Chapter 1149: Chapter 1149

"Uncle Lin, rest assured, I, Li Changlin, treat my promises as gold; what I say is like water spilled, never to be retracted." Li Changlin nodded gravely. He had initially thought to just appease the Lin Family perfunctorily, but now that Lin Jiancheng was so unhesitatingly protecting him, Li Changlin naturally felt compelled to accept the kindness.

Although with his strength, he really didn’t need the Lin Family’s help, this was, after all, a gesture of goodwill from Lin Jiancheng.

"Jianqing, take Young Master Changlin quickly to the place of our ancestor’s cultivation," they said. Now that faces had been torn, a fierce battle was sure to ensue shortly.

At this critical juncture, the priority was to get Li Changlin away first. In fact, facing the experts from the Zhao Family and the Zhou Family, Lin Jiancheng did not have much hope for victory in his heart.

"Young Master Changlin, let’s hurry!" Behind the living room, there was a small door that led straight to the backyard, and from there, out to the rear mountains of the Lin Family Estate, where the Lin Family ancestor resided in cultivation.

Hearing his elder brother’s command, Lin Jianqing immediately reached out to grab Li Changlin, ready to leave the place quickly.

Li Changlin was caught between laughter and tears; this was also because he had deliberately understated his own strength yesterday to hoodwink the Seven Great Families.

Seeing Lin Jianqing ready to pull him to retreat, Li Changlin was of course unwilling.

After all, it was not in his nature to flee, especially since Li Changlin was absolutely confident he could repel these people from the Zhao Family and Zhou Family.

More importantly, Lin Ruonan was still in the living room.

Although that half-step into Void Energy expert from the Zhao Family had not yet acted to subdue Lin Yichen and Lin Ruonan, should the situation here turn sour, he would certainly act immediately, and Li Changlin could not ensure that the opponent would not be ruthless.

In such a scenario, how could he back away?

"Family Head Lin, you really don’t regard my Zhao Family highly enough!" Watching Lin Jianqing try to protect Li Changlin and retreat, Zhao Wuji laughed angrily and gnashed his teeth, raising his hand and commanding: "Attack!"

Instantaneously, the Zhao Family experts all made their move, charging towards the people of the Lin Family.

On another side, Zhou Yongyi also raised his hand, ordering the Zhou Family members to join the fray.

The Zhao Family and Zhou Family had long reached an agreement; this time they not only wanted to force Li Changlin to hand over the Holy Fruit and the Grass Revival Pill, but they had also made up their minds to destroy the Lin Family in one fell swoop.

The Lin Family was a vassal of the Bai Family; destroying the Lin Family was akin to weakening a part of the Bai Family’s power.

Although this would not shake the foundation of the Bai Family, it was a warning to those vassal families of the Bai Family—that once the Zhao Family acquired the Holy Fruit and the Grass Revival Pill from Li Changlin, their strength would surge significantly and dealing with the Bai Family would be no difficult task.

In the past, the Zhao Family definitely would not have been the first to break this balance.

However, the emergence of the Holy Fruit and the Grass Revival Pill had left the Zhao Family with no choice but to make a move.

Zhao Wuji was well aware that Li Changlin might truly be unwilling to defy the arrangements of the Taiji Sect, and that was the reason behind organizing a martial arts competition for the Ancient Martial Families.

However, what the other families were thinking and whether they would take action before the martial arts competition was unclear. Once any other family got their hands on the Holy Fruit and the Grass Revival Pill, it would spell disaster for the Zhao Family.

To avoid this scenario, the Zhao Family’s only option was to take the initiative and strike first.

In fact, under the current circumstances, the one who struck first was the one who could take the advantage.

Zhao Wuji made his calculations, and upon his orders, aside from the Half-step into Void Energy master who had blocked Lin Yichen and Lin Ruonan, everyone from the Zhao Family, including himself, joined the battle directly.

The Zhao Family came with overwhelming momentum, forcing the Lin Family to respond and engage in battle.

However, their enemy wasn’t just one; as an ally of the Zhao Family, the Zhou Family would naturally not lag behind.

A fierce battle broke out in an instant. Zhao Wuji moved and reached out with a large hand to strike at Lin Jiancheng’s head.

He was a warrior in the Early Stage of Void Energy, while Lin Jiancheng was merely Half-step into Void Energy; their realms differed by one full level, making Lin Jiancheng no match for him.

"Seeking death!" However, the Lin Family also had its own strong warriors; seeing Zhao Wuji attack the Family Head, a master in the Early Stage of Void Energy from a vassal Family immediately stood in front of Lin Jiancheng and clashed fiercely with Zhao Wuji’s palm.

The two were evenly matched, each retreating a step.

Zhao Wuji’s expression darkened as he launched another assault, and the vassal warrior, of course, did not yield and attacked with equal vigor.

"Zhao Wuji, your Zhao Family is power-hungry! And Zhou Yongyi, aren’t you afraid of retaliation from the Bai Family!" At this time, Lin Jiancheng was entangled with a Half-step into Void Energy master and was shaking with rage, grinding his teeth as he shouted.

"Power-hungry? Lin Jiancheng, don’t you think your words are nothing but ignorance! If today we don’t take the Holy Fruit and Grass Revival Pill from Li Changlin, and other families acquire these treasures tomorrow, wouldn’t my Zhao Family be utterly destroyed!"

"That’s right, Lin Jiancheng, as long as the Zhao Family attains those treasures, do you think the Bai Family will still have a chance to turn the tables? Besides, the Li Family and Bai Family have never gotten along. Now you’re opposing the Zhao Family to protect Li Changlin; do you really think the Bai Family will stick their neck out for your Lin Family!"

Zhao Wuji and Zhou Yongyi both sneered continuously; they had plotted the whole night yesterday. No matter what ploy the Lin Family had, today they would face nothing but annihilation.

"Jianqing, what are you waiting for, quickly take Young Master Changlin away from here!" As Lin Jiancheng was pressed back two steps by the Zhao Family’s Half-step into Void Energy master, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Lin Jianqing and Li Changlin had not yet left and suddenly felt a chill surge in his heart, prompting him to shout loudly.

"Big brother, I, I..." Lin Jianqing felt incredibly frustrated; he just couldn’t move Li Changlin at all.

No matter how much force Lin Jianqing applied, Li Changlin’s body seemed anchored to the ground, not moving an inch.

"Hurry up and go, hurry up and go, don’t talk nonsense to me, quickly go find the Elder!" The situation was becoming increasingly dire; under the combined assault of Zhao Family and Zhou Family, the Lin Family was forced to retreat step by step.

Although the Lin Family had a few masters in the Early Stage of Void Energy, the Zhao Family and Zhou Family had come prepared; they were definitely stronger than the Lin Family and had more numbers. In the heat of the battle, some Lin Family members were already struck down and immediately subdued by the Zhao and Zhou families.

"Second Uncle Lin, please let me go." Seeing the urgency of the situation, Li Changlin quickly looked towards Lin Jianqing. Due to the fighting, the entire living room was devastated, with chairs, furniture, and various objects shattered on the ground, and several Lin Family members had already been subdued by their opponents due to injuries and were lying on the floor cursing in fury.