CHAPTER 696: 696 LIN XUANTIAN’S WISHFUL ABACUS

At this moment, Yun Xiao was indeed in a good mood, as he dared to make a move in front of Tao Chengju precisely because he thought of the old grudges between the Tao and Lin families of Yujiang City.

Yun Xiao believed that under such long-standing grudges, a mere youth like himself was negligible. When it came to a matter of life and death, who would bother with a lowly Seventh Rank Vein Demon?

All of this would have to wait until the feud between the two great families was settled. Hence, Yun Xiao became an insignificant figure, perhaps never considered a threat by any Cultivator from these two families, let alone a 17 or 18-year-old boy.

"I’ll hold off Tao Chengju. Guinong, you go deal with that old man Lu Yuanpei, and Xuanting, make sure to protect your younger brother!"

Seeing that a life-and-death battle was inevitable, Lin Zhenjiang’s expression also turned solemn, and he gave a sideways instruction before his mighty Meridian Qi had already locked onto Tao Chengju, the Family Head of the Tao Family.

"Heh heh, let this Family Head see if you, Lin Zhenjiang, have made any progress these days,"

Tao Chengju carried the attitude of a superior, like a teacher assessing his apprentice, but in the next moment, he felt an overwhelming force rushing toward him and immediately dropped his superficial contempt.

In fact, how could Tao Chengju underestimate this old rival from Yujiang City?

He knew Lin Zhenjiang was hot-tempered, and his Fire Attribute Cultivation was not inferior to his own. To determine a victor, he would likely have to reveal his trump cards or, at the very least, it would take over a thousand moves. This battle was destined to be difficult.

The two great Family Heads were already locked in combat, while the opposing duo, Lu Yuanpei and Qiao Guinong, did not fall behind in their fight, although their fighting style seemed different from ordinary battles.

Both were Meridian Refining Masters, among them, Lu Yuanpei specialized in Poison Meridian Path, while Qiao Guinong practiced Medical and Poison Cultivation. Although his Poison Meridian Path was only of Spiritual Rank Advanced, backed by a Earth Rank Low Level Soul, he was not at a disadvantage.

However, seeing the battle between these two exuding toxic fumes, the guards from both the Lin and Tao families instinctively retreated a good distance, fearing they might get contaminated with the poison and die inexplicably.

As these two top-tier battles erupted thunderously, the morale of the guards from the Tao Family was palpably higher. Under the leadership of a guard in the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage, they all charged towards the Lin Family’s side.

This time, Lin Zhenjiang, the Family Head of the Lin Family, thought he was only dealing with a Seventh Rank Low Level Vein Demon and believed that he and Qiao Guinong would be sufficient. He never expected to engage in a major battle with the Tao Family in the Nanyu Mountain Range.

Therefore, the remaining guards of the Lin Family, the strongest among them merely at Half-step Earth Rank, did not have anyone who truly reached the Qi Seeking Realm.

In comparison, the Tao Family had a guard leader in the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage, and even the Tao Family’s Princely Heir had reached Half-step Earth Rank. Even Lin Xuanting might not be his match.

"Xuan Hao, find an opportunity to escape on your own!"

A spark flashed in Lin Tingxuan’s eyes, then he saw a familiar figure rushing towards him – if not the Tao Family’s Princely Heir Tao Liqian, then who?

As sons of the two great families, Lin Xuanting and Tao Liqian were old rivals, but the former was slightly less powerful and often ended up at a disadvantage, breeding resentment in his heart.

However, Lin Xuanting was clear that in a prolonged battle, he stood no chance against Half-step Earth Rank Tao Liqian. After all, his own strength was only at the Peak of Spirit Vein Realm. If Tao Liqian invoked even a trace of Earth Power, he would likely be defeated instantly.

Yet for some reason, when Lin Xuanting saw another figure rushing towards them, he shouted loudly and preemptively moved to meet Tao Liqian’s approach.

At this moment, Lin Xuanting had apparently "forgotten" his father’s words about protecting Lin Xuanhao. Or perhaps, he wanted to use this chance to oust his brother, who was destined to become a stumbling block.

"Brother, be careful!"

Lin Xuanhao, unaware of his sworn brother’s despicable thoughts, could somewhat guess the disparity between their strengths and warned him even at such a critical moment.

Swish!

However, just as Lin Xuanhao’s voice rang out, a figure had already closed in to mere feet away from him. That tremendous aura made it hard for him to catch his breath.

"Tsk tsk, to think that the next Family Head of the Lin Family would die at the hands of me, Tao Qi!"

The newcomer was none other than the leader of this team of Tao Family guards, a direct descendant of the Tao Family who was named Tao Qi because he was the seventh in the family lineage.

Though his name wasn’t much to speak of, Tao Qi’s Meridian Qi Cultivation had already reached the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage, making him slightly more formidable than Tao Liqian.

At this moment, the Lin Family’s guards were all tied up by the Tao Family’s guards, leaving only this Second Young Master of the Lin Family at the Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage, which seemed like a grim prospect indeed.

