The next day, while the sky was still dark, a considerable number of people had already gathered inside Ironwood Manor. These individuals were all dressed in black, and even the horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth. Everyone remained silent, but a faint, chilling killing intent subtly permeated the air, burning fiercely.
Seeing the fully assembled force, Lin Zhentian's eyes flashed with a cold glint. He said little, simply waving his hand. Immediately, Lin Xiao and Lin Mang led the group out of Ironwood Manor. Looking at the three from behind, this group of people resembled a black torrent surging out of the village.
Standing on the courtyard wall, Lin Dong let out a soft breath as he watched the Lin family's forces rapidly disappear into the darkness. This was the first time he had seen the Lin family mobilize such a large force. One could imagine the shock that the news of Black Dragon Stronghold's annihilation would send through the numerous nearby powers within a hundred-mile radius.
It seemed that Lin Zhentian and his group truly no longer wished to endure as they had before…
o0o
The sky gradually brightened, and the sun slowly spread its light, once again casting its brilliant, warm glow upon every corner of the earth.
On the courtyard wall, many young people of the Lin family's generation were gathered. Lin Dong sat alone on a stone mound, while Qing Tan sat beside him, chatting and laughing with Lin He and the others.
As they spoke, he noticed Lin He and the others constantly looking into the distance, their eyes filled with unconcealed worry.
"Haha! Don't worry, although Black Dragon Stronghold is strong, this time my Lin family has committed its entire strength. Moreover, Grandfather personally made a move. That Black Dragon Stronghold won't have a good outcome," Lin Dong said with a comforting smile.
Hearing Lin Dong's reassurance, Lin He and the others' expressions eased a little.
"Lin Hong and I might break through to the Earth Yuan Realm within two months. Although we still can't compare to you, by then we'll also be able to help our family members a bit," Lin He said softly, pushing back the black hair covering her forehead.
Hearing this, Lin Dong smiled faintly. Due to the Yang Yuan Stone ore vein, Lin He and Lin Hong now enjoyed far better treatment than before. They could even occasionally use Yang Yuan Pills, which would have been an incredibly unimaginable feat in the past. With such treatment now, their cultivation speed had also increased significantly.
"Let's go back…"
Lin Dong jumped down from the stone mound, just about to tell everyone to rest a bit, when his heart suddenly stirred. He looked up with a hint of joy, gazing towards the end of his vision, where the faint, low sound of horse hooves was vaguely approaching.
Hearing Lin Dong's words, Lin He and the others also became joyful, quickly standing up. Sure enough, a large number of people appeared at the end of their vision, finally forming a torrent with the rumbling sound of horse hooves, surging into the wide-open manor gate.
As this group of people rushed into Ironwood Manor, a faint scent of blood wafted from their bodies. Evidently, they had experienced a bloody battle earlier.
Seeing this group of people return victorious, deafening cheers suddenly erupted within the manor.
"Father, is it resolved?"
Lin Dong jumped down from the courtyard wall and asked Lin Xiao in a low voice. He could see some dark red bloodstains on Lin Xiao's clothes.
"Yes! From now on, Black Dragon Stronghold will no longer exist!" Lin Xiao's face was extremely excited. He smiled, squinted his eyes, and patted Lin Dong's shoulder. Then he lifted the black oilcloth at the back of the carriage, revealing a large amount of gold and various other items.
"These were collected from Black Dragon Stronghold. These are things the bandits hid. See if there's anything you're interested in, and just take it," Lin Xiao said.
Lin Dong's eyes looked at the carriage with a hint of surprise for a while. Lin Xiao's hand turned over the items. He wasn't overly interested in the so-called gold, silver, and jewels, so his gaze almost entirely rested on the items that looked somewhat strange and peculiar.
He played with the pile of items for a long time, but Lin Dong didn't find anything that particularly interested him. Just as he was about to give up, a black metal block, about half the size of a head, appeared in his sight.
This black metal piece was covered in dust and had not attracted anyone's attention. However, the moment Lin Dong first saw it, he suddenly felt a slight stir in the mental energy within his mind.
"Haha, your eyesight is really good! This is a piece of Shattered Origin Profound Steel. It has a very good effect in dispelling Origin Energy. If a weapon is mixed with a bit of this Shattered Origin Profound Steel, even an ordinary Heavenly Origin Realm expert wouldn't dare to be hit head-on. Otherwise, it might directly create a hole!" Seeing Lin Dong's gaze suddenly stop on the black metal piece, Lin Xiao said with a smile.
"Moreover, what's even stranger is that this Shattered Origin Profound Steel is very good for opening up mental energy."
"So that's how it is..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Dong suddenly understood. A wisp of mental energy slowly drifted out from his mind, wrapped around the black metal piece, and after a while, his mental energy grew a little stronger.
Seeing this scene, a ray of light flashed across Lin Dong's eyes. Finally, without any politeness, he stretched out his hand and grabbed the black metal piece, saying with a smile, "Then, this item will belong to me..."
o0o
Not long after Lin Zhentian and his group successfully returned to Ironwood Manor, the news of Black Dragon Stronghold's destruction spread to various forces through different channels.
This matter indeed did not fall outside Lin Dong's expectations, causing a considerable stir. Although Black Dragon Stronghold's bandit strength was not considered top-tier, they still had two Heavenly Origin Realm experts leading the way. However, no one expected that Black Dragon Stronghold, with such strong power, would be so easily annihilated by the Lin family. This caused many forces to begin retracting their previous contempt.
Qingyang Town, Lei Family.
"Hmph! The Lin family is quite something. Are they deliberately showing off their power to my Lei family?" In a luxurious room, Lei Bao sat in a grand chair, holding a teacup, and said with a faint cold smile.
"Father, it seems Lin Zhentian must have guessed that our Lei family instigated Black Dragon Stronghold to attack Ironwood Manor," Lei Pi said with a frown.
"So what if he knows? What can he do?" Lei Bao shook his head, then his eyes flashed as he said, "This time, the Lin family is going to Yan City. Are they planning to sell Yangyuan Stones?"
"Yes! Inside Ironwood Manor, there is indeed a Yangyuan Stone mineral vein! Otherwise, the Lin family absolutely could not have produced so many Yangyuan Stones in just a few short months." Lei Pi said in a deep voice.
Lei Bao slowly nodded, a greedy and sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
"Oh, right! Father, the reason Black Dragon Stockade's attack on Ironwood Manor failed this time, as far as I know, seems to be because that Lin family brat, Lin Dong, has already entered the Heavenly Origin Stage!" Lei Pi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said.
"Lin Dong? That Lin family brat is only sixteen years old, that little rabbit? How could that be possible!" Hearing Lei Pi say this, Lei Bao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly cried out in alarm, his voice becoming much sharper due to the shock.
Seeing this, Lei Pi also gave a bitter laugh. He couldn't believe it either, but it was indeed the truth.
Lei Bao's aged face twitched a few times, then suddenly turned ferocious. He said calmly, "Lei Pi! You find an opportunity and eliminate that brat. Soon, the Lin family, heh, they won't be arrogant for much longer..."
"Father is about to break through?!"
Hearing this, Lei Pi was first taken aback, then a look of ecstatic joy appeared on his face as he spoke.
"When I successfully break through that day, this Qingyang Town will completely become the territory of my Lei family!"
The corners of Lei Bao's mouth became even more sinister. He looked in the direction of Ironwood Manor, gritting his teeth and muttering, "Lin Zhentian! I want your Lin family to all become homeless dogs!"