This token was one of the few that represented the authority of the Danling Sect.

To see this token was to see the Grand Elder.

What’s more, the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder had come by several times a day for the past few days, instructing them more than once that if they saw this token, they absolutely must receive the bearer with the utmost sincerity.

The utmost sincerity... Even when people from the five great divine sects came, the Sect Leader and Grand Elder had never made such a request.

Behind their backs, the disciples of the Danling Sect had nicknamed this token the "Supreme Token."

But just now, he had called it a worthless token and casually tossed it aside.

’I’m so dead.’ The disciple who had acted just now wished he could die.

"Young... Young Master Lin, we were blind! We had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai! You are a great man; please don’t hold this against lowly people like us!" The four of them knelt on the ground, kowtowing so hard their heads made THUDDING sounds.

"You know me?" Lin Hao asked with a smile.

"We don’t, no, we do! Elder Shan and the Sect Leader both instructed us. They said that seeing this token meant that you, Young Master Lin, had arrived. They told us to receive you with the greatest hospitality." The senior brother who had acted earlier spoke, not even daring to raise his head.

’If I offend Lin Hao, and the Elder and Sect Leader find out, I can forget about ever staying in the Danling Sect.’

He was so terrified his entire body was trembling.

"Get up. Try not to be so snobbish in the future." Every hateful person has their own pitiful story, and Lin Hao didn’t want to make things too difficult for them.

"Ah..." The four of them looked up at the same time, hardly daring to believe what they had heard.

Meanwhile, the turtle was already carrying Lin Hao and Meng Qing up the stone steps.

"Young Master Lin, I’ll see you up." The disciple who had acted earlier came scurrying over, his face a mask of flattery.

But Lin Hao shook his head.

The disciple could only retreat respectfully.

Before he left, he looked up the stone steps.

’That’s the true main gate of the Danling Sect. I hope those senior brothers up there aren’t as blind as I was.’

The other three also stared up the stone steps, clearly thinking the same thing.

Only two disciples guarded the main gate of the Danling Sect.

The truly powerful factions had already taken up residence in the Danling Sect. Even the representatives from the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture had arrived yesterday. All the disciples with real importance and backing had long since gone to greet these factions.

These two disciples were looking enviously at a high wall deep within the sect.

"How did we get so unlucky, getting assigned to watch the main gate?" one disciple said to the other.

"Stop complaining. Didn’t Third Master promise he’d help us with arrangements?" the other disciple replied.

"Speaking of Third Master, I heard both his older brothers were killed in Cyan Wood Town. But Third Master didn’t even go back to check. By following Elder Cao, he’s showing the makings of a ruthless overlord," the first disciple whispered.

"A ruthless overlord? Do you even know what that means? If I remember correctly, Elder Cao’s son is still being held at the Heaven-Stepping Sect," the other disciple said with a pout.

"Speaking of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, they’re incredible now. I heard seven Elemental Realm Martial Artists from the Zhengyang Sect were lost there, and three Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artists even lost their Spiritual Artifacts. In the end, they were like stray do—"

"SHH! Do you have a death wish? The Zhengyang Sect’s Sect Leader and several elders are here! If they heard you, nine lives wouldn’t be enough!"

"Thanks, thanks... We should just focus on guarding the gate, just guard the gate..." The disciple with the loose tongue broke out in a cold sweat and then quieted down.

The other one also straightened his posture.

Just then, they saw two people in the distance riding a turtle, which was crawling up toward them.

They exchanged a look and both stepped out to block the turtle’s path.

"Halt! This is—" Before the two disciples could finish, they saw a token.

Lin Hao wasn’t one to show off, and there was no need to slap the faces of these small fries. Having learned from the previous encounter, he immediately held up the token Shan Dan had given him.

Sure enough, upon seeing the token, the two exchanged a look, a trace of fear and relief flashing in their eyes. Then, they respectfully made way.

Lin Hao said his thanks and jumped off the turtle’s back, then helped Meng Qing down.

The two disciples stood aside, letting Lin Hao and Meng Qing pass.

Just then, a person emerged from within the Danling Sect.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, about forty years old, wearing a Daoist robe. Embroidered on the front of the robe was a Yellow Small Tripod.

A tripod embroidered on a Daoist robe was a symbol of status in the Danling Sect; Lin Hao had already figured that out.

It was said that the Sect Leader’s was gold and the elders’ were silver. This yellow one signified a third-generation disciple of the Danling Sect.

The batch of Alchemy Masters sent by the Danling Sect to the Heaven-Stepping Sect had Yellow Small Tripods embroidered on their robes, marking them as third-generation disciples.

Their status in the Danling Sect was second only to the elders and the Sect Leader, making them highly respected.

The moment the newcomer saw the scene at the gate, he frowned and berated the two disciples, "Do they have an invitation?"

"No, but..." the two disciples answered.

But the newcomer cut them off.

"But what?! How dare you let people in without an invitation! Go to the Law Enforcement Hall and receive your punishment!"

After berating the two disciples, the newcomer stared directly at Lin Hao and spat out a single cold word: "Scram!"

Third Master Hao was in a very bad mood.

A few days ago, he received news that his two older brothers had been killed in Cyan Forest Town by a young man. He was instantly furious and wanted to leave the mountain.

