2: Chapter 2 The Seven Star Sword Formation Shows Its Power

The Zhang Family's ultimatum was like a red-hot branding iron, searing into the Lin Family's freshly cooked brown rice.

But surprisingly, although the clansmen's faces showed worry, there was little panic.

Perhaps it was Lin Yue's powerful response that day that gave everyone confidence, or perhaps the Family motto of "Unity" had long been etched into their very marrow.

Even Lin Laosan, whose injuries hadn't fully healed, propped himself up and shouted about going to guard the mining cave, only to be slapped back down by Lin Cang.

"Clan Chief, are we really going to fight the Zhang Family head-on?" During dinner, Uncle Zhong brought over a bowl of brown rice with beast meat, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at Lin Yue.

"That old dog Zhang Ba is at the Peak of Late Stage Qi Refining. His son, Zhang Meng, just reached Middle Stage Qi Refining, and he has seven or eight guards at Early Stage Qi Refining under him. We..."

"Even if we have to fight head-on, we will." Lin Yue interrupted him, picking up a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth.

"Uncle Zhong, taking a step back means falling into a bottomless abyss. If the Xipo Mining Cave is gone, we won't even be able to scrape together next month's rations. When that time comes, we'll collapse on our own without the Zhang Family even lifting a finger."

He spoke calmly, but Uncle Zhong felt a jolt in his heart.

These past few days, he felt the Clan Chief had changed—not just the composure in his eyes, but this clear-eyed recognition of the Family's plight.

Although the former Young Clan Chief was also sensible, he always had a bit of youthful idealism; how could he have thought things through so thoroughly?

"But the Grand Elder..."

"As for the Grand Elder, I'll go speak with him." Lin Yue set down his bowl and chopsticks.

"By the way, Uncle Zhong, find those few jars of aged wine we have stored away and send one to the back mountain for the Grand Elder. Just say... the weather is turning cold, and it's for the old gentleman to warm his body."

Although Uncle Zhong was puzzled since the back mountain was clearly even colder, he still responded with a "Very well."

He knew the Clan Chief must have a plan, but he had been running to the back mountain every day lately, and he didn't know what he was busy with.

Lin Yue did indeed have business.

Since the day he decided to use the Spiritual Qi leaking from the plane to help Lin Cang stabilize his cultivation, he had been quietly "arranging" things at the back mountain every day.

That remote mountain hollow was a place he had carefully selected; it was not far from the Family but rarely visited.

Most importantly, the trace of pure Spiritual Qi seeping from the plane gathered most noticeably here.

He didn't tell Lin Cang the truth directly, only saying that "the ancestors have manifested, and the Spiritual Qi here is slightly denser," letting the old man come here to meditate every day.

Although Lin Cang was skeptical, seeing how serious the Clan Chief was and feeling touched by the sentiment, he really did come to the back mountain for an hour every evening.

At this moment, Lin Yue had just walked into the hollow and saw Lin Cang sitting cross-legged on a bluestone, eyes closed and breathing deeply.

The old man's originally somewhat hunched back seemed to have straightened a bit, and a faint fluctuation of spiritual power swirled around him, more solid than it had been a few days ago.

"It really is working." Lin Yue was secretly delighted.

Although only one-ten-thousandth of the plane's Spiritual Qi had leaked out, its purity far exceeded that of the outside world, making its nourishing effect excellent for a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator.

Looking at Lin Cang's state, it likely wouldn't be long before he could completely stabilize his Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation and even vaguely touch the threshold of the Peak.

He didn't disturb him, instead walking to an old locust tree not far away, pretending to check the surroundings while actually sinking his consciousness into the plane.

[ruined plane (Rank: 0)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 0.7 (Standard outside environment is 1)]

[Status: Stably Active]

Lin Yue looked at the Chaos in the space, which was slightly brighter than before, and the slowly rotating points of Spiritual Qi light, calculating in his mind:

At this rate, the Spiritual Qi concentration might reach 0.8 within three days, and then... "Little Yue, you're here." Lin Cang's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The old man opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing through them, a smile on his face: "You brat, you really didn't lie to me. The Spiritual Qi in this place is indeed different. Meditating for an hour here is more effective than practicing all day at home."

