Chapter 295: Encountering Ling Qingzhu Once More
"The rune prison is about to break!"
As the Vermilion Phoenix Flames raged on, the rune prison holding the eight elders of the super sects suddenly began to expand in everyone's view. Then, with a deafening explosion, the prison shattered, finally freeing the eight powerful sect elders.
The energy shockwave spread like waves across the sky. Eight beams of light shot out from the prison, scattering swiftly across the skies.
"Damn it!" shouted the Western Mystic Region elites as they saw Liu Tong and the Dao Sect Elder break free, their frustration palpable as they turned to angrily rebuke Cao Yu.
"You useless fools! You couldn't even deal with youngsters who haven't even joined a super sect yet?!"
Cao Yu and his group felt humiliated, but who would have guessed that they would face someone as relentless as Lin Langtian on the Hundred Dynasty Mountain?
"Lord Zheng Zhong, it's all because of that boy, Lin Langtian. He's using secret techniques to boost himself to the Sixth Nirvana Stage, and he even has the ancient Vermilion Phoenix Flames. Even with Brother Cao's use of the Heaven-Sealing Array, we couldn't hold him back," one of Cao Yu's men explained bitterly.
"Lin Langtian?" Zheng Zhong's gaze grew icy as he focused on Lin Langtian in the distant sky. Under such a piercing look, Lin Langtian felt a chilling pressure, his heart racing as he prepared for whatever might come next.
"Heh, Zheng Zhong," an elderly voice intervened, halting Zheng Zhong's gaze. It was the Elder of the Dao Sect, known as Wudao. "You, of all people, shouldn't be threatening a junior. Don't you care about your reputation?"
"Ha! That young man did splendidly. His contribution here can't go unrecognized. If he's willing, I'd like him to become a personal disciple at our Barbarian Hall," added the elder from Barbarian Hall, his laughter echoing like thunder across the sky.
"Indeed, he's earned the title of champion of this year's Hundred Dynasty Tournament," added the elder from the Nine Heavens Supreme Palace with a warm smile.
Hearing this, Liu Tong, who had watched Qin Tian's disappointing display, glanced at Lin Langtian with newfound interest. It was customary for the previous champions to join Yuan Gate, and he intended to continue that tradition.
"Hmph! Wudao, Liu Tong, aren't you celebrating a bit too soon?" Zheng Zhong sneered, his expression darkening.
"Oh, Western Mystic Region, don't you think you're overreaching a bit? Aren't you afraid of provoking the wrath of all the Eastern Mystic sects?" Before Zheng Zhong could act again, a new, clear voice echoed across the sky.
"Who's there?!"
The moment Zheng Zhong heard this voice, he paled, instantly turning toward the shifting points in the sky, where shadows were starting to take form. As he looked closer, he could make out the clothing of those emerging—it was the attire of the super sects!
"The super sect elites have all arrived…"
Lin Langtian looked up at the shifting sky with a slight smile. The Western Mystic forces would have no choice now but to retreat.
As he casually gazed across the newly arriving forces, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. From one particular warp in the air, he saw a figure that made his chest tighten.
It was a woman in a light green dress standing gracefully, her delicate figure like a vision of elegance. Even from afar, her fair skin shone like snow, and her pristine beauty was like a celestial being that humbled all who looked upon her.
She stepped lightly upon a green lotus, looking like a goddess untouched by the mortal realm, her cold elegance sending waves of self-doubt through the hearts of those who saw her.
This was Ling Qingzhu.
Seeing her again, Lin Langtian's calm expression shifted, a faint gleam of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. It had been almost four years since that brief encounter when he, newly reborn, had crossed paths with her under fortuitous circumstances.
Though he knew the grand background of the Ling family, he'd been resolute in his ambition. Ling Qingzhu had remained in his heart ever since, his desire for her only intensifying as his strength grew.
Now, after claiming victory on the Hundred Dynasty Mountain, Lin Langtian was even more resolved. One day, he would stand proudly by her side, so that everyone would know she was his.
"Here so soon…"
Back in the arena, Wudao and the others, surprised by the arrival of the reinforcements, looked at Zheng Zhong and chuckled, "Looks like your plans have been foiled."
"Hmph! The Eastern Mystic Region is quite formidable, I'll admit. But in the next Mystic Domain battle, this land will belong to us!" Zheng Zhong snapped, though he knew his plans had been thwarted. With a bitter expression, he began to back away, activating a plan for retreat.
His hand formed a seal, summoning black clouds that twisted and tore open a massive rift in space. From within, dark light poured forth, materializing into a black scroll—the Heaven-Sealing Array.
Dark beams shot down, surrounding Zheng Zhong and his men, who, with a swish, vanished from sight, leaving not a trace.
"Cowards!" Liu Tong cursed as he watched Zheng Zhong flee, his voice dripping with contempt.
Wudao and the other elders of the super sects wore equally grim expressions. To allow the Western Mystic Region to retreat like this was a blow to the Eastern Mystic Region's honor.
"They're gone…"
From a distance, the super sect elites could only sigh in frustration as Zheng Zhong escaped. Realizing there was little more to do, they began signaling their disciples to prepare to leave.
"Let's go as well…"
Standing within one of the warps, Ling Qingzhu cast a cool glance over the scene before turning, her entourage following her as they vanished one by one. She and her group shot across the sky as beams of light, quickly returning toward the Eastern Mystic Region.
As Ling Qingzhu and her group moved into the outer layer of the space, a sudden flash of golden light shot toward them. One of the women in her group caught it swiftly.
