"This matter cannot be rushed," Yun Fan said, speaking to Lin Qian. "Qian'er, don't blame yourself or worry too much. I'm sure the three of them will handle the situation well."
As Yun Fan spoke, his tone exuded confidence. "Don't underestimate the three of them. They are much stronger than you might think."
"But the three elders are only at the Ninth Stage of the Awakening Realm, right? Can they really manage in the underground world of the alien race?" Lin Qian, still worried, found it hard to believe and voiced his concern.
Yun Fan looked at Lin Qian in confusion, puzzled. "Why do you think the three of them are only at the Awakening Realm?"
"Aren't they?" Lin Qian asked, wide-eyed with surprise.
Seeing Lin Qian's reaction, Yun Fan thought for a moment before laughing. "I see now. They must have used the Sealing Technique, which is why you thought they were only at the Awakening Realm."
"Sealing Technique?" The term was unfamiliar to Lin Qian.
"They have been cultivating a joint battle technique that requires the use of the Sealing Technique. Once the Sealing Technique is activated, their true cultivation levels are sealed, making them appear much weaker. However, their auras become closely linked, speeding up their cultivation process significantly."
"In this way, it's as though the talent of all three is combined, greatly benefiting their cultivation."
"When they engage in real combat, they will lift the seal, and their true strength will be restored."
"It seems, Qian'er, that the three elders were always in their sealed state when you saw them, which made you think they were only at the Awakening Realm. In reality, they are long past that—they're all Transcendent Realm soul martial artists."
At this, Yun Rong also chuckled. "Qian'er, do you really think your grandfather's three most trusted warriors would only be at the Awakening Realm?"
It dawned on Lin Qian then. The three elders were actually in the Transcendent Realm, which meant they had enough power to protect themselves in the underground world of the alien race.
"Oh, and when they lift the seal, there will be a period of weakness, during which their life tokens may dim. Could it be that when you saw their tokens dim, you assumed they were in danger?" Yun Fan asked, as if realizing something.
Lin Qian nodded slightly. He then checked with the Hua Xia Empire and confirmed that the elders' life tokens had already returned to their peak state.
"That's right. The life tokens have returned to normal. It seems things are just as Grandfather said," Lin Qian sighed in relief after receiving confirmation from the Hua Xia Empire.
The guilt Lin Qian had been carrying for losing the three elders was now eased. With their safety no longer in question, he knew he just needed to find them when the time came.
However, there was still the matter of the Yun Clan. They had suffered severe losses this time, and the Yun Clan's Patriarch, Yun Hu, was not likely to let them go. Additionally, with Lin Qian's public accusations against the Yun Clan, it was certain they would be furious.
The Yuan Ling Merchant Guild, which had been their protection, was also facing numerous challenges. A full-scale conflict with the Yun Clan seemed inevitable.
But this was precisely what Lin Qian desired. He was eager to go to war with the Yun Clan.
Still, charging in recklessly wasn't the right move. Winning with minimal loss of life and resources was Lin Qian's ultimate goal. If he could possess overwhelming power over the Yun Clan, the problem would be easily resolved.
The best way to achieve this, Lin Qian knew, was by improving his own cultivation. With his strength increased, Zhao Long's power would rise, allowing Lin Qian to summon Transcendent Realm generals and Battle Beast Commanders, and lead Imperial Troops and Battle Beast Armies at the peak of the Awakening Realm.
With powerful allies like his grandfather, eliminating the Yun Clan would be effortless.
"By the way, where's Yun Qingfeng? He hasn't returned yet," Yun Yunyan suddenly realized something amiss and asked her father.
"He went to the Yuan Ling Merchant Guild with Yun Fu to see if they could assist," Yun Rong answered before Yun Fan could. "Your father was still unconscious at the time, so he didn't know."
"No wonder. That kid loves excitement. I was wondering why he, as your uncle, hadn't come out to see you, Qian'er," Yun Fan remarked with a chuckle. "But what can they accomplish there?"
"Uncle?" Lin Qian realized then that Yun Qingfeng was his uncle.
At this moment, Lin Qian walked over to Yuan Supreme. "Elder Yuan, I may need your help with something."
"Whatever you need, Young Master."
"Just help spread the word that the Yun Clan is a traitor to the Hua Xia Empire," Lin Qian said with a mischievous grin.
Yuan Supreme looked at Lin Qian for a long moment before sighing. "Young Master, this matter…"
"It's simply you, Yuan Supreme, stating what you know. It's not the same as involving yourself in faction disputes," Lin Qian said, staring steadily at Yuan Supreme. "Elder Yuan, can't you grant me this small favor?"
After a brief pause, Yuan Supreme sighed again. "I never agreed with the Yun Clan's ways, to begin with. Very well, I'll heed your request."
With Yuan Supreme's agreement, Lin Qian felt satisfied. Now, any action the Hua Xia Empire took against the Yun Clan would be justified, and the empire's origin would have a logical explanation.
Though Lin Qian had fabricated the empire's backstory, the more people believed it, the closer it would come to becoming truth.
Lin Qian even entertained the idea of establishing a Long Aotian Memorial, turning it into a tourist attraction to enhance the narrative's credibility.
Perhaps a brief history about how the imperial Long Family had changed their surname would also be fitting.
The Yun Clan would never know that a storm was brewing, one that was fast approaching.
At that very moment, deep within the Yun Mist State, in a hidden valley, a white-haired elder stood grim-faced in the ancestral hall, staring at a collection of shattered life tokens.
"Fourteen Yun Mist Elders... dead. How could this have happened?" Yun Hu ground his teeth, his voice filled with fury.
"Without fourteen Transcendent Realm elders, the plan is ruined."
"And all for this Yun Fan... I should never have taken him in. Damn it!"