Thinking of Qu Ruyan’s true identity, Lin Mo said directly, “You should also join a sect, take on a few new disciples and train them through some experiences—maybe you’ll run into someone special too.”

Lin Tian looked completely confused. “What does finding a spirit pet have to do with what you just said?”

Seeing that Lin Mo wasn’t interested in replying, Lin Tian sensibly shut his mouth and obediently stepped to the side.

On the other side, Chen Sheng also noticed the situation near Qu Ruyan. He couldn’t help but be surprised—despite clearly having a numerical advantage, they were being held back by just one pet.

Still, he knew his main target was always Lin Mo.

He secretly transmitted a voice message to two of his Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators: “In a moment, I want you two to go all out to hold back Lin Nantian. I’ll take that little brat’s life myself.”

Sure enough, Lin Nantian immediately sensed that the opponent’s attacks were becoming more intense.

In a moment of distraction, Chen Sheng managed to slip past him.

Realizing that Chen Sheng was aiming for Lin Mo, Lin Nantian shouted in alarm. “Not good!”

Unfortunately, the two opponents in front of him suddenly fought like their lives depended on it—their attacks growing even more ruthless, making it impossible for him to break free.

At the same time, the rest of the Chen family also realized Chen Sheng’s plan and did everything they could to pin down the Lin family members.

For the moment, no one was in a position to stop Chen Sheng’s assault.

“Chen brat, you despicable coward!” Lin Nantian roared in fury.

Seeing this, Gu Ningxin intended to activate the power of her ring.

But Lin Mo was faster—he stepped forward to confront the attack.

“You little brat, you’ve got guts,” Chen Sheng said with immense excitement. To him, Lin Mo’s action was practically suicidal.

Everyone on the Lin family’s side was stunned.

Lin Tian shouted anxiously, “Uncle Lin Mo, don’t act on impulse! I know you’re strong, but that’s the Chen family head, Chen Sheng—he’s at Nascent Soul mid-stage!”

Gu Qingxue was worried too, but deep down she knew Lin Mo was not someone who acted recklessly.

From her time with him, she understood that he was exceptionally strong and had a calm, steady nature.

If he was charging forward, it meant he was confident in what he was doing.

At that moment, Gu Ningxin also steadied herself. Although she was now in human form, her eyesight was still sharp.

She was still tightly holding onto Lin Mo’s mother and said, “Big Brother Lin Mo is very strong.”

The moment Lin Mo drew his sword, she could already see how refined his swordsmanship was.

Despite using a Xuan-grade technique, the power he unleashed was on par with a Di-grade one.

Chen Sheng watched as Lin Mo swung his sword and saw hundreds of sword auras coming at him. He remained highly confident.

How powerful could a Golden Core early-stage sword strike really be?

With his Nascent Soul late-stage spiritual energy, even a small portion would be more than enough, and any scattered attacks wouldn’t amount to much.

To him, this move was all show and no substance.

So, he didn’t even bother countering with a technique—he planned to block it with just his body’s protective spiritual aura.

He was convinced that Lin Mo’s sword strike would feel no heavier than a drizzle against his aura.

Then came a series of deafening boom sounds.

Chen Sheng felt like he’d been struck by lightning—his whole body was on the verge of falling apart.

Just that one sword move had not only stopped him from approaching Lin Mo, but even blasted him hundreds of meters backward.

Everyone present nearly had their eyes pop out of their sockets.

A Golden Core early-stage cultivator pushing back a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with a single strike?

Is that even something a human can do?

The younger members of the Lin family who had entered the secret realm had already witnessed Lin Mo’s strength, but even they hadn’t expected this level of power.

It seemed that when Lin Mo fought Xia Qianqiu last time, he had held back.

“Well done, that was a fine strike!” Lin Nantian suddenly laughed, pointing at the battered and disheveled Chen Sheng in the distance as he mocked:

“Chen brat, you’re a dignified mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and you couldn’t even take a single blow from my grandson who’s just at Golden Core early stage?”

Chen Sheng’s face flushed red with embarrassment—he had no words to respond.

He admitted that he had underestimated the opponent, but the truth was that his protective spiritual aura really hadn’t been able to withstand Lin Mo’s sword attack.

Even late-stage Golden Core cultivators usually couldn’t break his aura.

