Chapter 390: Sad Lin Lang

It was no wonder Zhang Xuan couldn't get him to elaborate on his enemy; no one had ever imagined it would be Lin Lang, the young master of the Lin clan!

The Lin clan was the foremost of the three great clans. Even Mo Tianxue, despite knowing they might have poisoned the Guardian Beast, suppressed the information, illustrating the extent of his apprehension towards them. As he was alone and of low strength, revealing his enemy would likely lead to him being handed over by someone seeking favor within half a day. Therefore, he preferred to feign muteness rather than speak.

A flicker of hatred crossed Lu Chong's eyes before he regained his composure. Enduring two years of the poisoned body's grueling refinement without uttering a single word demonstrated immense willpower. With revenge now within his grasp, he would naturally not act recklessly.

The Emerald Pavilion appeared tranquil, but he knew it housed numerous masters. Any action he took would require a single, decisive strike, for there would be no second opportunity. He placed the food on the table, discreetly scanned the room, and slowly retreated. This room, with its many experts, was clearly not the place to act; he could only quietly await his chance.

He stood outside the room door. After an indeterminate period, the door creaked open, and Lin Lang stumbled out. The Emerald Pavilion's collection of wines, crafted by master brewers, was potent enough to intoxicate even Grandmaster realm cultivators. He was now eight or nine parts drunk, his cheeks flushed, as he made his way to the nearby restroom.

"This is the moment!"

Recognizing this as the optimal moment, Lu Chong wasted no time, his body swaying as he swiftly followed Lin Lang inside.

"Who's there?"

The moment he stepped in, Lin Lang, who was relieving himself, immediately furrowed his brow. With only one chance, Lu Chong wasted no words, his body darting forward like a tiger, striking with a swift palm. Before his palm even connected, the air howled, seemingly tearing apart as a torrent of savage force surged forth.

"A Grandmaster... a mid-Grandmaster?"

Lin Lang's pupils constricted, and he instantly sobered up considerably. The assailant was not merely a Grandmaster but had astonishingly reached the mid-Grandmaster stage. An expert of such caliber was a renowned master in Tianwu Royal City; he had never imagined one would disguise themselves as a mere servant to ambush him.

Lu Chong had applied all the poisons to his acupoints. Despite enduring the constant threat of death, his strength had surged dramatically. His power had not only broken through the Grandmaster realm but was now fully comparable to that of a mid-Grandmaster.

"You seek death!"

With a cold snort, Lin Lang's palms blurred as he met the attack.

*Thud! Thud!*

Their palms collided, and both recoiled a step. Lu Chong's expression hardened. Two years ago, during the slaughter of his entire family, his opponent was merely at the initial stage of the Tongxuan realm. He had assumed that even with improvement, the peak would be their limit. He never expected that, like himself, Lin Lang too had reached the mid-Grandmaster stage!

However, this was his only chance. If he failed to kill his opponent today, he would die, with no possibility of retreat. His eyes narrowed, and he surged forward violently, pushing his poisoned body to its absolute limit. His palms moved like a whirlwind, striking with horizontal chops.

"Damn it!"

Lin Lang's mid-Grandmaster cultivation, forcibly elevated through various medicinal compounds, was inherently unstable. Under the relentless, life-or-death assault, he could not hold his ground and was forced to continuously retreat.

*Plop!*

As he retreated, his footing suddenly faltered, and his body involuntarily plunged downwards. A pungent stench immediately assailed his senses, making his head reel. He looked down, realizing that under his opponent's relentless pursuit, he had been pushed back into a cesspit.

"You're seeking death..."

As someone who always prided himself on cleanliness, being forced into a cesspit drove him to near madness, igniting a fierce ruthlessness. With a roar, he lunged at his opponent. Before he could close the distance, a kick landed squarely on his face, his body swayed, and he tumbled headfirst into the pit. Since he was mid-shout, his mouth became filled with the muck.

"I'll kill you..."

Lin Lang was on the verge of losing his mind. As the esteemed First Young Master of Tianwu Royal City, whose standing commanded even a degree of respect from Mo Tianxue, being beaten and forced to ingest such filth ignited an unimaginable fury within him!

*Plop!*

Before he could finish his outcry, his head was kicked back into the pit, covering his mouth and face entirely.

"Young Master Lin Lang, that woman you arranged for me was truly exceptional. Her figure, her touch..." Just as he was on the verge of suffocating, a slurred, drunken voice spoke up as Young Master Ji Mo entered. Being only at the Tongxuan realm, his vision blurred before he could finish his sentence, and he, too, plunged headfirst into the cesspit.

"Damn it, who dares to strike me? Do you know who I am?!" This was the Emerald Pavilion, the pleasure palace of Tianwu Royal City, a place established by Lin Lang, the Young Master of the Lin Clan. How dare someone lay a hand on him here? Did they intend to offend the Lin Clan? Even disregarding the Lin Clan, he was the son of the Ji Clan head. While he couldn't afford to offend Grandmaster Zhang Xuan, he certainly wasn't someone just anyone could arbitrarily beat.

Seething with rage, before he could finish his tirade, he noticed a figure beside him blowing bubbles, an overwhelming stench assailing his nose. The person's face was pallid from the immersion, and they appeared to be on the verge of suffocating from the beating... Who else could it be but Lin Lang?

