The Sovereign's Ascension

Lin Yun never felt so much pain ever since Xin Jue died. He could understand that Xin Yan didn’t want to see him. After all, Xin Jue died because of him. She probably didn’t want to see him because she didn’t want to be reminded of her pain.

In the end, what Lin Yun worried the most had finally taken place. He also felt guilty that he didn’t pay senior sister a visit when he came out of the Sword Burial Woods. On top of this, he was staying in the Repent Cliff bitterly for the past three months.

He didn’t want to ask or think about anything since this had been hidden in the depths of his heart. He didn’t dare to forget, but his concern for Xin Yan had never decreased over the past three months. He had no idea if he could survive in hunting Han Yang, so he wanted to meet Xin Yan before his departure.

Looking at the bitter smile on Lin Yun’s face, Guardian Plum sighed, “Lin Yun, don’t blame Xin Yan.”

“Why would I blame her…” Lin Yun was too distracted by the news that he didn’t realize the hidden message in Guardian Plum’s words. When he received the sword box from Guardian Plum, he opened it up and saw the Flower Burial Sword lying in it.

“It has been a long time.” The Flower Burial Sword buzzed in response when Lin Yun grabbed it. Lin Yun could feel the excitement in the Flower Burial Sword.

Returning it back to its sheath, Lin Yun placed the sword into the box and carried it behind him. At the same time, he also took his interspatial pouch. He asked, “Are you sure that the Great Thief Han Yang appeared in the Primalfloor County?”

“Yes.” The Primalfloor County was located at the border of the Great Qin Empire and it would take one month to make the journey there and back. This also meant that Lin Yun only had less than ten days to make it back before the Dragon Gate Competition began.

When Lin Yun came out of the Repent Cliff, he wore a smile on his face. It looks like he had more time than he had imagined. Guardian Plum also brought the Dragon Blooded Horse along, who seemed pretty energetic after such a long while apart. Mounting the horse, Lin Yun returned to his former glory.

“You’ll need a cloak. After all, it won’t be good if someone sees that you’re out of the Repent Cliff.” Guardian Plum said this and handed him a cloak.

Lin Yun looked at it briefly before he retrieved a devil mask from his interspatial pouch, “I’ll use this instead.”

The Dragon Blooded Horse turned around and carried Lin Yun down the mountain. He slowly disappeared from Guardian Plum’s sights.

Before nightfall, the Dragon Blooded Horse brought Lin Yun to the borders of the Heavenly Qin County. It wouldn’t be long before he arrived in the Northern Barrens. Right at this moment, snow suddenly descended from the sky.

“It’s snowing?” Lin Yun muttered to himself as he looked around. Not that he looked at it, it was indeed, time for winter. It was autumn when he was sent to the Repent Cliff and it had been three months since then. This meant that it was time for winter.

When he recalled the memory of when he first joined the Sword Firmament Pavilion, it was also under heavy snowfall. It didn’t take long for the snow to get thicker and he had no idea how long the snow would last. 

Grabbing onto a snowflake in his hand, Lin Yun’s eyes flashed with determination. He had to make it back for the Dragon Gate Competition no matter what because he had given his promise to Xin Jue. A gentleman would never break his promise.

Right at this moment, a sudden whistle came and Lin Yun raised his head. It was a Sword Condor who suddenly let out a cry as it dropped from the sky like a meteor. The Sword Condor had collapsed from exhaustion.

Two figures dashed out from the cloud of dust, it was Lin Yan and Lin Qiushan. The two were pretty injured from the fall, but they couldn’t be bothered by that as they rushed towards Lin Yun.

Lin Yun got off his horse and he asked, “Why are the two of you here?”

“Big Brother Lin, something big happened!” Lin Yan said anxiously.

“Calm down. Talk slowly.” Lin Yun’s heart jolted because he had an ill premonition.

After Lin Yan caught her breath, she spoke out in a sobbing voice, “Big Brother Lin, Li Wuyou was injured by Bai Lixuan and Senior Sister Xin Yan will marry the crown prince tomorrow.”

Lin Yun’s mind suddenly exploded because he was stunned. How is this possible?

“It’s true,” sighed Lin Qiushan. “Lin Yan wanted to tell you about it ten days ago, but the crime of barging into the Repent Cliff was too serious. But I thought about it today and still decided to tell you about it. So I tried sneaking into the Repent Cliff, but I never expected to see you coming out from the back mountain. So I immediately rode a Sword Condor over, but we were having difficulty chasing after the Dragon Blooded Horse.”

