Chapter 390: The Goddess Luo Clan, Qingzhu Ling's Admiration
As Lin Langtian entered the warped space, he could clearly feel a powerful water pressure pushing in from all sides, creating a sense of heaviness around him. At the same time, cold, sharp water arrows surged from every direction, adding to the oppressive weight. In these conditions, most people wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hmph," Lin Langtian muttered, undaunted by the sudden assault. With a single thought, he summoned a wave of Yuan Power that suppressed the water pressure around him entirely. A sweep of his sleeve disintegrated the water arrows before they could come within several meters.
As he dispelled these initial threats, Lin Langtian suddenly noticed that the space around him was behaving strangely. He quickly looked up, shocked to find that his companions—Song Yun and the others, who had entered the temple alongside him—had completely vanished.
His eyes narrowed with vigilance as he activated his Yuan Power and began scanning his surroundings. Instead of the ancient temple he expected, he found himself standing in an oceanic world, where an immense water pressure created a warped feeling in the air. His visibility was limited to about a hundred meters, and the water mist cloaked everything beyond that range, rendering even his spiritual power useless.
"So, this is the Lost Temple of the Goddess Luo?" Lin Langtian muttered as he observed this vast, watery world. An intense water pressure permeated the mist and seeped into his body. Fortunately, his physical strength allowed him to withstand it without issue.
"This doesn't feel right…" Lin Langtian whispered, scanning the endless ocean. No one else was around, even though a large group had entered this place together.
"Well, now that I'm here, let's see what tricks this place has up its sleeve," he murmured, striding forward into the misty depths. As he walked, he began to notice countless trenches filled with demonic energy, as though a massive battle had once raged across this waterlogged expanse. Broken weapons floated on the water's surface, radiating an eerie sense of desolation.
"There was a battle here once…" he mused after wandering the area for about ten minutes, noting the signs of past violence etched across the landscape.
"Is this some sort of test for the Lost Temple?" The constant water pressure would have made movement nearly impossible for anyone unprepared, but his Black Flame Tyrant Body technique allowed him to advance smoothly.
"This water pressure is… unusual," said a voice. It was Ling Yi, his spirit guide, who rarely spoke while in a deep slumber but had somehow awoken, her voice thick with surprise.
Lin Langtian's eyes brightened. "This is the Lost Temple of the Goddess Luo, an inheritance space here in the Abyssal Domain."
Ling Yi had been asleep more often lately, yet Lin Langtian could sense her growing stronger in tandem with his own power. After a moment of contemplation, Ling Yi murmured, "Ah, the Lost Temple… The methods here seem familiar. Could it be connected to the Goddess Luo Clan from the Great Thousand World?"
"The Goddess Luo Clan?" Lin Langtian was startled, suddenly remembering where he had heard the name "Luo" before. He hadn't dared assume any relation between the Lost Temple and the famous clan, but with Ling Yi's mention of it, he wondered if the two were indeed connected.
Unlike isolated realms, Tianxuan Continent was unique—it had not only drawn an Upper Realm entity like the Symbol Ancestor, but it had also attracted the Demonic Abyss Clan, an external force. Therefore, it wouldn't be impossible for other powerful beings from the Great Thousand World to leave traces here.
Feigning curiosity, he asked, "Ling Yi, who is the Goddess Luo Clan?"
"A well-known clan from the Great Thousand World. They once wielded considerable power, but in recent years, they've faded somewhat. Still, even in decline, the Goddess Luo Clan's strength is nothing to underestimate."
Lin Langtian nodded; this matched what little he'd heard of the clan.
"Splash…" As Lin Langtian continued to explore, he suddenly heard the soft sound of footsteps on water. Looking up, he was startled to see a familiar figure in the distance—a figure he recognized, but who appeared haggard and disoriented.
"Song Yun?" he murmured in surprise.
"Master!" Song Yun's face lit up with relief upon seeing Lin Langtian, and he hurried toward him.
"Be careful, it's an illusion!" Ling Yi's voice echoed in Lin Langtian's mind, and he froze, his eyes narrowing.
Just as Song Yun approached, a gleam of cold light flickered in his palm.
Shink!
A hidden dagger slashed toward Lin Langtian's chest, but as it neared, Lin Langtian's expression darkened. He countered with a powerful slap, his hand blazing with Yuan energy, and struck the "Song Yun" figure, sending it flying.
Boom!
The figure shattered upon impact, dissolving into a mist of blue vapor as it hit the water.
"What a strange trick…" Lin Langtian muttered, his gaze turning icy.
"This is a water illusion technique of the Goddess Luo Clan," Ling Yi warned. "Be careful."
Lin Langtian nodded, raising his guard even higher. He was now certain that the one who had left this temple must have hailed from the Goddess Luo Clan of the Great Thousand World.
"I see—so I'm trapped…" he murmured, eyes gleaming with determination. He continued forward, eager to discover what lay ahead.
