"You two have arrived just in time. You've saved these old bones another trip!"
Lin Yue said, "Oh? All three of us have been summoned?"
"Indeed!"
The Altar at the center of Border City!
Twenty or thirty figures sat here, all invincible experts of the Human Dao domain. Among them, several Immortal Dao experts sat cross-legged!
Unlike the singing and laughter outside, everyone here was weighed down by worry. They knew this victory was only temporary! Many of those present were still gravely wounded! They dared not let word get out, fearing that the young people below would lose heart!
"Let them celebrate. A victory is rare. Though it cannot change the course of the war, it will at least show them that the Foreign Realm is not unbeatable. With enough strength, even the so-called Emperor Clan can be slaughtered like ants!"
An Immortal Dao expert shrouded in white mist spoke, indirectly praising Lin Yue!
"Indeed! This boy, Lin Yue, has the potential to become an Immortal Dao expert. What do you think of the proposal just now?" another True Immortal beside him asked, clearly attaching great importance to the matter raised earlier!
An invincible expert stood and said, "My lords, Lin Yue's talent is unparalleled. He will surely become an Immortal Dao expert one day. With war raging between the two realms, such a dazzling performance has probably already earned him a place on the Foreign Realm's kill list. We must take precautions! I suggest withdrawing Lin Yue to the rear! Let him return to the battlefield once he has matured!"
Another elder suddenly rose. "The same goes for the two young members of the Heavenly Horned Ant clan. The Foreign Realm will certainly pay particular attention to them. We cannot be careless! Let them withdraw to the rear until they have fully entered Extreme Dao, or even until they have fully matured!"
"Agreed!"
"I second that!"
For a time, calls for Lin Yue to withdraw to the rear came one after another. He was simply too dazzling, and no one wanted anything to happen to him! Someone with such talent had to be allowed to mature, so that he could one day decide victory or defeat on the Immortal Dao battlefield!
"Everyone, they have arrived. Why not ask him himself?"
When Lin Yue and the Heavenly Horned Ant siblings arrived at the central Altar, hundreds of eyes stared straight at them. Even Lin Yue felt as though his hair were standing on end!
"Ha ha! No need to be nervous! Lin Yue, we summoned you today because we wish to send you to the rear. Once you have fully matured, you can return to the battlefield! What do you think?"
The speaker was the True Immortal who had led them earlier. His name was Bai Ni, and he had severely wounded his opponent in his battle against an immortal of the Foreign Realm. He was outstanding among Immortal Dao experts, and his might was unrivaled even among True Immortals!
"With our lands falling, where could there possibly be a safe haven? I am willing to fight bloody battles alongside you, my lords!"
"Well said! That is a true son of the Nine Heavens!"
Many invincible experts shouted their approval, praising Lin Yue's fighting spirit! He was no coward who used his talent as an excuse to hide in the rear and cling to life. No wonder he possessed such strength. He had truly grown through bloody battles.
After a round of cheers, they slowly calmed down!
"We should still have him withdraw."
"Indeed. A young man like him is destined to shoulder the Nine Heavens. He cannot fall now!"
Seeing Lin Yue's resolve only made them more eager to have him withdraw!
"But, my lords, I wish to find a way to break through to Extreme Dao!"
As Lin Yue spoke, the invincible experts and True Immortals who had been resting with their eyes closed suddenly opened them, staring at him as though trying to see through him.
They had seen geniuses before, but exceptions like Lin Yue were truly rare, known only from the ancient histories of the previous era! Even in this age of raging war, he was astonishing!
"Lin Yue, the five-hundred-year Supreme Shackles on becoming a Human Dao supreme expert are no joke. We know your talent is extraordinary, no less than that of Immortal King Wuzhong, Reincarnation Immortal King, and the other kings. But this is the one matter you must not take lightly. Since ancient times, no one has been known to break that barrier. Even the kings of the Nine Heavens could not overcome this curse! We old fellows will hold the battlefield. You need not be so anxious."
A True Immortal spoke out of concern for Lin Yue, trying to persuade him to advance steadily, one step at a time!
Lin Yue said, "I want to try!"
