Chapter 677: The Desolate Lord and the Taishang Induction Art
After temporarily taking over this small squad from the Flame God Temple, Lin Langtian and his group, moving at their speed, entered the Heavenly Wind Sea Region in just a few short hours.
Upon entering the Heavenly Wind Sea Region, Lin Langtian noticed that the fluctuations of demonic qi between heaven and earth abruptly grew much stronger, and even over the surface of the sea there were howling gloomy winds.
After advancing for another half an hour, Lin Langtian's figure gradually slowed, his slightly solemn gaze fixed on the front.
At the edge of the sea, a boundless torrent of demonic qi surged, and layers of demonic clouds spread across the sky.
Countless sharp, piercing howls rang out endlessly. That terrifying demonic qi caused the previously calm sea to churn with one towering wave after another.
Lin Langtian's line of sight pierced through that great Yimo army until, in the deepest region, an island entered his view. Outside that island, a dark yellow energy barrier was wrapped around it.
Looking through the energy barrier, one could vaguely make out an ancient stone tower looming indistinctly on the island.
That was the Desolate Tower.
The place where the Desolate Lord resided.
Upon seeing this, Lin Langtian waved his hand, then led Ling Qingzhu and the Flame God Temple squad through the energy barrier, darting into Martial Gathering Island.
"Who goes there?!"
Lin Langtian and the others' sudden arrival on Martial Gathering Island immediately provoked an intense response from the native powers stationed there, and several dozen sounds of whistling wind rushed toward them.
All of these newcomers had strong auras, and several of them even possessed the strength of the Reincarnation Stage. They looked at Lin Langtian's group with faces full of vigilance and hostility.
With the Yimo army pressing upon them, they were naturally on guard against these unfamiliar auras.
"Hmph, the Flame God Temple is handling official business, do not delay us!"
At that moment, the captain of the small Flame God Temple squad took a step forward and looked coldly at the many leaders of the top factions in the Heavenly Wind Sea Region.
Although he only had the strength of the Death Profound Stage, the innate pride of a member of the Flame God Temple was engraved in his bones. Even in front of Reincarnation Stage experts, he still acted from a superior position.
"The Flame God Temple?"
At these words, the leaders of the various factions looked at each other, and a trace of dread surfaced in their expressions.
As the overlord of the Chaotic Demon Sea, the might of the Flame God Temple was not something just anyone could offend, and the uniforms on this small squad were indeed those of the Flame God Temple.
"Who knows if you are really from the Flame God Temple and not impostors—spies sent by the Yimo?!"
Just as everyone was still trying to determine their true identity, a black-robed elder suddenly narrowed his eyes and spoke in an icy voice.
"Noise."
Seeing this group dragging their feet, Lin Langtian's gaze turned cold. He flicked his finger, and a gust of force shot out.
In the next instant, the black-robed elder's body jolted violently. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his lips as he was sent flying in a wretched arc.
The others around them gasped sharply. One had to know that this man was the patriarch of the Wei Family of the Heavenly Wind Sea Region, and had broken through to the Reincarnation Stage just last year!
"You!" The experts of the Wei Family roared in anger upon seeing their patriarch attacked.
However, before they could shout in rebuke, Lin Langtian took a single step forward. A terrifying aura swept out, covering the entire island.
The pressure generated by that aura instantly silenced the previously noisy island.
"Reincarnation Stage?!"
On the island, the leaders from every faction in the Heavenly Wind Sea Region trembled, their eyes filled with shock as they stared at that young figure.
Th-this was actually a peak Reincarnation Stage expert?!
After intimidating the crowd, Lin Langtian and Ling Qingzhu gave a few brief instructions, then did not linger. Silver light flashed around Lin Langtian's body as he appeared before the Desolate Tower, and then he charged straight into the topmost floor of the tower.
When Lin Langtian entered that uppermost floor, his eyes were met by an ocean of purple-gold. The purple-gold energy, vast and violent, permeated every corner of this space.
Lin Langtian swept his gaze over this purple-gold domain, then his figure flashed as he sped toward the center, where he could sense an ancient and mighty aura condensing.
After a few brief minutes, Lin Langtian's flickering figure came to a halt, and he looked ahead. There, sparkling purple-gold light spray scattered in all directions.
At the center of that radiance, a giant roughly a thousand zhang tall sat in meditation. The ocean-like purple-gold energy endlessly streamed into his body with each breath.
The giant's body was purple-gold. His skin appeared exceptionally rough, yet under that roughness, there was a kind of indescribable toughness.
