Lin Ke'er, one of the beauties currently hailed by gossipmongers as one of the Ten Great Beauties of the Tianxu Imperial Dynasty, a captivating figure who stirred hearts, had also appeared today, appearing for the sake of her family.
Ye Chen stood at the edge of the square, smiling slightly at the familiar figure. After not seeing her for a while, this Lin Ke'er had become even more charming and lively, with an intangible hint of alluring grace that stirred the heart, attracting the gazes of many men.
The middle-aged man confronting Lin Tian on the other side was even more burly and tall, clad in heavy battle armor. He was also an Ancient Saint-level powerhouse, looking coldly at Lin Tian. "Lin Tian, the spatial gate belongs to those with the capability. It's not something that can be claimed just because you say it's yours."
Lin Tian snorted coldly. A decree edict appeared in his hand, carrying the unique aura of the Tianxu imperial family, surging faintly. He said coldly, "Meng Ao, this is an edict bestowed upon my Lin Family by His Majesty the Sovereign. This year, it is my Lin Family's turn to take charge. Could it be that your Meng Family dares to defy the Sovereign's edict?"
The Lin Family had no worries, for the edict was personally issued by the Sovereign, possessing almost the greatest authority within this imperial dynasty. No one dared to defy it, for doing so would be tantamount to defying the entire Tianxu Imperial Dynasty.
"You have an edict. Do you think I don't have one?"
However, Meng Ao's expression remained unchanged. With a flip of his broad palm, another edict appeared in his hand, similarly golden and resplendent. It was also a Sovereign's edict, causing the expressions of everyone in the Lin Family to change. What was going on?
But no one suspected the Meng Family of forging it, for this was the imperial capital, and no one would dare to defy the Tianxu imperial family.
Lin Tian shouted, "Impossible! His Majesty clearly bestowed it upon my Lin Family. How could he bestow it upon your Meng Family?"
"Lin Tian, today I'll make you accept defeat with conviction." Meng Ao sneered coldly and then respectfully presented it to the imperial Supreme Elder presiding over the stone platform. "Supreme Elder, please examine it."
A stooped, elderly man in magnificent robes extended a withered hand to take it. Upon opening the edict, a surge of resplendent golden light immediately erupted, causing the Supreme Elder's eyes to narrow involuntarily.
That aura was identical to the one in Lin Tian's hand.
After a moment, the Supreme Elder nodded indifferently, his aged voice resounding throughout the central square. "Correct. This is indeed an edict of our Tianxu imperial family. There is no mistake."
The Supreme Elder's words directly plunged the entire Lin Family into an abyss of disbelief.
"How could this be?"
It was like a call from the depths. Lin Tian, and indeed the entire Lin Family, felt as if struck by lightning.
Even Lin Tian, who commanded millions of imperial troops and whose resolute face had never changed color through countless battles large and small, felt his heart sink.
His fists were clenched so tightly they creaked, and his entire person emanated a gloomy aura.
For the spatial gate this time was far too important to the entire Lin Family. Setting aside the immense profits from the spatial gate itself, in recent years, ever since their ancestor, the former Grand Marshal, passed away, the Lin Family had begun to decline, heading downhill.
Over these years, the Lin Family's influence in the military had waned day by day, and the entire clan had begun to decline.
Just as Lin Tian intended to use this decree edict, obtained because of their late ancestor's past status and bestowed by the Sovereign, to take charge of the spatial gate and restore the Lin Family's prestige, he never expected to be dealt a heavy blow right on the day of the handover, suffering a massive setback.
For the entire Lin Family, this blow was extremely severe.
The family members behind Lin Tian felt their hearts sink to the bottom. Was the Lin Family truly destined to decline?
"Father—" Lin Ke'er's small face turned pale as she looked at the majestic, unshakable figure that had once stood like Mount Tai before her. At this moment, he actually seemed somewhat stooped, making her feel the urge to cry.
Lin Tian suddenly raised his face, staring directly at Meng Ao. He shouted, "Meng Ao, I don't believe His Majesty would issue such an edict. It was clearly meant for my Lin Family this time. How could it be allowed for you?"
Not only Lin Tian, but others were also curious. For the current Sovereign to repeatedly issue two identical decree edicts to two families seemed rather foolish and would affect his majesty.
"Lin Tian, indeed, this edict was not issued by the current Sovereign, but by the Retired Sovereign. There's not much difference." Meng Ao sneered incessantly, revealing a shocking fact.
Although the Retired Sovereign had abdicated, in an imperial dynasty, unlike secular dynasties, strength was revered. The Retired Sovereign was an ancient recluse at the peak of the Saint Vault level. He generally did not appear, but once he did, even the current Sovereign had to give him some face.
"By the way, my ancestor fought side by side with His Majesty the Retired Sovereign in the past, sharing life-and-death camaraderie. So..."
He chuckled, his meaning self-evident.
The hearts of the Lin Family and others sank completely. Even the Retired Sovereign had intervened. Did that mean the Lin Family was beyond saving?
"Lin Tian, I advise you to obediently step back. My Meng Family today is not something your increasingly declining Lin Family can compare to." Meng Ao's words carried a natural air of lofty arrogance, completely looking down on the Lin Family.
