Nangong Xu’s sword never reached Lin Mo.
Before it could land, Lin Nantian and Lin Zhan simultaneously intervened, blocking the attack.
“Boy from the Nangong family, do you realize whose territory you’re in? Are you seeking death?”
Lin Nantian had fully returned to his role as the head of the Lin family.
At this moment, his fury knew no bounds.
The pressure of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator locked Nangong Xu in place, leaving him completely immobilized.
The Lin family still followed Lin Nantian’s command.
With one decisive move, Lin family cultivators encircled Nangong Xu’s people, trapping them in place.
Only now did Nangong Xu finally snap back to reality—he had completely forgotten that this was the Lin family’s domain.
“Patriarch Lin, are you truly planning to make an enemy of us?” Nangong Xu asked through gritted teeth.
Lin Nantian’s expression remained cold.
“You were the one who struck first. Even if it means war with the Nangong family and Xuanming Hall, I can kill you where you stand.”
His killing intent surged—he wasn’t joking.
“Senior Sister…”
Jiang Yanzhen pulled on the white-clothed girl’s sleeve, clearly seeking her intervention.
The white-clothed girl understood what her ‘disciple’ wanted—she was just about to step in when Lin Mo spoke first.
“Grandfather, just let them get lost.”
Lin Mo was not a reckless person.
However, just now, he had been completely consumed by emotion.
For the first time, he had fully immersed himself in the memories of the original Lin Mo, feeling his pain, betrayal, and humiliation as if it were his own.
That was why he had reacted so intensely.
Although the verbal beatdown felt incredibly satisfying, his grudge with Nangong Xu and Jiang Yanzhen was a personal one.
If they actually fought, and Lin Nantian killed Nangong Xu, then this grudge would escalate into a full-scale war between noble families.
The Lin family was not yet capable of going against the Nangong and Jiang families.
Not to mention, both of them had backing from first-grade immortal sects.
Lin Mo would not allow the Lin family to suffer just because he was angry.
The white-clothed girl’s gaze lingered on Lin Mo once more.
Such intelligence and restraint…
What a pity. Truly a pity.
The Nangong and Jiang families left together.
Before leaving, Nangong Xu gave Lin Mo a deep, venomous stare—his killing intent was unmistakable.
But Lin Mo didn’t care.
Today was just a small episode.
At the very least, he now knew Jiang Yanzhen’s true nature.
Still, in his moment of anger, he had forgotten to demand more compensation from Jiang Yanzhen.
That was a serious loss.
Lin Mo’s gaze turned cold again.
Forget it. When I enter the Demonic Beast Secret Realm, I’ll personally take back what’s mine.
All eyes were on Lin Mo.
But unlike before, many younger Lin family members now looked at him with genuine respect and fear.
Just recalling the pressure he exuded while questioning Jiang Yanzhen sent shivers down their spines.
Even some Lin family elders couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.
Lin Nantian’s birthday celebration ended on this strange, heavy note.
That Night Lin Nantian summoned Lin Mo and Lin Zhan to his private chambers.
Inside the dimly lit room, the flickering candlelight cast long shadows, reflecting the grave expressions on Lin Nantian and Lin Zhan’s faces.
Before either of them could even ask, Lin Mo spoke first.
“Just ask whatever you want.”
Lin Zhan was the first to break the silence.
“Mo’er, what exactly is your cultivation realm?”
He couldn’t make sense of it.
Why, when Lin Mo had been angry earlier, had even he felt an instinctive sense of dread?
Even he, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, had struggled to move under that pressure.
Lin Nantian had also been pondering this question.
He himself hadn’t felt anything physically restraining him, but he knew that his grandson’s presence was far more domineering than that of some Nascent Soul cultivators.
Aside from the possibility that Lin Mo was hiding his true cultivation, they could think of no other explanation.
Lin Mo, however, did not answer directly.
Instead, he countered with a question of his own.
“Father, Grandfather, have either of you ever heard of the Flawless Golden Core?”
Lin Zhan and Lin Nantian exchanged confused glances.
Then, both shook their heads simultaneously.
Lin Mo wasn’t surprised.
His system had already told him:
In this entire world, he was the first and only cultivator to possess a Flawless Golden Core.
“Father, Grandfather, you can consider the quality of my Golden Core to be beyond the ninth grade,” Lin Mo explained in a simpler way.
Lin Nantian and Lin Zhan were both shocked.
Throughout the entire cultivation world, those who had formed a ninth-grade Golden Core were few and far between.
Among them were the founder of the Lingjian Sect, the sword fanatic; Gu Qianxue, the Palace Master of the Ice Palace; and Chu Tiange, the sealed old ancestor of the Demon Realm, who had also formed a ninth-grade Demon Core.
As for others, they were unknown.
It was well known that those great figures had once formed ninth-grade Golden Cores, and every single one of them had eventually become a dominant powerhouse.
Then what kind of terrifying existence would someone with a Golden Core beyond the ninth grade become in the future?
They had no doubts about Lin Mo’s words.
First of all, Lin Mo had no reason to deceive them. They had already sensed his presence—despite being in the early Golden Core stage, his aura was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
If Lin Mo’s Golden Core was not beyond the ninth grade, they could think of no other explanation.
Lin Mo only intended to reveal this much. As for his physique, spiritual roots, and his cultivation in demonic arts, he had no plans to disclose them.
Even when facing his closest family, he had to be cautious.
Perhaps his family would never intentionally reveal his secret, but what if they encountered a cultivator capable of extracting memories and were forced to expose it?
After all, this was the cultivation world, filled with countless unknown dangers.
He had to act prudently.
Lin Mo also knew that his grandfather, Lin Nantian, wanted to return to the Lin family in the Upper Realm.
But now was not the time. At his current strength, he still could not ensure his own survival in the Upper Realm. Who knew whether the Lin family there would welcome or be hostile toward him?
After sharing his thoughts with his father and grandfather, Lin Nantian agreed that there was no rush.
With his grandson’s extraordinary talent, returning to the Upper Realm was only a matter of time.
Moreover, now that Lin Mo had given him a fifth-grade longevity pill, he no longer had to worry about his lifespan.
Back in his room, Lin Mo could finally stop worrying about his parents’ well-being.
His grandfather, Lin Nantian, was still the head of the family, and his father had regained his strength. At the very least, his family would no longer be suppressed by the clan.
Originally, the previous host of this body had joined Qingling Sect to use it as a backing for his parents.
But now that the family’s issue was resolved, Lin Mo naturally began to consider leaving Qingling Sect.
After all, he had been disgusted by most of the people there during this time. He had no idea how the original host had managed to make everyone on Qingzhu Peak so kind.
In the following days, with Lin Zhan’s hidden injuries healed and Lin Nantian learning about his grandson’s capabilities, he naturally accepted Gu Ningxin as his daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, Lin Zhan gradually took over various affairs within the family.
Of course, the elders of the Lin family had no reason to oppose Lin Nantian’s decision.
After all, in terms of both seniority and strength, Lin Zhan still held considerable influence within the Lin family.
On the other hand, Nangong Xu also delivered the compensation Lin Mo had demanded on the second day.
Lin Mo did not take a single portion of it for himself, instead allocating all of it to the Lin family’s reserves to strengthen the family’s overall power.
After all, those resources were of little use to him personally.
And because of this decision, Lin Mo won the favor of many within the Lin family, including its elders.
At the end of the day, those elders—like Lin Nantian—simply wished for the Lin family to grow stronger and return to the main branch in the Upper Realm as soon as possible.
