Chapter 589: The Light Mass

Qiao Tianhao’s joke didn’t last long. At the very top of the hollow cylinder, a light mass suddenly appeared.
The light mass descended slowly, not at high speed, but it grew stronger and brighter as it fell. Even after descending just a meter, one could clearly sense its increasing intensity—the light growing brighter by the moment.
Emperor Qianwei and Yang Shun couldn’t figure out what was going on, but Lin Dong and the others saw it clearly. That light mass was created when a member of the Tianwei Pavilion at the top of the hollow cylinder pushed it downward with a palm strike.
The reason why the light mass grew larger and brighter, with increasingly powerful energy, was that the members of the Tianwei Pavilion on the spirit birds above sent their spiritual energy into it at all costs wherever it passed.
“What a miraculous spiritual technique!”
Yu Linglong’s exclamation was echoed by everyone, and it also made them all feel the pressure from the light mass.
Such a spiritual technique that grew stronger and expanded as more spiritual energy was added was unheard of, even by Old Ding. After all, individual spiritual energies vary, making it difficult to blend them. Moreover, the ability to replenish spiritual energy mid-attack meant the attack could be adjusted infinitely—though the only adjustment possible was increasing the amount of spiritual energy sent, which was still extraordinary. This meant that those who mastered this technique could release all their spiritual energy at the moment of confrontation, making a fatal strike.
Nearly all spiritual techniques had a limit on the spiritual energy required, which was one of the reasons why higher-level techniques were stronger than lower-level ones. Higher-level techniques required more spiritual energy and thus had greater power.
While there were indeed some techniques with no limit on spiritual energy, they were self-destructive. After unleashing tremendous combat power, they caused varying degrees of damage to the meridians, dantian, and body. More importantly, such techniques could never rely on others’ spiritual energy to enhance their power.
But this light mass could. This once again proved that the thousands of years of heritage of the Tianwei Pavilion were not in vain.
Of course, the light mass wasn’t without flaws. Its biggest flaw was speed. Its power was undeniable, but its speed… Even peak warriors like Lin Dong, or any martial artist who had reached the Mental State phase, had enough time to escape.
This light mass was only effective when the opponent had no way to escape or no reason to flee.
“God! It’s Eunuch Yang! The emperor is here! The emperor is here…”

Yang Shun jumped in panic, waving his arms in the air, his face filled with terror. He wasn’t afraid of death nor interested in the fate of Emperor Qianwei, but even an outsider like him could see the power of that light sphere—it was beyond human resistance. If it really crashed down, the Lin’s Inn would be utterly destroyed. Who would then take care of his parents and brothers? Emperor Qianwei’s face was pale, but he was much calmer than Yang Shun. He understood that the light sphere was already on its way and could not be stopped, and the people of Tianwei Pavilion would never hear Yang Shun’s cries for help. Even if Tianwei Pavilion learned of his location at Lin’s Inn, whether they would try to reverse the light sphere’s impact or send someone to rescue him was uncertain. He represented the imperial power of the Great Han Nation, but there was still a huge gap between him and that power. Most importantly, Tianwei Pavilion was loyal to the imperial power itself, not to Emperor Qianwei personally or to past emperors. Their primary task was to ensure that the imperial power remained unshaken. Losing one emperor might not be a big deal if it meant sacrificing a few top warriors, but if it meant missing an opportunity to eliminate a force that could threaten Tianwei Pavilion’s existence, they might not act. Otherwise, if Tianwei Pavilion suffered heavy losses, the imperial power of the Great Han Nation would also be severely impacted. With one emperor dead, many would seek to become the new emperor. An emperor represents imperial power, but sometimes, he isn’t the imperial power itself. For this reason, Emperor Qianwei understood that no matter what he did, it was futile. Everything depended on whether Lin’s Inn could withstand the light sphere. Deep down, he didn’t really want Lin’s Inn to succeed—he had little time left and had long become indifferent to life and death. That’s why he stayed to witness the outcome as quickly as possible. If Lin’s Inn failed, it at least meant the Great Han Nation wouldn’t fall to him, Emperor Qianwei. Beside him, two elders appeared, flanking him on either side to protect him. They showed no reaction to the light sphere above them, their expressions unchanged. Their task was merely to ensure Emperor Qianwei’s safety; whether they could succeed was not their concern. “Gather!” Just as the light sphere, carrying a destructive force, was about to land, Lin Dong no longer cared whether Ma Chun had evacuated the staff and guests. Everyone immediately gathered around Lin Dong, ready to combine their strength to resist the light sphere. Boom… The light sphere exploded about a meter above Lin’s Inn.

