After leaving the Rule House.
In the Divine Palace hall.
As Lin Yun emerged from the Rule House, the Black Mist Man appeared out of thin air.
“How did it go, Lin Yun? Have you reached the Dominion Realm?” the Black Mist Man asked.
“The Dominion Realm is a major boundary to cross. It’s not that easy,” Lin Yun said with a wry smile.
“That’s true. Keep meditating then. Reaching the Dominion Realm is crucial for you,” the Black Mist Man replied.
“I have some matters to attend to outside. I’ll return later,” Lin Yun said.
After chatting with the Black Mist Man, Lin Yun left the Divine Palace and headed to the Tianji Mountains.
“I’ll go see Palace Master Mo first.”
After some thought, Lin Yun flew directly toward the small island where Mo Bai was located, as it wasn’t far.
Soon, Lin Yun landed on the island.
Mo Bai was sitting at a stone table outside the courtyard, playing chess alone.
“Palace Master Mo.”
Lin Yun approached and bowed.
Mo Bai set down his chess piece, turned to Lin Yun, and smiled. “Lin Yun, you’ve finally come out. The time you spent in there far exceeded my expectations.”
When Lin Yun first entered, Mo Bai and Elder Rong Zhen had waited outside, thinking he’d be out soon.
“Palace Master, I didn’t expect it either,” Lin Yun smiled.
“Regardless, your performance has greatly surpassed my expectations. No need to be so formal with me. After all, we’re both Heavenly Fire Elders now,” Mo Bai said.
“You’re still my senior, Palace Master,” Lin Yun chuckled.
“You stayed in there a long time. During that period, many of our race’s Tribulation Realm cultivators attempted breakthroughs, resulting in two new immortals. One of them is your acquaintance, Huo Zhen,” Mo Bai said.
“Oh? Huo Zhen broke through to immortality?” Lin Yun’s eyes lit up.
That was certainly good news.
“By the way, Lin Yun, why did you stop cultivating? You couldn’t have reached the Dominion Realm so quickly, could you? If you did, us old folks would truly feel ashamed,” Mo Bai said with a laugh.
“Of course not. Senior Song Lin asked me to join him at the Human Emperor’s Ruins, so I came out,” Lin Yun explained.
“Good. Go then,” Mo Bai nodded.
After bidding farewell to Mo Bai, Lin Yun left.
On his way back, Lin Yun immediately contacted Huo Zhen via his communication wristband, asking him to meet at Tiansheng Palace if he had time.
…
Tiansheng Palace.
When Lin Yun arrived outside Tian City, Huo Zhen was already waiting at the gate.
“Big Brother!” Huo Zhen waved excitedly upon seeing Lin Yun.
Lin Yun quickened his pace, striding forward to meet him.
“Huo Zhen, not bad! You actually broke through to immortality,” Lin Yun said, playfully punching Huo Zhen’s chest.
“Heh, I didn’t let you down, Big Brother,” Huo Zhen grinned.
Then, his tone shifted, and he sighed. “But breaking through to immortality is no easy feat. In the first year after the war with the demons began, just in the Fire Cloud Empire, a ton of Tribulation Realm cultivators attempted to break through to immortality. Yet, I was the only one who succeeded.”
“Indeed, achieving immortality is tough,” Lin Yun sighed.
“Let’s walk and talk, Huo Zhen,” Lin Yun said.
“Alright,” Huo Zhen nodded.
The two headed into Tian City.
“What’s happened in the years I’ve been away?” Lin Yun asked.
“Big Brother, I’ve been an immortal for four years now. After reaching immortality, I stepped down as the governor of Dongyuan Prefecture. Now, the entire Dongyuan Prefecture has fallen to the demons and is under their control,” Huo Zhen said.
“Didn’t the two immortals from the Dongguo family guard Dongyuan Prefecture? How did it fall?” Lin Yun frowned.
“They were stationed there, mainly to oversee the battle and prevent Heavenly Demons from intervening. When no Heavenly Demons fought, they couldn’t either. It’s a strict order,” Huo Zhen explained.
Lin Yun understood this.
The human race was reluctant to escalate the conflict, lacking confidence and unwilling to risk their fate, so they delayed as long as possible.
Lin Yun had also instructed Deputy Palace Master Yao that the Dragon Clan would need over a decade to provide aid, hoping to stall until then.
Thus, if the demons didn’t deploy Heavenly Demons, the humans wouldn’t send immortals.
As for why the demons hadn’t used their Heavenly Demons, Lin Yun wasn’t sure.
He speculated that their current goal was territorial expansion. Since human immortals weren’t fighting, demon warriors could advance without needing Heavenly Demons.
“But, Big Brother…” Huo Zhen hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Yun pressed.
“Yang Wan and Senior Yan… they both died in battle,” Huo Zhen said, lowering his head.
“What?!” Lin Yun’s face changed drastically.
“When did this happen? What happened?!” Lin Yun demanded.
“It was early in the war, not long after you visited us in Dongyuan Prefecture,” Huo Zhen said.
He continued, “When the war started, imperial reinforcements hadn’t fully arrived, and those that did went to the front lines. The demon army was vast and strong. A large demon force broke through the main battlefield, heading straight for Dongyuan Prefecture’s heartland. Some counties and cities hadn’t finished evacuating. If the demons attacked those cities, countless lives would’ve been lost. Someone had to intercept them.”
“I wanted to lead a city guard unit to stop them, but Yang Wan and Senior Yan insisted on going instead. They said they were already in the Tribulation Realm, with little time left, and as the strongest below immortals, they should go.”
“They didn’t take a single city guard, saying manpower was scarce and the guards should stay in Dongyuan Prefecture. So, just the two of them faced an army of demons.”
“With their Tribulation Realm strength, they held a canyon for two days and one night, killing countless demon beasts. The canyon ran red with blood and collapsed entirely. They… they exhausted their energy and, with mounting injuries, fell in battle.”
By the end, Huo Zhen’s eyes were red, his voice choked with emotion.
