Chapter 640: Return to the Great Yan Empire
"Miss Lan Ying, would you guide us? We must head to the Great Yan Empire at once." Lin Langtian asked, turning to her.
"All right."
Lan Ying glanced back at the surviving members of the Immortal Kingdom's royal clan, then nodded.
"Don't worry. I'll have my people escort your clan to a safe place." Lin Langtian added, knowing what weighed on her mind.
"Then I must thank you." Lan Ying finally exhaled in relief, gratitude in her eyes.
With a light wave of Lin Langtian's hand, a Blackfiend Army captain strode forward and bowed. "Young Master Lin."
"Take two hundred Blackfiend soldiers and see them safely away from the front."
"Yes." the captain answered at once.
"Let's go, Miss Lan Ying." Lin Langtian said.
Mo Yun watched the captain, eyes full of quiet awe. She could feel that his strength had nearly reached the peak of minor Death Profound completion.
The soldiers behind him, these so‑called Blackfiend troops, all radiated frightening power—they were a true army of wolves and tigers.
"To think Little Friend Lin commands such a force already… With the Heavenly Palace as well, it seems Yuan Gate's dream of sweeping the Eastern Xuan Region clean is fading fast."
Mo Yun sighed inwardly, then felt a fierce surge of satisfaction.
Yuan Gate's war had plunged the region into chaos. At last, someone had come to settle the score—and Lin Langtian's return carried all the weight of a king reclaiming his land.
"Go."
Once his orders were given, Lin Langtian didn't linger. His Mental Energy enveloped Lan Ying, lifting her along as he flashed thousands of zhang forward in a blink.
Swish, swish!
Seeing him move, Jin Wu, Commander Jin Sha, and the rest followed immediately.
The Blackfiend Army soared into the sky as one, a black cloud of killing intent rolling in their wake.
Mo Yun watched them go, unable to hold back another sigh.
Such a terrifying formation… there was likely not a single super sect left in the Eastern Xuan Region that could match it.
And that was without counting the depths of the Heavenly Palace. She truly could not fathom how one so young had gathered such power around himself.
"Miss Lan Ying, can you tell me what the situation in the Eastern Xuan Region is now?"
Light flickered around them as they sped forward at full power. Lan Ying floated in the cradle of Lin Langtian's Mental Energy, able to keep up without effort.
"Of the eight former super sects, aside from Yuan Gate, only Dao Sect and the Nine Heavens Taixuan Palace remain. The others either surrendered to Yuan Gate or were wiped out."
She sighed softly, then added, "Even though the whole region is in turmoil, the Heavenly Palace still stands untouched. Even Yuan Gate seems at a loss there."
She shot Lin Langtian a curious look. Even she did not understand how he had built such a force from nothing.
Lin Langtian nodded. Yuan Gate's sudden surge in power was no surprise. They had traded their souls for Otherworldly Demon strength; that kind of boost came with a price.
As for the Heavenly Palace, he felt little concern. With Zhou Tong there, even Yuan Gate's three old monsters combined might not be enough—unless they were willing to pay dearly.
"You don't need to worry too much about the Great Yan Empire." Lan Ying went on. "When Yuan Gate first moved, the Heavenly Palace immediately dispatched people to aid the Lin clan. I heard even one of their only two Reincarnation experts, the Poison Sovereign, went personally."
"Oh? Senior Dugu stepped in?" Lin Langtian finally relaxed a little.
Dugu Qi was a long‑standing Reincarnation Stage powerhouse. Even with Yuan Gate's surge, as long as he stood guard, the Lin clan should be safe—for now.
Seeing his expression ease, Lan Ying continued, "And the Great Yan Empire is no small fry anymore. Its strength is on par with the other super empires now."
Lin Langtian blinked. When he'd left, the Great Yan Empire had been a minor, low‑tier kingdom. How had it risen so far, so fast?
"That's thanks to you and Lin Dong. For years, the Heavenly Palace and Dao Sect have been sending vast amounts of treasures and resources to the Great Yan Empire—most of it straight to the Lin clan.
"On top of that, Dao Sect, worried about Lin Dong's parents, stationed quite a few experts in the empire. That's the main reason they've managed to hold out this long." Lan Ying explained.
"How is Dao Sect holding up?" Lin Langtian asked.
"They're doing all right. Yuan Gate has attacked many times, but Dao Sect has held every time. They have a truly incredible figure now."
"Oh?" Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed, a thought flickering in his mind.
"Her name is Ying Huanhuan, the sect master's daughter. Her reputation shakes the entire Eastern Xuan Region.
"Once, Yuan Gate dispatched three Reincarnation experts to attack Dao Sect. All three were stopped by Ying Huanhuan alone. She took injuries, but those three were each left with crippling wounds."
Lan Ying's tone couldn't hide its admiration; her eyes shone with open reverence.
Clearly, Ying Huanhuan had all but become a legend in the Eastern Xuan Region.
"Truly worthy of the Ice Master…" Lin Langtian murmured.
Lan Ying did not hear his quiet words and continued, "Three super empires, all loyal to Yuan Gate, are besieging the Great Yan Empire. Old grudges gave them an excuse to move, but the real driving force is Yuan Gate.
"The Great Yan Empire's been stalemated with them for a long time, but once Yuan Gate's own experts joined the fray, they began to lose ground. Now they've been pushed back to the capital and are holding on there."
Lin Langtian nodded slowly, a deep killing intent smoldering in his gaze.
Seeing his face harden, Lan Ying fell silent. The group poured everything into speed.
In half a day, they had crossed countless borders. At last, the war‑scarred lands of the Great Yan Empire appeared on the horizon.
…
Within the Great Yan Empire's capital, a suffocating tension hung over the main hall.
