Chapter 2436: Council Brawl
Seawater splashed all over the place without rhyme or reason.
"Go!" Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Yun, Lin Ziqing, and a few others left the Judgment and charged toward the council hall. As they were members of the council, passing through the barrier formation was rather easy. Much easier than Tianming and the rest, at least, who had to rely on Lin Xiao's formation core to mark them for entry. Only actual council members would usually have a marking like that; people without one wouldn't be able to enter the formation, and any attempt at forcing entry would be met with a harsh blowback.
"Don't let Lin Jie destroy the council hall's formation!" The defensive formation was only low ether class, but it was far more intricate than that of Mount Taia. Not to mention, the smaller area covered by it allowed it to concentrate even more power on the intensity. Still, it was rather uncertain protection when faced with a high-ether-class divine astralship. If the formation was destroyed, the ancestral world monster and Tianxi would be able to strike. Those were the greatest threats, and they hadn't shown themselves yet.
"Alright." Lin Chongyao piloted the Phantavoid to intercept the Judgment. By then, the reformist council members had entered the formation.
Without Lin Jie with them, there should be six of them... but we have five! Coupled with Little Fish's divine wonders, we should be able to hold on, Tianming thought, his heart pounding in his chest. Lin Chongyao was outside taking on the Judgment, so the other five elders—including Lin Xiong—were defending the youths.
Lin Xiong and the rest caused the council hall to sink underground, leaving nothing above, which was fortunate. Tianming had been worried that the ancestral plaques would be destroyed by the fight, which would be a huge spiritual blow to the clan.
The reformists appeared before Tianming and the rest, the most disgusting of whom were no doubt Lin Yun and Lin Ziqing. They immediately spotted the Fishguts, knowing that Tianming was hiding within.
"How could they possibly think a deific-class ship would be enough to stop us? Are they looking down on us?" Lin Yun smiled.
"That brat's arrogant demeanor has had me ruffled for far too long. I'll rip his mouth off today!" Lin Ziqing rolled her tongue in a grimace from the sheer hate she felt for Tianming.
"Six opponents... wait, why are there seven?" Tianming had been calm, but he suddenly noticed five others coming in behind Lin Yun and Lin Ziqing, all of them top fighters!
"Lin Chongjing?" Lin Xiong's expression changed when he saw a middle-aged, white-robed man that resembled Lin Chongyao approach him.
"You must be wondering how I managed to enter, right?" the mature, handsome man said with a smirk. "It's simple. When Brother Jie controlled the council hall, he gave me a mark for convenience of entry."
Lin Chongjing was from the first branch, and was Ku's second son and the younger brother of Lin Chongyao. His strength easily rivaled that of the other council members, not to mention he was younger and more vigorous. Apart from Lin Changkong, Lin Jie, and Lin Xiao—who wielded the Sword in the Forest—Lin Chongjing could rival the others. With two additional opponents, it was doubtful that Moran's divine wonders would be able to endure the pressure. They were in grave danger! Not to mention, the Phantavoid wasn’t the most adept astralship in a head-on fight, so it was rather risky having it face the Judgment. Once the formation outside was breached, things would get hairier.
Tianming suddenly felt immense pressure mounting. According to Yin Chen, even Mount Taia's Quintessence was at risk of being wiped out by the constant assault of a fleet of thirteen divine astralships.
"Let's see how the four of you fare against the seven of us! Leave the brats to Lin Yun and me. You guys, take care of the rest!" Lin Ziqing smugly said.
"Die!" They couldn't afford to waste any more time dallying.
"Stop them!" Lin Xiong roared. The four council members were about the same age, being around a thousand or two years younger than Lin Yun and Lin Ziqing, so some were still in their prime, like Lin Chongjing. "Hold them back!"
Lin Chongjing's white robes fluttered as he produced a snow-white sword, filling his surroundings with sword ki. He looked much like Lin Hongchen, but there were more hints of ferociousness, unlike Lin Hongchen's elegance. All of it doubtlessly stemmed from his deep ambition for power. Unlike his elder brother, he was much more talented, and more prideful as a result. Yet as Ku's son, he was the first one to act against the council in an ironic twist. It was quite a tragic insult toward the ancestral plaques.
The first one Lin Chongjing set his eyes on was Lin Xiong. For the sake of dealing maximum damage, he immediately had his lifebound beasts take their swordbeast form in his weapon, causing it to flash with a bright white light and manifest bestial characteristics. He had concentrated all of his damage potential into that single, solitary blade. His swordheart thumped, synchronizing man, sword, and beast into a single unity. "You're about to reach retirement age, so why don't you step down, Lin Xiong?"
With a smirk, Lin Chongjing unleashed a myriad of abilities. Stars rained down as his form shifted and phased around. His person itself was like a galaxy and the trajectory his sword took looked like shooting stars! And as a cosmic cartographer, his lifebound beasts also had star counts of hundreds of thousands.
"You shall not pass!" While Lin Xiong wanted to stop more people, his enemies wouldn't give him that chance.
Lin Chongjing attacked with all he had from the outset, using his abilities to usher in a dazzling purgatory of blinding white light before he charged toward Lin Xiong with his cosmic artifact. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. I alone am more than you can handle." Lin Chongjing smirked, even in the throes of combat. "I’ll prove to everyone in the clan through combat that I deserve to join the council! Lin Xiong, time is a cruel mistress. People are constantly replaced by the younger generation in this universe, and today, I will be your replacement!"
He had held back all his frustrations for years and years, only to unleash it all today. There was no way Lin Xiong could take on any others at the same time. As for the other fighters, their capabilities were about the same but the reformists had the advantage of youth! The youngest of the traditionalists were Lin Changkong and Lin Chongyao, neither of whom were fighting within the council hall's formation. That allowed Lin Ziqing and Lin Yun, the eldest of the reformists, to make their way to the Fishguts, where Tianming resided.
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