"You... you dared to strike Young Master Lin?" Young Master Ji Mo was aghast. He had just declared that his assailant didn't know who he was, only to then witness Lin Lang being pummeled. The Lin clan had only this one young master. To lay hands on him was tantamount to declaring war on the entire Lin clan—an act of extreme foolishness! He quickly looked up to see a young man, not much older than a boy, repeatedly kicking Lin Lang, rendering him utterly helpless. He, meanwhile, was merely an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

"No, if Lin Lang is truly killed, I'm certainly doomed as well..." His mind reeled, fully grasping the gravity of the situation. He had come to meet Lin Lang today, only to find himself embroiled in a killing in the restroom. Whether his assailant spared him or not, he would still face the Lin clan's fury, which, if mishandled, could lead to the complete annihilation of the entire Ji clan! Damn it, why did I have to stumble into this? If you wanted to kill him, you should have waited until I wasn't around! Now, Lin Lang is in the restroom, and so am I. If he dies, I'll be completely implicated, like mud stuck to pants—whether it's actual filth or not, I'll be tainted!

Most crucially... if you're going to kill someone, just kill them. What's the point of kicking them into a cesspit?! Young Master Ji Mo was meticulously concerned with his image, always presenting himself as a refined gentleman, which garnered him countless female admirers. Now, reeking of foul odors, his white robes stained yellow, the intense smell made him feel as though he would vomit his recent meal.

His face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth. "Release Young Master Lin..."

Aware that Lin Lang could not be allowed to die, Young Master Ji Mo hastily lunged forward, positioning himself as a shield. Before he could finish his plea, a kick struck his face, sending him slamming into the restroom wall, leaving him bleeding from his mouth and nose.

Though he failed to fully block the assailant, that brief moment was enough for Lin Lang to finally regain his senses. Feeling the severe injuries and profound humiliation he had endured, he was so enraged he felt he might explode.

"I had no intention of using this, but since you've forced my hand, I will make sure you die..." With a roar, he flipped his wrist, revealing a palm-sized disc in his hand.

"A formation plate?" Seeing his opponent frantically retrieve an object, Lu Chong's pupils constricted. He had heard his sister mention this item before; it was called a Formation Plate! It was a device that condensed a complex formation into a special jade plate. Once activated, it could instantly deploy the formation, capable of trapping or even killing individuals, and could be wielded by non-formation masters alike. However, these items were exceedingly rare and valuable, each worth a fortune. The entire Tianwu Kingdom possessed only a handful of them. As a two-star formation master, with a father who was the president of the Formation Master Guild and a sister who was the Crown Princess of Xuanyuan Kingdom, it was not surprising that Lin Lang carried one for self-preservation.

"This is bad!" He knew that once the formation plate was activated, a formation would instantly engulf the surrounding area. While the formation plate's power might not rival a fully constructed formation, it would undoubtedly suffice to trap someone like him, who was utterly ignorant of formation arts. Once trapped, failing to kill Lin Lang would be a secondary concern; the real problem was that he would have no further opportunity for revenge. For his family's vengeance, he could not afford to die!

"Retreat!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he shot forward, bursting straight outside. In less than half a breath, he was already standing beyond the Emerald Pavilion's entrance. He was still wearing the servant's attire, so even if someone noticed him, they would likely assume he was acting under Young Master Lin Lang's orders, and thus no one attempted to stop him.

The moment he exited the Emerald Pavilion, he felt a violent surge of spiritual energy behind him. The distinct mansion and buildings, clearly visible moments before, now appeared enveloped in a swirling mist. The formation plate had been fully activated.

"Quickly, leave..." Knowing that failing to kill Lin Lang this time would undoubtedly lead to immense trouble, Lu Chong dared not linger. He turned and departed, vanishing from everyone's sight shortly thereafter. Having previously escaped the Lin clan's pursuit, he had long mastered anti-tracking techniques and knew precisely how to evade detection.

"Why has the formation been activated?"

"Could it be... something has happened?"

"That's the young master's personal formation plate. Oh no, something has happened to the young master..."

The moment Lu Chong departed, the Emerald Pavilion erupted into chaos. The young master's personal guards immediately recognized Lin Lang's formation plate. The fact that he was forced to deploy even his life-saving artifact meant he must have encountered extreme danger.

"Quickly inform the patriarch!"

With the formation plate activated, the entire Emerald Pavilion was enveloped within the formation. Many guards, completely unfamiliar with formation arts, dared not move. However, they possessed special communication methods, and before long, Lin Ruotian, the head of the Lin clan, received the news and arrived.

"What exactly happened? Why would Lan'er activate the formation plate?" His eyes as cold as ice, Lin Ruotian's face was ashen. "You had better hope Lan'er is unharmed. If anything has happened to him, all of you will pay with your lives..."

Lin Ruotian cast a cold glance at the numerous guards and strode purposefully inside. As a three-star formation master, while the activated formation plate still obscured directions for others, it presented no challenge to him. He entered the Emerald Pavilion and made his way towards the core of the formation, quickly arriving at the restroom.

"Why would he be in here?" Lin Ruotian looked utterly perplexed.

"Go quickly and find the young master..."

At his command, several guards hurriedly plunged inside. Moments later, they carried out a figure with a swollen face, reeking of a foul odor. Upon seeing the figure's appearance, Lin Ruotian was startled. He almost didn't recognize him.

"Wasn't this establishment, opened by Lin Lang, meant for dining and drinking? Why... had he fallen into the restroom's pit?"

Soon, with the situation clarified, an enraged roar pierced the sky. "Who was it, exactly? Find them for me! Even if you have to turn the entire Tianwu Royal City upside down, you will find them!"