Chapter 641: Taking Up the Clan Leader's Mantle
"Langtian!?"
In the Lin clan ranks, Lin Fan was the first to recover, exclaiming in shock as he stared at the figure that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Patriarch, it's been a while." Lin Langtian turned and smiled at him.
Laughing heartily, Lin Fan strode forward and slapped Lin Langtian's shoulder. "Good, Langtian! You are the pride of our Lin clan!"
The Lin clan's position in the Great Yan Empire—on par with the royal family, and treated with courtesy even by the Emperor himself—was entirely the result of Lin Langtian's battles beyond these borders.
Slowly, those gathered on the walls returned to their senses. They stared at the green‑robed youth before Lin Fan, exchanging looks of disbelief.
Many still remembered him from years ago, when he had left the Great Yan Empire for the Hundred Empires War as nothing more than a confident young man.
Now, he had the bearing of a grandmaster. With a casual wave, he had halted the attack of a Reincarnation Stage powerhouse.
Just how terrifying was this strength?
"Hehe, so it was Brother Langtian who stepped in to save us. On behalf of the Great Yan Empire, I thank you." Mo Jingtian hurried forward, fists clasped, a trace of deference in his smile.
In this world, strength ruled all. In Lin Langtian's eyes, his so‑called throne meant very little.
What's more, Lin Langtian was now Lord of the Heavenly Palace. Even Mo Jingtian had heard enough tales of its monstrous power.
Lin Langtian nodded back with a smile, then turned to the green‑robed elder beside him.
"Senior Dugu, thank you for guarding the Great Yan Empire during this time."
"As an elder of the Heavenly Palace, this is only my duty." Dugu Qi waved a hand and smiled.
As he sensed the unfathomable depth of Lin Langtian's aura, though, his brows rose and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
He felt… suppressed.
That could only mean one thing: Lin Langtian's strength had already surpassed his own.
Realizing this, Dugu Qi's gaze softened with pride.
This junior of his had grown beyond even his reach. The title of Palace Lord now fit him in both name and truth.
On the walls, the air of despair slowly dissolved. Smiles began to creep back onto many faces.
They stole glances at the tall youth standing there. From the moment he arrived, he had never spared their enemies so much as a look. That unshakable composure stirred faint hope in the hearts that had already given up.
"May this friend say who you are? I am Elder Zhao Kui of Yuan Gate. I advise you not to meddle, lest you bring unnecessary trouble upon yourself."
Far above, Zhao Kui glared coldly at the distant figure on the wall. His deep voice rolled like thunder across the skies.
Lin Langtian's earlier display had told him enough; this opponent was no ordinary figure. Caution, not recklessness, now stayed his hand.
Zhao Kui had been a Death Profound elder who had cultivated in seclusion for years and only recently broken through to the Reincarnation Stage. He rarely showed himself; thus, he did not recognize Lin Langtian, the once‑disciple of Yuan Gate.
As he spoke, countless eyes on the wall turned toward Lin Langtian. At this moment, he alone could stand against Zhao Kui.
But Lin Langtian did not respond. He acted as if he had never heard Zhao Kui at all, and those around him did not dare speak either.
"Are you deaf, boy?!"
Zhao Kui's temper flared at being ignored. Anger twisted his features as he barked again.
Yuan Gate was no longer what it had once been. Even another Reincarnation Stage expert was nothing to fear.
"Noisy old dog."
Lin Langtian finally answered, still not turning around. His voice was flat.
"You—!"
Fury erupted in Zhao Kui's chest as he swept up a surge of Yuan Power, hand curling into a claw.
Buzz!
Just as he was about to strike, the air above the wall twisted again. Several figures appeared silently at Lin Langtian's back.
Mo Jingtian and Lin Fan stiffened, startled—then broke out in cold sweat as they sensed the pressure radiating from the newcomers.
"Young Master Lin?"
Commander Jin Sha glanced once at the distant Zhao Kui, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. A mere, shaky Reincarnation Stage weakling, daring to strut like this before them?
Lin Langtian's hand moved in a small wave. "Hit."
A savage grin split Jin Sha's face. His figure vanished and reappeared in front of Zhao Kui and Li Gang.
"With that unsteady aura, you dare bark here? Truly courting death."
Jin Sha and Deputy Commander Yin Sha stepped forward together, each throwing a punch. Torrents of Yuan Power surged, crows crying faintly in the air.
Zhao Kui scrambled to gather his own Yuan Power, desperately meeting them head‑on.
Boom!
The three fists collided. Energy exploded outward. A scream tore from Zhao Kui's throat as he was hurled back thousands of zhang, flailing like a broken doll.
"Haha, since we're here, I suppose we can't slack off either."
U Xuan and U Ju behind Jin Wu both laughed. They blurred forward, appearing behind Li Gang.
Each twisted his waist and lashed out with a sweeping kick. Terrifying force howled forth as their blows slammed into Li Gang's back.
Boom!
The elder barely had time to react before he was driven forward like a cannonball, his organs rattling violently in his chest.
"Haha!"
Jin Wu burst out laughing and shot forward as well, driving another punch into the already‑injured Zhao Kui and Li Gang and sending them flying once more.
Bang, bang, bang!
Figures danced through the sky, their fists whistling through the air.
Onlookers watched, dumbfounded, as the once‑lofty Zhao Kui and Li Gang—who had regarded them all as ants—were now batted around like sandbags.
They didn't even have the strength to fight back.
The allied armies encircling the capital trembled with terror. On the walls, Mo Jingtian and the others stared in chalk‑faced shock. Those were Reincarnation Stage experts.
Their eyes drifted once more to Lin Langtian, calm and indifferent as if nothing were happening. A wave of awe surged through every heart.
