Chapter 663: The Lin Clan's Twin Stars
Qing Tan's heart‑wrenching sobs rolled down from the altar as everyone watched in stunned silence.
After so long seeing her bloody and ruthless methods, this was the first time they had ever witnessed such a fragile side of her.
Even the elders of the council stared in shock, while the two Supreme Elders in the sky glared darkly at the tall figure in green.
"Shadow Guard Lin Langtian… gone for two years, and he chooses this exact moment to return?"
"All right now, little girl, enough with the tears. Looks like those old fossils in the Elder Council are up to their tricks again, aren't they?"
Watching Qing Tan sob like a helpless child, Lin Langtian could only shake his head helplessly. His gaze swept over the rebellious elders, brow furrowing slightly.
He had spent enough time in the Northern Xuan Region to be very familiar with the filth inside the Dark Hall.
Clearly, Bo Xuan had ultimately failed to escape his fate, dying in his attempt to break through to Samsara.
Qing Tan had succeeded him as Palace Master, and just as in the original timeline, the Elder Council had seized the chance to rebel.
"Mm. After Master failed his tribulation, he passed the position to me. But those old men have never accepted it, and now they're trying to cause trouble in the middle of my ascension ceremony," Qing Tan said angrily, biting her lip.
"Hehe, don't worry. With Brother Dong and me here, no one is going to shake your position," Lin Langtian said, patting her head with a smile.
"That's right. No one bullies my little sister," Lin Dong added, eyes narrowing as a dangerous light flashed within them.
He had watched every word and move those two old bastards had directed at Qing Tan earlier. Just thinking about their treatment of her made killing intent surge in his heart.
At home, only their parents were allowed to scold her. Even he couldn't bear to raise his voice at her, let alone anyone else.
Who did those two decrepit relics think they were?
In terms of protectiveness, even Lin Langtian couldn't quite match Lin Dong.
"They're very strong," Qing Tan whispered. The two Supreme Elders were even more terrifying than Yuan Gate's Three Sect Masters had been.
"Your two elder brothers are stronger now," Lin Langtian replied.
He exchanged a glance with Lin Dong, both of them breaking into confident smiles.
Qing Tan blinked, then seeing the assurance in their eyes, felt warmth bloom in her chest. She nodded obediently.
"Shadow Guard, after all these years… you return now, and choose to wade into the Dark Hall's murky waters? Why?"
The two Supreme Elders frowned as they looked down at Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
Lin Langtian turned to face them, his expression indifferent. "As Shadow Guard, my duty is to protect the Palace Master.
"As for you two, your attempt to overthrow your superior within the Dark Hall is a capital offense. Surely you have not forgotten the law?"
Their faces tightened slightly at his words before they snorted.
"You are nothing but a mere Shadow Guard. What right do you have to judge us?
"And do you truly believe you are guarding the rightful Palace Master of the Dark Hall? She is a usurper and a traitor who murdered her master, nothing more!"
"Hmph. Two sharp‑tongued old dogs. You seemed to enjoy yourselves pushing her around earlier, didn't you?" Lin Dong said coldly, his gaze turning razor‑sharp.
"This is an internal affair of the Dark Hall," one of the Supreme Elders snapped when he saw how close Lin Dong and Qing Tan were. "Outsiders have no say here."
"Qing Tan is my little sister," Lin Dong replied, his smile turning as sharp as a blade.
The two elders stiffened, their expressions darkening further.
They had expected her to have some support from this so‑called cousin, Lin Langtian, but not a brother this frightening.
What kind of clan was this Lin Clan, to produce two such monstrous geniuses?
Lin Dong gave a faint laugh, killing intent flooding his eyes. "Once I get rid of you two old fossils, there'll be nothing left to explain."
"That is indeed the quickest way," Lin Langtian agreed with a nod.
The current chaos in the Dark Hall began and ended with these two. Without them, the rest would fall into line soon enough.
"Hmph! Two arrogant brats. Try it, then—see if you can kill us," one of the elders snarled.
They could sense that Lin Langtian and Lin Dong would not be easy to handle, but they still felt little fear.
They were Samsara‑stage experts—proud rulers of the realm.
Two years ago, Lin Langtian had only been at the Manifestation stage. How strong could he possibly be now?
And that boy who barely looked older than Qing Tan—what could he do?
"Is that so?"
Lin Dong's lips curled into a savage grin as he shot into the sky.
His hands clenched. Above, thunderclouds boiled together as terrifying lightning condensed within them.
Even the ambient yuan power was thrown into chaos.
Boom!
The Supreme Elders' auras exploded outward, seas of yuan power surging out around them with the oppressive weight of Samsara.
"Great Darkness Palm!"
Their hand seals flashed as they roared, striking first.
Two massive palms of pure darkness ripped through the sky, tearing space apart as they crashed down toward Lin Dong.
Lightning flashed in Lin Dong's eyes as he stepped forward.
Endless bolts of thunder answered his call, crashing down like divine punishment to smash into the incoming palms.
Blinding light filled the sky as raw lightning power devoured the black palms and blew them apart.
Swoosh!
The instant the palms shattered, Lin Dong's body turned into a spear of lightning that shot forward.
