247: Chapter 247 The Imperial Preceptor of the Xuanhuang Empire

Lin Tian sat in the primary seat of the newly expanded, more spacious and majestic Lords Mansion assembly hall, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest carved from a single piece of warm jade, producing soft "thump, thump" sounds.

Karl... he was no stranger to that name.

Mo Yu's venomous and fearful roar before his death, along with that eerie "ring of filth forbidden," all pointed toward this mysterious existence that seemed deeply bound to the source of pollution.

"For the Heavenly Dao to invest so much capital into a global wanted notice... this 'Karl' must be some kind of super-contamination source, a walking natural disaster, right?"

Lin Tian rubbed his chin, his brow slightly furrowed. "One thousand Divine Essence, two thousand law crystals... this bounty is enough to buy out two of the previous Orc Alliances. The problem is, where do I go to find this grand deity?"

The first person he thought of was the well-informed "Qian Duoduo."

The fat man was thriving in the regional channel and had the most up-to-date information.

He immediately contacted the other party via private message, sending a single sentence:

"Brother Qian, help me look into someone—no, look into a 'thing'—Karl. Yes, the one the Heavenly Dao just put a bounty on.

"Any information about it—whereabouts, strength, lair, even just rumors—I want it all!"

Qian Duoduo replied almost instantly:

"Don't worry, Big Boss Lin! Leave it to me! I've taken this job, and I guarantee I'll dig up some real dirt for you! I'll report back the moment I have news!"

Having arranged his intelligence source, Lin Tian calmed himself slightly, but the string in his heart remained taut.

An enemy of this level was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head; he didn't know when it would fall.

On the afternoon of the day after he arranged for Qian Duoduo to scout for information.

Soft and rhythmic footsteps came from outside the assembly hall; it was Lin Yin.

She usually wouldn't disturb him randomly while he was thinking alone unless it was something important.

Lin Tian looked up and saw Lin Yin's moon-white figure appear at the doorway, with someone following behind her.

The newcomer was a middle-aged scholar dressed in a deep black Confucian robe with gold trim, wearing a Jinxian crown. He had a lean, refined face and a three-strand long beard under his chin.

He walked with steady steps and a composed demeanor, his gaze clear. He lacked the greasiness of a common official or the Evil Qi of a warrior, instead carrying an air of scholarly elegance and practical statesmanship...

And a restrained majesty that came from long-term high status.

Only at this moment, that majesty was well-concealed beneath a humble appearance.

Lin Yin led the man into the hall, nodded slightly to Lin Tian, and her cold voice rang out:

"Brother Tian, this person claims to be the Preceptor of the Xuanhuang Empire, Li Yi. He has an urgent matter and wishes to speak with you in person, claiming it is of great importance."

Having said that, she quietly retreated to a position slightly behind Lin Tian's side, like a guard carved from moonlight, her cold eyes resting faintly on the guest.

She seemed calm, yet she made Li Yi feel an invisible pressure that seemed capable of piercing through to the Soul.

The middle-aged scholar, Li Yi, felt his heart tighten the moment he stepped into the assembly hall.

The man in the primary seat, who looked quite young and even wore a somewhat lazy smile, was naturally the Otherworld Lord who had recently become famous throughout the Southern Territory and even startled the Empire's high-level officials: Lin Tian.

But what truly made him feel a sense of unfathomable depth, besides Lin Tian's own aura which was as difficult to gauge as an abyss, was the moon-white goddess beside him.

Just by standing there, she seemed to draw in the surrounding light and vitality, making even him—an Imperial Preceptor whose cultivation had reached 6-star Divine-Grade—feel a faint pressure originating from the level of life itself.

"Truly an extraordinary figure..."

Li Yi sighed inwardly, suppressed all unnecessary thoughts, and stepped forward a few paces. From several meters away, he performed a standard cupped-hand salute to Lin Tian in the primary seat, keeping his posture quite low and his voice gentle and clear:

"Li Yi, Preceptor of the Xuanhuang Empire, pays his respects to Lord Lin Tian on this unannounced visit. Your Lordship's reputation precedes you like a clap of thunder; seeing you today, you are indeed a Dragon among men, living up to your fame."

