C24 Ling Ji's Thoughts

A mysterious force of Astral Power gently flowed into Ling Ji's forehead, gradually rousing her from unconsciousness.

"You..."

With a look of fear, Ling Ji gazed at Xing Yun, her body quaking. In a quivering voice, she asked, "Was that immense dragon... your Martial Spirit?"

She had sensed Xing Yun's breakthrough to the Awakened Soul Realm, but such a formidable Martial Spirit was beyond anything she had ever encountered.

In the Infinite Cosmos, every being, including humanoid demons and monsters, possessed their own Martial Spirits, each with varying grades that determined their potential.

Legend had it that the emergence of a Rank Nine Martial Spirit would be marked by extraordinary phenomena, and its bearer could effortlessly challenge those of higher levels. Yet, Rank Nine Martial Spirits were exceedingly rare.

Ling Ji was convinced that Xing Yun's Martial Spirit was an unheard-of Rank Nine, the only explanation for why the soul of a God-Emperor Realm powerhouse would shudder.

"Indeed!" Xing Yun declared with confidence.

The Voidwyrm, as Xing Yun's memories revealed, was the first Primeval Dragon born at the dawn of creation, when the cosmos was still a formless void.

Xing Yun had endured countless fierce battles, his Martial Spirit evolving ceaselessly. Finally, upon reaching the Voidlands and becoming one with them, he awakened the Voidwyrm.

No one but Xing Yun understood the true nature of the Voidwyrm.

"A Rank Nine Martial Spirit?" Ling Ji couldn't help but inquire.

"It transcends all grades," Xing Yun replied, shaking his head dismissively.

What was a Rank Nine Martial Spirit compared to this?

Xing Yun kept his thoughts to himself, knowing that no matter how astonished Ling Ji was, she would be familiar with the legends of Rank Nine Martial Spirits and would find his claim unbelievable.

"No grade... How can that be?" Ling Ji was astounded.

Xing Yun offered a reassuring smile. "Now, you should realize that I, Xing Yun, never make empty boasts. When I say I can elevate you to the Exalted Realm, rest assured, it will happen. If you choose to follow me now, I can restore you to your prime much sooner. You could become one of my esteemed elders."

Ling Ji's heart quivered with emotion as she looked at Xing Yun, her face a tapestry of complex feelings. Ultimately, she shook her head and replied, "I'm sorry, but I cannot pledge my allegiance to you..."

"Is the Exalted Realm truly less significant to you than your own principles?" Xing Yun expressed his curiosity for the first time.

Gathering her courage, Ling Ji explained, "Just as you faced Xiao Ying in the Awakened Soul state without fear, you've said that it was your martial path. After much thought, I've realized that my principles are my martial path as well..."

Xing Yun's robust laughter echoed through the Voidlands, sending Ling Ji's heart into a flutter.

Xing Yun crouched down, gazing at Ling Ji with a smile. "I have great respect for warriors with steadfast martial paths. I maintain what I've said before—I won't coerce you. One day, you'll see me in a new light and willingly acknowledge my strength."

Ling Ji remained silent, unable to dismiss her belief in him, yet she was burdened with a vendetta steeped in blood.

To devote herself to Xing Yun, who showed no regard for Gu Yan's death, would be an act of betrayal. To seek his help in avenging Gu Yan, only to then take her own life, would be unjust to Xing Yun.

She was caught between a rock and a hard place!

Xing Yun regarded Ling Ji with a serious tone, "I understand you have your own narrative, and I hope that one day you'll share it with me. But everything hinges on one condition: I will never pressure you."

With those words, Xing Yun vanished from sight.

Looking up at the heavens, Xing Yun spread his arms wide, feeling the spiritual energy of the world more abundant than before, and he took a deep breath.

The awakening of the Voidwyrm had sparked a resurgence of spiritual energy across the Infinite Cosmos!

This meant that many warriors would seize this opportunity to push past their limits with a high likelihood of success.

"Being reborn here brings an indescribable sensation that's even more profound than before," Xing Yun mused to himself, then reflected more deeply.

Solitude.

In his past life, Xing Yun was the God-Emperor of the Infinite Cosmos, revered by all. Even his most loyal disciples kept their distance out of respect.

Now, reborn with "no kin in sight," Xing Yun felt the sting of loneliness that even the mightiest cannot escape.

Fortunately, Ling Ji, a principled individual, would occasionally engage in conversation with him. This provided Xing Yun with some relief from his boredom, despite the fact that they were fundamentally different people. Sadly, it seemed unlikely that anyone in the world could truly grasp the complexity of Xing Yun's thoughts and become his confidant.

Upon reaching the Awakened Soul Realm, Xing Yun's senses expanded to envelop the entire forest and valley, revealing a noticeable absence of Hellbeasts in the vicinity. The few that remained were inexplicably sprinting westward. "The Beast Tide has dispersed, but why have they suddenly changed course after halting?" Xing Yun wondered, as he hastened west.

Had Lee Xiao'er not been present, Xing Yun could have retreated to the Voidlands to break through to the Awakened Soul Realm without the need to rely on the Hellbeast army. He could have awakened the Voidwyrm, causing the disturbance that would have scattered the Beast Tide, thereby averting the crisis in Grimgarth. Yet, the Hellbeasts' reckless dash to the west, following a brief pause, indicated that something extraordinary must have occurred there. There had to be a treasure.

As he made his way, Xing Yun inquired of Ling Ji, "What do you know about Lee Xiao'er?" "Hmm? I'm not particularly familiar with her. Gu Yan has encountered her once because of Gu Yu, and he found her to be decent," Ling Ji replied. She was delighted that Xing Yun had initiated a conversation with her, but the mention of Lee Xiao'er stirred a hint of discomfort within her, though she responded honestly nonetheless.

