Chapter 709: Entering the Great Thousand World, Meeting Xiao Yan
Within the main hall of the Lin Clan.
Seated at the head was Lin Langtian, and resting in his palm was a palm‑sized, chaotic light embryo.
The light embryo seemed to pulse faintly, and with each of its beats, it was as if the hearts of countless living beings in this world beat along with it.
It was none other than the Plane Seed.
Inside the Plane Seed, three small frost‑white shadows could be seen. They were precisely the three experts from the Northern Region Leng Clan of the Great Thousand World.
In the battle earlier, Lin Langtian had relied on his status as Plane Master and the might of his Supreme Demonic Body to defeat and suppress Leng Feng, then used the Plane Seed to trap all three inside.
Thinking of the information he had forced from their mouths, Lin Langtian's lips pressed together slightly. He then raised his head to look at Lin Dong, Qingtan, and the others below and said slowly:
"From what was forced out of Leng Feng, the Northern Region Leng Clan did indeed wish to find Qingtan, but their intentions are far from pure."
"Oh? Brother Langtian, what exactly does the Northern Region Leng Clan have in mind by taking Qingtan back?" Lin Dong's expression darkened when he heard this, and he quickly asked.
In Lin Dong's heart, Qingtan—the girl who had followed behind him since childhood—had long been his real younger sister. Even his parents had treated Qingtan as their own daughter.
For the Lin family, Qingtan was already an inseparable part of them.
As for her origins, the Lin family did not really care. If the Northern Region Leng Clan sincerely wished to reclaim her, Lin Dong would not oppose her acknowledging her ancestry.
But if they harbored ill intent, then no matter how powerful the Leng Clan was in the Great Thousand World, Lin Dong would never let them harm his family.
Seeing Lin Dong's dark expression, Lin Langtian fully understood his feelings. He glanced at Qingtan, who was biting her lip in silence, and said in a low voice:
"According to Leng Feng, since the death of the previous patriarch, the Northern Region Leng Clan has been gradually declining. They planned to attach themselves to a certain great power of the Great Thousand World—the Desert North Wu Clan—and decided on a marriage alliance.
"But the current patriarch of the Leng Clan has no daughter, so he thought of Qingtan. Qingtan's true identity is indeed as Leng Feng claimed: she is the daughter of the previous Leng Clan patriarch.
"More than twenty years ago, the Leng Clan was ambushed by a powerful enemy. The patriarch and his wife died on the spot, and their newborn daughter vanished without a trace."
At this point, Lin Langtian's gaze drifted to Qingtan. Her delicate face was taut, her expression heavy, and the normally bright light in her beautiful eyes had turned deeply complicated.
She knew very well that the newborn daughter in his story was herself, and the patriarch and his wife who died in that attack were her birth parents.
Although Qingtan had never seen her real parents and had long considered Lin Dong's parents to be her own, they were still the ones who had brought her into the world. Hearing of their deaths now, she could hardly remain unmoved. Her heart was tangled with emotion.
Beside her, Ying Huanhuan gently pulled Qingtan into her arms, a look of pity in her ice‑blue eyes.
She had not expected Qingtan's background to be so tragic.
"Damn that Northern Region Leng Clan, using their own niece as a chess piece to bargain for the clan's interests." Lin Dong's fists clenched hard as his face turned gloomy.
His precious little sister being reduced to a mere pawn in a marriage alliance? There was no way he would ever accept that.
Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed, a sharp light flashing within. In his own heart, he had long regarded Qingtan as his adopted sister. The Leng Clan's scheme had touched his reverse scale as well.
His gaze swept to the three shadows within the Plane Seed, and a trace of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
In the end, though, he forced it down. From Leng Feng's account, the Northern Region Leng Clan might not be a top‑tier power, but they still had an Earth Supreme overseeing them.
With Lin Langtian's present strength and his status as Plane Master, he could handle any Supreme below Sixth Grade, but a High‑Grade Supreme would be very difficult.
As for an Earth Supreme, he could not contend at all. At that level, one's words reshaped reality; they were truly stepping into the ranks of the Great Thousand World's real peak experts.
Rather than killing these three and tipping his hand, it was better to keep them confined so the Leng Clan would not sense that anything was wrong and send more forces his way.
As Lin Langtian weighed all this, Lin Dong had clearly also thought it through. He looked at Lin Langtian, his expression grave. "Brother Langtian, since the Leng Clan has already found us, even if we beat them back this time, they might send stronger people next time. What are we going to do then?"
At his words, everyone in the hall turned their eyes toward Lin Langtian, faces solemn.
As much as they disliked these sudden visitors from the Great Thousand World, they had to admit that world truly was the center of all planes. Even an ordinary expert from there was an opponent they could not take lightly.
If not for Lin Langtian, neither the Demonic Emperor nor this Leng Clan task force would have been something they could resist.
Knowing this only made them feel more urgency. The Tianxuan Continent was simply too weak. Without sufficient strength, they were nothing but a fat morsel for others to devour.
"Leng Feng said the Leng Clan gave them five years to find Qingtan. There are still three years until they are due to report back.
"In other words, during those three years, the Leng Clan likely won't send anyone else." Lin Langtian recalled his interrogation calmly.
After capturing the three, he had split them up for questioning to avoid collusion and cross‑checked their answers. At first, each tried to mix truth with lies.
Only after he had put them through a proper ordeal did they begin to honestly answer his questions. Comparing their accounts, he extracted a good deal of useful information.
Among that were the details of Qingtan's origins, their mission, and the Leng Clan's strength.
