"Whether it's Zhao Kingdom or Baixing Kingdom, both are nothing more than small nations," Lin Li stood before the gates of Mo Manor, his mind racing with thoughts. "Zhao Kingdom is a small country situated at the southern edge of the continent. Baixing Kingdom, on the other hand, is an island alliance in the vast sea."
"But Da Jing is different!"
"Da Jing is a super empire that dominates the eastern region of the continent!"
"It's not like the mortal kingdom of Zhao Kingdom, nor is it like Baixing Kingdom's island alliance. Da Jing is a super empire with a history of over ten thousand years, practically an immortal kingdom!"
"The founding emperor of Da Jing was a true immortal who ascended to the immortal realm! Today, Da Jing is one of the four most powerful immortal nations on the Continent of Seeking Immortals."
"Changlin County is located in the Nanping Prefecture of Da Jing. Nanping Prefecture consists of three counties, and each county prince is a Core Formation cultivator. Da Jing's Prefecture Overseers, on the other hand, are Nascent Soul experts!"
"In the past, my father's most trusted general, Mo Wentian, after breaking through to the late Core Formation stage and reaching the same level as my father, bribed the Prefecture Overseer of Changlin County with a great sum of money, allowing him to condone Mo Wentian's treacherous act of murdering his lord and seizing his position."
"Now, I have reached the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Dealing with Mo Wentian, a mere Core Formation cultivator, will be as easy as flipping my hand."
Lin Li thought to himself, "After killing Mo Wentian, I will seek revenge on the Prefecture Overseer of Nanping, the one who permitted Mo Wentian to slaughter my entire family!"
As Lin Li's murderous intent surged, the two guards at the gates of Mo Manor, noticing that he had been standing there for a while, immediately shouted at him, "Get lost!"
"Do you even know where you are?"
"This is the residence of the esteemed Prince Mo! If you have no business here, don't stand around making an eyesore of yourself!"
Hearing this, Lin Li's lips curled into a cold smile.
The infamous slaughterer of Baixing Kingdom, that suffocating murderous aura once again surrounded Lin Li, causing the two guards to feel an inexplicable fear. Angered, they tried to suppress their fear with aggression, yelling, "What? Still not leaving?"
"If you don't get lost, don't blame us for being rough with you!"
With that, the two raised their staffs and charged at Lin Li, ready to beat him down.
"Who said I have no business here?"
Lin Li didn't even bother drawing his sword!
He let out a cold shout, his spiritual power surging!
A powerful gust of spiritual energy burst from around Lin Li, sweeping the air like a storm.
Before the two guards could even touch Lin Li, they were blown backward by the violent gust, crashing heavily into the gates of Mo Manor, blood trickling from their mouths!
Meanwhile.
Inside Mo Manor.
Mo Wentian, with his left hand fondling the chest of a maid and his right hand holding a cup of wine, watched with a wicked grin as scantily clad dancers performed before him. He listened to the decadent music played by musicians on both sides of the grand hall, thoroughly enjoying himself.
At that moment, the powerful spiritual energy unleashed by Lin Li at the gates caused the surrounding heaven and earth's spiritual energy to tremble violently!
An invisible pressure swept across the area!
Ordinary people might only see the wind stir, but the cultivators within Mo Manor could feel the terrifying spiritual pressure, making their hearts tremble in fear!
Mo Wentian, in the midst of teasing the maid, suddenly choked on his wine.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
He coughed heavily several times, his face flushed from the wine. Standing up in alarm, he exclaimed, "Such terrifying spiritual pressure!"
"Could it be... the Prefecture Overseer himself has arrived?"
Panicked, he hurriedly adjusted his clothing and rushed out, shouting as he went, "Someone! Come quickly! Follow me to greet the esteemed guest at once!"
Even at that moment, it never crossed his mind that the person outside Mo Manor wasn't the Prefecture Overseer at all, but rather...
The harbinger of his doom!
...
Lin Li, breathing heavily, took one step after another toward Mo Manor.
Suddenly.
The gates of Mo Manor swung open with a loud crash!
Reeking of alcohol, Mo Wentian appeared, flanked by two mid-Core Formation deputies, four early-Core Formation generals, twelve Foundation Establishment subordinates, and a crowd of Qi Refining stage retainers. With a loud thud, Mo Wentian dropped to his knees in front of the manor's gates. "Your humble servant, Mo Wentian, the Prince of Changlin County, did not realize the esteemed Prefecture Overseer had arrived! I beg for your forgiveness for my delayed greeting, and I humbly ask for your mercy!"
Though slightly drunk, he could sense that the person outside was in a foul mood, radiating intense killing intent!
Thus, from the start, he adopted an exceptionally humble posture.
However, what puzzled him was: Why did this Prefecture Overseer seem unfamiliar to him?
Still, he didn't dwell on it.
The Da Jing Dynasty, despite being called a dynasty, had long become a ten-thousand-year-old immortal kingdom.
The country was peaceful and prosperous, and its cultivators were almost exclusively part of the imperial system or major sects.
As for foreign cultivators...
Any cultivator without Da Jing blood would trigger a warning from the bloodline-activated devices at the border upon entering the country.
Thus, Da Jing's cultivators had never had to fear threats from outsiders!
And as the Prince of Changlin County, Mo Wentian assumed that Lin Li must be some high-ranking figure from Da Jing, and that he had somehow offended him...
As long as he remained humble and offered enough gifts, everything would be fine.
But what he never expected was that this ominous figure suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Lin Li laughed toward the sky and said, "Kneeling won't help you. Stand up and take a good look! Take a good look at who I am!"
"I don't dare!"
"I said stand up!"
"But..."
"Stand!"
Trembling, Mo Wentian slowly stood up, dusting off his knees, and looked at Lin Li in confusion.
"This face... why... why does it seem so familiar?"
Mo Wentian was perplexed.
"Haven't figured it out yet?"
Lin Li sneered. "Need a reminder?"
"Please forgive me, but I really can't remember!" Mo Wentian pleaded.
"General Mo, your talent is extraordinary, truly exceptional! Today, I will help you break through to Core Formation. Work hard, and when you and I both reach the late-Core Formation stage, I will petition the Prefecture Overseer to give you a chance to make a great contribution!"
Lin Li mimicked the manner in which his father had spoken to Mo Wentian when Lin Li was only five years old, recalling a vivid memory of those words.
"You're..."
Mo Wentian's pupils suddenly shrank as he screamed in disbelief, "Lin Tian?!"
"Impossible! Weren't you already dead?!"
The more Mo Wentian looked, the more this person resembled the young Changlin County Prince, Lin Tian!
But no matter what, he could never have imagined that the person before him was not Lin Tian, but Lin Tian's son, Lin Li!