“Of course, but you need to pay first,” Lin Yun said with a smile, holding out his hand.
Without further hesitation, Emperor Xingwu handed over 200,000 Tribulation Pills to Lin Yun.
For Emperor Xingwu, capturing Lin Yun had undeniably been a costly mistake, losing both face and resources.
But at this point, his only thought was to get rid of Lin Yun as quickly as possible.
Receiving the 200,000 Tribulation Pills, Lin Yun was inwardly delighted—this was an enormous fortune!
“Senior Yan, we can leave!” Lin Yun said, smiling at Yan Hequn.
“Yes! Yes! Haha, I can finally leave!” The old man was visibly thrilled.
With that, Lin Yun and the old man followed Emperor Xingwu out.
…
Heavenly Sword Sect.
Inside the main hall.
The sect leader, the Wanderer, Du Yuanzi, Liang Yuan, Yang Wan, and Wei Qi were all seated together.
Since Lin Yun’s capture, they had been fraught with worry.
“The master of Xiaoyao Tower, Hong, sent word. He’s confirmed that Lin Yun was thrown into the Land of Exile by Emperor Xingwu,” the sect leader said, his face pale.
“What’s the Land of Exile?” Wei Qi asked, puzzled.
“According to Master Hong, it’s a place that makes life worse than death. They say no one thrown in there ever comes out alive. Master Hong said Lin Yun has been there for some time, but he only just learned of it,” the sect leader said gravely.
“What!?”
The news sent a shockwave through the room.
It was, without a doubt, devastating.
“Brother Lin Yun is strong in defence. Even in a harsh environment, I believe he won’t die so easily!” Liang Yuan said firmly.
Everyone present hoped for the same, but they couldn’t help but worry.
“We can only rely on Emperor Huoyun to save Lin Yun! Let’s hope he can rescue him,” the Wanderer said with anticipation.
“Right!” The others nodded.
They had no power to save Lin Yun themselves, so their only hope rested on Emperor Huoyun.
“Also, we need to guard against a counterattack from the Zhutian Alliance’s remnants. Though the Gu Family and the eleven prominent sects have been dealt with, many of their elites escaped after getting wind of it,” Du Yuanzi said.
The sect leader nodded, “Correct. The combined strength of the Gu Family and their allies is still considerable. Without Lin Yun here, once they regroup, they could pose a significant threat.”
At that moment, Liang Yuan suddenly shot to his feet.
“What’s wrong?”
Everyone turned to Liang Yuan.
“It’s Lin Yun!”
“Brother Lin Yun sent me a message! He wants us to meet him! The location is in the capital of the Xingwu Empire!” Liang Yuan said, overjoyed.
“Could it be that Emperor Huoyun has already saved Lin Yun?”
“If that’s true, that’s fantastic!”
The news filled everyone with joy and excitement.
It was truly uplifting!
“Could the message be wrong?” the Wanderer asked cautiously.
“No mistake—it’s definitely from Brother Lin Yun himself!” Liang Yuan said, beaming.
“Haha, that’s great! I knew that guy would be fine. If the demon beast mountain range couldn’t kill him, how could the Land of Exile?” the Wanderer laughed heartily.
“Let’s set out now!” The sect leader stood up immediately.
…
On the other side.
Xingwu City, Xiaoyao Tower.
Master Hong of Xiaoyao Tower stood atop the tower’s loft, gazing into the distance.
“Lin Yun’s chances in the Land of Exile are slim,” Master Hong said, his expression heavy.
The fact that Lin Yun had been thrown into the Land of Exile was highly confidential, and he had only recently learned of it.
In Master Hong’s view, Emperor Huoyun was Lin Yun’s only hope for salvation.
At that moment, a servant from Xiaoyao Tower hurriedly ran up.
“Master Hong, we just received word—Lin Yun has entered the city!” the servant said urgently.
Master Hong spun around, staring at the servant.
“How is that possible? Is the information reliable?” Master Hong asked, shocked.
In his mind, if Lin Yun had been saved by Emperor Huoyun, he wouldn’t reappear in Xingwu City, the heart of Emperor Xingwu’s territory.
“Master, the information is absolutely reliable. Many people saw him enter the city, accompanied by an unfamiliar old man!” the servant said.
“Was there anyone else?” Master Hong pressed.
“No,” the servant shook his head.
After leaving the Land of Exile, Emperor Xingwu had used his own swift travel method to return to the palace, while Lin Yun and Yan Hequn headed to Xingwu City, so only the two were seen.
“Keep investigating!” Master Hong ordered.
Lin Yun’s sudden appearance in Xingwu City baffled him.
But his safe return was, overall, great news!
“Yes!” The servant bowed and left.
…
Inside a mansion in Xingwu City.
The Gu Family had purchased a sprawling estate in Xingwu City, establishing it as the Zhutian Alliance’s headquarters.
Recently, they had gathered all the alliance’s remnants there.
The elites who had escaped from the eleven prominent sects were now assembled in the mansion, plotting a counterattack.
They also planned to rebuild their sects once the counterattack succeeded.
In the meeting hall.
All the Tribulation Realm cultivators of the Zhutian Alliance were gathered.
Including Gu Family Head, there were nine Tribulation Realm cultivators in total.
“Everyone, Lin Yun’s doom is certain. Without him, dealing with the Heavenly Sword Sect will be much easier. Though our families and sects were destroyed, if we crush the Heavenly Sword Sect and reclaim our resources, we can rebuild!” Gu Family Head said resolutely.
The others nodded, filled with anticipation.
“In addition to the nine of us, allies like Huijue and other Tribulation Realm cultivators are waiting in the mansion, ready to act with us,” Gu Family Head said excitedly.
“Gu Family Head, when do we move?” the Great Elder of the Soul Refining Sect asked.
“Yes, when do we act!” The others were equally eager.
“Today, I’m here to finalise the timing and plan with you all,” Gu Family Head said with a smile.
At that moment, Gu Dong from the Gu Family rushed in.
“Family Head, bad news!” Gu Dong said, his face fraught with panic.
“What’s got you so flustered?” Gu Family Head frowned.
“Family Head, Lin Yun… Lin Yun has entered the city!” Gu Dong said urgently.
The room erupted in shock!
