Chapter 134: True Strength

Lin Hao did not know what was actually happening, but it was abundantly clear that the Qingfeng Sect was facing a grave crisis.

Hearing Qingyun still thinking of urging him to leave even in such a critical moment, Lin Hao felt a warmth spread through his chest. Then, with a furious wave of his hand toward the crowd, he roared, "Heaven-Filling Flying Flames!"

Immediately, with a booming roar, a burst of intense fire erupted from his right hand, directly incinerating the enemies standing right before him.

They were reduced to ashes.

Seeing how formidable Lin Hao was, the crowd instinctively halted their advance, casting wary and fearful glances at him.

The two individuals who had been speaking just moments before also narrowed their eyes, sizing Lin Hao up carefully.

Taking advantage of the moment they were stunned, Lin Hao flashed forward, cutting straight into the encirclement surrounding Qingyun.

Standing back-to-back with Qingyun, Lin Hao asked anxiously, "Senior Brother, what on earth is going on here?"

He then glanced over at the Sect Master and the others nearby, only to discover that their complexions were a ghastly purplish-black tinged with dark malignancy.

He immediately lowered himself and checked the Sect Master's pulse.

Realizing that the Sect Master had been poisoned, Lin Hao quickly channeled a surge of spiritual energy into him to protect his heart meridian first.

He also tossed a few medicinal pills to the other elders.

Only then did their expressions soften slightly.

Looking at Lin Hao, the Sect Master wore a complex expression and said earnestly, "Qingyun, Lin Hao, if you two get the chance, hurry and leave this place. We—"

Before the Sect Master could finish, Qingyun shouted passionately, "Impossible! Master, I am a member of the Qingfeng Sect in life and a ghost of the Qingfeng Sect in death. I will protect the Qingfeng Sect to my dying breath!"

Hearing the Sect Master speak thusly, Qingyun's eyes reddened as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Then, venting his rage like a madman, he wielded his sword and fought desperately against the surrounding throng of enemies.

Lin Hao did not leave either. Seeing that the color in the Sect Master and elders' faces had improved somewhat, he hurriedly stood up to assist Qingyun.

Noticing an attacker about to strike Qingyun from behind, Lin Hao hurled his Cloud-Swallowing Sword forward. With a resounding clang, it deflected the blade flying toward Qingyun's back.

Moving swiftly, Lin Hao caught the returning Cloud-Swallowing Sword and let out a fierce shout, "Ha!" Wielding the sword in a sweeping arc suffused with golden light, he cleaved the sneak attacker directly in half.

Pressing his back tightly against Qingyun's, he executed another flash strike, executing yet another incoming assailant.

Catching his breath, Lin Hao waved his hand and cast a protective golden barrier over the elders and the Sect Master, enclosing them safely within.

Seeing this, Qingyun cast a grateful look at Lin Hao and asked, "Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Smiling faintly at the enemies, Lin Hao replied, "As a member of the Qingfeng Sect, how could I not protect the sect to the death? Wasn't that what you said, Senior Brother? Let us fight shoulder to shoulder today. I refuse to believe we cannot take down these villains!"

Seeing the unwavering determination in Lin Hao's eyes, Qingyun smiled with a sense of release, then shouted aloud, "Very well, let us fight shoulder to shoulder today!" However, the surge of emotion immediately made him cough violently, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing Qingyun in this state, Lin Hao asked with deep concern, "Senior Brother, you're injured?"

Waving his hand dismissively, Qingyun declared unconcernedly, "A minor injury like this is nothing."

Disregarding his words, Lin Hao directly produced a medicinal pill and tossed it into Qingyun's mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon contact, and Qingyun felt his internal injuries heal significantly.

Opening his eyes, he thrust his sword forward with a piercing whistle, cutting down an oncoming enemy. His strength was instantly much greater than before.

Filled with surging battle intent, Qingyun and Lin Hao stood back-to-back, surrounded by a horde of enemies.

Yet neither showed the slightest hint of cowardice. With lightning-fast slashes, Lin Hao unleashed his true power.

In an instant, the majority of the enemies were slain.

Seeing how immensely powerful Lin Hao was, Qingyun's eyes flashed with astonishment, followed by surging joy and burning hatred. Disregarding his wounds, he thrust his sword again and again, killing no fewer enemies than Lin Hao.

Cao Yi watched them from the sidelines. After all, this was an internal affair of the Qingfeng Sect, and since Cao Yi had not yet fully grasped the situation, he did not wish to carelessly invite trouble upon himself.

Consequently, he did not immediately assist Lin Hao.

Instead, he observed from the shadows, keeping a watchful eye specifically on the area where the Qingfeng Sect's Sect Master was located.

Whenever anyone attempted to approach and attack that side, Cao Yi quietly neutralized them from the dark.

Because Cao Yi had deliberately concealed his presence, amidst the chaotic and frantic scene, very few people actually noticed him for a time.

During this period, Lin Hao caught sight of Cao Yi's actions out of the corner of his eye and felt a silent surge of gratitude.

He no longer needed to worry anxiously about the Sect Master and the others.

Freed from any lingering concerns, Lin Hao unleashed his full potential completely. Inside the grand hall, no one proved to be a match for Lin Hao; only the middle-aged man who had spoken at the very beginning remained unmoving, staring fixedly at Lin Hao.

The fierce battle raged on inside the great hall.

Just at that moment, the sounds of fighting echoed from outside, followed by a loud explosion as the heavy doors of the grand hall were blasted completely to pieces.

The people inside froze, halting their combat to look outward, while Qingyun and his companions wore grim expressions.

They assumed that reinforcements had finally been sent by their sect.

