36: Chapter 36 A Narrow Escape, Bodhi Manifests Its Power

The Mountain God Temple was even more dilapidated than in Lin Ye's memories.

The temple was situated on a platform halfway up the mountain, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow plank road for access. The temple gate had long since collapsed, leaving only half a door frame leaning crookedly in place. Weeds grew wildly in the courtyard, and a desolate incense burner lay overturned on the ground, its ashes mixed with mud. A corner of the main hall's roof had caved in, exposing rotten rafters, but the main structure was still relatively intact, barely enough to shelter from the wind and rain.

Lin Ye carried Su Qingyue into the main hall. The statue of the Mountain God enshrined inside was unrecognizable, its colorful paint peeling away to reveal the mud sculpture beneath. The offering table was covered in thick dust, and there were animal droppings and claw marks in the corners.

He found a relatively clean corner and gently set Su Qingyue down. Su Qingyue was still unconscious, her breathing faint but steady. The Nine-Turn Soul Recovery Pill had saved her life, but the damage to the Origin of her Vast Cold Spirit Body could not be repaired by ordinary Medicinal Pills.

Lin Ye himself was not in a good state.

The Dragon Blood Rebound had left him with only 20% of his attributes, and even standing felt strenuous. Although the cracks in his wheel sea secret realm had been temporarily stabilized by the Sun Golden Core, they still throbbed with pain, and every breath made him feel the Foundation of his Secret Realm loosening. Even more troublesome was that his Divine Power recovery rate had dropped to one-tenth of its original speed, and its upper limit had also shrunk significantly—now less than five thousand points, not enough to cast even a decent Spell.

[System Prompt: Dragon Blood Rebound status in effect]

[Remaining time: 15 hours 42 minutes]

[Current status: All attributes -80%, Divine Power recovery speed -90%, Divine Power limit -70%, all skills consumption +200%]

[wheel sea secret realm damaged: Cultivation efficiency -85%, Breakthrough difficulty for Dao Palace second layer +300%]

These negative status effects would last for an entire day. During this period, he was no different from a cripple.

Lin Ye sat down against the wall and took out the remaining two Sun Golden Cores from his storage ring. The golden Medicinal Pills emitted a warm glow in the dim hall, like two small lamps in the dark night.

He hesitated for a moment and did not take one immediately. The Sun Golden Core had powerful effects, but it could only be taken up to three times a day, and there had to be a twelve-hour interval. He had taken the first one less than two hours ago; if he forced a second one, the excessive Pure Yang energy might damage his Meridians and even trigger a more severe rebound.

"Must conserve them..." Lin Ye put the Golden Core away and instead took out a few ordinary Blood Qi Pills and spirit recovery pills to consume. These Medicinal Pills had weak effects, but at least they could alleviate some of the discomfort.

After taking the Medicinal Pills, he began to check his gains from this trip.

First was the imperial seal. The milky-white imperial seal lay quietly in his palm, the nine jade dragons looking lifelike, still flowing with a warm luster in the dim light. Lin Ye could feel that there was a faint but tenacious consciousness inside the imperial seal; that consciousness held no hostility toward him, and even carried a trace of closeness—after all, it was he who had severed the connection between the imperial seal and the remnant Soul of the Yan Martial King, giving it freedom.

[Great Yan National imperial seal (Special)]

Status: Bound (Temporary)

Owner: Lin Ye

Binding conditions: Affinity with Chaos Power, severing the previous owner's obsession, promising to return the national destiny

Current effect: All attributes +10% (effect halved due to incomplete binding), Luck +2

Hidden effect: ??? (Requires completing the request of the imperial seal Spirit to unlock)

Description: The imperial seal Spirit has awakened but is in a weak state. Please fulfill the promise as soon as possible and return the national destiny to the Yan State dragon vein, otherwise, the binding status may be lifted.

It was bound, but not completely. He needed to fulfill the promise of "returning the national destiny" to truly control this artifact of national destiny.

Lin Ye put away the imperial seal and took out the other two items dropped by the Soul general.

