C2302 The Outcome Was Set
In the Origin Realm's Frostlands, the purple sea brimming with demon energy occasionally burst with sword light that pierced the gloom, illuminating the darkened heavens. The roars of the little spinosaurus within had long since fallen silent. Lin Daoke watched with clarity as a monstrous creature dragged the little spinosaurus beneath the waves, yet its true form remained elusive.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Millions of radiant sword lights encircled Lin Daoke, cleaving through the demon energy and causing Zhiya's purple feathers to cascade like a shower of luminescent rain. Once the feathers disintegrated, they returned to the purple sea, replenishing its power.
"You will never be able to seriously wound me here," Zhiya declared, her expression icy as her brows twitched and new feathers sprouted. These feathers shimmered with a jade-like sheen, transforming at her whim—now soft as cotton, now unyielding as divine metal.
At times, Zhiya would take the form of an elegant purple phoenix; at others, she would reveal herself in human guise. The power she wielded within the purple sea was consistently magnified, the sea itself converting cosmic energy into her demon energy, seemingly granting her boundless strength.
Unfazed by her frigid taunts, Lin Daoke launched another sword strike. A resplendent River of Swords carved a vast fissure through the churning purple demon energy, surging toward Zhiya in her human form. Within the River of Swords lay the essence of swordsmanship, as if a host of Grand Sword Immortals had each unleashed their mightiest blades.
"Primitive," Zhiya scoffed, her beauty unmarred. A mysterious demonic pattern emerged on her back, unfolding into an abyssal realm. Inside this realm, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and Beast Gods of unknown origin bellowed their fury.
Zhiya's enigmatic realm absorbed the River of Swords, and the collective might of the Beast Gods shattered the swordsmanship's essence within. Numerous tenth-level Beast Gods manifested in the shadowy expanse, a staggering hundred in number. Having succeeded Yuan Le as the head of the Beast God Temple, it seemed she had revived these Beast Gods in the depths of the purple sea, using the lifeblood secrets of a hundred Beast Gods to conjure this realm.
With a whoosh, this profound realm descended upon Lin Daoke, looming ominously from within the purple sea.
Lin Daoke's expression was stoic as he brandished his sword and charged into the cavernous sanctuary, his dazzling sword light cutting down Beast Gods within.
The leader of the Sword Sect delved deeper, becoming increasingly engulfed by the sanctuary's depths.
After Lin Daoke had slain all the Beast Gods and rent the sanctuary asunder with his sword's might, he was astonished to discover he had emerged from a deep cavern.
The purple sea had long since vanished.
Before him lay Tyria, the Everlands, and thirty-six swirling energy vortexes.
He had astonishingly arrived in the Ashlands from the Frostlands through a passage created by the Dark Phoenix Zhiya, while in pursuit of the Beast Gods!
He had burst forth from one of the openings in Eiwrone, located within the Ashlands.
"Sect Master!"
"The Sect Master has returned!"
"Mr. Lin!"
Lin Daoke's emergence from Eiwrone captured the attention of many.
At the Sword Sect in the Everlands, Yue Mu, Van Heqing, Su Qingmo, and other elders were abuzz with excitement at his unexpected return.
The Grand Sword Immortal of the Sword Sect promptly soared from the Everlands, heading towards Eiwrone's position.
At the Starmoon Sect.
"Lin Daoke!"
Upon witnessing the Sword Sect Master's appearance, Tan Junshan, who had ascended to the Supreme Realm using the Moon Rule, sprang into action.
A crescent moon materialized beneath his feet, and he stepped onto it, ready to surge towards the extraterrestrial.
The radiant crescent was so conspicuous that it sent ripples of awe through the cultivators of the Starmoon Sect.
"Don't rush to your death!"
The former sect master, Duan Yisheng, blanched, immediately sensing the impending danger upon spotting Lin Daoke.
He rushed to intercept Tan Junshan, exclaiming, "Even if you seek vengeance for Lee Sha, wait until you've reached the eleventh level. Don't act recklessly now!"
"Tan Junshan, you stand no chance of victory."
Zu Ann's voice echoed across the Starmoon Sect's skies, "I don't mean to discourage you, but Mr. Lin, now at his peak, could dispatch you with even greater ease than he did Lee Sha."
"At least, Lee Sha and Mr. Lin were once equals in their supreme status."
