Bang!

When the imposing figure appeared, the gray-robed man's grab-force soundlessly vanished like a popping bubble.

Rumble!

Immediately after, all of the other incoming attacks dissipated before they could get any closer.

The gray-robed man's pupils shrank, realizing that the situation wasn’t looking good. He sternly asked, "Who are you? How dare you obstruct the work of my Cangfu Divine Court?"

The surroundings fell silent as the gray-robed man and his party’s dark expressions flickered with uncertainty.

Emperor Ancestor Qingye, who had narrowly escaped death, stared at the figure who had appeared in front of him in disbelief. "You...are Emperor Daoyuan?"

Lin Xun nodded and said, "So Elder still remembers me."

Emperor Ancestor Qingye excitedly said, "It really is you, I thought I was dreaming for a moment. But didn’t you already travel to the other side of the cosmos?"

Lin Xun answered, "I just got back. Elder, who are these people, and why are they after you?"

Only then did Emperor Ancestor Qingye suddenly realize the gravity of the situation. His expression immediately changed as he said, "Run quickly! They're from the Divine Ascension Starfield, and their faction has a terrifying Immortal-tier existence!"

"It’s already too late for any of you to leave!”

Some distance away, the gray-robed man who had been ignored all this time declared with a stormy expression, "What Emperor Daoyuan? Those who offend the Cangfu Divine Court will be punished with death!"

Piak!

An invisible palm viciously smacked the gray-robed man. His body immediately burst apart, and even his primordial spirit evaporated into nothingness.

The culprit was Xuan Jiuyin, who smiled playfully as he said, "In the past, the Supreme Emperor Ancestor Stage was an existence that my generation could only look up to, but now...it has become no different from grass by the roadside."

With a single slap, he had erased a supreme Emperor Ancestor! Chills ran down the remaining experts’ bodies as their expressions changed completely.

"Don't waste Young Master’s time,” Jintian Xuanyue said as she waved her hand, causing sword qi to sweep across the surroundings. The remaining experts were wiped out with a single sword strike, the entire action appearing as easy as a flick of the wrist.

Emperor Ancestor Qingye was frozen in shock. Those had been powerful experts from the Divine Ascension Starfield’s Cangfu Divine Court. Yet, it was clear that Lin Xun and his companions weren’t the least bit concerned about them!

"Elder, it's safe now." Lin Xun softly said, "Can you tell me why they were after you?"

Emperor Ancestor Qingye took a deep breath to compose himself before beginning to tell the entire story.

Ten years ago, the shocking change of the Return Dominion drew the attention of many powerful starfields in the Great Thousand Worlds. Since then, top factions had arrived here in droves.

The Cangfu Divine Court of the Divine Ascension Starfield was merely one of many. Anyone could foresee that the Ancient Nebula Road would soon undergo a tremendous transformation, making cultivating here infinitely better.

Hence, these foreign factions arrived at a similar decision without any discussion: establish themselves in the Ancient Nebula Road. Of course, the most direct and effective way to do so was undoubtedly to replace the local factions here.

This was also known as a magpie stealing a nest. Under these circumstances, the Great Six Courts of the Ancient Nebula Road were the first to be targeted.

At present, the Heaven and Earth Dao Court, the All-Demon Dao Court, the Panwu Dao Court, and the Primordial Dao Court had long since collapsed. Of note, their subsidiary factions and territories were swallowed by the invading factions.

Those who chose to submit were given a chance to live, while those who resisted were slaughtered without exception. The Mythical Huang Dao Court was no exception. They too were struck by the terrible calamity of being targeted by the Cangfu Divine Court.

In fact, the entire sect was practically toppled overnight, leaving only a handful of survivors, such as Emperor Ancestor Qingye.

Additionally, he was being hunted because of the Mythical Huang Heaven Suppressing Token in his possession, which was a treasure which allowed the user to draw upon and wield the law power covering the sect.

After learning all that had transpired, Lin Xun was momentarily dazed. Originally, he had also returned with the intention of seeking revenge on his enemies.

Among the Great Six Dao Courts, the Absolute Origin Dao Court was established by First Senior Brother, the Mythical Huang Dao Court maintained neutrality, while the other four dao courts were Lin Xun’s enemies.

However, he was now told that his enemies had already been wiped out! Such was the impermanence of the world.

Moreover, according to Emperor Ancestor Qingye, the Great Ten Battle Clans had also suffered greatly over the past few years. There were those who died, and those who fled, but none of them could avoid a miserable fate.

In other words, most of the top factions, which had been around for countless years, had been destroyed by the invading factions!

Everything could essentially be traced back to the shocking change in the Return Dominion. It had not only incited a transformation of the heavenly principles, but also aroused the greed of many top-tier factions from various starfields, leading to the Ancient Nebula Road being filled with scenes of battle and carnage in recent years.

The Great Primordial Chaos World, which was once known as the number one world in the star field, became an especially juicy target for the invading factions. It could be said that the present Ancient Nebula Road was no longer the same place Lin Xun was once familiar with.