His etiquette was impeccable and his tone respectful, yet he did not lose the character of a high-ranking official of a nation.

Lin Tian leaned forward slightly, his elbow propped on the armrest and his chin resting in his hand, observing this uninvited guest with interest.

Preceptor of the Xuanhuang Empire? That was no small office.

The reputation of this human Empire on the regional channel seemed decent, at least much better than the Orc Alliance's attitude of killing Otherworld Lords on sight.

"So it is the Lord Preceptor of the Xuanhuang Empire. A pleasure, a pleasure."

Lin Tian smiled, his voice neither fast nor slow, carrying a hint of casualness.

"It's rare for a great figure like you to visit my small place. I wonder what advice the Preceptor has for coming all this way? Please, sit and speak."

He raised his hand, signaling an attendant nearby to bring a seat.

Li Yi offered his thanks and sat in the guest seat, his back straight and his gaze candid as he looked at Lin Tian. He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"Lord Lin Tian is a man of few words and quick action; Li admires that. In that case, I shall speak plainly."

"I have come by order of Your Majesty, representing the Xuanhuang Empire, in the hope of seeking cooperation with Your Excellency regarding a major matter concerning the safety of this world."

"Oh? Cooperation?"

Lin Tian raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Please go on, Preceptor. What is it specifically? For the Xuanhuang Empire to go through the trouble of cooperating with an 'Otherworld Lord' like me, it must be no small matter."

Li Yi's expression turned solemn as he said in a deep voice:

"It is precisely about the matter of slaying deeply contaminated Otherworld Lords. I presume Your Lordship is already aware that the Heavenly Dao bestows generous rewards for exterminating such existences. The stronger they are and the greater the harm they cause, the more staggering the rewards."

Lin Tian nodded, not denying it. "That is indeed the case. Why, does the Preceptor have intelligence on a 'big fish'?"

"Exactly."

Li Yi took a deep breath, his tone becoming even more grave.

"The target we wish to cooperate against this time is extremely powerful and poses a massive threat. His name is Karl."

"Karl?"

The finger Lin Tian was using to tap the armrest suddenly stopped. A sharp light flashed through his eyes, but his facial expression didn't change much, only his tone became slightly more serious.

"Continue, I'm listening."

Seeing that Lin Tian didn't react too strongly to the name, Li Yi felt slightly more at ease and continued:

"According to intelligence gathered through years of investigation and combat, this scoundrel is named Karl, and the troops under his command are an extremely troublesome undead army!"

"What's even more problematic is that he possesses some kind of evil conversion method. The corpses and remnant Souls of our soldiers who fall in battle are often quickly plundered and contaminated by him, transformed into new undead soldiers under his control! As we weaken and he grows stronger, it is utterly malicious!"

He paused, a trace of heaviness and helplessness appearing on his face.

"To be honest with the Lord, my Xuanhuang Empire has been clashing with him for more than a day. When his activities were first discovered, he already had a 7-star Divine-Grade undead commander under him. There have been dozens of battles, large and small, with wins and losses on both sides. Overall..."

"We can only be said to be in a barely maintained stalemate. But recently, this scoundrel's activities have become increasingly frequent and rampant. His undead army has expanded to a massive scale of nearly a hundred million!"

"The scales of victory have begun to tilt in a direction we do not wish to see... Your Majesty and the officials of the court are burning with anxiety. Therefore, I was specifically dispatched to entreat Your Lordship to act with justice and aid my Xuanhuang in eliminating this great scourge!"

"Starting at 7-star Divine-Grade, possibly stronger now, an undead army of nearly a hundred million, and can convert corpses..."

Lin Tian quickly calculated in his head. This configuration was indeed troublesome. No wonder a colossus like the Xuanhuang Empire felt the strain and even sought outside help.