BOOM!
The tree trunk instantly exploded, sending branches shaking and tumbling to the ground.
From three zhang away, Lin Yan’s face was like ice. He pointed a finger without the slightest hesitation.
The Sword Gang shot directly into Lin Wang’s temple, piercing straight through his skull.
From Lin Wang’s surprise attack to Lin Yan’s dodge and counter-kill, the entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye. Many in the crowd below the platform hadn’t even had time to react.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Two figures shot out from the stands on either side at almost the same time, lunging for the Combat Platform.
Lin Mingchuan’s figure suddenly flashed onto the platform, and he struck a palm at Lin Yan without hesitation. "You killed my kinsman, Lin Yan... You deserve to die!"
"To hell with that! The duel was over, but Lin Wang still dared to launch a sneak attack. He got what he deserved! The Fourth Branch had better give us an explanation, or we won’t let this matter drop."
Lin Minghai threw himself in front of Lin Yan and launched a punch of his own.
BOOM!
Fist and palm collided, and a terrifying wave of Blood Gang erupted from the Combat Platform, tearing up the massive stone slabs of its surface. Below, the expressions of the Blood Exchange Realm powerhouses from the other branches changed drastically. "Everyone, fall back," one of them commanded in a deep voice.
Below the stage, Lin Mingtang and Lin Mingguan exchanged a look. Before the duel began, Brother Chuan had told them that if anything unexpected happened, he would need them to step in and help.
At the time, they hadn’t understood what kind of unexpected event he meant, but now they did.
"Go!"
Neither of them hesitated. They shot toward the Combat Platform, intending to intercept Lin Minghai for Brother Chuan.
"What is the Fourth Branch trying to do?"
Lin Mingshan frowned as he watched the scene unfold. "Isn’t Uncle Shouhe going to stop them?"
Beside him, Lin Mingxi’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. ’A Sword Dao genius like Lin Yan absolutely cannot be hounded by the Fourth Branch like this.’
But before Lin Mingxi could move, a voice rang out, "The Fourth Branch... It’s true what they say, a dog can’t be taught not to eat shit."
The voice faded, but before the speaker arrived, the glint of a blade came first.
A beam of blade energy, like a falling star, descended from high in the distance, landing precisely in front of Lin Mingtang and Lin Mingguan.
The stone ground shattered, sending rock fragments flying. A crack several inches deep now lay just three inches from their feet.
Lin Mingtang stopped dead in his tracks.
His foot, already raised to take a step, froze in mid-air as if blocked by an invisible wall.
Lin Mingguan instinctively took half a step back, his face instantly turning pale.
He looked down at the crack at his feet, then back up in the direction the blade had come from. He swallowed hard, but not a single word would come out.
Below the platform, all eyes turned in the direction the blade had come from.
A figure shot out from the distance, his form arcing like a rainbow. In just a few bounds, he crossed hundreds of feet and landed on the Combat Platform.
Lin Mingsong of the Third Branch.
He wore a blue-green robe and held a long saber, its tip angled toward the ground. A wisp of blade energy, not yet dissipated, still clung to the edge.
He paid no mind to Lin Mingtang or Lin Mingguan, merely holding his saber horizontally in front of him. The blade reflected the sunlight, creating a painfully sharp glare.
In the Third Branch’s section, the younger clan members gazed up at Lin Mingsong on the platform, their eyes filled with awe and fervor.
They had all heard the legends of Brother Song.
On the eastern stands, Wan Qing leaned over and whispered, their voice trembling slightly, "Ruoruo, is that... the number one expert of the Third Branch’s Ming generation?"
"It must be."
Bai Ruo nodded gently. She had never seen Lin Mingsong in person, but she thought, ’Who else could show up at a time like this and intimidate two Blood Exchange Realm powerhouses from the Fourth Branch with a single strike?’
In the Fifth Branch’s section, Lin Mingshan watched the composed Lin Mingsong on the platform and muttered, "This is about to get out of hand."
Lin Mingxi’s hand fell away from his sword hilt. "The sky isn’t falling," he said lightly.
"Minghai, are you holding up?"
Lin Mingsong’s gaze fell on Lin Minghai, who was fighting Lin Mingchuan. Lin Minghai nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother Song! I can take it!"
Even though Lin Mingchuan was stronger than he was, the proud Lin Minghai would never admit it.
"Then hold on for a moment longer. Wait until I’ve crippled these two."
Lin Mingsong nodded. His tone was calm, but his words made the expressions of the Blood Exchange Realm powerhouses from the other branches change in an instant.
A year ago, Lin Mingsong had already reached the Peak of Blood Exchange Third Transformation. No one knew how strong he was now. Meanwhile, Lin Mingguan was merely at the Blood Exchange First Transformation, and Lin Mingtang was only at the Blood Exchange Second Transformation.
"Insolence!"
Lin Shouhe, who had been all but invisible until now, finally spoke up.
Lin Mingsong’s gaze shifted to him, and he smiled. "Uncle Shouhe, I’d advise you not to get involved. Since you chose to stand by and watch just now, you should continue to do so."
"Lin Mingsong, you dare speak to me, your elder, like that? Such blatant arrogance...!"
However, he had barely spoken the words when he seemed to sense something. His expression changed drastically, and a look of terror flashed in his eyes as he stared in a certain direction.
"Go on, Uncle Shouhe. Why did you stop?"
Lin Mingsong grinned widely, and Lin Yan, standing beside him, saw the derision at the corners of Brother Song’s mouth.
Lin Shouhe’s expression was so dark it looked like ink might drip from it. He desperately wanted to send that bastard Lin Mingsong flying with a single slap, but he didn’t dare. A powerful aura had already locked onto him.
The slightest rash move, and a thunderous strike from that individual would befall him.
Forcing Lin Minghai back with a palm strike, Lin Mingchuan turned his gaze to Lin Mingsong and demanded in a grim voice, "Lin Mingsong, matches on the Combat Platform are meant to end once a victor is clear! Lin Yan killed Lin Wang, violating clan rules. The Fourth Branch is apprehending him in accordance with those rules to deliver him to the Law Enforcement Hall for judgment. Is the Third Branch truly prepared to disregard clan law?!"

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