If things were already so turbulent here, one could easily imagine how much more chaotic the Return Dominion, which was the source of everything, would be. This made Lin Xun's heart tighten again.

The entire Lin Clan was at the Fangchun Secret Realm in the Return Dominion, which was practically the eye of the storm. How could they possibly remain unaffected in such a place?

"Young Master, I...wish to go home to have a look." Jintian Xuanyue suddenly spoke up, a touch of worry visible on her beautiful face. After understanding the circumstances, she was clearly worried about the Jintian Clan in the White Emperor Star Field.

Xuan Jiuyin sighed softly. "Xuanyue, I'll be blunt. Back then, your Jintian Clan was worried about being implicated by Brother Lin, and ordered that you cut all relations with him or be expelled from the clan. Since you refused, you are no longer a member of the Jintian Clan."

Lin Xun said, "Even broken bones are still connected by the tendons. At that time, the Jintian Clan was seeking self-preservation. Although what they did was excessive, it was also because of me that Miss Xuanyue suffered such treatment. In any case, Miss Xuanyue must still have some loved ones in the Jintian Clan, so it's only right to go back and take a look."

Jintian Xuanyue's eyes glowed with gratitude as she said, "Young Master understands my feelings best."

"It just so happens that we’ll be passing by the White Emperor Star Field. Let’s pay a visit to your Jintian Clan together." Lin Xun made his decision.

He then gazed at Emperor Ancestor Qingye and offered him a bottle of medicine. "Elder, please accept these healing elixirs. These are turbulent times, so please take care."

Qingye rejected the elixirs with a complicated expression and said, "Back then, the Mythical Huang Dao Court maintained a neutral stance and didn’t give your Fangchun Mountain any help because we did not wish to be implicated. I’m already surprised and more than grateful that you’ve saved me, how can I still take your elixir?"

He cupped his hands together and said, "Emperor Daoyuan, I will not forget this kindness and I will definitely repay it if I have the opportunity in the future. Farewell."

With that, he turned away. His wounded figure looked especially forlorn in that moment.

Lin Xun couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. Back then, the Mythical Huang Dao Court had indeed used neutrality as a cover to avoid drawing fire to them, and only stood by and watched like a bystander.

While there was nothing inherently wrong with that, Emperor Ancestor Qingye clearly felt ashamed for being saved despite not lending his aid all those years ago. That was why he had refused the elixir and left.

Xuan Jiuyin remarked, "At least this Emperor Ancestor Qingye has some semblance of a backbone."

"In this world, no one can always be a complete bystander. The Mythical Huang Dao Court was wrong to believe that they could always remain neutral. Although they wouldn’t offend anyone, it was also impossible for them to make any true friends." Lin Xun said, "In the old days, the Mythical Huang Dao Court was one of the Great Six Dao Courts, so they didn’t need to worry, but now..."

He shook his head without continuing. Despite this, Xuan Jiuyin still understood and said, "If the Mythical Huang Dao Court had lent you a little help back then, you would probably have already gone off to avenge them by now, instead of being as indifferent as you are now."

Lin Xun didn’t comment. The ways of the world could only be truly understood after experiencing it for oneself.

"Let's go. To the White Emperor Star Field."

Lin Xun steered the boat, resuming their journey.

......

There were nine star fields in the Ancient Nebula Road, and the White Emperor Star Field was located closest to the Central Star Field.

The Jintian Clan was the number one Imperial Clan in the White Emperor Star Field. As a powerful faction that controlled a star field, the Jintian Clan was destined to be swept up in the invasion of the foreign factions.

Indeed, reality didn’t disappoint. In recent times, the Jintian Clan was plagued by both internal and external troubles, placing them in a precarious position.

The Great Everlasting Sword Hall of the Sky Capital Starfield gave the Jintian Clan two choices: either submit, or be exterminated. Only three days remained for the Jintian Clan to make their decision.

The forces from the Great Everlasting Sword Hall were already gathered ten thousand miles from the Jintian Clan, threatening to move out at any moment! At the moment, there was a serious fracture within the Jintian Clan.

One group refused to submit, and wanted to fight to the end against Great Everlasting Sword Hall. They believed that as long as they could hold out long enough, more and more powerful cultivators would emerge from the clan as the heavenly principles grew increasingly robust, and it was even highly likely that an Immortal-level expert would be born.

However, the other group opposed this, believing that they must endure the humiliation and submit to the Great Everlasting Sword Hall in order to preserve their lives. This disagreement made the situation within the clan grow tense and hostile.

The Great Everlasting Sword Hall had given the Jintian Clan three days to decide. However, after only a single day, a rebellion erupted. A group headed by the clan's grand elder, Jintian Wuhong, suddenly struck and captured the group led by the clan leader, Jintian Jingyuan. As a result, the grand elder’s group gained control over the clan.

On that same day, Grand Elder Jintian Wuhong led the clansmen to submit to the Great Everlasting Sword Hall!