Chapter 85: Changes 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 substantive Dao aura radiating from Lin Xuan—as if he held the chaotic starry sky in his grasp—was like an invisible mountain, pressing down so heavily that the three long-renowned Nascent Soul late-stage experts, Leng Ningshuang, True Person Yunmiao, and Shi Potian, felt their breathing hitch.

A Dao aura that touched the threshold of Soul Transformation! This was by no means something an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator could possess; even they, who stood at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, were merely groping their way forward on their own paths, far from being able to condense their Dao aura to such a substantive degree that it could influence reality.

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

The icy expression on Leng Ningshuang’s face faded, replaced by unprecedented gravity. She took a deep breath, slowly retracted the icy spiritual pressure around her, and said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist’s Dao techniques are profound; I am impressed. It was this old woman who was reckless."

She was the first to concede. Facing an existence with unfathomable strength who was clearly not to be trifled with, tearing one's face over a treasure that had already acknowledged its master was by no means a wise move. At their realm, they understood better how to assess the situation.

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

Only Shi Potian’s face flushed red, appearing somewhat unconvinced. The giant sword on his back hummed, but under the restraint of Leng Ningshuang’s stern gaze, he ultimately only let out a heavy snort and turned his head away, which counted as acquiescence.

The tense atmosphere suddenly eased.

Leng Feng, Ye Chen, and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously gaining a deeper understanding of Lin Xuan’s strength. To be able to force back three Nascent Soul late-stage experts—two of whom were at the peak—merely by the pressure of his Dao aura; such means were likely no less than those of some great powers who had just entered the Soul Transformation realm!

"The three fellow Daoists are reasonable." Lin Xuan also took the opportunity to retract his Dao aura, his tone peaceful, as if the previous confrontation had never happened. He knew well the principle that too much is as bad as too little; since the other party had backed down, 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 the three fellow Daoists plan to do next?" The Heavenly Mystery Scholar spoke at the right moment, breaking the slightly awkward silence and shifting the topic.

Leng Ningshuang glanced at him and said indifferently, "I heard there have been frequent anomalies in the Ancient Domain of the Southern Wilderness, so I came to investigate to see if there were any opportunities, or... if there were any threats. The burst of death energy just now was quite significant; it seems something extraordinary has indeed happened here." Her gaze swept over the direction of Star Fall Valley again, carrying a hint of wariness.

True Person Yunmiao interjected, "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 we find nothing, we will depart."

Their goal had been to seek opportunities, and since Star Fall Valley had become a dead zone and the core treasure already had an owner, there was no point in staying.

"In that case, we shall take our leave first and return to report," Leng Feng said, cupping his hands. He was eager to leave this place of trouble.

The two sides exchanged brief farewells, and Leng Ningshuang and the other two transformed into streaks of light, heading toward other parts of the Southern Wilderness.

Watching the three leave, Lin Xuan and the others did not delay further; they chose a direction and sped toward Black Rock City.

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

Lin Xuan naturally became the true core and backbone of the team. Whether it was the terrifying strength he displayed or his unfathomable potential, everyone was convinced, and even the proud Huangfu Hao had reined in all his thoughts, his words and actions carrying clear respect.

Ye Chen remained silent, but his gaze fell on Lin Xuan from time to time. His fighting spirit not only failed to diminish but became even more intense due to Lin Xuan’s breakthrough, though he suppressed it well, waiting for the right moment.

Leng Feng spent more time thinking about how to report Lin Xuan’s situation to the Imperial Court. Such a person must not be easily offended and must be won over if possible, or at least maintain a good relationship. He vaguely felt that Lin Xuan’s appearance might be a key variable affecting the future of the Tianyuan Imperial Court and even the pattern of this world.

The Heavenly Mystery Scholar remained silent the whole way, occasionally pinching his fingers to calculate, and occasionally looking at Lin Xuan’s back, his eyes filled with inquiry and an indescribable expectation.

As for Lin Xuan himself, most of his focus 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 Nascent Soul stage, his chaotic spiritual power was more pure and vast, and his control over star power was as fluid as moving his own arm. The profound meanings of the "Heavenly Cycle Star Art (Fragmented)" were constantly being verified against his own Dao, giving him a brand-new understanding of the "Star Nether Light," and he even began to conceive of fusing the power of stellar extinction with other divine abilities to create a killing move unique to him.

At the same time, through the brief connection between the star core and the observatory array, he captured more clearly that trace of evil aura belonging to the Abyss Demon Sense located deep in the south. That demon was indeed hiding deeper in the Southern Wilderness, seemingly absorbing some kind of power to slowly recover. This was extremely important information.

Several days later, the team traversed the dangerous zones on the outskirts of the Southern Wilderness without incident, seeing the outline of the Vast Mountain Range from afar, with the familiar black walls of Black Rock City already in sight.

Everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief; after continuous high-intensity vigilance and travel, even Nascent Soul cultivators felt 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 again!

"Hum—!"

A low hum that seemed to resonate in the depths of everyone’s soul suddenly rang out!

Immediately following, the void in front of them rippled violently like water waves, and crisscrossing, flickering dark blue rune chains appeared out of thin air, instantly weaving into a massive light net covering a radius of dozens of miles, completely sealing Lin Xuan and the others, along with the patch of sky they occupied, inside!

A powerful force of spatial confinement descended, causing everyone within the range to stall, as if they had fallen into a quagmire, their flight speed dropping sharply!

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

"Hehehe... The Demon Suppression Division? Such great prestige!" An insidious voice came from all directions, drifting and uncertain. "Unfortunately, none of you are leaving today, especially... that brat named Lin Xuan!"

Before the voice finished, figures appeared outside the array’s light screen.

The leader was none other than the Nether Sect Elder who had escaped from Star Fall Valley—True Person Ghost Bone! His aura now seemed even more sinister than before. Standing beside him were two other Nether Sect Elders, also radiating Nascent Soul late-stage fluctuations; one held a Soul-Summoning Banner, filled with ghostly energy, while the other was shrouded in black poisonous mist, making their face unclear.

And beside the three from the Nether Sect stood two more people: the sinister old man from the Zhao family and his companion who had escaped during the chaos! They wore expressions of resentment and triumphant smiles; clearly, it was they who had tipped them off and united with the Nether Sect to set an ambush here!

In addition to these five Nascent Soul late-stage experts, there were over twenty Nether Sect cultivators and Zhao family retainers at the early and middle Nascent Soul stages, each occupying an array node to maintain this massive blockade array!

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

"Leng Feng, today is the day you die!" The sinister Zhao family elder, Zhao Song, grinned hideously. "And that little bastard Lin Xuan! You killed my Zhao family retainers and insulted the dignity of my Zhao family; today I will surely make you lose both body and soul, and extract your spirit to refine your soul!"

True Person Ghost Bone’s eye sockets, where ghost fire danced, stared fixedly at Lin Xuan, his voice filled with greed and murderous 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 Nascent Soul late-stage experts and over twenty early-to-middle Nascent Soul cultivators, and had even set up a powerful blockade array in advance; they clearly intended to completely finish off this exhausted force!

The expressions of Huangfu Hao, the Heavenly Mystery Scholar, and the others turned incredibly ugly in an instant. Ye Chen gripped his sword hilt, and lightning began to shine around his body.

Lin Xuan’s gaze swept over the dark blue rune light net and the numerous powerful enemies eyeing them covetously; his expression remained calm, but beneath that calmness, it was as if stars were flowing and a dark abyss was silent.

He slowly stepped forward, his gaze landing on True Person Ghost Bone and Zhao Song, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

"Just by relying on you bunch of rabble, you want to stop me?"