Lin Sheng had already begun searching by the time the purple light disappeared beyond the eastern horizon.
His divine sense spread silently through the heavens and earth, his domain-level perception sweeping across the surrounding mountains, valleys and plains like an invisible tide. Every trace of spiritual energy, every disturbance in the atmosphere, every remaining fluctuation left behind by the Rank 4 Thousand-Mile Talisman was carefully examined, yet despite the terrifying range of his perception, he found nothing.
The escapee had disappeared completely.
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes as he continued flying.
It was not particularly surprising.
A Rank 4 Thousand-Mile Talisman was a trump card specifically designed for escape, and although the person who had activated it had still been injured by his palm, the distance covered by such a treasure was naturally extraordinary. By now, the cultivator had likely travelled far beyond the range of even his domain-level perception, and continuing to search blindly would only waste time.
"But still..."
Lin Sheng glanced towards the distant eastern horizon.
There was something unusual about that purple light, and the fact that the cultivator had been prepared to escape so decisively meant that the attack on Guardian Zhao had probably not been a spontaneous act.
There was clearly something deeper behind it.
Lin Sheng thought about pursuing the matter for another moment before slowly shaking his head.
Forget it.
He had already returned.
After nearly nine years away, he had finally stepped back onto the land where his family lived, and there were far more important things waiting for him than chasing a fleeing demonic cultivator whose identity he did not even know.
Whatever schemes were unfolding in the Eastern Region, he could investigate them later.
For now, he wanted to see his family.
Lin Sheng changed direction.
His figure crossed the sky like a fleeting shadow, and before long, the familiar mountains surrounding Dragon Yuan Mountain appeared in his vision.
At almost the same time, the influence of the Dao Reaching Sect was already beginning to spread throughout the Dragon Yuan Province.
Since the Lin Family had formally entered an alliance with the Dao Reaching Sect, numerous disciples of the sect had begun appearing throughout the province, some stationed near important spiritual veins, some travelling between markets and cities, while others had been assigned to locations surrounding the Lin Family's territory.
Their presence was not merely symbolic.
The alliance between the two powers meant that an attack on the Lin Family would no longer be regarded as a conflict involving only a Golden Core family.
It would be an attack on the Dao Reaching Sect itself.
The Seven Star Palace had already begun preparing for war, but that did not mean they were willing to tear away the righteous facade they had maintained for countless years without consideration.
The current situation in the Eastern Region was already complicated enough.
If the Seven Star Palace openly attacked the Lin Family while the Dao Reaching Sect was standing behind them, it would be equivalent to announcing that the conflict had begun.
For now, they were still waiting.
Watching and preparing their pieces.
And Lin Sheng, having returned at precisely this moment, had unknowingly stepped back into the centre of the storm.
An hour later, Lin Yan received a message that someone was waiting for her in her courtyard.
She had just finished discussing matters concerning her recent breakthrough with several family elders, and upon hearing the report, she walked back towards her residence with a trace of curiosity in her eyes.
She pushed open the courtyard gate.
The moment she stepped inside, her footsteps stopped.
A tall man stood beneath the shade of a tree.
He had long black hair, his features mature and somewhat sharper than she remembered, and compared with the young man she had known years ago, his appearance had changed considerably.
Lin Yan stared at him.
The stranger also looked at her.
For several breaths, neither spoke.
Yet despite the unfamiliar appearance, there was something that could not be concealed.
That familiar presence.
That familiar gaze.
That feeling she had known since childhood.
Her eyes widened.
"Brother?"
Lin Sheng smiled.
"Yan'er."
The next moment, Lin Yan rushed forward.
The two siblings embraced tightly, neither bothering to maintain the composure expected of cultivators.
Lin Sheng laughed softly as he patted his sister's back.
"You've grown."
Lin Yan pulled away and looked him over from head to toe, her eyes immediately becoming suspicious.
"You're the one who disappeared for almost thirteen years, and you're telling me I've grown?"
Lin Sheng smiled awkwardly.
"It has been that long?"
Lin Yan stared at him.
"Don't pretend you don't know."
Her voice carried a mixture of annoyance and happiness, and Lin Sheng could only laugh.
The two siblings entered the courtyard pavilion, where Lin Yan personally poured tea.
They talked for hours.
There was no discussion of cultivation techniques at first, nor of the increasingly dangerous situation throughout the Eastern Region.
Instead, they spoke about the years they had spent apart.
