Chapter 2682 The Boundless Nearness Talisman

In the blink of an eye, they were gone. The abducted Grand Elder Zhuang Xiuwu had also vanished! The sight made Zhuang Bibai and the others nearly lose their minds.

“That Fangchun Mountain disciple is utterly shameless!” someone cursed furiously.

“She may have a pretty face, but she’s nothing but a treacherous swindler!” Another fumed, their expression twitching with rage.

“My treasures...just gone?!” Someone clutched at their chest, feeling their heart bleed at the loss.

“What are you standing around for? Chase them! Kill those two Fangchun Mountain remnants and rescue the grand elder!” Zhuang Bibai bellowed, his roar echoing like thunder.

His eyes were bloodshot with fury. This time, their plan had been to capture Lin Xun and Jun Huan. Who could have imagined that first the grand elder was taken, then they had been tricked out of all their treasures, and now their enemies had disappeared into thin air before their very eyes...

The succession of humiliating blows nearly made Zhuang Bibai cough up blood. Shame, rage, and hatred surged in his chest like a landslide or a tsunami, leaving him trembling all over, his vision turning black.

If word of this spread, the Zhuang Clan would become the laughingstock of the entire Seventh Heaven Domain!

A cold, gravelly voice cut through the air, “If the Fangchun Mountain successors were so easily dealt with, they would have been annihilated long ago.” Zhuang Bibai spun around. From the Emerald Bamboo Blessed Land emerged a figure with delicate, childlike features, looking no more than five or six years old in appearance.

“Old Ancestor, even you were alarmed?” Zhuang Bibai stiffened in shock before hurriedly bowing.

That childlike figure was none other than Zhuang Longxiang, an old antique of the Zhuang Clan and one of its most senior elders. For the past tens of thousands of years, he had been in closed-door cultivation, striving to break through to the Transcendence Realm.

“With such a commotion, who wouldn’t be alarmed?” Zhuang Longxiang looked like a child, but his voice was hoarse and ancient, laced with a cold, indifferent edge.

“So you already knew.” Zhuang Bibai’s expression froze, and a wave of deep shame surged within him.

Zhuang Longxiang gave him a sidelong glance. “This matter ends here. There is no need to pursue it further.”

“But Grand Elder is...”

“Life and death are ruled by fate.” Zhuang Longxiang interrupted, his tone indifferent, his calmness almost unnerving.

Zhuang Bibai’s expression shifted. “Old Ancestor, our Zhuang Clan has suffered a grievous loss. Are we simply to let this go?”

“Even if you wanted to sever all ties with the Fangchun Mountain disciples, there was no need to act like this. Now, you’ve completely infuriated them.” Zhuang Longxiang’s clear eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.

Zhuang Bibai’s voice was bitter, “We only meant to give the Mu Clan a surprise gift...Who could have imagined that those two Fangchun Mountain brats would be so cunning and ruthless.”

“What’s done is done. Regret and anger are useless now.” Zhuang Longxiang said flatly. “What you should be thinking about now is how to deal with the aftermath.”

Aftermath?

Zhuang Bibai narrowed his eyes slightly and bowed low, “Please, Old Ancestor, give me your guidance.”

Zhuang Longxiang snorted. “You are the head of this clan, and you still need me to teach you this? Compared to your elder brother Zhuang Shiliu, you...still fall short.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away. Zhuang Bibai stood rooted to the spot, his expression shifting again and again. Only after a long pause did he draw in a deep breath and return to the Emerald Bamboo Blessed Land.

Not long after, Zhuang Bibai, as the clan leader, issued a strict order: all news of what had happened with Jun Huan and Lin Xun that day was to be completely suppressed! It was a desperate measure to keep the Zhuang Clan from becoming a laughingstock across the Seventh Heaven Domain and to protect their reputation.

