Chapter 493: Completion of the Wooden Building

After the remaining fifty-odd drums were struck, the entire Great Empty Peak was filled with echoing sounds. The sect leaders and elders from various sects experienced ringing in their ears and spots in front of their eyes.
Lin Dong wasn’t much better. Standing closest to the giant drums, his ears buzzed as if countless flies were flapping their wings beside him. Yet, his heart continued to boil with excitement, his blood surging in his chest.
“The Imperial Sky Sect is officially established!”
With a loud shout, Lin Dong put down the mallet and stood up. His sharp gaze swept over the sect leaders and elders. Wherever it fell, no one dared to meet his eyes; they all instinctively looked away.
“Everyone, please take your seats!”
Lin Dong spoke loudly, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.
Although the sect leaders and elders were resentful of his tone, they couldn’t withstand his gaze and stepped back together.
Lin Dong walked to the round table at the top and sat down slowly. Yun Lan gracefully moved and sat down beside him.
“Elders, please!”
Lin Dong extended his right hand, gesturing toward the thirty-some large round tables, his tone becoming slightly more polite.
“Please!”
The sect leaders and elders stopped resisting. Since the establishment of the Imperial Sky Sect was now inevitable, there was no need to create further trouble. Ending the banquet early would allow them to return sooner to discuss what to do next.
Soon, over four hundred sect leaders and elders sat down at the thirty-some large tables. At first glance, many chairs were still missing. Fortunately, some elders liked to store various items in their spirit rings, which included wooden benches and chairs. With a bit of squeezing, everyone could fit in.
Only Lin Dong’s table was empty, with only him and Yun Lan. Logically, the sect leaders should have been invited to this table, but Lin Dong didn’t ask, and they didn’t volunteer to join either. They all understood that if the final decision was to fight, there was no need to build relationships—it would be a life-or-death struggle.
If the decision was to cooperate, the twenty-one sects would still have to unite to suppress the development of the Imperial Sky Sect. If they couldn’t suppress it, they would all have to relocate their sects; otherwise, they would be destroyed once the sect ran out of resources.
In either case, there was no need to sit together and enjoy a harmonious meal.
As a result, no one congratulated Lin Dong on establishing his sect as everyone took their seats.

Lin Dong remained calm, with a faint smile on his face the whole time. When everyone was ready and the noisy summit gradually fell silent, instead of picking up the frozen wine pot, he unexpectedly turned around.
“Elder Chief, Second Elder, and all our neighbors are gathered here—why not join us for some fun?”
Boom…
The silence that had finally been restored was shattered once again.
Elder Chief, Second Elder?
Various sect leaders and elders were filled with turmoil, their gazes fixed on Yun Lan. They had always assumed that the Elder Chief of Yu Tian Sect should be Yun Lan. The reason was undoubtedly her strength—she was already at the eighth level of Heart Reversal, one realm stronger than Lin Dong, the sect leader. It could be explained if they shared the position of sect leader, but if they even gave up the positions of Elder Chief and Second Elder, the only explanation was that these two unseen elders were their superiors.
Uncles!
Uncles might not necessarily be stronger than their nephews, but this meant there was another force behind Yu Tian Sect.
This force might not be large, but it could produce numerous ninth-level spiritual weapons and pills without hesitation, indicating that its individual strength was undoubtedly formidable. Even if they weren’t at the seventh or eighth level of Heart Reversal, they must be at least at the fifth level. If they also took those ninth-level pills that could instantly boost strength, Yu Tian Sect could have not just two peak-level fighters at any time, but likely three, four, five… or even more.
This development made more sect leaders and elders consider retreating.
Inside the wooden house, the wooden door creaked open, like an ancient zither embedded in everyone’s hearts. With a hum, it made their hearts race.
Almost all of them had used their mental senses to investigate this wooden house when they arrived. They hadn’t detected anyone inside. If someone stepped out now, wouldn’t it mean that person’s strength was so great that they couldn’t detect it?
Who else could be so powerful that even those at the ninth level of Heart Reversal couldn’t sense their presence?
Countless gazes shifted from Yun Lan to the wooden door. Tense breaths echoed across the empty summit. It seemed as if some terrifying demon was about to emerge from behind that door, pressing down on them, making their hearts pound like drums.
Boom…

