# 434
**Chapter 434: Burying Them with Him**
Floor 166.
Clang—!!
The Straight Blade slashed toward the platform, only to freeze mid-air—as if an invisible wall had materialized between Lin Qiye and them, blocking every foreign attack.
Lin Qiye’s brows locked tight; the knuckles gripping his blade whitened. No matter how he strained, the edge refused to advance a hair.
“Captain Lin, did you really think… the Baili family was so easily bullied?”
Standing atop the dais, Baili Xin narrowed his eyes at Lin Qiye. His low voice betrayed no emotion. He tapped the air with the rim of his wine-glass; the crystal chimed against an unseen boundary.
“[Wall of Sighs],” Baili Xin murmured.
A moment later, a heavy sigh echoed beside Lin Qiye’s ear—genderless, ancient, saturated with weariness.
The instant that sound reached him, it felt as though a titanic hammer had slammed into his body. A terrifying repulsive force hurled him backward; his organs quaked like a wine-glass skirting the edge of shattering.
He crashed through two massive pillars and was flung out of a shattered window. Fighting the agony, he flung one Straight Blade back into the building—then vanished into the sea of clouds.
Whoosh—!
The instant the blade returned to Floor 166, its reverse-summoning rune activated; Lin Qiye re-materialized inside.
He stood at the edge of the floor, blade in hand, gaze fixed on the platform with grim gravity.
He could now be certain: the invisible wall encircling Baili Xin was no ordinary forbidden artifact. That single sigh alone placed it among ultra-high-threat relics. Without the defense boost from [Starry Night Dancer], his organs would have burst.
Add its absolute defense, and it likely ranked alongside the distance-ignoring, thousand-man-slaying [White Slash]—another trophy in Baili Xin’s private vault.
And there were ten more just like it.
“Even the reserve team of a special squad dares not strike the Baili Group—much less the Mask Squad,” Baili Xin said calmly. “Captain Lin, you’re still too young… You have no idea how terrifying the Baili family’s foundation truly is.”
He swept his hand. White light blossomed around the platform again, and one figure after another stepped from the glow, arraying themselves before Baili Xin.
Some gripped ancient long-swords, others an antelope’s horn, tattered cloaks, twin halos beneath their feet, or a single blood-red eye suspended behind them… Every one of them—a Forbidden Artifact User.
Exactly twelve.
The instant they appeared, crushing pressure flooded the floor. 010 Squad, still locked with Jialan and the others, paled; shock filled their eyes.
Eight “Sea” Realm, three “Infinity” Realm, one “Klein”.
A line-up that eclipsed any team Wei Xiuming had ever seen. He had no doubt these twelve alone could face Shangjing City’s 006 Squad head-on.
In other words, the Baili family kept a force equal to a capital-city squad on permanent standby.
That… was only one of their foundations.
“Zodiac Twelve, greeting the Chairman,” the Klein-realm leader said, turning to bow.
Baili Xin inclined his head, then looked back to the youth at the window.
“Captain Lin, do you grasp reality now? Withdraw, walk away, and I’ll pretend none of this happened. Take [White Slash] with you; Chang Kangsheng’s promises remain valid. The Baili family has shown sincerity… now it’s your turn.”
When the words fell, even 010 Squad halted, turning to Lin Qiye for his answer.
Howling wind poured through the open floor, keening.
Lin Qiye’s suit-corners snapped in the gale. He studied the twelve silhouettes upon the dais—then stepped forward.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed through the vast hall. Beneath layered, crushing might, each pace was heavy—yet his spine never bent. Head high, he walked slowly, inexorably, toward the platform.
Baili Xin’s brows drew together.
Wei Xiuming and the others stared in disbelief. The Baili family had just displayed abyssal power—why did he still advance? Did he truly believe he could fight twelve Forbidden Artifact Users? The corporation had already offered a way out—why refuse?
All this… for one Baili Tuming?
“Madman… he’s insane,” Wei Xiuming whispered.
Twin blades in hand, Lin Qiye released a ripple of night around him. Fixing his gaze on Baili Xin, he spoke, voice low and clear:
“I don’t care about forbidden artifacts.
I don’t care about mental compensation.
Your family’s convoluted schemes bore me.
Even being captain of this special squad… means little.”
He raised a blade, tip leveled at the platform, killing intent blazing.
“But if you lay a hand on my brother—
I will bury every last person in the Baili family with him!!”
Boom—!!
A thunderclap ripped through the clear sky; a low rumble rolled across the air. Behind Lin Qiye, the spectral image of a noblewoman in star-embroidered black silk appeared—and slowly merged with him…
Soul bearing.
In the next instant, the divine might of the God of Night descended!
Lin Qiye’s short hair shot outward, cascading to his waist in a torrent of black. Starlight ignited in the depths of his eyes, as though the entire night sky swirled within. Wind lashed his long hair; his suit cracked like a banner. He trod upon darkness, and the light around him drained away.
Outside the tower, the noon sun vanished; within two breaths, midnight fell. The night itself folded into a cloak that settled gently across his shoulders.