It was from Leng Feng that he had learned of the Earth Supreme overseeing the Leng Clan.
"Three years…" Everyone fell silent at the number, their expressions heavy.
Having just endured the demonic calamity, none of them wanted outsiders disturbing the Tianxuan Continent's fragile peace. But this was a world governed by the law of the jungle; nothing would bend to their wishes.
Three years from now, if the Leng Clan discovered something amiss, the ones who came next would likely be even stronger.
The thought darkened their faces. The tree might wish for calm, but the wind would not cease. To gain true peace, they needed strength—and far more of it.
"Brother Langtian, why don't I return with Leng Feng and the others?" Qingtan bit down on her lip. "If I am truly the Leng Clan's Third Young Miss and they intend to marry me off, they shouldn't harm me directly."
She had not expected her origins to be so complicated. Qingtan had no desire to drag the Lin Clan—or the entire Tianxuan Continent—into disaster on her account.
If sacrificing herself would end the matter, she was prepared to return to the Leng Clan alone.
As for the marriage alliance, she would never willingly marry a stranger.
If it came to that, and there was no way out, Qingtan knew what path she would choose. The thought made her heart ache.
"Qingtan, after all these years, do you still not understand your brother's and my temper? How could we abandon you and let you walk alone into some strange Leng Clan to be married off?
"Besides, even if you did go back, the location of the Tianxuan Continent has been exposed. To a force like that, a whole lower plane is enormously valuable. You go home in the front door, and they'll be mobilizing troops to attack us out the back." Lin Langtian shook his head.
Lower planes might be weak and barren by comparison, but even for the Great Thousand World, some of the opportunities and resources hidden within were deeply attractive.
Lin Langtian was certain the Leng Clan would not pass up such a chance if they knew of this world.
"Then what can we do, Brother Langtian?" Lin Dong rubbed Qingtan's head gently, then pursed his lips and turned to Lin Langtian.
To everyone present, Lin Langtian was not only patriarch of the Lin Clan, but Plane Master of the Tianxuan Continent—the backbone they all leaned on.
At the question, Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed, then grew firm. "There's only one way. If we want to control our own destiny and protect those dear to us, we must become stronger—strong enough to hold everything in our hands."
"Become stronger…"
Everyone repeated his words softly before their eyes lit with resolve.
They might already stand atop the Tianxuan Continent, but in the face of experts from the Great Thousand World, they were like toddlers just learning to walk.
Yet that did not make them despair. On the contrary, their blood surged. As heaven's chosen, they burned with unyielding determination to climb higher.
Lin Langtian suddenly rose to his feet, as if his gaze pierced the hall to the distant void beyond.
"To grow stronger, I've decided that in half a month, I'll depart for the Great Thousand World. I must be strong enough in three years to stand against the Leng Clan."
…
With the threat of the Northern Region Leng Clan looming, Lin Langtian chose to abandon the comfortable peace of the Tianxuan Continent early and travel to the Great Thousand World in search of greater strength.
The resources of a lower plane could not compare to those of the great central world of all planes. Only there could he find what he needed to advance further.
For this journey, he would not bring many people. Only Lin Dong, now an Ancestor, would accompany him.
For the half‑month before their departure, Lin Langtian stayed close to Ling Qingzhu, Tang Xinlian, and Ying Xiaoxiao. He had just married them, yet now he would leave to wander a foreign world. It was an undeniable guilt in his heart.
Fortunately, all three women understood the stakes. Not only did they not blame him, they even comforted him instead.
One dark night, they even gave him a "surprise," granting him the blessing of sharing one bed with all three.
For women as proud as they were, such a concession was no small thing. To Lin Langtian, this was bliss beyond compare.
Half a month later, at the back mountain of the Lin Clan.
Lin Langtian and Lin Dong hovered in midair. On the cliff's edge, Ling Qingzhu, Tang Xinlian, Ying Xiaoxiao, Ying Huanhuan, Qingtan, Little Marten, and others were all present.
They raised their eyes to see the sky slowly tear open, forming a rift identical to the gigantic tear between planes that had once appeared beyond the void.
Lin Langtian and Lin Dong exchanged a glance, a mixture of gravity and anticipation in their eyes.
Solemn at what lay ahead, yet eager for the Great Thousand World.
"Brothers, once we cross into the Ancestor Realm, you'll have to take us there too!" Jin Wu and Little Flame waved and shouted.
"Haha, of course. Let us go and scout things out first!" Lin Langtian and Lin Dong laughed in reply, then waved to everyone one last time and stepped into the rift without hesitation.
…
Plane travel.
A streak of radiance crossed the void, and within that rainbow of light, two figures flickered in and out—they were Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
They had been traveling between planes for nearly a month.
Guided by Aunt Ling, the two had avoided losing their way in that endless expanse.
Suddenly, Lin Langtian's expression shifted and his speed slowed. He peered into the far distance as the Eye of the Plane blossomed between his brows.
His gaze pierced the mist of the planes, and there, far away, he saw three silhouettes.
It was a group of one man and two women, clearly a couple with an extra companion.
The man at their center wore black robes, a massive black ruler strapped to his back. From his body, Lin Langtian sensed an extreme, blazing heat.
As Lin Langtian looked at him through the mists between planes, the black‑robed man seemed to sense something as well. He lifted his head, dark eyes turning toward Lin Langtian's direction, and a warm smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands in greeting across the distance.
Lin Langtian blinked, then the corners of his lips curved upward.
"Oh? So it's the Flame Emperor, Xiao Yan…"
(END CHAPTER)
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