So just what kind of monster was Lin Nantian’s grandson?

Why had he never heard of such a genius existing in the Lin family all these years?

The chance to kill Lin Mo had already slipped away.

Now the Lin family members were all on high alert, and he no longer had a clear opportunity to strike again.

Just then, several dozen figures flew toward them from the sky.

Looking at the faces of the newcomers, Lin Nantian frowned. “Why is the Xia family here to meddle in this?”

Leading them was none other than the Xia family head, Xia Jingtai.

At his side stood the two juniors who had come on this trip: Xia He and Xia Qianqiu.

They had heard of the situation with the Lin family a few hours ago.

The Xia family had quickly informed Xia Jingtai about how Lin Mo had killed Chen Huai while protecting Xia He. Meanwhile, Xia Qianqiu, who had received Lin Mo’s help while returning from the secret realm, had spoken well of the Lin family.

The Xia family and the Chen family already had a poor relationship.

Now, upon learning of what happened to his granddaughter, Xia Jingtai was thoroughly enraged.

He had always doted on this granddaughter, whom they had recently brought back from the outside world—largely because of Xia He’s natural talent.

Once he learned the full truth of the situation, there was no way he would let the Lin family face this alone.

Seeing the Xia family arrive, Chen Sheng frowned and said, “Xia Jingtai, this is a grudge between me and the Lin family. It has nothing to do with the Xia family. What are you doing here?”

“This matter absolutely concerns the Xia family,” Xia Jingtai replied.

From Lin Mo’s side, when he saw Xia He smile at him, he basically understood what had happened.

Then, everyone heard Xia Jingtai continue, “Your son deserved to die.”

Chen Sheng roared in anger, “You old bastard, what nonsense are you spewing?!”

But before he could say more, several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Xia family also stepped forward.

If he were to go up against the Xia family as well—especially after having secretly allied with those from Night Raid—there was no way he could win against the combined forces of both the Lin and Xia families.

Xia Jingtai ignored Chen Sheng and turned his attention to his granddaughter, noticing the way she was staring at a particular junior from the Lin family.

He stepped forward and asked, “Boy, are you Lin Mo?”

“Old Xia,” Lin Nantian asked with suspicion, “what business do you have with my grandson?”

“Naturally, I came to thank him,” Xia Jingtai replied.

“Thank him?” Everyone present was baffled.

Xia Jingtai continued, “Your grandson saved my granddaughter’s life—of course I had to come personally to thank him.”

He then recounted the story Xia He had told him, describing how they encountered danger, how they met Chen Huai at the auction house, and how Chen Huai later tried to take them away. He explained everything in detail.

Only then did the crowd finally learn the truth—it turned out Chen Huai had indeed acted out of lust.

No wonder he ended up dead—he had it coming.

Chen Sheng’s expression grew increasingly grim. He knew his son had a lascivious streak, but he hadn’t expected him to be so audacious—trying to make a move on the Xia family’s young lady, and even conspiring with others behind the scenes.

Bribing people to stir up trouble, attempting to abduct someone before succeeding, and then ambushing members of the Lin family on their way back?

Given all this, he truly had no grounds to demand justice from the Lin family anymore.

“Since it was a misunderstanding, it’s my fault. I’ll take my leave now,” Chen Sheng said with barely concealed annoyance, clearly trying to walk away.

He really had no face left to stay any longer.

But even so, no matter how wrong his son was, the grudge of a child being killed—it had to be avenged one day.

“Stop right there!”

The voice naturally came from Lin Mo.

“A misunderstanding? Just an apology and it’s over? Do you even realize how much time and effort your actions cost us?”

Seeing this, Lin Tian excitedly leaned over to the group of girls beside him and whispered, “I bet Uncle Lin Mo is about to make a killing off this.”

The Lin family members were all familiar with Lin Mo’s ways.

When Jiang Wanran broke off the engagement, Lin Mo had definitely wrung a hefty price out of it.

“What do you want then?” Chen Sheng asked coldly.

“What else?” Lin Mo said as he looked at Chen Sheng like he was an idiot. “Compensation, of course.”

Chen Sheng’s teeth clenched. He knew he was at a disadvantage, so he held back his temper. “What kind of compensation are you asking for?”