The [soul general core] was a gray bead that felt cold to the touch, with mist slowly swirling inside. When Lin Ye held it in his hand, the imperial seal suddenly heated up slightly, and there seemed to be some kind of resonance between the two.

"The Soul general is the guardian of the imperial seal, and its core is of the same Origin as the imperial seal..." Lin Ye thought thoughtfully, "Perhaps, the soul general core can help the imperial seal recover its power?"

But he did not act rashly. His current state was too poor, and any energy fluctuation could lead to unpredictable consequences.

The third item was the [Tattered War Flag]. The black flag surface was tattered, but the blurred character "Yan" was still clear. When Lin Ye's fingers touched the war flag, a faint intent entered his mind—

It was the shouting on the battlefield, the sight of flags fluttering, and the image of countless soldiers following this war flag to charge. Finally, the scene froze on one figure: a general in black battle armor, holding a long halberd, standing in a sea of corpses and blood, with this war flag snapping in the wind behind him.

The general turned his head, revealing a young and determined face. His eyes were blood-red, the mark left after too much killing.

"I am the Guardian General of Great Yan, Ji Xuan." The general's voice was hoarse and tired. "The King has passed, the country is no longer a country, but the war flag shall not fall, the guardianship shall not cease... Later comer, if you obtain this flag, please bring it back to the Ancestral Temple of Yan State and let the war Soul rest in peace."

The image shattered.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, and the war flag in his hand trembled slightly, as if responding to the intent just now.

[System Prompt: You have triggered the hidden task "War Flag Returns Home"]

[Task Content: Bring the tattered war flag back to the Ancestral Temple of Yan State and bury it in the Hall of Heroes]

[Task Reward: Unknown (Depends on completion)]

[Task Time Limit: None]

[Note: This task is linked to the "Yan State Secret History" task line, and completion may affect the subsequent plot direction]

Another hidden task.

Lin Ye smiled bitterly. The more he gained, the heavier the burden on his shoulders became. The imperial seal needed its national destiny returned, the war flag needed to be brought back to the Ancestral Temple, there was Su Qingyue's injury to treat, his own Dragon Blood Rebound to endure, and the situation on the Heavenly Court side was unclear...

He shook his head and temporarily suppressed these thoughts. The most important thing now was to survive; other matters could wait until he recovered his strength.

The sky gradually darkened.

In the mountain area where the Mountain God Temple was located, night fell exceptionally early. As soon as the sun set, thick fog rose from the valley, quickly enveloping the entire mountainside. The fog was grayish-white, carrying a cold and damp aura, with visibility of less than ten zhang.

Lin Ye lit a campfire. The flames dispelled some of the cold and dampness and brought some sense of security. In the wilderness, firelight could not only provide warmth but also drive away wild beasts—although ordinary beasts posed no threat to players, it was better than nothing.

Su Qingyue was still unconscious. Lin Ye checked her status; the Origin of her spirit body was still dim, but at least there were no signs of further deterioration. He held her hand and infused a trace of Chaos Power again. This time, he was surprised to find that the degree to which Su Qingyue's spirit body accepted the Chaos Power was much higher than before.

After those faint traces of Chaos Power entered her body, they were not instinctively rejected as before, but naturally merged into the Origin of her Vast Cold Spirit Body. Although it could not repair the damage, it at least provided some nourishment.

"Is it because we experienced life and death together that some kind of resonance was produced?" Lin Ye guessed.

He continued to maintain the infusion of Chaos Power. Although doing so would exacerbate his own consumption, there was no better way at the moment.

Time passed in silence.

At midnight, a change occurred.

First, the flames of the campfire suddenly flickered. Even though there was no wind, the flames tilted in the same direction, as if attracted by something. Immediately after, the thick fog outside the temple began to roll, and faint cries came from the fog—not human cries, but more like the wailing of some injured beast.

Lin Ye became alert immediately. He stopped infusing Chaos Power into Su Qingyue and summoned the myriad mother qi cauldron, letting it hover above their heads. Although the small cauldron was also severely damaged, it could at least provide some protection.

