Chapter 139 - 138: Heading to Sky Jade City
High above the clouds, the atmosphere itself seemed to boil. A massive streak of searing red and gold tore through the firmament, leaving behind trails of evaporating clouds and distorted spatial currents.
It was a magnificent imperial carriage, forged from rare star-iron and adorned with celestial jade of various colors. Four colossal, pure-blooded Golden Flame Qilins pulled the carriage through the sky.
These divine beasts possessed an aura of overwhelming majesty. Their golden scales gleamed like freshly minted gold, while scorching flames burned beneath their bodies, radiating such intense heat that the surrounding air rippled and twisted into mirages. With every step their massive hooves took through the sky, rings of golden fire exploded outward, propelling the enormous carriage forward at astonishing speed.
The sight was so grand that any cultivator who saw it would immediately understand that whoever occupied the carriage was no ordinary figure.
And indeed it was, for it was occupied by Zhao Shenming, the absolute Lord of the Zhao Province.
The four Golden Flame Qilins let out a earth-shaking bellow as they caught sight of the sprawling estate nestled within the emerald valley. They banked sharply, their fiery manes trailing behind them like comets, and began their rapid descent.
Down below, the defensive arrays of the Lin estate hummed, but they did not activate their lethal countermeasures.
Standing perfectly still at the grand entrance of the estate’s main courtyard, where the white jade steps met the manicured grass, was Lin Yuan.
He was dressed in his signature White and Black Daoist robes, and his hands were clasped casually behind his back. The wind generated by the descending Qilins whipped fiercely through the courtyard, tearing leaves from the trees and sending dust swirling into the air, yet Lin Yuan’s robes barely fluttered.
With a heavy thud that shook the bedrock beneath the valley, the four Golden Flame Qilins landed just outside the estate’s main gates. Their massive hooves struck the earth with enough force to send faint tremors through the ground. They snorted loudly, twin plumes of superheated smoke billowing from their nostrils as scorching flames flickered between their teeth.
Their golden eyes immediately locked onto Lin Yuan.
For a moment, the four divine beasts revealed their natural predatory instinct. But that instinct quickly gave way to a trace of wariness, as though they could sense something dangerous about the seemingly calm cultivator standing before them.
Then, the doors of the imperial carriage slowly glided open.
Lord Zhao Shenming stepped out into the morning light.
He wore deep-blue imperial robes embroidered with winding silver dragons. The intricate dragons seemed almost alive, their bodies subtly shifting and writhing with every movement he made. An imposing aura radiated from his body, spreading across the valley like an invisible tide.
His Spirit Severing aura was extraordinarily deep.
Even without deliberately releasing his pressure, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to grow heavy in his presence. An ordinary cultivator would likely find it difficult to breathe, while weaker cultivators might struggle even to remain standing.
Yet Lin Yuan merely stood there, quietly observing the man who had arrived in such magnificent fashion.
"Lord Zhao," Lin Yuan said calmly. "This Lin knew you would come today."
Zhao Shenming paused on the steps of his carriage, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly at the casual greeting. "Oh? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Lin is extremely eager for the upcoming tournament?"
"Indeed I am," Lin Yuan replied, offering a faint, incredibly calm smile. "The Lord Tournament of the Central Continent is exactly one week away."
Zhao Shenming let out a short, booming laugh, his voice echoing across the valley.
"Indeed, you are as astute as ever. The time for preparation is over. We shall depart for Sky Jade City today. With the Lord Tournament approaching, we naturally cannot travel there in an ordinary manner. Thus, you see the grand procession before you..."
Zhao Shenming’s voice abruptly died in his throat.
The smile completely vanished from the Provincial Lord’s face, instantly replaced by an expression of sheer shock.
Lin Yuan had intentionally chosen this exact moment to release his grip.
With the newly acquired Great Tortoise Breath Art, Lin Yuan could have easily kept his aura tightly concealed, appearing to the outside world as the same Peak Nascent Soul cultivator he had been months ago.
But Lin Yuan chose not to conceal his innate aura any longer. He wanted absolute leverage before they set foot in sky jade city.
Wooooom!
The shift in the atmosphere was instantaneous.
From Lin Yuan’s physical vessel, the terrifying, pressure of a true, fully consolidated Early Stage Spirit Severing realm erupted outward.
The four Golden Flame Qilins, proud and arrogant divine beasts that possessed the strength to slaughter cultivatprs simultaneously let out whimpers of sheer terror. Their golden flames instantly dimmed, and they violently buckled, their massive knees smashing into the jade pavement as they were forced to bow before the aura
Lord Zhao Shenming stumbled, his mind reeled, completely short-circuiting as his divine sense was violently battered by the overwhelming quality of Lin Yuan’s aura.
Spirit Severing! Zhao Shenming’s internal voice screamed in pure disbelief. He is a Spirit Severing Expert!
Three months ago, during the grand wedding, Lin Yuan had revealed himself to be a Late Stage Nascent Soul anomaly. It was a shocking revelation, a display of heaven-defying talent that had forced Zhao Shenming to treat the young man as a peer rather than a pawn.
But this?
Zhao Shenming shook his head rapidly, attempting to process the sheer absurdity of the reality standing before him. He knew the agonizing, grueling truth of the Spirit Severing realm better than anyone.
"No... this makes absolutely no sense," Zhao Shenming muttered, pacing a few steps forward, completely ignoring his whimpering Qilins. "Spirit Severing? To reach this realm, one must cultivate a Mortal Heart. One must experience the absolute depths of human attachment, live a full cycle of mortal frailty, and then possess the will to sever it!"
Zhao Shenming stopped. "That process requires time. Decades! Sometimes centuries of living amongst mortals just to comprehend the fragility of the dust! No matter how incredibly insightful you are, no matter if your comprehension defies the heavens themselves, you cannot cultivate and temper a Mortal Heart in three months!"
Lin Yuan remained perfectly silent, his expression unreadable.
Zhao Shenming stared into Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes, searching for an explanation. Suddenly, a profound, earth-shattering realization dawned upon the Lord of the Zhao Province.
A treasure, Zhao Shenming thought, the word carrying a mixture of absolute awe and deeply rooted envy. He must possess a supreme spatial-temporal artifact. A treasure capable of manipulating the very flow of time itself.
It was the only logical conclusion. The only way Lin Yuan could have lived an entire mortal lifetime, tempered his heart, and reached the Spirit Severing realm within the span of ninety days was if he had locked himself within a pocket dimension where time flowed at a vastly accelerated rate.
Zhao Shenming looked at Lin Yuan, his shock slowly morphing into a profound, chilling respect. Artifacts capable of manipulating time were not just rare; they were legendary. They were the kind of supreme treasures that provoked continental wars and drew the greedy, murderous gaze of various grandmasters. To possess one meant the Heavens heavily favored this man.
"To possess such a time artifact..." Zhao Shenming whispered, shaking his head in reverence. "To have the sheer karma to find such a thing...... Lin Yuan, you are not just a genius. You are a true expert."