Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 532 - 526 Demon Sect Nine

Chapter 532: Chapter 526 Demon Sect Nine

But what stunned Yu Kai the most was that everyone around, including some Yuan Jing Cultivators, had instantly come to a complete halt. None could make the slightest movement; all persons were stuck in their prior actions, motionless.

Only Lin Xin, himself, and Yin Pengzi, the three True Monarchs, could move.

"Is this the Primitive Demon Realm he has condensed?" Yu Kai felt the released Soul Domain carefully, but found it to be only slightly stronger than his own.

"It looks like he has transformed," he realized in his mind. "If it were a true Primitive Demon Domain, it wouldn’t have these characteristics."

Lin Xin stood before the door, stepping past a young man with one foot raised in midair, poised to step down.

Upon entering the room, numerous people inside were all frozen in place, only the elder patriarch on the sickbed, his breath faint as gossamer, kept breathing shallowly.

"Father."

Lin Xin walked up to the old patriarch, gently squatting down, and reached out to caress Lin Zhiwen’s forehead, aged and wrinkled like tree bark.

"Son... son... I... can’t see... you and Ying’er... together... anymore..."

The old patriarch Lin Zhiwen spoke in broken whispers, his voice low.

Lin Xin remained silent.

Over the years, there had been little progress between him and An Ying. The initial throbbing and emotions had faded over time, becoming more and more distant.

Neither he nor An Ying clung to the past anymore.

He often roamed various places with An Ying in his transformed state, but the pure affection of the beginning was no longer there.

More and more complicated entanglements began to mix between the two of them.

It seemed as if the old patriarch was rallying for a final moment of clarity and went on to say quite a bit; Lin Xin just listened.

Yin Pengzi and Yu Kai entered the room, yet he made no move. He simply stood silently with his back to them, silently watching over the sickbed.

As the breathing became weaker and weaker, it seemed the old patriarch had said enough, closing his eyes with a hint of satisfaction.

"The old patriarch should be reincarnated in the Mortal Realm," Yin Pengzi said in a somber tone. As one of the two City Lords of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect, he oversaw the Underground City’s Thousand Hell, which was a mysterious place housing an Ancient Demon God.

Thus, from his level, he naturally knew more.

"If the Sect Master wishes to go to the Mortal Realm, you can be projected there through trials at any time."

Yu Kai, however, was hearing of such secrets for the first time. His expression flickered, but he remained silent.

Lin Xin slowly stood, raising his hand to stop Yin Pengzi from speaking further.

"Let’s go see my mother."

With a wave of his hand, Lin Zhiwen’s physical body slowly turned to ash, dispersing into countless grains of sand, converging into a small yellow sphere in his palm.

Together, the three men disappeared in a flash.

When they appeared again, it was in another light-yellow chamber.

Similarly, many people were packed in this room, yet enough space was left clear around the sickbed.

Lying on the bed was none other than his foster mother Zhao Yu Niang, now in her twilight years.

Her body was plump, attired like an empress dowager in her seventies or eighties, extravagantly dressed. All kinds of jewelry and spiritual adornments were visible all over her.

When Lin Xin arrived, she was nearly unable to speak, her eyes only looking tenderly at him.

"I will take good care of the Lin and Zhao families, don’t worry, mother," Lin Xin knew what she wanted to say.

Hearing this, Zhao Yu Niang showed a tranquil smile and slowly closed her eyes.

Her body also rapidly turned to sand and then formed into a yellow spherical orb, held in Lin Xin’s hand.

The Soul Domain suddenly dispersed.

The previously noisy crowd burst into a deafening roar, like a stereo system suddenly released from pause, quickly filling the ears.

"Sect Master!"

"Is it the Sect Master??"

"The Sect Master has arrived!!"

"Greetings to the Sect Master Daoist Master!"

"Greetings to the father (forefather)!"

A myriad of people of various statuses all prostrated before Lin Xin at once.

The Lin Clan Patriarch, the Southern Prefecture Overlord, Yuan Dou True Monarch—Lin Xin had too many titles to his name.

He upheld the entire Lin Family, the entire Sword Sect, and even the whole Central Prefecture.

The Golden Jade Sect, the Plum Blossom Sect, the Wind-Riding Sect, the Qingluo Secret Sect, the Vermilion Bird Holy Court, the Void Sword Cave, and other powers had all been either annihilated or subdued over the past hundred years.

Under his unification of the Southern Prefecture, rivers of blood flowed like an ocean.

His life’s story had even been turned into novels and operas, told among the folk, sung by the common people.

The Cultivation World addressed him as Yuan Dou True Monarch, while the common folk deified him, referring to him as the Southern Emperor.

It meant he was the all-powerful overlord who ruled the entire Southern Prefecture.

Many people had not seen him for decades, yet did not expect to meet him again here.

It was expected, yet unexpected.

Lin Xin walked through the crowd, and those by his side fell to the ground like toppling golden mountains and collapsing jade pillars, wave after wave.

All voices quickly quieted down, and soon only the sound of breathing and heartbeats remained; beyond that, only the whisper of the wind.

Lin Xin’s body lightly floated up.

Looking down all around, from the surrounding area of the Manor to the distant horizon, there were tens of thousands who had come to see him off, a sea of heads stretching as far as the eye could see.

"The Lin Family in mourning, the Southern Prefecture in white for three days," he declared, his voice resonant and thunderous, rapidly spreading over dozens of miles around, reaching everyone’s ears.

"We shall heed the Sect Master’s decree!"

"We shall heed the Sect Master’s decree!"

"We shall heed the Sect Master..."

Layer upon layer of people continuously responded, wave after wave, from near to far, like a tidal surge.

