Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

81: The Grand Elder was ”seriously injured”.Firelight dyed half the sky red, and thick smoke billowed, like a dying giant beast exhaling its final despair.

Cries, screams, and the crackling of bursting wood intertwined into a symphony of doomsday, plunging the entire Lin Family region into a quagmire of panic.

”Move aside! Everyone move aside! The Grand Elder is here!” A few shouts carried a deliberate urgency, and the crowd was roughly parted.

The Grand Elder, Lin Chenghai, appeared in his signature white robes, now wrinkled and covered in dust, with several torn gaps, the edges even stained with suspicious mud that looked as if it had been deliberately smeared on.

His face was pale as paper, a streak of wet blood hanging from the corner of his mouth. Supported by two trusted clansmen, he shuffled in with faltering steps, every movement heavy with ”extreme weakness.”

His turbid old eyes first swept across the devastated courtyard and the towering flames consuming everything in the direction of the ancestral hall. A trace of imperceptible gloom and calculation flashed deep in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of ”powerless rage.”

He suddenly began to cough violently, his body hunched as if he might fall apart at any moment, his voice trembling like a withered leaf in an autumn wind:

”Pfft—!” Another mouthful of ”fresh blood” sprayed out, staining the front of his robes red. He clutched his chest tightly, looking absolutely heartbroken.

Looking at the blood-soaked Patriarch Lin Lingshan on the ground, he shouted:

”Damn those Devil Head brats! Shameless and despicable! Not only did they sneak attack the Patriarch’s secluded cultivation grounds, attempting to sever our Lin Family’s Foundation... cough, cough... cough, cough, cough...”

The Grand Elder gasped for breath, his gaze sweeping over the terrified, tear-stained clansmen around him. His voice suddenly rose, carrying a tragic air of ”exhausting all efforts until the end”:

”I... I heard the explosion and immediately came out of my Cultivation room, burning with anxiety! Ignoring my aged body reaching its limit, I fought to the death to return and protect the Patriarch!”

”However... however, that Devil Head was cunning and ruthless, actually ambushing me with four Qi Refining Sixth Layer Devil Head brats!”

He beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face, as if he had suffered a great injustice:

”I fought a bloody battle, risking damaged Meridians and a shaken Foundation, only just managing to carve a path out to escape... cough, cough, cough... How hateful!”

”In the end, I was one step too late and failed to protect the Patriarch. I have failed our ancestors!”

Before the words had even faded, the Grand Elder’s body swayed violently, and another mouthful of ”fresh blood” sprayed out. His face instantly turned the color of gold paper, and his Aura withered to the extreme.

He immediately fumbled into his robes, pulled out a fragrant Medicinal Pill, stuffed it into his mouth, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, his acting so exquisite it was breathtaking, portraying the image of being ”severely injured in battle” with vivid realism.

Not only that, he claimed to have fought four enemies himself without falling behind, while still thinking of helping the Patriarch defend against the enemy.

But the Patriarch, Lin Lingshan, had indeed been beaten by a Cultivator to the point where his life or death was unknown.

His ability was vaguely several notches higher than Lin Lingshan’s.

Lin Jingyu watched coldly from the sidelines, the corners of his mouth curling into an imperceptible, icy smile. This old fox, his acting was truly over the top!

Not only did he clear his own name completely, he cleverly shifted the responsibility for the Patriarch’s critical injuries onto the ”cunning Devil Head” and ”the Patriarch being outmatched,” while simultaneously slapping shiny labels of ”loyal protector” and ”fearless in the face of death” onto himself.

Fighting off four Devil Head Cultivators of the same rank and breaking out of an encirclement alone? Who is he trying to fool!

Devil Head Cultivator methods are eerie and ruthless, already difficult to deal with among peers. If four Qi Refining Sixth Layer Devil Head Cultivators joined forces, even a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator would likely not dare to fight them head-on.

This old thing was likely hiding in some corner, watching the battle coldly, waiting for the Devil Head to retreat and the dust to settle before running out to hypocritically ”turn the tide,” while muddying the waters to firmly grasp the hearts of the people in his own hands.

What kind of sin did the Lin Family commit to end up with such ”Elders”!

One Grand Elder is selfish, wearing the cloak of benevolence and morality, while inside, his heart beats only for personal gain. At the Family meeting, he shattered the kneecaps of his clansmen and broke their spines—a living example of a profit-seeking, cowardly traitor!

The Third Elder is even more insidious and vicious, willing to send the entire clan to the slaughter for a mere ethereal speculation.

Such beastly behavior; he is not fit to be human!

Lin Jingyu’s peripheral vision instantly locked onto the figure of the Third Elder in the shadows not far away.

The Third Elder stood there quietly, his expression terrifyingly calm, as if the tragedy before him—the burning of the ancestral hall, the ancestral tablets turning to ash, the dying Patriarch, and the wailing clansmen—had nothing to do with him.

When his turbid old eyes swept over Lin Jingyu, a trace of extremely indifferent yet substantive icy killing intent flashed deep in his eyes, like a viper lurking in the dark, finally locking onto its prey, cold and bone-chilling.

Is there really not a single truly useful Elder in the Lin Family?

Lin Jingyu’s heart tightened suddenly. Where is the Second Elder?

That straightforward Second Elder, who still spoke up for him at the Family meeting, blocked the old dog Lin Chengyuan, and has guarded the ancestral hall’s library for years—why is he nowhere to be seen?

With such a huge incident, it is impossible for him not to come out!

Unless he has met with foul play!

Lin Jingyu suppressed his churning thoughts and monstrous killing intent, calling over Lin Lingkuang and several other clansmen who had also arrived, and carefully lifted the weak, blood-soaked Patriarch Lin Lingshan.

As if holding fragile glass, they walked toward his home.

The entire Lin Family is in chaos right now. If they were to place the Patriarch anywhere else, it is 100% certain that they would be unable to save him and he would die.

He has seen the Grand Elder’s true face clearly.

He could not help but sigh endlessly in his heart.

The Patriarch, who burned his Origin and fought to the death against a Late Stage Qi Refining Devil Head for the sake of the Family, is now unconscious and dying, with only a few people around him who care.

Conversely, that ”blood-soaked” and ”severely injured” Grand Elder Lin Chenghai is already surrounded by terrified clansmen who view him as their only hope, like drowning people grasping at the last piece of driftwood.

”Grand Elder! You must take care of yourself! The Lin Family cannot do without you, our pillar of support!” a woman cried out, her voice filled with reliance.

”Damn those Devil Head brats! Grand Elder, tell us, what should we do now? We will all listen to you!” a man with red eyes asked anxiously, as if he had found his backbone.

”Yes, yes, yes! Grand Elder, please make a decision! We will all listen to you!” Everyone chimed in, their voices filled with panic and blind obedience.

Lin Chenghai sat cross-legged, regulating his breathing. At an angle unseen by the crowd, the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing baring its fangs.

He slowly opened his eyes, his face still wearing a look of ”weakness,” but his gaze suddenly became sharp and majestic, like a sleeping lion awakening. His voice also rose a few notches, carrying an indisputable Aura of controlling everything:

”Don’t panic! The sky isn’t falling! As long as I have a single breath left, the Lin Family will not fall!”