Chapter 53

Lin Xi raised his head and saw that the Great Elder was not far away, directing the Five Thunder Sect disciples to tidy up the mountain. At the same time, not far from there, the Sixth Elder, Han Shizhong, had also arrived at Lieryang Mountain, hesitating and pacing back and forth.

This cunning old fox, after witnessing Lin Xi's brutal methods, had also developed a sense of fear.

"Senior Han, come over here."

Lin Xi's mind turned, and he first called over the Sixth Elder, Han Shizhong.

Hearing Lin Xi's voice, Han Shizhong's body visibly trembled. However, this time, he did not hesitate and walked over directly.

"Senior Han Shizhong greets the Sect Leader!"

Han Shizhong knelt on both knees, assuming a posture of submission to the Sect Leader.

At this moment and place, his life was completely in Lin Xi's hands. Lin Xi, who could kill thousands of Lieryang Sect disciples, would certainly not hesitate to kill him.

Lin Xi stared at Han Shizhong, examining him carefully without saying a word.

Han Shizhong kept his head down, not speaking, but his palms were sweating.

A fox can tease a wild wolf, but it cannot play with a lion!

Previously, the Five Thunder Sect was threatened by the Lieryang Sect. Lin Xi, having just been crowned Sect Leader, hastily left Wulei Mountain without paying attention to him. But now, the Chilian Sect was dead, and there was no longer any threat to the Five Thunder Sect.

The current Lin Xi had the power of life and death, and his need for Han Shizhong was not as urgent as before. Moreover, although the Five Thunder Sect had lost many disciples, it was easy to imagine how many martial artists would want to join the Five Thunder Sect after today.

"Senior Han Shizhong, you are not a loyal person. Tell me, how can I trust you?"

Lin Xi said in a deep voice.

The Great Elder had clearly brought Han Shizhong here to use the momentum of defeating the Chilian Sect to intimidate this cunning man.

Han Shizhong was capable, but precisely because of this, he needed to be intimidated and disciplined.

For such a smart person, any strategy or appeasement would be futile. Playing mind games with him would be like showing off one's skills in front of an expert. The only way to deal with such a smart person was to use force and beat him down!

Therefore, Lin Xi, upon meeting him, went straight to the point.

Han Shizhong broke out in a cold sweat.

Lin Xi's threat was very clear: I want to trust you, but you are not loyal. If this issue is not resolved, I will kill you!

"Sect Leader, Han Shizhong has no intention of betrayal..."

Han Shizhong prostrated himself on the ground, his face full of fear and respect.

Lin Xi remained expressionless, just watching him silently.

Han Shizhong's cold sweat flowed again, and he gritted his teeth:

"Han Shizhong swears loyalty to the Sect Leader and can write a blood oath as proof. If I betray in the future, I will surely be disgraced and ruined. Moreover, if the Sect Leader is not at ease, Han Shizhong can be exiled for ten years to manage secular affairs and recruit disciples, to atone for my sins."

In the world of sects, a written oath might be useful in the secular world, but in the sect world, its effect was much less significant. However, once a blood oath was written and a palm print was pressed as a token of loyalty, if Han Shizhong were to rebel in the future, he would indeed be disgraced and ruined. No sect or clan in the sect world would accept such a fickle person.

Moreover, Han Shizhong was a smart person who understood that his talent in managing secular affairs and handling sect trivialities was the only thing that Lin Xi valued. Therefore, he volunteered to be exiled and manage the sect's business to atone for his sins.

Lin Xi nodded inwardly. The Five Thunder Sect was in a state of disarray, and Han Shizhong could not be killed. Calling him over was mainly to discipline and establish authority, to calm his cunning mind.

Moreover, such a cunning person, Lin Xi did not feel at ease keeping within the sect.

"Let it be this way. Manage the sect's affairs outside, and if you perform well, you don't have to wait ten years; I will naturally call you back to the mountain. Furthermore, as long as you put your heart at ease and remain loyal to the sect, all kinds of benefits will naturally not be lacking for you. — I remember you are still at the Golden Body stage. With enough Ninth Rank Beast Pills or Tenth Rank Beast Pills, advancing to the Dragon Power stage or Thunder Roar stage is not impossible."

Lin Xi said indifferently.

The carrot and the stick, along with sweet words, were methods that could be used universally.

One-sided oppression or favoritism were both biased. Only a balance of both could win people's hearts.

Hearing Lin Xi hint that he might grant him Ninth Rank Beast Pills or Tenth Rank Beast Pills, Han Shizhong's heart trembled violently. For a person like him, wealth or power had much less appeal.

Nothing was more attractive to him than powerful martial strength.

No one understood better than Han Shizhong that so-called power and wealth were all based on powerful martial strength. The former two were empty, while the latter was solid and eternal.

"Thank you, Sect Leader!"

Han Shizhong prostrated himself, appearing devout. Even though he knew Lin Xi was trying to win him over, such temptation was irresistible.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and Han Shizhong raised his head:

"By the way, Sect Leader, when the Lieryang Sect disciples scattered, I captured a Holy Maiden of the Lieryang Sect. She seems to know many secrets. Should we bring her in for questioning?"

"What?!"

