Chapter 2346: Lin Clan Scandal
Tianming wasn't aware of the discussions breaking out back at the Infinitum Swordsea as they plunged into the black star. His fight with Lin Hongchen had sparked countless of them.
"He's ranked fifteenth! The Infinitum Stele evaluated him based on his explosive combat prowess!"
Countless spectators were watching from their respective branches, and even Grandsect Mountain. The sword-wielding Lin Clan members watched Lin Hongchen's broadcast, wide eyed with shock.
"His disciple card still shows that he's a twelfth-level stellaminor. How’d he do it?"
Nobody knew how a normal god like him would be able to defeat an astral god three levels above him. Even those in the council had no idea how to explain something like that. Many had tried asking Lin Xiao about it, but his stubborn silence on the matter only made the whole thing more mysterious.
"Fifteenth! That's a rank our clan hasn't achieved in a long time."
"A few years ago when they set out, who would've known that the grandson of the second patriarch would be the top genius in our clan among those of his age?"
"Back then, people thought that he wasn't a good fit for his wives, but now? I'm sure they're all cringing with embarrassment."
Those of the second branch felt even more vindicated. They passionately cheered Lin Feng’s name, a stark contrast from how it was before. They felt incredible pride and joy in Tianming's current ranking. And that was the first step to building Omnisentient Will. He had gone through that process both in Violetglory and on the sun. However, this time, he would be dealing with many solarians, and even astral gods! He had achieved legend status in the second branch, at the very least.
"He's even surpassed the number-one, Lin Hongchen!"
"To think that I compared him to Lin Jianxing and used that to disparage him. It’s truly embarrassing."
"His lifebound beasts didn't even fight just now. If he really makes it into the top ten, our clan's reputation will blow up!"
"Top ten?"
Quite a lot of people realized something.
"He's probably strong enough to rank in the top ten...."
Their voices suddenly sounded hushed, especially those of the third, fifth, and seventh branches.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Word of Guchi Xiaoyin's death has already spread. Even though people thought that Lin Feng couldn't possibly be powerful enough to kill him, we can now be almost certain that he was the one who did it!"
"Holy! That's the son of the tenth rex mundi! Imagine his wrath...."
Their expressions soured at the thought of that, and quite a lot of people seemed rather nervous.
"We should have a good relationship with the ebons! Our seniors already informed the participants to prioritize them, but Lin Feng killed the son of the tenth rex mundi! That’s a huge blunder!"
"Will the ebons still want to form an alliance with us?"
"That dumbshit did something so incredibly stupid, just like his father! He's a sinner of the clan!"
The tide of the conversation changed when they realized the deeper implications of such a thing.
"What? Are the ebons your parents now?" Many of Tianming's supporters didn't like hearing that rhetoric.
"It's laughable, isn't it? We're also one of the Infinitum Regal Clans! Who would want a pitiful alliance like that? They just want to use us like dogs, yet you're jumping at the chance to lick their boots. Do you have any shame?"
"Shut up! We’re doing this for the clan's future! If we don't side with the ebons, we'll always be stepped on! You guys are the parasitic fools of our clan! You're?the ones who should leave!"
"I dare say that once Lin Feng comes out, he'll be killed by the ebons even if Lin Lao'er wants to protect him!"
"He deserves it! Nobody asked him to cause trouble."
"Trouble? Are you sad he killed your daddy ebon? Hahaha... he did the right thing!"
"Say that again!"
"Your daddy's dead, cry more!"
"Die!"
The arguments grew more and more intense. As there weren't that many seniors at Grandsect Mountain, the situation there began to spiral out of control. Many people summoned their swordbeasts into their swords and began rioting without even calling for Infinitum Duels. Around a thousand of them joined the melee, mainly from the second and third branches.
"Stop!"
"The Hall of Discipline is here! Anyone that keeps fighting will have their lives ruined!"
"We should be a united clan! Please stop creating more scandals for us!"
Fortunately, many seniors had arrived to take control. Even so, there was no erasing the conflict that’d festered. While the juniors had all stopped engaging each other, they were still burning with killing intent. Some of them even ignored the Hall of Discipline and called for Infinitum Duels, a sacred rite nobody could take from them. Many elders sighed at the sight of it.
"What’ll happen to the clan in the future?"
"Was Lin Feng wrong to have slighted the ebons?"
"Who’ll be able to save us now?"
Only time would reveal the answers to those questions.
......
"It's pretty much certain that Lin Feng killed Guchi Xiaoyin now," Lin Jie said, breathing a long sigh. Chi Hun had left, but the atmosphere was still tense.
"That child has far too many secrets. I really regret that we didn't take him away back then to study him," Lin Wuyi said, expression dark.
"You've said that far too many times," Lin Jie said.
"So what if he's unique and has great talent? I think it’s a good thing. The ebons didn't want to interfere with our internal affairs and instead wanted us to sort them out to preserve their reputation, but now they have a good reason to step in! Both Lin Xiao and?his grandson have enraged them! We won't even have to do a thing for the ebons to wipe them out. Once they're gone, the clan will be united again. So what if they have the Lin Sword of the Middle? The higher they are, the harder they fall!" Lin Yun was finally venting all the pent-up anger.
"At the very least, the tenth rex mundi won't take this sitting down," Lin Wuyi said.
At that moment, someone came in and gave a report. "A fight broke out over Lin Feng's matter at Grandsect Mountain. Four people were killed, three from the second branch and one from ours."
Lin Yun smiled at the sound of that. "Two more of their people died than ours? It was a good deal for us, then! Let's see if the dispirited second branch dares to keep fighting us."
"Dispirited? Not so. I think the members of the second branch are forming an even more united front," Lin Jie said.
"It's only a paper front. Let them struggle and riot. The more trouble they cause, the more ire they'll draw from others. Once Lin Xiao and Lin Feng die, they'll have nobody else to rely on. The second branch will never be able to rise again," Lin Yun said.
"Let's hope that's the case," Lin Jie said.
"Ideally, Lin Feng should kill a few more ebons in that black star and turn the heat up a few more notches. Perhaps he'll be the one that sends his grandfather to the afterlife, hahahaha...!" He laughed with abandon, seemingly completely forgetting which clan he truly belonged to.
He was the kind of person who would sell his own kin to his enemies and brag about counting the money.