In an instant, an astonishingly terrifying energy exploded in all directions. Wild winds howled, the earth trembled, and even the sky seemed to be affected, swaying slightly. A blinding light, centered around the Lin Ji Inn, swept across the entire world. The raging hurricane overturned rooftops, blew away stone surfaces, and spread over several kilometers. The residents who had just been persuaded back by Ma Chun and had barely fallen asleep were once again in chaos. Barefoot and panicked as if facing the end of the world, they scurried around like headless flies. Fortunately, the main focus of the light was the center of the Lin Ji Inn, and its aftereffects didn’t last long. The hurricane soon subsided, leaving only devastation and endless fear and panic. Cries of despair filled the air. This sudden disaster was something most people had never experienced in their lives, a shadow they would never forget. Inside the Lin Ji Inn, where the effects were millions of times more severe than those outside, there was complete silence. The back yard remained the same back yard; the front yard remained the same front yard. The Lin Ji Inn stood proudly through the storm, standing out amid the chaos like an indestructible giant, breaking through all darkness and destruction. Aside from Lin Dong, no one believed what they saw. Even the members of the Tian Wei Pavilion in the sky, whose usually calm eyes now sparkled with shock and disbelief. They were ruthless, acting strictly according to complicated rules, appearing like zombies. But in truth, like Li Xun, they still retained a tiny, almost negligible part deep within their hearts. This place held their emotions and desires—a place they would never be able to open in their lifetime. But today’s events were so shocking that they activated that tiny part within them slightly. “How is this possible…” Emperor Qian Wei murmured to himself, not feeling relief from survival but rather unease and anxiety. Such a massive attack yet causing no damage to the Lin Ji Inn undoubtedly proved that even against the strongest forces of the Tian Wei Pavilion, it still had the ability to resist. Was the Great Han Nation truly about to be destroyed in his hands? Emperor Qian Wei couldn’t believe it, nor dare to imagine it. “Great! Great!” Yang Shun, no longer caring whether Emperor Qian Wei would suspect him, jumped for joy—more excited than anyone else.

“How… was this done?” It took the old man Ding a long time before he turned his gaze toward Lin Dong.
“Secret!” Lin Dong replied casually with just two words. At that moment, his heartbeat wasn’t slower than anyone else’s—it was even faster.
The moment that light sphere exploded, the inn’s defense value plummeted instantly to its lowest level, leaving him not a single moment to replenish its spiritual stones. Thankfully, it was still able to hold back the attack. With a defense value of level 9 at full capacity, Lin’s Inn managed to withstand the strongest attack in the history of the Great Han Nation, perhaps even in all of history.
“Secret?” The old man Ding clearly wasn’t satisfied with Lin Dong’s answer.
Lin Dong nodded, a smile appearing on his face.
“I have ultimate control over everything at Lin’s Inn! Anyone who tries to destroy it—without my permission—won’t succeed, not even if they become beings beyond the peak of strength in a few years!”
“The owner truly is the owner—what an imposing statement!” Qiao Tianhao said with admiration.
Jiang Kui and the others nodded in agreement. Even years ago, when Lin Dong was still just a martial artist at the Mental State stage, they had already believed that their master possessed invincible abilities.
“It’s time to prepare for a great battle!” Lin Dong looked up at the sky. Advanced spiritual stones from the mobile counter appeared one after another at his feet, then were all fed into the inn’s system.
In the sky, after a brief moment of shock, all members of the Tianwei Pavilion had regained their composure. At the command of a man in black, thousands of spiritual birds rushed downward with roars.
Without any defensive attributes, just the hurricanes generated by those thousands of level-7 spiritual birds could uproot Lin’s Inn outright.
Outside Lin’s Inn, the terrified residents witnessed another terrifying scene. Countless giant birds, with an intent to destroy everything, were diving downward toward the ground. Given their size and speed, no one doubted that the shockwave upon impact would be as devastating as the previous disaster.
In the secret room beneath the storage area, Wang Liuzhi, Sanjiaoyan, Liu Hao, and several other elders who followed Lin Dong first showed the sinister smiles they used when they were gangsters. The advanced spiritual weapons in their hands emitted various colors of light, illuminating the large secret room brilliantly.
Inside Lin’s Inn in the canyon, Thin Bamboo Pole sat steadily in the pavilion atop the Tianpeng Bird. The originally gray Tianpeng Bird now shone with a golden glow. Its size had increased from over 30 meters to over 300 meters. Every flap of its feathers could create a massive whirlwind, and if it shook violently, even Thin Bamboo Pole, who possessed the strength of a peak-level warrior, would have to use spiritual energy to withstand such shockwaves.

It is very likely the only spirit bird in history to reach the Super Ninth Rank, waiting for the horn of support.