Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

140: Reverse Harvest of Black Wind VillageAt the entrance of Lin Family Village, a deathly silence prevailed.

Dust floated slowly in the pale light, mixed with the heavy stench of blood, burnt odors, and the cold sweat of an unknown number of people, forming a nauseatingly thick atmosphere.

Except for Lin Jingyu and Lin Lingshan, no one else was standing.

Even Lin Xuan was sitting cross-legged on the ground just now because of the immense deterrent force of the thunder.

The Black Wind Stockade Cultivators were like stalks of wheat swept down by a giant wave, prostrating on the ground, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold, hard yellow earth.

They were even breathing carefully, fearing that a single extra sound would break this eerie peace and invite total destruction.

Lin Jingyu stood quietly in the center of the mess, his grey cloth clothes fluttering in the breeze, revealing several charred edges.

At this moment, his condition was not very good either.

Due to the mutation of the thunder fiend talisman, a large amount of spiritual power had been forcibly drained from his body.

This caused his spiritual power to nearly dry up, his Meridians to ache faintly, and his mind to feel weary after a long period of high-intensity precision control.

He knew well that the superficial majesty beneath his feet was crumbling.

These people were not kneeling to him, a Lin Family disciple at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, but to the fictional Senior Thunder Cultivator behind him, who could make someone at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer vanish into thin air with just a bestowed talisman.

This was a massive gamble, an Empty Fort Strategy woven with lies, dancing on the edge of a blade.

Fortunately, he won the bet.

He had gambled a smooth path forward for the Lin Family.

He glanced at Lin Lingshan, who was standing stiffly beside him; the iron-willed Family Head’s face was also slightly pale, clearly not yet recovered from the shock of that thunderous strike.

His gaze, like a cold stream, slowly flowed over the kneeling crowd and finally landed on the Fourth Leader, Gong Yunyu.

He was curled up in an extremely humble posture, his originally sinister face now only showing pallor and alarm, cold sweat mixing with dust to leave several dirty streaks on his cheeks.

Lin Jingyu’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was like an ice-quenched needle, piercing through the stagnant air and drilling clearly into everyone’s eardrums:

“Now you know to kneel?”

The corner of his mouth curled into a very faint arc, carrying a mockery that saw through everything. “It’s not that you know you’re wrong, but that you know you’re about to die!”

Every word was like a heavy stone crashing onto everyone’s hearts.

The bandits of the Black Wind Stockade trembled even more violently, some even letting out suppressed, faint whimpers like dying wild dogs.

Gong Yunyu felt a chill rush from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, his teeth chattering. He didn’t dare look up, let alone argue.

His heart was filled with nothing but endless fear and a towering hatred for Lin Chengyuan and the several Black Wind Stockade Bandit Cultivators who were already dead.

It was all their fault for trying to rob and kill someone with such a powerful background, bringing about this total catastrophe!

To be honest, killing intent surged within Lin Jingyu’s heart.

These Black Wind Stockade bandits were full of evil, their hands stained with the blood of countless innocents. If he could exterminate them all and act on behalf of heaven, it would be truly satisfying.

However, regarding that non-existent, fabricated Senior Thunder Cultivator, the Lin Family was merely the fox borrowing the tiger’s majesty, and there was a limit.

If he really tried to kill Gong Yunyu, he would surely face a desperate counterattack before death.

Moreover, it would trigger a frenzied retaliation from the Black Wind Stockade. At that time, there would be no way to produce another Senior Great Cultivator.

With the Lin Family’s current strength, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Letting him go, letting this immense fear spread through the Black Wind Stockade like a plague, and making that so-called Senior Thunder Cultivator a sword hanging over their heads—

Making them unable to eat or sleep in peace, hesitant to act for fear of the consequences—this was the optimal solution for now.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air, suppressing his churning emotions, and deliberately made his voice indifferent: “Hmph! When I asked Senior why he didn’t just wipe out your filthy nest in the Black Wind Stockade?”

“Senior just... shook his head.”

Lin Jingyu imitated the demeanor of a high-level expert he imagined, his tone ethereal and detached:

“Senior said, this matter must be settled by him personally.”

His gaze suddenly became sharp, like a physical bolt of lightning striking Gong Yunyu:

“Senior also asked me to pass a message to you: If you can withstand his future methods, past grudges will be wiped clean!”

These words were like a glimmer of light in the darkness, instantly igniting the spark of survival in Gong Yunyu’s heart. He snapped his head up, his eyes bursting with unbelievable light.

So that was it!

It was a trick of large families training their disciples; the Black Wind Stockade had become a whetstone.

Although the future was perilously unpredictable, at least the Black Wind Stockade still had a chance of survival.

Besides, if all else failed, it wasn’t impossible for him to quietly slip away and escape.

Lin Jingyu’s voice was cold, carrying an unquestionable authority:

“At this time, Senior will not make things difficult for you. After all, someone will naturally come to ’settle accounts’ with you in the future! But...”

His tone suddenly shifted, sharp as a knife.

“The death penalty is waived, but punishment is unavoidable! Take out all the Spirit Stones in your Storage Pouches and place them on the ground. Then, get lost!”

As the word “get lost” left his mouth, it carried the lingering power of thunder.

The Black Wind Stockade Cultivators were like pardoned prisoners; their tense bodies suddenly relaxed, followed by a chorus of heavy breathing filled with the exhaustion of surviving a disaster.

After all, these people had long been terrified, believing they were doomed.

Gong Yunyu’s heart felt like it had been on a wild roller coaster, finally settling back into his chest.

He didn’t dare hesitate for a moment, his face plastered with a near-fawning respect, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

“Yes! Yes! Thank you, Senior, for your mercy! Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lin, for showing leniency!”

He scrambled to untie his Storage Pouch, his movements as agile as the most diligent shop assistant.

Soon, in front of Gong Yunyu, a small mountain of Spirit Stones with various lusters rose from the ground.

At a rough glance, there were at least a thousand.

The sunlight hit the Spirit Stones, reflecting an intoxicating glow, contrasting with the dull grey earth and the terrified crowd, appearing exceptionally ironic.

Seeing this, the other Bandit Cultivators scrambled to take out their Spirit Stones, the clattering sound continuous, fearing that being a step slow would anger the thunderous god of death before them.

The scene was momentarily incredibly “harmonious,” with only the crisp sound of Spirit Stones clashing and heavy breathing.

Lin Jingyu expressionlessly scanned the growing mountain of Spirit Stones, his powerful Mental Energy spreading quietly like an invisible spiderweb, keenly capturing subtle emotional fluctuations in the crowd.

He noticed that after Gong Yunyu handed over most of the Spirit Stones, his fingers hesitated very briefly at an inconspicuous hidden pocket at his waist.

Several other Bandit Cultivators also reflexively glanced into the depths of their Storage Pouches with a hint of luck after handing over their Spirit Stones.

His thoughts whirled, and he suddenly let out a thunderous shout, his voice exploding like Nine Heavens thunder: “You still dare to hide things?”

This sudden roar, carrying the lingering resonance of “Senior Thunder’s” supreme majesty, struck everyone’s hearts like a heavy hammer.

The Black Wind Stockade crowd, who had just relaxed, instantly felt their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!