How can simply creating a sect make you invincible?

Canglan City, in the city lord's palace.

Several large tables were placed in the center of the living room, and the tables were full of food and drinks.

The ancestors and elders of the Ling and Fu families sat at several tables, while Han Bingli and her group sat at a separate table.

Xiao Ningyun buried her head in her food, her cheeks bulging, while Han Bingli would occasionally put more food on her plate.

At this moment, the two patriarchs of the Ling family walked over with wine cups in their hands.

Both men wore gentle smiles and spoke softly: "Young friends, thanks to your timely assistance, Canglan City was saved today. Otherwise, the city's inhabitants would likely be almost entirely wiped out. We two old men would like to offer you a toast as a token of our gratitude."

With that, the two raised their glasses, tilted their heads back, and drank them down in one gulp.

No one touched the table.

Han Bingli glanced at the two of them and said in a cold tone, "Gentlemen, we don't drink alcohol."

She paused, then added, "Also, don't come and bother us. I don't know you."

Upon hearing this, the entire living room fell silent instantly.

The two were also taken aback, but the smiles on Ling Changkong's and his companion's faces remained unchanged, only with a hint of bitterness: "Yes, yes, we were being presumptuous."

"Since you young friends don't drink alcohol, please eat more of the dishes. They are just simple fare, so please don't find them offensive."

Ling Changkong cupped his hands in greeting to the group, his tone still humble: "Then we won't disturb your meal any longer. Please enjoy your meal."

After saying that, the two turned around and returned to their own tables.

After sitting down, Ling Changkong's smile slowly faded.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and lowered his voice to say to Ling Cangxuan beside him, "Fourth brother, did you figure it out?"

Ling Cangxuan nodded slightly, his voice also very low: "I can see that. These children... are very hostile towards our Ling family."

"It's more than just big." Ling Changkong gave a wry smile.

"Didn't you hear me? 'I don't know you'—you've already said that."

He paused, his gaze shifting to Ling Yunzhi, who was serving food to Xiao Ningyun, his expression complex.

"So it seems... that child is most likely Ling Yunzhi. Otherwise, why would they be so hostile towards our Ling family?"

Ling Cangqiong nodded slowly, then said angrily with a hint of disappointment, "When we get back, I'm going to give that brat Jiuxiao a good beating! What kind of mess has he made of?!"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the entrance of the main hall.

A man dressed in brocade robes rushed in, his brows furrowed with arrogance. As soon as he entered the main hall, he looked around as if searching for someone.

"Jiuxiao, you've arrived." Ling Changkong spoke softly, his tone calm.

Upon seeing that it was the Third Ancestor, Ling Jiuxiao didn't even offer a greeting, and hurriedly asked, "Third Ancestor, where is Yunzhi?"

Ling Changkong didn't speak, but simply turned his head slightly and looked towards Han Bingli's table.

Ling Jiuxiao also looked over.

When he saw the young man in blue who was eating with his head down, his pupils suddenly contracted: "It really is him, that good-for-nothing illegitimate son that I kicked out of the family back then."

Who would have thought that in just six years, that good-for-nothing who needed to rely on pills to break through to the first level of Qi Refining would become a saint?

His cultivation level is even higher than that of the legitimate sons and daughters of the Ling family, and the so-called number one genius of the Ling family.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside him—shock, jealousy, and a trace of resentment that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

In fact, Ling Yunzhi had seen him long ago, but he remained completely unmoved.

It was like seeing a stranger brush past you.

This person had been erased from his world the day he and his mother were kicked out of the Ling family.

Ling Jiuxiao took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, straightened his clothes, and walked over.

He walked to the table, looked down at Ling Yunzhi, and spoke in a commanding tone:

"Yunzhi, you must have suffered these past few years! After this meal, come back to the Ling family with me."

As he spoke, a 'generous' smile appeared on his face.

"After all, you have the blood of the Ling family flowing in your veins. Let bygones be bygones. Once you return to the family, with me here, no one will dare to bully you again."

The tone was as if to say, "I've already forgiven you. Just come back to the Ling family with me. The Ling family's status is unapproachable. Giving you a status is already a great favor."

After Ling Jiuxiao finished speaking, no one at the table paid any attention to him.

Xiao Ningyun gnawed on the monster meat, glanced up at him, then lowered her head and continued gnawing.

Chen Daoxuan stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly, "Where did this fly come from... buzzing around my ear is so annoying."

Ling Yunzhi didn't even look up, continuing to eat his food.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Ling Jiuxiao's smile instantly froze.

A surge of anger welled up from the bottom of his heart.

He, the dignified head of the Ling family, took the initiative to summon a bastard son back, and this good-for-nothing dared to ignore him?

"Soaring ambitions."

His voice turned colder and his tone became more forceful:

"I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

"Don't push your luck. I came to call you personally because I think highly of you. Don't think you're so great just because you've become a saint. Without your family backing you, you're nothing!"

"I advise you to be smart and obediently come back with me. Otherwise—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

"Bang!"

Chen Ping'an slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

He glared at Ling Jiuxiao and demanded sharply, "What are you barking about? If you dare bark here again, believe me, I'll throw you out!"

Ling Jiuxiao felt a jolt in his heart as he was stared at, and involuntarily took half a step back.

But soon, he got hard again, after all, the two patriarchs of the Ling family were there.

He composed himself, his tone growing even colder: "What? What business is it of yours how I speak with my son?"

After saying that, he turned to Ling Yunzhi: "Yunzhi, let me tell you, don't think that becoming a saint means you can disown your family. The blood of the Ling family flows in your veins, and you can never change that!"

"Come back with me. You are still a member of the Ling family, and you are still the son of the head of the Ling family."

"If you dare not return," he sneered, his tone laced with threat, "then there will be no place for you in the entire Xuanhuang Continent!"

Upon hearing Ling Jiuxiao's words, the faces of the two patriarchs of the Ling family immediately darkened.

Ling Changkong pressed his hands firmly against the chair, his veins bulging.

He looked at Ling Jiuxiao not far away and cursed inwardly: "Idiot, what an idiot! There are five junior brothers and sisters at the Saint Realm, a little monster with double pupils, and a terrifying divine bird."

"Who do you think you are, Ling Jiuxiao? A mere ant in the Saint Realm, do you dare to put on airs in front of me?"

"There is no place for anyone to live on the entire Xuanhuang Continent."

Ling Cangqiong, standing beside him, didn't look much better either.

"That wretched child... I wish I could slap him to death! What kind of time is this, still putting on that airs of a head of the family!"

As the two were hurling insults at each other in hushed tones, Ling Yunzhi stood up, his icy gaze fixed on Ling Jiuxiao: "Are you finished?"

"Ling Jiuxiao, from the day you drove my mother and me out of the family, I am no longer a member of the Ling family. As for whether the Xuanhuang Continent can accept me, that is not up to you, Ling Jiuxiao."

"From now on, get out of my sight, or I might just beat you to death."

Hearing Ling Yunzhi dare to address him by his given name, Ling Jiuxiao felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart, as if something precious had shattered. He clutched his chest tightly, his face deathly pale, but his eyes flashed with venomous resentment as he pointed at Ling Yunzhi and angrily cursed:

"You unfilial son! I am your father, how dare you address me by my given name?"

"Ling Yunzhi, I kindly came to take you back to the Ling family; this is giving you a chance! How dare a son of a concubine be so ungrateful!"

He became increasingly agitated as he cursed, his chest heaving and his face turning bright red.

"If I hadn't taken pity on your mother and brought her back to the Ling family, how could she have given birth to such a rebellious son as you?"