On the way back, Lin Yun was also pondering his next steps, wondering how he should proceed.
As a Death Servant, he could say he had no path left to take, only subject to the whims and control of the Heavenly Fire Temple.
Lin Yun was also contemplating whether there was any way to break free from the soul contract.
At least with Lin Yun’s current understanding, it seemed utterly impossible.
This was what made Lin Yun feel the most powerless.
Today’s battle with Shu Zhen made Lin Yun feel he was still not strong enough, still very small and powerless.
Yet, even if he became stronger, the Death Servant contract would still bind him tightly.
Lin Yun had always had a question: with so many people in the ancestral land, and no shortage of talent, why did the Heavenly Fire Temple go to the trouble of recruiting talent from other star realms?
Now Lin Yun understood. The Heavenly Fire Temple had a poor reputation in the ancestral land, making it far from easy to recruit quality talent there.
After all, true talent would surely have many options, with numerous forces vying for them. Who would willingly join the Heavenly Fire Temple?
Thus, the Heavenly Fire Temple needed to recruit quality talent from other star realms.
After the three teams had been travelling for a while, a large group of people suddenly appeared ahead, charging towards them at great speed!
“You Heavenly Fire Temple have some nerve, daring to cause trouble in the Great Marsh Domain!”
A sharp rebuke thundered through the air like rolling thunder.
An elderly man with white hair, leading tens of thousands of people, appeared in everyone’s line of sight.
The aura of power emanating from the white-haired elder was immensely strong, reaching the Void Realm!
The next moment, the white-haired elder unfurled a scroll, and the surrounding space was instantly enveloped by a massive formation, trapping everyone inside.
“Damn it! Trouble’s here!”
“The enemy has a Void Realm powerhouse!”
The three commanders’ faces changed drastically.
“Commander, what do we do?” The Death Servants fell into a panic.
“We can’t fight head-on. Everyone, break the formation with all your strength!” Guang Tiancheng roared.
“Yes!”
Everyone unleashed their attacks, targeting the surrounding entrapment formation.
Under the full force of three thousand Death Servants, the formation shattered in mere moments.
But the Void Realm elder had already led his army charging towards them.
“Die!”
With a wave of the Void Realm elder’s hand, a terrifying beam of light surged forward with devastating force.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Death Servants perished under this beam.
Those Saint Realm Death Servants had no chance of resisting the attack of a Void Realm powerhouse.
Even the three commanders, at the Triple Heaven-Piercing Realm, were equally powerless against the Void Realm.
“Don’t engage. Flee in all directions!” Guang Tiancheng bellowed.
All the Death Servants immediately scattered, escaping in every direction.
Lin Yun also quickly unleashed his full strength to flee, soon separating from the main group.
A few Saint Realm pursuers chased after Lin Yun, but with his full speed, he quickly shook them off.
After escaping some distance, he looked back and confirmed there were no pursuers behind him.
“I wonder how Commander Guang and the others are doing,” Lin Yun murmured.
In that situation, everyone had to flee in different directions to have a chance of escape. Lin Yun naturally had no idea what had happened to the others.
Lin Yun made up his mind to leave the Great Marsh Domain first and return to the Northern Flame Domain.
He knew that returning to the Heavenly Fire Temple might result in severe punishment, perhaps even death.
But he couldn’t not return, because of the Death Servant contract. If he didn’t go back, the Heavenly Fire Temple could torment him through the contract or even kill him outright.
If he didn’t return now, the punishment would likely be even harsher.
Immediately, Lin Yun pushed his speed to the limit, leaving the Great Marsh Domain as fast as possible.
After escaping the Great Marsh Domain and returning to the Northern Flame Domain, Lin Yun headed straight for the Heavenly Fire Temple.
…
Half a month later, at the Heavenly Fire Temple.
Lin Yun successfully returned to the Heavenly Fire Temple.
Upon his return, he immediately went to the Cold Fiend Army camp to see if Guang Tiancheng and the others had made it back, and whether they had escaped successfully.
As soon as Lin Yun arrived at the Cold Fiend Army camp, he saw Guang Tiancheng outside, personally greeting the returning members of the Cold Fiend Army.
“Commander Guang,” Lin Yun immediately approached him.
“Lin Yun, I knew a guy like you couldn’t possibly die,” Guang Tiancheng said.
“Commander Guang, how many of the Cold Fiend Army have returned?” Lin Yun asked.
“About half of the Cold Fiend Army has returned so far. Some are still trickling back. The group that intercepted us in the Great Marsh Domain was led by a Void Realm powerhouse, but they didn’t have many Heaven-Piercing Realm fighters. Plus, we fled in different directions, so quite a few of us escaped. Still, the losses were significant,” Guang Tiancheng said.
Based on Guang Tiancheng’s words, Lin Yun estimated the Cold Fiend Army’s losses were around a third, which was no small number.
Guang Tiancheng shook his head. “No choice. We’re all Death Servants. To put it bluntly, we’re the Heavenly Fire Temple’s dogs. We have no choice. If the Heavenly Fire Temple tells us to go die, we have to grit our teeth and do it.”
“Indeed, our fates are not our own to control,” Lin Yun sighed helplessly.
The feeling of having his fate controlled by others was what pained Lin Yun the most.
Guang Tiancheng suddenly leaned closer to Lin Yun and lowered his voice. “Lin Yun, did you know that during the ambush in the Great Marsh Domain, that Void Realm powerhouse was chasing me? By all accounts, I should be dead!”
“What?” Lin Yun was shocked.
Lin Yun understood what it meant to be chased by a Void Realm powerhouse!
If Guang Tiancheng was right, he should indeed be dead, yet here he was, alive.
“Just as the Void Realm powerhouse caught up and was about to kill me, that friend you saved at Thunderbolt Manor arrived. He pleaded with the Void Realm powerhouse on my behalf, as a survivor of Thunderbolt Manor, and I survived. It seems the group ambushing us was there to rescue Thunderbolt Manor, and your friend must hold a significant position there,” Guang Tiancheng said.
“It was like that?” Lin Yun was stunned.
Guang Tiancheng sighed with a smile. “So, sometimes it’s hard to say whether something is a blessing or a curse. If I hadn’t helped you at Thunderbolt Manor, I wouldn’t have earned your friend’s plea, and I’d be dead now.”
Just as Guang Tiancheng finished speaking, two Heavenly Fire Guards walked in from outside.
“Commander Lin Yun, we are under orders from the Elder to bring you along. Commander Guang, you need to come too,” the two Heavenly Fire Guards said.
“Looks like trouble’s found us,” Guang Tiancheng sighed.
“Commander Guang, I’ve dragged you into this,” Lin Yun said guiltily.
“What’s done is done. There’s no point saying that. Besides, as I just said, if I hadn’t helped you at Thunderbolt Manor, I’d be dead already. Lin Yun, let’s go,” Guang Tiancheng said.
Lin Yun and Guang Tiancheng followed the two Heavenly Fire Guards out of the camp.
If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse. If it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided. This trial was bound to come sooner or later.