The moment the old man with the cauldron appeared at the door, panic swept across the entire mountain top. Everyone stood up nervously; wooden chairs scraped against the rocks, either making harsh noises or collapsing with a thud.
“The Yu Tian Sect actually has peak-level experts…”
Hao Qingfeng and Zhang Quanyue felt their mouths turn bitter. Not to mention the leaders and elders of other sects, even these two leaders of major sects were terrified, completely forgetting the idea of joining forces to destroy the Yu Tian Sect.
Gulp, gulp…
The old man with the cauldron took a few gulps and staggered over, with Feng Yue chewing on Tian Feng peppers following behind slowly.
Both of them looked rather unimpressive, but the pressure they exerted grew as they stepped forward.
Peak-level experts!
The leaders and elders of the twenty-one sects had never seen even one such expert in their lives, yet now they saw two at once. What a terrifying sight!
By the time the old man with the cauldron and Feng Yue took their seats, even Hao Qingfeng and Zhang Quanyue dared not breathe loudly.
With two peak-level experts working together, no force other than the Tian Wei Pavilion dared to offend them. Even the Tian Wei Pavilion would have to avoid confrontation unless its imperial power was threatened or the situation slipped out of control.
Just by standing together, these two already posed an immense deterrent.
“The food and drinks have cooled down; they probably won’t taste good, Second Elder!” Lin Dong glanced at Feng Yue.
Feng Yue sat steadily in his wooden chair and waved his hand. Instantly, the ice on the more than thirty large round tables melted rapidly, and white steam began to rise.
Making the food and drinks on all the tables melt and heat up without affecting those seated there was something almost everyone present could do. But doing it simultaneously for over thirty tables? No one had any confidence in succeeding.
Such exquisite control was beyond the ability of the various sect leaders and elders to respond to—other than remaining silent in awe.
No one dared speak, not even Hao Qingfeng and Zhang Quanyue, because none of them knew what kind of temper these two peak-level experts had. Who knew if saying a word might offend them, or if they might destroy an entire sect over such a trivial matter?
Peak-level experts stood at the very top, with almost no natural enemies. As long as they weren’t in the secular world, they didn’t need to restrain their temper. Acting as they pleased was their right in this world of survival of the fittest.

“Today is the great day when our Yutian Sect was founded. Thank you all for coming and witnessing this founding ceremony.” Lin Dong picked up his wine cup and raised it high. “I, Lin Dong, offer a toast to everyone.”
Two peak-level experts were forced to settle for the positions of Grand Elder and Second Elder instead of becoming the Supreme Elders of Yutian Sect. As the sect leader, Lin Dong offered a toast—whether sincerely or not, who would dare refuse? One by one, they forced themselves to stand up, their legs trembling, forcing out awkward smiles as they raised their cups to meet Lin Dong’s.
Yet still, none of them spoke.
Lin Dong laughed and drank it all in one gulp, then slowly sat down. Picking up his chopsticks, he warmly invited everyone, “Eat, eat! These dishes were all carefully prepared by me.”
Instantly, the sect leaders and elders from various sects seemed to find a way to end this unbearable situation.
If they finished all the food and drinks, wouldn’t the banquet end?
Under normal circumstances, meeting peak-level experts would be something worth showing off. But in this situation, no one cared about whether talking about drinking and eating with two such experts would boost their status. All they wanted was to avoid provoking these two experts and return safely to their sects.
The meal was lively in appearance but eerily quiet. Everyone was buried in eating and drinking. Hundreds of jars of fine wine and dozens of delicious dishes made from spiritual beasts and materials tasted like nothing at all—like plain water or chewing wax. Everyone was only concerned about when they could finish this feast.
With the bright moon hanging high, the table full of dishes and hundreds of jars of wine were finally devoured. The sect leaders and elders glanced at Lin Dong with eager eyes.
Now that everything was done, Lin Dong also wanted to leave soon. So, without disappointing anyone, he expressed his gratitude and subtly signaled that it was time to disperse. The sect leaders and elders felt as if they had been pardoned and began to leave one after another.
After everyone had gone and the leftovers were swept into the mobile counter, the four of Lin Dong used the transport portal to return to the capital city.
In the backyard, Ma Chun sat on a stone bench, letting the bright moonlight shine on his gloomy face.
This scene immediately reminded Lin Dong of the five-story wooden building next door.
Seeing the four of Lin Dong come out of the storage room, Ma Chun hurried over to greet Old Ding and Feng Yue, then hesitated before looking at Lin Dong.
“Is it done?” Lin Dong asked.
Ma Chun nodded firmly, gritting his teeth. “Hundreds of carpenters worked day and night. It would be strange if it wasn’t finished.”

“Have you found anything?” Lin Dong smiled. Ma Chun’s attitude made him 100% sure that the wooden building next door, in terms of size and furnishings, was exactly the same as Lin Ji Inn.
Ma Chun explained, “The owners of all top-class restaurants aren’t ordinary people; almost each of them has shown amazing tactics. There are three or four who are known for using ingenious strategies, but it’s not certain that others can’t do the same.”
Lin Dong remained silent. He hadn’t expected to find anything useful in just one day. But the wooden building next door was already completed, and opening it was imminent, so they had to resolve this issue as soon as possible.