Leaving the Divine Palace, Lin Yun arrived at Heavenly Mountain.
The barrier of the Dark Demon Clan was not far from here, and Lin Yun planned to check it first.
With his current Transcendent Realm speed, he quickly reached the barrier.
Above the small island.
Lin Yun hovered, gazing at the barrier ahead.
The massive barrier shimmered faintly, with visible cracks on its surface.
From a distance, it seemed unremarkable.
But upon closer inspection, one could see the cracks slowly expanding at an extremely gradual pace.
If these cracks grew large enough, and the Dark Demon Clan launched an attack on the barrier, it would shatter quickly.
If left unchecked, it might take a thousand years.
But since Lin Yun had returned, he was determined to resolve it this time.
“Who’s there!”
A booming shout rang out, and a figure shot up from the island below.
It was Vice Palace Master Yao!
“Lin… Lin Yun?”
Upon seeing Lin Yun, Vice Palace Master Yao was utterly stunned.
“Vice Palace Master Yao,” Lin Yun greeted with a smile.
Lin Yun held a favorable impression of Vice Palace Master Yao, who had helped him considerably in the past.
“Am I seeing things? Is it… really you, Lin Yun?” Vice Palace Master Yao rubbed his eyes, hardly believing it.
In his view, going to the Ancestral Land meant almost never returning.
He never imagined he would see Lin Yun again in person!
“Vice Palace Master Yao, it’s really me. I just returned from the Ancestral Land,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
Yao stood frozen for two seconds, then burst into hearty laughter. “Haha, I never thought you’d actually come back!”
“Vice Palace Master Yao, who is the current Palace Master of the Heavenly God Palace, and who’s in charge?” Lin Yun asked.
“After Palace Master Mo left, I took over as Palace Master,” Yao said with a grin.
He quickly asked, “By the way, Lin Yun, what realm are you at now? Have you reached the Saint Realm?”
After all, when Lin Yun left, he hadn’t yet reached the Saint Realm, which Yao knew was a significant bottleneck.
“Vice Palace Master Yao, I am now in the Transcendent Realm,” Lin Yun replied with a smile.
“Transcendent Realm? What’s that?” Yao asked, confused.
“It’s one major realm above the Saint Realm,” Lin Yun explained with a smile.
“You’ve only been gone a few hundred years, and you’ve broken through two major realms? This… this…” Yao was utterly shocked.
On the Cultivation Continent, even advancing one minor level in the Dominion Realm could take an immense amount of time.
“There are more opportunities there. I was lucky, and with the resources from the Temple of Heavenly Fire, I advanced relatively quickly,” Lin Yun explained with a smile.
“I knew you’d achieve great things there,” Yao said, laughing and praising him repeatedly.
“Vice Palace Master Yao, I returned this time to deal with the Dark Demon Clan issue. Notify all the Immortals to gather at the Heavenly God Palace tomorrow,” Lin Yun said.
“Good! Good! Lin Yun, I knew you’d care about our safety. Honestly, if you hadn’t returned, once the barrier breaks, our continent would face another catastrophe. We currently lack anyone capable of turning the tide. The only strong force we can rely on is the Dragon Emperor,” Yao said with a sigh.
Yao was well aware of the enormous cost of opening the passage between the Ancestral Land and the Cultivation Continent, especially for someone of Lin Yun’s Transcendent Realm strength.
For Lin Yun to return at such a cost for the continent’s safety, how could Yao not be moved?
“Indeed, if I hadn’t returned, the Cultivation Continent would likely face another catastrophe,” Lin Yun sighed.
This puzzled Lin Yun somewhat.
In his view, since Mo Bai had reached the Saint Realm, he should have stayed on the Cultivation Continent to guard against the Dark Demon Clan. After all, Mo Bai, as a Saint Realm expert, was qualified to be the one to turn the tide.
Mo Bai could have gone to the Ancestral Land after the Dark Demon Clan issue was resolved.
Lin Yun found Mo Bai’s haste to go to the Ancestral Land perplexing. If Lin Yun hadn’t fared so well in the Ancestral Land and couldn’t gather the resources to return, what would have happened to the Cultivation Continent?
Of course, Mo Bai might have had his own reasons.
“By the way, Lin Yun, didn’t Palace Master Mo return?” Yao asked.
“Returning once is very costly. I alone am enough to handle the issue, so there’s no need for him to come back as well,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
During the few days of waiting, Lin Yun had visited Mo Bai and told him about his plan to return to the Cultivation Continent.
Mo Bai was shocked that Lin Yun had gathered so many resources.
Of course, Mo Bai supported Lin Yun’s return to resolve the issue.
“Alright, Vice Palace Master Yao, we’ll meet at the Heavenly God Palace tomorrow. Today, I’m going home first,” Lin Yun said.
“Good! Good!” Yao replied eagerly.
After bidding farewell to Yao, Lin Yun transformed into a streak of light and vanished.
…
Fire Cloud Empire, within the Imperial Palace.
“Outrageous! This Heavenly Qian Emperor is simply too much. Does he really think our Fire Cloud Empire dares not wage war against him?” the Fire Cloud Emperor roared.
Below him stood the Immortals of the Fire Cloud Empire.
“Master, why are you so furious?”
A familiar voice came from outside the hall.
“Hm?”
The Fire Cloud Emperor was startled upon hearing it.
Wasn’t that Lin Yun’s voice?
But Lin Yun had gone to the Ancestral Land. Could he have misheard?
The Immortals present also heard the voice.
They all turned to look at the entrance of the hall.
A figure slowly walked in from outside.
Upon closer inspection.
It was indeed Lin Yun.
“Disciple?!”
The Fire Cloud Emperor shot to his feet, staring at Lin Yun in disbelief.
“Lord Lin Yun?”
The Immortals present were equally shocked, their gazes filled with astonishment.
“Master, no need to doubt. It’s really me. I’ve returned from the Ancestral Land,” Lin Yun said with a smile, walking into the hall.
“Haha, my disciple, you’ve actually returned!”
Confirming he wasn’t mistaken, the Fire Cloud Emperor laughed heartily and rushed down from the throne.
The hall erupted in commotion, with the Immortals marveling at Lin Yun’s appearance.
The Fire Cloud Emperor reached Lin Yun in an instant.
“Disciple, it’s really you! I never thought I’d see you again on the Cultivation Continent!” The Fire Cloud Emperor was first excited, then his voice choked with emotion.
“Master, I’m so happy to see you again,” Lin Yun said, his face beaming with a smile, his eyes slightly red with emotion.
