Lin Yun immediately reached out to take the Frost Heart.
Then, he imprinted his mark on it, fully bringing it under his control.
After imprinting it, Lin Yun held the Frost Heart and willed it with his mind.
Buzz buzz!
The Frost Heart instantly turned into a transparent liquid, spreading from his arm across his entire body, covering every inch—including his eyeballs.
It was like a thin membrane clinging to his skin, yet it felt completely natural. Unless he focused intently, he could hardly sense its presence on his body.
“When an enemy’s attack lands on this Frost Heart, it can reduce the force by about sixty to seventy percent. The boost it gives to your defence is significant,” Emperor Huoyun said.
“It’s that strong a defensive ability?” Lin Yun asked, astonished.
“Aside from its defensive power, it comes with additional properties. With it, you’ll be able to move and fight in water as freely as you do on land, unrestricted,” Emperor Huoyun explained.
Lin Yun nodded. He was aware of this benefit and had already experienced it firsthand.
If he hadn’t had it back then, the Eighth-Turn Tribulation Realm elder of the Baili Clan would have caught up to him in the pool and killed him.
In other words, the Frost Heart was incredibly effective for movement and combat underwater!
“With this, my defence will see a massive improvement,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Before I reward you further, there are some things I need to tell you,” Emperor Huoyun said calmly.
“Please speak, Master,” Lin Yun replied politely.
“During the four months you were away on your mission, some events unfolded within the empire. We’ve identified the formation master who was helping the demon clan build teleportation arrays. However, just a few days after you discovered that underground fortress, he fled to the Demon Beast Mountain Range.”
Emperor Huoyun continued, “It’s certain there are other similar underground teleportation fortresses. But so far, we haven’t located a second one. Since the first was exposed, those with demon clan teleportation arrays must be taking extra precautions. Finding them all will be difficult.”
“The empire is too vast, and these fortresses are hidden in very secretive locations. It’s indeed hard to track them down,” Lin Yun agreed.
“There’s another matter. If I recall correctly, you registered for the martial examination from Dongyuan Prefecture, right?” Emperor Huoyun asked.
“Yes, Master,” Lin Yun confirmed.
“Just half a month ago, the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture was poisoned and killed, likely by an internal general. The culprit hasn’t been identified yet. Since the prefect’s death, Dongyuan Prefecture has fallen into turmoil. The demon clan has launched localised attacks there, clearly testing the waters. Dongyuan Prefecture is now in a state of wartime,” Emperor Huoyun said.
“What?!” Lin Yun was stunned by this news.
Whether it was the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture being assassinated or the prefecture entering a wartime state, both were explosive revelations!
“Master, does this mean our war with the demon clan has officially begun?” Lin Yun couldn’t help but ask.
“For now, the conflict is limited to parts of Dongyuan Prefecture—it doesn’t count as full-scale war. We’re classifying it as a localised dispute. But it’s undoubtedly a starting point, signalling that the era of tens of thousands of years of peaceful coexistence with the demon clan is over,” Emperor Huoyun said.
“If the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture had listened to me back then, he might not have ended up poisoned,” Lin Yun murmured to himself.
Back then, Lin Yun had uncovered issues and reported them to the prefect, but the prefect hadn’t taken him seriously. Otherwise, he might have avoided this fate.
His arrogance and carelessness were to blame.
“Oh? You knew something about this?” Emperor Huoyun asked.
“Reporting to Master, when I was in Dongyuan Prefecture, I discovered that one of the generals there seemed to be connected to the demon beasts. I reported it to the prefect at the time, but unfortunately, he didn’t take me or my words seriously,” Lin Yun explained.
“Is that so?” Emperor Huoyun’s brow furrowed slightly.
Then, he looked up at Lin Yun. “You’ve done well completing this mission, and you deserve a reward. Since Dongyuan Prefecture is currently without a prefect, and you know who the culprit might be, I’ll appoint you as the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture. You’ll oversee all its affairs and root out the demon clan spies hiding within.”
“Appoint me as the prefect of Dongyuan Prefecture?” Lin Yun was taken aback.
This was something he hadn’t even dreamed of.
“Master, this… this might not be appropriate. My experience in the Huoyun Empire is still shallow. To be a prefect, one needs the strength to command respect. My current realm might not be enough—I’m only at the Third-Turn Tribulation Realm,” Lin Yun said.
A prefect was akin to a regional governor, a position requiring a sufficiently high realm to hold authority.
“Third-Turn Tribulation Realm is indeed a bit low. A prefect typically needs Eighth- or Ninth-Turn Tribulation Realm strength. But with enough Tribulation Pills, reaching Eighth or Ninth Turn is just a matter of time. Plus, when you go, I’ll assign you a powerful assistant,” Emperor Huoyun said.
Lin Yun fell into thought.
“What’s this? Don’t tell me you’re afraid to take on such a responsibility, little one? In my eyes, you’re someone with great courage,” Emperor Huoyun said, a rare smile breaking across his face.
“Your disciple isn’t afraid, of course. Since it’s Master’s decision, I accept the command!” Lin Yun clasped his fists, his voice resounding.
“Excellent. Tomorrow morning at the routine court session, you’ll attend as well. I’ll publicly announce this decision and formally promote you,” Emperor Huoyun said.
“Yes!” Lin Yun clasped his fists again.
“Also, here are 50,000 Tribulation Pills as my reward to you, to help you advance your realm.”
With a wave of his hand, Emperor Huoyun sent a large number of Tribulation Pills flying towards Lin Yun.
Over the past ten thousand years, Emperor Huoyun had taken in no fewer than ten disciples. For those whose performance pleased him, he was exceedingly generous.
But for those who disappointed him, failing to complete his assigned tasks repeatedly, he would cast them aside without so much as a single Tribulation Pill.
Lin Yun’s completion of a mission he deemed impossible had exceeded expectations, so naturally, he was lavish with his rewards.
Appointing him as prefect was part of that reward.
Lin Yun quickly caught the Tribulation Pills and stored them in his storage ring.
He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at Emperor Huoyun’s generosity—50,000 Tribulation Pills right off the bat!
Normally, Tribulation Realm generals in the empire had to earn Tribulation Pills through merit points, a slow process.
Earning 50,000 Tribulation Pills would take an immense amount of time.
With this reward, advancing through the Tribulation Realm would be far easier for Lin Yun!