"That's because your cultivation is profound, Grand Elder, allowing you to sense the ancestors' protection." Lin Yue offered a timely compliment as he sat down beside the old man.

"About the Zhang Family..."

"Hmph, a bunch of jumping clowns." Lin Cang snorted coldly and slapped the bluestone, leaving a shallow palm print on its surface.

"Never mind that Zhang Ba is only at the Peak of Late Stage Qi Refining; even if he truly reached Foundation Establishment, he'd have to lose a layer of skin if he wants to touch my Lin Family!"

Lin Yue's heart chilled slightly as he looked at the palm print.

These past few days of nourishment hadn't been in vain; Lin Cang's spiritual power density had clearly improved, and his strength had increased significantly.

"Grand Elder, fighting head-on is not the goal." Lin Yue changed the subject.

"What we want is the mining cave, a path to survival. The Zhang Family is powerful; if we truly fight, even if we win, the Family will suffer heavy casualties, and the losses will outweigh the gains."

Lin Cang looked at him: "Then what do you propose?" He found himself increasingly willing to listen to this Young Clan Chief's ideas.

"Show weakness to the enemy, then strike back." Lin Yue lowered his voice.

"On the surface, we'll put on a show of defending to the death, making Zhang Ba think we are at the end of our rope. Secretly, you take this time to stabilize your cultivation, and I'll have the Guard Team focus on practicing a combined attack technique. When they actually come..."

He made a gesture for "to catch the bandits, first capture their leader."

Lin Cang's eyes lit up: "You want to..."

"Zhang Meng is Zhang Ba's only son and the future hope of the Zhang Family." Lin Yue said slowly, "As long as we take him down, Zhang Ba will be wary of hurting his own, and things will be easier to handle."

"Good lad, ruthless enough!" Lin Cang patted his shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.

"We'll do as you say! As for the Guard Team, I'll have Lin Hu lead their training. That kid's 'Lin Family Fist' is quite solid. If we get seven people together, we can barely manage a 'Seven Star Formation'."

Lin Yue nodded.

Lin Hu was the captain of the Family Guard Team, at the Peak of Early Stage Qi Refining. He was a steady person, and his Lin Family Fist was practiced with great vigor.

That Seven Star Formation was a rudimentary combined attack technique left by the Lin Family's ancestors. With seven people working together, they could barely contend with a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, which was perfect for dealing with Zhang Meng.

The two discussed more details, such as how to lure Zhang Meng away from the main group and how to arrange people for backup, until the moon was high in the sky before they each returned.

For the next two days, a tense calm permeated the Lin Family.

During the day, the clansmen mined what they needed to mine and dried the herbs they needed to dry, but their steps were faster and their eyes brighter.

At night, the Guard Team quietly practiced the Seven Star Formation in the Family courtyard. The whistling of their fists and the intertwining of their energy caused the clansmen outside the courtyard walls to look over frequently, yet not one of them asked a single question.

Lin Yue spent most of his time in the plane.

He took the six Spirit Stones he got from selling the purple heart grass, added the three saved at home, and exchanged all nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones for low-tier Ores and a few ordinary Spiritual Plant seedlings.

With his previous experience, he knew these things could be absorbed by the plane.

[ruined plane (Rank: 0)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 0.9 (Standard outside environment is 1)]

[Status: About to Upgrade]

Seeing the "About to Upgrade" prompt in his mind, Lin Yue's heart raced.

He could feel the Chaos space of the plane expanding, and those points of Spiritual Qi light were rotating faster and faster, faintly showing a tendency to form air currents.

"Just a little bit more..." He took out his last two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. These were ones he had found in his private stash, saved up by his original self through frugal living, intending to use them for a Breakthrough.

The Spirit Stones were thrown into the plane and instantly devoured.

[ruined plane (Rank: 1)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 2 (Standard outside environment is 1)]

[Absorbable Spiritual Items: (Omitted)]

[New Function: The plane can nurture low-tier spirit soil (Area: 10 square meters)]

[Status: Stable]

Boom!

