Thinking about how Prince Yi had driven him out, Lin Yun felt a surge of anger.
When they fought the metal puppet in the palace, Lin Yun had given his all without holding back. Yet, after their success, Prince Yi went back on his word.
But in a world where the strong prey on the weak, Lin Yun was powerless. Prince Yi was strong, with a powerful background, and he called the shots.
“Back to the palace? Master, Prince Yi isn’t letting anyone in. What do we do? Plus, he’s probably already explored it. Any opportunities or treasures are likely taken by him,” Xiao Bai said.
“Let’s go take a look first,” Lin Yun said, gazing towards the palace’s direction.
Lin Yun was clearly unwilling to give up.
Even if Prince Yi had already explored it, Lin Yun wanted to see for himself.
With that, Lin Yun sped up, rushing towards the palace.
…
Elsewhere.
After escaping, Elder Mu of the Baili Clan was seething.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
The thought of the Baili Clan’s team, except for him, being completely wiped out filled his eyes with boundless rage.
The losses this time were undeniably catastrophic!
Elder Mu knew that, given Lin Yun’s displayed strength, he had no hope of revenge on his own.
“You little bastard, I won’t let you get away with this!” Elder Mu’s pupils twitched with malice.
…
At the palace.
After a swift journey, Lin Yun arrived.
“Hm? The Tianqian Royal Clan’s team seems to have left.”
Lin Yun looked at the palace entrance, now empty with no guards.
It made sense. Nearly a day had passed, and Prince Yi had likely finished exploring.
“Master, there’s probably no one inside. You go in, and I’ll guard the entrance,” Xiao Bai said.
“Alright.”
Lin Yun nodded and strode towards the palace gates.
After passing through a corridor, he reached the main hall.
The hall was still deserted.
Lin Yun quickly approached the massive stone pillar.
The pillar appeared to be a load-bearing column, easily overlooked.
But the reaction from *Withered Silence* told Lin Yun it was far more than just a pillar.
“It looks like this pillar hasn’t been touched,” Lin Yun observed, circling it and finding no signs of tampering.
Perhaps Prince Yi hadn’t noticed the pillar, dismissing it as ordinary.
This sparked some joy in Lin Yun’s heart. If true, the real treasure might still be undiscovered.
Yet, Lin Yun couldn’t see anything special about it.
He reached out, placing his palm on the pillar.
No reaction.
“Let’s try infusing inner energy.”
Lin Yun channeled his inner energy through his arm into the pillar, hoping to activate it.
Still no response.
He tried several other methods, but none yielded results.
Staring at the pillar, Lin Yun mused, “If this pillar is special, how do I activate it? Or is it really just an ordinary load-bearing column? That can’t be right.”
Though Lin Yun sensed the pillar’s significance, he couldn’t figure it out.
It was like having strength but nowhere to apply it.
What now?
“Wait, try running *Withered Silence*!”
Lin Yun’s eyes lit up. He activated *Withered Silence* while keeping a hand on the pillar.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Instantly, the pillar flickered with light.
“It’s reacting!” Lin Yun was both shocked and delighted.
The next moment, a gap slowly appeared in the middle of the pillar.
Lin Yun peered inside, spotting a box about thirty centimeters long!
“Haha, there’s something!”
Lin Yun pulled the box out and opened it with excitement.
Inside was a palm-sized token, engraved with incomprehensible runes.
Lin Yun carefully took it out.
The token was heavy, barely manageable with one hand.
As soon as Lin Yun removed it, the box closed automatically, and the gap in the pillar sealed, restoring the pillar to its ordinary appearance.
“What’s this token for?” Lin Yun examined it.
With no instructions, just this token, Lin Yun was puzzled.
He’d hoped for a supreme treasure, but this token didn’t seem like one.
This left him stumped.
“Let’s try refining it!” Lin Yun decided.
He began imprinting his mark on the token, as if refining a magical artifact.
Boom!
The token suddenly emitted a terrifying fluctuation, surging through Lin Yun’s palm into his body.
“Damn it!”
Lin Yun’s face changed. This unknown fluctuation rushed into him with overwhelming force, heading straight for his sea of consciousness.
The sea of consciousness was the core of a person’s mind!
If it was breached, the fluctuation could erase Lin Yun’s consciousness, turning him into a mindless husk or puppet!
Panicked, Lin Yun urgently mobilized his divine sense to suppress the fluctuation.
His sea of consciousness couldn’t be breached.
But to his horror, his divine sense collapsed instantly upon touching the fluctuation!
He couldn’t suppress or resist it at all.
His divine sense was Holy Spirit-level First-Tier, yet it was powerless.
Cold sweat dripped down Lin Yun’s back, his heart gripped by dread.
His life was completely out of his control.
The feeling of his fate being in another’s hands was something Lin Yun could never accept. He always wanted to control his own destiny!
The terrifying fluctuation surged upward, unstoppable, entering Lin Yun’s sea of consciousness and probing within.
Lin Yun felt his memories being scanned, as if he were fully exposed, every detail laid bare, with no privacy left.
“Damn it! What’s going on!” Lin Yun’s forehead was drenched in sweat.
Facing this, he was utterly powerless, which terrified him most.
If this fluctuation erupted in his sea of consciousness, he’d be as good as dead!
Moments later, the fluctuation suddenly dissipated.
The next instant, the token in Lin Yun’s hand glowed, and he faintly felt a connection with it.
The token had been successfully refined!
“What… I refined it just like that?” Lin Yun was bewildered.
He hadn’t done anything, yet the token was refined?
“Hm?”
Through the token, Lin Yun suddenly sensed it guiding him towards a direction!