Yet upon closer inspection, Qingyun and the others suddenly lit up with hope. Leading the group, a figure looked at them and called out, "Sect Master, Senior Brother, are you alright? We have come to reinforce you!"

With that, the leading individual unleashed a burst of fiery breath that instantly set the nearest enemy ablaze.

A miserable shriek rang out, followed swiftly by a swift throat-slit, and the attacker instantly lost his breath and died.

Immediately afterward, thirty or forty figures clad in the attire of the Qinghe Sect surged inside.

Catching their opponents off guard, they carved open a path and converged directly with Qingyun and the others.

The arrival of reinforcements significantly eased the pressure on both Lin Hao and Qingyun.

The one-sided slaughter within the hall ceased. Once the Qingfeng Sect reinforcements arrived, several members immediately stepped forward to shield the Sect Master and the others.

Seeing this, Cao Yi quietly slipped away and retreated into the background.

While the intense battle raged inside, yet another group of people arrived outside shortly thereafter.

However, these newcomers were not members of the Qingfeng Sect; instead, they belonged to another sect, clearly allied with the faction inside the hall.

Seeing that the Qingfeng Sect was surrounded, these reinforcements immediately joined the fray. Among them, a woman dressed entirely in striking red walked into the hall.

Glancing toward Qingyun's group, her eyes flashed with sudden astonishment as she exclaimed, "Lin Hao?! You actually came back?"

Hearing this, Lin Hao turned his head to look, only to realize that these were people from the Crimson Lotus Sect.

It was none other than the female elder of the Crimson Lotus Sect who had been present during the expedition to Mount Tianyu.

At this moment, the sight of Lin Hao filled her eyes with utter surprise, which was immediately followed by a fleeting glint of burning greed and covetousness.

"He is Lin Hao?!" With Lin Hao's identity exposed, everyone turned to look at him. The middle-aged man who had remained inactive in the grand hall until now immediately strode over to the female elder's side and asked.

Although everyone had heard the legendary name of Lin Hao prior to this, most had never actually laid eyes on him.

Thus, the man was deeply surprised. The intelligence he had received earlier indicated that Lin Hao had vanished alongside the Qingfeng Sect's flying vessel, leading many to speculate that he was already dead.

Even though the Qingfeng Sect had never ceased their search, they had turned up nothing.

Consequently, rumors of Lin Hao's demise had circulated widely for some time.

The middle-aged man had believed those rumors as well, which was why he hadn't suspected a thing when Lin Hao first arrived.

Hearing the Crimson Lotus Sect elder's words now, he felt profound astonishment.

Yet, recalling the various legends surrounding Lin Hao, he looked the young man up and down once more and remarked, "His strength appears rather impressive."

"Indeed, he is Lin Hao. When did he arrive?" the Crimson Lotus Sect elder asked, employing her habitual lazy and alluring tone.

"He just entered a moment ago. This brat's combat power is no joke. To think he is actually Lin Hao," the middle-aged man replied.

Even as he spoke, his gaze remained locked onto Lin Hao.

A vicious glint flashed across his eyes from time to time, proving beyond a doubt that he was far from a benevolent soul.

Upon seeing the female elder of the Crimson Lotus Sect, Lin Hao's eyes also flashed with transient surprise, recalling the claims that none of the various sects' members who entered Mount Tianyu had ever returned.

Immediately afterward, however, his expression returned to a calm, unperturbed composure, revealing nothing.

In truth, while the members of the major sects who entered Mount Tianyu had indeed failed to return, this particular female elder had remained outside. It was the male elder—who bore a deep enmity toward Lin Hao—who had led the Crimson Lotus Sect disciples inside.

The female elder had stayed behind on guard just in case.

As a result, she alone had managed to escape that catastrophe.

Furthermore, the reason the rumors surrounding Lin Hao had escalated to such a massive scale in the first place was largely due to the deliberate instigation of this very Crimson Lotus Sect elder.

At the time, seeing the members of the Qingfeng Sect rush out hurriedly from Mount Tianyu while her own sect's members failed to emerge, she had immediately grown suspicious and covertly spread the news far and wide.

Coupled with the fact that Elder Zhou of the Qingfeng Sect was also targeting Lin Hao and actively circulating defamatory rumors, the Crimson Lotus Sect had continually operated in the shadows, striking from the dark.

One could say she was one of the primary masterminds behind the calamity currently befalling the Qingfeng Sect.

However, because the Crimson Lotus Sect's actions had been conducted in secret and with utmost discretion, the Qingfeng Sect had yet to uncover their involvement.

As for Lin Hao, preoccupied with Elder Zhou's initial assaults, he had likewise remained entirely unaware of her role.

His momentary surprise upon seeing the Crimson Lotus Sect elder was simply due to her unexpected presence.

Yet, recognizing her instantly as an enemy, Lin Hao quietly heightened his vigilance.

Back then, he had only crossed paths with this female elder briefly without engaging in formal combat.

Judging by the circumstances at the time, her cultivation was indeed vastly superior to his, and he had always harbored a lingering sense that there was something demonic about her aura, suspecting she might practice unorthodox and crooked arts.

Even then, Lin Hao had remained deeply on guard against her.

Therefore, seeing her now only intensified his warfulness.

With an unkind expression, he stared at the two individuals and demanded, "On what grounds are you launching an attack against our Qingfeng Sect? Do you really take the Qingfeng Sect for a soft persimmon?"

As he spoke, Lin Hao unleashed his full aura, displaying a fraction of his true power as it pressed down oppressively upon everyone present.

Those with weaker cultivation instantly collapsed to the ground with loud thuds.

At the same time, Lin Hao's piercing gaze locked directly onto the female elder and the middle-aged man beside her.