Lin Xin swept his gaze across the assembly once more before he vanished from the spot with a whoosh.

Disappearing along with him were Yu Kai, Dugu Lin, Yin Pengzi, and Lin Zhen Nan Shunqing.

*******************

In a delicate valley far from the manor.

A small bridge over a stream, a cool pavilion on the riverbank.

Lin Xin stood on the small bridge, with everyone he had brought with him standing behind him.

He had initially wanted to speak with these people alone, but as soon as he arrived, he felt someone had beaten him to the punch.

"Forgive me for not greeting my distinguished guests from afar. Please excuse my rudeness."

His gaze did not fall on the others but on the small pavilion.

Even though the pavilion was empty, he looked at it as if there was indeed someone there.

Yu Kai and Yin Pengzi’s expressions tensed, even though they also hadn’t sensed anything unusual. But they both knew Lin Xin would not speak without a reason, which meant the visitor’s level was beyond their capability to resist.

The crowd buzzed slightly but quickly settled down again. With Lin Xin present, they believed that nothing could escape the Sect Master’s grasp.

Just as everyone was puzzled,

a figure in white slowly materialized in the pavilion.

The figure was tall and burly, wearing a white cloak and a jade helmet on his head. The face was veiled in white mist, making it impossible to see clearly. The entire being radiated an aura of profound mystery.

"True Monarch Yuan Dou, mourn not excessively. The vicissitudes of life are unpredictable, and fate cycles around. Life and death are the ultimate truths that cannot be reversed."

The person’s voice was like a bell, sending tingles through one’s body, potentially even weakening one’s strength.

"So it is the Taoist Venerable himself who has graced us with his presence," Lin Xin said indifferently. "May I inquire as to the reason for the Venerable’s long journey here?"

The person present was none other than the Heavenly Cloud Taoist Venerable Lin Zun, ranked fifth on the Heavenly List.

Even being the last ranked among the extreme negative forces, he was a being beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Like Lin Xin now, the person before him was merely an incarnation; his true body couldn’t move about freely, lest a careless move could cause the surrounding space to collapse, create chaotic temporal flows, and forcefully break him through the realm barrier.

There is a chasm between the top five on the Heavenly List and the latter five that has reached an unimaginable depth.

They are almost entirely in two different realms of existence.

Thus Lin Xin recognized him with just one glance.

The Heavenly Cloud Taoist Venerable stood with his hands behind his back in the pavilion.

"I heard you’re interested in the Underground City?"

"So what if I am?"

Lin Xin, alone, approached the pavilion and stood not far from the Taoist Venerable’s side.

"I was born a son of the Underground City; of course, I have an interest in it. Is there a problem?"

The Taoist Venerable paused for a moment.

"The Underground City, the Lion Plain, the Foreigners, and the Mortal Realm—how much do you understand about all this?"

"What exactly is the connection between them, and how much do you know?"

Lin Xin slightly furrowed his brow but didn’t speak. The Taoist Venerable coming to find him was definitely not for a casual chat about these secrets.

His Yuan Dou Demon Sect and the Heavenly Cloud Taoist sect had experienced countless deaths and clashes over the years, revealing their handings and achieving victories and defeats.

With such a relationship fraught with deep-seated enmity, he didn’t believe the Taoist Venerable would come out to chat just for fun.

The Taoist Venerable seemed to see right through his thoughts.

"Fate shows no mercy; those of us who have stepped into the Polar Region can no longer be considered simply human. Throughout history, the number of our Human Race who have reached this realm doesn’t exceed thirty. Yet, there are more than a hundred from the Outer Regions."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Lin Xin asked, growing impatient. His temperament had become increasingly eccentric because of daily excruciating torment, and he could erupt in raging fury at any moment. Now, he was even less patient.

The Taoist Venerable spoke calmly.

"I am here to warn you on behalf of them, as a fellow member of the Human Race, to not be excessively unrestrained."

"What do you mean?" A harsh light flashed in Lin Xin’s eyes.

"There was originally an agreement among us," the Taoist Venerable continued. "The Human Race is weak, and it’s only logical to reduce the internal consumption of talent as much as possible."

From his tone, Lin Xin faintly sensed that it wasn’t just him— the Shape-shifting Cave and Jade Pure Taoist sect all seemed to hold opinions about him.

"You must also be aware that, for those of us at this level of existence, taking another step forward is harder than reaching the heavens." The Taoist Venerable lowered his voice, so it only reached Lin Xin’s ears.

"Therefore, to avoid unnecessary conflict and the risk of breaking through the realm by accident, it’s best for both you and me to avoid taking action personally whenever possible."

He broke off, then added,

"Therefore, I can make the decision not to pursue the previous matters, but the Human Race’s protective layer can no longer withstand such disturbances. If you don’t want your subordinates to die as the Sun Spring dries up, then try to minimize taking action yourself..."

"I really dislike the tone you’re using right now." Lin Xin narrowed his eyes, interrupting him," Are you ordering me around?"

The Taoist Venerable turned and strode towards the distance.

"This is not an order, but a warning."

His form slowly faded, vanishing into thin air.

"Should you persist in defiance, we may have no choice but to force your realm to break."

Lin Xin stood coldly in the pavilion, watching the direction in which the Taoist Venerable had departed.

Ninety years without action, perhaps the Central Prefecture had already forgotten who he once was.

The Heavenly Cloud Taoist, the Shape-shifting Cave, the Jade Pure Taoist.

Considering the progress regarding the Underground City had become increasingly slow, it was time to pay them a visit.

"Sect Master!"

Yin Pengzi’s voice transmission came from behind.

"It seems the Heavenly Cloud Taoist is about to make a big move."

"He’s pushing me to come out of seclusion," Lin Xin said with an icy expression.