Although Lin Sheng had no intention of involving himself in a battle between Nascent Soul True Monarchs, the enormous disturbance had already attracted his attention, and now that he had reached the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm and his Qiankun comprehension had advanced considerably, he was curious to discover how much of the confrontation he could understand without exposing himself to unnecessary danger.
After contemplating the matter for a moment, he turned towards the eastern horizon.
"Since I'm going back anyway, I might as well find out what happened."
He was not foolish enough to approach the battlefield directly, but there was no reason to remain completely ignorant of the situation. The Eastern Region had been engulfed in a conflict between the Orthodox Alliance and the Seven Star Palace for some time, and a battle powerful enough to produce such a terrifying shock wave would undoubtedly have consequences for the entire region. Even if he could not learn the complete truth, a glimpse of the aftermath might help him understand how serious the conflict had become.
With that thought, Lin Sheng rose into the air, transforming into a streak of escape light that shot towards the Dragon Yuan Province.
His speed was considerably greater than it had been before entering seclusion, and the surrounding scenery quickly blurred as he crossed the wilderness, leaving the damaged mountain and the secluded Changsheng Abode far behind. He maintained a steady pace, however, avoiding any unnecessary display of power as he travelled, because the last thing he wanted was to attract the attention of a Nascent Soul True Monarch while carrying secrets that he had no intention of revealing.
Meanwhile, the entire Eastern Region was descending into chaos.
The conflict between the Orthodox Alliance and the Seven Star Palace had continued for long enough that even the smaller cultivation forces could no longer remain untouched. Although the three major powers possessed the strength to maintain a certain degree of order within their own territories, their attention and resources were increasingly concentrated on the war, leaving countless smaller sects, cultivation clans, and independent cultivators to deal with the consequences themselves.
Those beneath the three major powers had not simply surrendered to the disorder. Many had begun cooperating with neighbouring forces, establishing temporary alliances, strengthening the defences of their cities, and deploying their available experts to protect important markets and spiritual resource points. Some of these arrangements had proved surprisingly effective, allowing certain regions to maintain a semblance of stability despite the growing tension.
Yet their influence had its limits.
Outside the larger settlements, where powerful formations and experienced cultivators were scarce, the situation was far worse. Cultivation markets that had once served as gathering places for independent cultivators had gradually become hunting grounds, with groups of rogue cultivators ambushing merchants, robbing travelling practitioners, and seizing resources from anyone they believed incapable of defending themselves.
Many of these people were Foundation Establishment cultivators or even weaker practitioners who had previously lacked the courage to commit such crimes. Now, however, the chaos surrounding the war had given them an opportunity to act without immediately facing punishment, and as rumours spread that the major powers were too occupied with their own battles to investigate every incident, more and more people began abandoning restraint.
Some claimed they were merely trying to survive.
Others made no attempt to justify themselves, openly declaring that the resources they seized belonged to whoever possessed the strength to keep them.
The distinction between independent cultivators and robber cultivators was becoming increasingly blurred.
For ordinary merchants and travelling practitioners, every journey had turned into a gamble, and even those who possessed sufficient strength to protect themselves could not always predict whether the people they encountered were genuine cultivators seeking trade or bandits waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The disorder was spreading faster than the smaller powers could contain it.
By the time Lin Sheng approached the Dragon Yuan Province, reports of robber cultivators had already reached several of the surrounding settlements, and the atmosphere within the province had become noticeably more tense than he remembered.
He did not immediately enter the most heavily populated areas.
Instead, while still travelling through the air, he gradually suppressed his aura and adjusted the fluctuations of his Qi-Blood, allowing his presence to settle at a level comparable to an ordinary Rank 3 body refining martial artist. He also concealed the deeper characteristics of his Golden Body, leaving behind only the outward impression of a powerful physique that had undergone a relatively advanced stage of body refinement.
His internal martial cultivation was concealed in a similar manner, appearing to remain around the peak of Xuan Gang.
