Emperor Pass!
The lights on both sides of the streets and alleys have been lit up one after another, like a river that has been ignited, flowing slowly in the twilight of Emperor Pass.
Lin Chen led Lin Fan through two streets and into an inconspicuous restaurant.
The restaurant was small, with a narrow storefront. A faded wooden plaque hung on it, inscribed with the three characters "Homeward Bound" (Return Home), written in a vigorous and forceful style, as if someone had simply drawn them with their finger.
The lighting inside the store wasn't very bright!
Several Qingtong lamps hung from the beams, their flames held steady by some kind of array, neither flickering nor swaying, like solidified amber.
Lin Chen was clearly a regular customer.
The innkeeper nodded when he saw him, and without asking any further questions, led the two directly to a private room at the very back on the second floor.
The private room was small, with a square table, two chairs, and a yellowed painting hanging on the wall. The painting depicted only a few strokes of a landscape, but the artistic conception was expansive.
The window seat offers a perfect view of pedestrians coming and going on the street.
Lin Chen pulled out a chair, sat down, took out a pot of wine, and poured Lin Fan a full cup.
Lingquan Brew. The liquid is pale blue with a layer of fine, Spiritual Qi foam floating on the surface, like spring water washed by moonlight. When poured into a glass, it carries an extremely refreshing aroma that makes one's throat feel dry just by smelling it.
"Brother Fan, this cup is a toast to your first visit to the Emperor Pass."
Lin Chen raised his glass, his gaze gentle.
Lin Fan picked up his glass and clinked it against Lin Fan's. "Brother Chen, you're too kind."
The two drank it all in one gulp.
The liquor enters the throat with a clear, sweet taste, without the burning sensation of typical spirits. Instead, it feels like an icy line sliding down the throat into the stomach, before melting into a warm current in the lower abdomen, slowly seeping into the limbs and bones.
Lin Fan put down his wine glass, smacked his lips, and said, "This wine is not bad."
Lin Chen smiled and said, "This is Spirit Spring Brew, a secret I've kept for thirty years. It's brewed with water from an ancient spring north of the Emperor Pass, so even if you drink a lot, it won't give you a headache."
Lin Chen refilled his glass, "But it's an exception that you can drink this as soon as you arrive in Emperor Pass."
Lin Fan put down his wine glass and looked at Lin Chen: "By the way, Brother Chen, what are you doing in Emperor Pass?"
He remembered seeing Lin Chen a few times when he was a child.
At that time, Lin Chen was already one of the most outstanding young people in the Lin Clan, but it was said that he had been training outside and rarely returned to the clan. No one knew when he came to Emperor Pass.
" Three Thousand Provinces are too small."
Lin Chen picked up his wine glass, his gaze lingering on the rim for a moment. "Back when I had just broken through to the Sage Realm, the Clan Head sent me to the Emperor Pass."
" The Sage Realm has arrived?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It's not just me." Lin Chen put down his wine glass, his tone calm. "The geniuses and prodigies of my Lin Clan, as long as they have potential, are basically sent to the Emperor Pass to receive real training once they reach the Sage Realm."
"Those who remained in the Three Thousand Provinces were either those who still needed time to hone their skills, or those whose talents had not yet been fully revealed."
Lin Fan recalled that he had hardly encountered any members of the Lin Clan in the Immortal Ancient Ruins, which had puzzled him at the time, but now he finally understood.
No wonder I didn't encounter many members of my Lineage in the Immortal Ancient Ruins.
"You didn't encounter it either, did you?" Lin Chen smiled. "Although the Immortal Ancient Ruins of the Three Thousand Provinces are a trial ground, for the Lin Clan, the Emperor Pass is the true battlefield."
"The patriarch left you in the Three Thousand Provinces because you have your own path to follow!"
"And it just so happens that the Immortal Ancient Ruins opened. If it weren't for this opportunity, you would probably have been sent to the Emperor Pass for training much earlier, just like us."
Lin Fan nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
But he already had a vague idea in his mind: the Lin Clan did not only have a base in the Three Thousand Provinces, but the Emperor Pass was the Lin Clan's true rear.