Lin Xi was greatly surprised, his pupils contracting sharply:

"Bring her up."

Soon, two of Han Shizhong's true disciples brought a young woman dressed in golden flame-white attire.

"Go and pay respects to the Sect Leader."

The two Five Thunder Sect disciples pushed the Holy Maiden, saying harshly.

The Lieryang Sect Holy Maiden was half-naked, her figure graceful, and her white skin faintly visible, quite alluring. To be a Holy Maiden, she naturally had some strength.

However, with Lin Xi and several elders present, there was no fear of her escaping.

"Li Manman greets Sect Leader Lin."

The woman prostrated herself on the ground, trembling, not daring to look at Lin Xi.

The current Lin Xi was like a killing god, exuding a strong bloody aura. The Lieryang Sect was a major sect with nearly ten thousand disciples. But under Lin Xi's hands, killing was as easy as slaughtering chickens.

How could she not be afraid?

Lin Xi looked down at the Lieryang Sect Holy Maiden, his eyes cold:

"Where is Long Danni?"

Apart from the Chilian Sect, Long Danni was the second woman he hated on Lieryang Mountain.

"Long Danni has returned to the Long Family."

Li Manman did not dare to hide anything.

"What?"

Lin Xi's pupils contracted: "The Long Family?"

"Reporting to Sect Leader Lin, although Long Danni is listed under our Lieryang Sect, she is not actually a disciple of the Lieryang Sect. She comes from the Long Family and was sent to our Lieryang Sect by them. Before the incident, she was called back by her family."

Li Manman paused, noticing Lin Xi's icy gaze, and quickly explained:

"The Long Family is an extremely secretive clan, all members surnamed Long. Although they are not well-known outside, they are extremely feared and terrifying in the sect world. I heard that the Long Family has a Qi Condensation Realm expert as a guardian. They also have connections with the legendary immortal sects, making them extremely powerful. They are an existence that ordinary sects dare not provoke. I know nothing more."

"The Long Family?..."

Lin Xi frowned, having never heard of such a clan before. However, the world of Qi Condensation experts was inherently isolated from the secular sects, so it was normal not to have heard of them.

Lin Xi did not notice that the Great Elder, upon hearing the Long Family, raised an eyebrow, deep in thought. However, since Lin Xi was interrogating, the Great Elder did not say more.

"I have one more question."

Lin Xi's eyes flashed with a hint of pain, hesitating for a moment, he said:

"How did my aunt die?"

Li Manman's fingers trembled, knowing this was the true purpose of Lin Xi's questioning. The death of the Five Thunder Sect's Third Elder was what caused this young man to suddenly go mad and kill so many Lieryang Sect disciples.

However, in the current situation, she had no choice but to speak.

"Elder Lin... Elder Lin was injured by a mysterious Qi Condensation Realm expert from the Long Family using a strange spell."

Li Manman immediately recounted the events as she knew them.

It turned out that the Lieryang Sect secretly served a hidden Qi Condensation Family. This family was the Long Family. In exchange, the Long Family sent Long Danni to the Lieryang Sect to monitor their every move.

The maids and old women Lin Xi saw on Wulei Mountain were not Lieryang Sect disciples but servants who had served Long Danni in the Long Family.

This also explained why these old women had such high cultivation.

The relationship between the Long Family and the Lieryang Sect was extremely secret, not wanting outsiders to know. Therefore, Long Danni used the Lieryang Sect's secret techniques and did not use the Long Family's own techniques.

According to Li Manman, the Long Family was very interested in the supreme techniques of the ancient Holy Emperor. The Five Thunder Sect's Third Elder, Lin Ruyun, was kidnapped to the Lieryang Sect because of this.

Even the cooperation between the Lieryang Sect and Meng Jun was partly due to this.

Lin Xi's mother had disappeared, his father had died, and Lin Xi himself seemed like a useless person, not at all like someone who had obtained a treasure. Therefore, the Third Elder, Lin Ruyun, became the last person in the know.

When Lin Ruyun was kidnapped to the Lieryang Sect, she initially cursed loudly. But when she learned that their target was the Holy Emperor's treasure, she immediately showed great surprise, which did not seem fake.

However, the Qi Condensation expert sent by the Long Family clearly did not believe her. He forcibly used a spell to search her soul and memories. This spell could reveal all the target's memories, but the consequences were severe, potentially causing serious damage to the soul, leading to a state akin to death.

"What? You mean my aunt is not completely dead, and there is still hope?!"

Lin Xi's heart trembled violently, and he suddenly stood up, his face full of disbelief.

"Yes. Elder Lin's injuries were already present before she came to Lieryang Mountain. Her injuries were not fatal. The real reason was the soul-searching spell used by the Qi Condensation expert..."

Li Manman said, knowing that her life depended on this moment.

Lin Xi's heart was agitated, his emotions fluctuating wildly. He could no longer contain himself and, with a thud, leaped to the mountain peak.

Thud!

Lin Xi landed on the mountain peak like a meteor, and in a blink, he entered the Lieryang Sect's main hall. Inside the hall, an iron coffin was emitting a cold aura, and the Third Elder, Lin Ruyun, lay inside, motionless.