warning to Lin Dong.

The elders of the Wind and Cloud Sect glared at Zhang Quanyue resentfully. Though indignant, they didn’t confront him on the spot. After all, he was the sect master of the Spirit Perception Sect. If a fight broke out, none of them would gain much advantage.

Hao Qingfeng continued as before—light and soft, like a ball of cotton or a floating cloud—slowly drifting toward Lin Dong. Once within five meters, he no longer worried that Lin Dong could escape. As Zhang Quanyue had said, their ninth-level spiritual skill, Yun Qing Feng Sui, was weakest at long range, but once within five meters, it was virtually invincible.

Lin Dong remained calm. Whatever the reason for Zhang Quanyue’s warning, it certainly reassured him. First, he finally understood Hao Qingfeng’s characteristics. Though strange and unpredictable, they were still better than being completely clueless. Second, the Sky Commanding Art seemed capable of countering Yun Qing Feng Sui.

Although Lin Dong had only mastered the third level of the Sky Commanding Art, that was sufficient when facing an equal opponent.

When Hao Qingfeng was less than three meters away, Lin Dong moved. The drumstick in his hand, glowing with a brilliant light, aimed straight at Hao Qingfeng’s chest.

Eighty centimeters, sixty centimeters, forty centimeters… When only a dozen centimeters remained, the pressure emitted from the top of the drumstick first touched Hao Qingfeng’s chest.

A strange scene unfolded—Hao Qingfeng’s body spun rapidly, and a bright splash of blood sprayed onto Lin Dong’s back. In an instant, Hao Qingfeng appeared behind Lin Dong.

Lin Dong was horrified. He swung his arm back fiercely, but just as the pressure reached him, Hao Qingfeng instantly appeared in front of him. His spiritual sword gleamed, and a cold blade flashed toward Lin Dong’s heart.

With the experience from last time, Lin Dong was well prepared. He shifted to the side of his body to avoid the cold light. Before his right arm could retreat, he kicked forward.

This time, Lin Dong deliberately suppressed his spiritual energy to reduce the wind pressure, allowing him to feel more clearly. The moment the tip of his foot touched Hao Qingfeng’s energy barrier, the force vanished as if absorbed by something.

Hao Qingfeng, on the other hand, seemed to use this force combined with his own spiritual energy to accelerate to an unimaginable speed and dash in another direction.

Before Hao Qingfeng could strike, Lin Dong quickly retreated. To his surprise, Hao Qingfeng’s speed had also increased to match his own, and the loss of spiritual energy in his body accelerated strangely.

In a daze, Lin Dong finally understood Zhang Quanyue’s warning. Yun Qingfeng Sui of the Wind and Cloud Sect was actually a peculiar ninth-level auxiliary spiritual technique. This technique could absorb the opponent’s spiritual energy during an attack, enabling the user to achieve a rare speed only achievable by peak warriors. When the opponent tried to escape, it could lock onto them, drain their spiritual energy, and carry the user forward.

Its only weakness was likely its limited range.

Of course, no place is without its flaws. No matter how wide the range, it didn’t mean invincibility. For techniques like Yu Tian Jue, Lin Dong was confident he could overcome Yun Qingfeng Sui—even without having mastered the fourth level yet.

Fully understanding Hao Qingfeng’s strengths, Lin Dong stopped probing further. Suddenly, he halted, his eyes blazing with intensity.

The next moment, Hao Qingfeng was horrified to find that a mysterious and unfathomable force had penetrated his energy barrier, trapping him completely.

For opponents of the same level, using Yu Wu Jing to forcibly control their movements consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. As Hao Qingfeng tried desperately to use his spiritual energy to break free, the drumstick in Lin Dong’s hand suddenly transformed into a metal ring that was neither gold nor iron.

Amidst astonished gazes, Lin Dong leaped up abruptly. The metal ring wrapped around Hao Qingfeng’s neck and tightened steadily, with the inner edge glowing with increasingly sharp cold light.

By gripping the inner ring, Lin Dong stopped the rapid loss of spiritual energy from his dantian. Hao Qingfeng’s body instantly regained freedom—but only relative freedom, as he dared not move his neck even slightly.

Originally, both being at the ninth level of Xin Ni period, even with a ninth-level spiritual weapon, they could only break through the opponent’s energy barrier and cause slight injuries. If Lin Dong had aimed his spiritual sword at Hao Qingfeng’s throat, Hao Qingfeng would surely have chosen to take the injury and avoid it.

This threat was not fatal to someone at the ninth level of the Heart Reversal stage. Yet for Hao Qingfeng, his entire neck became a vital point—without any place to hide, if Lin Dong really wanted to kill him, he would surely die unless a peak-level powerhouse intervened.
“What spiritual technique are you using?” As the head of a major sect, being defeated by a junior and even having his vital points controlled—even if it was during a sect establishment ceremony—left Hao Qingfeng feeling resentful.
“That’s a sect secret; I regret I can’t answer,” Lin Dong said. His spiritual energy surged, causing the metal ring to expand before lifting back up, gradually returning to its mallet shape.
Hao Qingfeng’s gaze dimmed as he silently retreated in front of his own sect’s elders.
The sect heads and elders of various sects stood motionless like stone statues.
Lin Dong’s ability to defeat Zhang Quanyue could be attributed to the spiritual pills he took, but defeating even Hao Qingfeng, who was nearly at peak strength, so easily meant it was more than just the pills at play.
The spiritual techniques of the Yu Tian Sect were equally terrifying.
Hundreds of Snow Condensation Fruits were casually given away, dozens of spiritual artifacts at the eighth or ninth level, a bottle that could instantly grant strength second only to peak-level warriors, and a spiritual technique that was at least at the ninth level…
Many sect heads and elders who had planned to destroy the Yu Tian Sect after it was established began to waver. With such strength, even if there were only two people, they could create two individuals possessing ninth-level spiritual techniques and artifacts, with strength nearly on par with peak-level warriors.
Moreover, it was hard to say if they had hidden strength as well. After all, a ninth-level spiritual pill could be consumed casually, and such pills had severe side effects afterward. If they dared to take them unless in extreme danger, no one would believe they didn’t have other ninth-level pills.
It was possible that these unrevealed ninth-level pills could instantly restore spiritual energy or heal injuries. In that case, combined with spiritual techniques, artifacts, and a ninth-level spirit bird, the risk of surrounding and killing them wouldn’t be any harder than surrounding and killing a peak-level warrior.
But that wasn’t all—what was even more concerning was that it was unknown whether there were peak-level warriors behind them. If they joined forces to destroy the Yu Tian Sect and a peak-level warrior emerged to seek revenge, no sect’s disciples would be able to go outside. Even if they stayed inside, they would likely be gradually eroded by the enemy. Planned attacks and open defense made a world of difference when the enemy was a peak-level warrior.
Boom, boom, boom…

Lin Dong’s drumsticks struck the giant drum with force. The continuous roar shook the heavens and the earth, sent beasts into panic, and left the sect leaders and elders in turmoil.