At the same time, he personally penned a letter, detailing everything that happened that day, and sent it to the Origin Clarity Pavilion of the Origin Sect Ancestral Court. Zhuang Bibai knew full well that Lin Xun might have escaped for now, but sooner or later, he would make his way to the Origin Sect Ancestral Court! This letter was addressed to his elder brother, Zhuang Shiliu.

Lastly, Zhuang Bibai dispatched his men to spread the word: ‘Lin Xun, the Fangchun Mountain remnant, has appeared in the Seventh Heaven Domain and will take part in the Origin Sect Ancestral Court’s open selection!’

When the childlike Zhuang Longxiang learned of this, he couldn’t help but nod inwardly. Zhaung Bibai had done three things: Seal off all news of the Zhuang Clan’s disaster, send a letter to Zhuang Shiliu, and make Lin Xun’s whereabouts known to the outside world.

The third in particular was nothing short of shrewd and ruthless. In these years, Lin Xun’s name had long since become infamous across the Eternal True Realm, with countless immortal factions treating him as a mortal enemy. The moment word of his presence in the Seventh Heaven Domain spread, how many of those powers could possibly sit idle?

This was adding fuel to the fire. This was killing with a borrowed blade! The Zhuang Clan might have suffered a heavy loss, but once word spread that Lin Xun would take part in the Origin Sect Ancestral Court’s selection, assassination attempts and deadly schemes from all directions were bound to descend upon him.

Even if he somehow managed to escape unscathed from these dangers and successfully joined the Origin Sect, Zhuang Shiliu’s vengeance would still be waiting for him! With his status as a deacon of the Origin Clarity Pavilion, the authority he commanded was something Lin Xun could not challenge.

“Although Bibai lacks Shiliu’s great vision and ambition, his response and actions this time were commendable. He has not disappointed me.” Zhuang Longxiang nodded to himself in approval.

......

Cold Moon City.

This was a well-known, bustling metropolis in the Central Core Region.

Cloud Guardian Workshop.

In Cold Moon City, there was an unremarkable refining workshop tucked away deep within a secluded alley. In truth, although this alley was out of the way, it was far from deserted. Dozens of shops of all sizes lined the alley, including apothecaries, taverns, teahouses...There was a diverse array of businesses.

Cloud Guardian Workshop had been closed for some time and its doors were tightly shut. Deep inside the workshop was an ancient moss-covered well. As ripples spread through the void, Jun Huan and Lin Xuan’s figures emerged out of thin air.

Once they stepped out of the ancient well, Lin Xun was greeted by a plain and time-worn courtyard and paused in surprise, “Senior Sister, where are we?”

“Cold Moon City. Ever since Eldest Senior Brother and the others first arrived in the Seventh Heaven Domain, we’ve been lying low here,” Jun Huan said casually.

Lin Xun looked puzzled. “How far is this place from the Emerald Bamboo Blessed Land?

“At least a million miles,” Jun Huan replied with a smile. “You don’t need to worry about the Zhuang Clan catching up. Do you know what that jade talisman I just used was? It’s called the Boundless Nearness Talisman. It contains the profound power of a mysterious ninth grade Heaven Rank law. Once activated, it can instantly teleport you here from anywhere in the Central Core Region.”

Realization dawned on Lin Xun, and he finally understood why their escape from the Emerald Bamboo Blessed Land had been so effortless. It turned out that the unassuming black jade talisman was an extraordinary treasure!

“Here, put away this Boundless Nearness Talisman. I don’t have many left.”

Jun Huan handed a black jade talisman to Lin Xun. “When Eldest Senior Brother brought us to the Sixth Heaven Domain, he happened to subdue a force known as the boundless nearness law. Later, Third Senior Sister refined it and forged seventy Boundless Nearness Talismans, which were distributed among all of us.

As she spoke, she gestured toward the ancient well beside her and said, “The origin source of the boundless nearness law is sealed beneath this ancient well.”

