I, the lazy prince, am the darling of the ladies of destiny.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically!

The elders of the Hall of Offerings are the true core of the Lin family's power structure and guardians; each one is an indispensable pillar of the family.

Taking the initiative to withdraw not only means giving up power and position, but also means severing some of the ties with the Lin family. When the family faces a crisis, this may trigger a chain reaction of centrifugal effects!

"Elder Xu! Why did it come to this?!"

Lin Zhan finally spoke, his voice low and heavy, filled with suppressed anger and exhaustion. As the head of the family, he was under immense pressure at this moment.

"Why did it come to this?" Elder Xu sneered.

"Young Master Lin Yan's actions today have made the Lin family the target of everyone in the Northern Region."

"I have been in charge of the family's external affairs for many years and I know Lü Yang's methods well. I also know that Shen Wansan, Li Zhi and others are not just making empty threats."

"Next, the Lin family will face resource blockades, trade disruptions, alienation of allies, and possibly... a joint crackdown by the three major families!"

"I refuse to see my family decline, and I refuse to watch the external networks I've built up over half a lifetime be destroyed!"

"Lin Zhan,"

Another senior elder spoke slowly, his voice aged yet authoritative.

"Yan'er has indeed made a grave mistake this time. But assigning blame now will not help. The most urgent task is to clean up the mess. How can we quell the anger of the Lü family?"

"How do we appease the Yun and Ye families? How do we deal with the debt collectors from those nine families? How... do we preserve the Lin family's foundation?"

He looked sharply at Lin Zhan: "You are the head of the family. At this moment, you need to make a decision."

Lin Zhan sat in the family head's seat, his hands gripping the armrests tightly, his knuckles white. His face, usually resolute, was now clouded with gloom.

Lin Yan was his most valued son, exceptionally talented, and his character had once made him proud.

But what happened today... is utterly foolish!

For the sake of Xiao Dong? To put the whole family in such a dangerous situation?

Inside the hall, accusations, sarcasm, sighs, and calls for resignation mingled together, like a heavy net enveloping him.

He knew that the news had probably already spread throughout the Northern Region by now.

The Lin family has been thrust from the shadows into the limelight, becoming the first conspicuous target after the Lü family's return to power.

Clean up the mess? Easier said than done!

Lu Yang is a vengeful and ruthless man.

Now that he has overturned the table and made his stance clear, he is unlikely to give up easily.

The return of the ten-thousand-year-old jadeite as a gift was both a gesture of appeasement and a declaration that the Lü family was not lacking in such resources and was not afraid of offending anyone.

The fact that the Yun and Ye families took sides only made matters worse.

This means that the Lin family's attempts to mediate and find a buffer have been completely blocked.

The debt collection efforts of those nine major powers... represent a real and immediate financial crisis.

Although the Lin family has abundant wealth, it is simultaneously paying off nine huge debts and may face a complete break in cooperation, which will put enormous pressure on its cash flow.

In the longer term, this incident will severely damage the Lin family's reputation, credibility, and alliances in the Northern Region.

All of this was because Lin Yan insisted on his own way.

Lin Zhan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging anger and disappointment in his son.

"Elders,"

Lin Zhan's voice regained its composure as he glanced at everyone in the hall. "I will severely punish Yan'er for her mistake. But the Lin family's thousand-year-old foundation cannot be destroyed because of this."

"Elder Xu, the position in the Hall of Worship is crucial to the stability of the family. Please postpone your resignation. The family's external affairs are now more in need of your experience in mediating."

"From this moment forward, seal off part of the family's treasury, take inventory of assets, and prepare to deal with those nine families demanding repayment."

"At the same time, send people to closely monitor the movements of the Lü family, the Yun family, the Ye family, and... the subsequent actions of those nine forces."

"Send a formal letter to the Lü family, using humble language, stating that Lin Yan's actions today were a personal matter and did not represent the Lin family's position, and express apologies. Probe... whether there is any room for reconciliation."

"As for Yan'er..." A hint of pain and determination flashed in Lin Zhan's eyes, "When he returns, strip him of all his privileges as the young master, confine him to the ancestral land, the Cliff of Repentance, and forbid him from leaving without my order!"

A series of orders were issued, which, while failing to completely quell the elders' anger and anxiety, at least gave the chaotic inner hall a direction for action.

However, everyone knew that this was just the beginning.

The Lin family, this behemoth in the Northern Region, has already had its first fire ignited by Lin Yan himself.

Whether this fire, which could consume the family's future, can be extinguished depends on every step taken from here on out, and also on... what the Lü family truly wants.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Apart from a few high-ranking Dao Realm cultivators who were insightful about the current situation, the vast majority of the Lin family members and servants were still immersed in their past glory, firmly believing that their family was the undisputed leader of the Northern and Southern Regions.

This confidence stems from the fact that for thousands of years, the Lin family has always had two peak Dao Ancestor Realm experts guarding them, along with several Dao Foundation Realm cultivators.

This is precisely the source of the Lin family's confidence in being ranked alongside the Lü family of the Northern Territory, the Ye family of the Eastern Territory, and the Yun family of the Western Territory as one of the four great families of the Northern Region.

However, one night, this innate dignity and pride began to crumble quietly.

Almost all cultivators above the Golden Core Realm in the southern part of the Northern Region simultaneously felt two terrifying auras, as vast as an abyss and as oppressive as a mountain, coming from the north and rushing straight towards the Lin family's border with unstoppable force!

Before they even arrived, their sharp edge was already there.

A dazzling sword light arrived first at the outer perimeter of the Lin family's protective mountain formation.

The dark green barrier that perpetually shrouds the Lin family's ancestral land is formed from countless rare and precious materials and the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers, making it strong enough to withstand the full force of an ordinary Dao Foundation Realm cultivator.

But before this sword light—

scoff!

Like cloth being sliced ​​by the sharpest blade.

The emerald green barrier shattered instantly, its radiance dimmed, and the array base hummed!

The elders within the Lin family's array center changed their expressions drastically. They spared no expense, instantly consuming a massive amount of their reserve spiritual resources to forcibly erect a second, thicker, and wider sky-covering barrier.

However, what followed the sword light was a spear.

Before the spear tip even arrived, the invisible "intention" had already caused the second barrier to fluctuate violently.

Then, the guns came.

Silent and unstoppable.

The barrier, which had cost a fortune and had just been erected, was pierced by a single spear thrust, leaving a huge hole in the center. Spiritual energy dissipated wildly, and the formation wailed.

Immediately afterwards, the third, fourth, and fifth barriers rose one after another, only to be torn apart and pierced by the merciless, alternating barrage of sword light and spear intent!

The unknown sword and spear cultivators finally stopped when the sixth protective array, which was getting smaller and smaller and could only cover the core area of ​​the ancestral land, was finally erected.

The two hovered in the air three hundred miles away from the ancestral mountain of the Lin family. Their figures, illuminated by the night and the remaining light of the array, resembled two deities who had descended.

The man holding the sword was dressed in a simple blue robe and had a calm expression.

His gaze fell upon the depths of the Lin family's ancestral land, his voice calm yet clear enough to pierce through the final barrier and reach the ears of every member of the Lin family:

"Lin Zhan, come out."

He paused, then added:

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee that my next sword strike won't harm innocent people."

At this moment, everyone in the Lin family, regardless of their cultivation level or location, felt that cold, undisguised killing intent and intimidation.