When the dust settled, Lin Xun stood inside the Seal of Temporal Restriction. Looking around, there were no more opponents. His dao bodies were cleaning up the trophies from the battlefield.

“Whew~” After half a day, the true form let out a long, satisfying breath. After everything, aside from the fact that the Green Wood Dao Body had been seriously injured and needed to recuperate for a while, he had incurred no other losses.

The battle with Taihao Hanwei let Lin Xun realize that even in the same Eternal Stage, not everyone's Will Dharma Form was as powerful as Taixuan’s! At the very least, he hadn't needed to use his innate talent to kill her Will Dharma Form.

A long time later, his dao bodies finished sorting out the loot. Judging from experience, nearly all of the treasures carried by peak Transcendence experts were related to the cultivation of this realm. Naturally, they could also fulfill Lin Xun's needs.

With these, I won't be worrying about not having enough resources to advance to the perfection stage.

While thinking that, he collected his four dao bodies and exited the Seal of Temporal Restriction. Around him, the terrains had crumbled, and everything had died. All that was left was a depressing and dilapidated scene.

Before, there had been a lofty and magnificent city here. It had been prosperous and lively, inhabited by countless beings. It had been vibrant, happy, and peaceful. However, all of that had fizzled out in an instant, as if none of them had ever existed.

Lin Xun was quite shocked by this. Gazing at this cold and dead scene, he couldn't help but lament in his heart.

Life was a cradle of uncertainty, where death could befall without following any rules. If cultivators did whatever they pleased and treated all living beings like grass, the world was doomed to be a place of misery and suffering.

Lin Xun knew very well that this was not the first time such a thing had happened nor would it be the last. The only thing he could do was abide by his own morality, maintain a bottom line, a good will where it was possible, and avoid doing things that only those devoid of conscience could think of.

Hmm?

Suddenly, his gaze focused on a certain place. The next second, he teleported into the ruins of the once giant city, and picked up a mutilated jade pendant from the rubble. Despite its state, the pendant stored a drop of blood, one that was full of vitality.

“When the moment of destruction hit, this pendant must have been triggered and preserved its owner’s essence blood.” Lin Xun roughly guessed the story.

After some contemplation, he placed the damaged jade pendant in his palm and operated his Immortal law, sending strands into the bright red drop inside the pendant. Instantly, the drop of blood trembled nonstop as if boiling.

Bang!

The pendant burst, and the drop of blood floated into Lin Xun's palm, bathed in his Immortal law in a process similar to remodeling and nirvana. Gradually, the vitality in the blood became denser and more active...

“Looks like...it's actually feasible!” Lin Xun's eyes lit up in excitement.

Previously, the Nirvana law power had been used on different law powers such as Wushuang, Little Nether, Little Immortal, etc., all of whom had gotten nurtured and repaired. This was the first time Lin Xun had tried its ability on a drop of essence blood!

If this attempt succeeded, it would mean that the Nirvana law could even be used to bring the dead back to life. Cultivators, after reaching the Saint Stage, could rely on their own power to recover back from a remaining drop of their essence blood, as long as it still contained vitality.

However, this drop of blood he had found clearly didn't originate from a cultivator. While it had vitality, no dao energy could be detected from it. In short, it was left by a mortal. It was simply impossible for any cultivator to bring this kind of life blood back to the living person. However, under the nourishment of the Nirvana law power, this one drop was undergoing an astonishing metamorphosis!

Rustle~

It wasn't long before the drop of essence blood began to tumble, growing larger and larger. Wrapped by the power of Nirvana, it gradually transformed into a small, illusory figure.

At that instant, an indescribable joy washed over Lin Xun. Cultivators had the ability to turn stone to gold, but almost no one was able to bring the dead back to life and reconstruct a living being!

Even one as powerful as an Eternal character found it impossible to resurrect a mortal who has been dead for a long time, for this involved the supreme dao of fate. However, at this very moment, Lin Xun realized that the Nirvana law seemed to possess such a forbidden ability.

Of course, strictly speaking, this drop of blood still preserved some vitality and wasn’t totally dead. Nonetheless, the fact that it belonged to a mortal was the important part here. Resurrecting it would be considered a reversal of heavenly fate!

Soon, in Lin Xun's view, a little girl about six or seven years old who wore her short hair in pigtails appeared.

Confusion was written in her big eyes as she said in a daze, “Where's daddy?”

The little girl's memories were still there, allowing Lin Xun to instantly perceive her circumstances from her memory.

Her name was Tang Jiang, she was six years old. Since birth, she had a weak constitution that prevented her from cultivating, but she had a father who loved her dearly and took her with him wherever he went. However, all of that had all changed tonight. That moment when the calamity had befallen, her father had covered her under his body and shoved the life-saving jade pendant into her arms...

He had died in the disaster. His daughter should have stood zero chance as well under a horrible calamity of that scale. However, she was nourished by the power of the Nirvana law and attained rebirth. Her flesh had been rebuilt, and here she was, alive again.

As Lin Xun saw the scene of that father protecting his daughter out of pure instinct, complicated emotions welled up in his heart.