His momentum had fully taken form.
No one knew how long the beating lasted. Finally, Lin Langtian raised a hand. A black vortex swirled to life in his palm, sucking the two battered elders out of the sky and suspending them before him.
Now bloodied and shaking with fear, Zhao Kui and Li Gang looked nothing like their former, imperious selves.
Lin Langtian smiled lightly at them. His Yuan Power hand clamped around their throats, his expression gentle as ever—yet in their eyes, he was nothing but a devil.
"Do the two of you still not recognize me?"
His voice was cold enough to freeze the marrow.
"Wh‑Who are you?!"
Pure terror filled their faces at last. The experts who had just toyed with them were all Reincarnation Stage monsters.
Since when had such a force risen in the Eastern Xuan Region?
"You've been calling me a traitor of Yuan Gate for years. Yet you don't even know my face."
Lin Langtian's smile didn't change.
"A Yuan Gate traitor?"
The words made them both blink. An instant later, recognition slammed into them like a hammer.
"You… you're Lin Langtian?! That damned traitor Lin Langtian!"
Disbelief and horror flared in their eyes.
"Impossible! How could you grow this strong in just two or three years?!"
Lin Langtian's gaze remained indifferent. "The facts are in front of you. Believe them or don't—it changes nothing.
"I'm here today to lead my army and grind Yuan Gate into dust."
"Hmph. Our three Sect Masters are not what they once were either. You think you can just stroll back in? You're delivering your own head!"
The mention of their three masters seemed to bolster their courage. Their sneers returned, though they still trembled faintly.
"Is that so? Then you can go wait for them in hell."
Lin Langtian's smile widened a fraction. Before their faces could change again, he flicked his sleeve. Two black vortices spun into existence, swallowing their bodies and souls whole.
Their screams echoed through the sky.
When the vortex faded, silence fell.
Despite the countless soldiers gathered within and without the city, no one dared utter a word.
Far above, the surviving Yuan Gate experts stared, ashen‑faced, bodies shaking. A Reincarnation Stage elder had been erased—just like that.
"Run!"
Someone shrieked. Panic broke like a wave as they turned and fled, all will to fight gone.
"Since you're here, you may as well stay."
Lin Langtian's eyes flashed coldly as he watched them scatter.
The Otherworldly Demon taint now ran deep in every Yuan Gate expert. None of them could be spared.
Flame kindled in his pupils.
The sky above the fleeing horde turned red‑hot in an instant. Clouds of fire boiled into being.
Boom, boom, boom!
Blazing fireballs poured down like a rain of dragons, sweeping through the Yuan Gate ranks. Screams split the air as bodies burned black and dropped from the heavens.
Heaven's wrath descended.
Countless onlookers watched the near‑apocalyptic scene in dumbstruck horror.
Was such power really something a human could wield?
Mo Jingtian and the others on the walls drew deep breaths, staring at the lone figure with his arms hanging loosely at his sides.
A single casual strike had annihilated a Reincarnation Stage elder. Now, with another flick, he had summoned heavenly flames.
Even Dugu Qi could only shake his head in wonder. Only a few short years ago, Lin Langtian had been no more than a Nirvana Stage junior. Now, he had become an existence even Dugu Qi could only look up to.
No wonder he'd chosen to back this youngster. His potential was truly without limit. The Heavenly Palace elder's seat would be enough to see him through the rest of his days.
The roaring flames raged for several minutes before finally dying down.
The Yuan Gate forces were gone, reduced to blackened corpses. Not a single one escaped.
The generals and champions of the besieging empires shook violently at the sight. Some lost control and screamed aloud.
Their armies' morale shattered completely. Before any orders could be shouted, the entire allied force turned and fled, streaming away from the walls like a receding tide.
On the battlements, the defenders stood stunned for a heartbeat, then erupted into thunderous cheers.
In that storm of joy, countless reverent gazes locked onto the slender silhouette on the wall. More than a few eyes burned with fanatic admiration.
…
With the enemy routed, the bulk of the defenders withdrew into the city, leaving only the necessary sentries behind.
With Lin Langtian present, no fool would dare provoke the Great Yan capital now.
Within a sprawling compound—the Lin clan's ancestral estate—excitement simmered through every courtyard.
Clan members thronged the walkways, crowding around the main hall. Their fever‑bright eyes fixed on the figure seated at the center inside.
"Brother Langtian hasn't changed at all in all these years—still so dashing and heroic."
"Of course. He's the greatest pride our Lin clan has ever known. I've admired Brother Langtian all my life."
"Brother Langtian is so handsome!"
"…"
Listening to the whispers filtering in from outside, Lin Langtian couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
It felt good to be home.
"Hehe, Langtian."
Lin Fan's face was wreathed in smiles, the usual patriarchal sternness nowhere to be seen.
"Our Lin clan's growth in recent years is all thanks to you. The elders have discussed it many times. I'm getting old, and this position of clan leader…"
"Oh? Patriarch, are you saying you want to hand the clan to my big brother?" Jin Wu, seated behind Lin Langtian, said with a grin.
"Hehe, Little Brother Jin Wu is exactly right. If I step down, the most fitting successor is naturally Langtian."
Lin Fan gave Jin Wu a measuring look. To think the little crow from back then had become such a formidable figure. He sighed inwardly, then turned back to Lin Langtian, his eyes firm.
He knew only one man could truly lead the Lin clan to greatness.
Hearing this, Lin Langtian fell briefly silent, fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a moment, he nodded.
"Thank you for the honor, Patriarch. In that case, I won't refuse."
Relief washed over the hall. Lin Fan and the elders all broke into wide smiles.
The mantle of clan leader had finally found its rightful owner.
(END CHAPTER)
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