Heading to the Heaven Spirit Empire

In a hotel room in Ming Capital, Sun Moon Empire.

Lin Yun had prepared food for Zhang Lexuan, who by now had accepted Lin Yun's choice, though she could not help but feel a lingering longing for Shrek Academy.

"After you finish eating, go see Snow Empress. If there are no issues on her end, we will set off."

Lin Yun suddenly spoke to Zhang Lexuan, causing her to set down her bowl and chopsticks, looking at him in confusion as she asked, "Set off? Where to? Are we doing a mission for the Evil Soul Masters so soon?"

Lin Yun shook his head and said, "At the very least, according to Cult Master Zhong's intentions, no one will be demanding anything of me. I intend to take you back to the Heaven Spirit Empire to investigate what happened to you back then."

At the mention of this, Zhang Lexuan's expression shifted rapidly as she said to Lin Yun, "What is there to investigate about those matters? It's all in the past anyway."

Lin Yun looked out at the scenery before saying, "I feel something is not right. According to your description, it was a case of infighting and persecution among the nobility, but based on the expired intelligence files from the Sun Moon Empire that Cult Master Zhong provided me, I fear the matter is not that simple."

Zhang Lexuan looked at Lin Yun in doubt, and then Lin Yun continued, "That intelligence report has no direct connection to your situation, but the content details how the Shrek Academy Inner Court inspection team conducted a census of the mid-sized and smaller nobility within the Heaven Spirit Empire."

"The very next day after that, your family was suppressed and purged by that noble house."

"Don't you think that is too much of a coincidence?"

Zhang Lexuan was struck as if by lightning. She naturally understood what Lin Yun meant, and she immediately clutched her head, shaking it vigorously, her voice hoarse and stuttering as she said, "No, that's impossible."

Seeing that Zhang Lexuan's emotions were becoming unstable, Lin Yun reached out to gently embrace her, his voice softening as he said, "This is only a guess on my part. There are countless coincidences in this world; one more won't make a difference."

"That is why this trip is only for investigation. I will only take Scorpion Tiger Douluo and you; I am leaving Blood Blade and Ma Xiaotao here."

Ma Xiaotao, sitting on the sofa nearby, immediately let out a dissatisfied huff, clearly unhappy that Lin Yun was not taking her along.

Lin Yun placated her, saying, "Xiaotao, don't be unhappy. Stay here for this period, and when we return, we will go to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy to study together."

Ma Xiaotao nodded and said softly, "Then I will wait for you. Take care of yourselves."

That afternoon, outside a private room in another tavern in Ming Capital, Zhang Peng stood silently, facing Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang Peng couldn't help but laugh as he said to Zhang Lexuan, "I didn't expect you to be left outside the door as well. It seems that in his heart, you are ultimately different from the one inside."

Zhang Lexuan showed no reaction to this, merely asking Zhang Peng calmly, "Scorpion Tiger Douluo, when did you lose your roots and become a gossiping eunuch?"

Zhang Peng was not annoyed, merely laughing and scolding, "Go to hell. I am not that old mongrel Xuan Zi; I am still quite sturdy. I am simply curious about what exactly this Holy Son intends to do."

Inside the private room, Lin Yun and Snow Empress sat opposite each other, with the phantom of Ice Empress accompanying them from the side.

Snow Empress looked at Lin Yun and said, "So you mean to say that Bing'er was consumed by your Martial Soul?"

Lin Yun nodded, and as Snow Empress frowned, he added, "However, because of this, she has the possibility of a true resurrection. Since she has become a part of my Martial Soul, once my Martial Soul attains its Martial Soul Avatar, I can allow her to manifest in a complete avatar state."

"Then, she will be able to emerge. Although she will still have to fight for me, it will be far more vivid than the previous 'ghost possession' state."

Snow Empress sighed and said, "We sisters are already on your pirate ship, so there is nothing more to say. I only hope that you do not encounter any more accidents this time."

Lin Yun changed the subject and asked, "I haven't asked yet: how is your body? How did you pass the inspections on the Sun Moon Empire side?"

Snow Empress sipped some tea and replied calmly, "I have already adapted. After all, it is a body I crafted myself. However, I lost two hundred thousand years of cultivation, and the remaining cultivation will only recover like a second awakening once I reach the ninth ring."

"Before that, I must act like an ordinary human girl and absorb soul rings to break through."

Lin Yun nodded calmly and said, "You must also be careful. Although, to my knowledge, there are no means in this world to detect a soul, your soul is still that of a soul beast; if you die, you will still drop soul rings and soul bones."

"The Sun Moon Empire is different from the other three empires. In the others, if you are a soul master, there aren't as many issues, but in the Sun Moon Empire, even if you are an exchange student from Shrek Academy, you will be sent to the execution ground if you strike the royalty."

"Here, cultivation cannot exempt one from the punishment of offending the powerful, so do not die."

Snow Empress nodded and said to Lin Yun, "Rest assured, I am well aware of my own situation."

"Also, thank you for compromising for my sake back then."

Lin Yun smiled, then replied, "It wasn't entirely for you. After all, I had always intended to leave Shrek Academy, to stop living in constant fear of being hunted down and killed for being an Evil Soul Master."

Snow Empress smiled, puzzled.

"Then why did you become an Evil Soul Master?"

Lin Yun nodded and said, "What else could I do? When others already believe you are an Evil Soul Master, you had better be one. At least that way, your death won't be in vain. Besides, once you become an Evil Soul Master, your moral requirements drop, and you can afford to be more ruthless."

Snow Empress nodded, watching Lin Yun as he walked away.

"I'll leave Ice Empress here to keep you company. If any trouble arises over there, summon her. It is highly unlikely that anything will go wrong."

After checking on Snow Empress and confirming that she was not in any immediate danger, Lin Yun took Zhang Lexuan and Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng toward the Heaven Spirit Empire.

Because the relationship between the Sun Moon Empire and the three original nations of the Douluo Continent was not particularly friendly, the three of them suppressed their Soul Power upon reaching the border, found a smuggler who specialized in such business, and purchased identities to sneak inside.

They did not enter the Heaven Spirit Empire through legal channels.

The destination this time was the city where Zhang Lexuan's original home was located. It was the third-largest city in the Heaven Spirit Empire, and not the same city where Chu Zhengzhang had been.

For Zhang Lexuan, this was the first time she was truly revisiting her old home.

Zhang Lexuan's mood plummeted after entering the city. It wasn't just because she was thinking of her parents; she also discovered that the buildings from her childhood memories had faded, cracked, and even collapsed with the passage of time.

As the Heaven Spirit Empire gradually declined, these buildings were naturally left to fall into ruin...