The salty sea breeze of the South Sea gradually faded, and the vast expanse of blue waters fell away behind them as Lin Chen and his companions began their journey home.
Sword Douluo continued to accompany them unseen, clearing out the remnants of Spirit Hall lurking along their route and protecting them throughout the journey. After the battle in the depths of the South Sea, Lin Chen's cultivation had stabilized at rank fifty-two Soul King. The three Emperor Grass Shards had fused completely, bringing his Life Blue Silver Emperor Grass Martial Soul ever closer to perfection. The three powers of ice, life, and the ocean flowed together as one. Even without using a Soul Skill, the pressure radiating from him was enough to make ordinary Soul Masters tremble.
Su Qingyuan and Yue Huaxi had undergone remarkable transformations during the deep-sea battle. Su Qingyuan's Soft Bone Soul Skills had grown even fiercer, and her adaptability in underwater close combat had reached consummate mastery. Yue Huaxi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda provided increasingly precise enhancements, taking its support for peak combat power to another level. Both women had reached the pinnacle of Soul Ancestor, only a single step away from Soul King.
As they traveled north, the climate gradually shifted from warm and humid to dry. Along the way, every Soul Master who heard how Lin Chen had swept away Spirit Hall's main forces in the South Sea and subdued the hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King marveled at his feats. This Emperor Grass Inheritor, who had burst onto the scene seemingly from nowhere, had become the spiritual banner of the Soul Master World's resistance against Spirit Hall. Everywhere he went, he was met with respectful gazes.
Yet Lin Chen had no desire to linger. He pressed onward throughout the journey, continually