Lin Yi finally turned his full, quiet attention to Yue Shen. There was no anger, no panic… only a cold look as if watching a clown dancing around.
"The Rank Three Fire Lotus Leaf you purchased was pure. It crumbled because you attempted to consume it with a severely unstable foundation and an already polluted Yuan Power flow, a common fault among the Blood Wolf Gang's crude cultivation methods," Lin Yi stated, reciting the facts of the failed transaction with a calm and expressionless face.
His gaze dropped slightly, settling on the wolf emblem stitched onto Yue Shen's vest. "The Blood Wolf Gang is accustomed to seizing territory and extorting wealth from the weak. But you seem to have misunderstood the nature of my Yi Pavilion. You have made a mistake; you just walked into a restricted area, threatened my staff, and insulted the foundation of my business."
As Lin Yi spoke, the air in the grand hall, already thick with anticipation, suddenly compressed, turning brittle and cold.
Lin Yi's neutral expression did not change, but the invisible force of his Peak Form Creation Realm power… a power that molded and controlled the very source of Yuan Qi was unleashed. It wasn't a sudden, explosive surge, but a deliberate, crushing descent, like the atmospheric pressure of an entire mountain range being focused onto a single point.
BOOM!
The entire Yi Pavilion structure groaned in protest. The polished marble floor beneath the gathered spectators shuddered violently, and a faint, audible crack ran through a nearby support pillar. The pressure, however, was not diffuse; it was perfectly targeted, slamming directly onto Yue Shen and the two subordinates behind him.
The hall, moments before filled with hushed whispers, fell into an absolute, deathly silence.
Yue Shen's aggressive, mocking expression instantly froze. The blood drained from his scarred face, leaving it the color of bleached bone. His confident sneer dissolved into a look of absolute, paralyzed horror. His Yuan Dan, which he had been ready to deploy in a show of force, was violently suppressed, feeling less substantial than a flickering candle flame against a tsunami.
'Creation… Qi Creation Realm?! No! This level of pressure… is it Half Step Nirvana? Who is he?!' The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow, regret spreading through his heart like icy venom. He had just fatally insulted an untouchable authority.
The two subordinates behind him, weaker and less prepared, immediately began to shake, their legs buckling and their postures compressed toward the ground.
Among the other spectators, cold gasps of profound shock ripped through the silence.
The Symbol Master Guild delegate, Master He, stumbled backward, his hand instinctively flying to his chest. 'This is Creation Qi! He bypassed the Yuan Dan Realm and stabilized a true master foundation! At his age… What kind of monster is this?!'
Zi Yue, the mayor's daughter, who had been watching with skepticism, suddenly straightened, her eyes wide and dazzling with a fierce, burning light. The boy's stillness had been explained: it wasn't fear, but the perfect containment of a world-shattering force.
A loud sound of bone collision and cracking spread through the hall.
Yue Shen's knees violently slammed into the marble floor. The immense, dual pressure from Lin Yi's refined Yuan Dans and his colossal Fifth Seal mental energy… the equivalent of ten heavy, spiritual mountains… was more than his body could bear. A wet, agonizing crunch echoed as his kneecaps shattered against the stone.
"Agh…!" Yue Shen grunted, a strangled sound of debilitating pain and humiliation escaping his throat, tears momentarily blurring his vision.
Elder Mu, who had been in the process of escorting the delegates, watched the scene unfold with a mixture of surprise and profound, bewildered awe. He had worked for his young master for months, yet this was the first time he had seen even a fraction of his true power… a power that made the three major factions of Yan City seem like children playing in the sand.
Lin Yi glanced down at the now-kneeling Yue Shen, his gray eyes utterly cold, ignoring the seismic fear rippling through the hall. He spoke, his voice remaining soft and calm, a chilling contrast to the carnage beneath his feet.
"I will not take your life, Yue Shen. The Blood Wolf Gang must understand that attacking the Yi Pavilion is not simply a business risk; it is an act of spiritual suicide."
He then delivered his verdict. "From this moment forward, the Blood Wolf Gang, and any individual wearing your symbol, is permanently banned from entering this building. If I see you, or any of your members, acting aggressively within a one-mile radius of the Yi Pavilion, I will personally ensure your death is slow and public and serves as a lasting reminder of today's lesson. Do you understand the terms of your survival?"
Yue Shen, his body convulsing from the pain and terror, could only manage a quick, desperate, choking nod.
Lin Yi maintained the crushing pressure for another second, a final, visceral reminder of the power he contained, before abruptly withdrawing it. The sudden release of the pressure left a void, and everyone in the hall gasped, staggering slightly as the oppressive force vanished.
"Elder Mu! Escort everyone out… See off the guests."
Lin Yi spoke, running his gaze through other spectators around, and then turned away, his charcoal robe swishing silently as he began to ascend the stairs, leaving the wreckage behind. He didn't spare another glance for the man on the floor.
As he reached the second step, Yue Shen, slick with cold sweat and adrenaline, slowly pushed himself up, his shattered knees screaming in agony. He immediately noticed the figures of his two subordinates behind him.
They were lying on the floor without any movement, perfectly still like motionless statues. Yue Shan immediately recognized their state.
There were no visible wounds, no blood, and no sign of a struggle… But they were dead. The raw, internal pressure of the Form Creation aura, channeled through Lin Yi's spiritual energy, had simply crushed their life force and dispersed their Yuan Power, leaving behind two empty husks.\
...