What a long, long journey.
She'd crossed the entire Nanlan Continent alone, passed through the Savage Beast Mountain Range, and endured countless hardships just to reach the central Human Domain.
They say it's hard to leave one's homeland. But if the homeland itself refuses to accept you, what choice do you have?
Why did her mother have to travel so far away? And she still had the King Stone!
According to the Shi Tribe's rules, anyone who possessed the King Stone was destined to become the next King of the Shi Tribe.
The Shi Tribe was one of the top ten races on the Nanlan Continent. How could they fail to protect their future king? Did things really get so bad that her mother had to flee for her life, only to die in a foreign land?
Yu Songnian still remembered his childhood clearly. His mother would sometimes fall into a trance, staring southward for a long time, unable to return to herself.
Back then, he didn't understand. Every time she did that, he'd tug on her sleeve in protest, not wanting her to ignore him.
But now...
He understood what she'd been looking at.
And he understood what she'd regretted the most. She'd been born and raised in that vast land, yet somehow, there hadn't been a place for her there—not even as a woman of royal blood.
Whatever had happened, she'd never spoken about it.
But Yu Songnian wanted answers.
"Alright, then we'll go to the royal palace," Yue Zhao said without hesitation. "When we get there, if you decide to acknowledge them, we'll help the royal family. But if you don't, we'll help the rest of the Shi Tribe overthrow them. If the mission time weren't so short, I'd say give us a year or two to work behind the scenes, and we could probably make our Third Junior Brother king ourselves!"
Yu Songnian couldn't help but laugh. He had no interest in becoming king. He just wanted to know the truth.
The King Stone within him still rested quietly in his dantian. He hadn't used its power in a long time, but he knew it was his mother's final gift—something that could help him turn the tables in a desperate moment.
"Tonight's plan," Yue Zhao said quietly, "is to infiltrate the royal palace. This mission isn't suited for too many people. I've got a treasure that can conceal our auras, but it can only cover two people at most. I'll go with Songnian. But remember, his mother escaped from the palace back then, so it might not be safe. If we're forced to flee, you'll be our support team. Wait for us here."
He pointed to a spot on the map.
Everyone agreed immediately.
This time, their strongest cultivator was Yue Zhao, who was only at the peak of Divine Transformation. If he went all out, he could probably fight someone in the Unity stage.
But against the entire Shi Tribe, that was still far from enough. Still, every one of these disciples had at least one ultimate life-saving method. If they couldn't win, they could run. And if things really went south, they could teleport straight back to the Wushuang Sect.
The mission would fail, sure, but their lives wouldn't be in danger.
After finalizing the plan, everyone dispersed to make preparations for the night's operation.
Meanwhile...
Yun Jin had already reached the first city of the Shi Tribe. Not long ago, she'd been under the sea, and now she was standing on the Nanlan Continent.
Looking at the completely different landscape, she felt a bit dazed.
Under the Boundless Sea, glowing night pearls lit up the depths, surrounded by endless sea life. But here on the Nanlan Continent, nearly eighty percent of the land was desert.
The races living here mostly possessed the earth attribute.
The Shi Tribe was born with pure earth affinity, which made them one of the most powerful races on the continent since ancient times. Their cities reflected that nature—rugged and massive, built from enormous slabs of rock stacked into towering walls and homes carved from stone.
The moment Yun Jin entered the city, she drew a lot of cautious stares.
A patrol squad quickly approached. "Excuse me, which race are you from?"
The soldiers looked suspicious.
The woman before them didn't seem to have any visible racial traits at all.
Which race...
Yun Jin thought for a moment, then said very seriously, "I'm from the... White-Haired Tribe."
The soldier blinked. "Huh?"
Was there even such a tribe?
"Our White-Haired Tribe has few people and weak spiritual power," she explained smoothly. "We've always lived in the borderlands. I came here alone, hoping to find a future for my people."
The soldier didn't seem too doubtful.
The Nanlan Continent had countless races. Beyond the major ones, there were tiny clans so small they could be counted on two hands. Those were known as rare species.
Rare species weren't necessarily strong, but their populations were so small that some were even placed under special protection to preserve diversity.
The Shi Tribe's Hundred Races Pavilion, for example, kept several of these rare species for others to observe.
"White-Haired Tribe," the soldier repeated, studying her. "That's a new one. I've never heard of it."
Yun Jin nodded seriously. "Yeah, we're a rare species, alright."
"What's your tribe's specialty?" the soldier asked.
Specialty?
Yun Jin paused, then replied, "How about... you ask about my dreams instead?"
The soldier frowned. "Be honest."
She sighed.
Fine, then.
She thought for a bit. "My white hair can form shapes, does that count?"
As she spoke, she manipulated her hair into different patterns.
The soldier looked unimpressed. "Next!"
Yun Jin pouted.
Why next? Were her shapes not pretty enough?!
After thinking again, she said, "My hair can turn into vines. That's something, right?"
She quietly used a bit of the Primordial Wood and summoned a few vines.
The soldier's expression shifted slightly. "That's... interesting. Alright, leave your name, I'll register you."
"Yun Jin," she said directly.
No need to hide.
No one here knew her anyway, and even if someone did, so what?
If anyone tried to harm her through her name, that'd actually be perfect. At her cultivation level, any curse or hex directed at her would rebound instantly, killing whoever cast it.
"Alright." The soldier handed her a token. "Since you're from a rare species, take this. As long as your spending isn't excessive, you can use it freely within the city. You may stay for three days. After that, someone will come find you."
"Got it," Yun Jin said cheerfully.
Now she was curious. Who'd be coming to find her in three days?
After parting with the patrol, she wandered toward the market district. It'd been a long time since she'd visited such a place. After all, she was now the master of the Wushuang Sect and the Celestial Divine Palace. There weren't many things in this world that could still catch her interest.
This time, she was looking for manuals, artifacts, or elixirs with strong earth attributes. Through those, she could learn more about the Shi Tribe's customs and culture.
This city was only a hundred li away from the royal capital.
Getting there would be easy.
But Yun Jin wasn't in a hurry. She wanted to see what her disciples were planning first.