However, Lin Xiao turned a deaf ear. He hurled out a skeletal palm, and under the infusion of spiritual energy, it instantly shot above the group. Spiritual energy poured into it, and a rolling mist of malevolent white energy surged forth, radiating dazzling white light imbued with corrosive, evil power, enveloping the one or two hundred gravely injured people.
“Ah!”
“Chi! Chi!”…
Amid terrified screams, everyone was corroded into skeletons, all dead.
Then, Lin Xiao collected the hundred-plus skeletons and their storage rings, sweeping the battlefield and claiming all the spoils before returning to Zi Ling and Ling Hu’s side.
“Good heavens, you took them all out. Won’t those people outside go mad?” Zi Ling said, her face full of shock.
“Exactly, especially the three great families. They’re always the biggest winners in the Yuan Spirit Pool, but this time, all their geniuses fell here, a complete generational wipeout. Cao Tianchao, Xu Zilan, and the Lu clan leader, won’t they be spitting blood in rage?” Ling Hu added, equally stunned.
“With the nature of the three great families, even if I hadn’t killed them, they wouldn’t have let me go. As for the others, they attacked me during my breakthrough and severely injured you both, so I had no reason to hold back,” Lin Xiao said calmly.
He had always been this way: if others didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t provoke them, but if they did, he struck decisively. Had he not broken through, he would likely be the one dead.
Their share of responsibility would have been in his death.
Since he had turned the tables, naturally, he wouldn’t spare them.
“These people deserved to die!” Ling Hu nodded. With his temperament, he wouldn’t have held back either.
“But Zi Ling’s compass is broken. How will we deal with things when we leave?” Ling Hu asked with concern.
At this, Zi Ling frowned.
Lin Xiao also furrowed his brow. This was indeed a headache.
Originally, with Zi Ling’s defensive treasure, activated by Zi Mo, they could have withstood the group’s attacks, giving him a chance to escape.
Now, with the treasure broken and all the young fighters who entered killed, when they exited the secret realm in three days, he would face not only the wrath of the three great families but also the fury of every faction in the region that had sent young fighters here.
His troubles were indeed significant.
“Let’s take it one step at a time…” Lin Xiao sighed helplessly.
If Mei Tianmo successfully broke through, combined with Zi Mo, they might create enough space for him to activate the Void Heavenly Phoenix Wings and escape. It wasn’t impossible.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy, but with things as they were, he could only take it one step at a time.
Under the curious questioning of the two, Lin Xiao brushed off the matter of devouring the Yuan Spirit Pool with a vague explanation about his unique physique.
Three days passed quickly, and when Ling Hu and Zi Ling had recovered from their injuries, the moment for the secret realm to close arrived.
Meanwhile, outside the Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm, tens of thousands of people waited eagerly.
Only one person was visibly anxious.
That person was none other than Zi Mo.
According to Lin Xiao, Mei Tianmo was supposed to break through and emerge, but after a full month, Mei Tianmo had not come out of the storage ring.
Even with Zi Ling’s defensive treasure, facing the many Martial Monarch experts from the three great families would put immense pressure on him.
As for Zi Mo alone, Cao Tianchao and the others simply ignored him.
Not to mention that Zi Mo alone couldn’t stop the Cao family, they were confident that Lin Xiao had likely fallen to Cao Xueqing and Cao Youwei.
However, Cao Tianchao was somewhat worried about whether Cao Youwei and Cao Xueqing could obtain the Nether Heavenly Demon Art.
After all, if Lin Xiao refused to speak even at the cost of his life, the two might not be able to do much to him.
“Heh, Clan Leader Cao seems quite anxious? Could it be that you’re worried your Cao family’s top geniuses might have fallen inside?” Seeing Cao Tianchao’s expression, Lu clan leader Lu Yuan laughed, brimming with confidence as he teased.
The Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm was a battleground for young fighters and a stage for the three great families’ younger generation to compete.
Once inside, their young fighters wouldn’t hold back.
Especially when the Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm vanished, all geniuses would go all out. Although top geniuses of the same level were hard to kill, it wasn’t unheard of for top geniuses to fall in past events.
If a junior was killed in such a contest, it only meant they were inferior. The elders wouldn’t intervene; this was an unspoken agreement among the three great families.
Lu Yuan’s words clearly showed his strong confidence in the Lu family’s young fighters.
“For Cao Xueqing and Cao Youwei to fall, I’m afraid no young fighter in this entire region has that ability! Clan Leader Lu should worry about your Lu family’s geniuses instead!” Cao Tianchao retorted with certainty.
“Heh, let’s wait and see,” Lu Yuan replied with a smile, then turned to Xu Zilan. “I wonder if the Xu family’s Xu Changkong is truly exceptional or just a figurehead propped up by the Xu family?”
Many nodded in agreement with Lu Yuan’s speculation.
Rumors claimed Xu Changkong was the most mysterious and powerful genius of the Xu family’s younger generation, famed throughout the region. However, no one had truly seen Xu Changkong, nor heard of him making a move.
It wasn’t impossible that the Xu family lacked a genius to rival Cao Youwei and Lu Chao, merely propping up a name.
“If you two want an answer from me, I can tell you that my Xu family does indeed have a young fighter named Xu Changkong, at the eighth-level Martial Venerable realm,” Xu Zilan said confidently. “And this time, barring any surprises, he will surely refine the Yuan Pool and break through a level. I wonder if Cao Youwei and Lu Chao can achieve the same? If not, I’m afraid they’ll struggle to compete with Xu Changkong.”
Lu Yuan and Cao Tianchao both frowned slightly. Even they wouldn’t dare claim with certainty that Lu Chao and Cao Youwei could break through a level. For Xu Zilan to say so confidently, it might actually be true.
Xu Changkong might indeed break through a level, and if so, even Lu Chao and Cao Youwei would likely struggle to truly compete with him.
However, they naturally didn’t believe their own young fighters would fall short. While not guaranteed, Cao Youwei and Lu Chao also had the potential to refine the Yuan Pool and break through.
“Clan Leader Xu is quite confident, but we’re also eager to see if Xu Changkong will truly be as unbeatable as you claim,” Lu Yuan said with a smile.
“We’ll know everything once the secret realm closes,” Cao Tianchao added.
At this moment, the various large and small factions watching from the sidelines began to discuss. Half of the onlookers had sent young fighters inside, and they were full of anticipation for their representatives.
“I wonder if Hao’er can establish a Monarch foundation. With his sixth-level Martial Venerable cultivation, he should be able to secure a place, right?”
“Xiang Yu, at the fifth-level Martial Venerable realm, isn’t much weaker than the last of the three great families’ top geniuses. He should be able to refine the spirit pool successfully.”
“The Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm offers many opportunities. Even if my Zeng family’s geniuses don’t refine the spirit pool, someone should gain something.” Hopeful voices rose from the crowd, their gazes fixed on the fading thousand-zhang-long, ten-zhang-high secret realm light curtain.
