Chapter 1527: Dominating the Inner Realm, The Roots of Leaves

Chapter 1527: Dominating the Inner Realm, The Roots of Leaves (First Update)

"Seal Venerable grew up here. This place is called the State of Zhao, the true Holy Land of the Vermilion Bird Star!" The old man's voice was filled with the vicissitudes of time as he pointed to the State of Zhao ahead and spoke slowly to the Disciples beside him.

In front of the four of them, the borders of the State of Zhao were surrounded by a shimmering light. This light formed a ring, permeating the entire perimeter of the State of Zhao and becoming a Formation.

The purpose of this Formation was to prevent outsiders from entering.

"On the Vermilion Bird Star, including the nine major Sects, anyone can visit freely as long as they present a calling card. Only this place forbids all outside Cultivators from taking even a half-step inside. This was the most resolute requirement put forward by the Master of the Vermilion Bird Star, Zhou Wutai, when the Vermilion Bird Star was undergoing large-scale transformation.

Any place can be altered, but only this State of Zhao is not allowed to have a single blade of grass or a single tree moved!" The old man stood outside the light screen, his voice calm.

His three Disciples looked on with reverence, gazing at the land of the State of Zhao within the light screen, looking at the vaguely visible mountain peaks in the distance, and silently bowed to the State of Zhao.

"Any outside Cultivator who does not abide by the agreement and enters the State of Zhao will be severely punished!" A flash appeared in the old man's eyes as he spoke. He turned his head to look at Wang Lin and the madman, who had descended from the sky several hundred feet away.

His three Disciples were stunned for a moment before turning their heads. Upon seeing Wang Lin and that madman, they immediately glared and sneered.

"Although this Vermilion Bird Star is not large, one can always see such annoying people!"

"These two are vulgar and unbearable; they are truly detestable."

The madman also saw the four of them. His face immediately revealed an expression of excitement, and he happily roared and waved at the four of them.

"Little ladies, we meet again, haha. It seems you and this King are fated to meet. Come, come, for the sake of our fate, this King has a reward for you."

Wang Lin seemed not to hear the madman's roaring. He silently gazed at the State of Zhao. As his vision blurred, waves of sorrow rose in his heart, an indescribable emotion that caused him to walk forward slowly, gradually approaching the light screen outside the State of Zhao.

Regarding the madman's voice, the old man's three Disciples all revealed anger in their eyes. If not for their Master being by their side, they would have already gone up to teach him a lesson.

The old man frowned. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly froze. He stared fixedly at Wang Lin, seeing that Wang Lin was getting closer and closer to the State of Zhao's Formation, as if he intended to break it.

His expression darkened. The old man ignored the madman and stepped forward, heading straight for Wang Lin, shouting in a deep voice.

"Fellow Daoist, the State of Zhao is a Holy Land, the hometown of the Seal Venerable. It does not allow outsiders like us to step inside. I hope you will respect yourself!" The old man's words boomed like thunder, shaking the surroundings and giving the madman a fright.

The madman widened his eyes as he looked at the old man and immediately roared.

"Damn it, you scared this King. You have to compensate me; you scared me!"

Wang Lin turned a deaf ear. In his eyes, there was no light screen or Formation; there was only the familiar feeling of the State of Zhao that he had finally found after all this time. That feeling became clearer and clearer, causing him to forget everything around him.

With one step, he was already close to the light screen Formation. Immediately, this caused a ripple in the Formation, which spread to the surroundings, as if a huge Vortex had appeared on the light screen in front of Wang Lin. This Vortex rotated rapidly, making the ripples more and more violent, eventually shaking the entire Formation of the State of Zhao.

"Fellow Daoist, stop!" The old man's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, his body shot towards Wang Lin like lightning, wanting to stop Wang Lin's actions. In his view, Wang Lin's behavior had already offended the hometown of the Seal Venerable and required severe punishment!

Since he had seen it, he had to stop it!

But his speed was still a bit slow. A moment before he arrived, the Vortex in the Formation in front of Wang Lin took shape. As it swirled, it was as if two invisible hands reached into the Formation, gently parting it to reveal a huge Rift.

Wang Lin's body did not pause in the slightest from beginning to end. Carrying melancholy and homesickness, and with the complex thoughts of having found that familiarity, he stepped into the State of Zhao through that opening!

He stepped onto that piece of land he was so familiar with!

A cold light flashed in the old man's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he coldly snorted and followed him through the Rift.

"How bold! Breaking the State of Zhao's Formation and entering the State of Zhao privately, you have already caused a great disaster. It won't be long before someone comes to punish you. Since I have encountered this, I absolutely cannot let you offend the Seal Venerable like this!"

The old man's body flickered, and after stepping into the opening, he chased after Wang Lin.

The moment the Formation was parted by Wang Lin, almost all the powerful Cultivators with great Divine Ability on the Vermilion Bird Star sensed it. Their expressions changed, and they were immediately filled with gloom and anger.

"Daring to break into the Seal Venerable's hometown, you are courting death!"

"I would like to see who has the audacity to break open the State of Zhao's Formation!"

Streaks of long rainbow light whistled up from all directions of the Vermilion Bird Star, heading straight for the State of Zhao! At the same time, within the nine major Sects of the State of Zhao, nine extremely powerful auras rose to the sky, carrying a sinister intent as they rushed toward the State of Zhao.