Lin Mo pointed toward the group of cultivators accompanying the Chen family. “You brought in quite a few outsiders to help you this time, right?”

“Whatever benefits you promised them, give the same to our Lin family.”

“You’re delusional!” Chen Sheng snapped.

After all, he had promised the Night Raid group nearly 40% of the Chen family’s income for the next few years.

If Lin Mo were to demand the same share, the Chen family’s entire financial system would collapse.

Lin Mo’s voice turned colder. “So the Chen family head is willing to pay a hefty sum to please strangers, but not willing to pay for his own mistakes? Seems to me you were never serious about reconciliation.”

His aura suddenly surged, pressuring everyone present.

Chen Sheng was shocked to find that he actually felt an oppressive force coming from someone who was only at the Golden Core early stage?

That was absurd.

Just then, Lin Mo exchanged a look with Lin Nantian.

Naturally, Lin Nantian nodded in sync.

The two worked together flawlessly.

Lin Nantian’s face darkened. “Chen brat, if that’s how you want to play it, then the Lin family has no choice—we’ll be mortal enemies with the Chen family from now on!”

Hearing this, Lin Tian jumped in again like a hype man, hiding behind Lin Zijian as he shouted, “Mortal enemies! Mortal enemies!”

Lin Zijian frowned. “What are you doing?”

Lin Tian chuckled. “Cousin Zijian, your status in the Lin family is higher than mine. Using your voice to lead the chant is much more effective, right?”

Lin Zijian was so frustrated he couldn’t even speak.

The group of younger Lin family members, seeing that even Lin Zijian had reluctantly joined in the chant under Lin Tian’s instigation, grew bolder and began shouting along.

For a time, the rallying cry of “Mortal enemies! Mortal enemies!” echoed loudly, shaking more than half of Tianxing City.

Chen Sheng shot a fierce glare at Lin Zijian.

Seeing this, Lin Zijian’s expression couldn’t have been more miserable.

Now that he’d lost face, Chen Sheng had no better options left.

If he truly started an all-out war with the Lin family now, there was a real chance the Xia family might step in to support them.

The Chen family was already weaker than both the Lin and Xia families in Tianxing City. If those two joined forces, the Chen family would be doomed.

Face dark, Chen Sheng clenched his teeth and forced himself to say, “For the next three years, my Chen family will give 40% of its annual income to the Lin family. I’ll personally deliver it.”

This fiasco had cost him dearly—not only had he lost men, he’d also lost his wife’s backing.

With that, Chen Sheng quickly left with the rest of the Chen family.

On the Lin family’s side, Lin Mo had now become their absolute pillar of support.

Ever since returning to the Lin family, Lin Mo had brought them one surprise after another.

To them, Lin Mo wasn’t just strong—he was also thoughtful, strategic, and downright brilliant.

In just a short time, he’d filled the Lin family’s warehouse to the brim, bringing prosperity with him.

Xia Jingtai praised, “Old Lin, you’ve really got a fine grandson.”

“Oh, not at all,” Lin Nantian replied modestly. “Your juniors are outstanding too. That little granddaughter of yours—so spirited, and with a Heavenly Spiritual Root! Her future is boundless!”

Xia Jingtai asked pointedly, “You really think so?”

Lin Nantian hadn’t yet noticed the glint in Xia Jingtai’s eyes, and laughed cheerfully, “Of course I do.”

Smiling, Xia Jingtai stepped forward and patted Lin Nantian’s shoulder. “Old Lin, if you really think so, how about we become in-laws?”

Everyone from the Lin family froze on the spot.

After a moment, Lin Nantian asked, “Let’s hear the details.”

Xia Jingtai glanced at Lin Mo, and the more he looked, the more pleased he became. “Your grandson—I’m very fond of him.”

“I’ve heard about the broken engagement with the Jiang family. Why not arrange a marriage between him and my granddaughter?”

Hearing this, Xia He blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.

It turned out Xia Jingtai had this idea because, after returning from the secret realm, Xia Qianqiu had sung Lin Mo’s praises.

He described Lin Mo as upright, powerful—able to defeat him, a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, while only at the early stage himself.

Most importantly, Lin Mo had taught Xia He well.

He recounted how Lin Mo guided Xia He in the secret realm, and how much admiration she showed toward him.

After hearing all that, Xia Jingtai was extremely pleased.