Green light erupted from Uncle Charles Cheng's body.
The Ghost-Shade Devourer Worms instantly engulfed him completely.
Yuna Pu, standing nearby, looked at Master Lin from Seacrest and then at Patriarch Young's humble posture. She was about to speak, but Master Lin from Seacrest glanced at her with a calm gaze.
In the blink of an eye, Uncle Charles Cheng vanished from sight.
He wasn't a true expert, his inner force was weak, but the Ghost-Shade Devourer Worms still devoured every last bit of his qi and meridians.
Everyone stared at the buzzing swarm of Ghost-Shade Devourer Worms, instinctively backing away several steps in panic.
Patriarch Young was kneeling before Master Lin from Seacrest, his face ashen and dazed, unable to process the sudden turn of events.
Everything had happened far too quickly.
He'd thought Master Lin from Seacrest was doomed, only for the situation to flip in an instant.
Master Lin from Seacrest looked down at Patriarch Young: "Your only smart move today was bringing just one junior with you."
"If the Young family had come out in force, however many people showed up today—that's exactly how many would have died."
"I told you before: no one from the Young family was to leave the estate. You broke my rule."
But as soon as his Left-Hand Dragon stirred, he suddenly realized the worms had submitted, following his every command without resistance.
He still hadn't figured out the exact abilities of his Left-Hand Dragon, but it was clearly different from the legendary dragons of the Immortal Martial Continent.
Master Lin from Seacrest spoke, moving forward to stand before Patriarch Young.
"The first time, I spared your entire Young family, took you all under my command, and shared my pill formulas with you."
"The second time, I just asked you which path you'd choose—and you made your own decision."
And the always-mysterious Patriarch Young, usually a towering figure across Rivercrest, was now kneeling humbly, totally submissive.
Patriarch Young's body shook violently. He bowed his head to the ground, pressing his forehead to the floor: "All I ask is a way to survive."
Patriarch Young's voice trembled, as if his throat were blocked.
His face was full of panic and unease, his expression shifting wildly.
"You..."
Yuna Pu, standing nearby, looked at Master Lin from Seacrest and then at Patriarch Yun's humble posture. She was about to speak, but Master Lin from Seacrest glanced at her with a calm gaze.
Just one look—the youth's eyes were cold and indifferent.
That detached, couldn't-care-less vibe froze Yuna Pu in place.
"Yvonne Yun already told me about your situation. Relax, you're not getting punished this time."
Master Lin from Seacrest spoke.
That line was basically a direct pardon for Yuna Pu showing up here.
"As for you."
Master Lin from Seacrest looked down at Patriarch Yun: "Your only smart move today was bringing just one junior with you."
"If the Yun family had come out in force, however many people showed up today—that's exactly how many would have died."
"I told you before: no one from the Yun family was to leave the estate. You broke my rule."
Master Lin from Seacrest's voice was calm.
Everyone below stayed silent—not a single person dared even breathe loudly.
They all stared at the youth standing there, surrounded by the bodies of nearly every Ma clansman who'd fallen in less than ten minutes.
It all felt like a dream.
The Ancient-Martial Ma clan had stormed in, but in front of Master Lin from Seacrest, they were just paper tigers—totally helpless.
And the always-mysterious Patriarch Yun, usually a towering figure across Rivercrest, was now kneeling humbly, totally submissive.
He didn't even have the guts to resist!
All of this—was because of the youth before them, Master Lin from Seacrest!
"I didn't think things through enough."
Patriarch Yun didn't lift his head, his voice trembling: "If there must be punishment, let it fall on me alone."
"No one else in the Yun family did anything wrong."
"They're innocent. I'm the one at fault."
Patriarch Yun was finally starting to calm down, but in front of so many people, he had to bow and admit fault to a youth countless years his junior.
It was like he'd thrown his dignity on the ground for everyone to trample.
At this point, dignity didn't mean a thing.
"Earlier, you said all the pills the Yun family refines have to be handed over to the people above you."
"Whoever those 'people above' are, they're definitely not the Ancient-Martial Ma clan—otherwise, the Yun family would have gambled everything and joined the Ma clan in force. You wouldn't have just brought one junior, Yuna Pu, alone."
"In other words, there's someone above the Yun family—a real backer. That's who you rely on. Your alchemy ancestor sent you out to test whether the Ma clan could wipe me out, didn't he?"
"If it worked, the Yun family would celebrate. If not, your alchemy ancestor and the rest would still have a chance to rebel."
Master Lin from Seacrest fixed his gaze on Patriarch Yun as he spoke.
As he spoke, Patriarch Yun's heart trembled violently. He kept his head down, eyes wide, unable to utter a single word.
Actually, the Yun family doesn't serve the Ma clan—they serve the Profound Clarity Sect.
The Profound Clarity Sect has stayed hidden for years, rumored to be a true immortal Daoist sect, with countless experts and extraordinary power.
Just as Master Lin from Seacrest said, this attempt to cozy up to the Ma clan was just a probe—the real one wanting to defect was the Yun family's alchemy ancestor.
That's why only Patriarch Yun and Yuna Pu came; if they could watch the Ma clan wipe out Master Lin from Seacrest and win the Yun family freedom, it'd be perfect.
If it failed, only two people would be sacrificed.
"I don't know... I don't know what you're talking about."
Patriarch Yun's tone was strained: "This was my own action—no one else was involved."
"You can take my life, but please don't punish anyone else in the Yun family."
Master Lin from Seacrest shook his head and spoke calmly: "Relax—even if I know the Yun family wants to rebel, it doesn't matter."
"I'm easy to talk to. I don't care about your loyalty—but everyone should be ready for the consequences of failure."
"Loyalty is a joke. People don't betray—only because the price isn't right."
"But in the face of absolute power, every scheme is just a joke."
"I couldn't care less about your alchemy ancestor. For now, everyone in the Yun family just needs to refine Beauty Pills for me."
"As for anything else—whoever steps out of line, pays the price."
"And one more thing..."
At this point, Master Lin from Seacrest leaned in, whispering softly in Patriarch Yun's ear.
"Do you know why I keep the Yun family around?"
"The Yun family, to me, is nothing but a rabble."
"You're waiting for someone—and so am I."
"I'm not hard to get along with, but that's true for very few people."
"You'd better hope they're stronger—or at least, hope they don't piss me off."