But at that time, the major factions were arriving at the sect, and he was too busy to get away. He had no choice but to endure.

Later, after he found out the young man’s identity, he felt a wave of relief and fear.

The name Lin Hao had now spread throughout the Southern Border Prefecture. He was, by all accounts, a bringer of calamity.

Even as a third-generation disciple of the Danling Sect, he was still incredibly wary.

After all, his status in the Danling Sect wasn’t low, and he knew a lot of inside information.

Even his master’s son, Cao Tianguan, was currently imprisoned in the Heaven-Stepping Sect. And the Danling Sect, which had always maintained an ambiguous stance, was surprisingly taking a hard line on this matter. That alone spoke volumes.

The one who started it all, rumor had it, was this very Lin Hao.

With even Cao Tianguan imprisoned, Third Master Hao knew his own limits. He knew he didn’t have the same backing as Cao Tianguan and didn’t dare to act rashly.

But not acting rashly didn’t mean he had given up.

His parents had died young, and his two older brothers had raised him. He was deeply attached to his brothers and could not let this grudge go unavenged.

So, for the past few days, he had been secretly contacting various major factions.

However, to his disappointment, as soon as people heard the person he wanted to deal with was Lin Hao, they all backed out.

In the end, one faction was willing to help, but their demands were so exorbitant that they shocked Third Master Hao.

For the past day or two, he had been weighing the pros and cons, unable to eat or sleep well. One could only imagine the state of his mood.

Now, suddenly seeing Lin Hao and Meng Qing appear—and enter the Danling Sect’s main gate without an invitation—Third Master Hao simply assumed they had bribed the two disciples.

In the past, he definitely would have seized the opportunity to blackmail them for a hefty sum. But what that faction wanted now wasn’t something money could buy.

So, he spoke directly, the first word from his mouth being "scram."

"Martial Uncle, he..."

These two gate-guarding disciples were fourth-generation disciples, making them Third Master Hao’s martial nephews. They had seen Lin Hao’s Token and knew his identity. Hearing Third Master Hao actually tell Lin Hao to scram, they were so shocked, how could they not speak up?

But once again, Third Master Hao didn’t let them finish.

"You bastards, get lost!" Third Master Hao cursed at the two, then glared at Lin Hao and spoke again. "I don’t care who you are! If you don’t have an invitation, get out!"

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed. He finally spoke, "Is this how you treat your guests?"

"Guest? What the hell do you think you are?! You think you’re worthy?!" Third Master Hao sneered.

The two disciples standing to the side shuddered. They then exchanged a glance and chose to retreat.

Before leaving, one of the disciples said to Lin Hao, "Young Master, this is our Martial Uncle, Third Master Hao. We’ll be taking our leave now."

With that, the two of them scurried away.

It had to be said, this disciple was quite cunning.

He knew Lin Hao’s identity and knew that Lin Hao had killed Third Master Hao’s two brothers. Their conflict was already irreconcilable. Pointing out Third Master Hao’s identity at this moment was undoubtedly a way to send Third Master Hao to an early grave.

But he couldn’t be blamed. Who told Third Master Hao to be so tyrannical and curse at them?

Lin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. Watching the two of them leave, he suddenly had a realization: ’Never underestimate anyone, even a seemingly insignificant nobody.’

Then, Lin Hao’s focus returned, and he stared at Third Master Hao.

"Twice now, you’ve indiscriminately told me to scram and insulted me. Have you considered the consequences?" Lin Hao’s face showed no emotion as he asked Third Master Hao this in a calm voice.

"Consequences?" Third Master Hao sneered, killing intent surging across his face. He said grimly, "If you don’t scram right now, I’ll show you the consequences!"

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted. Without another word, he took Meng Qing’s hand and walked toward the gate.

"Ptooey! What a spineless coward!" Seeing Lin Hao act so meekly, Third Master Hao spat fiercely and watched him leave.

After Lin Hao and Meng Qing’s figures disappeared from his sight, he still wasn’t satisfied and strode forward.

Looking down from his high vantage point at the two people descending the steps, he stood above and said to the four disciples below, "Beat them and throw them down the mountain for me."

"Third Master Hao, who are you planning to throw down the mountain?" Just then, a voice sounded from behind Third Master Hao.

Third Master Hao turned to see the sect’s Grand Elder, Shan Dan, approaching with hurried steps.

Although his master was Cao Xiong, Shan Dan was the sect’s number one elder, so he had to show respect.

Hearing the question, he bowed respectfully and answered, "Just some blind fool."

However, Shan Dan ignored him, took a large stride forward, and went straight after the young man who had just left.

’Heh, that old man Shan Dan is always opposing my master. It’s rare for him to be on my side.’

He just assumed Shan Dan wasn’t willing to let Lin Hao off either, and a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face.

However, at that exact moment, Third Master Hao heard Shan Dan call out, "Young friend, please wait."

The smile on Third Master Hao’s face froze instantly. His heart skipped a beat, and he had a sudden, bad feeling.

Then, he saw that Shan Dan had already blocked the pair’s path and was actually bowing with cupped fists—performing the rite of a junior.

BOOM!

Third Master Hao’s eyes flew wide open, and his jaw dropped far enough to fit a beast egg inside.

...