"Very well! Perhaps you really can break this shackle that has endured through the ages! After all, you truly are different!" Bai Ni acknowledged his uniqueness. He could not be measured by common standards, and might well defy the heavens!
"Yan, Yu, what are your plans?"
Yan said, "We want to go back and have a look, then enter seclusion to undergo another transformation!"
The two had progressed at incredible speed during this bloody battle, and were already about to undergo another transformation!
After Lin Yue and the two siblings left the Divine Altar, they looked over Border City and could not help sighing softly!
This victory truly could not change much. Only by becoming supreme kings could they begin to determine victory on the battlefield, but they had little time left.
"Lin Yue, do you have somewhere to go?" Yu asked beside him!
Lin Yue said, "Not yet. I may visit a few secret realms, or return to my ancestral land!"
Yu said, "If you have no destination in mind, why not come with us to Boundless Heaven? Our clan has a settlement there!"
Yan said, "Indeed. Father withdrew to the rear after being ambushed. If he is still alive, he should have returned there. We want to check on him. Come with us! You might even find an opportunity to break through!"
The old Heavenly Horned Ant? I almost forgot. He isn't dead yet. Though several kings surrounded him and nearly nailed his primordial spirit to destruction, a fully matured Heavenly Horned Ant is not so easy to kill. He even survived until the beginning of the next epoch! And he only died because he exhausted himself by overusing his divine essence to save Little Heaven-Horned Ant.
"Very well, let's take a look. My Tribulation Lightning Liquid is very effective against injuries to the primordial spirit. It should be able to help your father a little."
Both siblings were delighted to hear this. Lin Yue was a peerless prodigy, and his Tribulation Lightning Liquid had a tremendous effect on the primordial spirit. It was a supreme, heaven-defying medicine, capable of wresting fortune from creation.
"When shall we leave?"
Lin Yue said, "In two days! I need to say goodbye to my friends and such. Who knows when we'll return to the battlefield this time!"
Chapter 27: Boundless Heaven
Boundless Heaven was currently the vastest Ancient World of the Nine Heavens, immense in size. Many Longevity Aristocratic Families had put down roots here. Heaven and earth had not yet changed, and the laws remained relatively intact. Even many longevity families from other ancient worlds had moved here.
Because this great world lay far from the front lines, it had not been engulfed by the flames of war. Only occasional clashes reached it, and many ancient lands remained intact!
Chaos filled the entrance to the great world. Many heirs of aristocratic families guarded it, enforcing strict controls!
After all, this was wartime, and darkness was invading. People died every day! Every great family had sent people to guard this place!
Lin Yue and the siblings stepped out of the void. Their eyes brightened at the sight before them, and the siblings were especially excited! The urge to return home surged within them, and they wished they could rush straight inside!
"Who goes there? You cannot proceed any farther. Please return the way you came!"
At the entrance to the great world, many people watched the three approach, their eyes full of vigilance!
Yan said, "No need to be nervous. We are from this world, merely returning home."
"What do you mean, from this world? This is wartime. You may leave, but you may not enter! Turn back!"
"We have a decree from Border City granting passage. Please inspect it." Lin Yue took out the decree granting them leave from Border Pass.
During wartime, this served as proof that a great cultivator had permission to leave Border Pass. Otherwise, leaving at will would violate the terms of the Alliance Pact! They would be considered deserters, and the consequences were severe!
"What decree? Never heard of it! Turn back!" a black-haired young man said from the side, paying the three no heed at all. Despite his youth, he was already in the Void Dao Realm and could be called a prodigy!
"You don't understand the rules at all!"
Another middle-aged man beside him muttered the same!
Lin Yue frowned at the scene before him. At first, he had thought they were genuinely guarding the entrance strictly. He had not expected this.
It seems no world is ever short of such scum. The front lines are strapped for supplies, while those in the rear stuff themselves fat! But they're treating a decree under the Alliance Pact as nothing! Heh!
Lin Yue said, "Take back what you just said, and you may live!"
"Ha ha ha...! Where do you think you are?" The group burst out laughing!
"Kill him!"
As soon as Lin Yue finished speaking, Yu, who had long since lost patience, pointed a finger. All three had risen through bloody battles, and none hesitated to kill!
Divine power gathered in the void, becoming a deadly streak of divine radiance that blasted straight through the young man's head!
