Chapter 3081: An Unexpected Turn |
On the journey back, Lin Xun’s Green Wood Dao Body safely escorted the woman in black and the other three to their destination, putting his mind at ease. With the strongholds of the Ye, Jue, and Yuan Clans already reduced to ruins, no one would be able to trace the culprit to him anytime soon.
Moreover, the opposing forces would never suspect the Origin Sect, the Spirit Sect, or Fangchun Mountain either. This meant that Lin Xun’s objective had already been achieved.
“Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to be so courteous. If our positions were reversed, we would have done the same,” the woman in black said hurriedly.
They knew full well that given Lin Xun’s power, silencing them would have been effortless. Despite that, he chose not to do so, and that alone dispelled any lingering doubts they might have had.
“Rest assured, everyone. Even if calamity strikes in the days ahead, I will not abandon any of you,” Lin Xun said with a faint smile.
The towering, mountain-like man finally asked, “Fellow Daoist Lin, may I be so bold as to ask what exactly have you done that calls for such caution and prudence?”
After a brief pause, Lin Xun decided not to conceal anything. He calmly told them how he had annihilated the strongholds of three Eternal Divine Clans, including the Ye Clan.
The moment the words left his mouth, the woman in black and the others froze, utterly stunned. They could never have imagined that, after nineteen years, once Lin Xun finally made a move, it would be with something so utterly earth-shattering! Only after a long while did they regain their composure. However, when they looked at Lin Xun again, their eyes were already filled with deep awe.
“Please, make yourselves at ease.” As Lin Xun spoke, he had already sat down cross-legged and begun sorting through the spoils of this battle. This time, he had suppressed three beings of the Lesser Boundless Realm, including Jue Wutian and Ye Feidu, as well as sixteen Creation Realm existences.
Soon, Lin Xun’s gaze fell upon a cluster of crystal-clear white orbs, each emitting faint ripples of power. Though only the size of a pigeon egg, the orbs had been forged from a staggering one hundred thousand pounds of Dao Fate Power!
These were none other than Dao Fate Orbs! Only by carrying such an orb could one safely enter the Sea of Fate. Moreover, the Dao Fate Power within one was a wondrous force of the great dao, capable of bringing immense benefit to even those of the Immeasurable Realm.
When Lin Xun held it in his hand, he immediately sensed a cool, pure and profound fluctuation of power. It was the aura of fate, mysterious and unfathomable. This power could be refined. However, to fathom the true mysteries of fate…that was another matter entirely.
After all, even an orb forged from a full one hundred pounds of Dao Fate Power held no more than the faintest trace of the profound mysteries of the Dao of Fate. Even if one managed to comprehend it, the gain would be negligible.
“That’s only natural,” Lin Xun murmured thoughtfully. “If the laws of fate were so easy to comprehend, those old monsters scattered throughout the core zone would have mastered them long ago…”
Even so, Dao Fate Orbs remained incomparably rare treasures. It could be refined to greatly strengthen one’s cultivation. In addition, with this treasure in hand, one could even storm the Sea of Fate and contend for the chance to reach the All-Wonder Dominion.
Especially to cultivators in the outer periphery zones, Dao Fate Orbs were nothing short of dream treasures. Just like now, the women in black and the others could not conceal the burning desire in their gazes
“These four Dao Fate Orbs are my gift to you.” Lin Xun casually took out four Dao Fate Orbs and sent them drifting forward through the air.
The four of them trembled visibly, their faces lighting up with undisguised joy. “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lin!”
Lin Xun not only refrained from silencing them but also gifted them a treasure as precious as the Dao Fate Orb. It was far beyond anything they had dared to imagine.
Lin Xun simply smiled and said no more. He sat down cross-legged and entered quiet meditation. At this point, it was best for him not to make another move. Otherwise, his identity might be exposed.
However, he was in no hurry. As long as nothing unexpected happened on Lotus Leaf Sacred Mountain, he had the patience to remain in this underground cavern and slowly wear the enemies down!
“Next…it’s time to consider breaking through to the Immeasurable Realm.” Lin Xun pondered as he continued his cultivation.
He had now reached the pinnacle of the Creation Realm, standing just one step away from the Immeasurable Realm. The Immeasurable Realm stood for supreme freedom, absolute ease, and boundless existence. It was not only the final summit of the Eternal Path, but also the ultimate realm of the dao for all beings beneath the heavens. From ancient times to the present, even across countless epochal civilizations, only a rare few had ever stepped into such a realm.
Ordinarily, to step into this realm, one had to survive the Great Silence Unlife Calamity before the arrival of the epochal calamity! However, how could such a calamity be easy to overcome?
Looking at the world today…once news spread that the Great Silence Unlife Calamity was approaching, the Eternal figures of the Four Great Ancestral Courts, the twelve Eternal Divine Clans, and other mighty factions almost all sprang into action, converging upon the Sea of Fate within the Kunlun Dominion.
Why? Simply to evade the looming threat of the Great Silence Unlife Calamity and to seize a slim chance at reaching the All-Wonder Dominion. Even those at the Immeasurable Realm were no exception.