A surge of Spiritual Qi, far denser than before, erupted from the core of the plane. A corner of the Chaos space seemed to be lit up, revealing a patch of black earth about ten square meters in size, the soil radiating vibrant vitality.

The Spiritual Qi in the air was no longer scattered points of light, but had formed a faint white mist. Taking a breath, Lin Yue felt all the pores in his body relax.

Spiritual Qi Concentration 2!

Fully twice that of the outside world!

"It even nurtured spirit soil!" Lin Yue looked at the patch of black earth in surprise.

spirit soil meant he could plant Spiritual Plants, and they would grow naturally without him needing to consume spiritual power to guide them.

He immediately planted the remaining few miscellaneous spiritual plant seedlings into the spirit soil, just as he finished burying the roots.

He saw the seedlings sprout new shoots at a speed visible to the naked eye, their leaves unfurling. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they had grown to maturity.

"Incredible!" Lin Yue clenched his fists in excitement.

With this patch of spirit soil, cultivating Spiritual Plants would be much more efficient in the future, and the Family would have another stable source of resources.

More importantly, as the Spiritual Qi concentration increased, his cultivation speed would also rise.

After practicing inside for just two hours, Lin Yue felt that his Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation had stabilized significantly, and he was not far from the Peak of the Late Stage.

"If I could let the clansmen come here to Cultivate as well..." This thought was suppressed as soon as it emerged.

No, it was too risky.

The plane was the Lin Family's greatest trump card; there must be no risk of exposure.

All he could do was, like he did with Lin Cang, quietly guide a trace of the leaking Spiritual Qi to let the clansmen benefit without their knowledge.

When he left the plane, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

Lin Yue pushed open his door and happened to see Lin Hu returning with the Guard Team, all of them drenched in sweat, yet their eyes were exceptionally sharp.

"Clan Chief." Lin Hu cupped his hands in greeting, his voice booming. "The Seven Star Formation is almost ready. With seven people working together, stalling a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator for the time it takes an incense stick to burn is no problem!"

"Good." Lin Yue nodded. "Prepare some more medicinal ointments, and... polish those few ancestral iron swords."

The Lin Family's ancestors had once produced Cultivators and left behind five iron swords forged from low-tier spirit iron. Although they were only Mortal Weapons, they were much sharper than ordinary iron tools and had been kept sealed away as Family heirlooms.

Lin Hu's eyes lit up: "The Clan Chief means..."

"If the Zhang Family dares to come, they shouldn't expect to leave unscathed." Lin Yue's voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of resolve.

"Go tell the clansmen to do what they need to do; no one should panic. If the sky falls, the Grand Elder and I will be there to hold it up!"

"Yes!" Lin Hu answered loudly and turned to pass on the orders.

His voice spread throughout the Family courtyard, and the clansmen, who had been somewhat tense, felt much more settled after hearing it.

Lin Yue stood at the courtyard gate, looking at the white light of dawn in the east, his heart completely calm.

He knew that today was the day the Zhang Family would act on their ultimatum.

Sure enough, just after the hour of the Snake, a burst of arrogant shouting came from the village entrance.

"Everyone from the Lin Family, get out here! Master Zhang is here; hurry up and hand over the deed to the mining cave!"

"They're probably so scared they're hiding in their holes, aren't they? Hahaha!"

Lin Yue took a deep breath and said to Lin Cang beside him, "Grand Elder, it's time for us to make our appearance."

Lin Cang stroked his beard, Battle Intent rising in his eyes: "Let's go!"

On the open ground at the village entrance, Zhang Ba had brought over twenty people to block the way, twice as many as expected.

Zhang Ba, the leader, was burly with a fierce, fleshy face. A curved saber hung at his waist, and his aura was heavy—clearly at the Peak of Late Stage Qi Refining.

Standing beside him was a young man of about twenty with an arrogant gaze; it was his son, Zhang Meng.

Following behind him, besides three guards at the Early Stage Qi Refining, were over a dozen burly men holding clubs; they had clearly come prepared.