It was all thanks to the sudden snow that Lin Yun stopped. Otherwise, the Sword Condor wouldn’t be able to catch up even after it died.

Lin Yun’s face changed when he heard what Lin Yan said. His gaze became sharp as he analyzed the situation, “Senior sister just lost a family member, so it makes no sense for her to agree to Qin Yu’s proposal. Furthermore, there’s a high chance that Qin Yu might be the mastermind who killed Xin Jue. There’s no way senior sister would accept something like this!”

Everyone knew that Wang Yan was only the crown prince’s chess piece and the crown prince had the highest suspicion for being the mastermind of Xin Jue’s death. Furthermore, he also had direct competition with Xin Jue on the Dragon Gate Competition at the end of this year.

But this was all Lin Yun’s suspicion and he didn’t dare to make a decision so recklessly. He was only certain about Wang Yan because he saw Wang Yan using the Bloodrain Silverneedles and he was also confident that he could kill Wang Yan.

But it didn’t matter if it was just his suspicion because he knew that Xin Yan would never agree to marry Qin Yu. This meant that there must be a story behind it.

“There’s something else too, but I don’t know if I should say it…” hesitated Lin Qiushan.

Lin Yan took over and said, “There’s no time for hesitation. Big Brother Lin, there’s a rumor among the four prestigious clans. The crown prince risked cultivating the Profound Yang Art. This cultivation technique is extremely yang in nature and it’s also very domineering. But the crown prince’s cultivation isn’t enough and he will die sooner or later if he doesn’t have the Aquamoon to regulate it for him!”

“Is that true?” questioned Lin Yun.

“It should be true. The news first came from the Wang Clan and it has only spread among the four prestigious clans. I’ve already checked the ancient records. Not only can the Aquamoon Martial Soul regulate the Profound Yang Art’s domineering origin energy, it can also bring the Profound Yang Art to a new level and help it reach perfection. Qin Yu isn’t fond of Senior Sister Xin. He just wants to use her as his cauldron and after he’s done…” Lin Yan hesitated if she should continue, but Lin Yun already knew what she was going to say. After all, who wouldn’t know what the fate of a cauldron was for cultivators?

“I got it.” Lin Yun took a deep breath. He never imagined that Qin Yu would be so ruthless. His gaze fell on the falling snow as he was lost in his own thoughts. With that, he finally knew the entire story.

The two sisters were feeling anxious, but they didn’t dare to ask him anything.

There was no question that Qin Yu was the mastermind of Xin Jue’s death and that he killed Xin Jue to make Xin Yan lose her backing. At the same time, he was sure that the crown prince had something against Xin Yan that forced her to make this decision.

Recalling Xin Jue’s dedication to becoming the champion of the Dragon Gate Competition, Lin Yun revealed a bitter smile. The champion of the Dragon Gate Competition could issue a request to the empire and the empire had to agree to it no matter what.

Regardless if Qin Yu’s reasoning was to become the champion or to have Xin Yan, Xin Jue was a target that Qin Yu wanted to kill. Now that he thought about it, Xin Yan must’ve requested Guardian Plum to lure him away during this period. She must have been worried that he would escape the Repent Cliff if he learned about the news.

“The wedding is tomorrow?” asked Lin Yun.

“Yeah. Qin Yu has prepared a majestic ceremony to circle the empire. Junior Brother Lin, you have to think twice about doing anything. The crown prince’s wedding is guarded by the Divine Guards and they will definitely send experts along…” advised Lin Qiushan. The meaning behind her words were clear. She didn’t want Lin Yun to commit suicide.

“But there are still some things that I have to make clear.” Lin Yun got on the horse. He just wanted to ask Xin Yan a question. If she wasn’t marrying Qin Yu willingly, then he would no longer have any hesitations with his sword. Under Lin Yan and Lin Qiushan’s shocked gazes, Lin Yun turned around and headed back.

The capital was covered in thick snow early in the morning. It was cold, but cultivators could resist the cold with their origin energy. But even though it was cold, the capital was still bustling with people. Many people showed up on the streets today because today was Qin Yu’s wedding.

The wedding came without any warning, so it had shocked the entire empire. Xin Yan was famous for her beauty in the Sword Firmament Pavilion and she even had the nickname Blood Rose. Her name was widely spread throughout the Great Qin Empire and many people had dreamt about her.

But today, she would marry Qin Yu. This had shocked everyone, but then again, it wasn’t that shocking if you thought about it.

Qin Yu was the righteous heir to the throne and he was also one of the eight titles. He was worthy of Xin Yan regardless of his strength or status. The streets were filled with people as they waited for the bride and groom’s arrival.