After feeling down for a moment, Lin Yun quickly put the matter of money out of his mind. After all, there was no use worrying about it. Focusing on increasing his strength was what truly mattered.

He entered his room. From the furnishings and decorations, it was clear that the residence the Bai Family had prepared for him was truly exquisite. It could probably be considered one of their finest guest rooms.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Lin Yun began his daily cultivation. Although the effects of the Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills were steadily diminishing, Lin Yun never slacked on his daily practice.

Time flew by during cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, it was midnight. By this time, most of the Bai Family had either fallen into a deep sleep or were cultivating themselves.

Unbeknownst to anyone, more than a dozen shadowy figures had quietly infiltrated the Bai Family estate. Hiding in the darkness, the leader asked the subordinate beside him, "Have you confirmed the location?"

"Yes. There’s no mistake," the subordinate replied in a low voice.

Bai Ling had planted spies in the He Family, and naturally, the He Family had done the same to the Bai Family. Based on the intelligence they had gathered, the He Family Guards already knew the location of Lin Yun’s residence.

The He and Bai families could be said to be locked in both open and secret strife. The two sides clashed in every domain, from financial power to martial might, fighting to a standstill.

Already knowing Lin Yun’s location, the He Family Martial Artists moved silently toward his courtyard, skillfully avoiding the Bai Family’s guards along the way.

Bai Ling certainly had her own methods. Though she had guessed the He Family’s plan, she didn’t inform any of the Bai Family guards. Instead, she had that young woman lead a small group of elites to lie in ambush around Lin Yun’s courtyard, preparing to spring a trap.

To this moment, the He Family Guards had no inkling that they had already fallen into Bai Ling’s trap.

More than twenty Bai Family Martial Artists were already lying in ambush around Lin Yun’s courtyard. Their Cultivation was at the Eighth and Ninth Layers of the Primordial Ocean Realm; they were the Bai Family’s true elite.

For families like the Bai and He, dispatching Celestial Spirit Realm experts was out of the question. After all, these great families were far inferior to the Flawless Palace. Within their families, experts of the Celestial Spirit Realm were figures on the level of the Patriarch or an Ancestor.

Furthermore, the number of Celestial Spirit Realm experts in the He and Bai families combined could be counted on one hand. Each family had at most two such experts.

Thus, for the assassination of Lin Yun, the He Family had only dispatched Martial Artists of the Primordial Ocean Realm, and the Bai Family had likewise only mobilized Martial Artists of the Primordial Ocean Realm.

The two families each had their own ulterior motives. The Bai Family quietly waited for the He Family to fall into their net, but they had no idea that their own movements had long been detected by Lin Yun.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The Martial Artists of both families had underestimated Lin Yun’s power. With his current level of perception, anyone who hadn’t reached the Celestial Spirit Realm would find it nearly impossible to avoid his detection.

Lin Yun had noticed the Bai Family Martial Artists hiding around his courtyard the moment they arrived. The only reason he hadn’t made a move was that he wanted to see what the Bai Family was planning.

Only after sensing the auras of the He Family Martial Artists did Lin Yun understand what was happening. ’So I’m the target,’ he thought. ’I just don’t know who wants to make a move on me.’

"Seriously? I’ve only just arrived in Wind City and I’m already a target?" Slowly opening his eyes, Lin Yun couldn’t guess who exactly was targeting him, but he could be certain they didn’t come in peace.

’The Bai Family is protecting me, and the He Family is here to kill me. I don’t have a favorable impression of either side. The Bai Family might seem like they’re protecting me, but let’s not forget, they’re only doing it for their own benefit. To put it bluntly, if I wasn’t at their estate right now, the Bai Family wouldn’t bother with this at all.’

’Such a perfect opportunity. How could I just hand it over to you people?’ With a faint smile, Lin Yun woke the soundly sleeping Little Ape and whispered a few instructions to it.

After receiving Lin Yun’s instructions, Little Ape moved, silently slipping out of the room.

Meanwhile, the He Family Martial Artists were nearing the Bai Family’s encirclement. Just as the Bai Family members were preparing to act, Little Ape appeared before one of them.

"Who’s in charge here?" Little Ape asked coolly, looking at the Bai Family Martial Artist before it.

Never having seen a Tier Three Demon Beast that could speak human words, the shocked Bai Family Martial Artist pointed in the young woman’s direction.

Glancing in the direction he pointed, Little Ape saw the young woman hiding atop a tree branch. It appeared before her in an instant and spoke directly.

"My big bro said this matter doesn’t concern you. Don’t startle these people. He’s in Wind City on a mission."

Upon hearing Little Ape’s words, the young woman was initially dismissive. ’Just because you say we shouldn’t get involved, we should just stand by? This is a perfect opportunity! If we can capture these He Family Martial Artists, the Bai Family can deal a fatal blow to the He Family. The charge of attempting to attack a Flawless Palace Disciple is something the He Family cannot afford to bear—especially since Lin Yun’s status is so extraordinary, rivaling that of the Ten Core Disciples.’

But when she heard Little Ape’s final sentence, the young woman fell silent. ’If Lin Yun truly is on a mission from the Flawless Palace, and I interfere with his plans, it will be big trouble if the Flawless Palace finds out.’

After a moment of silence, the young woman decided it was better to be safe than sorry. After all, in Wind City, those two words—Flawless Palace—represented everything. No one could afford to defy them.

Seeing the young woman nod, Little Ape turned as if to leave. But just as it was going, it seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, my big bro also said to let these people in. When the time comes, you are to follow his orders."

With that, Little Ape departed. These were all words Lin Yun had instructed it to say.

Watching Little Ape vanish without a trace, the young woman bit her lip. In the end, she chose to obey Lin Yun’s command. She had no other choice. Lin Yun’s status was plain to see, and he had already stated he was on a mission. The Bai Family would not dare refuse to cooperate with a mission from the Flawless Palace.

In the few seconds the young woman was hesitating, the He Family Martial Artists successfully passed through the Bai Family’s encirclement. Without a command from her, the Bai Family Martial Artists did not dare to launch a rash attack.

Only after the He Family Martial Artists had entered the courtyard did a Communication Token on the young woman’s waist flash faintly. She infused her Elemental Power into it and heard the inquiries of the other Bai Family Martial Artists.

"Leader, why aren’t we moving in?"

"The situation has changed. Maintain your positions and stay hidden. Wait for my command," the young woman replied in a low voice.

Communication Tokens were items possessed by all major powers. They were very common in the Eastern Heart Domain and quite simple to create. All one needed was a Jade Token with a unique Array carved onto it to transmit sound.

Of course, these Communication Tokens also had limitations. Their range could not exceed one million li, and only tokens that had been made to resonate with each other through an Array could communicate.

Just as the young woman finished speaking, the He Family Martial Artists had already surrounded Lin Yun’s room in silence. Everything had gone smoothly for them so far.

But, as the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, they could never have imagined that everything was already falling into Lin Yun’s grasp.

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