"I know far too many things, but I have no obligation to tell you, so you have no right to ask."
"Right now, rather than worrying about all those pointless matters, you'd be better off thinking about yourself. After all, very soon you're going to be extremely miserable, extremely unhappy, extremely depressed, and extremely unwilling to accept your fate." A wicked smile curled across Long Lin's lips.
"Let's go." Hearing these words, Chu Feng's brow furrowed as he sensed something was wrong. He immediately grabbed Yao'er's hand and prepared to leave on the spot.
Whoosh—
But just then, Long Lin's figure suddenly blurred, and he appeared beside Chu Feng and Yao'er in the blink of an eye. His palm had already latched onto Yao'er's shoulder.
Seeing this, Chu Feng hurriedly tightened his grip on Yao'er's wrist, terrified that Long Lin would rip her away from his side.
Yet the moment Chu Feng exerted his strength, he felt his entire body go limp, utterly devoid of power. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as Long Lin took Yao'er away.
"Long Lin, you go back on your word!" Chu Feng roared in fury.
"Go back on my word? I'm not sure I follow." Long Lin pushed Yao'er behind himself, then asked with a cheerful grin, as though he genuinely had no idea what Chu Feng was talking about.
"You said that as long as I became a half-Emperor and returned here, you would release Yao'er. What is this, then?" Chu Feng accused, his voice seething with rage.
"I think you've got it wrong. Didn't I release the girl? I let her go, so… I kept my word."
"It's just that I've caught her again now. You can't blame me for that — you should blame yourself for being so weak." Long Lin continued to smile.
"Shameless! You're courting death!" At this, Bai Li Xuankong could hold back no longer. He swept his great sleeve aside, revealing his palm, and there it was — the Inscription-Killing Brush, runes flowing across its surface, already gripped in his hand.
"Kill all things with slaughter!!!"
With a sudden roar, Bai Li Xuankong aimed the Inscription-Killing Brush at Long Lin. The brush blazed with brilliant light, and a dazzling golden radiance surged forth, blanketing the sky as it hammered toward Long Lin.
"Ancestor, Yao'er is over there too!" At this sight, Chu Feng's heart lurched with alarm. He naturally wanted Long Lin to be crushed, but he could not bear for Yao'er to be harmed.
And this strike from Bai Li Xuankong was so powerful that Chu Feng genuinely feared Yao'er would be caught in the blast.
Hummm—
Yet the instant Bai Li Xuankong's attack was unleashed, a strange resonance rang out from Long Lin's direction. Then, without warning, Bai Li Xuankong's attack vanished into thin air.
As for Long Lin, he stood there without a scratch on him — only the smile had drained from his eyes, replaced by a frigid coldness.
"Go."
With a casual flick of his arm, several golden nails shot forth, hurtling straight toward Bai Li Xuankong.
Seeing this, Bai Li Xuankong surged his martial power. A flash of light appeared beneath his feet as he moved to dodge.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The golden nails suddenly accelerated, and in the end, every single one embedded itself into Bai Li Xuankong's body, pinning him firmly to the ground. Blood streamed from his wounds, yet he could not move a muscle.
"If not for Chu Feng's sake, you would already be dead," Long Lin said, his voice cold and indifferent.
"Scoundrel!" Seeing this, Dugu Xingfeng and the others flew into a rage. They drew their weapons, ready to strike.
"Stop! Don't go!" But Bai Li Xuankong hurriedly called out to halt them.
In that moment, with those golden nails driven into his body, he finally understood the vast gulf between himself and Long Lin. If even he had been reduced to this, then if Dugu Xingfeng and the others made a move, it would be nothing short of suicide.
"Lord Bai Li." Seeing that Bai Li Xuankong would not let them act, Dugu Xingfeng and the others were reluctant but could only retreat to his side, attempting to pull the nails out for him.
Riiiip—
"This…"
But the moment Dugu Xingfeng's hand drew near a nail — before it even made contact — his flesh was already shredded and mangled.
"Don't come near me. This is not something you can withstand," Bai Li Xuankong warned.
Only now did Dugu Xingfeng and the others truly realize just how terrifying Long Lin truly was.