As he ventured deeper into the watery space, illusions continued to appear. After Song Yun, he encountered illusions of Jin Wu and even Lin Dong himself. Each time, these familiar figures launched attacks on him, though they barely left a scratch, slowly filling him with a sense of foreboding.
The water illusions seemed to be using his memories to recreate familiar faces to attack him.
Boom!
As Lin Langtian once again destroyed a doppelgänger, his expression grew colder and darker. These illusions kept coming, as if they would never end.
"Is there more?" he muttered, frustration mounting. After defeating the latest shadowy figure, he looked up and saw another silhouette taking shape in the twisted space ahead. Slowly, it materialized fully—and Lin Langtian was surprised to see it resembled Qingzhu Ling.
"This is never-ending," he thought, his gaze hardening as he leapt forward, striking with a powerful punch aimed directly at the familiar figure in the distance.
The figure—who looked exactly like Qingzhu Ling—seemed startled, gracefully sidestepping his sudden attack with an almost instinctive, elegant movement.
"Oh?" Lin Langtian raised an eyebrow at her swift dodge, then closed in for another attack. As he approached, he could see her face clearly, veiled under a thin layer of gauze, with her delicate brows slightly furrowed. Something about it felt a little too real, but he still struck out with another palm, though he slightly pulled back his power this time.
Crash!
His palm struck with incredible force, sending a wave of Yuan Power straight toward "Qingzhu Ling." But in response, a flash of annoyance flickered across her face, and at that moment, he sensed something was amiss. Redirecting his energy at the last second, he aimed for the water's surface next to her.
Splash!
His redirected attack churned up a huge wave that cascaded across the water before gradually calming down.
"What are you doing?" The woman in front of him arched her brows, her cool voice laced with a hint of anger.
"Heh, my mistake. I thought you were another illusion." Lin Langtian scratched his head apologetically, adding, "I've run into quite a few copies of people I know here."
Qingzhu Ling gave him a brief, somewhat exasperated look, then inclined her head, signaling she wasn't inclined to hold a grudge.
"Have you seen any illusions yourself?" Lin Langtian asked, noting her calm demeanor.
"Perhaps the technique didn't affect me because of the cultivation method I practice in the Nine Heavens Clear Palace," she replied evenly.
Lin Langtian nodded, understanding. The methods practiced at the Nine Heavens Clear Palace were designed to cultivate tranquility, naturally guarding against illusions born of the mind. Yet the same training that kept her immune to illusions also lent Qingzhu Ling the aloof temperament she was known for—a demeanor that Lin Langtian seemed able to disrupt at will.
"It seems we're trapped in some sort of formation. Every formation has a core, and if we can reach it, we should find a way out," Lin Langtian said, glancing at Qingzhu Ling as he focused on a distant point.
"This space is warped. Can you find the core?" Qingzhu Ling asked, surprised.
Lin Langtian smiled. "I should be able to. If you trust me, you're welcome to join me. Running into each other here seems like fate." With that, he set off.
Qingzhu Ling hesitated, watching his back as he moved ahead, before ultimately following. The strange atmosphere of the space made her prefer to stick together, though she felt slightly uncomfortable trailing Lin Langtian like this.
The two walked in silence over the water's surface. In a way, their relationship was complicated—too complex to treat each other as mere acquaintances.
After about half an hour, as Lin Langtian continued following the subtle energy pulses in the space, Qingzhu Ling walked behind him, occasionally glancing at his tall figure, clearly deep in thought.
"Did you always believe you'd reach this level?" she asked after the prolonged silence.
Lin Langtian paused, glancing back at her with a faint smile. "I suppose so. I always felt the small kingdom of Dayan was too confining, and even the Eastern Profound Region, or all of Tianxuan, wouldn't be my final stop."
Qingzhu Ling was taken aback, gazing intently at him. Lin Langtian's words sounded incredibly ambitious—even her Nine Heavens Clear Palace's Grandmaster or the three chief instructors of Yuan Gate would hesitate to make such a claim. After all, no one truly knew what lay beyond Tianxuan Continent.
Yet five years earlier, after an ancient tomb exploration in the Dayan Kingdom, Lin Langtian had spoken to her with that same unshakable confidence. Standing before her today, he had proven the validity of his beliefs.
After a brief pause, a faint smile appeared on her face. "You're certainly an ambitious man. Anyone else would think you're boasting. But for you to have come this far in only five years... it's impressive. Whether or not the Eastern Profound Region or Tianxuan can hold you, I'll be here to see it."
Qingzhu Ling's lips curved slightly beneath her veil. She knew well the humble beginnings from which Lin Langtian had risen, and the rarity of his achievements was even more remarkable because of them. Had he started from a higher place, she might not have been as impressed.
Lin Langtian raised an eyebrow, a rare expression of satisfaction spreading over his face. "Didn't expect to hear that from you," he teased, his gaze lingering on her as he smiled, deeply gratified to have earned her respect.
For the first time, it felt as though he'd truly seen through the cold exterior that Qingzhu Ling wore like armor, and he couldn't deny a rush of satisfaction at her acknowledgment.
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