Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

A faint sense of foreboding washed over him. Lin Yun thanked the steward and walked into the small courtyard alone.

The steward who saw Lin Yun enter the courtyard didn’t give it a second thought and promptly left. Celestial Eagle Valley would not interfere in the affairs of Yanhuang Country—of course, that would be another matter entirely if Lin Yun were one of its disciples.

As soon as he stepped into the small courtyard, he saw three imposing youths sitting in the pavilion across from him. They seemed to be waiting for Lin Yun, and the moment he entered, the leader of the trio spoke softly.

"Lin Yun, you’re finally here."

The youth’s tone was placid, yet his words carried an air of absolute confidence, of having everything under control. As he finished speaking, he rose to his feet. With a single, simple step, his figure flickered and reappeared right in front of Lin Yun in the blink of an eye.

"You’ve hidden yourself well, managing to remain concealed in my Yanhuang Academy for so long," the youth said, a faint smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Lin Yun had never seen the youth before, but he was already bracing himself for the worst.

However, the youth’s next words thoroughly enraged Lin Yun, for the Yanhuang Royal Family had just crossed a line he would not tolerate.

"Your parents and your teacher are in our hands. Oh, right, and you have a lovely confidante named Lu Bingning, don’t you? In addition to them, your friends have also been... invited to the Imperial Palace."

Lin Xiaotian, Zhang Jingxiang, Zhong Lin, Lu Bingning, Qin Feng, Li Tian... everyone was under the Royal Family’s control. Aside from the Lan Xi Royal Family, who remained unaware, every single person connected to Lin Yun had been captured.

"If you dare to touch them, I swear I will annihilate the Yanhuang Royal Family," Lin Yun said, enunciating each word.

Faced with the palpable killing intent radiating from Lin Yun, the youth remained completely unfazed, a faint smile still playing on his lips. "Lin Yun, you have only one path before you now: withdraw from the Green Talent List, return to the Capital City, and hand over the entire inheritance of the Thunder God Hall. Otherwise, not a single one of your family or friends will live."

The youth was none other than the current Crown Prince, and beside him stood the Second Prince and the Third Prince. Faced with the Crown Prince’s threat, Lin Yun stared at him with ice-cold eyes.

’I absolutely cannot withdraw from the Green Talent List right now. Only under the protection of Celestial Eagle Valley will the Royal Family not dare to move against me so brazenly. The moment I withdraw, I’ll lose their protection. I’ll have no leverage at all.’

’Besides, even if I did withdraw, I have no guarantee the Royal Family would keep their word. As long as I don’t quit, they absolutely won’t dare to harm my family and friends. If I manage to catch the eye of one of the major powers, the Royal Family will be forced to give me some face.’

Seeing Lin Yun remain silent for a long moment, the Crown Prince continued, "Don’t delude yourself into thinking any major power will take an interest in you. If you insist on participating in the Green Talent List, you’re just choosing to die."

’This is even more serious than I imagined.’ The Royal Family hadn’t just gone after his parents; they had taken his teacher and friends as well.

"Whether I live or die is none of your concern. I will say this only once: if the Royal Family so much as touches them, I will annihilate the Yanhuang Royal Family," Lin Yun said, his voice dripping with killing intent.

There was no way Lin Yun would agree to withdraw from the Green Talent List. It was his only leverage right now. Moreover, he had to achieve a high ranking in the competition and strive to be noticed by one of the major powers. Only then might he be able to resolve this crisis with the Royal Family.

Seeing that Lin Yun showed no signs of yielding and was instead radiating killing intent, the Crown Prince’s gaze slowly turned cold. ’Lin Yun is smarter than I imagined,’ he thought, ’and more difficult to deal with.’

"In that case, you can just wait and regret this. No major power will ever take an interest in you, because you will never make it onto the Green Talent List," the Crown Prince said with a cold sneer.

With that, the Crown Prince shot Lin Yun one last icy glare, then turned and walked out of the courtyard with the Second and Third Princes.

Lin Yun stood frozen on the spot, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. In that moment, all he felt was humiliation and powerlessness. Faced with the Royal Family’s threats, his only hope lay with the Green Talent List.

It couldn’t be helped. Against the entire Yanhuang Royal Family, Lin Yun was simply too weak.

"Yanhuang Royal Family..." Lin Yun ground out the words, his eyes blazing with a furious inferno. The Royal Family’s actions had truly touched his reverse scale.

They had not only captured his parents, but also Zhong Lin, Lu Bingning, and all the others.

Just then, a Soul Thought transmission suddenly entered Lin Yun’s mind. His expression shifted slightly. After a quick scan of his surroundings, he walked straight toward a room hidden behind a decorative rockery.

Without knocking, Lin Yun pushed the door open and entered. After carefully closing it behind him, he addressed the old man in the room. "Elder Bai."

"You, my boy. The entire Yanhuang Country is hunting you down." Upon seeing Lin Yun, a hint of affection flashed in Elder Bai’s eyes.

First, Lin Yun himself was an excellent prospect. Second, Elder Bai had been the master of Lin Yun’s father, Lin Xiaotian. For these two reasons, Elder Bai was genuinely fond of the boy. And because of this, in the current circumstances, he was the only person willing to help Lin Yun with all his heart.

"Elder Bai, my parents, my teacher... they..." Seeing Elder Bai, the first thing Lin Yun wanted to know was the status of his parents.

Understanding Lin Yun’s anxiety, Elder Bai didn’t beat around the bush and directly told him everything he knew.

The Royal Family had discovered Lin Yun’s identity from some unknown source and had immediately dispatched men to arrest Lin Xiaotian and his wife. Then, just one day later, Zhong Lin, Lu Bingning, and the others had not been spared either.

It was safe to say that anyone in Yanhuang Country with a connection to Lin Yun had been imprisoned by the Royal Family.

This time, it wasn’t mere house arrest but direct imprisonment. The Royal Family intended to use these people to force Lin Yun to reveal himself. However, at that critical moment, Master Wu and Gong Qi stepped forward to guarantee their safety.

And who were Gong Qi and Master Wu? They were members of the Pharmaceutical Instrument Master’s Guild. Even the Royal Family had to take their words seriously. On top of that, both Gong Qi and Master Wu had taken an extremely firm stance this time.

It was thanks to Gong Qi and Master Wu that, although Lin Xiaotian and the others were imprisoned, they were in no immediate danger. Their freedom was merely restricted.

"Kid, you’ve really done it this time, getting both Gong Qi and Master Wu to step up and vouch for you," Elder Bai said, half-scolding and half-laughing.

Hearing this, Lin Yun offered no explanation. He suspected that Gong Qi and Master Wu were protecting them on account of Guan Renjie and Lu Tao. After all, with Lu Bingning also captured, Lu Tao would never stand idly by.

After explaining the situation in Yanhuang Country, Elder Bai sighed softly. His expression turned serious as he said to Lin Yun, "Kid, there’s no backing down now. What do you plan to do?"

"I will participate in the Green Talent List. As long as I can secure a high ranking and catch the eye of a major power, the threat from the Royal Family will crumble on its own," Lin Yun said with conviction.

To his surprise, however, Elder Bai simply shook his head after hearing Lin Yun’s words, apparently disagreeing with his plan.

(Third update of the day! Please add to your library, subscribe, vote with a Monthly Pass, send a gift, and recommend the story!)