Only then did Ge Chun realize just how fortunate it was to be an alchemist.
In front of Lin Ye, he didn't dare carry even the slightest arrogance.The reason he was still alive was simple: he still had value.
If he were like Shen Jun—nothing more than a symbol of status—Lin Ye's arrow would never have paused.
"I… I'm willing! I'm willing!"
Ge Chun nodded frantically, not even daring to think too long.
The moment he said it, the suffocating shadow of death finally retreated.
Lin Ye withdrew the Gale-Breaking Crossbow.
"Take him back. The rest of you—come with me to Azure Thunder Sword Sect."
To Azure Thunder Sword Sect?
Leng Ruo and the others all shuddered.
Was Lin Ye planning to march straight into the enemy's mountain gate?
That was madness.
Azure Thunder Sword Sect was a peak-tier sect with deep foundations and long inheritance. It wasn't something one could topple casually. Even with Lin Ye's terrifying strength, they didn't believe the current force was enough.
"宗主…" Leng Ruo stepped forward, intending to advise restraint.
Lin Ye merely raised a hand, stopping her.
"No need to plan long-term.I have a sword. I only need to kill."
Then his gaze turned cold.
"Handle everything here immediately."
Leng Ruo exchanged glances with the others. They didn't dare disobey.
Dangerous as it was… if they succeeded, Fenglei Xuanzong would soar like the sun at noon—becoming the undisputed number one sect in Fenglei Riverlands.
They quickly freed the captured miners and guards, treated the wounded, and reorganized the camp.
Lin Ye collected the storage rings from the dead and inspected them one by one.Spirit stones, herbs, valuables—he stripped them clean.
Inside Shen Jun's ring, he found the cultivation method Azure Gang Wild Thunder Force.
He flipped through it briefly.
This wasn't a hidden shock-force technique—it was pure, open power. If cultivated to completion, it could become brutally domineering.
But Shen Jun's talent had been pathetic. He hadn't even reached a tenth of its true potential.
Waste.
Lin Ye tossed the manuals toward Leng Ruo.
"These are Azure Thunder Sword Sect's top secret scrolls…"
Leng Ruo stared, stunned. Alongside Azure Gang Wild Thunder Force, there was also a full-volume Azure Thunder Sword Art.
In most sects, these kinds of lethal high-tier methods were guarded like treasures. The upper ranks hoarded them because they feared disciples surpassing them.
A system of deliberate limitation.
Even within sects, power was always divided, never fully given.
But Lin Ye… didn't even blink.
"Take them. Whoever can cultivate them, cultivate them," Lin Ye said casually."You people are too weak. I'm not going to personally clean up every mess forever."
Leng Ruo finally understood.
Lin Ye could be sect master not merely because his cultivation was high—but because his mindset was higher still.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
Leng Ruo bowed deeply, sincerely.
Ge Chun's arrows were removed. His wounds were treated.
The entire incident felt like a nightmare carved into his bones.
A peak master escorted him back. Under Lin Ye's shadow, Ge Chun would never dare escape—unless one day he heard Lin Ye had fallen.
Mining operations were temporarily suspended. Everyone withdrew to a nearby town to rest. Arrangements would be made after the situation stabilized.
Night fell.
Four Wind-Thunder Eagles rose into the sky and screamed through the clouds.
To reach Azure Thunder Sword Sect, they would pass through Thunder River City, and so they planned to rest there for the night.
After all, Azure Thunder Sword Sect lay another six hundred li away. Even Wind-Thunder Eagles needed recovery.
The one who had chopped off Shen Jun's head was Zhang Jichun, peak master of Little Bamboo Peak. He had done it to avenge a brother who had been crippled by Azure Thunder Sword Sect days earlier.
His hatred ran bone-deep.
The other peak master was Shi Youcai.
Having witnessed Lin Ye's overwhelming power twice, all three had begun to revere him.
At first, they feared Lin Ye would seize Fenglei Xuanzong and turn it into chaos—a tyrant ruling by fear.
But instead, Lin Ye led them into actions they had never dared.
Crossing lines they had never even touched.
In the past, sect wars had "limits."Unless it was blood hatred, enemies usually left each other a way out.
Lin Ye didn't.
Enemy meant enemy.
Mercy meant future retaliation.
This kind of ruthless clarity was precisely why Zhang Jichun now supported Lin Ye without hesitation.
Thunder River City
The arrival of Lin Ye and three peak masters left Lei Yongbiao pale.
Four Wind-Thunder Eagles alone were enough to shake the entire city.
But at the same time, it reassured everyone.
In recent days, news of distant cities being attacked had spread. Though far away, fear traveled faster than armies.
Now, seeing Wind-Thunder Eagles above their skies meant Fenglei Xuanzong's high-ranking power had arrived.
They could breathe again.
"Branch Hall Master Lei Yongbiao greets the three peak masters—and Lord Lin Ye!"
Zhang Jichun's face immediately darkened.
"Insolent! How dare you directly speak the sect master's name!"
Lei Yongbiao's legs went weak. He dropped to his knees before Lin Ye on the spot.
"Sect… sect master?!"
He thought he had misheard.
He knew Lin Ye.He knew the peak masters.
But Lin Ye had become… sect master?!
Lin Ye waved a hand impatiently.
"Enough. Get up. Rest. We leave before dawn."
"Yes…"
Leng Ruo and the others also bowed with new respect—not merely fear now, but recognition.
Lin Ye returned to his Bamboo Elegance Courtyard, where Xiao Xue had been keeping everything in order.
"Master, you're back!"
She hurried forward.
"These days the three major families of Golden Dragon City have almost worn out our doorstep. They come every day—dozens of times—begging to meet you."
"Oh."
Lin Ye's expression barely changed.
"Let them come."
Xiao Xue nodded and rushed off.
By dusk, the three representatives arrived with their spirit stones. The moment they saw Lin Ye, they nearly cried.
"Lord Lin Ye… we finally found you!"
Trying to give money had never been so difficult.
Lin Ye sipped the tea Xiao Xue handed him.
"Leave the stones. Anything else?"
One man stepped forward, clearly chosen as spokesman.
"Lord Lin Ye… we heard Wang Shu acts under your command. We beg you—please show mercy. Leave our three clans a path to live."
Lin Ye didn't even blink.
"That's easy. Golden Dragon City will belong to Fenglei Xuanzong from now on. I'll send people to manage the transition."
The three men froze.
It sounded like things had changed.Yet… it also sounded like nothing changed at all.
At least Fenglei Xuanzong wouldn't drain them like the Murong Clan had.
Lin Ye told Xiao Xue to relay the order—Lei Yongbiao would inform Wang Shu in Golden Dragon City, while Wen Lang would coordinate the sect's takeover.
Night.
As Lin Ye cultivated, he could clearly feel the Nine Revolutions Shura Art spinning faster.
"It seems… Shura cultivation requires killing to nourish the heart."
Lin Ye's eyes cooled.
Perhaps living peacefully, cultivating quietly… was never going to be possible.