Chapter 85: Troubles on the Return Journey

The wind of the Southern Wilderness carried a dry heat and a fishy stench, brushing against the taut nerves of everyone present. The vast, ancient, and substantial Dao aura radiating from Lin Xuan—as if he were grasping the chaos and evolving the stars—was like an invisible mountain, pressing down so heavily that even the three renowned late-stage Golden Core experts, Leng Ningshuang, Yunmiao True Person, and Shi Potian, felt their breathing stifle.

Dao aura manifested in reality! This was not something an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator could possess. Even they, standing at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, were merely groping forward on their own Dao paths, far from being able to condense their Dao aura to such a substantial degree that it could influence reality.

This person was either an old monster reincarnated with heaven-defying inheritance, or a peerless genius carrying a world-shaking orthodoxy! Either way, it meant immeasurable potential and... danger.

The icy frost on Leng Ningshuang's face faded, replaced by unprecedented gravity. She took a deep breath, slowly retracting the icy spiritual pressure around her, and said in a deep voice, "The Daoist's cultivation is profound; I am impressed. It was my rashness."

She was the first to yield. Facing an existence whose strength was unfathomable and clearly not to be trifled with, tearing their faces apart for a treasure that had already been claimed was by no means a wise move. At their level, they understood better how to assess the situation.

A look of calculation flashed through Yunmiao True Person's eyes, eventually turning into a soft sigh. He waved his horsetail whisk, retracted his aura, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Only Shi Potian's face flushed red, seemingly still unconvinced. The giant sword on his back hummed, but under the stern gaze of Leng Ningshuang, he eventually just let out a heavy snort and turned his head away, which counted as acquiescence.

The tense atmosphere eased abruptly.

Leng Feng, Ye Chen, and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while also gaining a deeper understanding of Lin Xuan's strength. Relying solely on the momentum of his Dao aura to force back three late-stage Nascent Soul experts—two of whom were at the peak—this kind of method had likely already surpassed some Great Cultivators who had just entered the Spirit Transformation stage!

"The three Daoists are reasonable." Lin Xuan also took the opportunity to retract his Dao aura, his tone peaceful as if the sword-drawn tension from a moment ago had never happened. He knew the principle of "too much is as bad as too little." Since the other party had retreated, there was no need for him to press the attack. More friends meant more paths, and fewer enemies meant fewer walls, especially in this crisis-ridden Southern Wilderness.

"I wonder what plans the three Daoists have next?" the scholarly man from the Heavenly Mystery Academy asked at the right moment, breaking the slightly awkward silence and shifting the topic.

Leng Ningshuang glanced at him and said coldly, "I heard there have been frequent disturbances in the Ancient Domain of the Southern Wilderness, so I came to investigate to see if there were any opportunities, or... if there were threats. The explosion of death energy just now was no small matter; it seems something truly extraordinary has happened here." Her gaze swept toward the direction of the Starfall Valley again, carrying a hint of wariness.

Yunmiao True Person added, "It seems this place has become a forbidden zone, not easily accessible by human power. We intend to explore the surrounding area a bit more, and if there is nothing to be found, we will depart."

Their goal had been to seek opportunities, but since the Starfall Valley had become a land of death and the core treasure had an owner, staying was meaningless.

"In that case, we shall take our leave first and return to report," Leng Feng said with a cupped-hand salute. He was eager to leave this place of trouble.

After a simple farewell, the two parties parted ways, and Leng Ningshuang's trio turned into streaks of light, heading toward other parts of the Southern Wilderness.

Watching the three leave, Lin Xuan and his group did not delay further, choosing their direction and galloping toward the location of Black Rock City.

The atmosphere on the return journey was completely different from when they came.

Lin Xuan naturally became the true core and backbone of the team. Whether it was the terrifying strength he displayed or his unfathomable potential, it made everyone admire him from the heart. Even the arrogant Huangfu Hao had restrained all his thoughts, his words and actions filled with obvious respect.

Ye Chen remained silent, but his gaze fell on Lin Xuan from time to time. His fighting spirit had not weakened; instead, because of Lin Xuan's new breakthrough, it became even more intense, though he suppressed it well, waiting for the right moment.

Leng Feng was thinking more about how to report Lin Xuan's situation to the Imperial Dynasty. Such a person must not be easily offended and must be wooed as much as possible, or at least maintain a good relationship. He vaguely felt that Lin Xuan's appearance might be a key variable affecting the future pattern of the Heavenly Origin Imperial Dynasty or even this entire realm.

The scholarly man from the Heavenly Mystery Academy remained silent all the way, occasionally pinching his fingers to calculate, occasionally looking at Lin Xuan's back, his eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of indescribable expectation.