Lin Yan wanted to know where he had gone, what he had encountered, why he had never returned, and how he had managed to survive for so long without sending any message.
Lin Sheng naturally could not tell her everything.
He did not mention the Martial Continent.
He did not mention the years he had spent cultivating martial arts there, nor did he reveal that he had already reached the Astral Gang Realm.
Even the true extent of his body refinement remained hidden.
Instead, he gave her an explanation that was close enough to the truth to avoid sounding fabricated.
"I wandered towards the Western Wastelands during my early travels," Lin Sheng said calmly, taking a sip of tea. "I stayed there for most of the time, focusing on body refinement."
Lin Yan listened carefully.
She knew something about the Western Wastelands.
Unlike the Eastern Region, where spiritual energy was relatively stable and suitable for ordinary cultivation, the Western Wastelands were famous for their violent spiritual energy storms.
The spiritual energy there was often turbulent, sometimes forming enormous storms that swept across entire regions, making it extremely difficult for cultivators to absorb spiritual energy directly.
Only cultivators with sufficiently strong bodies, or those who possessed special formations capable of stabilising and purifying the surrounding spiritual energy, could cultivate normally there.
Because of those conditions, the Western Wastelands had developed a completely different cultivation culture.
Major body-refining forces existed throughout the region, and body refinement was far more common than in the Eastern Region.
There was even an old saying that the fiercer the spiritual energy, the stronger the body it tempered.
The Western Wastelands possessed enormous quantities of spiritual energy, but that energy was wild and violent, constantly hammering against the bodies of cultivators who dared to absorb it.
Those who survived the process naturally developed stronger physiques, and among the younger generation, people with body-refining talent were considerably more common.
Therefore, Lin Sheng's explanation did not sound particularly strange.
"I spent most of those years tempering my physique," Lin Sheng continued. "My external cultivation has reached Rank 3, while my internal cultivation has remained at the peak of Xuan Gang."
Lin Yan's eyes flickered.
She did not look particularly surprised.
Instead, she nodded as though she had expected something similar.
After all, this was her brother.
Even when they were young, Lin Sheng had always been different from ordinary people.
"That sounds like you," Lin Yan said with a small smile. "You always preferred strengthening your foundation instead of rushing forward."
Lin Sheng smiled.
He did not correct her.
The two continued talking, and eventually Lin Yan told him about her own recent breakthrough.
"I entered the Purple Palace Realm."
"I heard."
Lin Sheng smiled.
"You've already become known throughout the Eastern Region as the next True Dragon of the Lin Family."
Lin Yan's face immediately turned slightly red.
She coughed lightly and looked away.
"Those people exaggerate too much."
Lin Sheng laughed.
"You don't like being called that?"
"It's embarrassing."
"Then what should they call you?"
Lin Yan gave him a look.
"I don't know."
The siblings laughed.
After a moment, Lin Yan suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of which, I received the thing you sent me before."
Lin Sheng paused.
"The thing I sent you?"
Lin Yan nodded.
"The Heaven Mending Pill."
Lin Sheng finally remembered.
Years ago, he had arranged for the pill to be delivered to the Lin Family.
He had not expected the matter to come up again after so long.
"Oh, that."
Lin Yan's expression changed.
The embarrassment from earlier disappeared, replaced by seriousness.
"Brother, where did you get it?"
Lin Sheng's hand paused around his teacup.
He looked at her.
Lin Yan continued watching him.
The Heaven Mending Pill was simply too valuable.
It had helped her spiritual roots transform and had become one of the most important foundations for her future cultivation. After entering Purple Palace, Lin Yan understood even more clearly how extraordinary the pill had been.
She had originally assumed that her brother had obtained it from some powerful force.
But the more she thought about it, the less likely that seemed.
Lin Sheng remained silent for a moment before calmly answering.
"I found it in a ruin during my early travels."
"A ruin?"
"Yes."
His answer was simple.
Lin Yan studied his expression.
She could tell that he was not telling her everything.
Yet she also understood her brother well enough to know that if he did not want to speak about something, pressing him would accomplish nothing.
After a few breaths, she slowly nodded.
"Then I won't ask."
Lin Sheng looked at her.
Lin Yan smiled faintly.
"You've been gone for so many years, and now that you've finally come back, I don't want our first conversation to become an interrogation."
Lin Sheng laughed.
"You're much more sensible than you were when you were young."
Lin Yan immediately frowned.
"Brother, don't speak as if you're some old man."