“General!”
The hundred or so people saluted Guang Tiancheng upon seeing him.
“This is the new lieutenant, named Lin Yun, at the third level of the dominion realm. From now on, he will be in charge of your fifth battalion,” Guang Tiancheng announced to the group.
“Dominion realm?”
A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Guang Tiancheng ignored the chatter and turned to Lin Yun. “Your room is the one in the middle. If you have any questions, ask your subordinates. I have matters to attend to, so I’ll leave now.”
With that, Guang Tiancheng turned and left.
After his departure, Lin Yun surveyed the group before him.
Guang Tiancheng had mentioned that those under his command were all death servants, so Lin Yun knew these people must be death servants of the Heavenly Fire Temple.
Most of them were likely native to the ancestral land, unlike Lin Yun, who came from another star realm.
“Can any of you show me around the Heavenly Fire Temple?” Lin Yun asked the group.
“Lieutenant, how did you, at the dominion realm, become a lieutenant?” a Heavenly Fire Captain in golden armour stepped forward to ask.
This captain was also at the dominion realm, yet he was only a captain, while Lin Yun, at the same realm, was a lieutenant.
Lin Yun could sense the man’s displeasure.
Strength was king, and the ancestral land was no different.
When someone of the same realm held a higher position, most people would find it hard to accept.
“I earned the title of Heavenly Fire Lieutenant through my strength. Care to spar?” Lin Yun said with a smile.
“You’re the lieutenant. How could I dare?” the Heavenly Fire Captain replied, pursing his lips.
“It’s just a friendly spar, consensual and stopping short of harm. I don’t see any issue with that, do you?” Lin Yun maintained his smile.
Lin Yun knew, as the newcomer, his subordinates likely doubted his strength. He needed to establish his authority now.
Though he wasn’t sure of the strength level of dominion realm cultivators in the ancestral land, Lin Yun had some confidence in himself within the same realm.
“Captain Chang Liang, since the new lieutenant insists, don’t hold back!”
“Yeah, Chang Liang, let the lieutenant test your strength!”
The surrounding Heavenly Fire Guards and Captains egged him on, clearly eager to see Lin Yun’s true capabilities.
“Lieutenant, I’ll take you on then!” the captain named Chang Liang stepped forward.
As someone of the same realm, he was already displeased that Lin Yun was his superior. If he could gain the upper hand in this spar, he believed Lin Yun would lose face to continue leading them.
“You’re Chang Liang, right? Make your move,” Lin Yun said, looking at him.
“Lieutenant, here I come!”
Chang Liang raised his fist, his inner energy surging as he launched a punch toward Lin Yun.
Whoosh!
His fist glowed with light, cutting through the air with formidable power!
Lin Yun swiftly raised his right arm, his own surging energy erupting as he met the attack with a punch.
His arm instantly became covered in dragon scales, unleashing a tremendous force!
The Dragon Emperor Bone activated, and the power of the Indestructible Divine Body exploded!
Boom!
Their fists collided, sending a powerful shockwave rippling outward!
The terrifying force from Lin Yun’s fist poured out like a raging storm, sending the Heavenly Fire Captain flying backward.
The Heavenly Fire Guards behind him quickly caught Chang Liang.
“Impressive!”
“Both at the dominion realm, yet he sent Captain Chang Liang reeling with one punch!”
The watching Heavenly Fire Guards and Captains gasped in astonishment.
Though it was just a simple clash of fists, not revealing much, it was enough to show a clear difference.
After steadying himself, Chang Liang spoke.
“Lieutenant, your strength is indeed remarkable,” he said, clasping his fists, his eyes showing a mix of shock and respect. He knew better than anyone how fierce Lin Yun’s punch had been, leaving him stunned.
“You’re too kind,” Lin Yun replied with a slight smile.
From that brief exchange, Lin Yun realised the space in the ancestral land was indeed incredibly stable.
On the cultivation continent, that punch would have torn space apart.
Here, the space didn’t even distort.
“Lieutenant Lin Yun!”
As Lin Yun was about to speak again, a voice called from the camp’s entrance.
Turning, he saw Old Black standing there.
“Alright, you all disperse for now,” Lin Yun said, waving to the group before heading toward the entrance.
At the camp’s gate, Lin Yun greeted Old Black with a smile. “Old Black, what brings you here?”
“Lieutenant Lin, I heard you were taken by the Cold Fiend Army’s general, so I came to find you. You’re probably not familiar with the Heavenly Fire Temple yet, right? Let me show you around,” Old Black said warmly.
“I was just looking for someone to help me get acquainted with the temple. Your timing’s perfect,” Lin Yun said with a laugh.
Having arrived alone in the ancestral land with no connections, Old Black was the only person Lin Yun knew.
It seemed best to let Old Black guide him.
“No problem, follow me!” Old Black agreed heartily, leading Lin Yun to explore the Heavenly Fire Temple.
The Heavenly Fire Temple was situated across a mountain range, spanning multiple peaks like a colossal red dragon coiled atop the mountains, its end invisible to the naked eye.
As they walked, Lin Yun not only familiarised himself with the temple but also asked Old Black many questions, such as about the ancestral land’s structure.
Through Old Black, Lin Yun learned just how complex the ancestral land’s layout was.
The ancestral land’s territory was vast, so expansive that even Old Black didn’t know its full scope, and it was home to numerous races.
The human race occupied only a portion of the land, though it was the most prosperous and geographically advantageous area.
The human territory was divided into nine domains.
The Heavenly Fire Temple was located in the Northern Flame Domain, where Lin Yun now stood.
The Northern Flame Domain’s total area was equivalent to twenty-odd Xingwu Empires, with a population reaching tens of trillions.
Lin Yun couldn’t help but marvel at this. Just one domain was so vast?
With nine domains in the human territory alone, how staggering would the total population be?
And what about the regions beyond the nine domains?
Old Black continued, explaining that because the ancestral land’s air contained Hao qi, the strength of its cultivators far surpassed those on the cultivation continent. People born here could easily progress in their cultivation, advancing through early realms quickly without needing many resources.
Moreover, the ancestral land’s abundant resources, coupled with its long history, provided more experience and methods for cultivation, making it easier to break through bottlenecks.