Breaking the State of Zhao's Formation and forcing entry was, for the Vermilion Bird Star, a major event. It was an act of offending the Seal Venerable, an unforgivable act that required severe punishment!

Outside the Formation, the old man's three Disciples looked dazed. They stared at the opening in the Formation and, seeing their Master chase after Wang Lin, were at a loss for what to do.

On the contrary, the madman clapped his hands, his eyes revealing excitement, and while roaring, he rushed toward the opening.

"Haha, fun, fun." The madman's body flashed, and under a golden light, he stepped into the opening. The old man's three Disciples hesitated for a moment, looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and also rushed in.

Wang Lin gazed at the land and mountains he remembered so well below. He looked at the Hengyue School mountain peaks in the distance, and at the pavilion buildings on the mountain from two thousand years ago. That familiar feeling became even more profound and clear.

"Hengyue School…" A bitter expression appeared on Wang Lin's face as he gently took a step forward. With this step, ripples echoed under his feet, and his body suddenly disappeared.

The moment he disappeared, the old man caught up. His expression was gloomy, and his pupils shrank violently.

"Shrinking the Ground into an Inch! I couldn't see through this person's cultivation level to begin with, but I didn't expect him to actually know the technique of Shrinking the Ground into an Inch! But this is the Seal Venerable's hometown, guarded by many Cultivators with great Divine Ability. No matter how high his cultivation is, he will not escape punishment!" The old man's eyes flashed. As his Divine Sense spread out, his body flickered forward, and ripples also echoed under his feet. He had actually also performed the technique of Shrinking the Ground into an Inch.

Below the Hengyue Mountain, outside a forest, there used to be a small mountain village.

This mountain village had already changed, becoming a city. The name of that city was Imperial Ancestor City… Wang Lin had already known this when he returned before, but inside this city, there was an old house that was like eternity, unchanging.

This old house was his home back then…

Around this old house, there was a large courtyard. In the east of the courtyard, an old grave, rebuilt by later generations, stood silently, as if waiting for the return of a wanderer.

There was no one in the old house, and everything around was extremely quiet.

In this silence, Wang Lin's figure appeared silently in the courtyard, appearing before the grave. He gazed at the tombstone, and the blur in his eyes turned into two lines of tears, flowing down silently.

Wang Lin wept as he knelt before the grave.

Memories of his childhood did not surface in Wang Lin's mind as they had in the past. At this moment, amidst his exhaustion, before his parents' grave, tears flowed continuously. He stared blankly at the tombstone, and in his sorrowful heart, there was a sense of peace.

It seemed that only here did his heart truly belong to himself, and only here did it truly come to a rest.

Everything here had not changed; everything here was the same as it was back then. This was his home, his true home…

Raising his trembling right hand, he caressed the spirit tablet in front of the grave, touching the name carved into it. Wang Lin's tears flowed even more.

Had he not returned to the Vermilion Bird Star to pay his respects at his parents' grave? Had he not returned to the Vermilion Bird Star to offer a handful of soil before his parents' spirit tablet?

Had he not returned to the Vermilion Bird Star precisely because his parents were buried here?

The Vermilion Bird Star, carrying half of Wang Lin's memories, carrying his longing for his parents, and carrying everything about him, made him dream of it whenever he was exhausted and whenever he looked up at the sky.

The roots of leaves return to the soil when they fall. People have a Soul, and that Soul grieves for its loved ones.

"I can give up everything… as long as you are alive… Let me, Wan'er, and Ping'er… let our family be reunited… I can give up everything…" Wang Lin had not cried like this for a very, very long time.

He really missed his father and mother, grieving to the point of injury.

That painful crying did not dissipate for a long time in this quiet world, lingering and permeating the air.

People all have parents. The painful feeling of losing one's parents seems to slowly dissipate with the passage of time, seeming light and indifferent, but in reality, it is buried deep in one's bones, buried in one's Soul. Who could forget?

As one gets older, that feeling of grief is buried deeper and deeper. Once it is released, the sorrow can shock the heavens, and the grief can move the earth!

People have emotions, which is why they are called humans!

"You actually dare to break into the Seal Venerable's former residence…" Just then, in the sky above the old house, ripples echoed, and the old man stepped out. His expression was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with anger. He respected the Seal Venerable, and the Seal Venerable's hometown was absolutely not to be offended.

Chasing here, he saw at a glance Wang Lin kneeling before the grave, saw the tears on Wang Lin's face, and heard the crying that made his heart ache. His words were immediately swallowed back.

His body trembled, and he froze there, his mind buzzing. He knew what place this was, he knew who was buried in that grave, and he knew that in this world, only one person was qualified to kneel here, and only one person was qualified to cry so bitterly before that grave!

He even heard the person kneeling before the grave mutter a sentence that caused his whole body to shake, his eyes revealing disbelief.

"Dad, Mom… Tie Zhu has returned to see you…" Wang Lin touched the tombstone, as if he saw his father and mother standing before him, looking at him kindly. That warm gaze of theirs seemed to have traversed two thousand years to reach him, without fading in the slightest.

First update of the day! Seeking monthly votes!