This was the cultivation he had openly displayed during his previous activities on the Martial Continent, and maintaining that appearance would attract considerably less attention than revealing that he had advanced to Astral Gang.
After all, the difference between peak Xuan Gang and Astral Gang was not merely a matter of accumulating more Gang Qi. The breakthrough required a martial artist to transform Martial Intent into Martial Will, a transition that demanded a profound understanding of one's martial concept and a corresponding advancement in the Shen.
Even among the most talented martial artists, this step could become a bottleneck lasting decades.
There were people who spent their entire lives trapped at peak Xuan Gang, unable to transform their comprehension no matter how much effort they invested, and there were also geniuses who required years of secluded cultivation before finally making the breakthrough.
If Lin Sheng suddenly appeared with Astral Gang cultivation after having previously demonstrated only peak Xuan Gang, anyone familiar with his earlier activities would naturally question how he had progressed so quickly.
That alone would not necessarily expose his secrets, but it would create unnecessary attention, and Lin Sheng had never enjoyed explaining his cultivation to people who had no business knowing about it.
His current disguise was sufficient.
As for his Golden Body, its true strength remained hidden beneath the restrained aura, and the enormous Qi-Blood Furnace within him continued circulating quietly without releasing any conspicuous fluctuations.
Nevertheless, Lin Sheng understood that concealment was never absolute.
The density of his Qi-Blood had reached an extraordinary level, and even with his advanced breath regulation methods, he could not completely erase the impression created by his physical foundation. To a sufficiently perceptive expert, he might still resemble a human-sized yao beast whose physique had undergone an extraordinary transformation.
Fortunately, such characteristics could be attributed to a powerful body-refining inheritance.
The more troublesome issue was his Qiankun Pseudo Domain.
Although he could suppress its outward fluctuations, the conceptual foundation was fundamentally different from ordinary Immortal Dao techniques. If a Nascent Soul True Monarch examined him closely and discovered that his perception and methods carried traces of a martial domain, the difference might provoke considerable curiosity.
That was a risk he preferred to avoid.
After all, the thought processes of a Nascent Soul True Monarch were notoriously difficult to predict. The formation of the Nascent Soul represented a qualitative transformation in the cultivator's Shen, creating a second spiritual form that resembled another version of oneself. Although it remained connected to the original body, it possessed extraordinary capabilities and could support a degree of spiritual activity that was impossible for an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
Such a transformation affected far more than combat strength.
It changed how a cultivator perceived the world, processed information, and responded to unfamiliar phenomena, making their behaviour considerably more difficult to judge through ordinary assumptions.
Lin Sheng's breath regulation methods were advanced enough to conceal much of his cultivation from people of comparable strength, but he had no reason to assume they would deceive every Nascent Soul True Monarch. A minor inconsistency, a momentary fluctuation, or an unusual characteristic in his martial concept could become the beginning of an investigation he had no desire to endure.
He had already attracted the attention of a Nascent Soul True Monarch once.
He did not intend to repeat the experience unnecessarily.
With his aura suppressed, Lin Sheng continued towards the Lin family's territory, his escape light gradually descending as the familiar mountains and forests came into view.
The moment he reached the mountain where Changsheng Abode's counterpart on the Martial Continent had once been established, his perception spread across the surrounding area.
He immediately noticed something unusual.
The protective formation he had designed together with the Lin family's Grand Elder was already operating at its first phase.
Lin Sheng slowed down.
The formation was still functioning, and its concealment properties remained intact, but the faint barrier surrounding the mountain had become active, producing subtle fluctuations that were almost impossible for ordinary cultivators to detect. To anyone passing nearby, the mountain would appear no different from any other stretch of wilderness, yet the formation's energy was circulating beneath the surface, maintaining a defensive barrier around the Lin family's important territory.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had designed the mountain's protective formation with four distinct phases, each intended to respond to a different level of threat.
The first phase formed the outermost barrier, its primary purpose being to conceal the mountain and prevent weaker cultivators from casually discovering the protected area. Although its defensive strength was limited, the formation was sufficiently illusory to confuse the perception of Purple Palace cultivators and those below them, making it difficult for anyone who lacked specialised formation knowledge to distinguish the barrier from the surrounding environment.
