Chapter 683: Reunion with Tang Xinlian, Forming the Alliance
On Martial Gathering Island, with the departure of the Third King Hall and the others, this clash—easily the fiercest since the first Great War of Heaven and Earth—finally began to draw to a close.
Because of the earlier battle, Martial Gathering Island was in complete chaos, so Lin Langtian and the others went straight into the main pavilion to discuss their next steps.
However, just as they had sat down, a faint rumble of thunder echoed from the distance.
A streak of lightning flashed across the heavens, and in the next instant, the newcomer appeared within the hall.
It was none other than the Thunder Master.
At his side were three others. Seeing them, Lin Langtian could not help but smile slightly.
The three who had rushed over from the East Xuan Region were Lin Dong, Ying Huanhuan, and Qing Tan.
"Junior Sister, you're here?" When they saw Ying Huanhuan, the Flame Master, the Desolate Lord, and the Master of Space all rose with a smile.
Although Ying Huanhuan ranked last among the Eight Ancient Masters, she was actually the strongest of them and the Symbol Ancestor's most favored disciple, so her status among the Flame Master and the others was unique.
Yet in the face of their enthusiasm, Ying Huanhuan only gave a slight nod. At her side, Qing Tan was already looking toward Lin Langtian, her eyes bright, as she skipped over cheerfully.
"Brother Langtian!"
"Mm, you're here." Lin Langtian gently rubbed Qing Tan's head, then looked at Lin Dong with a smile. "You've broken through to the Reincarnation Stage?"
Lin Dong's current aura was nearly identical to his own, clearly indicating he had reached Reincarnation.
"Yes. Unfortunately, I was delayed. Otherwise, I could have fought at your side, Brother Langtian." Lin Dong said, sounding somewhat remorseful.
On the way here, he had learned of the Demonic Prison's plans and of how dangerous this battle at Martial Gathering Island had been.
But he had been at a critical moment in his breakthrough. Thankfully, Lin Langtian had stepped forward in time; otherwise, the Desolate Lord would truly have been in grave peril.
"Don't worry. We'll have plenty of chances in the future." Lin Langtian stepped forward and patted Lin Dong on the shoulder comfortingly.
While the two of them chatted, the bright sky outside suddenly darkened for an instant.
The darkness lasted no more than a single breath before Lin Langtian and the others turned their eyes toward an empty seat in the hall.
Without anyone noticing quite when, a graceful figure clad in black soft armor had appeared there, lounging casually.
The newcomer lifted a pair of unusually deep, jet-black eyes and swept them across the crowd before they came to rest on Ying Huanhuan.
A slow smile surfaced on her face as she said, "Junior Sister, it's been a while. Did you miss your senior sister?"
At the sight of her, Lin Langtian's eyebrows rose. He had never met this person, but it was not hard to guess, from her timing and presence, that she was the Master of Darkness.
Ying Huanhuan looked at the Master of Darkness, and a wave rippled through her ice-blue eyes before she replied softly, "As long as you're safe, Senior Sister, that's what matters."
"I'm not like these fools. How could I possibly have gotten myself killed?" the Master of Darkness said with a teasing smile before glancing over Lin Langtian and Lin Dong. Her gaze paused for a heartbeat on Lin Langtian, a faint glint flashing before she turned to the Flame Master. "So the Grand Evil Heavenly Demon King was rescued?"
The Flame Master nodded.
"These guys really are crafty," the Master of Space said.
"Now that they've freed the Grand Evil Heavenly Demon King, their next move will be to help the Heavenly King Hall fully recover." The Flame Master paused, frowning slightly.
"And when that Heavenly King Hall is once again at full strength, I imagine the second Great War of Heaven and Earth will truly begin."
At the mention of that name, all the Ancient Masters fell silent for a moment, a hint of dread flickering in their eyes.
Then, as if by agreement, their gazes turned toward Ying Huanhuan.
In the ancient era, only Junior Sister had been able to suppress the Heavenly King Hall.
Ying Huanhuan clenched her jade hands tightly. After a long silence, she let out a soft sigh. "Open the Ancestral Palace," her quiet voice echoed through the hall.
"What is the Ancestral Palace?" Lin Dong asked curiously.
Ying Huanhuan lifted her face, those ice-blue eyes falling on Lin Dong as she smiled and said, "It's a palace Teacher left behind. You know that above the Great Symbol Master realm, one must condense a Divine Palace, right?"
