“After all this time, you still refuse to show yourself. What exactly do you intend to do?
Or do you really think that this petty Half-Step Nascent Soul formation you set up can trap me forever?”
Lin Yin spoke coldly. Although she only had a rudimentary understanding of formations, she could still sense the complexity of this array.
It had to be one of the evil methods the Xie Xiu had mentioned earlier, just as Wan Yanfeng and the others had warned.
“Hehehe! I never expected to trap a Void Refining Pinnacle expert like you! But the premise is that the opponent must possess Void Refining Stage strength! Hahaha!”
The voice from the void laughed aloud, as if seeing through everything. Lin Yin frowned deeply.
“The so-called Head of Lingjian Peak really is overrated. You’re a Sword Cultivator, so why haven’t you summoned your Life-Bound Spiritual Sword all this time?”
“To deal with you, there’s no need for me to draw my sword…”
“Hahaha!
I don’t think it’s that you don’t need to—it’s that you can’t!
I’m truly curious what reason could make a Sword Cultivator abandon his Life-Bound Spiritual Sword, reducing his strength to barely a tenth of his true power!
What pleases me even more is that I’ve managed to take advantage of this! Hahaha!”
Lin Yin didn’t respond, but her expression remained as cold and calm as a millennia-old glacier.
“So what? How long do you think you can drag this out against me? Judging by your state, you probably don’t have many years left.”
Her words were like a slender needle—seemingly weak, yet striking precisely at the opponent’s core.
The laughter abruptly ceased.
“Heh, someone who cultivates the evil path to reach Half-Step Nascent Soul must have drained their body dry by now!
How long do you think you can hold out against me? If you can’t find suitable sacrifices to sustain the formation, it will consume your vitality and lifespan.”
A laugh?
Lin Yin wouldn’t be outdone.
Since joining the Shenxiao Sect, her talent had been extraordinary and her cultivation single-minded.
By the age of one hundred, she had broken through to the pinnacle of Nascent Soul Stage, achieving Core Formation Grand Perfection.
She had also comprehended the early form of the Sword Dao, advancing to Void Refining despite her youth, already rivaling other peak heads.
“It seems I have no choice but to use a few tricks to take you down.
I once had the fortune of encountering a Golden Core Stage Scattered Cultivator, whose treasure I’ve kept to use in life-or-death situations. Looks like today’s the day to use it!”
No sooner had she spoken than a blood-red formation erupted beneath her feet.
The eerie blood patterns, as if alive, rapidly traced themselves out, bathing the entire dark space in a chilling crimson glow.
Just as Lin Yin sensed danger, her consciousness was violently pulled deep into the formation.
In the void, the twisted humanoid silhouette briefly became clear, even leisurely stroking its beard in a mocking gesture.
He silently gloated:
“Hmph, this ‘Trapped Immortal Formation’ was specially crafted to ensnare righteous cultivators like you. With several cultivator sacrifices added, its power is far from ordinary.
But Lin Yin, if your Dao heart is iron and your will unbreakable, how could a mere Illusory Heart Formation trap a Void Refining Pinnacle expert like you for so long?”
……
It was very quiet, very peaceful.
Lin Yin hadn’t felt this way in a long time, perhaps because she sensed she was no longer in control.
Lingjian Peak Disciplinary Hall.
Lin Yin sat atop the main hall.
Suddenly, an elderly man with a white beard shouted loudly, “Head Lin! The scoundrel Jiang Che has been captured!”
The speaker was none other than Han Peng, the Grand Elder of Lingjian Peak.
Many disciples gathered below whispered among themselves, causing the atmosphere to become somewhat noisy.
“Senior Brother is really done for this time. I heard when they found him, he was still clutching that Demon Clan member, inseparable!”
“What exactly did Senior Brother do?”
“You don’t know?”
“Of course I do! It’s just that there’s so much going on, I can’t keep track.”
At that moment, Lin Yin, seated solemnly at the main seat, cast a cold glance over the crowd, and the hall instantly fell silent.
“Bring Jiang Che in.”
Her tone was icy, as if speaking of something unrelated to herself.
Lin Yin understood — this was the day she was summoned out of seclusion to deal with Jiang Che.
She had been in the middle of a breakthrough when she was forced out, and word was that this matter had already drawn the Sect Master’s attention.
As the head of the peak, she had to handle this properly.
She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but somehow she found herself sitting in the Disciplinary Hall.
Soon, Jiang Che was brought in.
Heavy footsteps and the scraping sound of dragged fabric approached from a distance.
Two tall Disciplinary Hall disciples, expressionless, dragged a figure in, appearing at the entrance.
They effortlessly pulled the figure into the hall, as if carrying a lifeless object.
The one being dragged was none other than Senior Brother Jiang Che.
All the disciples’ gazes instantly fixed on him, followed by a sharp, stifled gasp echoing through the air.
His once pristine blue-and-white Dao robe was now tattered beyond recognition.
His entire body was covered in bloody wounds.
It was pitiful.
Was this still the same Senior Brother Jiang Che who had once appeared so ethereal, confident, and respected by countless juniors?
The murmurs just moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by an oppressive silence throughout the hall.
Almost everyone involuntarily sucked in a cold breath.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
The scene played out vividly in Lin Yin’s mind. She wanted to rush forward to support him, to check his wounds.
But she couldn’t move.
“Did you administer private punishment?” Lin Yin asked the Grand Elder sharply.
But Han Peng showed no fear, responding solemnly, “Jiang Che is cunning. How else would we have brought him back?”
After speaking, he exchanged a glance with a plump Elder standing beside him.
They had indeed used private punishment, hoping to force Jiang Che to implicate Lin Yin.
But Jiang Che’s will was unyielding; even with the Soul Extracting Whip, they failed to break him.
Lin Yin realized she could only watch helplessly, unable to intervene. She finally understood the true purpose of the formation.
She had recalled this day countless times over the past three years — by comparison, it had almost been a game for her.
Lin Yin sighed softly as she sat on the main seat. She flicked her fingers lightly.
A pill appeared, wrapped in spiritual energy, flying straight into Jiang Che’s mouth.
Then, with a wave of her hand, spiritual energy flowed into Jiang Che’s body, causing his eyes to flutter open slightly.
Jiang Che woke, his once delicate face still stained with blood and scars.
Seeing the familiar surroundings and Lin Yin seated in the main position, he knew he was in the Disciplinary Hall.
Immediately, he knelt before Lin Yin in the most humble posture, forehead pressed tightly to the ground.
“Disciple… pays respects to Master.”
Though Lin Yin had replayed this scene in her mind many times, hearing the word “Master” again nearly moved her to tears.
But she could not.
At that moment, Han Peng cleared his throat.
The plump Elder unrolled a scroll and stepped forward.
“Criminal Jiang Che, for stealing fifth-grade Resurrection Pills from the Medicine Hall, for stealing sect treasures and destroying the Demon Suppressing Stone to release Demon Clan members, and for murdering fellow disciples, you have committed these heinous crimes!
You shall be stripped of your cultivation, have your spirit bones extracted, be burned by flames, and have your soul scattered! But considering your contributions as Head of Lingjian Peak, if you reveal those who ordered you, the death penalty may be spared!”
With that, the Elder stepped back, returning to stand beside Han Peng.
They exchanged a smile, then both turned their gaze to Lin Yin sitting on the main seat.