Lin Tian clenched his fists tightly. The Meng Family was truly bullying others too far. This caused anger to flicker on Lin Tian's resolute face, and he even faintly emanated a powerful Ancient Saint might.
But Meng Ao was not much weaker. More importantly, an old man stepped out from behind him, whose aura was far more terrifying. The moment he appeared, he unleashed an overlord-level might, completely suppressing Lin Tian, forcing him to step back as if struck by lightning, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Father!"
Seeing this, Lin Ke'er exclaimed in alarm and rushed forward to support Lin Tian.
"Father, are you alright?" Lin Ke'er was on the verge of tears.
Lin Tian shook his head, though his face was very pale, also showing dejection and loss.
The Meng Family had such a powerful figure, and their ancestor had close ties with the Retired Sovereign. The Lin Family was utterly defeated.
He revealed a bitter smile, shaking his head at Lin Ke'er and affectionately stroking her head. "Ke'er, let's go."
Lin Ke'er nodded, her face tear-stained like pear blossoms in the rain.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out. A handsome yet somewhat sinister-looking young man, appearing around twenty-five or twenty-six years old and bearing some resemblance to Meng Ao—clearly Meng Ao's son, named Meng Hua—stepped out from beside Meng Ao.
When he saw Lin Ke'er, his eyes immediately lit up, and he clicked his tongue in admiration. "Tsk tsk, what a beautiful young lady. Who would have thought that after not seeing you for a few years, Sister Ke'er has grown even more beautiful."
Lin Ke'er shot him a look of disgust and turned to leave without looking back.
Meng Hua, however, did not retreat. Instead, he strode forward, shouting, "Sister Ke'er, your brother here grew up with you since childhood, after all. No need to leave so quickly. Now, your brother can give your Lin Family an opportunity, a chance to rise again."
Although she clearly knew Meng Hua's words were ill-intentioned, Lin Ke'er couldn't help but pause slightly, hesitating before asking, "What opportunity?"
Meng Hua chuckled. "Of course, a good opportunity. If Sister Ke'er is willing to marry your brother here, I can guarantee that from then on, the Lin Family will receive the Meng Family's protection. Moreover, with the two families united through marriage, a powerful alliance, wouldn't that be even more wonderful?"
"Meng Hua, don't even think about it!" Lin Ke'er refused, her pretty face grim. How could she be willing to be with him? And if they truly formed a marriage alliance, wouldn't the entire Lin Family simply be providing the dowry, becoming a subsidiary of the Meng Family?
Lin Tian naturally understood the stakes and could not agree.
However, at this moment, Meng Hua directly pounced forward, extending a large, hairy hand. In full view of the public, he directly reached for Lin Ke'er's well-developed chest. His action was exceptionally shameless and vulgar.
"You—"
Lin Ke'er exclaimed in shock. How could Lin Tian allow others to publicly defile his precious daughter like this? He snorted coldly and immediately swung his hand to sweep the attack away.
But Meng Ao also snorted coldly, grabbing Meng Hua back while simultaneously slapping out a palm to collide with Lin Tian's strike. Instantly, a terrifying, earth-shattering fluctuation erupted.
Both were forced back several steps. Although they had tried their best to suppress their power, how could two Ancient Saint-level powerhouses of the imperial dynasty be weak? With each step they took backward, the hard stone slabs beneath their feet showed terrifying scenes of cracking inch by inch.
Finally, beneath both of them, a patch of ground was completely shaken into stone dust, scattering in the wind, drifting and swirling.
"Lin Tian, you truly refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, daring to attack my son." Meng Ao snorted coldly.
Lin Tian did not yield in the slightest. "Meng Ao, your son dared to lay hands on my daughter. He's seeking death. If he dares to touch my daughter again, I'll make sure he dies right here on the spot. Do you believe me?"
Hearing Lin Tian's harsh words, Meng Ao's son felt a chill. Even Meng Ao seemed quite surprised, for although they had been at odds with Lin Tian over the years, he had never seen Lin Tian issue such a severe threat.
Clearly, this Lin Ke'er was indeed Lin Tian's bottom line, not to be touched.
As fellow Great Generals of the imperial dynasty, although the Lin Family was declining day by day, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Moreover, the imperial family strictly forbade internal killing.
Otherwise, once discovered, they would face severe punishment from the imperial dynasty.
But if he didn't teach the Lin Family a lesson today, Meng Ao couldn't swallow his anger. He immediately said gloomily, "Well said, Lin Tian. I won't touch your Ke'er. But if I don't give your Lin Family a lesson today, you'll really think you're still the Lin Family of old. Clan Elder, please take action and teach him a lesson."
"As it should be."
The Clan Elder behind him nodded coldly, stepping forward and directly sweeping out a palm. Overlord-level might surged forth overwhelmingly, causing everyone in the Lin Family to change color.
Lin Tian's face turned pale. Although he knew it would be difficult to withstand, he still stepped forward actively, risking serious injury.
At this very moment, that overwhelming momentum suddenly halted. A faint voice resounded throughout the entire central square. "Meng Family, aren't you going too far?"