Facing these congratulatory gifts, Lin Yun didn’t refuse.
After all, declining at such a time would be akin to disrespecting others.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Thank you all.”
While accepting the gifts, Lin Yun smiled and expressed his gratitude to each one.
Commander Guang approached.
“Commander Guang,” Lin Yun clasped his fists.
“Since the star of the show has arrived, let’s take our seats,” Commander Guang said with a smile, patting Lin Yun’s shoulder.
Guang Tiancheng and Lin Yun sat at the head of the banquet, side by side.
“Lin Yun, I’ve also prepared a small gift to celebrate your advancement in realm and position. This contains five million Haoyue Crystals. Don’t think it’s too little,” Guang Tiancheng said, placing a storage ring in front of Lin Yun.
“So much? Commander Guang, how can I accept this!” Lin Yun quickly declined.
Even for Guang Tiancheng, a Heavenly Realm cultivator, five million Haoyue Crystals was no small sum.
“What, you accept gifts from others but not mine?” Guang Tiancheng feigned seriousness.
Lin Yun gave a wry smile, “Commander Guang, that’s not what I meant. Since it’s your kind gesture, I’ll accept it.”
“Haha, that’s more like it.”
Commander Guang laughed heartily, then raised his cup, “Come, let’s all raise our glasses to congratulate Deputy Commander Lin Yun on his promotion.”
After three rounds of drinks, the conversation began to flow.
Everyone was curious about how Lin Yun had reached the Heavenly Realm so quickly.
For instance, A Yu had been at the Heavenly Saint Realm for a long time, stuck at this major bottleneck, unable to break through to the Heavenly Realm.
Lin Yun was candid, explaining that he had relied on demon hunting to reach the Heavenly Saint Realm, and with Elder Li securing a Saint Underworld Fruit for him, he used it to gain insights, enabling his swift breakthrough to the Heavenly Realm.
Hearing this, Guang Tiancheng couldn’t help but sigh, “No wonder you reached the Heavenly Realm so quickly. With the Saint Underworld Fruit aiding your comprehension, it’s a resource we Heavenly Fire Generals can’t even dream of touching. Yet you obtained one. It’s truly enviable.”
“It’s mainly because Lin Yun’s outstanding performance caught Elder Li’s attention. Lin Yun, having an elder’s support is like having a backer. It will make things much smoother for you in the Heavenly Fire Temple and help you avoid a lot of trouble. Anyone thinking of scheming against you will have to think twice,” Lieutenant A Yu said.
…
The banquet continued late into the night before dispersing.
Back at his residence, Lin Yun took stock of the gifts he had received.
Each lieutenant had given fifty thousand Haoyue Crystals, totaling seven million.
With Commander Guang’s five million, the total came to twelve million Haoyue Crystals.
Adding the eight million Haoyue Crystals from his Heavenly Fire General promotion reward, Lin Yun now had over seventy million Haoyue Crystals.
He was still short by more than twenty million Haoyue Crystals.
“I’ll need to head out tomorrow,” Lin Yun decided.
The next day, after reporting that he was going out for training, Lin Yun left the Heavenly Fire Temple and headed for Tao’an City.
…
Meanwhile, at Heavenly Fire General Shu Zhen’s residence, one of Shu Zhen’s subordinates reported, “Commander Shu, Lin Yun has left the Heavenly Fire Temple, heading toward Tao’an City.”
“He’s finally gone!” Shu Zhen stood abruptly, a cold glint rising in his eyes.
Ever since Lin Yun killed his brother, Shu Zhen had been eager for revenge but lacked the opportunity.
Yesterday, he even heard that Lin Yun had been promoted to Heavenly Fire General, meaning he had reached the Heavenly Realm. This made his desire for revenge even more urgent.
Lin Yun’s growth was too fast!
He needed to act quickly; the longer he delayed, the more uneasy he felt.
“Commander Shu, are you planning to take action yourself?” his subordinate asked.
“Even though he’s left the Heavenly Fire Temple, it’s still inconvenient for me to act against him,” Shu Zhen shook his head.
If he acted personally and the Heavenly Fire Temple found out, he would face significant trouble.
Shu Zhen’s gaze sharpened as he continued, “I know a Second Heavenly Realm friend near Tao’an City who owes me a favour. I’ll ask him to deal with Lin Yun. That way, I can avoid suspicion!”
“Commander Shu, when this guy was in the Heavenly Saint Realm, he defeated Bi Chaoqun, a First Heavenly Realm cultivator. Can a Second Heavenly Realm cultivator reliably kill him?” his subordinate asked skeptically.
“Hmph, what kind of victory was that? Lin Yun went all out and barely managed to knock Bi Chaoqun off the platform. The platform was small to begin with. In a real fight, he couldn’t have truly defeated Bi Chaoqun. Besides, Bi Chaoqun had only recently entered the Heavenly Realm and was among the weaker First Heavenly Realm cultivators,” Shu Zhen sneered.
He continued, “Even if Lin Yun has now reached the Heavenly Realm, my Second Heavenly Realm friend is formidable, a standout in his realm.”
“I see,” his subordinate nodded in understanding.
“I’ll write a letter now. Deliver it personally to my friend!” Shu Zhen instructed.
“And tell my friend that this Lin Yun possesses a true saint weapon! If he kills this kid, the true saint weapon will be his. That alone will motivate him to do everything in his power to eliminate Lin Yun,” Shu Zhen said, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
“Commander, that’s a brilliant move! With this, even without offering any reward, your friend will go all out to kill Lin Yun, and we won’t need to worry about it,” his subordinate praised.
The allure of a true saint weapon was undeniable.
Even if the target wasn’t Shu Zhen’s friend, spreading news of Lin Yun’s true saint weapon to any Heavenly Realm cultivator would prompt them to do whatever it took to kill him.
In truth, Shu Zhen coveted Lin Yun’s true saint weapon himself. As a Third Heavenly Realm cultivator who had been in the Heavenly Realm for tens of thousands of years, he still didn’t own a true saint weapon.
But acting against Lin Yun himself risked too much trouble. As a death warrior, Lin Yun was a valuable resource of the Heavenly Fire Temple, and killing one’s own death warrior was a grave taboo under the temple’s strict rules.
Shu Zhen immediately took out pen and paper, wrote a letter, and handed it to his trusted subordinate.
“Go quickly. Make sure to emphasize that Lin Yun possesses a true saint weapon!”
“Also, exaggerate Lin Yun’s strength and his ability to fight above his level. That way, my friend will likely seek additional help, increasing the chances of killing Lin Yun!” Shu Zhen said as he handed over the letter.
“Yes, sir,” the subordinate took the letter and hurriedly left.
