“No problem, Senior Du Yuanzi, whatever resources you need to set up the formation, just ask Huo Zhen. I’ll instruct him to gather them,” Lin Yun said.
Du Yuanzi nodded, “A stable teleportation array requires a lot of resources. I have some, but others will indeed need to be collected.”
“In any case, I’ll trouble Senior Du Yuanzi with this. Tonight, I’ll host a banquet to entertain you and Master,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Lin Yun, no need to be so courteous. Thanks to you, both Wanderer and I have made new progress in our cultivation. I’m happy to help you out,” Du Yuanzi said with a laugh.
“By the way, Senior Du Yuanzi, Master, I should spend a few days with you both, but I can only host the banquet tonight. Tomorrow, I have to go out. Emperor Huoyun has tasked me with something,” Lin Yun said, looking at Du Yuanzi and Wanderer.
After all, Lin Yun was set to depart for the Tianqian Empire to explore the spiritual treasury tomorrow.
“No worries. You’re young, you should be out adventuring. I understand, Master. Just do what you need to. You don’t have to worry about us; we’re not children,” Wanderer said with a laugh.
To Wanderer, Lin Yun was undoubtedly his proudest disciple.
…
In the evening, Lin Yun held a banquet at the mansion, inviting Huo Zhen, Liang Yuan, and Yang Wan to join. Wei Qi was in seclusion, so he wasn’t called.
During the banquet, Lin Yun also asked Huo Zhe and Liang Yuan to help gather and purchase the resources Du Yuanzi needed for the formation.
Huo Zhen and Liang Yuan readily agreed, assuring Lin Yun not to worry.
Lin Yun also informed them he’d be away for a short while, leaving Dongyuan Prefecture in their hands.
With the demon clans in Dongyuan Prefecture subdued, Lin Yun could leave without worrying about trouble at home.
The banquet lasted until late into the night.
The next day, Du Yuanzi began preparing for the formation, listing the required items and handing the list to Huo Zhen. Lin Yun provided an item he brought from Earth to Du Yuanzi to use as a connection for the formation.
At noon, Lin Yun bid farewell to Du Yuanzi and Wanderer, then left Dongyuan Prefecture, taking a teleportation array to the Divine Capital.
In the entire Huoyun Empire, only the teleportation point outside the Divine Capital had arrays leading to the other three empires.
Lin Yun used the teleportation point outside the Divine Capital to travel directly to the Tianqian Empire.
Of course, before departing, Lin Yun altered his appearance to conceal his identity, as he was heading to a completely unfamiliar empire.
The teleportation point outside the Tianqian Empire’s capital was bustling with people coming and going.
Such a large teleportation point had multiple arrays, guarded by imperial soldiers, with countless cultivators passing through daily.
Lin Yun appeared here.
“So this is the Tianqian Empire?”
Lin Yun gazed into the distance, where, about ten miles away, stood the massive capital of the Tianqian Empire.
Though it was Lin Yun’s first time in the Tianqian Empire, he had significant ties to it.
The enemy of Ancestor Xuyun resided in the Tianqian Empire, and Yuying’s Tianqiong Clan was also here.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Yun immediately took to the air, transforming into a streak of light and leaving the teleportation point.
After flying some distance, Lin Yun summoned his flying vessel and took out the map given by Emperor Huoyun, following its directions.
Lin Yun was naturally very excited about this spiritual treasury exploration.
Throughout his journey, many of Lin Yun’s advancements and gains came from various trials and explorations.
Moreover, this spiritual treasury was significant enough to catch Emperor Huoyun’s attention, so it was bound to be extraordinary.
The location marked on the map was in a relatively remote area of the Tianqian Empire. After eleven days of travel from the Tianqian Empire’s teleportation point, Lin Yun’s flying vessel entered a vast, boundless desert.
“The spiritual treasury is in this desert. But the scenery here is all the same—sand everywhere. A slight misstep, and I could lose my way,” Lin Yun said, standing atop the flying vessel, overlooking the desert below.
Undoubtedly, this desert was a no-man’s land, devoid of human habitation.
Not long after entering the desert, a massive tornado whipped up, reducing visibility to an extremely low level.
The power of this tornado was terrifying, far surpassing any on Earth.
The tornado’s sweep caused the flying vessel to sway and shake, forcing Lin Yun to lower its altitude and slow its speed.
“This desert is peculiar. Ordinary tornadoes shouldn’t have such power. Also, the air here seems to contain barren energy, though its concentration is far less than in the Land of Exile.”
Barren energy, fully known as ‘energy of desolation,’ typically existed in extreme and desolate environments. The harsher the environment, the higher the concentration of barren energy.
After flying in this harsh environment for half a day, Lin Yun felt uncertain.
Though he had a map, the endless golden desert stretched before him, and he wasn’t sure if he was on the right path.
“Hm? There’s movement behind!”
Lin Yun turned and saw a flying vessel rapidly approaching from behind.
“Who’s in that vessel? Could they also be after the spiritual treasury?” Lin Yun wondered.
Since Lin Yun had slowed his vessel, the other vessel soon overtook his.
As it passed, Lin Yun, standing on the deck, glanced over. The other vessel’s deck held at least a dozen people, none of whom he recognised.
As he looked at them, they all turned their gazes toward him.
Their eyes met.
Soon, the other vessel surpassed Lin Yun’s and vanished into the distance ahead.
“It seems this spiritual treasury has indeed caught the attention of other forces,” Lin Yun mused.
It made sense—Emperor Huoyun had obtained intelligence about it, so major factions within the Tianqian Empire likely had as well.
Lin Yun had hoped to explore the treasury quietly, but that plan seemed unlikely now.
If the treasury was of high enough calibre, it would attract powerful forces, possibly even the Tianqian Empire’s royal family. That was entirely possible.
If so, the competition for the treasury would be no small challenge.
“If that vessel is also heading for the spiritual treasury, I could follow them from a distance to avoid getting lost,” Lin Yun said with a grin.
With that, Lin Yun accelerated his vessel, following the direction of the other vessel.
For safety, Lin Yun kept a considerable distance from the vessel ahead.
