Ba Siyu stroked his armrest, glanced at Li Xinnian, then looked at the profusely sweating Yun Manlou.
He already had a plan in mind.
"Patriarch Li, since you are under my command, you don't need to hide anything.
If affairs like the Shadowfell Prefecture Border Pass happen under my jurisdiction, I will personally take action and exterminate the deserters' nine generations."
Ba Siyu laughed.
"I've also heard about the matters at Silver Wolf Lake. I wonder which three from your Li Clan have come?
If the Azure Cloud Prefecture has sent out all its Void Refinement experts, and something happens back in the prefecture, wouldn't I become a sinner through the ages?"
Li Xinnian heard the probing in Ba Siyu's words.
Ba Siyu was indeed giving the Li Clan convenience; otherwise, with Dongfang Xuan acting recklessly at Silver Wolf Lake, he would have intervened long ago.
He also saw that Ba Siyu was weighing the pros and cons, and sighed inwardly,
"In the eyes of the world, the weak are prey to the strong. Even a mighty figure of the Body Integration realm cannot escape such clichés."
He immediately replied,
"Lord Ba, please rest assured. The Azure Cloud Prefecture is as secure as a fortress of gold and a moat of boiling water.
In the future, my Heavenly Ancestor Yunlin will personally bring the two seniors to pay you a visit, Lord Ba."
"Li Yunlin of the Li Clan, the Supreme Elder of the Skyveil Sect?!!"
Even a mighty figure like Ba Siyu couldn't help but exclaim, "He... he broke through to the Void Refinement realm?"
Even he had heard of Li Yunlin of the Li Clan.
The Li Clan produced geniuses, and this Li Yunlin's talent was exceptionally outstanding, arguably one of the very few in the current era.
This Li Yunlin had even obtained the inheritance of Ming Daozi. Who was Ming Daozi? He was a true talent for cultivating the Dao.
The Imperial Protectors Guard favored cultivators who were devoted solely to the Dao with a pure heart like his, and had long planned to invite Ming Daozi to join the Imperial Protectors Guard, potentially gaining another Body Integration mighty figure in the future.
But Ming Daozi ultimately stood on the wrong side, was used by Prince Qian, and perished at the hands of Zhuo Linlin.
Ming Daozi's inheritance thus fell into the hands of Li Yunlin.
Everyone in the world knew that even if the Li Clan's two Void Refinement experts perished at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, Li Yunlin would one day become the Li Clan's new foundation.
He just hadn't expected that Li Yunlin would quietly break through to the Void Refinement realm!
"Breaking through to the Void Refinement realm at under a thousand years old, possessing Ming Daozi's inheritance, and the Top-Grade Dharma Treasure, the Myriad Dao Bell, has also fallen into Li Yunlin's hands."
Ba Siyu weighed in his heart,
"Coupled with the inheritances of Tian Xing and the Zhao Clan, all falling upon Li Yunlin, only this could allow him to break through so quickly.
In such chaotic times, as long as he finds the right opportunities, he has a chance to break through to the Body Integration realm within the next millennium."
Reaching this point in his thoughts, Ba Siyu's gaze grew cold.
"Yun Manlou, do you have any evidence? Could it be that you're here just to amuse me?"
"I... I..."
Yun Manlou opened and closed his mouth, looking between Li Xinnian and Ba Siyu, surprisingly at a loss for words.
Ba Siyu said,
"Hmph! Patriarch Li is right. The treasured land of Silver Wolf Lake is merely lent to your Yun Clan for temporary residence; who says others cannot go there?
Over this matter, you forced unwarranted charges onto Patriarch Li's head.
Considering this is your first offense, I will not hold it against you."
"Now, get lost!"
Yun Manlou hurriedly took his leave, not daring to stay a moment longer.
But upon reaching the door, Li Xinnian followed closely behind, having returned to his refined appearance. "Prefecture Lord Yun, please wait."
"Pa... Patriarch Li." Yun Manlou lowered his head.
Li Xinnian spoke as if chatting about everyday family matters, but his words sent a bone-deep chill through Yun Manlou.
"I was the one who sent our family's Guest Elder. I just want to watch you act like rats, unable to lift your heads in front of my Li Clan."
"You..."
Yun Manlou stared blankly, his eyes wide.
Li Xinnian wasn't afraid to lay his cards on the table.
"I was waiting for you to come and file a complaint.
I want you to know that your position as Prefecture Lord and your Yun Clan mean absolutely nothing in front of my Azure Cloud Li Clan.
It's too late for repentance regarding what you did at the Shadowfell Prefecture Border Pass. I want you to live in despair."
"Let me tell you what will happen next. Your people will die one by one.
The people at Silver Wolf Lake will flee one by one; they will betray your Yun Clan, just as you betrayed my clan elder back then."
"Ba Siyu won't help you. Your Yun Clan will fight alone, constantly on guard against our Azure Cloud Li Clan."
"No one will save you. It's a pity that this time, no matter how cowardly you are, there is nowhere to run. There will no longer be a place for your Yun Clan in this world."
Seeing Yun Manlou's face full of terror and dripping with sweat.
Li Xinnian said sinisterly, "Rest assured, you won't die that quickly. I want you to watch the people around you die one by one—all those who were loyal to you, dying because of you."
"Of course, you can take a gamble now. You can slit your own throat and gamble on whether I will let your Yun Clan go after you die."
"But you don't dare, just as you don't dare to muster the courage to fight me to the death."
Having said his piece, Li Xinnian cast a disdainful glance at Yun Manlou, who was already like a walking corpse, and silently turned to leave.
Unfortunately, a coward is a coward; he only dared to watch him leave.
Li Xinnian licked his lips. "The blood of the Yun family is getting sweeter and sweeter."
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