Beyond the Lesser Heaven, a ten-mile peach grove.
A gentle breeze stirs, and peach blossoms fill the air.
Ao Zhantian stood with his hands behind his back in the peach grove; his imposing figure gave people a feeling that was both real and unreal.
Such a contradictory feeling made even Lin Heng frown.
He vaguely sensed that the Ao Zhantian he witnessed today was quite different from the one he had seen before.
To pinpoint the specific differences...
Lin Heng sensed that Ao Zhantian's strength seemed to have broken through, and it was a leap forward.
A serendipitous encounter?
Lin Heng shook his head, denying the guess.
In the Human Realm, it's possible to gain a sudden and dramatic increase in strength through a fortuitous encounter.
Just like Ren Rulong, whom Lin Heng met at the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute when he was in the Human Realm.
That guy was tricked by the dean of the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute and practiced evil arts. His strength increased dramatically in a short period of time, reaching a level that others could not achieve even after decades of cultivation.
That was in the Human Realm, and Ren Rulong had embarked on a path of no return in cultivation.
In the Longevity Realm, for most cultivators, advancing one realm every million years is considered quite good.
How long has it been since Lin Heng last saw the Ao Zhantian?
In such a short period of time, it's acceptable for Ao Zhantian to have even one small, accidental breakthrough.
But Lin Heng clearly felt that Ao Zhantian was much stronger than before, both in terms of his cultivation level and the sense of oppression.
Just as Lin Heng was deep in thought, Ao Zhantian slowly turned around.
It was still that familiar face, but Ao Zhantian, Ao Zhantian's eyes were like black holes; if you looked into them, it felt as if your soul would be sucked in.
What? Don't you recognize me?
Ao Zhantian smiled and spoke.
"You seem a little different from how you used to be."
Lin Heng suppressed his shock and said with a faint smile.
Ao Zhantian waved his hand to the side, and a person who looked exactly like him appeared abruptly beside him.
Looking at the two " Ao Zhantian " before him, Lin Heng Lin Heng noticed something extremely strange as he compared them.
He sensed a familiar feeling from the ' Ao Zhantian ' who appeared behind him.
Seeing Lin Heng's puzzled look, Ao Zhantian waved his hand again to put away the newly appeared version of himself before explaining.
What you saw before was merely an alter ego of mine; the one standing before you now is the real me.
Only Ao Zhantian explained it this way did Lin Heng understand.
but...
Before Lin Heng could speak, Ao Zhantian had already read some questions in Lin Heng's eyes and smiled, "Are you curious why my clone came to you, and why I have come to find you in person today?"
Ao Zhantian voiced the doubts in Lin Heng, then looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.
Under the Ao Zhantian's eyes reflected a chilling light.
"For now, all I can tell you is that the Eight Great Imperial Clans and the Ascenders are very likely to clash again, and this time, we Ascenders may be defeated."
Lin Heng also learned some things about the past of the Eight Great Imperial Clans and the Ascenders. Logically speaking, in the past few major battles between the two sides, the Ascenders went from being initially defeated to eventually suppressing the Eight Great Imperial Clans.
Furthermore, given the number of Ascenders, the longer the time goes on, the stronger Ascenders suppression of the Eight Great Imperial Clans should become.
Why did Ao Zhantian suddenly say that this time, with another great battle erupting between the two sides, the Ascenders would be defeated?
While Lin Heng was still thinking, Ao Zhantian suddenly turned his gaze away from the sky and looked at Lin Heng instead.
"The reason I sought you out is because when my alter ego discovered you, it couldn't foresee your fate."
"Perhaps you will become an opportunity beyond fate."
Ao Zhantian stopped speaking here, smiling as he looked at Lin Heng, as if waiting for Lin Heng to make a decision.
Lin Heng then fell into quiet contemplation.
Based on what the other party has said so far, Lin Heng really can't find any fault with it.
But regardless of whether it's true or not, Lin Heng doesn't like this feeling.
"I will not become anyone's pawn. Though the Longevity Realm is vast, no one can use me as a pawn."
When Lin Heng said this, he looked directly into Ao Zhantian's eyes.
The two locked eyes, Ao Zhantian's gaze gradually darkened, while Lin Heng did not flinch.
After the two stared at each other for more than ten seconds, Ao Zhantian burst into laughter. "Haha! Interesting, interesting, as expected of someone whose fate I cannot predict."
Ao Zhantian his hearty laughter, Ao Zhantian abruptly stopped, a strange smile playing on his lips as he looked at Lin Heng.
"You can simply do whatever you want. I cannot predict your destiny, but since you came to the Longevity Realm, your fate has been inextricably linked with that of the Ascenders Ones."
With Ao Zhantian created a curtain of water that condensed under his energy.
Soon, a scene appeared in the water curtain: two women were chained to an iron pillar.
Two strangely shaped, rather disgusting monsters stood in front of the two women with wicked smiles.
Its cylindrical body, slightly oval head, and thick layers of skin covering its face resembled a man's genitals, a sight that was both comical and slightly disgusting.
Even Lin Heng couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Damn, there are things that look like this? They're quite a freak even among alien races.
"Heh heh, at most six months, and the Soul-Locking Pillar will exhaust all your power. At that time, you two will still become breeding tools for our Great Sun Clan."
"After waiting for so many years, I can finally taste the flavor of Human Race woman. I can't wait any longer."
" Meichuan Jun, good things are worth waiting for. In six months, even if they wanted to self-destruct, they wouldn't be able to. That will be our chance to enjoy it."
The two monsters looked at the two Human Race women and said with wicked smiles.
Under Ao Zhantian's control, the image on the water screen began to zoom in, stopping only when the faces of the two women were clearly visible.
" Linglong, Xiyin!"
Upon seeing the two women's faces, Lin Heng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, calling out their names.
That's right, the ones trapped in the water curtain were Yue Linglong and Miao Xiyin.
No wonder Lin Heng went to great lengths to get Situ Jiannan to spend a fortune, yet still couldn't find out anything about them.
It turned out that the two had been captured by someone and hadn't been able to explore the Ten Regions, so it was naturally difficult to find them.
Lin Heng withdrew his gaze from the water curtain, his eyes, filled with a chilling aura, fixed on Ao Zhantian: "Where are they? Who captured them?"
Ao Zhantian then removed the water curtain and answered Lin Heng's question, "I inquired and found out that you were all five of you who ascended to the Longevity Realm together, but you have only found the other two. I inquired extensively and only received news of them yesterday. After arriving in the Longevity Realm, they were unfortunately teleported to the Great Sun Region, and they are currently imprisoned in Heavenly Desolation City of the Great Sun Region."
After recounting the situation of the two women, Ao Zhantian's figure began to slowly rise into the air.
" Lin Heng! I will not offer you any further assistance until you reach the Ninefold Heaven."
"But once you reach the Ninefold Heaven, if you need to find me, you can contact me at any time using the Firmament White Jade."
After saying this, Ao Zhantian leaped into the air and vanished completely in the blink of an eye.
Lin Heng had no time to pay attention to Ao Zhantian's words; all he knew was that the two women were suffering a calamity.
" The Great Sun Region? Heavenly Desolation City? Heh!"
Lin Heng turned and flew towards Lesser Heaven.
Now that we know the whereabouts of the two women, all we need to do is rush to their rescue as soon as possible.
However, before that, Lin Heng needed to ask Situ Jiannan if the Great Sun Region was any different.
Lin Heng clearly remembered that when Ao Zhantian mentioned this place, there was a noticeable change in his eyes; there must be some secret about that place.