Yao Jun followed the sounds of the commotion and quickly arrived by the sandy martial field of the Pan clan, the commotion coming from a group of people gathered close to the seating area that surrounded the large stone stage. Yao Jun's cold gaze swept over the group of arguing people, recognizing most of them.

On one side he saw the leaders of the Pan clan, the green-eyed and black-haired Pan Huisu as well as the auburn-haired and green-eyed Pan Long, as well as a few other clan members who seemed to have some rank. On the other side, he recognized the blue-eyed and violet-haired Lin Shuyen, the golden-eyed and blue-haired Lin Voyun, as well as several people from the Lin clan who were clad in full armour.

Pan Long's injuries had yet to be fully healed by Yao Jun so he was still only at the middle-stage of the Earthly Deity realm, meaning that the late-stage Lin Voyun was the strongest person present. This meant that, in theory, there should be nothing stopping him from getting what he wanted here. But to Yao Jun's surprise, Lin Shuyen seemed to be on the side of Pan Long and the others, sitting on the ground with crossed legs and a stubborn expression, her uncle clearly not certain how to handle her. The place he arrived was pretty close to them so Yao Jun was able to pick up their conversations, Lin Voyun sounding extremely exasperated.

"Come on now, Little Yen, didn't I already promise that we'll just take them back to the clan for some questions if they're really hiding here? I really can't promise more than that so can't you cooperate with me? Think of the clan and what's best for us."

Lin Voyun took half a step forward as he spoke, Pan Long and the others wincing slightly and stepping to the side as if they were trying to shield something. Lin Shuyen didn't bother with her uncle's exasperated pleading, crossing her arms and remaining seated.

"I refuse. Tell me, Uncle, does the entire worth of our clan lie within our bloodline? It's not just me, a large portion of the younger generation is starting to worry that you don't care one whit about our efforts, only our bloodlines. Are we really so pathetic that our own effort can't overcome a degraded bloodline? Are we worse than the countless normal cultivators that have risen to fame from nothing? Answer me, Uncle."

Lin Shuyen's words made it clear that the news about the Lin clan's degraded bloodline had spread properly thanks to Yao Jun's actions. And from the looks of it, there were at least some of the clansmen who weren't quite pleased with how the higher-ups of the clan seemed to value the purity of the bloodline so highly, seemingly attributing the entire success of the clan to just their bloodline.

Lin Voyun's expression was a bit cramped in the face of Lin Shuyen's questioning, she was only in her early fifties and thus still no more than a child. How was he supposed to explain the finer points of the relationship between them and their allied clans to a mere child? How could she possibly understand the value a bloodline held when it came to forming alliances and making deals?

He was scratching the back of his head and was just about to start pleading once more when space behind Pan Long and the others suddenly started to shimmer. A large slit in space appeared, revealing a small area that had been hidden away, a separate space opened on top of the already existing space. And out from this slit stepped the human forms of Little Gray, Sirius, Ba-Shei, Zhuyin, Zhuanxu, and Du Xiao, as well as Guo Luo and the other humans that Yao Jun had left behind. Lin Voyun's pupils narrowed sharply at the scene, his focus shifting away from his niece.

"I knew it, you really were hidi...?"

Lin Voyun cut himself off before he could finish talking, a sliver of vigilance rising in him as he saw Little Gray and the other human-formed beasts drop to a kneeling position. If they were going to beg for their lives then they wouldn't have bothered hiding for so long so he guessed that they were planning something else. And his vigilance was quickly proven correct, Ba-Shei and the others lowering their heads reverently and speaking out as one.

"Congratulations on your rebirth, we have been eagerly awaiting your return!"

Lin Voyun couldn't explain it, but those words sent an unearthly chill down his spine, a terrifying sense of foreboding and fear appearing in his mind and heart. He quickly turned his head, Lin Shuyen and the others following his gaze, all of them spotting the youth that was walking over with an eerily calm expression.

Beautiful violet hair that cascaded down to just beneath his shoulders, ghastly grey eyes that pierced straight through them, smooth and delicate features, and a black robe with silver lines running up the sleeves. He didn't radiate the slightest ounce of power and gave one the impression that he was no more than a mortal scholar, but his appearance was no more or less than a death sentence to all living beings that woke his ire.