"Yo, Lin kid, you actually dare to come out?" Zhang Ba saw Lin Yue and grinned, revealing yellow-black teeth.

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the deed to the Xipo Mining Cave, and let a few of the women from your clan serve tea and water to apologize to me, then this matter will be settled."

"Presumptuous!" Lin Cang shouted angrily, his spiritual power surging, "Zhang Ba, do not push people too far!"

"Old man, I gave you face, didn't I?" Zhang Ba's eyes turned cold. "Today, let alone a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator like you, even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator came, I'm taking this mining cave for sure!"

He waved his hand: "Meng'er, go, take that deed. Whoever dares to stop you, cripple them!"

"Yes, Dad!" Zhang Meng replied, rushing forward with a long sword.

Spiritual power erupted under his feet, his figure like an arrow. The long sword in his hand glowed with a pale green light—it was the opening move of the Zhang Family's ancestral Azure Wind Sword Technique—Wind Rises from the Green Duckweed!

Before the sword's edge arrived, the Sword Qi was already blowing against his face, accompanied by a sharp sound of tearing through the air.

Lin Yue stood still, just coldly watching him approach.

Just as Zhang Meng was less than five zhang away, Lin Yue suddenly shouted: "Do it!"

"Kill!" Lin Hu and the other seven who had been lying in ambush on both sides suddenly rushed out.

Seven iron swords were unsheathed simultaneously, the sword light like seven stars in a row, instantly forming a mysterious Formation, surrounding Zhang Meng in the center.

Seven Star Formation—Tianhu position defends, Tianxuan position attacks, celestial pivot star position rotates, Tianquan position stabilizes!

The spiritual power of the seven people was linked, the sword light interlacing into a net, sealing off all of Zhang Meng's retreats.

"Hmph, mere tricks!" Zhang Meng sneered, shaking his sword—the second move of the Azure Wind Sword Technique—Wind Sweeps the Clouds!

The sword light turned into three green whirlwinds, attacking the Tianhu, Tianxuan, and celestial pivot star positions respectively, trying to break the Formation by force.

But the brilliance of the Seven Star Formation lay in the mutual flow of spiritual power among the seven people, being one in attack and defense.

Lin Hu at the Tianhu position sank his waist into a horse stance, blocking with his iron sword, taking one whirlwind head-on;

The guards at the Tianxuan and celestial pivot star positions struck out simultaneously, their sword lights crossing like scissors, shredding the other two whirlwinds.

"What?" Zhang Meng's expression changed slightly.

This move, Wind Sweeps the Clouds, had once broken through the siege of three Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators with one strike, yet now it was easily neutralized by this crude Seven Star Formation?

"Change Formation—Yuheng leads, big dipper star: mizar strikes, Yaoguang suppresses!" Lin Hu shouted.

The Seven Star Formation shifted instantly. The guard at the Yuheng position led with his sword light, drawing Zhang Meng's attention to the left;

The guard at the big dipper star: mizar position took the opportunity to stab out, aiming straight for Zhang Meng's ribs;

The guard at the Yaoguang position struck with heavy sword momentum, chopping down like Mount Tai pressing down!

Three swords arrived together, coordinating seamlessly.

Zhang Meng hurriedly parried, three crisp "clangs" sounding. Although he blocked the attacks, his arms were shaken to numbness, and his blood and Qi surged.

"Damn it!" He was both shocked and angry.

This Seven Star Formation seemed crude, but the seven people cooperated tacitly, and their spiritual power flowed smoothly, actually trapping him, a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, tightly.

Seeing this, Zhang Ba's face darkened: "A bunch of trash, can't even break a small Formation!" He wanted to step forward to help but was stopped by Lin Cang.

"Zhang Ba, your opponent is me!" Lin Cang's beard and hair bristled, earthy yellow spiritual power surging around him as he threw a punch.

This punch was unadorned but carried the heavy momentum of splitting mountains and cracking rocks—the first move of the Lin Family's ancestral Thick Earth Fist—Mountain Peak Toppling!