"What is it, Senior Sister Mo?" asked a tall woman curiously.
"It's a message from the Yuan Spirit. It's mostly about the results of the Hundred Dynasty Tournament," the woman replied with a smile.
"Oh, what's there to say? The winner is probably from the Tianyuan Dynasty again. That's practically a tradition by now," the tall woman remarked dismissively.
"You'd be surprised. This time, the champion isn't from the Tianyuan Dynasty," the woman with the Yuan Spirit message replied, smiling.
"Oh? Who could it be, if they managed to surpass the Tianyuan Dynasty?" The group gasped in surprise, and even Ling Qingzhu's swift pace seemed to slow.
"I don't know much about him, but his name is Lin Langtian. They say he's also responsible for foiling the Western Mystic Region's scheme."
Swish!
Just as the woman finished speaking, Ling Qingzhu's figure suddenly halted, and her typically serene gaze held an unexpected spark of disbelief.
Lin Langtian?
A simple, almost common name, yet one that stirred deep emotions in Ling Qingzhu's usually tranquil heart.
She would never forget the events of four years ago in that small Great Yan Dynasty. After what had happened, even someone as composed as Ling Qingzhu had once considered killing Lin Langtian, driven by a shame that had even roused murderous intent. She had thought of silencing him forever to erase the memory.
In the end, she didn't. Perhaps it was Lin Langtian's mysterious nature, or her own hidden sense of mercy, or some other unexplainable factors, but for reasons she couldn't understand, she had let him go. And in an inexplicable moment, she had even gifted him a rare Seven Fiend Black Gold Crow—a token almost as intimate as a vow.
Somewhere deep inside, Ling Qingzhu felt Lin Langtian was different, as though he would bring unexpected surprises into her life. Yet she had always believed that when she left the Great Yan Dynasty, those memories would fade and settle into the recesses of her mind.
She never thought she'd encounter anyone from that dynasty again or set foot in those lands. She had even hoped those events would eventually fade from memory, including that young man named Lin Langtian.
She had convinced herself of this—until his name was spoken again. Ling Qingzhu's heart, which she had tried to keep calm, felt a strong, undeniable wave of emotion.
Her face, covered by a thin veil, seemed to tense as she bit her lip, and her normally cool eyes held a whirlpool of complex emotions.
She knew the journey Lin Langtian must have taken to make it this far from a minor dynasty. It would have required extraordinary talent and resourcefulness.
Even back then, he had faced her with calm detachment, and she had never truly understood him. A mysterious individual indeed, she thought to herself.
"Senior Sister Qingzhu? Is something wrong?"
Ling Qingzhu's companions were confused by her sudden halt, glancing at her with concern.
She looked up, drawing in a cold breath through the veil. As the icy air filled her lungs, it helped steady the waves in her heart.
"It's nothing," she replied softly, though her gaze shifted back to where she imagined that familiar figure was.
After a moment, Ling Qingzhu returned her gaze to the path ahead, her cold, slender fingers slowly clenching into a fist. Without another word, she resumed her path, her steps filled with renewed purpose as the light of her lotus flower glowed beneath her.
"Lin Langtian, reaching this point certainly surprised me. It seems that with your talent, you were never destined to stay confined to the Great Yan Dynasty.
"You are the only man who has ever claimed my body," she murmured to herself. "If you have the strength, perhaps you can prove yourself worthy of being the only man I'll allow to hold me. But winning my heart, Lin Langtian, is far from easy."
"I hope when we meet again in the Eastern Mystic Region, you'll be able to surprise me once more. If you could break the Western Mystic Region's scheme, your potential is indeed remarkable. And when that day comes, if your strength surpasses mine... maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for us."
As he watched Ling Qingzhu's departure from atop the Hundred Dynasty Mountain, Lin Langtian couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. His normally calm heart gradually settled as he watched her go.
Though he had always considered Ling Qingzhu his woman, he was in no hurry. Now that he had arrived in the Eastern Mystic Region, he was certain they would meet again someday.
By then, Lin Langtian was confident he would be stronger, with more control over his fate.
"Ling Qingzhu's power is indeed formidable…" Aunt Ling's voice sounded in his mind. "Judging by my senses, she has likely reached the peak of Nirvana and is only a step away from the Life and Death Realm."
"Peak Nirvana…" Lin Langtian nodded thoughtfully. As the future Palace Leader of the Nine Heavens Supreme Palace and one of the Eastern Mystic's most talented women, Ling Qingzhu's strength was not unexpected.
With his recent advancement to the Sixth Nirvana Stage, Lin Langtian knew he wasn't far behind her.
"Big Brother, I felt a familiar aura from that woman. Isn't she my little sister's master… our sister-in-law, perhaps?" Jinwu asked as he moved closer to Lin Langtian, looking toward where Ling Qingzhu had left with a complex gaze.
Since his birth, Jinwu had been separated from his twin, the Seven Fiend Black Gold Crow gifted to Ling Qingzhu, but he had always been aware of her existence. Now, sensing the familial bond in Ling Qingzhu's aura, Jinwu's emotions were stirred.
Lin Langtian nodded in affirmation. With a smile, he placed a reassuring hand on Jinwu's shoulder. "Yes, she's your sister-in-law. Don't worry; your sister will be well cared for. One day, we'll go together to the Nine Heavens Supreme Palace and visit her."
Lin Langtian couldn't help but smile as he stretched, glancing one last time toward where Ling Qingzhu had disappeared. A faint sense of anticipation rose within him.
"Ling Qingzhu, next time we meet, you'd better be ready for me."
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