The crying sound grew closer.

In the thick fog, several figures vaguely appeared. Those figures were very blurry, as if condensed from fog, without a fixed form, sometimes forming a mass, sometimes stretching out. They bypassed the collapsed temple gate, drifted into the courtyard, and wandered outside the main hall.

Lin Ye saw clearly; those were... ghosts.

But not the ordinary wandering ghosts in the Burial Dragon Valley. These ghosts were more solid, with faint black qi lingering on their bodies, and the flames in their eye sockets were gloomy blue, colder than green flames. There were five of them in total, forming a semicircle outside the hall, blocking the only exit.

[Resentful Ghost (Elite)]

Level: 28

Health: 8000/8000

Characteristics: 90% Physical Immunity, Medium Spell Resistance, Fast Movement Speed

Skills: Resentful Impact (Mental Attack), Yin Qi Erosion (Continuous Damage), Summon Companion (May summon more ghosts when health is below 30%)

Description: Ghosts bred on the outskirts of Burial Dragon Valley, evolved into elites due to absorbing a large amount of resentment. They have an instinctive hatred for living things and will actively attack any entity with life signs.

Level 28 elites, and there were five of them!

Lin Ye's heart sank. If he were in his prime, he would not fear these ghosts at all; the restraining effect of Chaos Power on spirit bodies would be enough for him to handle them easily. But now, his attributes were down by 80%, his Divine Power was less than five thousand, his wheel sea secret realm was damaged, and even maintaining the hover of the myriad mother qi cauldron was somewhat strenuous.

What was worse, he had an unconscious Su Qingyue beside him.

"Can't fight head-on..." Lin Ye quickly thought of a countermeasure.

He took out the bronze buddha lamp. The merman oil in the lamp was still half full, and the golden flame burned quietly on the wick. The buddha lamp had a strong restraining effect on ghosts, but in his current state, how much power could he exert?

The five ghosts obviously also felt the threat of the buddha lamp. They stopped, their gloomy blue flames flickering more violently, emitting even more shrill cries. That crying seemed to have tangible power, penetrating the walls and directly impacting Lin Ye's Divine Sense.

[System Prompt: You have been hit by the Resentful Ghost's "Resentful Impact"!]

[Mental defense judgment in progress...]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body characteristic triggered! Mental attack effect reduced by 50%!]

[Actual effect: Divine Sense suffered slight shock, all attributes temporarily -5%, lasting 30 seconds]

Fortunately, there was the resistance of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

Lin Ye gritted his teeth and lit the buddha lamp. Golden Buddha light spread from the lamp, dispelling the cold atmosphere in the hall and forcing the five ghosts back a few steps.

But the ghosts did not leave. They hovered at the edge of the Buddha light, their gloomy blue flames staring fixedly at the two in the hall, as if waiting for something.

Lin Ye understood—they were waiting for the buddha lamp to go out.

The buddha lamp needed to consume merman oil, and the merman oil was limited. At the current burning speed, it could last at most three hours. After three hours, the Buddha light would disappear, and these ghosts would swarm in.

And he could not recover his combat power within three hours.

"Must find a way..." Lin Ye's gaze swept across his storage ring.

The Sun Golden Core could not be used now. The dragon blood jade pendant was already destroyed. The soul general core and the imperial seal were not suitable for use in this situation. The Shadow Crystal did contain powerful dark attribute energy, but he could not control it now; using it forcefully would only result in a backlash.

What else?

His gaze fell on an inconspicuous item—it was a gray-green seed with natural spiral patterns on the surface, feeling as warm as jade.

bodhi seed.

Since obtaining it from the ruins of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, Lin Ye had always kept it with him. This item had no direct combat effect, but it could improve Comprehension Ability and assist in cultivation. In previous cultivation, the bodhi seed had helped him enter an Epiphany state many times, saving a lot of hard work.

But now, what was the use of Comprehension Ability? He needed combat power.

Just as he was thinking, the ghosts outside the hall suddenly became restless.