Where the punch wind passed, the air made a muffled boom, and the dust on the ground was swept up, forming a dirt dragon.

"Old man, you're looking for death!" Zhang Ba roared, the scimitar at his waist unsheathed.

The blade glowed with blood-red light—the Zhang Family's trump card Blood Blade Saber Technique—Blood Shadow Slash!

The saber light was like a blood-colored silk ribbon, carrying a fishy wind as it slashed toward Lin Cang's fist.

"Boom!"

The moment the fist and saber collided, the energy spread out like ripples, forcing the surrounding clansmen back repeatedly, and cracks appeared on the ground.

Lin Cang groaned, a blood mark appearing on his fist, but his figure was as steady as a rock.

Zhang Ba, however, retreated three steps, his hand holding the saber trembling slightly, his eyes full of horror: "Your spiritual power... how can it be so condensed?"

A few days ago, when he fought Lin Cang, he could still suppress him.

But now, Lin Cang's punch power was not only not weaker but even more condensed and heavy. Every punch felt like a real mountain pressing down, making his blood and Qi churn.

"Thanks to you, I've made some progress these past few days," Lin Cang sneered, and the second punch followed immediately—the second move of the Thick Earth Fist, Earth Shaking Mountain Swaying!

This punch was even more violent, the earthy yellow spiritual power condensing into a phantom of a rock, smashing toward Zhang Ba with the power to crush everything.

Zhang Ba didn't dare take it head-on and retreated rapidly, while his saber light flashed repeatedly, performing the second move of the Blood Blade Saber Technique—Blood Rain and Fishy Wind!

The saber light turned into dozens of blood-colored Saber Qi, enveloping Lin Cang like a rainstorm.

Lin Cang neither dodged nor avoided, throwing out a series of punches, each one accurately shattering a streak of Saber Qi.

The booms of the punch wind and Saber Qi colliding were continuous, the scene terrifying.

On the other side, Zhang Meng sank deeper and deeper into the Seven Star Formation.

He had already performed seven moves of the Azure Wind Sword Technique in succession, but he still couldn't break the Formation.

The spiritual power of the seven people in the Seven Star Formation was interconnected, waxing and waning, endless, trapping him to death.

What shocked him even more was that these seven people were becoming more and more skilled in their cooperation, the Formation was running faster and faster, and the sword light was like a tide, wave after wave, making him unable to catch his breath.

"Dad! Help me quickly!" Zhang Meng couldn't help but shout, his voice already carrying a hint of panic.

Zhang Ba looked over distracted, seeing his son's dangerous situation, he grew anxious, and his saber technique immediately showed a flaw.

"Now!" Lin Yue, who had been watching coldly from the side, had a flash of light in his eyes.

The spiritual power in his body erupted instantly, and his Late Stage Qi Refining cultivation was released without reservation.

Exerting force with his feet, his figure was like lightning, almost skimming the ground as he rushed toward Zhang Meng.

This movement was so fast that it only left an afterimage in the air.

Flowing Cloud Steps—the Lin Family's inherited movement technique. Although it was only basic, under the tempering of the plane's Spiritual Qi, Lin Yue's speed far exceeded those of the same Rank!

Zhang Meng was putting all his effort into dealing with the siege of the Seven Star Formation when he suddenly felt a strong wind coming from behind, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

He wanted to turn back to block, but how could Lin Hu and the others give him the chance?

Seven iron swords exerted force simultaneously, the sword light like chains tightly entangling him.

"Bang!"

Lin Yue's fist smashed solidly into Zhang Meng's back.

With this punch, he used ten percent of his spiritual power. The punch's force went through the skin and flesh, vibrating straight to the internal organs!

"Pfft—"

Zhang Meng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs.

His body flew out like a broken sack, falling heavily on the ground ten zhang away. After struggling a few times, he stopped moving completely.

"Meng'er!" Zhang Ba's eyes were nearly splitting, his mind in Chaos.

Lin Cang seized this fleeting opportunity—the third move of the Thick Earth Fist, Great Earth Cracking!

The punch's force was like a mountain flood erupting, smashing heavily into Zhang Ba's chest.