"Ah...! Murder! Someone, come! They're forcing their way through!"
"Who dares commit violence here?"
The others had never imagined that these three young people would attack outright, much less possess such formidable strength. A Void Dao Realm sect master had been killed with a single finger strike. It chilled them to the bone.
Lin Yue reached out and seized the young man's primordial spirit, leaving him utterly powerless to resist!
"Boy, you've brought disaster upon yourself! Do you know who I am? I belong to a Longevity Aristocratic Family! Release me at once, or when my ancestor arrives, he'll make you beg for life and be denied death!"
Dozens of people immediately surrounded them at the entrance to the great world!
"How dare you!"
"Who dares attack here? Release Mu Feng at once, boy!"
"Why waste words? Just kill them!"
At someone's shout, the crowd charged forward. Without another word, Yu raised her hand and struck. Divine power poured from her body, twisting even the void. With one palm strike, over a dozen Heavenly God Realm cultivators at the front were sent flying backward, along with several Void Dao Realm sect masters!
"This...!"
Everyone immediately became obedient! They knew they had kicked an iron plate this time, and their nerve failed them!
"Who dares disrupt order? Surrender at once!"
"My lord, it's these three! They're trying to force their way into the world!"
An elder in the Escape One Realm appeared. He was the overseer here!
"Ridiculous! We risked our lives fighting on the front lines, while you cowered in the rear, clinging to life, and now you're blocking the entrance to squeeze out benefits! You arrive and demand our surrender without even asking right from wrong! Hmph! Die!"
With that, Yu threw a punch!
"Such arrogance from a youngster!"
Seeing Yu's punch hurtle toward him, the elder raised his own hand, intending to teach the young woman a lesson!
Boom...
The elder was sent flying backward!
The guards stared, dumbfounded! An Escape One supreme expert had been blasted away by a single punch from a young woman!
Were all those who returned from the battlefield such monsters? How could this woman be so powerful at such a young age?
With her current strength, Yu could be said to have no equal below Extreme Dao. An Escape One supreme expert who had never set foot on the battlefield could not compare to her! He was merely someone she could suppress with a raised hand!
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The coughing brought everyone back to their senses. An elder approached, leaning on a cane. The wrinkles on his face made him look extremely old, and his aura carried a deathly stillness, as though that power had stolen all his vitality!
Everyone immediately cleared a path, for the elder before them was the Wood Clan's ancestor!
"Young man, would you release the person in your hand?"
Lin Yue said, "And if I refuse?"
"Alas...!"
With a long sigh, the elder suddenly acted. His withered hand crossed the distance, reaching for the primordial spirit in Lin Yue's grasp, though he did not intend to hurt Lin Yue!
Divine power surged from Lin Yue's body, forming a domain that directly shattered the elder's divine ability.
"Hmm...!"
The elder was startled. This young man was remarkably powerful!
A deathly aura then surged skyward, pressing down as though to crush Lin Yue, seeking to make him recognize the difficulty and retreat!
Lin Yue likewise unleashed his will to oppose the elder. From the clash of their auras alone, the void began to shatter, and lightning sprang forth!
"An invincible expert!"
The elder cried out in shock. This was no mere youngster, but an invincible expert of the Human Dao domain! Why had he come here today?
"What? An invincible expert!"
"How could such a great figure be here? Didn't they sign the Alliance Pact?"
"I heard they have a decree granting passage!"
"Why didn't you say so sooner?" Someone began blaming his companions. If such a figure killed them, there would be nowhere to seek justice!
Then the elder recalled the rumors that had spread from Border Pass over the past few days. An invincible war god had risen in this generation, capable of slaughtering the Foreign Realm's invincible experts despite his youth! Could this be that very person?
"This old man, Mu Ge, pays his respects to Lord Lin Yue! And to you two, my lords!"
Since they were with Lin Yue, there was no need to guess the other two's identities. They must have come from the Heavenly Horned Ant clan!
"Hmph!"
Yu snorted coldly, clearly rather angry!
Lin Yue said, "Is this one of your clansmen?"
"Yes!"
Lin Yue said, "In consideration of your wartime merits, I will impose no punishment this time! There will be no next time!"
Before you continue