Lin Dong and Lin Langtian nodded. Once one's spiritual power reached that level, the Niwan Palace could be refined into a Divine Palace.
Normally, that was considered the peak of spiritual cultivation, the Divine Palace Realm.
However, that step was incredibly difficult. Throughout history, those who had managed to reach it could be counted on one hand.
"You intend for them to enter the Ancestral Palace to condense their Divine Palaces?" the Master of Darkness asked, glancing at Lin Dong and Lin Langtian. "That's not an easy step to take. Among all of us, only you have actually formed a Divine Palace. The rest of us are merely at the half-step Divine Palace level."
"They should be able to," Ying Huanhuan replied, pausing before explaining, "The Ancestral Palace has miraculous effects in aiding cultivation.
"When the time is right, we'll open it and allow all the Reincarnation experts in this world to enter. Normally, they'll have around a thirty percent chance of breaking through."
Lin Langtian nodded slightly. Lin Dong's lips parted as though he wanted to ask something, but seeing how many people were present, he held back.
The Flame Master cleared his throat softly and said, "By the way, when the Grand Evil Heavenly Demon King broke free, quite a few other sealed Yimo escaped with it.
"The Chaotic Demon Sea is probably a mess right now, and the Demonic Prison has no intention of reining them in. It seems the Great War of Heaven and Earth has already begun."
"In that case, we should form an alliance out in the Chaotic Demon Sea," Lin Langtian suggested.
"An alliance… it sounds good, but in practice, it won't be easy," the Desolate Lord said with a nod.
The effort needed to organize something that vast would be enormous, and they simply did not have enough time or energy.
"Hehe, we don't need to build the alliance ourselves," Lin Langtian continued. "There's already a peak power in the Chaotic Demon Sea, the Flame God Temple. Its master, Moro, wields the Flame Ancestral Symbol.
"The Flame God Temple also has substantial influence there. With it as our standard-bearer, forming an alliance shouldn't be difficult."
And once the alliance was established, no one would be better suited to handling its complicated affairs than the Fire Fairy, Tang Xinlian.
"Beyond that, there are some very ancient and powerful factions and races in the Chaotic Demon Sea. Those will require a personal approach," Lin Dong added.
"The Sea Monster clans, for example. I can visit them. Some of their great tribes owe a bit of a debt to me from long ago," the Desolate Lord said.
"In that case, we shouldn't delay. I'll set out for the Flame God Temple tomorrow," Lin Langtian said with a smile.
The others nodded in agreement.
…
The Chaotic Demon Sea, Flame God Temple.
Inside a grand hall, a fiery-red, graceful figure sat atop the main seat.
The hall was crowded and busy as messengers hurried in and out, reporting intelligence in a steady stream.
In the center, Tang Xinlian sat with effortless poise, drawing more than a few heated looks in secret.
As the Chaotic Demon Sea's situation worsened with the Yimo rampaging, orders flowed swiftly from Tang Xinlian's rosy lips.
The elders below accepted her commands and departed in quick succession, people coming and going without a hint of confusion.
"Phew…"
Only once the last person left did Tang Xinlian exhale lightly and stretch, her back arching into a sensual curve.
"Hehe, Little Tang Tang, you really are impressive. Leaving the Flame God Temple in your hands was the best decision I ever made."
On a sandalwood chair to the right, Moro watched Tang Xinlian handle everything with perfect order and laughed.
Beside him, Qing Zhi shook his head with a smile.
This guy had been lucky to find such an outstanding disciple. Without her, the Flame God Temple might have fallen apart under his management.
"Master, aren't you being a little too relaxed? If you're so free, I can give you some work to do," Tang Xinlian said coldly, grinding her teeth as she glared at the leisurely Moro.
"Didn't we agree that I only step in for big crises?" Moro replied with an awkward grin.
Tang Xinlian snorted. As the Flame God Temple expanded, Moro's role as a hands-off master had become more and more blatant.
Seeing her temper flare, he wisely chose not to provoke her further. With a glance at Qing Zhi, he tried to make a quiet escape.
Qing Zhi only chuckled, about to rise when his expression shifted slightly. "Forget it. A distinguished guest has arrived at the temple today. You'd better stay and greet them."
"A distinguished guest?"
Moro and Tang Xinlian both blinked.
Even as Qing Zhi spoke, the space in the grand hall began to twist.
Blinding silver light exploded outward, and when it faded, several figures stood in the middle of the hall.