Lin Shuyen's eyes lit up and Lin Voyun's pupils shrank until they could barely be seen, the hair on his skin standing on end. His body involuntarily took a step back, the pain of losing his legs to Yao Jun was still fresh in his mind, they would still be gone if it hadn't been for the clan using several excellent medicines. His finger immediately moved to trace his interspatial ring, a slightly unsteady voice leaking out.

"You've fin...finally shown yourself! You have to have been the one who lea...GH!"

His words were cut short when Yao Jun suddenly appeared in front of him, his hand shooting forward and grabbing onto Lin Voyun's face. He grabbed his face so tightly that the bones within Lin Voyun's nose practically disintegrated as it was crushed flat, Yao Jun lifting him up with one arm.

"Quiet. You'll scare my daughter if you speak so loudly."

Lin Voyun tried to fight back but found himself unable to do a single thing while trapped in Yao Jun's grasp, each move he tried to make brought forth a stabbing pain within his very soul. Trapped within that grasp, he understood one truth very clearly, the youth that had taken his legs despite being trapped by the great array was now capable of easily killing him.

At the same time, he also understood exactly why they had lost contact with two outposts just after the news about the bloodline were leaked. The god of death had awoken and stepped onto his warpath, and that silence was his declaration of war. Yao Jun lowered Lin Voyun and dragged him along as he stepped past Pan Long and the others, crouching down in front of the teary-eyed Yao Xuelian and using his free hand to pinch her nose.

"Look at you, you're almost a blubbering mess. Did you miss me while I was out for a trip, and have you made sure to be nice to Mama while I wasn't here? I'd hate to have to spank you right after coming back."

Yao Xuelian let out a mixture of sobs and laughter as Yao Jun pinched her nose, quickly sucking in as many breaths as she could to draw back all her tears. To Yao Jun it had been no more than a few days, but to them it had been over a year, the wait was far worse for them than it was for him. She did her best to get her tears under control, smiling brightly at Yao Jun while waving her fists.

"Of course I've been good, I'm Papa's daughter after all! I asked Aunty Zhuyin and the others to teach me how to fight, so now I can beat up anyone trying to bully Mama!"

Yao Xuelian completely ignored the fact that Guo Luo was far stronger than she was, in the absence of her father it fell on her to protect her mother. Yao Jun returned the smile, the eerie calm that pervaded the entire area vanishing for a second. He stood up and rubbed her rainbow-coloured hair, causing her to giggle happily.

"It's good that you've been good, but there's no need for you to fight. If I do something that forces my little girl to fight then I'll have failed as a Papa and deserve to get beaten by Mama, don't you think so?"

Yao Jun looked at Yao Xuelian with a soft expression for a bit before taking his eyes away from her, glancing at the Lin clan members that were shivering behind him. His hand let go of Lin Voyun's face and allowed him to drop to the ground, an oppressive feeling of intense dread bearing down on all the members of the Lin clan.

"Leave, I don't want to shed blood after finally meeting my daughter. Lin Voyun, I want you to bring a message to your patriarch and ancestor. I'm coming for you, and there is no soul in existence that can stop me from sinking my fangs into your throats."

Lin Voyun grimaced at Yao Jun's words, initially wanting to refute them or at least put up an act of proud resistance. But he knew that it was futile, he was no longer someone who had that right. This was Yao Jun's one act of mercy, and he had a feeling that it would be the last one that Yao Jun ever showed the Lin clan.

Lin Voyun picked himself up from the ground and hurried over to the other Lin clan members, casting a look at Lin Shuyen to make her follow. But it was to no avail, her eyes were fully locked on Yao Jun, burning with splendour he had never before seen in his niece. She completely ignored him and forced him to realize that there was no way she was returning to the Lin clan with him, she had already found the perfect teacher.

Lin Voyun and the others were forced to scurry away like beaten dogs, Pan Long and the others not even daring to breathe too loudly just yet. Lin Shuyen also remained silent, Yao Jun turning his sorrow-filled gaze onto Yang Yuhuan. She could tell from his expression, she knew that the expected and feared outcome had indeed happened, her expression distorting with pain as her voice involuntarily leaked out.

"...Why is it just you?"