The five ghosts opened their mouths at the same time—if those could be called mouths—and emitted sharp hissing sounds. In the hissing, their bodies began to expand, black qi gushed out from their bodies, and condensed into clusters of gloomy blue fireballs above their heads.

The fireballs kept rotating and compressing, eventually condensing to the size of a fist, with lightning-like blue patterns flowing inside.

[System Prompt: The Resentful Ghosts are jointly casting the skill "Resentful Fire Chain"]

[Warning: This skill is jointly cast by five ghosts, with superimposed power, enough to pierce most defenses!]

[Countdown: 10 seconds]

Lin Ye's face changed drastically. He had seen this joint skill before—in his previous life, a team of thirty people encountered eight Resentful Ghosts on the outskirts of Burial Dragon Valley and were wiped out in one hit by the jointly cast Resentful Fire Chain; even the captain couldn't escape.

Although there were only five now, in his current state, he definitely couldn't block it!

"Fight it!" Lin Ye did not hesitate anymore, took out the second Sun Golden Core, and was about to take it.

Forcibly taking two Golden Cores might break all his Meridians, but it was better than dying now.

Just as the Golden Core was about to enter his mouth, the bodhi seed in his hand suddenly lit up.

On the surface of the gray-green seed, those spiral patterns seemed to come alive and began to rotate slowly. A trace of faint but pure golden light penetrated from the depths of the patterns, getting brighter and brighter.

Lin Ye was stunned.

How could the bodhi seed glow at this time?

Before he could figure it out, the golden light had already flourished. The entire bodhi seed turned into a golden ball of light, left his palm, and hovered in mid-air. In the ball of light, countless tiny golden runes flowed, combined, shattered, and reorganized, each change triggering tremors in the surrounding space.

The ghosts outside the hall obviously also felt the anomaly. The Resentful Fire Chain above their heads had already finished condensing, and five gloomy blue fireballs lined up and blasted toward the main hall. Wherever the fireballs passed, the air twisted, the ground frosted, and even the light of the buddha lamp was suppressed and dimmed a bit.

But the golden light of the bodhi seed was faster.

The golden ball of light expanded suddenly, turning into a hemispherical light shield, covering the entire main hall. On the surface of the light shield, countless scriptures flowed; those were the true incantations of Buddhism, each character exuding a pure, peaceful, and evil-dispelling aura.

The Resentful Fire Chain hit the light shield.

There was no explosion, no shockwave.

The five gloomy blue fireballs, like water droplets falling into the ocean, disappeared into the golden light without a sound. Not even a ripple was stirred up.

The ghosts let out terrified shrieks; they wanted to escape, but it was too late.

The golden light spread, covering all five ghosts. Under the illumination of the Buddhist incantations, the black qi on the ghosts' bodies evaporated rapidly, the gloomy blue flames flickered violently, and finally extinguished with a "poof". The five blurry figures twisted and dissipated in the golden light, turning into five wisps of green smoke.

Instant kill.

Level 28 elite ghosts, wiped out in one hit by the golden light released by the bodhi seed.

Lin Ye was dumbfounded.

He looked at the golden ball of light hovering in mid-air. After eliminating the ghosts, the ball of light began to shrink, eventually returning to the form of the bodhi seed and falling back into his palm.

But the current bodhi seed was completely different from before.

The originally gray-green seed was now golden all over, the spiral patterns on the surface turned pure gold, and liquid-like golden light seemed to flow inside. The temperature of the seed also rose; holding it in his hand was like holding a ball of warm sunshine.

[bodhi seed (Awakened Status)]

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Type: Special Item / Legacy Item

Effects:

① [Comprehension Boost]: Wearer's Comprehension Ability permanently +50% (originally 30%), significantly improving efficiency in cultivating techniques and comprehending skills.

② [Buddhist Resonance]: Automatically senses surrounding Buddhist aura or evil aura, and may autonomously trigger to protect the master in moments of crisis (Cooldown: 7 days).