The handsome youth at their head smiled lightly at Moro.
"You're… Lin—"
Moro stared at him in surprise, but before he could finish speaking, Tang Xinlian had already risen from the main seat, a joyful smile blooming across her face. "Langtian, what are you doing here all of a sudden?!"
"Hehe, Senior Qing Zhi, Senior Moro, Xinlian, long time no see." Lin Langtian looked at the three of them, his face breaking into a warm smile as he cupped his fists.
Moro and Qing Zhi chuckled. Their gazes then shifted curiously to the figures standing behind Lin Langtian.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Ancient Masters," Qing Zhi said with a polite smile.
His past status might never have allowed him to speak directly with them, but he was familiar enough with their legends.
"The Ancient Masters?" Moro gasped.
Though he had reached the Reincarnation Stage himself, he could not gauge their depths at all.
"As expected of the Symbol Ancestor's disciples," he thought with a hint of awe.
The Flame Master and the others returned Moro and Qing Zhi's greeting with mild, unassuming smiles.
"You brat, you've reached the Reincarnation Stage as well?" Moro suddenly exclaimed, having finally noticed Lin Langtian's aura.
"Hehe, only broke through not long ago," Lin Langtian replied.
"Tsk tsk, still such a freak. No wonder…" Moro clicked his tongue in amazement.
He had cultivated for so many years to barely reach the Reincarnation Stage last year, but Lin Langtian—who had left at the Death Profound Stage—had now caught up in such a short time.
As he spoke, he could not help glancing at Tang Xinlian out of the corner of his eye. His precious disciple indeed had good taste; the man she had set her heart on was truly exceptional.
Then his gaze drifted toward Ling Qingzhu at Lin Langtian's side. He had always been confident in his disciple's charm, yet this woman was almost her equal…
"Langtian, you really have become a Reincarnation expert?"
Tang Xinlian had also stepped down from the main seat, hurrying over. She stood in front of Lin Langtian, her beautiful eyes roaming over him with unconcealed delight.
At his side, Ling Qingzhu cast a brief glance at Tang Xinlian in her fiery-red dress, heroic yet alluring, then turned that half-smiling gaze on Lin Langtian.
After cultivating the Taishang Induction Art together, Ling Qingzhu's attachment to Lin Langtian had grown even deeper. Even her usual cool demeanor had begun to show hints of jealousy now and then.
Feeling her eyes upon him, Lin Langtian coughed lightly, nodded at Tang Xinlian, and began introducing the others behind him.
"Hehe, and to what do we owe the pleasure of such an imposing visit?" Moro finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
The guests Lin Langtian had brought were simply too formidable.
"It probably has to do with the recent Yimo chaos in the Chaotic Demon Sea," Tang Xinlian said, smiling faintly. Her smile was dazzling as she looked at Lin Langtian. "If I'm not mistaken, you're here to ask the Flame God Temple to rally the powers of the Chaotic Demon Sea and unite them against the Yimo, aren't you?"
"Hehe, sharp as ever."
Lin Langtian chuckled. "The Yimo are far from simple opponents. No single force can stop them alone.
"If we allow them to run wild, the Chaotic Demon Sea will suffer disastrous losses. That's why we hope the Flame God Temple will take the lead in forming an alliance to resist them."
"An alliance?"
Moro stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We do have some influence in the Chaotic Demon Sea, but not everyone listens to us. There are plenty of ancient and powerful factions out there."
"Don't worry, Senior Moro. Someone else will help persuade those factions," Lin Langtian said, gesturing toward the Ancient Masters behind him.
Moro hesitated briefly, then turned to Tang Xinlian with a grin. "Ask this lass. She's the temple master now."
Lin Langtian smiled. In terms of leadership, Moro was indeed no match for his own disciple, the Fire Fairy.
His gaze met Tang Xinlian's. She watched him quietly, those bright, enchanting eyes making him feel a twinge of unease.
Before he could speak, Tang Xinlian stepped closer, bringing with her a faint, intoxicating fragrance. Lifting her snow-white chin with its slight sharp curve, she shot Ling Qingzhu a quick sidelong glance, then turned back to him with a brilliant smile.
"An alliance could indeed help quell the chaos in the Chaotic Demon Sea," she said. "But it isn't an urgent matter for the Flame God Temple itself.
"So, Young Master Lin, what benefits can your side offer the Flame God Temple in return?"
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1