Chapter 116: A Show of Force

Lin Hao immediately furrowed his brow and raised a free hand to cover his ear. His mind was still buzzing incessantly. The Supreme Elder had come forward and delivered a stern warning right away. Clutching his head, Lin Hao’s heart filled with extreme caution. He could sense that the Supreme Elder’s strength was formidable. Just a single word from him had such a profound impact—his head still throbbed and his ears rang. Lin Hao had to draw upon his spiritual energy to calm his mind somewhat.

He then raised his head and looked at the Supreme Elder. “Why should I release him? This is an agreement we made in advance. As long as I pass this trial, I can enter the teleportation array.”

The Supreme Elder had already learned of Lin Hao’s situation and his trial from their side, and from the way they described it, he knew how formidable Lin Hao was. Hearing Lin Hao’s words now, the Supreme Elder pursed his lips and threatened coldly, “I strongly advise you to release him immediately. Your matter can be discussed later by all of us. But if you kill him today, I guarantee you will never leave the Qingcheng Sect, let alone enter the teleportation array.”

The Supreme Elder valued Cao Yi greatly, aware that those who had accompanied Lin Hao through the trial either died or were grievously injured. They were promising young disciples of Qingcheng Sect, with considerable strength. Thus, the Supreme Elder was concerned Lin Hao might harm Cao Yi and spoke as he did.

Moreover, his words carried another meaning—he seemed unwilling to acknowledge this trial or to allow Lin Hao to enter the teleportation array.

That was impossible!

Lin Hao’s face darkened with displeasure, his heart blazing with anger. No matter how powerful the Supreme Elder was, an agreement once made could not be broken!

With a stern gaze, Lin Hao looked at the Supreme Elder fearlessly and said, “Impossible. We made this agreement beforehand, and even if you are the Supreme Elder, you cannot go back on your word.”

As he spoke, Lin Hao’s hand tightened around Cao Yi’s neck. Just moments before, he had used his spiritual power to suppress the root of Cao Yi’s spiritual energy. Cao Yi was now powerless.

The Supreme Elder’s arrival was soon followed by other elders and many senior disciples of Qingcheng Sect. Seeing Cao Yi held firmly by Lin Hao, they were all taken aback. Some found it only natural, since other strong senior brothers had already fallen to Lin Hao. Moreover, Lin Hao now carried a legendary reputation—that he was impervious even to lightning strikes.

The Grand Elder, having heard the Supreme Elder’s words, looked toward Lin Hao and said, “Lin Hao, this is our Qingcheng Sect’s Supreme Elder. I advise you to heed his warning and release Cao Yi. We can discuss your matter peacefully afterward.”

Meanwhile, those below murmured among themselves.

“See, the senior brother definitely isn’t a match for Lin Hao!”

“Indeed, the senior brother was defeated by Lin Hao. It seems Lin Hao’s strength surpasses even the senior brother’s!”

These whispers were clearly audible, drifting to Cao Yi’s ears, and his expression gradually lost its earlier calmness, flickering with anger. Seeing Lin Hao’s cold demeanor, Cao Yi felt deeply ashamed. As Qingcheng Sect’s senior brother, he had always been respected and envied, yet now he was tightly gripped by Lin Hao, right before their eyes.

Hearing such talk, Cao Yi’s heart darkened with resentment and regret. He wished he had never been so kind to Lin Hao; now it felt as if the dog he raised had bitten him.

Lin Hao, however, was oblivious to Cao Yi’s changing attitude. Since the Supreme Elder’s arrival, he had remained vigilant, eyes fixed warily on the so-called Supreme Elder—the most dangerous person present. The murmurs around him were nothing new; having grown accustomed to such idle gossip since childhood, he had long mastered the art of letting remarks fall in one ear and out the other. Besides, they were currently praising him, so he paid them no mind.

He was wholly focused on the Supreme Elder, unaware of Cao Yi’s alienation and murderous intent.

The Grand Elder, noticing Lin Hao’s disregard for their warnings, was filled with murderous intent, as were several other elders. They already harbored deep hatred toward Lin Hao for having slain their disciples. Now, Lin Hao’s blatant defiance was sheer arrogance.

The Supreme Elder, observing Lin Hao’s unyielding stance, clenched his fists and began to gather spiritual energy.

