Vol 6 Chapter 33: Countdown to Return
The Heaven's Mandate changed hands. Lin Jing, having fused with the Heaven's Mandate, obtained the Immortal Physique ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, due to the separation of the Heaven's Mandate, the lightning essence that Zhu Yan controlled also shed its power, reverting to its original form.
The Immortal Lightning trial card had expired...
Watching Zhu Yan, who was breathing heavily and appeared extremely weak, Lin Jing spoke, "Thank you for your assistance, fellow cultivator. When we return to that realm, you may come find me at Pangu Continent. I am willing to gift you numerous Origin Sources to help you obtain Immortal Power and compensate for your losses."
"Thank you." Zhu Yan smiled faintly, not feeling that Lin Jing was deceiving him. After all, this person was the King of the Origin Realm who monopolized the Origin Sources of the Lower Realm.
Perhaps this was the best outcome. My path is the Dao of Gratitude. The purpose of becoming stronger is to live up to my master's cultivation and protect his legacy.
"If we're talking about the greatest threat in the Lower Realm today, the one most likely to threaten us, it's undoubtedly the Heavenly Demon Sect."
"My strength is inferior to Brother Lin's. Even if I had truly obtained the Heaven's Mandate, I might not have been able to eradicate the Heavenly Demon Sect. But in Brother Lin's hands, it's different. If the Heavenly Demon Sect is destroyed, I might still benefit."
"Achieving similar goals without expending effort—why wouldn't I be happy with that?"Zhu Yan didn't have great ambitions. He only wanted to repay his sect's nurturing kindness and protect the peace of his region. Thus, he wasn't overly fixated on the Heaven's Mandate; otherwise, he wouldn't have offered it so easily.
"You're quite optimistic." Lin Jing felt that this kind of mindset was good for cultivation. Being too fixated might not allow one to go far.
Often, those who survive to the end are these optimistic types.
Lin Jing was actually quite similar.
He didn't have strong obsessions about ascending to the Immortal Realm or becoming the strongest.
It was purely for self-preservation that he had inexplicably made many enemies, and then had to become stronger to deal with them.
So he felt that his upper limit might depend on the level of his enemies.
After returning, with his status as an enemy of all realms still intact, Lin Jing couldn't give up this Heaven's Mandate.
Without the Heaven's Mandate, it would take who knows how long for him to grow into an alliance leader-level Dao Inquiry cultivator. Relying on his Immortal Dao Primordial Spirit, he might become a powerhouse on Zhou Banxian's level, but that was far from enough.
Zhou Banxian couldn't even be considered the strongest within the Cultivation Alliance.
And even with the entire Cultivation Alliance combined—including the three Lower Realm giants: "Fishing Elder," "Ten Thousand Spirits Taoist Nun," and "Eternal Sovereign"—they were still the weaker side when facing the Heavenly Demon Realm.
Although the Cultivation Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Realm might appear evenly matched now, the reality was...
The Heavenly Demon Realm's forces had always been scattered across the myriad realms, invading one cultivation world after another at single points while carrying out missions. They only allocated a small portion of their strength to deal with the Cultivation Alliance that kept causing them trouble.
Therefore, he had to obtain strength greater than the three alliance leaders to have a chance at destroying the Heavenly Demon Sect while also having the opportunity to protect himself and safeguard Tianyuan.
Now that he had obtained the Immortal Physique, Lin Jing only needed to raise his cultivation level to the Dao Inquiry realm through his Heavenly Demon Physique. Then he was confident that, combined with Immortal Power, he could directly confront alliance leader-level powerhouses and immediately join the ranks of the Lower Realm's top experts.
And this was just the beginning.
As he developed the Heaven's Mandate, just as that Emperor had said, he would eventually become like a young Immortal Emperor, capable of sweeping through the Heavenly Demon cultivators of the Lower Realm and thwarting the Demon Lord's ambitions.
The reason he asked Zhu Yan to wait for him at Pangu Continent after returning was also because Lin Jing was already confident that, with his future strength, he could lead the Tianyuan Realm to shed its status as an enemy of all realms and become one of the leaders of the Cultivation Alliance against the Heavenly Demon Sect.
"I'm quite curious about what Brother Lin's Dao will be."
"I don't know either. Before going through the process of Seeking the Dao, who can say for sure?" Lin Jing spoke slowly. "But one thing is certain—it won't be the future that Emperor planned for me. Although I will find a way to deal with the Heavenly Demon Sect, it's only because the sect's existence affects me."
"Long life, power, wealth, beauty, revenge, protection, understanding of the world, control over destiny... Every cultivator may have their own cultivation goals, and these goals may constantly change during the cultivation process. But Brother Lin gives me the feeling that you don't particularly value any of these possibilities. I hope that after Brother Lin seeks the Dao, I can learn about the path you've chosen."
"At that time... I'll share a drink with Brother Lin."
After Zhu Yan finished speaking, spatial ripples appeared around them. A miniature, illusory figure emerged—it was that Emperor's servant. He looked at Lin Jing and Zhu Yan...
"Three people. One is already dead."
"One has already lost the will to compete for the Heaven's Mandate."
"So it seems the holder of the Heaven's Mandate won't change again."
"Well then, you two, do you want to return now?"
Lin Jing looked at Zhu Yan, who immediately said, "Could you give me one day to bid farewell to my family? After one day, I choose to return to the cultivation world."
Although he had debts of gratitude to teachers on both sides, Zhu Yan felt that Earth shouldn't face any major crises. After all, the strongest cultivator here was probably only at the False Core stage. With the safeguards he left behind, his sect should be able to develop peacefully.
Moreover, Zhu Yan also understood that even if he could stay, Lin Jing wouldn't allow a Void Mystical Stage completion cultivator like him to remain on Earth as an uncertain risk.
"That's fine." The Emperor's servant nodded.
Although this person hadn't obtained the Heaven's Mandate, as the first cultivator recognized by it, he clearly possessed great fortune. He just hadn't been able to realize that fortune through his diligent cultivation.
After returning to the cultivation world, he might serve as Lin Jing's backup in dealing with the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Lin Jing then said, "I might need to stay for a while longer."
Emperor Star.
Although he had successfully obtained the Heaven's Mandate, Lin Jing didn't want to abandon the Heavenly Emperor's Tomb either.
He needed to quickly cultivate the Heavenly Emperor Post-Frog, then have it explore the Heavenly Emperor's tomb to obtain sufficient benefits before leaving.
After all, he might not be able to return to Earth next time. More importantly, Lin Jing still wanted to spend more time with his family.
After agreeing on a return time with the Emperor's servant, Lin Jing split into two. His true self went to accompany his family, while his incarnation transformed into a strict drill instructor, continuing to push the Heavenly Emperor Post-Frog.
After some time, the Heavenly Emperor Post-Frog unknowingly cultivated to the Demonic Core stage and even awakened its own unique demonic core divine ability...
Lin Jing had been doubting whether it truly had Heavenly Emperor bloodline, but once the demonic core divine ability awakened, he had no choice but to believe it.
Divine ability: "Bloodline Ascension Technique."
It could temporarily enhance its own bloodline level based on emotional fluctuations in different situations.