Chapter Sixty-Six: The Southern Profound Sect

“Oh, Crane, all done?” Yu Daoyi teased with a playful grin.

“Of course.” Lin He replied with a faint, indifferent smile, unfazed by the nickname.

Now Lin He had returned to his original appearance. After all, there was no need to flaunt the skill that allowed him to change his visage before others.

“It is you who have been kept waiting, Brother Daoyi. I promised you I would kill him, and from this day on, Lin Tao will trouble this world no more. Here’s your proof.”

Lin He spoke calmly, then tossed something to the ground—a severed head, its expression frozen in terror, blood still dripping. No one could guess what horrors Lin Tao had faced in his final moments.

“Wow, fresh off the press—ugh, ugh…” Yu Daoyi, keeping up appearances, tried to act unfazed before the crowd, but before he finished his sentence, he doubled over to retch.

Damn it! How did the protagonists in other novels manage to kill so cold-bloodedly right from the start, killing left and right without ever throwing up!

“Brother Daoyi, it was my poor discipline that frightened you all. I apologize.” Lin He then bowed slightly, to everyone’s surprise, in a gesture of apology.

“That’s it?” Yu Daoyi, wiping his mouth after his bout of nausea, frowned and pressed Lin He.

“Of course not. Wrongdoings must have their consequences, must they not?” Lin He replied with a gentle smile, then waved his hand.

Amid casual conversation, the two men from Xiaoyue Pavilion suddenly began to evaporate, their screams echoing. In a flash, a pool of black mire appeared beneath them, swallowing them whole—their cries, along with their bodies, vanishing without a trace.

“To disturb my honored guests, to so easily believe slander, and to act without my leave—you got off lightly with death.” Lin He spoke with complete indifference, showing no concern for the loss of two of his own subordinates.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Yu Daoyi felt that after devouring those two, Lin He’s aura seemed to surge briefly, though he immediately suppressed it.

“Those two are dead. What about this so-called uncle of yours?” Yu Daoyi pressed further.

“He has already lost both arms because of you, Brother Daoyi. He has paid his price. Furthermore, he forced his cultivation and has little time left. Why should you trouble yourself over a dying man?” Lin He replied offhandedly.

—

“If I say that’s not good enough?” Yu Daoyi challenged.

“If you insist, Brother Daoyi, I’ll end him this very instant. Yet, if you could show some mercy, I wouldn’t mind telling you something about this inheritance as an exchange for his worthless life.” Lin He smiled at Yu Daoyi, as if already certain of what he would choose.

Yu Daoyi glanced up at the black columns of light surrounding them, pondering for a long while. All those behind him fell silent as well. Unwittingly, this boy of eleven or twelve had become the core of their temporary team.

“Just as I thought. That old man spoke of an inheritance secret realm—this must be the Lin family’s own secret realm.” After a long pause, Yu Daoyi made his decision. Rather than see Lin Bo, who had only days to live, put to death, he might as well glean more information. His instincts told him this matter would be crucial for their party.

“So, tell me—what’s the truth behind this secret realm?” Yu Daoyi shrugged.

“It’s called an inheritance secret realm, but in truth, it is nothing more than a cave dwelling hidden deep in the mountains behind our estate,” Lin He began slowly, seeing the others’ curiosity.

“You’re all aware of the Spiritual Mine Competition four or five years ago, I assume?”

“Of course,” Yu Daoyi nodded. The memory was vivid. He’d first met the Song family’s youngest daughter at the Spiritual Mine Competition in the rear mountains. His parents had been too busy flaunting their affection for each other that day to take him out to see the world.

“During that competition, the Lin family invited the Lin clan from Linfeng Domain and defeated both the Wang and Song families. This is no secret. But it was precisely because we won that contest that everything changed afterward.”

“A year later, in one of the spiritual mines in the rear mountains, the Lin family stumbled upon a cave. It was later confirmed to be a secret inheritance realm, sealed off by powerful formations. The entire Lin family was ecstatic, believing it would be the foundation for our rise.”

“For above the cave’s entrance, inscribed in bold characters, were the words ‘Southern Profound Sect.’”

“Southern Profound Sect? The most powerful sect in the Southern Province ten thousand years ago?” Yu Daoyi exclaimed.

As someone who often browsed his father’s study—ostensibly to help his mother search for her private stashes, or, ahem, ill-gotten gains—he’d come across plenty of books. Even the most ignorant among them had heard of the sect that, thousands of years ago, unified the Southern Province.

“Yes, tens of thousands of years ago, the Southern Profound Sect was at the height of its power, the undisputed authority of the Southern Province—an unparalleled force. No one dared defy their orders. Even today’s Sword Sect, the premier sect in the Heavenly Domain, was then merely their equal. At that time, in the entire Heavenly Domain, the Southern Profound Sect was renowned as one of the greatest.”

“But something happened back then—no one knows exactly what. A disciple was expelled. Normally, this would be nothing—large sects expel members every year for various reasons.”

“But this man was different. The details remain unclear. What is known is that before his expulsion, something happened—he disappeared for a time, and was later found by the sect and brought back for questioning. Shortly after, he was expelled.”

—

“The irony is that everything began with this decision. The elders of the Southern Profound Sect had no idea what they had set in motion. That decision laid the foundation for the sect’s subsequent decline.”

“In the world of cultivation, centuries pass in the blink of an eye. But centuries after his expulsion, that forsaken disciple returned to the Southern Profound Sect one day, declaring he had come for vengeance, to settle old scores. Alone, he challenged the mightiest sect of his era.”

“The news swept through the world of cultivation like wildfire. The reaction was first shock, then scorn—one man against an entire sect? Against the greatest in the Southern Province? Ludicrous, everyone scoffed.”

“But the outcome defied all expectations. In just half a month, the Southern Profound Mountain, home of the sect, was awash in blood. Corpses littered the ruins. It was devastation beyond compare. The records say it rained for days, but even that could not wash away the bloodstains. That man truly did what he set out to do—one man against an entire sect.”

“The sect was crippled, reduced in an instant from a first-rate power to a mediocre one. Its elders and protectors were decimated, countless disciples perished in the calamity.”

“To this day, the Sword Sect stands unchallenged as the top force in the Southern Province, but the Southern Profound Sect has faded into obscurity. Perhaps it still exists, under a different name, but it will never reclaim its former glory.”

Lin He told the story at a measured pace, recounting the fall of the Southern Profound Sect and the tale of its forsaken disciple. All listened with thoughtful expressions.

“And what became of that man afterward?” Song Qiuling asked, her voice curious. The others watched Lin He intently; such secrets were not easily discovered unless one went searching for them.

“No one knows—his fate and whereabouts remain a mystery. After that battle, the Southern Profound Sect said not a word, and the man vanished without a trace. Yet, for all his power, he could not have slaughtered the entire sect. Most likely, he perished from exhaustion in that final battle,” Lin He replied.

“But what does that have to do with the secret realm in the rear mountains? Just because of the characters ‘Southern Profound Sect’?” Yu Daoyi was puzzled. Lin He must have a reason for telling this story, but the Southern Profound Sect had dominated its era, with countless prodigies—who could say that the secret realm in the mountains had anything to do with that particular man?

“After his disappearance, rumors ran rampant in the world of cultivation. Many sought him for their own purposes, until finally, one particular rumor gained widespread acceptance.” Lin He fell silent for a long time before continuing.

“What rumor?” Yu Daoyi pressed.

“Immortal techniques—the arts used by immortals! It was said that he discovered a fragment of an immortal’s technique!” For the first time, a flush of excitement colored Lin He’s pale cheeks.