③ [Origin Infusion]: Can consume the Buddhist Origin power stored within the bodhi seed to instantly restore all statuses (Health, Divine Power, injuries) and temporarily increase all attributes by 100% for 10 minutes. After use, the bodhi seed will enter a dormant state and needs to re-absorb Power Of Will to activate (Current usable times: 1/1).

④ [Legacy Mark]: This bodhi seed contains the Legacy mark of a high monk from the Great Thunder Sound Temple, which can trigger a Legacy trial after meeting specific conditions.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Description: A seed from the Ancient Bodhi Tree of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, nurtured by Buddhist Dharma for a thousand years, has developed a faint spirituality. It automatically awakens part of its power upon sensing the host encountering a life-and-death crisis and resonating with nearby Buddhist artifacts (bronze buddha lamp). This is a supreme treasure of the Buddhist sect; please handle it with care.

Legendary Quality! And it has awakened!

Lin Ye looked at the golden seed in his hand, inexplicably shocked. In his past life, he had also obtained a bodhi seed, but that one had remained at Epic Quality and never awakened. He hadn't expected that in this life, under the stimulation of a life-and-death crisis and the resonance with the Buddhist nature of the bronze buddha lamp, the bodhi seed would awaken ahead of time.

Legendary items were extremely rare during the entire first year after the game's launch. Every legendary item contained the power to change one's fate.

And now, he had one in his hand.

More crucially, there was the third effect of the bodhi seed—[Origin Infusion].

Instantly restores all states and temporarily increases all attributes by 100% for 10 minutes.

This was simply a life-saving straw!

Although the bodhi seed would enter a dormant state after use and require reactivation, in this current situation, nothing was more important than preserving his life.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and gripped the bodhi seed tightly in his hand. He didn't use it immediately because the crisis had temporarily passed; the Yin Spirits were completely wiped out, and the buddha lamp could still last for several more hours. He needed to save this last chance for a moment of true despair.

"Thank you," he whispered to the bodhi seed.

The golden seed heated up slightly, as if in response.

Lin Ye put the bodhi seed away and re-examined his surroundings. The thick fog outside the hall had not yet dissipated, but there was no longer any aura of Yin Spirits. The light of the buddha lamp stabilized, dispelling the coldness that had invaded the hall.

Safe, at least for now.

He returned to Su Qingyue's side and noticed that her complexion was a bit better than before. Perhaps it was because the Buddhist aura emitted by the bodhi seed also had a nourishing effect on spirit bodies.

Lin Ye took her hand again, preparing to continue channeling Chaos Power. But this time, he had a new idea.

Since the bodhi seed could improve his Comprehension Ability, could he use this effect to create a method specifically for healing spirit body damage?

Chaos Power is the Origin of all things and theoretically can nourish everything. However, he had previously only simply transferred the power, which was very inefficient, and most of the Chaos Power was wasted. If he could circulate the Chaos Power in a specific way, perhaps the effect would be better.

Just like when he fought the Soul general earlier, he had condensed Chaos Power into [Chaos Magic Breaking], specifically targeting the disintegration of energy structures. So, could he condense [Chaos Soul Nourishing], specifically to nourish damaged Souls and spirit bodies?

As soon as this thought appeared, it was like a seed falling into fertile soil, quickly taking root and sprouting.

Lin Ye closed his eyes and began to mobilize his remaining Chaos Power. He was in no hurry to output it, instead trying it within his own body first.

Within the wheel sea secret realm, the dried-up Chaos Bitter Sea struggled to stir up ripples. Wisps of Chaos Power were extracted and flowed slowly through his Meridians. Lin Ye guided these powers with his mind, letting them circulate along a mysterious trajectory.

It was difficult at first. The dragon blood backlash had caused his control to drop significantly, and the Chaos Power was like an unruly wild horse, charging through his Meridians and bringing waves of stinging pain.

But he did not give up. With the bodhi seed in his hand, the warm Buddhist aura flowed into his body along his arm, making his mind clearer and significantly increasing his Comprehension Ability. Insights regarding Chaos Power, the Laws of energy circulation, and the understanding of the essence of the Soul flooded his heart like a tide.