"Speaking of which, Brother Fan, you've made quite a stir along the way."
Lin Chen picked up a piece of food for him and casually said, "He possesses the Eternal Dragon Emperor Physique of the Dragon Clan, suppresses the Chaotic Devil Physique of the Wang Clan, took the Five-Crown King as a drinking buddy, and even crushed Jin Zhen's clone."
"These things have already spread throughout the Emperor Pass."
"The news spread so fast?" Lin Fan put down his chopsticks. "I've only been in Emperor Pass for less than an hour."
"The intelligence network in the Emperor Pass is much faster than you think," Lin Chen said, raising his glass. "You're now the most talked-about person among the younger generation in the Emperor Pass."
" The Jin Clan, the Tang Clan, and the Ouyang Clan —all three are watching you!"
"I heard some guys are keeping an eye on you too!"
Lin Chen then Lin Fan, "Brother Fan, you don't need to worry too much about the Jin Clan. Now that you've arrived at the Emperor Pass, no one will dare to cause trouble anymore."
Unless they are fellow cultivators!
An older generation cultivator daring to make a move... heh!
Lin Fan looked on with curiosity and confusion.
Lin Chen poured another cup for the two of them, put down the wine pot, and looked at Lin Fan: "Brother Fan, you've just entered the Emperor Pass and aren't familiar with the situation here yet. Let me tell you about the basics so you'll have a better understanding."
Lin Fan nodded, picked up a peanut from the table, and popped it into his mouth.
Lin Chen picked up his wine glass, his tone unhurried. "The power in the Emperor Pass is divided into several levels. At the very top are the Longevity Families!"
"For example, our Lin Clan, the Ouyang Clan, and a few other long-established Lineage that don't usually show their faces."
"These aristocratic families have all produced powerful Immortal Dao. They possess profound foundations and long-standing traditions, overlooking the Emperor Pass and the Three Thousand Provinces. Their foundations are not easily shaken."
"Below are the imperial families, with several great Great Emperor presiding over them. The Jin Clan and the Wang Clan belong to this level."
"Below that are some Quasi-Emperor lineages and Rogue Cultivator forces. They number in number, but it's difficult for them to gain any real influence."
Lin Chen took a sip of wine. "Even among the longevity families, there are differences in strength. My Lin Clan usually keeps a low profile in the Emperor Pass and doesn't often go out and make moves, but if we really want to show our strength, the Ouyang, Tang Clan, and Jin Clan of the Emperor Pass combined are no match for us."
Lin Fan, munching on peanuts, asked, "How dare the Jin Clan act so arrogantly?"
Lin Chen put down his wine glass, his tone carrying a hint of meaning. "Because Emperor Pass has been quite turbulent lately. The Northern Region Battlefield is unstable, and the Darkness Faction's movements are becoming increasingly frequent. The Great Emperor stationed at Emperor Pass needs to stay and oversee the defenses and cannot be easily redeployed."
"In this situation, those few members of the Jin Clan who were jumping the gun the most thought they could take advantage of the chaos."
"But don't worry, they may act rashly, but when it really comes down to a complete breakdown in relations, they won't dare."
Lin Chen's lips curled slightly. "Because they know that if the Lin Clan is truly angered, the consequences will be beyond their ability to bear."
Lin Fan was silent for a moment, then asked curiously, "By the way, Brother Chen, what exactly did my father do back then? Why do the people of Emperor Pass grit their teeth when they talk about him?"
Lin Chen paused slightly as he put down his wine glass.
The lights in the private room shone quietly, and the flames inside the Qingtong lampshade were kept extremely stable by the array, without even the slightest tremor, yet this cast long shadows of the two people on the wall.
"It's a long story, but since you asked, I'll tell you."
He picked up his glass, but didn't drink; he just watched the wine swaying slightly in the glass.
Lin Chen remained silent for a while, as if organizing his thoughts or recalling something.
Lin Chen's voice turned heavy as he slowly spoke, "Brother Fan, do you know that a great calamity once befell the Emperor Pass?"