Clearly, this purple-gold giant was one of the Eight Ancient Masters, the Desolate Lord, and also the person with the strongest physical body in this world!
"Desolate Lord."
Lin Langtian's body floated in front of the purple-gold giant, and compared to the latter, he seemed as insignificant as an ant.
Buzz!
Boundless purple-gold light suddenly surged from the giant's body, and then his tightly shut eyes slowly opened. Two rays of purple-gold light shot forth, completely enveloping Lin Langtian.
As his gaze locked onto Lin Langtian, a powerful pressure also shrouded him.
Roar!
A thunderous dragon's cry and Kun's roar abruptly erupted from within Lin Langtian's body. Confronted with such pressure, dazzling golden light swept out from his form, and then behind him, it transformed into a golden Dragon Kun a thousand zhang in length.
"The Northern Sea Dragon Kun?"
Seeing that golden Dragon Kun, the giant finally spoke. His somewhat surprised voice boomed like thunder, making the entire space tremble.
"Junior Lin Langtian pays his respects to the Desolate Lord." Lin Langtian cupped his fists toward the Desolate Lord and spoke in a loud voice.
"So you are Lin Langtian? The Flame Master has already told me about you. You are indeed somewhat different from the rest." The Desolate Lord smiled.
Lin Langtian nodded slightly. He could feel how formidable the Desolate Lord was, though his aura was somewhat stagnant, clearly due to his injuries having yet to fully recover.
"This time, I am afraid I must trouble you. My injuries are at the most crucial stage of recovery. I only need five more days to fully recover."
"However, I suspect the fellows from the Demonic Prison will not allow me to recover so easily. So, during these five days, I hope you can defend this island." The Desolate Lord also cupped his fists.
"Since I have accepted the Flame Master's commission, I will naturally do my best to protect it." Lin Langtian nodded.
The Desolate Lord smiled, his gaze turning somewhat peculiar as he looked at Lin Langtian. He seemed about to speak but ultimately did not. Evidently, he too had heard about Lin Langtian copying the Ancestral Symbol and merging the power of the Yimo.
This matter was too bizarre. When he had first heard of it, even the Desolate Lord had been extremely shocked.
"This time, a King Hall will surely make an appearance. Will you be able to handle it?" the Desolate Lord asked.
Lin Langtian smiled faintly and nodded lightly. With his current strength, as long as it was not a King Hall expert who had endured tribulation three times in the Reincarnation Stage, he would not feel the slightest fear.
And even against an opponent who had crossed three Reincarnation Tribulations, he might not be without the power to fight.
"In that case, I will have to thank you for your protection."
The Desolate Lord fixed his gaze on Lin Langtian, then said with deep meaning, "I am quite looking forward to seeing how capable a person who can fuse the Ancestral Symbol and Yimo powers truly is."
…
After exchanging a few words with the Desolate Lord, Lin Langtian did not linger inside the Desolate Tower. At this moment, the Desolate Lord was at a crucial stage in his recovery, and it was best to let him recuperate in peace.
When Lin Langtian left the Desolate Tower, he saw that the island was in an uproar. All over the island, silhouettes flitted about like locusts, and shouts and orders rang out from every direction.
Yet under these many shouts, the previously chaotic situation on the island began to take on an orderly pattern. The forces from every side gathered together, and compared to the previous state of complete confusion, things had improved considerably.
In a lofty pavilion, Ling Qingzhu's eyes were fixed on the scene below as she calmly directed the Flame God Temple squad to restore order on Martial Gathering Island.
As the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, Ling Qingzhu might not favor mundane affairs, but that did not mean she lacked the methods to govern a territory.
Seeing this, Lin Langtian also nodded. Ling Qingzhu truly was his virtuous helper.
Lin Langtian's figure then moved as he landed at the pavilion. The many leaders from the Heavenly Wind Sea Region hurriedly came forward to receive him.
"Did you see the Desolate Lord?" Ling Qingzhu's beautiful eyes looked at Lin Langtian as she asked softly.
"Yes." Lin Langtian nodded and said, "I'm afraid we'll have to defend Martial Gathering Island for five days."
"The Desolate Lord? Lord Lin Langtian, what is going on?" The others were confused, and one of the faction leaders finally could not help asking.
After the earlier introduction from the Flame God Temple squad, they had already learned the identity of this young man in green, who was none other than the peerless genius Lin Langtian, who had risen to fame in the Thunder Battle Competition a little over a year ago.
Although they did not know how Lin Langtian had managed to advance to the Reincarnation Stage in just over a year, once they understood his background, they felt considerably more at ease.
