“Senior Brother Lin Yun, what have you experienced these past years? You entered the Demonic Beast Mountain Range and not only survived but also reached the Fifth Transition Tribulation Realm, and… you’ve gathered such a large force?” Dali Yuantai gazed at Lin Yun, his heart filled with countless questions.
He simply couldn’t fathom what Lin Yun had gone through all these years!
To grow so terrifyingly powerful?
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I’m heading to the Heavenly Sword Sect. If you’re willing, you can come with me,” Lin Yun said.
“Senior Brother Lin Yun, I’m worried that if our Dali Clan goes, the Zhutian Alliance will use searching for us as an excuse to infiltrate the Heavenly Sword Sect and cause havoc,” Dali Yuantai said with concern.
“Don’t worry. I’m back now, and none of that will happen again. This time, it’s the Zhutian Alliance that will suffer!” Lin Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly, a surge of killing intent rising within him.
At that moment, the fleeing forces of the Zhutian Alliance had been completely annihilated.
Lin Yun ordered everyone to board the flying vessel, then pushed its speed to the limit, racing towards the Heavenly Sword Sect!
…
Heavenly Sword Sect.
Once bustling and vibrant, the Heavenly Sword Sect now appeared desolate, dilapidated, and forlorn.
A large number of disciples had left, and with no new disciples joining, the sect’s current disciple count was only about twenty percent of its peak.
Of course, those who left were outer disciples.
The inner disciples, deacons, elders, and others of the Heavenly Sword Sect had not left, as they had signed contracts upon joining the inner sect, binding them to the sect’s fate, for better or worse.
By a pond in the inner sect, a few inner disciples were drinking, all visibly intoxicated.
At that moment, Zhijin approached.
After Lin Yun’s departure, Zhijin and Daniel were the second and first-ranked disciples in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s inner sect, respectively.
“You’re drinking again! Slacking off on your cultivation, how many times have I caught you!” Zhijin shouted at them.
The disciples continued drinking, unmoved.
“Brother Zhijin, what’s the point of cultivating? The Heavenly Sword Sect is finished. Even if we cultivate, there’s no future for us!”
“Exactly!”
They drank and spoke in turn.
“Can’t you rely on diligent cultivation to revive the Heavenly Sword Sect? Look at Brother Daniel. Ever since Lin Yun died, he’s been cultivating relentlessly!” Zhijin roared.
“Effort? Haha, with just us, no matter how hard we try, how can we compete with the Zhutian Alliance? Now we can only cower within the sect, not even daring to step outside,” one inner disciple sneered.
Another disciple added, “Brother Zhijin, if you want to report us to the elders, go ahead. We don’t care anymore!”
“You… you…” Zhijin trembled with anger.
In the past, when he scolded these disciples, they would at least pretend to comply. Now, they blatantly disregarded him.
Then, Zhijin let out a long sigh, “If only Senior Brother Lin Yun were still here.”
“Brother Zhijin, the dead cannot return. Dreaming such unrealistic dreams is meaningless now. Back then, the Sect Leader staked everything on Senior Brother Lin Yun, and now it seems that was a mistaken decision,” the drinking inner disciples said.
After all, the decline of the Heavenly Sword Sect was tied to Lin Yun. The sect had wagered its entire lifeline on him.
Over the years, some disciples naturally harboured resentment towards Lin Yun.
Moreover, Lin Yun was dead—a fact known to all. With no hope in sight, some disciples inevitably succumbed to despair and self-abandonment.
…
At the peak of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s rear mountain.
The Sect Leader stood there, gazing into the distance.
In recent years, aside from cultivating, the Sect Leader would come here to lose himself in thought.
As a Tribulation Realm cultivator, the Sect Leader, like most, was limited by a scarcity of Tribulation Pills, making it difficult to achieve rapid progress in a short time.
For the vast majority of Tribulation Realm cultivators, the lack of Tribulation Pills was the bottleneck to cultivation speed. Not everyone, like Lin Yun, had the backing of the Xingwu Emperor and access to top-tier resources.
“Sect Leader.”
A voice sounded from behind.
Then, the Grand Elder approached from the rear.
“It’s you, Grand Elder,” the Sect Leader glanced back before resuming his gaze into the distance.
“The morale of our inner disciples is deteriorating. Aside from a small group cultivating diligently, the rest are barely training,” the Grand Elder said.
“I understand their feelings. Let them be,” the Sect Leader replied.
“Sect Leader, how long do you think it will take for Lin Yun to return? Or rather, will he return at all?” The Grand Elder also looked into the distance.
They had long known that Lin Yun wasn’t dead, but they kept it a secret. Only the two of them in the entire Heavenly Sword Sect were aware.
“It’ll probably take a long time. After all, to reach a level capable of defeating the Zhutian Alliance requires immense strength, and that’s no easy feat,” the Sect Leader said.
Then, his tone shifted, his gaze resolute, “But I have faith in him. I believe he will return, sooner or later! I believe that when he does, the entire Xingwu Empire will tremble!”
Over the years, hadn’t the Sect Leader borne a heavy burden?
After all, it was his decision to spare no cost to protect Lin Yun!
This was also the cause of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s decline. Though many disciples didn’t voice it, they surely resented his decision in their hearts.
And all of this, he had to bear!
Whoosh!
At that moment, a disturbance appeared in the distant sky.
A flying vessel, approaching rapidly from afar, sped towards the Heavenly Sword Sect!
“Sect Leader, a flying vessel!” the Grand Elder exclaimed.
“Could it be the Zhutian Alliance? Have they finally decided to move against our Heavenly Sword Sect?”
The Sect Leader immediately snapped to attention, “Grand Elder, issue the order to prepare for battle!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The Grand Elder’s shout, like rolling thunder, instantly echoed throughout the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Whether drinking, cultivating, or otherwise occupied, everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed out to prepare for battle.
Those who remained in the Heavenly Sword Sect, regardless of their usual attitude, would still fight to the death to defend the sect when a great enemy arrived!
Buzz buzz buzz!
The Heavenly Sword Sect’s protective formation was activated at that moment, enveloping the entire sect.
The flying vessel soon arrived, halting in the air outside the formation.
Flying vessels looked largely similar, so they naturally didn’t recognise it as Lin Yun’s.
The Sect Leader stood at the mountain peak, shouting, “Who goes there! Show yourself at once!”
Under the Sect Leader’s watchful gaze, a young figure flew out from the vessel.
“To the Sect Leader, I, Lin Yun, disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, have returned to report!”
A resonant voice echoed through the entire Heavenly Sword Sect, striking awe into all who heard it!
