Wang Teng let out a soft laugh. The sound was calm on the surface, yet filled with unmistakable arrogance. He spoke with absolute confidence.
"Where I go is my own business, is it not. Why should you interfere."
Zhang Lin smiled faintly. His expression did not change in the slightest. His gaze rested calmly on Wang Teng before he replied in an easygoing tone.
"Nothing much. I was just a little surprised. Two lust-crazed men barging into a man's residence with two women in tow. Who would not be afraid of that."
The temperature of the room dropped instantly.
Wang Teng's eyes twitched slightly as murderous intent leaked out unconsciously. Yet he soon laughed again, as if unwilling to waste time arguing over meaningless provocation.
"Forget it. I did not come here for such nonsense."
He paused briefly. His sharp gaze slowly shifted and settled on Zhang Lin's hand, locking onto the pitch-black ring worn on his middle finger. The ring looked strangely ordinary. No patterns, no aura, nothing extraordinary on the surface. Yet Wang Teng understood its true value all too well.
"Honored seniors, I know you are awake. Are you not going to come out and have a word with us."
His voice echoed slowly through the chamber.
But only silence answered him.
The spiritual energy in the surroundings froze as if sealed in ice. Even the two women beside Wang Teng felt the pressure grow abnormal.
One breath passed.
Then another.
Zhang Lin fell silent for a moment. The corner of his lips twitched faintly, and then laughter burst out uncontrollably.
"Ha… hahaha…"
The laughter sounded relaxed, yet in Wang Teng's eyes it felt like open mockery, something utterly unforgivable.
In the next instant, the smile vanished completely from Wang Teng's face.
"What an ill-mannered junior brother!"
His figure shot forward without hesitation. His speed erupted to the limit as his Body Integration Level Nine cultivation exploded outward. His right fist surged ahead with terrifying force, tearing the air apart with a shrill roar.
His target was only one.
Zhang Lin's face.
But just before the fist could touch even the edge of Zhang Lin's skin, the spatial ring Zhang Wen had given him, worn on his index finger, suddenly flashed.
A crystal-clear water bubble formed in an instant, completely enveloping Zhang Lin's body.
Boom!
Wang Teng's fist smashed heavily into the water bubble. A shockwave spread outward in all directions. His arm pierced halfway into the barrier before being stopped abruptly by an overwhelming resistance. His eyes widened instantly.
But what happened next caused his expression to change completely.
The clear water within the bubble began to rotate. The currents transformed into a violent whirlpool. Wang Teng's right arm, still submerged inside the water sphere, was seized by an insane pulling force. The tearing power of the rotating currents crashed down upon his arm at once. The grinding sound of bones echoed sharply as fresh blood seeped out in an instant.
"What—!"
The rotation intensified. His skin split open, and his entire arm was nearly torn from his shoulder. Wang Teng clenched his teeth and tried to pull back with all his strength, but he could not break free.
In desperation, he detonated all the power he possessed. With a violent roar, he yanked his arm out and leapt backward at the same time. His body skidded dozens of steps across the floor before finally stopping.
Wang Teng's eyes were wide open. Shock was written clearly across his face. He could sense it vividly. Had he been even a fraction of a second slower, that arm would have been crushed into pulp.
He collapsed onto the ground, his left hand clutching his trembling right arm. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor, forming a long crimson trail. His heart pounded violently in his chest, his gaze filled with disbelief and fear. The two women beside him rushed forward immediately, their faces full of worry.
Silence fell over the chamber once more.
Zhang Lin remained seated where he was. His expression was calm, as if nothing had happened. His eyes rested quietly on Wang Teng.
The residual water aura slowly dissipated. The bubble protecting Zhang Lin dissolved into countless motes of light before vanishing completely.
Wang Teng stood while gripping his injured arm. Rage and humiliation twisted across his face as he struggled to accept what had just occurred.
At that moment, a calm voice echoed through the room.
"Senior Brother Wang Teng, calm down first."
Zhang Lin spoke gently, as if he were not standing in the middle of a deadly confrontation.
"If there is something to discuss, would it not be better to talk it out slowly?"
Those words eased the oppressive atmosphere slightly. However, before Wang Teng could reply, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed from the hall outside, drawing everyone's attention at once.
Zhang Lin tilted his head faintly and looked toward the entrance.
Soon after, the figure of a young girl appeared.
She had a slender frame and a delicate face like carved jade. Her long black hair flowed down to her waist. Deep crimson eyes reflected the lamplight like gemstones. Beneath her calm and reserved demeanor lurked an aura that was anything but ordinary.
Zhang Lin let out a soft sigh before speaking.
"What kind of day is this anyway. Why do nothing but troublesome people keep coming to find me. Do none of you spend time cultivating anymore?"
The girl standing at the doorway smiled politely.
"Senior Brother Zhang Lin."
Gu Lanyue spoke his name softly.
Behind her, Gu Yisheng stepped forward together with another black-haired young woman. The three stood side by side in calm silence, yet the moment they appeared, the spiritual energy throughout the room trembled faintly.
Gu Lanyue spoke gently.
"I thought Senior Brother might be facing some trouble, so I came to lend a hand. Consider it a way to clear up the misunderstandings between us from the past."
Zhang Lin chuckled quietly and shook his head slightly.
"You are the real troublemakers."
Gu Lanyue's smile did not fade. She raised her hand and opened her spatial ring. A soft green light flashed, and an emerald-green lotus slowly floated out. A pure aura spread throughout the room the moment it appeared.
"This is a small gift for Senior Brother Zhang Lin," she said sincerely.
Zhang Lin stared at the lotus for a moment. His heart began to pound without him realizing it. He could immediately tell that this was no ordinary treasure.
"Junior Sister, you should keep it for yourself. Something this precious, I cannot accept."
Gu Lanyue took a small step forward.
"I brought it specifically for you. Only for you."
Zhang Lin shook his head again.
"I cannot withstand its power. If I absorb it now, my body may collapse before anything else happens. Honestly, you should all leave. Otherwise, I will truly summon the Supreme Elder."
Those words caused the atmosphere to change instantly.
Wang Teng turned to look at Gu Lanyue, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Junior Sister Gu…"
Before he could finish speaking, an explosion suddenly erupted.
Gu Yisheng lunged forward without hesitation. His spiritual-energy-infused fist smashed straight toward Wang Teng.
Boom!
A violent shockwave swept through the hall. The ground cracked open, and the walls shook violently.
Zhang Lin hurriedly raised a talisman above his head. A translucent barrier of light spread out, sealing off the area.
Gu Lanyue let out a soft sigh.
"Honestly… I came with genuine intentions to talk things through."
Without hesitation, she activated a teleportation talisman in her hand. Spatial light wrapped around her body together with Gu Yisheng and the black-haired woman. In the blink of an eye, the three vanished.
On Wang Teng's side, he slowly brushed the dust from his sleeve. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"We will meet again, Junior Brother Zhang."
Zhang Lin let out a long sigh.
"I truly do not wish to see you again, Senior Brother Wang."
Wang Teng laughed softly and turned to leave with the two women at his side, leaving behind only the silence that gradually returned to the room.
Not long after, a woman's voice echoed from the void. It was gentle, yet carried unquestionable authority.
"Are you unharmed?"
Zhang Lin immediately clasped his hands and bowed.
"I am fine, Elder. But what about the guards outside. Are they all right?"
The woman's voice fell silent for a moment as she checked, before replying calmly.
"They are fine. Their injuries are not severe. Wang Teng has not reached the point of killing the gatekeepers."
Zhang Lin nodded in relief.
"Thank you, Elder."
Within the chamber, silence returned once more.