“Uncle, where am I? Where is my father?” asked Tang Jiang in a crisp voice, her black eyes wide open.

She didn't realize that both her father and the city had long since been destroyed all together.

With pity, Lin Xun said softly, “Your father entrusted you to me. From now on, I'll teach you the way of cultivation. Your father is looking forward to you becoming a capable cultivator.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

A dazed Tang Jiang said, “But I...can't cultivate.”

Lin Xun stroked her little head and laughed. “If I say you can, then you absolutely can.”

Tang Jiang was delighted. “Really?”

Lin Xun earnestly said, “I won't lie to you.”

Tang Jiang asked, “Then...when can I see my father?”

Lin Xun's heart ached, but he put on a smile. “I'll tell you later after your cultivation has accomplished our goal.”

“Okay,” Tang Jiang agreed loudly, her little face determined.

Lin Xun took a deep breath before saying with a solemn look, “Lass, from now on, you are my second disciple. My name is Lin Xun, my dharma name is Daoyuan. I am the fiftieth disciple of Fangchun Mountain, and a deputy pavilion master of the Origin Sky Pavilion in the Origin Sect. Moving forward...your master will make sure sufferings like today won't ever happen to you again.”

Saying that, he picked up Tang Jiang and rested her head on his shoulder. Then, he left this place in large strides.

Many years later, whenever she thought back to today's scene, Emperor Shang, whose name had shaken the world and reigned supreme over the nine heavens, who was revered and admired by billions of beings, would reveal a nostalgic look.

It was her master who had given her a new life. It was also him who had led her onto the path of cultivation.

She took ‘Shang’ as her dharma name to remember her late father. The only time she was Tang Jiang was when she was with her master. [1]

Of course, all of this happened in the very far future.

......

Before hitting the road, Lin Xun placed Tang Jiang in the Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron.

He had decided to leave the Sixth Heaven Domain. After this battle, the Ten Immortal Giants of the Eighth Heaven Domain had suffered heavy casualties. They were destined to stop sending more, so there was no point in lingering here any longer.

On the same day, Lin Xun left the Sixth Heaven Domain.

......

Such a world-shaking battle was impossible to be kept under wraps. Soon, word of Lin Xun fighting the Ten Clans Alliance powerhouses spread throughout the Sixth Heaven Domain, once again creating a huge sensation.

At the same time, the bad news quickly reached the Eighth Heaven Domain.

The Wang Clan, in a grand hall.

“It's been three days. Why have they not sent back anything?” Patriarch Fu Chaolan of the Fu Clan frowned as he felt a wave of anxiety for no obvious reason.

Ever since sending Wang Daofeng and a bunch of other old relics to the Sixth Heaven Domain, he and the other leaders of the Ten Immortal Giant had been waiting at the Wang Clan.

However, no news had come back so far.

Someone smiled. “Brother Fu, take it easy. Lin Xun may be hiding, so it makes sense that it will take some time to track him down.”

“That’s right. Let us be patient as we wait for the good news.” The other clan heads all looked relaxed.

This time, their Ten Immortal Giants had sent out forty peak Transcendence experts plus three Eternal Will Dharma Forms, which was a lineup strong enough to wipe out even their own alliance. It would be a farce if they failed to capture Lin Xun again this time!

“Everyone, don't take this lightly. Since the Origin Sect has also gotten involved, I fear it will take a lot of effort to seize Lin Xun.” Wang Zhongtian spoke up with a smile and a nonchalant demeanor despite his cautious response.

Even the Origin Sect wouldn't have guessed that the Ten Clans Alliance would dispatch such a mighty force, Wang Zhongtian was sure of this. As a result, it would definitely catch the other party off guard!

“Hehe, even if the Origin Sect deploys those deputy pavilion masters of them altogether, they would still be a mantis before a chariot!” one laughed coldly.

“Come, come, have some wine.” Wang Zhongtian raised his cup.

Right at this moment, a frantic yell resounded outside the grand hall, “Patriarch, we...we have an emergency! The group of seniors who traveled to the Sixth Heaven Domain this time have all... They have all fallen!!!”

The announcement was a bolt from the blue. The ten clan leaders froze in place. The atmosphere, too, became tense to the extreme all of a sudden.

“What did you say?!” Wang Zhongtian seemed to be in utter disbelief.

Outside the hall, an old servant prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling, “Patriarch, they are all dead, all dead! None of them survived!”

Bang!

The cup in Wang Zhongtian's hand shattered, but he was oblivious to it. Slumping in his chair, he stared blankly into space. His soul drifted away.

As for the other nine clan leaders, some were beside themselves with shock and anger, some were shivering, their eyes bloodshot and their breathing labored. Some were even so furious that their visions went black, and they coughed out a mouthful of blood!

“It's over... We're done for...” one murmured, his face had taken on the color of dirt. He looked as though every bit of strength had been drained from him.

The spacious hall was filled with a dull, depressing air. This awful news was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for any of these Immortal Giants. The sky was collapsing on them!

1. Of note, ‘Shang’ (殇) means ‘dying in childhood.’ ☜