The Eastern Heart Domain was the core of the entire Eastern Domain, home to countless formidable families and Sects. As the Five Great Forces of the Eastern Heart Domain, they naturally had many vassal forces and families under their command.

To put it one way, any power that wished to survive in the Eastern Heart Domain had to align itself with one of the Five Great Forces. Take the Flawless Palace, for example; it had innumerable vassal forces and families.

These families and forces pledged to the Flawless Palace had to offer a great deal of resources as tribute each year. In return, the Flawless Palace would not only grant them protection but also select some of their most exceptionally talented members to enter the palace and cultivate.

The Supreme Elders of the Flawless Palace, for instance, all had their own families and forces. Although they were now Supreme Elders of the Flawless Palace, their familial ties meant their own clans became preeminent among the palace’s vassal forces, receiving greater protection each year and the privilege of sending more of their Disciples to cultivate within the Flawless Palace.

"Watch your tongue. Do you think it’s so simple to become the strongest vassal family of the Flawless Palace?" Patriarch He asked Lin Yun with a hint of disdain.

Although Lin Yun’s words hinted at the young man’s extraordinary nature, he still didn’t believe Lin Yun could help the He Family become the Flawless Palace’s most powerful vassal.

"How could a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan? In your eyes, the Flawless Palace may be the greatest power in the world. Yet in mine, it is merely a stepping stone. My ambitions lie far beyond this; I don’t even spare a thought for the supreme powers of the Central Domain. My goals are far, far more distant than you could possibly imagine."

A look of sublime pride filled Lin Yun’s eyes as he gazed toward the horizon, his voice calm. Watching the shift in Lin Yun’s demeanor, Patriarch He found this young man becoming more and more inscrutable.

It was as if Lin Yun existed in a completely different world. The things Patriarch He and his family cherished—the position of Young Palace Master of the Flawless Palace, the status of the strongest vassal family—all the things they would fight and bleed for were utterly insignificant in Lin Yun’s eyes.

For a fleeting moment, Patriarch He couldn’t help but wonder, ’What exactly are Lin Yun’s goals? What kind of world does he see?’

Ignoring Patriarch He’s astonishment, Lin Yun drew his gaze back from the horizon. When he looked at the patriarch again, his expression was perfectly calm.

"Patriarch He, I have no interest whatsoever in the position of Young Palace Master of the Flawless Palace. In fact, there is nothing in the entire Eastern Domain that holds any attachment for me. My goals lie far beyond this. As long as the He Family follows my orders and submits to me, I am certain that when the time comes for me to leave the Eastern Domain, you will not regret the choice you make today," Lin Yun stated.

As his words faded, Patriarch He offered no rebuttal. He simply stared fixedly at Lin Yun.

Ordinarily, Patriarch He would have dismissed such words as a joke. At this moment, however, a sliver of belief had taken root in his heart, as if Lin Yun could genuinely lead the He Family to a glorious future.

"Are you hesitating, Patriarch He?" Li Tian interjected at the perfect moment.

Without answering, Patriarch He continued to stare at Lin Yun as if trying to see straight through him. He had never encountered a young man like this before.

As the He Family Master, he had seen no shortage of brilliant young talents, but never before had he met anyone quite like Lin Yun.

’How should I describe him? Lin Yun seems calm and collected, not like other talented youths who are full of vigor, pride, and arrogance.’

’But in interacting with him, you can clearly sense that his pride is second to none. It’s just that his pride is bone-deep, buried within him.’

’The best analogy I can think of right now is that Lin Yun is like a slumbering Divine Dragon. When he finally awakens, his brilliance will eclipse every other genius and Demon Fiend in the world.’

’He is a Divine Dragon by birth, destined to reach heights that others can only dream of. The so-called Demon Fiends and geniuses who are now his equals, or even surpass him, will one day only be able to gaze up at his back from afar.’

Though he didn’t voice these thoughts, Patriarch He’s internal assessment of Lin Yun was already incredibly high. Not even his own son, He Yuntian, had ever earned such an evaluation from him.

As Patriarch He remained silent, Li Tian, who had been standing behind Lin Yun, stepped forward to face him. With a slight smile, the Space Ring on Li Tian’s hand flashed, and a red Array Spirit Pen materialized in his palm.

"An Array Master... a Red Pen Array Master..." Patriarch He exclaimed upon seeing the Array Spirit Pen in Li Tian’s hand.

The Array Spirit Pen danced through the air, and in a mere moment, Li Tian had finished inscribing an Array. He pointed it toward the nearby fishpond and uttered a low command, "Blazing Fire Array."

The Array he had inscribed instantly expanded, blanketing the entire fishpond. Raging flames seemed to burn within it, and in just over a dozen breaths, the Blazing Fire Array had completely evaporated all the water in the pond.

"Blazing Fire Array... Blazing Fire Array..." Patriarch He muttered to himself as he watched Li Tian deploy the array. After a long pause, he looked at Li Tian, his expression full of disbelief.

"What is your name?" he asked, his body trembling slightly.

"Li Tian," he replied calmly, having already anticipated the question.

"Li Tian... You’re a survivor of the Li Family. I never imagined... that anyone from the Li Family was still alive." Patriarch He was utterly shocked.

The Li Family, a clan of Array Masters, was a name considered taboo in the Eastern Heart Domain. The campaign where the Five Great Forces joined together to exterminate the Li Family was the most brutal war the Eastern Heart Domain had witnessed in a millennium.

As for why they were exterminated, the reason was simple: the Li Family had become too powerful. No force would ever underestimate the intimidating power of Array Masters.

At the height of their power, all Five Great Forces had tried to win the Li Family over. After all, if any one of them had secured the Li Family’s allegiance, the balance of power would have been irrevocably shattered.

Faced with these attempts at recruitment, the Li Family had steadfastly maintained its neutrality, refusing to side with any one power.

However, the tree that stands tallest is the first to be broken by the wind. As the Li Family became an increasingly urgent threat to the Five Great Forces, they eventually reached a secret agreement. Since this threat had the potential to shatter their delicate balance of power, it was better to eliminate it early.

Out of fear and jealousy, the Five Great Forces chose to unite. Since none of them could bear the thought of a rival gaining the Li Family’s support, they decided that eradication was the safest option for everyone.

Under the combined assault of the Five Great Forces, the once-mighty Li Family vanished into the annals of history. It was said that from the entire clan, not even a single Maid had been left alive.

During that period, anyone even remotely associated with the Li Family was hunted down by the Five Great Forces.

In an instant, the words "Li Family" and "Array Master" became taboo. No one dared mention them, and no one dared speak of them.

Facing the rulers of the Eastern Heart Domain, the Li Family’s fate was a foregone conclusion. The Five Great Forces were truly ruthless, slaughtering every last member of the clan. Even families and forces merely associated with them were not spared.

One could say that the campaign against the Li Family was nothing short of a great purge of the Eastern Heart Domain by the Five Great Forces.

(Please support the novel with your collections, Monthly Passes, recommendations, and tips!)