He seemed to "see" the essence of Chaos Power—it was a gray, primordial, and all-encompassing energy. It could be as violent as thunder, destroying everything, or as gentle as spring rain, nourishing all things. The key lay in how to guide and shape it.

"Using Chaos as the Foundation, and the mind as the guide, transforming rigidity into softness, turning destruction into nourishment..."

Lin Ye muttered to himself. The Chaos Power within his body began to change, gradually shifting from its original violent state to one that was gentle and supple. The gray energy flowed through his Meridians; wherever it passed, the damaged Meridians were slightly repaired, and the intense pain from the dragon blood backlash eased somewhat.

It works!

He continued to adjust. After the gentle Chaos Power cycled once through his body, it began to converge toward his arm. This time, he didn't output it directly but instead condensed, compressed, and shaped the power in his palm.

A blurry seal slowly emerged in his palm.

It was a circular seal with a gray vortex at its center, surrounded by nine tiny runes. The seal was very faint, flickering as if it might dissipate at any moment.

Lin Ye knew this was because his condition was too poor and his power was insufficient. If he could return to his peak state, this seal should be much clearer and more stable.

But even so, it was enough.

He pressed his palm against Su Qingyue's forehead, and the blurry seal slowly sank into the center of her brows.

Su Qingyue's body trembled slightly.

The originally dim Vast Cold Spirit Body Origin seemed to be infused with living water the moment the seal entered. The gray Chaos Power came into contact with the ice-blue spirit body Origin; there was no rejection or conflict, but rather a natural Fusion.

The Chaos Power was like the purest nourishment, feeding the damaged Origin. The cracks caused by the forced use of "Absolute Zero" began to slowly heal. Although the speed was very slow, they were indeed mending.

Su Qingyue's breathing became steadier, and a trace of color returned to her pale face. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her pale blue eyes were still a bit dazed, but they quickly regained their clarity.

"Lin Ye..." Her voice was very soft, but no longer weak.

"How do you feel?" Lin Ye asked.

Su Qingyue closed her eyes to feel for a moment, then opened them with a look of surprise: "My spirit body... is recovering? It's slow, but it's definitely recovering. What did you do?"

"I tried to create a method for healing spirit body damage," Lin Ye briefly explained. "Using Chaos Power to nourish the Origin seems to be effective."

Su Qingyue looked at him with complex eyes: "Creating a skill? In this state?"

She knew the difficulty of creating skills. Although the game encouraged players to create their own skills, it usually required an extremely high Comprehension Ability, a profound understanding of the essence of power, and a vast amount of trial and error. Those who could create their own skills while still in the Wheel Sea Realm were all peerless geniuses.

And Lin Ye, despite the dragon blood backlash, his damaged wheel sea, and his exhausted Divine Power, was actually able to create a new skill?

"I had help from the bodhi seed." Lin Ye showed her the golden seed in his hand. "It awakened and boosted my Comprehension Ability."

Su Qingyue took the bodhi seed, feeling the warm and pure Buddhist aura within it, and a strange light flashed in her eyes: "Legendary Quality... you always manage to surprise me."

"Just good luck," Lin Ye shook his head. "By the way, can you circulate your Cultivation Technique now? There should be methods for nourishing the spirit body in the Ice Heart Art. Combined with my Chaos Power, the effect should be even better."

Su Qingyue nodded, sat up cross-legged, and began to circulate the Ice Heart Art. Ice-blue spiritual power flowed over her body, blending with the Chaos Power Lin Ye channeled into her, forming a subtle cycle.

Her recovery speed significantly accelerated.

Lin Ye also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Su Qingyue could circulate her own power, he didn't need to continuously output Chaos Power, allowing him to save his already meager strength.

The two remained like this—one circulating power to heal and the other guarding and keeping watch—until dawn.

Morning light spilled in through the damaged roof, dispelling the last of the coldness in the hall. The thick fog outside also dissipated, revealing lush green mountains and forests and the distant sea of clouds.

A new day had begun.