"The one in the Desolate Tower is one of the Eight Ancient Masters, the Desolate Lord. As long as we can hold out here for five days, he will emerge from seclusion, and by then, our crisis will naturally be resolved." Lin Langtian smiled. Since the Desolate Lord would soon appear, there was no need to hide it.
"The Eight Ancient Masters…"
Upon hearing this, some people looked confused, while others were completely stunned.
Clearly, some of them had heard of that peak expert from the ancient era, but none of them had imagined that such a renowned existence would actually be inside the Desolate Tower.
"Everyone, Martial Gathering Island is now under siege. For these five days, we are all in the same boat. I hope that we can work together and see this through; otherwise, no one may escape." Lin Langtian's gaze swept across everyone as he spoke slowly.
"Yes!"
Feeling the weight of that gaze, everyone's hearts trembled slightly, and they responded with a hint of reverence. They had already been filled with despair from being trapped here.
Yet now, Lin Langtian's appearance had given them hope. To seize this sliver of hope, they would naturally give it their all.
Lin Langtian waved his hand, and the crowd dispersed. As the people gradually left, only he and Ling Qingzhu remained in the pavilion.
"These five days… will probably not be easy." Ling Qingzhu slowly walked over and looked at Lin Langtian as she spoke.
She was not someone with a narrow view and could tell this matter would not proceed so smoothly.
After all, the Desolate Lord was on the verge of regaining his peak strength. Once he recovered, he would become an enormous problem for the Demonic Prison. There was no way the Demonic Prison would let this opportunity slip by.
"When soldiers come, we block them; when water arrives, we use earth to stop it. Let the Demonic Prison come as it pleases." Lin Langtian replied with a faint smile.
Seeing his calm and composed bearing, Ling Qingzhu's beautiful eyes flickered slightly. Then she bit her red lips gently with her silver teeth and said, "Do you know about the 'Taishang Induction Art'?"
Lin Langtian paused for a moment at this question, then pondered. "I have heard a bit about it. It is the supreme art that only the Palace Masters of your Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace can cultivate, right?"
"Yes." Ling Qingzhu nodded slightly, emotions flitting through her eyes. At last, she fixed them on Lin Langtian and said, "Do you want to learn this Taishang Induction Art?"
Hearing this, Lin Langtian was taken aback. Did he want to learn the Taishang Induction Art?
To be honest, Lin Langtian himself was not sure. He walked a path entirely different from Lin Dong's. Moreover, the Taishang Induction Art was a hidden chess piece left behind by the Symbol Ancestor. Lin Langtian did not know what kind of chain reaction his cultivation of it might trigger.
Thinking of this, he also turned his gaze to Ling Qingzhu and said, "I will respect your choice. If you choose to teach me, then I will learn it. If you do not wish to, then I will not."
Upon hearing this, Ling Qingzhu's clear eyes quietly studied Lin Langtian for a moment. Then, her lips slowly curved into a stunning smile as she gently said, "In that case, it will depend on my mood."
Without waiting for Lin Langtian's reply, she turned and walked out of the pavilion. Lin Langtian watched her departing figure and shook his head with a smile.
If his memory was correct, learning the Taishang Induction Art required…
…
As Lin Langtian and Ling Qingzhu's affection continued to grow closer and deeper, the Yimo attacks outside the island grew ever more ferocious.
The overwhelming demonic qi crashed again and again into the dark yellow energy barrier, stirring up intense ripples upon its surface.
This sight left many people drenched in cold sweat. They all knew that once the barrier broke, what followed would surely be an incredibly brutal and bloody slaughter.
Under this kind of tense waiting, time seemed to crawl by agonizingly slowly, making countless experts on the island feel as though every day was as long as a year.
For the first time, they realized just how unbearable such a short period of five days could be.
As time drifted on to the fourth day, the atmosphere on the island became even more taut, because the protective energy barrier in the sky was now reduced to a mere paper-thin layer.
On a stone peak in the island's center, Lin Langtian and Ling Qingzhu quietly leaned against one another. Lin Langtian stared at the barrier in the sky, and the look in his dark eyes grew much sharper.
His gaze shifted to the layers of demonic clouds outside the island. Somewhere within them, one of the King Halls of the Demonic Prison was surely lurking.
Buzz, buzz!
A strange sound suddenly came from the sky above as demonic qi surged.
Countless pairs of eyes instantly turned upward, and they saw that the energy barrier in the sky was now slowly spreading with one crack after another.
Lin Langtian also rose to his feet, the sharp light in his dark eyes beginning to condense. The terrifying aura of his body suddenly swept out in all directions.
So it was finally coming…
(END CHAPTER)
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