The next day.
The sky was still dim, dawn yet to break.
In the plaza of the lord’s palace.
Everyone had gathered—not only Lin Yun’s family and friends but also his personal guard.
Huo Zhen, Yang Wan, Liang Yuan, Wei Qi, Old Man Yan, the Wanderer, Du Yuanzi, Yu Ying, Kexin, the Palace Master, Su Yan, Jiang Jingwen, Zhao Ling, Qin Shi, White Shark, and Lone Wolf…
The Wanderer and Du Yuanzi approached Lin Yun together. “Lin Yun, we won’t be going to the divine capital. After leaving the city, we plan to return to the Xingwu Empire. Contact us anytime you need us.”
Their roots were in the Xingwu Empire. Lin Yun had only invited Du Yuanzi to help build the teleportation array, and the Wanderer had come along.
Du Yuanzi added, “Lin Yun, once I repair the Metal Bear, I’ll send it to you.”
“Good. Master, Senior Du Yuanzi, thank you for all your help,” Lin Yun said, clasping his fists.
“Lin Yun, you’ve helped us plenty too. These years here, you’ve greatly boosted our strength,” Du Yuanzi said.
Their cultivation realms had always been modest, as they focused on divine sense and arrays. But with Lin Yun, he had generously provided resources for comprehending profound truths and even lent them the Coffin of Truths for a significant time.
At that moment, the steward led a group of servants and maids to Lin Yun.
“My lord!”
The steward and the group knelt before Lin Yun.
“My lord, we can’t bear to see you go,” the steward said, tears in his eyes.
“Yes, my lord, please don’t leave! We can’t bear it!” The maids and servants, eyes red, many wiping tears.
Before Lin Yun came to Dongyuan Prefecture, these servants had no rights, treated as slaves or worse, with beatings and deaths commonplace.
But after Lin Yun became prefecture lord, he granted them human rights, no longer treating them as slaves.
They couldn’t bear to see him go.
“Everyone, this… isn’t my decision,” Lin Yun said with a helpless, bitter smile.
Then, he waved his hand, producing a storage ring and handing it to the old steward. “Steward, here are thirty thousand spirit crystals. Share them with everyone as my final gift. Thank you for your service these years.”
“Thank you… thank you, my lord,” the steward choked, accepting the crystals.
Lin Yun glanced back at the lord’s palace, then waved his hand. “Let’s move out.”
With that, Lin Yun led the way, and everyone followed closely behind.
At the lord’s palace gate.
Creak, creak, creak.
The gate slowly opened, and Lin Yun led the group out.
As Lin Yun stepped outside, he froze.
On both sides of the gate, countless people lined the streets, stretching far beyond sight!
It was barely dawn, a time when the city streets were usually empty.
Lin Yun scanned the crowd. At the gate stood members of the city’s prominent families, followed by ordinary citizens.
“Patriarch Zhu, what’s this?” Lin Yun asked, looking at Patriarch Zhu at the forefront.
Lin Yun had always had a good relationship with the Zhu family. When he first arrived in the Huoyun Empire from the Xingwu Empire, he had stayed with them. As prefecture lord, he had looked after the Zhu family, helping them thrive in Dongyuan Prefecture these past years.
“Lord Prefecture Master, we… we’re here to see you off!” Patriarch Zhu said, his voice choked with emotion.
“Patriarch Zhu, did you organize the citizens behind you?” Lin Yun asked.
“No, they all came on their own when they heard you were leaving today,” Patriarch Zhu replied.
Young Master Zhu Xu stepped forward.
“Brother Lin Yun, your poison… is there really no way to cure it?” Zhu Xu asked, visibly heartbroken.
He knew Lin Yun had been destined for greatness.
“No way,” Lin Yun said, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
Then, Lin Yun looked out at the crowd. “Thank you all for your kindness.”
“Lord Prefecture Master, please don’t leave! Dongyuan Prefecture needs you!”
The citizens on the street knelt, crying out to Lin Yun.
Their cries echoed across half the sky!
Lin Yun had pacified the demonic beasts in Dongyuan Prefecture, transforming it from a place of rampant disorder to one of the safest in the Huoyun Empire, allowing citizens to live in peace without constant fear.
He had also eradicated the Dongguo faction’s oppression, freeing the people from their exploitation.
In the hearts of Dongyuan’s citizens, Lin Yun held an irreplaceable place!
“Lin Yun has… such immense prestige here?” Palace Master Yun Shang and the others were stunned, their eyes gleaming with awe.
Only now did they grasp the extent of Lin Yun’s influence on the Cultivation Continent!
They couldn’t help but marvel at how remarkable it was for Lin Yun, who had dominated on Earth, to achieve such heights on the vast Cultivation Continent.
“Everyone, please rise. I, Lin Yun, don’t deserve such a gesture,” Lin Yun said to the crowd.
But no one stood.
“Lord Prefecture Master, if you can’t stay, let us see you off!” a citizen shouted from the crowd.
“Yes, we’ll see you off!” everyone echoed.
Lin Yun felt a mix of sorrow and deep gratitude.
“Big Brother, what… what do we do?” Poison Fang asked.
“Let’s go,” Lin Yun said, looking ahead.
He stepped forward onto the street, his group following closely.
As he walked, Lin Yun saw citizens kneeling on both sides, bidding him farewell.
“Lord Lin Yun!”
Wherever he passed, the citizens’ shouts and tears filled the air.
This farewell stretched from the lord’s palace to the city gate!
The entire city was empty, every street deserted, as everyone had gathered to see Lin Yun off.
…
Meanwhile.
In a city inn.
“Lord Shi, the citizens of the city have gone to see Lin Yun off. The procession stretches from the lord’s palace to the city gate,” a subordinate reported to Shi Wen.
“What? To the city gate? It seems that bastard has quite the prestige in Dongyuan Prefecture,” Shi Wen said, his eyes narrowing.
“Lord Shi, with his high prestige and the people’s love, it may hinder your ability to establish authority when you take office,” the subordinate said.