Lin Ye checked his status. Eleven hours remained of the dragon blood backlash, and all his attributes were still at only 20%, but at least his injuries hadn't worsened. The cracks in his wheel sea secret realm were temporarily stabilized by the Sun Golden Core and had not expanded further.

Su Qingyue's condition was much better. The cracks in her spirit body Origin had healed by about thirty percent; although it was far from a full recovery, she at least had the ability to move. Her current strength was roughly equivalent to forty percent of her peak state, enough for self-preservation.

"We have to leave here," Lin Ye said. "Those Yin Spirits last night were probably attracted by the aura of the imperial seal. If we stay any longer, we might attract more and stronger things."

Su Qingyue nodded: "Where to?"

Lin Ye thought for a moment: "Back to The Capital. Chen Hao and the others should have returned by now, and the Heavenly Court needs me to take charge. Besides, your injuries need better treatment. There should be Heaven And Earth Treasures in The Capital that can repair spirit body Origins, or at least we can find relevant clues there."

"But in our current state..." Su Qingyue looked at Lin Ye's pale face. "You're struggling even to walk; how will we get back?"

"I have a way." Lin Ye took a Talisman from his storage ring.

It was a pale green Talisman paper with complex runes drawn in cinnabar. The edges of the paper were slightly worn, indicating it had been stored for some time.

[Divine Travel Talisman (Fine)]

Quality: Fine (Green)

Type: Consumable/Talisman

Effect: Upon activation, the user's movement speed increases by 300% for 30 minutes. During this period, the user is unaffected by terrain obstacles and can walk on special surfaces like water and cliffs.

Usage Restriction: Requires 100 Divine Power to activate; 2-hour cooldown.

Description: A low-level Talisman produced by the Divine Travel Sect. Although its effect is limited, it is sufficient for most travel needs. The Talisman itself contains faint Laws of Space; excessive use may lead to spatial perception disorder.

This was something Lin Ye had previously taken from Qian Duoduo's guild inventory. It was originally meant for emergencies, but he hadn't expected to use it now.

With his current Divine Power, activating one Divine Travel Talisman was still manageable. Although he would be even more exhausted after use, it was faster and safer than walking back on foot.

"I'll use the Divine Travel Talisman to get us out of the mountains first, then we'll find a carriage once we're near the official road," Lin Ye said. "As long as we can get back to The Capital, we'll be safe."

Su Qingyue had no better suggestion, so she could only agree.

Lin Ye activated the Divine Travel Talisman. A pale green light enveloped the two of them, and he took Su Qingyue's hand and took a step forward.

In the next instant, their figures appeared thirty yards away. With another step, another thirty yards. The effect of the Divine Travel Talisman allowed their movement speed to reach an astonishing degree; the rugged mountain roads were like level ground, and even steep cliffs could not stop them.

In just fifteen minutes, the two had left the mountain area and arrived near the official road.

Lin Ye found a hidden thicket and deactivated the Divine Travel Talisman. The Talisman turned into ash and dissipated, and he nearly collapsed to the ground due to excessive Divine Power consumption.

Su Qingyue supported him: "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright..." Lin Ye panted. "I just need to rest for a while."

The two rested behind the thicket for half an hour. During that time, caravans passed by on the official road, but Lin Ye did not rashly show himself—their current state was too suspicious; two injured Cultivators could easily attract unnecessary attention.

Once they had rested enough, just as Lin Ye was about to think of another way, the sound of horse hooves came from the distance.

It wasn't a caravan, but a single rider.

A black steed galloped from the direction of The Capital, and on its back was a familiar figure—Chen Hao!

He had an anxious expression on his face, and his eyes constantly scanned both sides of the road, clearly searching for something. When his gaze swept past the thicket where Lin Ye and Su Qingyue were hiding, he suddenly stopped.

"Brother Ye?!" Chen Hao cried out, pulled the reins, flipped off the horse, and rushed over.

Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they had arrived.

"Are you guys okay?" Chen Hao rushed to them, and seeing their disheveled appearance, his face changed drastically. "How did you get so badly hurt? Sister Qingyue, she..."

"She's injured, but alive," Lin Ye interrupted him. "How did you find this place?"

