Chapter 122: Middle-Aged Scholar

Just as Qing Xuan finished speaking, a woman standing on a Flying Sword in the War God Hall heard the name "Ma Liang" and her expression changed, flickering with uncertainty. Gritting her teeth, she paused, turned around, and flew over. The woman was dressed as a young married woman, graceful and rounded, with natural beauty. Her fingers were like sharpened scallion roots, her lips like vermilion, and she drifted over with delicate, refined steps.

This woman was none other than Junior Sister Xu Si, the one Ma Liang had been infatuated with for a long time, and whom he had never forgotten even while on the Outer Realm Battlefield.

She first performed a curtsy to Qing Xuan, then looked at Wang Lin with indifference in her eyes. Her vermilion lips parted as she spoke coldly: "Where did this villain come from, daring to impersonate someone from our War God Hall? Senior Brother Qing Xuan, please help me kill this person." After speaking, she tapped her Storage Pouch, and a two-inch-long black feather needle appeared in her hand. With a light flick of her wrist, the feather needle descended like a torrential rain, flying towards Wang Lin.

The feather needle grew larger in the wind, carrying traces of grey light and turning into waves of black rain. It shot towards Wang Lin with an overwhelming force, as if aided by the wind.

Qing Xuan was stunned. He did not make a move but instead retreated a few steps, staring coldly at Wang Lin without saying a word.

Wang Lin's expression was calm, a flash of mockery passing through his heart. He flicked his sleeve, manifesting an invisible giant hand in the air that grabbed fiercely. He easily caught all the incoming feather needles without missing a single one. He gave a light snort, wiped away the Divine Sense on them, and placed them into his Storage Pouch with a flat expression.

The young woman's bright and enchanting face instantly turned pale. A trickle of blood flowed from her cherry-like lips, and her delicate body swayed slightly. The Flying Sword beneath her feet immediately dimmed. With a shocked expression, she stared at Wang Lin in disbelief. In her impression, Ma Liang could not possibly have such ability; not only did he ignore her Magic Treasure, but he could also casually wipe away the Divine Sense on it. This caused waves to surge in her heart.

Just then, three streaks of sword light flew rapidly from the War God Hall's position within the Cultivator army. Upon landing, they revealed three young men, the one in the middle being Yang Xiong.

He glanced at the young woman, then turned to Qing Xuan and cupped his hands: "Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, you have worked hard. Junior Brother Ma Liang is indeed a Disciple of our War God Hall. Thank you for guiding him this time."

Qing Xuan gave them a meaningful look, chuckled, and shook his head. His body moved as he departed on his sword. Not flying far, he looked back and saw Yang Xiong standing beside Wang Lin with a very respectful demeanor. Seeing this, he couldn't help but be stunned. After pondering for a moment, he changed direction and flew towards the location of the Hetu Sect.

Ignoring others, Yang Xiong stood in front of Wang Lin and whispered: "Master, do you know the Ancestor Feng Luan? The person on the Five-Colored Phoenix Carriage is the Ancestor. She ordered me to bring you to see her."

Wang Lin looked up at the Cultivator army constantly moving forward. In the position of the War God Hall in the center, there was a Five-Colored Phoenix Carriage with a woman standing on it. The woman was dressed in palace attire and, as if sensing Wang Lin's gaze, turned her head to look at him.

Wang Lin's expression remained normal; he understood. This Ancestor Feng Luan was the very young woman who had previously demanded Zhou Zihong's Soul Blood from him. After a moment of contemplation, Wang Lin followed Yang Xiong forward. As he passed by Xu Si, Wang Lin glanced at her coldly, his Divine Sense quietly leaving a trace inside her body.

This trace would take effect in one month, at which point this woman would surely die. Ever since experiencing that great upheaval in the State of Zhao, Wang Lin had been determined to root out anyone who harbored hostility towards him, regardless of gender, nipping everything in the bud. Since Xu Si had attacked first, he could not be blamed for being ruthless.

Yang Xiong led the way for Wang Lin, whispering: "Lin Tao was caught by Ancestor Feng Luan while copying the map. The map is now in the Ancestor's hands, and Lin Tao has also been punished. Were it not for this migration, he would likely have been locked in the Forbidden Land for ten years."

Wang Lin's expression remained normal, but his inner vigilance deepened. He followed Yang Xiong and quickly flew close to the Five-Colored Phoenix Carriage. Upon approaching, Yang Xiong slowed down a few steps. Wang Lin, with a calm demeanor, passed Yang Xiong, flew onto the carriage, landed opposite the woman, and bowed respectfully: "Wang Lin pays his respects to Senior."

The woman withdrew her gaze from the distant battlefield. After looking at Wang Lin a few times, she said in a soft voice: "Wang Lin, is that your real name?"

Wang Lin nodded, silently acknowledging it. There were too many people named Wang Lin; there was really no need to hide such a thing. If the other party discovered it, it would be worse.

The young woman looked at the Cultivator army continuously moving forward, was silent for a moment, and said: "At this critical time for the Fire Burning Country, there will be a great battle after we reach the Xuanwu Country. Your past affairs are hereby written off; do not take them to heart. If anyone causes you trouble, I will ensure your safety, but I can only help you once. After that one time, your act of saving Zihong will be considered repaid."

Just as Feng Luan finished speaking, the world suddenly darkened. In the distance on the battlefield, ten massive volcanoes were snapped from the ground by those Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators using their magic power. Raised into mid-air, they were thrown fiercely. Wherever they passed, the Fire Beasts retreated. Some that couldn't dodge in time were immediately crushed by the giant peaks, their bodies reduced to mangled flesh and blood.