More importantly, the first phase could withstand several full-powered attacks from Golden Core cultivators before automatically switching to the second phase.
The remaining phases were designed to provide progressively stronger protection, allowing the formation to respond to increasingly dangerous threats without immediately consuming all its energy. If the first barrier were breached, the second would strengthen the mountain's defences, while the deeper phases would provide additional protection should the attackers possess enough power to overcome the earlier layers.
The formation was not invincible, of course.
No formation could guarantee the safety of a location against every possible enemy, particularly when confronted by Nascent Soul True Monarchs capable of unleashing major divine abilities that could devastate vast stretches of land with a single attack.
Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient to protect the mountain against ordinary intruders and provide the Lin family with valuable time to respond to a serious threat.
The fact that the first phase had already been activated was therefore significant.
Lin Sheng looked towards the distant horizon, recalling the tremendous shock wave that had swept across the wilderness earlier.
That Nascent Soul battle must have frightened quite a few people.
The formation was not designed to activate simply because a distant cultivator released a powerful aura, but the disturbance produced by the recent clash had clearly reached a level that triggered its defensive response. Whether the activation had been caused directly by the shock wave or by the resulting disturbances in the surrounding spiritual energy, the conclusion was the same: the aftermath of the battle had been powerful enough to affect a region far beyond its immediate vicinity.
Even the Lin family had not escaped its influence.
Lin Sheng did not immediately approach the mountain.
Instead, he examined the formation from a distance, tracing the flow of energy through its outermost layer and confirming that its activation had not damaged the deeper formation nodes. Once he was satisfied that the barrier remained stable, he withdrew his perception and turned his attention towards the Dragon Yuan Province.
He had another reason for returning under the identity of Lin Sheng.
The recent battle between Nascent Soul True Monarchs was not an ordinary matter that could be investigated simply by visiting a cultivation market and asking a few questions. Such conflicts involved the highest-ranking experts of the major powers, and the information surrounding them would inevitably be controlled by those capable of influencing the outcome.
The Immortal Continent operated according to a hierarchy that resembled a pyramid.
The higher one climbed, the fewer people possessed access to the truth.
A Golden Core cultivator might know details that were never revealed to Foundation Establishment cultivators, while a Nascent Soul True Monarch could possess information that remained completely unknown even to Golden Core experts. If the True Monarchs involved in the recent confrontation had discovered something valuable, they could keep it hidden from everyone beneath them, and the lower ranks might never learn that such a discovery had occurred.
However, a battle of this magnitude was different.
The disturbance had spread across a vast region, damaging formations, uprooting vegetation, and causing unrest among countless smaller powers. Even if the major factions wished to conceal the reason for the confrontation, they could not simply pretend that nothing had happened.
Someone would have to address the matter.
A public statement from one of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, even if it contained only a small portion of the truth, could provide enough information for Lin Sheng to understand the general direction of the conflict.
He did not need to know every secret.
He merely wanted to determine whether the war had entered a more dangerous stage, whether the major powers were preparing for a decisive confrontation, and whether the recent clash would affect his plans to return to the Martial Continent.
If he could obtain that information from the Lin family, he would have no reason to visit Zhenyuan City.
Going there would be a last resort.
Lin Sheng had already attracted the attention of the Pavilion Mistress, a Nascent Soul True Monarch who had personally assessed his concealment, his Golden Body, and the Rank 4 Wind and Thunder Wing Talisman he had drawn himself. Although their encounter had not developed into an open conflict, he had no intention of giving her another reason to investigate him.
He was not afraid of being questioned, but avoiding unnecessary complications was always preferable to dealing with them after they arose.
With that in mind, Lin Sheng concealed his presence further and approached the Lin family's territory.
As he drew closer to the inner sections of the family's domain, he noticed that the number of cultivators moving through the surrounding roads had decreased considerably. Several courtyards that had once been occupied by cultivators were now almost empty, while the guards stationed at the outer entrances appeared more alert than usual, their weapons within easy reach and their eyes constantly sweeping across the passing crowds.