"Qin Ruoxue's intelligence network," Chen Hao explained quickly. "She found out that a mysterious team was active nearby yesterday, so she had me take people out to look. We split into three groups, and I was responsible for this official road. Brother Ye, what on earth happened? What about the Soul general?"

"Dead," Lin Ye said concisely. "But it was a brutal process. Let's not talk about that for now. Is there a carriage? Qingyue needs to return to the city for treatment as soon as possible."

"Yes! It's right behind us. I had Zhang Meng and the others drive the carriage slowly while I rode ahead to scout." Chen Hao whistled, and a response quickly came from the distance.

Before long, a carriage drove over. The one driving was indeed Zhang Meng, and inside the carriage sat Li Qingshan, Wang Iron Pillar, and Bai Zhi.

Everyone was shocked to see the state Lin Ye and Su Qingyue were in, but no one asked many questions, and they all helped to get the two onto the carriage.

The carriage turned around and sped toward the direction of The Capital.

In the carriage, Bai Zhi began to examine their injuries. When she saw the damage to Su Qingyue's spirit body Origin, she gasped: "This is... Origin damage? It will require at least a High Grade Profound Rank Yin-cold attribute Heaven And Earth Treasure to repair, otherwise it might leave a permanent Dao Wound."

"Is it available in The Capital?" Lin Ye asked.

"It is, but..." Bai Zhi hesitated for a moment, "it's very expensive. And they usually only appear at auctions; they can be encountered but not sought."

"Money is no object," Lin Ye said. "Make a list and have Qian Duoduo prepare it. Also, my own injuries require some medicinal herbs, mainly for solidifying the Foundation and nurturing the Origin, and for repairing the cracks in my Secret Realm."

Bai Zhi nodded and began to write the list.

Su Qingyue leaned against the wall of the carriage and asked Lin Ye softly, "What do you plan to do about the imperial seal?"

Lin Ye looked at the scenery receding rapidly outside the window and said slowly, "First, heal our injuries and recover our strength. And then... fulfill my promise and return the National Luck."

"What about that Sun God Body woman? Will she come looking for trouble again?"

"Probably not," Lin Ye shook his head. "Ji Mingyue is very smart; she knows that after the imperial seal has bound to a master, there's no point in trying to take it by force. Besides, she gave me the Sun Golden Core as an expression of goodwill. However... the Yaoguang Holy Land might require an accounting."

After all, the commotion they caused this time was too large. The emergence of the Soul general, the collapse of the Ancient Tomb, and the imperial seal changing hands—these things could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of the Holy Land.

But those were matters for later. Right now, he just wanted to have a good sleep.

By the time the carriage drove through the gates of The Capital, Lin Ye had already leaned against the carriage wall and fallen into a deep sleep.

This was the first time since his Rebirth that he had fallen asleep in a state of complete relaxation.

Because by his side, he had trustworthy companions.

And while he slept, the bodhi seed in his bosom heated up slightly once again.

Inside the golden seed, the liquid-like Buddhist light flowed slowly, as if nurturing something.

Deeper within, a blurry seal was gradually taking shape.

That was... the embryonic form of the [Chaos Soul Suppressing Seal].

Under the blessing of the bodhi seed's Comprehension Ability, in the life-and-death struggle with the Soul general, and in the obsession to protect Su Qingyue, this skill specifically targeting spirit bodies had already begun to take root and sprout in the depths of Lin Ye's Soul.

It only awaited an opportunity to bloom completely.

The carriage drove through the bustling streets toward the Heavenly Court Headquarters.

And on the other side of The Capital, in a meditation room within the Yaoguang Holy Land, Ji Mingyue opened her eyes.

In the bronze mirror before her, a slowly rotating phantom of the imperial seal was reflected.

"The imperial seal returns to its place, and the National Luck shall continue..." she muttered to herself. "Lin Ye, just how far can you actually go?"

Ripples appeared on the mirror surface, and the phantom of the imperial seal shattered, dissolving into points of starlight.

The meditation room returned to silence.