His fist blasted out, and a thunder dragon thousands of zhang long bellowed from his knuckles.
"Dark Shield!"
The Supreme Elders shouted as yuan power surged into a towering black shield in front of them. Samsara ripples flowed across its surface.
Crash!
The thunder dragon slammed into the Dark Shield. Lightning roared and raged, its destructive force gnawing away at the barrier.
Cracks webbed across its face in an instant before it shattered completely.
Sssht!
The moment the shield exploded, both elders' pupils shrank.
A figure had already appeared before them—wreathed in golden lightning, like a thunder dragon Kun roaring at the heavens.
Roar!
A golden thunder dragon claw tore through space and descended, casting a vast shadow over the two elders.
The oppressive force warped the very air.
With a shared roar of fury, they thrust out their palms, Samsara power surging until their hands glowed a bone‑white.
Thud!
Their palms crashed into the golden claw, sending a massive shockwave ripping across the sky.
Under countless horrified gazes, the Supreme Elders were blasted back a thousand zhang, falling into the plaza with enough force to smash a trench thousands of zhang long into the stone.
They staggered to their feet in the pit, swaying as they spat blood.
The Dark Plaza erupted into shocked cries.
Everyone who looked at Lin Langtian and Lin Dong did so with naked terror.
Who would have believed that the two Supreme Elders—both at the Samsara stage—would fall in a single exchange?
The elders of the council were deathly pale, dread flooding their hearts as their final trump cards were so easily broken.
A low hum rolled across the entire plaza as the leaders from every corner of the Northern Xuan Region stared, their faces frozen in awe.
"It's impossible…"
The words echoed in countless minds as their eyes fixed on the two figures standing in the air, framed by roaring thunder like gods of lightning.
What kind of monsters were these two?
In the pit, the Supreme Elders wiped the blood from their mouths, their faces ashen.
"Damn it!"
They gritted their teeth, but dared not meet Lin Langtian and Lin Dong's eyes. Instead, they glared up at Qing Tan.
"This is an internal matter of the Dark Hall," they snapped. "Yet you bring in outsiders.
"How can anyone accept you as Palace Master now?"
Qing Tan opened her mouth to reply, but Lin Langtian's cold voice cut in first.
"I am Qing Tan's Shadow Guard. How am I an outsider?
"On the other hand, you two have defied your superior. Don't tell me you've forgotten the penalty for that?"
"And Qing Tan is my sister," Lin Dong added, his tone like ice. "Only after that is she your Palace Master.
"You dared to bully her, and as her elder brother, I will see justice done.
"Don't think this will end peacefully today."
The elders flinched slightly.
After crossing blows with the brothers, they finally understood the gap between them.
Even together, they were no match for Lin Langtian or Lin Dong alone—let alone both.
"Don't get carried away. Did you really think the Dark Hall would be this easy to bully?" one of them said, his voice cold but unsteady.
He extended his hand. A black orb the size of a dragon's eye appeared in his palm, covered in countless tiny runes.
The orb rose into the air, malice thickening in the elders' eyes.
They spat a mouthful of blood onto it.
"We beseech the ancestral spirit!" they cried.
Black light erupted from the orb, slowly coalescing into a faint human shape.
The shadow had a tall, elegant form and a handsome, jade‑like face, though its eyes held little intelligence.
Even so, the pressure pouring off it was terrifying.
It had the power of a peak expert who had passed one Samsara Tribulation.
"Ancestral Spirit?!"
Cries of shock filled the plaza.
This was the Dark Hall's first Palace Master.
The moment the spirit appeared, the Dark Saint Scythe in Qing Tan's hand began trembling violently.
Her expression changed. She could feel an intense connection between the weapon and the spirit.
Clenching the scythe, she stared at the apparition. After a moment, understanding dawned in her eyes. "So this is the Dark Saint Scythe's spirit?"
The elders' faces twitched.
"I see. No wonder Master never spoke of the scythe spirit.
"So you stole it and kept it hidden all this time.
"You know that harboring a sacred artifact's spirit in secret is a grave crime, punishable by stripping you of your status," Qing Tan said coldly.
"Hmph. Watch your mouth, girl," one of them snapped.
At their mental command, the ancestral spirit flickered and appeared before Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
Waves of power exploded outward as it struck at them.
With the spirit tying them down, the elders themselves turned into shadows and shot toward Qing Tan, hoping to seize her before the brothers could react.
Qing Tan's eyes flashed. She was about to move—
But the air rippled before her, and a dragon claw shot out, colliding with the elders' attacks.
Sssht!
Blood sprayed as both elders screamed, tumbling back in disarray.
When they finally steadied themselves, they looked up and froze.
Lin Langtian now stood in front of Qing Tan, his face like ice.
"Brother Langtian, you…" she stammered, then glanced anxiously toward Lin Dong.
"Hehe, don't worry. Brother Dong can handle that thing," Lin Langtian said with a small smile.
"Did you really think this would be enough to stop me?" Lin Dong asked quietly.
He relaxed as he saw Lin Langtian block the elders, then turned his full attention to the spirit before him.
At the same time, Yan's amused voice sounded in his heart.
"Heh. As one artifact spirit to another, let me handle this little fellow."
(END CHAPTER)
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