As for Lin Xuan himself, most of his mind was immersed within his body. The fusion of the Star Core and the Chaos Dao Seed brought immense benefits. His cultivation was stabilized at the late-stage Nascent Soul, his chaotic spiritual power was purer and more vast, and his control over star power was like moving his own arm. The many mysteries of the "Zhou Tian Star Art (Fragment)" constantly verified themselves with his own insights into the Chaos Dao, allowing him to deepen his integration with the Chaos Dao.

At the same time, through the connection between the Star Core and the array of the observation platform, he more clearly captured a wisp of evil aura located in the extreme south, seemingly separated by countless spaces, which was of the same origin as the Abyss Demon Awareness. That demon was indeed hiding in the deeper parts of the Southern Wilderness, seemingly absorbing some kind of power to slowly recover. This was an extremely important piece of information.

A few days later, the team crossed the dangerous areas on the outskirts of the Southern Wilderness without incident, seeing the outline of the Vast Mountain Range from afar, with the familiar black city walls of Black Rock City already in sight.

Everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief; the continuous high-intensity vigilance and rushing had made even Nascent Soul cultivators feel somewhat exhausted.

However, just as they were about to fly out of the range of the Vast Mountain Range and step into the relatively safe border area, a change occurred!

"Buzz—!"

A low hum that seemed to ring in the depths of everyone's soul suddenly sounded!

Immediately after, the void in front of them rippled violently like water, and streaks of crisscrossing, glowing blue runes appeared out of thin air, instantly weaving into a giant light net that covered a radius of dozens of miles, completely sealing Lin Xuan and the others, along with the sky they were in!

A powerful force of spatial imprisonment descended, causing everyone in the range to stall, as if they had fallen into a quagmire, and their flight speed plummeted!

"An array?! Someone has set up a blockade array here!" Leng Feng's face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "What kind of petty thieves dare to intercept the Imperial Dynasty's Demon Suppression Division!"

"Hehehe... The Demon Suppression Division? What great prestige!" An eerie voice came from all directions, drifting and uncertain. "It's a pity that none of you will be able to leave today, especially... that kid named Lin Xuan!"

Before the words fell, figures appeared outside the array's light curtain.

The leader was none other than the Netherworld Sect Elder who had escaped from the Starfall Valley—Ghost Bone True Person! His aura now seemed even more sinister than before, and standing beside him were two other Netherworld Sect Elders, both radiating late-stage Nascent Soul fluctuations. One held a soul-summoning banner, ghost energy swirling; the other was wrapped in black poisonous mist, his face indistinguishable.

And beside the three from the Netherworld Sect stood two others—the very same Zhao family's sinister old man and his companion who had escaped during the chaos! They wore expressions of resentment and triumph, clearly having sent the message and joined forces with the Netherworld Sect to set this ambush!

In addition to these five late-stage Nascent Soul experts, there were over twenty Netherworld Sect cultivators and Zhao family retainers of early and mid-stage Nascent Soul, each occupying an array node, maintaining this massive blockade array!

"Ghost Bone! Zhao Song! You actually dare to collude with the Netherworld Sect and set an ambush here!" Seeing who it was, Leng Feng was furious, his Demon Suppression Blade already unsheathed, blood-colored blade light flickering.

"Leng Feng, today is the day you die!" the Zhao family's sinister old man, Zhao Song, sneered. "And that little bastard Lin Xuan! You killed my Zhao family's retainer and insulted my Zhao family's dignity; today you will definitely be destroyed in body and soul, your soul extracted and refined!"

Ghost Bone True Person's eye sockets, where ghost fire flickered, stared fixedly at Lin Xuan, his voice filled with greed and killing intent: "Junior, hand over everything you obtained in the ruins, especially that star treasure and the Chaos inheritance! Perhaps this True Person can give you a quick death!"

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

The enemy had dispatched five late-stage Nascent Soul experts and over twenty early and mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and had even set up a powerful blockade array in advance, clearly intending to completely wipe out their exhausted force!

Huangfu Hao, the scholarly man, and the others had faces that turned incomparably ugly in an instant. Ye Chen gripped his sword hilt, and thunder light began to flash around his body.

Lin Xuan's gaze swept across the blue rune light net around them and the numerous powerful enemies eyeing them covetously. His expression remained calm, but beneath that calmness, it seemed as if stars were flowing and the abyss was silent.

He slowly stepped forward, his gaze falling on Ghost Bone True Person and Zhao Song, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you really think you can stop me with just this bunch of motley crew?"