"Currently, Mr. Lin must be at the eleventh level of supremacy. Though I can't penetrate his true power, I sense it to be so. Tan Junshan, you've only just achieved your primordial spirit! You and Jun Chen dare to provoke at this time, but you're no match for a single strike from Mr. Lin."
Zu Ann stated the harsh reality.
After hearing this, Tan Junshan slowly descended from the crescent and sat down on the ground with a thud.
...
"Lin!"
Upon learning of Lin Daoke's appearance, Han Miaoyuan, who was in the Genesisverse, returned using the Circle of Aetheric Bending.
Han Miaoyuan, overjoyed as if he had found a priceless treasure, approached Lin Daoke. After circling him a few times, he burst into laughter, "You've finally decided to come home!"
Lin Daoke frowned and shook his head, "I have no home."
"You do! Tyria, the Everlands, the Ashlands, including the Genesisverse, they're all your home!"
"Look at them..."
Han Miaoyuan extended his hand, pointing towards the Sword Immortal elders from the Sword Sect who were emerging from the Everlands.
"They are all from the Sword Sect, and they are our people, the Gods. They've all been awaiting your return! We are the Gods, and that is the origin of our bloodline and spirit. Why would you stubbornly side with a rebel like Yu Yuan?"
Han Miaoyuan spoke with heartfelt distress.
Lin Daoke remained silent.
Watching the Sword Sect's excited elders, Yue Mu, Van Heqing, Su Qingmo, Yuan Hao, and the sect's other exceptionally gifted individuals, Lin Daoke's heart was as still as ancient waters.
"You will always be one of us, the mightiest blade of the Gods! Lin, you must trust me and the members of the Sword Sect; we mean you no harm."
"Lin, you are the strongest among the Gods, handpicked and meticulously groomed by me. You shouldn't let me down!"
"Lin..."
Han Miaoyuan continued his earnest persuasion.
Lin Daoke's expression remained unchanged, his mind preoccupied with other thoughts. He was pondering why, after the little spinosaurus was dragged into the depths of the sea by a monstrous creature hidden within the purple sea, he was then lured out by the Dark Phoenix's scheme.
He and the little spinosaurus had entered the purple sea one after the other, yet they faced different foes.
His adversary was the Dark Phoenix Zhiya. Shortly after the little spinosaurus ventured into the purple sea, it caught the attention of the lurking beast, sparking a fierce confrontation.
As the spiritual sense of the Primal Blood left the body of the little spinosaurus and soared into the purple sea, it became clear that the creature was in dire straits.
Zhiya, sensing the urgency, hastened to conclude their confrontation, no longer desiring to fight.
Faced with his relentless pursuit, Zhiya conjured a realm powered by numerous Beast Gods. After he shattered this realm, he found himself here.
It seemed Zhiya had brought him here to allow Han Miaoyuan and the power of the Ashlands to disrupt him.
But what was Zhiya's true intent?
Lin Daoke pondered deeply, his eyes suddenly brightening as he grasped the situation.
Zhiya likely intended to consume the little spinosaurus, requiring time to assimilate the Secrets of Life and the bloodline marked by the Primal Blood within it.
Zhiya was gearing up for her next leap in combat prowess, which explained her reluctance to engage further.
"I must return to the Frostlands to battle the Dark Phoenix once more," Lin Daoke declared.
"Forget about her! Little Lin, what I need now is your commitment!" Han Miaoyuan implored, gesturing towards Yue Mu, Van Heqing, and the numerous Sword Sect elders converging before him. "They're all awaiting your return. You've ascended to the status of a swordsmanship deity. You cannot forsake them."
"Sect Master, we're all here for you," echoed Yue Mu, Van Heqing, Su Qingmo, and the Grand Sword Immortal, reinforcing Han Miaoyuan's plea.
Lin Daoke was momentarily taken aback.
His hesitation wasn't about rejoining the Primal Soul's ranks, as Han Miaoyuan suggested, but rather about how to reach the Frostlands in the swiftest manner possible.
He was neither Yu Yuan nor the Dark Phoenix; the intricacies of spatial travel were beyond his expertise.
Entangled by Han Miaoyuan's insistence, he was at a loss for where to even begin his departure.
Only then did it dawn on him that the Dark Phoenix had deliberately enticed him deeper into the Ashlands through the Heavenly Grotto, making his escape all the more challenging.
Even after escaping the Ashlands, he lacked the strength to swiftly make his way back to the Frostlands on his own.