Volume 1, Chapter 42: Lin Hongye's Apprehension

Inside the tea room, Lin Yang paced back and forth, simply unsure of how to break the silence.

Seeing this, Lu Chen and Lin Hongye said helplessly, "Master, if you have something to tell us, just say it. What's the point of pacing back and forth like this?"

After a long moment, Lin Yang sighed and began:

"You both know that the Sect Master was heavily injured in the previous great battle."

Lin Hongye naturally nodded, especially since she had personally led a team to rescue Zhang Xianfeng earlier.

Though she hadn't managed to see Zhang Xianfeng at the time, seeing Lin Yang supporting the battered Zhang Xianfeng back to the camp later on was enough to reveal how brutal the battle had been.

Lin Hongye then asked curiously, "What is it, Master? Has something happened to the Sect Master?"

Lin Yang nodded, his expression turning solemn as he said:

"His cultivation has been shattered, and as his master, I am completely powerless to fix it."

"Therefore, I wanted to ask the two of you if you might have any methods to help."

To an outsider, it would have seemed utterly absurd for Lin Yang—a cultivator at the Apotheosis Realm—to ask two low-tier cultivators if they knew a way to repair the dantian of an Apotheosis Realm expert.

However, Lin Yang knew that Lin Hongye was actually the Master of Yaochi Holy Land, and her cultivation was merely a step away from the Emperor Realm.

As for Lu Chen, needless to say, he was a Sword Immortal from the Upper Realm. The status of each was higher than the last. Having no other options, Lin Yang naturally had to turn to them for help.

Lin Hongye and Lu Chen exchanged glances. Then, Lu Chen shook his head with a sincere expression and said calmly:

"Master, I do not know."

Lu Chen was not lying. After ascending to the Upper Realm, most of his memories regarding the lower realm had naturally faded away.

Had this been before his ascension, he certainly would have known, but after ascending to the Upper Realm, things were undoubtedly different.

Meanwhile, Lin Hongye wore a hesitant look. As a cultivator who had once nearly broken through to the Emperor Realm, she was naturally well-aware of the methods used to repair an Apotheosis Realm cultivator's dantian.

Yet, knowing it was one thing; knowing how to voice it without raising suspicion was another.

After all, from her current outward appearance, she was nothing more than a cultivator at the Golden Core stage. How could a mere Golden Core cultivator possibly possess a method to repair the dantian of an Apotheosis Realm expert?

She feared that bringing it forth would immediately arouse Lin Yang's suspicion.

However, Lin Yang clearly treated her as his true disciple; if she held back, wouldn't she be failing the Great Desolate Immortal Sect and failing Lin Yang?

Observing Lin Hongye's tangled and conflicted expression, Lin Yang shook his head and said gently:

"It's fine. Master will think of another way."

"You two go down and rest first. I have some things I need to ponder on my own."

The two of them nodded, stood up, and left the tea room.

***

Meanwhile, Lin Yang sat alone in the tea room, pondering where on earth he could possibly obtain a method to repair an Apotheosis Realm cultivator's dantian.

His current level of cultivation was strong enough to support him in seizing one by force, but the problem was: where would he seize it from? Who would he rob? Lin Yang had no clue about any of this.

After a long while, he sighed and stepped out of the tea room.

The moment he pulled open the door, a sheet of paper flew straight toward his face. Lin Yang instantly reached out and caught it.

Unfolding it, he saw it was unmistakably a medicinal formula.

Gazing at the name of the pill on the formula, Lin Yang murmured, "Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill..."

Upon reading the annotations below, his eyes instantly lit up.

This Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill was precisely the medicinal elixir capable of repairing an Apotheosis Realm cultivator's dantian.

Solemnly putting away the formula, Lin Yang turned his gaze toward Lin Hongye's immortal cave.

Though the doors of her dwelling remained tightly sealed, Lin Yang knew there was no one else it could be.

"This little girl..." Lin Yang couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, before heading toward the main sect hall.

***

Meanwhile, inside her dwelling, Lin Hongye's heart was filled with anxiety.

"I wonder if Master will suspect me... Oh well, since I've chosen to do this, there's no point in dwelling on it. At the very least, I have lived up to Master's nurturing and guidance."

With that, she shook her head, pushed the distracting thoughts away, and began to cultivate.

After more than half a year of combat on the battlefield, Lin Hongye's cultivation had made tremendous progress.

She had advanced from the early Golden Core stage to her current peak of the Golden Core stage.

As for the Nascent Soul stage, it was no longer far out of her reach.

***

Arriving at the main hall of the sect, Lin Yang found it entirely empty; Zhang Xianfeng was not inside.

Seeing this, he left the hall and asked a passing handyman sweeping the floor:

"Brother, have you seen where the Sect Master went?"

The handyman disciple looked up in bewilderment, but upon seeing that it was Lin Yang, his bewildered expression instantly transformed into one of fanatical reverence.

"Peak Master Lin! It's you!"

Ever since Lin Yang had slaughtered tens of thousands of Blood-Sanguine Demonic Sect disciples on the battlefield, his name had spread throughout the entire Great Desolate Immortal Sect.

From that day onward, the good-for-nothing Qi Condensation third-layer peak master of the Crimson Sun Peak was no more; in his place stood the peak Apotheosis Realm expert and supreme powerhouse of the Great Desolate Immortal Sect, Lin Yang.

***

Faced with the fanatical outer sect handyman, Lin Yang gave an awkward smile and continued to ask:

"Little brother, the Sect Master isn't inside the main hall. Do you happen to know where he went?"

The outer sect handyman nodded and immediately explained to Lin Yang:

"As soon as the Sect Master returned, he went straight to the back mountain. If Peak Master Lin wishes to find him, you can go check the back mountain."

"Alright, thank you." With those words, Lin Yang summoned his sword and flew directly toward the back mountain.

Watching him go, the outer sect handyman gazed at Lin Yang with a look of pure envy and sighed:

"Ah, if only I had Peak Master Lin's strength, even a tenth of it would be enough."

***

Flying to the back mountain, Lin Yang discovered Zhang Xianfeng standing quietly, gazing into the distance.

He landed on the ground and called out to Zhang Xianfeng:

"Sect Master, what brings you here?"

Without turning his head, Zhang Xianfeng replied calmly: "Xiaoyang, look into the distance. Can you see anything?"

Following Zhang Xianfeng's gaze, Lin Yang looked ahead and abruptly realized that right across from the back mountain lay the sect's Hall of Fallen Heroes.

In the cemetery outside the Hall of Fallen Heroes stood dense, countless rows of gravestones. The sight left a bitter feeling in Lin Yang's chest.

At that moment, he sighed and said in a desolate tone: "If I had gone to the battlefield a little earlier, perhaps I could have saved a few more lives."

By now, Lin Yang no longer opposed war, for he knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, and someone had to shoulder the burden.

Thus, all he could do was protect the people he wished to protect, rather than blindly opposing war itself.

Hearing this, Zhang Xianfeng sighed and shook his head.

"It is not your fault. As you said yourself, you merely did what you wished to do."

"If you were to burden yourself with all these responsibilities, it would run counter to your original intent."

Zhang Xianfeng's tone at that moment was gentle and warm, resembling an aged man nearing the end of his days.

Sensing that something was amiss, Lin Yang spoke softly: "Sect Master, the wind is strong here. Let's head back."