Tao Qi was certainly aware of Lin Xuanhao’s identity. Given the longstanding enmity between the Tao and Lin families, if he could manage to kill Lin Zhenjiang’s only legitimate son today, the Lin family would no doubt be unable to contend with the Tao family in the future.

It was these possibilities that filled Tao Qi with extraordinary pride. He believed that making such a great contribution would surely lead to a generous reward from the Family Head, and that advancing to the middle stage of the Qi Seeking Realm was not an impossibility.

However, Tao Qi seemed to have forgotten that, although Lin Xuanhao was only at the middle stage of the Spirit Vein Realm in terms of cultivation, the Lin family’s side was not just those guards. There was also a young man in coarse clothing who had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing not far from Lin Xuanhao.

"Little Young Master of the Lin family, prepare to die!"

Full of triumph, Tao Qi let out a loud shout, clearly heard by the others engaged in the fierce fighting, causing their expressions to change.

The Tians from the Tao family were naturally overjoyed, but Lin Zhenjiang, however, trembled all over, as the ferocious Meridian Qi surged forth, seemingly trying to break away from the entanglement with Tao Chengju to rescue his son.

Lin Xuanhao was Lin Zhenjiang’s treasured son, obtained late in life. He could not simply watch as his son was killed at the hands of Tao Qi. But at this moment, would Tao Chengju so easily allow him his wish?

"Heh heh, Lin Zhenjiang, let the younger generation settle their own affairs. We old folks should really not get involved!"

A chuckling voice reached Lin Zhenjiang’s ears. Without looking, he knew it was Tao Chengju speaking. And with that statement, a powerful strike from the Tao Family Head sealed all of Lin Zhenjiang’s paths of escape.

"Get out of my way!"

Lin Zhenjiang, worried for his son’s safety, was truly enraged, yet his strength was on par with Tao Chengju’s. For the latter, blocking him was an effortless task.

Due to this delay, Tao Qi’s heavy strike was about to fall upon Lin Xuanhao’s head. Catching a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye, Lin Zhenjiang’s eyes nearly split with rage.

On the other hand, Lin Xuantian and Qiao Guinong shot a strange gleam from their eyes. If Lin Xuanhao died just like that, they would be overjoyed.

Swoosh!

Regrettably for Lin Xuantian, who had carefully orchestrated this deadly situation, his plan was ultimately not realized. In that moment, a sound of rushing wind was heard, followed by Tao Qi staggering back four or five steps from what seemed like a heavy blow, before finally regaining his stance.

"Who is it?"

Tao Qi, who had been repelled four or five steps by a huge force, felt a storm brewing in his heart. Then, he caught sight of a fire-red shadow in his vision—wasn’t it that fire-red mouse that they from the Tao family had been hunting?

"Damn it, why is this beast causing trouble at this time?"

At that moment, Tao Qi failed to grasp the intricacies of the situation. He thought that they had cornered this rodent Vein Demon earlier and that it was now kicking them while they were down, joining forces with the Lin family to trouble the Tao family.

In contrast, Lin Xuanhao, who had narrowly escaped death, saw a peculiar glimmer arise in his eyes. They had come to Nanyu Mountain exactly to hunt this rodent Vein Demon, but never expected that it would end up saving his life in the end. How did this come to pass?

"Don’t worry. That guy is no match for Chi Yan!"

As Lin Xuanhao was still processing his feelings, a palm gently patted his back, followed by a familiar voice that told him without the need to look that it was Yun Xiao speaking.

This moment was naturally Yun Xiao’s doing, as he had ordered Chi Yan to make a move. Chi Yan would not have intervened on behalf of the Lin family on its own, especially since it harbored no good feelings towards the members of the Tao family.

The reason Yun Xiao ordered Chi Yan to act was precisely to show Lin Zhenjiang that at this critical moment, it was Chi Yan who saved Lin Xuanhao. After driving off the Tao family, hopefully Lin Zhenjiang would no longer harbor thoughts of making Chi Yan his own Meridian Spirit.

Lin Zhenjiang sensed this scene and immediately felt a huge relief. Lin Xuantian and Qiao Guinong, on the other hand, had somewhat darkened expressions, and hatred for that coarse-clothed young man thickened once again in their hearts.

"Again, this detestable brat ruins my plans!"

Lin Xuantian, who had originally hoped to get rid of Lin Xuanhao with Tao Qi’s help, now understood that the sudden intervention of the fire-red mouse must be at Yun Xiao’s instigation.

The next moment, when he saw Tao Qi tied up by Chi Yan and the other two Tao family guards lunging again at Lin Xuanhao and Yun Xiao, a cold smile emerged on his face.

"This time, I’d like to see what waves you can still make."

Lin Xuantian, unaware of Yun Xiao’s true strength, simply assumed the latter’s cultivation was at best not far from that of Lin Xuanhao. Considering this generous appraisal, especially knowing that Yun Xiao’s wounds were likely not yet fully healed.

Moreover, Lin Xuantian was acutely aware that the two Tao family guards attacking Lin Xuanhao and Yun Xiao were at the peak of the Spirit Vein Realm—in one-on-one combat, even he was not necessarily their match, let alone those two.