Realization dawned on Lin Xun. He carefully put away the Boundless Nearness Talisman and grinned. “Senior Sister, if I’d known you held such a treasure, I would’ve caused an even bigger stir back in the Emerald Bamboo Blessed Land.”

Jun Huan rolled her eyes. “Don’t underestimate the Zhuang Clan. If it ever came down to a real fight, even with the two of us together, escaping wouldn’t be so easy.”

As she spoke, she led Lin Xun into the main hall of the courtyard. The courtyard looked small from the outside, but it hid a self-contained world, like a folded secret realm, mysterious and extraordinary.

Inside the main hall, Lin Xun was greeted by a scene of serene beauty: verdant mountains, crystal clear streams, fragrant blossoms, and buildings scattered like jewels across the landscape. According to Jun Huan, this was where the disciples of Fangchun Mountain had been lying low.

“Junior Brother, the other senior brothers and sisters aren’t around right now. Until the Origin Sect Ancestral Court begins its recruitment, how about you and I stay here?” Jun Huan blinked her beautiful eyes at Lin Xun, her voice soft and teasing. “In other words, for the next while, it’ll just be the two of us...a man and woman, living under the same roof.”

Her tone was laced with flirtation! Lin Xun, long used to his senior sister’s antics, smoothly changed the subject, “Senior Sister, what do you plan to do about Zhuang Xiuwu?”

“Kill him.” Jun Huan said lightly. “Nothing disgusts me more than ingratitude. And the Zhuang Clan is worse than ungrateful. They’ve repaid kindness with malice. Since that’s the case, why keep that old thing around?”

At that moment, Lin Xun couldn’t help but recall a saying ‘The path becomes empty in an instant, the path of the sword is the most elegant.’ Jun Huan truly lived up to that praise!

From that day on, Jun Huan and Lin Xun settled into the Cloud Guardian Workshop.

Only later did Lin Xun learn the meaning behind the name. It came from the saying ‘wait for the clouds to part and the moon to shine,’ which reflected a state of mind shared by all Fangchun Mountain successors.

One day, the Ten Immortal Giants of the Eighth Heaven Domain would be overthrown!

In just a few days after Lin Xun and Jun Huan had arrived in Cloud Guardian Workshop of Cold Moon City....

Explosive news spread through the Seventh Heaven Domain.

The Fangchun Mountain remnant Lin Xun has appeared in the Seventh Heaven Domain and will take part in the public selection for the Origin Sect Ancestral Court!

A single stone stirred up a thousand waves. Cries of shock and astonishment rang out in all directions.

“Isn’t it incredible that Lin Xun has made it through all this without meeting his end?”

No one had imagined that the man who had been hunted by countless immortal forces for years could survive and make it all the way from the First Heaven Domain to the Seventh. It was beyond everyone’s expectations.

“This kid is insane! He actually dares to enter the Origin Sect Ancestral Court? Doesn’t he realize that if his whereabouts are exposed, he’ll be bringing destruction on himself?”

Many people were left flabbergasted, unable to believe it.

“Where is Lin Xun now?”

“Who knows. He’s probably in hiding.”

“But the moment he dares to show his face in the selection, he’ll become the target of everyone!”

All across the Central Core Region of the Seventh Heaven Domain and the Four Great Starfields, discussions were endless. In short, Lin Xun’s appearance stirred up a monstrous wave, drawing the gaze of countless eyes in the Seventh Heaven Domain!

If it had been anyone else, even an Immortal, they likely wouldn’t have caused such a great commotion.

However, Lin Xun was different.

His fierce name had been forged long ago in the Great Thousand Battle Domain, and had spread all the way to the Eternal True Realm. In recent years, starting from the First Heaven Domain, he had carved a bloody path, leaving storms and upheavals in his wake.

It was impossible not to notice. Furthermore, that was exactly what the Zhuang Clan wanted. The storm against Lin Xun was already raging. The only question was how long before his enemies’ knives struck?

Zhuang Bibai was filled with anticipation. The entire Zhuang Clan was filled with excitement.