Utilizing the momentum of the peaks clearing the path, the Cultivator army seized the opportunity and charged out like bamboo being split. The Fire Beasts that had been pursuing Wang Lin, numbering about twenty thousand, had a gap forcefully broken through them by the Cultivator army.

Streaks of sword light immediately killed their way out. Once there was a gap, the defeat of the Fire Beasts became inevitable. The goal of the Cultivator army was not to annihilate the enemy, but to break out of the encirclement.

Feng Luan stared at the distant battlefield. The phoenix carriage beneath her suddenly accelerated, following the Cultivator army as it charged out.

Sixteen Fire Beasts were each held back by Nascent Soul Stage experts. They roared repeatedly, eventually stopping one after another. With icy gazes, they stared at the retreating Cultivator army. Then, they clasped their hands together in a strange posture, and a series of sounds, different from their previous roars, emanated from their mouths.

Following this, strands of red silk emerged from the tops of their heads and coalesced above, eventually forming a ring of fire. As soon as this fire ring appeared, the sixteen giant beasts immediately showed expressions of piety, emitting low, whimpering roars.

Their bodies rapidly withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and waves of dark red light beams emerged from within them, merging into the fire ring.

This process lasted for nearly an hour. During this time, some Cultivators noticed the anomaly and turned back to stop it, but as soon as they approached within a hundred zhang, they were immediately struck by a destructive energy and instantly turned into ashes. Seeing this, no more Cultivators came over.

An hour later, the bodies of the sixteen giant beasts slowly dissipated, all merging into the fire ring. The size of the fire ring did not change, but its color turned blood-red. Finally, it shattered silently, turning into specks of red spots that dissipated into the world.

At this moment, throughout the entire Fire Burning Country, all Fire Beasts stopped all actions, kneeling on the ground and emitting whimpering roars. Following this, one of the Fire Beasts suddenly fell to the ground, its body twitching continuously. If one looked closely, one could see a red spot appear on its forehead. Its body expanded rapidly, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it grew to ten zhang in height.

Immediately after, one by one, the Fire Beasts had red spots appear on their foreheads, and their bodies expanded rapidly. Within less than two hours, all the Fire Beasts in the entire Fire Burning Country seemed to have completed a metamorphosis, all becoming ten zhang in size, and their strength also increased more than tenfold.

These metamorphosed Fire Beasts flew up one by one, chasing in the direction where the Cultivator army had disappeared. Gradually, more and more metamorphosed Fire Beasts joined the pursuit, forming a vast and mighty legion; it was a spectacular sight.

Back to the Cultivator army, after the ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators returned to the formation, four of them returned to the position of the War God Hall. Among them, a grey-haired old man swept his gaze and finally landed on Wang Lin in the phoenix carriage, shouting gloomily: "Was it you, this junior, who led the Fire Beasts here just now?"

Wang Lin's cold gaze stared at the old man, and he nodded.

The old man snorted coldly and reached out with his large hand, grabbing towards Wang Lin. Feng Luan, standing beside Wang Lin, looked slightly somber. She tapped the Five-Colored Phoenix Carriage, and immediately a five-colored bird manifested from within the carriage. After a cry, it flapped its wings, and a circular five-colored ripple immediately radiated outwards.

The old man withdrew his hand and stepped back a few paces. Looking at the woman, he shouted angrily: "Feng Luan, what are you doing? This brat not only committed Possession on a Disciple of my War God Hall, but he also led the Fire Beasts here just now. Do you know that in that battle just now, our Fire Burning Country lost over a thousand Disciples?"

Feng Luan's beautiful face, which radiated charm, showed a look of determination as she said: "With me here, you cannot kill him."

Zhou Jin stared gloomily at Feng Luan. After a moment of silence, he said: "Since this person is not Ma Liang, he is not a Disciple of our War God Hall. I may not kill him, but if he is not of our War God Hall, he cannot remain here."

Feng Luan turned to look at Wang Lin and said: "Wang Lin, are you willing to become my Named Disciple?"

Wang Lin quickly bowed in thanks and nodded in agreement.

Zhou Jin narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of cold light. This Feng Luan's cultivation was on par with his, both at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, but her Dual Cultivation Dao Companion, Yang Sen, was at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. Offending two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators for a mere trivial matter was truly not worthwhile. Zhou Jin snorted lightly and said: "Since Junior Sister Feng Luan is willing to take him as a Disciple, I naturally will not pursue this further. We will put this person's identity aside for now. With the great battles currently raging, with his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation, I fear he will find it hard to ensure his safety on the battlefield."

After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

As for the remaining three Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, except for one who flew towards Feng Luan, the other two shook their heads with bitter smiles and dispersed. The person flying towards Feng Luan was a middle-aged scholar; this person was none other than Yang Sen, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator whom Zhou Jin was quite wary of.

He glanced at Wang Lin, frowned slightly, and sighed towards Feng Luan: "Luan-mei… why are you doing this?"

Feng Luan looked coldly at the middle-aged scholar and said: "If it weren't for him, Hong'er would surely have died on the Outer Realm Battlefield. If it weren't for your instruction back then, how could Hong'er have entered such a dangerous place?"

The middle-aged scholar was silent for a long time. He turned to Wang Lin and bowed deeply. After straightening up, he took out a jade talisman from his Storage Pouch, wiped his right hand over it, and threw it to Wang Lin, saying: "This talisman is a Nascent Soul-level Magic Treasure I refined in my early years. I have already withdrawn my Divine Sense. After you refine it, your life can be preserved in this chaotic battle."

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