Lin Sheng's perception spread towards the nearby markets.
He quickly understood why.
Several of the Lin family's markets had recently experienced disturbances, and the family had apparently dispatched a portion of its available manpower to help maintain order. Some of the martial artists who would ordinarily have remained within the family's territory had been sent to escort merchants, reinforce the guards, and deal with the growing number of robber cultivators taking advantage of the chaos.
Among those sent out were Lou Han, Lin Shou, and the others.
Lin Sheng's expression softened slightly as he recalled their names.
It had been more than a decade since he had returned to the Immortal Continent, and although he had maintained some awareness of the Lin family's general situation, his prolonged seclusion had prevented him from personally examining the progress of those close to him.
He wondered how far they had advanced.
After all this time, they should be approaching the limits of Xuan Gang.
That was a reasonable expectation.
Lou Han, Lin Shou, and the others had already possessed solid foundations when he last saw them, and with the resources and guidance available through the Lin family, they should have made steady progress over the intervening years. Their talent was not necessarily enough to guarantee a breakthrough into Astral Gang, but reaching the upper stages of Xuan Gang should not have been beyond them.
Unfortunately, the Immortal Continent presented a particular difficulty for martial artists.
Astral Qi was scarce.
The problem was not simply that Astral Qi was difficult to find, but that it was difficult to preserve.
Astral Qi was the foundation required for the Astral Gang breakthrough, and a martial artist who wished to advance beyond Xuan Gang needed to accumulate sufficient quantities of it before attempting the transformation. Yet unlike ordinary spiritual energy, Astral Qi possessed a special structure that made it difficult to maintain after being separated from its source.
Once it dissipated, the effort required to gather and refine it had to be repeated.
This was one reason why the breakthrough from Xuan Gang to Astral Gang was already a major bottleneck on the Martial Continent, where martial cultivation was more established and the relevant resources were easier to locate. On the Immortal Continent, the problem was even more pronounced because most cultivators followed the Immortal Dao, and the resources required for the advancement of internal martial cultivation were neither widely circulated nor deliberately preserved.
Only cultivation methods reaching the Golden Core Realm and above could reliably capture Astral Qi and maintain its structure for extended periods, allowing it to be stored without rapidly losing its essential characteristics.
Naturally, this meant that Astral Qi was rarely available in the open market.
Independent martial artists usually had to rely on luck, searching dangerous locations, exploring unusual spiritual environments, or waiting for opportunities to gather the elusive energy. Even if they possessed enough spiritual stones to purchase suitable resources, they might discover that no one was willing to sell them.
Major powers were a different matter.
An organisation such as the Myriad Dao Pavilion possessed the wealth, influence, and cultivation resources required to acquire Astral Qi from various sources, and it was entirely possible for them to maintain substantial reserves of different types. Such resources would naturally be expensive, and they would rarely be offered to ordinary customers without special arrangements, but their existence meant that a sufficiently powerful faction could support martial artists attempting the Astral Gang breakthrough far more effectively than an ordinary family.
The Lin family did not possess that kind of influence.
Even if Lou Han and Lin Shou had reached the peak of Xuan Gang, they could not simply advance because their accumulation was sufficient. Without the necessary Astral Qi, they would have to wait until they found a suitable opportunity or until the family managed to obtain the required resources.
Lin Sheng shook his head slightly.
It looks like they'll need to wait a while longer before attempting the breakthrough.
He was not particularly worried about them.
A delayed breakthrough was far better than a reckless one, especially when the consequences of failure could damage a martial artist's foundation or leave them trapped at a bottleneck for years. If Lou Han, Lin Shou, and the others continued strengthening their foundations while waiting for Astral Qi, the additional accumulation might even prove beneficial when they eventually attempted the transformation.
Still, he would need to see them personally before making any judgment.
For now, he continued towards the Lin family's inner territory, his aura remaining restrained as he passed through the outer formations without disturbing their operation.