Lin Yun continued, “I must say, your Junior Sister is far more lively and playful with that guy than she is with you.”
“You…” The white-robed man’s face darkened.
“If you still don’t believe me after all this, you can spend the resources to find an artifact that can replay past events and check for yourself. It’s absolutely true,” Lin Yun said.
Hearing this, the white-robed man’s resolve began to waver.
The details Lin Yun provided were so precise that he couldn’t help but doubt.
Could his Junior Sister have truly betrayed him?
The thought left him reeling, as if the world had dimmed.
He loved his Junior Sister deeply.
This time, he had come to help her seize the Mysterious Heaven Fruit without expecting anything in return.
“Thirty thousand years of devotion… has she really betrayed me?” The white-robed man halted, standing frozen in the air, no longer pursuing Lin Yun.
Lin Yun seized the chance to escape at full speed.
By sharing this information, Lin Yun had done him a favour. Otherwise, the white-robed man might have been deceived forever, used as a pawn by Fifth Sister.
After fleeing at top speed for a few minutes, Lin Yun glanced back and released his divine sense to check. No pursuers remained.
“Phew, I’ve finally escaped,” Lin Yun exhaled in relief.
He then pulled out the Mysterious Heaven Fruit.
“Heh, got it,” Lin Yun grinned, looking at the fruit in his hand, his heart brimming with satisfaction.
With this, his breakthrough to the Saint realm might come much sooner.
His first treasure-hunting adventure in the Ancestral Land was a complete success.
Of course, Lin Yun’s success relied heavily on his own abilities.
Take the moment he seized the fruit: the other figure who emerged from hiding had to stop and counter the concentrated attacks from both groups.
Lin Yun, however, dared to withstand those attacks with his body, charging forward to pluck the fruit.
Without his formidable defensive strength, would he have dared to do that?
Without it, he would have had to stop and defend, losing the chance to grab the fruit first, allowing the two groups to reach the tree and take it.
Even during his escape, Lin Yun’s ability to endure the pursuers’ attacks stemmed from his own prowess.
Though it seemed like luck, his strength was the primary factor. Without it, he couldn’t have secured the fruit.
Reflecting on it, Old Black’s decision to avoid the competition was wise.
Lacking Lin Yun’s terrifying defensive capabilities, Old Black, as a Dominion realm cultivator, could have been killed by a single round of concentrated attacks.
“Time to head back,” Lin Yun said, stowing the fruit and heading towards the Heavenly Fire Temple.
Though this outing had sparked doubts about the temple, as a deathsworn, Lin Yun had to return.
Defying or betraying them would cost him his life.
As for what the white-robed man would do to Fifth Sister, Lin Yun had no idea.
It wasn’t his concern. He had only shared the truth with the white-robed man. How it was handled was up to him.
But Lin Yun could guess that Fifth Sister’s fate wouldn’t be pleasant.
She should have known, when she chose to toy with someone’s emotions, the consequences of exposure.
As for the man involved with her, Lin Yun figured he’d face trouble too, but that was irrelevant to him.
The injuries Lin Yun sustained were minor.
Upon returning to the Heavenly Fire Temple, Lin Yun immediately reported his safe return to Old Black.
In the Cold Fiend Army camp, inside Lin Yun’s room.
“Captain Lin Yun, did you really get it?” Old Black asked, incredulous.
“Of course. The process was perilous, but the result was good,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“Captain Lin Yun, I must admire you. You’re truly impressive,” Old Black said, giving a thumbs-up.
His admiration was genuine. He and Lin Yun were both at the Dominion realm, but Old Black wouldn’t dare compete for the Mysterious Heaven Fruit. He wouldn’t even entertain the thought.
Yet Lin Yun had dared to take the risk, acted on it, and succeeded.
Old Black sighed, “Lin Yun, I can foresee that, as long as you don’t fall midway, you’ll achieve great things in the Ancestral Land.”
“Old Black, don’t flatter me like that. The Ancestral Land is teeming with powerhouses, and the future holds many uncertainties. As you’ve said, countless experts fall here daily. I can’t guarantee I’ll survive in the Ancestral Land forever,” Lin Yun said, shaking his head with a smile.
As he had mentioned before, in the Ancestral Land, Lin Yun had no background or support, only himself to rely on. Thus, he had to take risks and fight desperately.
Even with caution, he couldn’t guarantee survival every time.
But this wouldn’t deter him from taking risks. If he feared death, he’d never rise in the Ancestral Land. That was certain.
“By the way, Captain Lin Yun, registration for the Heavenly Fire Trial starts tomorrow. I checked, and this time, the trial begins in five hundred years,” Old Black said.
“Five hundred years? That should be enough,” Lin Yun murmured.
With the Mysterious Heaven Fruit and his own foundation, Lin Yun was confident he could reach the Saint realm within five hundred years without issue.
“Are you planning to register, Captain?” Old Black asked.
“If I don’t place in the top three this time, can I register for the next one?” Lin Yun inquired.
“Yes, according to the rules, anyone who hasn’t undergone the Heavenly Fire infusion can register,” Old Black replied.
“Good,” Lin Yun nodded.
He could register for this one and, if he didn’t reach the Saint realm or secure a top-three spot in five hundred years, he could try again next time.
The next morning, the Heavenly Fire Temple announced that registration for the Heavenly Fire Trial had officially begun, lasting seven days.
At the Earth Plaza of the Heavenly Fire Temple, the registration point for the trial was set up.
By ten o’clock, members of the temple preparing for this trial began arriving at the plaza, lining up to register.