The room was crowded, and upon the throne sat a tall, broad‑shouldered man—Mo Jingtian, Emperor of the Great Yan Empire.
He was harder now than he had been years before, his hair dusted with white and his brows furrowed deep with worry.
In the seats beside the royal family sat another group in identical robes. The gazes cast their way held thinly veiled envy.
They were the Lin clan.
The Lin clan was no longer what it once had been. Their strength now eclipsed that of the other three great clans—and even the royal family itself.
All because of two heaven‑favored monsters: Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
Everyone in the Great Yan Empire understood the truth. Officially, the Mo family ruled; in reality, the Lin clan's voice carried at least as much weight, if not more.
"Brother Lin Fan, with the enemy at our gates, do you have any countermeasures?"
Mo Jingtian turned to where two figures sat at the front of the Lin clan's ranks—Lin clan patriarch Lin Fan, and beside him, an elderly man in green robes, eyes closed in silence.
No one dared show this old man the slightest disrespect.
He was the Poison Sovereign, Dugu Qi.
As a Heavenly Palace elder, Dugu Qi had come only because of Lin Langtian. For that reason, the entire Lin clan—and the Great Yan Empire—treated him with the utmost reverence.
Without him, the capital would likely have fallen already.
Lin Fan sighed softly at Mo Jingtian's question and was about to respond when the low blare of a war horn rolled in from afar.
Everyone stiffened, rising to their feet at once.
"They're attacking again."
Upon the city walls, every soldier tensed as Mo Jingtian, Lin Fan, Dugu Qi, and the rest hurried up to look out over the battlefield.
Before them, an endless sea of black armor stretched to the horizon. The enemy's overwhelming momentum crashed against the walls like a physical weight.
"Haha! Mo Jingtian, if you still refuse to surrender, once your formation breaks today, your Great Yan Empire will drown in blood!"
High above the enemy army, a knot of figures hung in the air. At their front, a man laughed wildly.
"Hand over every last member of the Lin clan as well. This was never really your war—but your clan birthed Lin Langtian and Lin Dong, both on Yuan Gate's kill‑on‑sight list. You're the ones who insisted on courting death!"
"We of the Great Yan Empire do not fear death. If you want to fight, we'll drag you down with us!" Mo Jingtian roared back, face black with fury.
"Drag us down? You're not even worthy."
The enemy commander sneered, then flicked his sleeve. "You think that little formation Dao Sect gave you can hold forever? Our Yuan Gate experts are already here. Today, you'll die."
He bowed toward the rear lines. "Seniors, please break the formation."
Buzz…
At his call, a wave of terrifying Yuan Power erupted in the sky as over a hundred figures appeared.
Each of them radiated crushing strength. On their chests, a black‑and‑white emblem swirled like yin and yang—that was Yuan Gate's mark.
At their head were two old men in black robes, faces cold as stone, looking down at the city as if at insects.
"Zhao Kui and Li Gang… they're still alive?"
Dugu Qi's eyes narrowed at the sight of the pair.
Behind him, the Heavenly Palace disciples stirred in shock. Zhao Kui and Li Gang had once led an attack on the Heavenly Palace and been severely wounded by Grand Elder Zhou Tong. Yet here they were, fully recovered.
And for the sake of the Great Yan Empire alone, Yuan Gate had sent two Reincarnation‑level monsters.
"A pack of ants, and you're lucky enough to have the two of us sent to kill you."
The old men exchanged a glance. Zhao Kui smiled faintly and waved his sleeve. The world's Yuan Power churned, darkening the sky.
"Watch as this old man shatters your little toy."
His eyes flashed as he pointed a finger.
A thousand‑zhang‑tall Yuan Power finger condensed into being, a pillar reaching from earth to heaven, and fell toward the glowing barrier over the city.
Boom!
The entire city shook violently.
"Zhao Kui, you seek death!"
Dugu Qi snorted coldly and lunged forward, his finger stabbing out. Sickly green Yuan Power blossomed, forming a protective dome over the capital.
"Dugu Qi? So it is you. To think the mighty Poison Sovereign has been reduced to guarding a low‑tier empire. How far you've fallen.
"Still, once you die here today, it'll be easy enough to gather our forces and raze your Heavenly Palace."
Li Gang laughed icily and raised his hand. Boundless Yuan Power surged, forming a gigantic palm that swept down alongside Zhao Kui's finger.
Boom!
Facing the combined might of two Reincarnation experts, even Dugu Qi felt the strain. He grunted, face paling as he staggered back more than ten steps before steadying himself.
As he fell back, the great defensive array over the city could bear it no longer. With one final shudder, it shattered into drifting motes of light.
The last shield of the Great Yan capital was gone.
The massive finger and palm crashed through the fading fragments without losing momentum, plummeting toward the wall.
If they struck, no one would survive.
The people on the ramparts watched the looming destruction grow larger in their eyes, and despair filled their faces.
After all their struggles… were they to die here anyway?
Dugu Qi clenched his jaw and prepared to stake his life on one last gamble. But then his expression suddenly changed as he sensed something.
At the same moment, dozens of eyes across the capital snapped open.
The attack had not landed.
Countless confused gazes rose to the heavens—and then froze.
"That is…"
A lone figure in a green robe stood with his hands clasped behind him in the sky.
The colossal finger and palm hung barely a few zhang above his head—as if held in place by some invisible force, unable to descend.
Then they saw the youth raise one hand and flick a finger.
Pop.
With that light tap, the two sky‑piercing attacks that could have leveled half the capital simply… burst into motes of light.
The combined strike of a Reincarnation‑level powerhouse had been broken—just like that.
(END CHAPTER)
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