"Congratulations, Emperor." From a distance, the Heavenly God King offered his congratulations.
"I need to go out for a while. In the meantime, I'll leave the management of the Divine Court to you," Lin San said, his thoughts flickering as he stored the pill he had just refined into his spatial ring.
With a wave of his right hand, the fully restored Tower of Trials flew towards the Heavenly God King.
"This is..." The Heavenly God King instinctively caught the tower.
"From now on, it's yours," Lin San said before swiftly taking off.
Whoosh — Like a beam of light, he disappeared into the distance.
"Emperor..." The Heavenly God King was momentarily stunned as he watched him depart.
Where could he be going?
Thump, thump — Lin San's heart raced. He hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time.
After taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he continued flying towards the distant horizon.
"What is he planning to do?" Ye Fan wondered curiously.
However, Ye Fan didn't say anything further, simply following Lin San as they sped through the sky.
Time passed quickly, and soon Ye Fan noticed a massive circular spatial rift ahead, crackling with powerful lightning energy. Any ordinary creature that ventured close would be gravely injured.
"A passage to the mortal realm?" Ye Fan's eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
"I'm returning," Lin San said, charging directly into the passage.
The powerful lightning energy lashed out at Lin San's body, but to him, it was nothing more than a minor nuisance. Without pause, he passed through the portal, descending into the mortal realm.
"It's been a long time since I returned to the mortal world," Lin San murmured. He glanced at Ye Fan's sword. "Sword spirit, it's been a long time for you too, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, it's been quite a while," Ye Fan replied.
Now that Lin San knew that the sword had a spirit, he was no longer surprised by Ye Fan's ability to speak.
"I have one last thing to do, and after that, I'll withdraw from the world's conflicts," Lin San said. "Sword spirit, is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Me?" Ye Fan was momentarily taken aback.
After a brief pause, he sighed, "I'd like to return to Earth."
"Earth?" Lin San blinked, not understanding.
"Never mind, you wouldn't know," Ye Fan replied dismissively.
In the next moment, Lin San's figure flickered, and he appeared in mid-air above a mountain peak.
Boom, boom — Thunderous sounds echoed from below.
"What's happening here?" Lin San frowned.
Looking closely, he saw a large group of martial artists below, continuously striking at an energy barrier surrounding the mountain.
"Hurry, I heard there's an ancient ruin within this mountain!" one martial artist shouted.
Upon hearing this, the others intensified their attacks on the barrier.
Crack, crack — The energy barrier before the mountain began to crack.
"We're almost there!" one of the martial artists exclaimed.
But at that very moment, a golden light flashed, and the barrier that had been about to shatter suddenly stabilized. The cracks repaired themselves instantly.
"What…?" The martial artists were dumbfounded. After all their efforts, the barrier was restored in an instant.
"Impossible!" one of the leaders roared in disbelief. "Who's doing this? Show yourself!"
"Boss... look... over there..." One of the martial artists stammered, his voice trembling.
As they looked up, they saw a figure slowly descending from the sky.
It was Lin San.
Though he hadn't released any oppressive aura, the martial artists instinctively felt a sense of fear.
"Who are you?!" the leader of the group shouted, gripping his weapon tightly.
"You've managed to find this place, even in such a remote mountain range," Lin San said calmly.
"The ancient ruins belong to whoever finds them!" the leader responded, his voice filled with nervousness.
He mistakenly assumed that Lin San had come to compete for the ruins. Judging by Lin San's demeanor, he wasn't an ordinary martial artist.
"I have connections with the emperor of the empire! Don't think you can take this ruin from me!" the leader continued.
"Leave," Lin San said, sweeping his gaze across the group.
"Who do you think you're telling to leave? I'm warning you, this ruin is mine! I will open it, no matter what!" the leader shouted defiantly.
Whoosh — In an instant, an invisible force grabbed him by the body, lifting him into the air.
The martial artist's eyes widened in horror.
"Goodbye," Lin San said coldly.
With a slight squeeze of his hand, the man's body was crushed into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.
"Leave," Lin San said, his gaze falling on the rest of the stunned martial artists.
Terrified, they scrambled to flee, knowing they stood no chance against such power.
To Lin San, these people were like ants—too insignificant to even warrant his attention.
Besides, Lin San was in a relatively good mood today.
Stretching out his right hand, he placed it on the energy barrier.
The entire barrier dissolved instantly.
Lin San walked straight into the mountain.
Inside, there was a massive cave at the base of the peak, blocked by another thick energy shield.
With just a thought, the barrier disappeared, allowing Lin San to continue deeper into the cave.
What is Lin San planning to do? Ye Fan wondered, intrigued.
As they ventured deeper into the pitch-black cave, a faint light appeared in the distance.
It was a crystal coffin.
Inside the cave, a chilling cold permeated the air. The crystal coffin emitted a purple glow, and inside the coffin lay a person.
A woman.
"I'm back," Lin San whispered.