"Such a naive warrior is ill-suited for handling affairs. I fear her mother and the sect might subject her to well-intentioned but misguided indoctrination," Xing Yun remarked with a sigh. "Really? Her mother wouldn't harm her, surely. The Order of the Celestial Veil is, after all, a reputable and upright sect," Ling Ji mused.

Yet, this was a common attitude among the sects of the Infinite Cosmos: they were concerned only with their positions, not with notions of right and wrong, and power was the arbiter of truth.

Xing Yun scoffed at the thought. "A reputable and upright sect? With her capabilities, quelling the Beast Tide would have been effortless. Yet, she only managed to eliminate a fraction of the Hellbeasts pursuing her daughter. How can they claim such a title with any legitimacy?"

Ling Ji was at a loss for words.

She was well aware that even if Grimgarth wasn't Xing Yun's domain, merely a small city he happened to pass through, he might still offer assistance.

On the other hand, someone like Xiao Ying only looked out for their own interests and, in reality, had no concern for the lives of those they deemed insignificant.

The more influential individuals often liked to present themselves in a certain light, yet there were far too few who genuinely acted for the greater good.

Xing Yun, however, had never made pretentious claims about caring for the common folk, nor had she ever attempted to save Grimgarth with a grandiose display of righteousness. Ling Ji was quite certain that Xing Yun wouldn't even bother to mention this incident to her subordinates upon her return.

The only ones who truly knew of Xing Yun's actions were her, this lingering soul, and Lee Xiao'er.

With this realization, Ling Ji felt her inexplicable jealousy toward Lee Xiao'er fade significantly.

Xing Yun wove his way through the dense forests and valleys, quickly noticing that the number of Hellbeasts on the outskirts was increasing. Deeper in, the lower-tier Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, second-tier creatures like the Stone Rhino, Stormblade Wolf King, and Rock Wolf King appeared in swarms, each group numbering over five hundred!

Faced with such a formidable force of Hellbeasts, should a massive tide surge eastward, the ordinary warriors of Grimgarth would stand no chance of defense.

"These pretenders! I, Xing Yun, am determined to stand against them!" Xing Yun's expression turned icy.

Clearly, dispatching a formidable expert like Xiao Ying could easily crush these Hellbeasts, yet for centuries, Grimgarth had periodically suffered from beast tides.

Undoubtedly, these so-called noble sects, basking in the adoration and sustenance provided by ordinary warriors and civilians, placed their interests far above the lives of the common people. The benefits they reaped from the Hellbeasts far outweighed any concern for the populace.

Despite the Infinite Cosmos evolving over tens of thousands of years, the greed and arrogance of the human heart remained the same.

But Xing Yun had no time to dwell on these hypocrites. He was already strategizing, preparing to first tame a number of second-tier Hellbeasts before venturing into the heart of the Demonic Spine to the west to uncover the truth.

After searching for fifteen minutes, Xing Yun finally located the ideal spot: a valley inhabited by sixty stone rhinoceroses. A river snaked through the valley from east to west, flanked by dense forests on both sides, offering a significant tactical advantage to Xing Yun's wolf tribe forces.

These stone rhinoceroses were the least numerous and thus the least risky to subdue. Xing Yun couldn't rely on martial skills to defeat them; instead, he had to depend on the strength of his wolf tribe and his own physical prowess.

The rhinoceroses were making their way westward, but their progress was severely hindered by the dense forest, slowing them down considerably. Eventually, they became so agitated that they charged through the forest, crashing into trees in their path.

It was at this moment that Xing Yun burst from the underbrush, longsword in hand, and plunged it into the rear of a stone rhinoceros. The creature bellowed in pain and turned its bull head to launch a rocky torrent at Xing Yun, who nimbly sidestepped the attack using Phantom Step.

Now at the first tier of the Awakened Soul Realm, Xing Yun had the potential to ascend to even higher levels at will. He had become intimately familiar with his body's capabilities, and after rigorous training with Astral Power, he was significantly more powerful than the average warrior at his level.

The stone rhinoceros, enraged by the failed attack and bleeding from its wound, charged at Xing Yun, ready to gore him with its horn. But Xing Yun didn't back down; he advanced and positioned himself right in front of the beast before unleashing a left hook.

"Boom!"

The impact resounded as the several-ton stone rhinoceros was launched into the air by Xing Yun's punch, crashing to the ground, unable to get up.

The stone rhinoceros, renowned for its brute strength, had been sent flying by a mere human youth at the Awakened Soul Realm—a feat that left Ling Ji, who had been feeling quite downcast, utterly astonished.

Typically, a warrior at the first level of the Awakened Soul Realm might possess the strength of three thousand kilograms in their punch. But to send a stone rhinoceros flying effortlessly? That was something not even a warrior at the pinnacle of the Awakened Soul Realm could easily achieve.

Upon realizing that a human had dispatched one of their own, the stone rhinoceros herd let out an earth-shattering roar that echoed throughout the entire valley. In a frenzied response, all the stone rhinoceroses charged toward Xing Yun.

Without hesitation, Xing Yun deployed the Wolf Tribe's forces. The Greedy Wolf, leading seven Rock Wolf Kings and four thousand Rock Wolves, along with seven Stormblade Wolf Kings commanding three thousand Stormblade Wolves, materialized behind Xing Yun. Together, they surged forward and encircled the stone rhinoceros herd.

"Nine thousand Hellbeasts released at once?" Ling Ji gasped, her hand delicately covering her lips in astonishment.

Caught off guard by the abrupt turn of events, the stone rhinoceroses were thrown into disarray. They began to desperately ram into Xing Yun's forces, attempting to break through the encirclement to the west.

Xing Yun promptly issued his command: "Take them alive!"