Chapter 250 - 249: Celebration (2)

The Han Patriarch slowly reached into his robes with a trembling hand, pulling forth a massive spatial ring that pulsed with blinding spiritual light. He held it up, offering it with both hands without daring to lift his face.

"I bring the absolute totality of the Han Clan’s ancestral treasury," Han Wuji wept, the desperation of a father trying to save his lineage bleeding through every syllable. "Millions of supreme-grade spirit stones, rare medicinal herbs cultivated over five centuries, and our most profound martial scriptures. I offer them all to you, Senior Lin, as a meager, pathetic token of our deepest apologies. I beg for your boundless mercy! I beg you to forgive the impudence of my foolish son, Han Zilie! He is a stupid, arrogant child who knows nothing of the Great Dao! Please, I implore you, do not let his profound stupidity bring the wrath of an expert down upon our entire bloodline!"

The rest of the Zhao delegation held their breath. They knew the absolute brutality of the cultivation world. When a sovereign ascended, the first act of their reign was typically to purge all political opposition, ensuring their throne was built on a foundation of unquestionable loyalty and absolute terror. To annihilate the Han Clan for their previous disrespect would be a completely standard, expected maneuver.

Lin Yuan looked at the groveling Patriarch, then shifted his gaze slightly to Lord Zhao Shenming. The Provincial Lord remained silent, yielding absolute authority to Lin Yuan to handle the internal politics of the province as he saw fit.

Lin Yuan slowly raised his hand.

With a faint pulse of his Qi, the glowing spatial ring lifted from Han Tianfeng’s trembling palms and drifted through the air, landing softly on the star-iron table in front of Lin Yuan.

"A dragon does not concern itself with the buzzing of a fly, Han Wuji," Lin Yuan stated, his voice resonating. "Your son’s mockery was the background noise of an insect. It did not alter my Dao, it did not slow my ascent, and it holds absolutely no weight within my spiritual sea. I have no interest in bathing the Zhao Province in the blood of its own subjects."

Han Wuji let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank you... thank you, merciful expert..."

Han Wuji was deeply relieved that Lin Yuan had no intention of taking action against the Han Clan because of their young master, Han Zilie, daring to cross him by attacking his family and attempting to frame Bai Chen for making indecent advances toward Su Yin.

Before this, Han Wuji would never have lowered himself to beg Lin Yuan for mercy. At the time, he had regarded Lin Yuan as nothing more than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, someone the Han Clan could easily afford to offend.

But after witnessing Lin Yuan shake the entire Upper Division of the Central Continent, Han Wuji’s attitude had changed completely.

Lin Yuan was no longer someone the Han Clan could afford to treat lightly.

Now, Han Wuji only wanted to make absolutely certain that Lin Yuan would not hold a grudge against the Han Clan because of Han Zilie’s actions. As long as Lin Yuan was willing to let the matter end here, Han Wuji was prepared to consider it a blessing.

"However," Lin Yuan continued, his tone dropping an octave, carrying the sharp edge of a drawn blade. "Do not mistake my indifference for blindness. The Han Clan will fall into line. You will support Lord Zhao Shenming with absolute, unyielding devotion. If I ever hear so much as a whisper of dissent, if I ever sense a fraction of a shadow moving against my household or the stability of this province... I will not ask for your treasury. I will simply erase the Han Clan from the cycle of reincarnation. Is that understood?"

"It is absolute law!" Han Wuji screamed, pressing his forehead harder against the floor. "The Han Clan is the sword and shield of Senior Lin and Lord Zhao! We swear it upon our ancestral souls!"

"Leave the treasury. Take your people, and withdraw to the outer courtyards," Lin Yuan dismissed him with a casual flick of his wrist. "I have no desire to spend my evening looking at the top of your head."

Han Wuji scrambled backward, maintaining his bowed posture until he was completely out of the grand doors. The rest of the Zhao delegation, thoroughly cowed and possessing a crystal-clear understanding of the new hierarchy of their province, offered deep, synchronized bows before rapidly filtering out of the hall, desperate to escape the suffocating presence of Lin Yuan.

As the grand hall began to clear, restoring the intimate, private atmosphere, a single figure detached herself from the retreating crowd and stepped tentatively forward.

She was a young woman, dressed in the flowing, immaculate white and azure robes of the Pure Cloud Sect. Her aura was clean, orthodox, and completely devoid of the suffocating political maneuvering that defined the Han Clan.

It was Su Yin.

The Saintess of the Pure Cloud Sect stood near the edge of the star-iron table, her hands clasped nervously in front of her, her eyes wide with a mixture of profound awe and respectful hesitation.

"Senior Lin," Su spoke, her voice clear but trembling slightly under the sheer magnitude of the entity she was addressing. She executed a flawless, respectful bow. "Lady Bai. Lord Zhao. Forgive my intrusion. I did not wish to group my sect’s sentiments with the... groveling of the Han Clan. I merely wished to step forward and offer my absolute, genuine congratulations. What you accomplished today in the Nine-Tiered Sky... it has elevated the dignity of the entire Lower Division. You have given us a pride we thought was forever lost."

Lin Yuan looked at the young woman, the Saintess of the Pure Cloud Sect. As he expected, he sense the purity of her Dao. She was an orthodox cultivator, untainted by the poison of arrogance or the corruption of worldly desires.

Her respect toward him was genuine. It was not born from fear of his strength or concern over offending him, but from sincere admiration for his cultivation and accomplishments.