Lin Hao immediately sensed this as he kept his eyes fixed on the Supreme Elder. Seeing that the elder was about to make a move, Lin Hao’s expression shifted sharply. His eyes gleamed with quick thinking as he glanced toward the teleportation array behind them.

Slowly, he began to move toward it. The others, still seething with anger at Lin Hao, failed to notice his subtle advance, especially since Lin Hao was using Cao Yi as a shield.

At that moment, the Supreme Elder raised his hand, clearly preparing to strike Lin Hao.

Everyone’s faces lit up with anticipation.

“Ah, it looks like the Supreme Elder is about to take action. Lin Hao is surely doomed this time!”

The crowd exclaimed in amazement.

But then, they suddenly realized that Lin Hao had already slipped to the entrance of the teleportation array without their notice.

Their eyes widened in surprise.

Noticing their discovery, Lin Hao swiftly entered the teleportation array with Cao Yi in tow.

“Ah!” came the cries of astonishment.

As soon as Lin Hao and Cao Yi stepped into the array, a tremendous explosion erupted at its entrance.

The Supreme Elder’s attack had arrived.

Yet Lin Hao had foreseen this and deliberately moved cautiously toward the array with Cao Yi.

The Supreme Elder, realizing his attack had failed to harm Lin Hao and that Lin Hao had taken the opportunity to enter the teleportation array—still holding Cao Yi—was filled with rage.

He then descended to the ground near the array’s entrance.

Meanwhile, the other senior disciples present were in an uproar.

“Wow! Lin Hao really escaped?!”

“Unbelievable! He actually slipped away right under the Supreme Elder’s nose! Oh my god!”

“When did Lin Hao move over there?”

“Yeah! How did we not see him? Did he fly over or something?”

“Someone actually managed to escape beneath the Supreme Elder’s watchful eye!”

The crowd erupted into chaos.

The elders' expressions darkened with gloom at the noisy commotion below.

At this moment, the sect leader, who had stayed in the main hall, arrived hurriedly upon witnessing the commotion.

His arrival silenced everyone.

No one dared speak further.

The sect leader’s face was grim as the crowd quickly bowed and called out, “Sect Leader!”

Without addressing anyone else, the sect leader first greeted the Supreme Elder with a respectful bow, “Supreme Elder.”

“Hmph!” The Supreme Elder snorted, glaring at the sect leader with displeasure. “Is this the Qingcheng Sect you manage? Such a mess! Causing such a great disturbance, hmm?”

The Supreme Elder’s displeased voice sent a shock through the sect leader’s heart, and the elders below wore expressions of fear.

Seeing their reactions, the Supreme Elder grew even more dissatisfied. “Send people immediately to find Cao Yi—he must not come to harm. And handle the other matters swiftly. Did you arrange for this uproar just now?”

“Rest assured, Supreme Elder, I have already dispatched orders. Scouts from various sects have all been recalled,” the sect leader hastened to reply.

He then turned to send people into the teleportation array to pursue Cao Yi and Lin Hao.

Seeing this, the Supreme Elder’s expression relaxed somewhat, and he turned to leave.

As for Lin Hao, he had left a substantial mess for Qingcheng Sect, causing a great uproar and bringing himself considerable fame—though he remained unaware of this.

When the Supreme Elder was about to strike, Lin Hao had already dragged Cao Yi into the teleportation array.

At first, inside the array, the two were safe and everything seemed normal.

Suddenly, a fierce strange wind arose.

Within the gale, a massive vortex appeared.

Then the wind howled violently, and a rift opened.

Both Cao Yi and Lin Hao’s eyes shone with shock as they sensed the danger and tried to flee.

But it was already too late.

The powerful suction rendered their eyes unable to open, their bodies weak and unable to exert any spiritual energy. They were completely controlled, helplessly drawn toward the rift.

In an instant, they were tossed about within the teleportation array’s rift for about ten minutes.

With a thud, the two finally emerged from the rift.

The array returned to calm.

Cao Yi and Lin Hao collapsed to the ground with a heavy thump.

Only then did they open their eyes.

Lin Hao initially thought they had arrived at Qingfeng Sect. His face lit up with joy, but upon seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, his expression stiffened.

He realized immediately this was not Qingfeng Sect. Though the environment seemed vaguely familiar, he could not recall where they were.

Having never experienced a teleportation array before, Lin Hao had assumed the previous rift was a normal feature of the array.

But now, uncertainty clouded his mind.