The more times one survived the Great Silence Unlife Calamity, the more terrifying each subsequent encounter became. This was precisely why, throughout all of history, so few had ever managed to prove the dao and attain the Immeasurable Realm.
The Great Silence Unlife Calamity was simply too taboo…too terrifying. To face it was often to brush against death itself. However, Lin Xun was different.
Within the river of time of the Fortune Dominion, he had already endured a special trial, the Nine Ultimate Dao Tribulations. In one decisive leap, he proved the dao and ascended to the Creation Realm, while at the same time laying the foundation to transcend even the epochal calamity itself!
Of note, it was common knowledge that the Great Silence Unlife Calamity was born from the epochal calamity. Once Lin Xun possessed the foundation to transcend the epochal calamity, it meant that the Great Silence Unlife Calamity could no longer stand in the way of his advance.
Moreover, the Nine Ultimate Dao Tribulations born from the river of time was itself the most terrifying calamity accumulated across countless epochs, aimed directly at Eternal existences. After overcoming it, Lin Xun’s dao body, spirit, cultivation, dao, state of mind, and every aspect of his power underwent a rebirth-like transformation.
Under such circumstances, the conventional paths others relied upon to reach the Immeasurable Realm were no longer applicable to him.
Furthermore, back when he had only just stepped into the initial Creation Realm, he already faced a rare Great Silence Unlife Calamity. Not only did he capture and slay the Heavenly Mandate Apostle who used that calamity, but he also borrowed the power of the Precious River Map to repel the might of the Alpha Origin Bell in a single stroke!
In short, Lin Xun had long since broken free of the Great Silence Unlife Calamity’s constraints on the path to the Immeasurable Realm!
It was also worth noting that in this Spirit Martial World, the Great Silence Unlife Calamity could never descend. As a result, those at the Creation Realm were destined to have no chance of proving the dao and stepping into the Immeasurable Realm.
Of course, none of this could hinder Lin Xun in the slightest. Right now, all he needed for his breakthrough was to wait for the right opportunity.
Of note, this opportunity did not lie in the outside world, but lay within himself. It might come as a sudden inspiration, a flash of enlightenment, or a natural breakthrough in his own cultivation, like the moment when a cup, once full, inevitably overflows.
That moment had yet to arrive. However, Lin Xun was in no hurry, nor did he intend to force the matter. All he needed to do was quietly refine his own dao path, sort through every experience, weigh every gain and loss, and reflect again and again. For only when accumulation reached its absolute limit could true transformation finally erupt.
Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed. That day, as Lin Xun sat in meditation, his heart suddenly stirred. His eyes snapped open. Outside the canyon…Buzz!
A dark-blue bronze lamp hovered in the air, its flame flickering as ripples of deep blue fire spread outward. The next instant, the rings of blue flame began to tremble violently, releasing a sharp, resonant hum. Seeing this, Wen Zai and the others were instantly overjoyed.
He’s here!
For three full days, they had scoured nearly the entire core and periphery zones. Never had they imagined that their enemy would be hiding in a canyon only a few thousand miles from Lotus Leaf Sacred Mountain!
“The most dangerous place is sometimes the safest,” Wen Zai said coldly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “It seems our enemy this time is truly bold.”
With a flick of his sleeve, the dark blue bronze lamp flew back into his hand. This treasure, known as the Spirit Sealing Lantern, was a wondrous artifact capable of sensing every restriction and fluctuation in the world.
Earlier, after finding nothing, they had planned to return to Lotus Leaf Sacred Mountain to report to Xinying and Xingtian Yuan. Who would have thought that just as they passed through this canyon, the Spirit Sealing Lantern would suddenly begin to hum? Now they were certain. The one who had destroyed the Ye, Jue, and Yuan Clans was hiding beneath this canyon!
“Seal off the area. Retreat and take your positions,” Wen Zai commanded calmly. “No matter what happens later, do not panic.”
At once, the five Lesser Boundless Realm experts and twenty Creation Realm powerhouses sprang into action, dispersing to surround the canyon and form a tight encirclement. Wen Zai remained suspended in mid-air above the canyon, drawing in a deep breath.
Clang!
A dao sword flashed forth, like a streak of blinding light that seemed to cleave heaven and earth apart. In the next instant, the sword descended from the heavens and plunged into the earth.
Boom!
The entire canyon collapsed with a deafening roar. Rocks shattered into dust as smoke and debris billowed skyward. The ground burst open like crushed tofu, revealing a vast, bottomless chasm. Then, a violent impact thundered from the depths below. Countless dazzling waves of restriction energy erupted upward like a volcanic explosion.
In an instant, a raging torrent of restriction power surged through the void, sweeping outward like a hurricane. The cultivators stationed nearby staggered back, shock written across their faces.
What terrifying restriction power!
Bang!
Before anyone could react, the dao sword Wen Zai had unleashed was violently hurled out of the chasm, blasting back as if struck by an invisible hammer. At that moment, even Wen Zai was visibly shaken.
Even wielding the power of the Greater Boundless Realm, and even with an Eternal dao sword in hand, he still failed to break through the underground restrictions!