"Crack, crack—"

The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

Zhang Ba screamed and flew backward, snapping a locust tree as thick as a bowl before barely stopping.

His chest was sunken, blood was spurting wildly, and he was clearly seriously injured.

But at this moment, a sudden change occurred!

The three Early Stage Qi Refining guards Zhang Ba had brought suddenly took out three yellow Talismans from their bosoms, bit the tips of their tongues at the same time, and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the Talismans.

"Using blood as a guide, Earth Escape for a thousand miles—Go!"

The three of them shouted in unison, and the Talismans ignited instantly, turning into three streaks of earthy yellow light, enveloping Zhang Ba and Zhang Meng within.

"Earth Escape Talisman!" Lin Cang's expression changed, and he wanted to pursue, but was bounced away by the light.

The earthy yellow light shield formed by the burning Talismans emitted a dense earth-attribute spiritual power fluctuation. It was clearly a Medium Grade Talisman, definitely not something a Qi Refining Cultivator could easily break.

"Lin Family, I, Zhang Ba, will remember today's grudge!" Inside the light shield, Zhang Ba stared venomously at Lin Yue, then glanced at the three Zhang Family guards who had been killed by Lin Hu and the others and lay in a pool of blood, "I will surely have my revenge in the future!"

Before his voice fell, the earthy yellow light shrank suddenly, and with a "whoosh," it sank into the ground and disappeared.

Only the three bodies of the Zhang Family guards and several pools of striking blood remained.

The traces of Earth Escape on the ground quickly disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Chase them!" Lin Hu raised his sword to chop at the ground.

"No need," Lin Yue raised his hand to stop him, looking deeply at the place where Zhang Ba disappeared. "A Medium Grade Earth Escape Talisman can escape at least five li; we can't catch them."

He walked to the three bodies and knelt down to examine them.

They were all at the Early Stage of Qi Refining, with terror still on their faces before they died.

Lin Hu and the others' sword techniques were clean and efficient, a single strike to the throat, with slight spiritual power residue at the wound to prevent blood from splashing.

"Clan Chief, we..." Lin Hu looked at the bodies on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.

This was his first time killing someone.

"You did the right thing," Lin Yue stood up and patted his shoulder. "Being kind to the enemy is being cruel to yourself. If they didn't die, it would be our Lin Family clansmen who died."

He looked around, seeing the shocked, fearful, or excited expressions of the clansmen, and said in a deep voice:

"Everyone saw what happened today. The Zhang Family came to our door to bully us. If we didn't resist, it would be our parents, wives, and children who died. These three lives are the first debt the Zhang Family owes us."

"But Clan Chief, letting Zhang Ba and his son go, will it..." Lin Cang came over, holding his shoulder, with worry on his face.

"Don't worry, Grand Elder." A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Lin Yue's mouth.

"Zhang Ba has three broken ribs and damaged internal organs; he won't recover for half a year. Zhang Meng's heart vessels were injured even more; even if he's saved, his cultivation is mostly ruined. During this time, they won't be able to cause any trouble."

He paused and lowered his voice: "Furthermore, today we killed three of their guards but let Zhang Ba and his son escape. Guess what the Zhang Family will think internally?"

Lin Cang's eyes lit up: "You mean..."

"Those three guards all have families and friends," Lin Yue said indifferently. "Zhang Ba and his son escaped safely, but their people died here. This account will eventually be settled by someone."

Lin Cang looked at the Young Clan Chief in front of him and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

This level of calculation, this ruthlessness—how could he be a seventeen-year-old boy?

"Then these bodies..." Lin Hu pointed at the three corpses on the ground.

"Find a place to bury them, and don't make a fuss," Lin Yue said. "To the outside world, just say the Zhang Family was driven away by us and a few people died, no need to go into detail. Let the Zhang Family people guess for themselves."

"Yes!" Lin Hu replied and led people to handle the bodies.

It wasn't until the Zhang Family people had completely disappeared from sight that the Lin Family members truly reacted.

"We won! We won!"

"The Clan Chief is mighty! The Grand Elder is mighty!"