Chapter 1301: Qingyang Town

The decisive fight with the Devil Prison came to an end because of the Heaven Seat King and his men's maniacal move. However, the threat to the world did not vanish after the Heaven Seat King and his men disappeared. Instead, everyone sunk into greater despair. This was because the seal between the planes had already lost its equilibrium. Moreover, the most frightening aspect was that the Yimo Emperor, who was once completely sealed after the Symbol Ancestor ignited his Reincarnation, had actually broke free of his seal. Furthermore, the latter was currently waiting with ill-intent outside the seal between the planes, preparing to once again descend into this world.

At that time, a true calamity would unfold.

The three great alliance army withdrew from the Western Xuan Region. Other than the top experts, the remaining members of the alliance army went back to where they came from. This was because the alliance army had already lost its purpose at this moment. After all, if the Yimo Emperor once again descended into this world, and they failed to produce a second Symbol Ancestor, regardless of how large the alliance army was, they could not salvage the situation. After all, up against a creature like the Yimo Emperor, the difference between them could never be breached with numbers.

As the three great alliance army withdrew, the events that unfurled within the Western Xuan Region quickly spread across the entire world. Immediately, countless individuals were bewildered. They lifted their heads and stared at the universe. Faintly, they were able to detect that a destroyer was slowly approaching them from the distant void.

A stifling pressure, which could not be described with words, enveloped the entire world.

Countless individuals lived in fear because of this. However, they were not in complete despair. This was because they knew that the legendary Ice Master was doing her best to break into the Ancestor stage. If she was able to do so, this world would be saved once again.

Amidst the despair, this was the final glimmer of hope that every living being in this world depended upon.

......

After Lin Dong left the Western Xuan Region, he headed back to the Great Yan Empire. After so many years, this was the first time he felt so lethargic. In fact, he felt so lethargic that he neither returned to the Lin Clan nor Dao Sect.

Standing in the sky above the Great Yan Empire, Lin Dong pondered for a moment before he headed towards the western part of the Great Yan Empire. Soon after, many mountains flashed past beneath him, before a bustling small town finally appeared in his sight.

This was not a huge town. However, it vaguely gave off a familiar sensation. This sensation caused a special emotion to rise within Lin Dong's lethargic heart.

This was Qingyang Town, the place where he was born and brought up in.

A thought passed through Lin Dong's mind before he appeared within the town immediately. A bustling crowd was accompanied by rowdy noises as it spread. Meanwhile, Lin Dong slowly walked amongst them. However, this seemingly bustling crowd posed no obstacle to him.

After so many years, this town had changed tremendously. However, relying on his memories, Lin Dong was still able to locate some familiar places. He was in a trance like state as he walked along the street. After which, he suddenly realized that a fragrant smell had appeared beside him. He turned his head and saw a white dressed, gorgeous fairy like beauty, Ling Qingzhu, walking quietly beside him. Meanwhile, when she saw him turning his head, a faint smile appeared on her stunning face.

"Are you alright?"

Ling Qingzhu spoke softly. Meanwhile, this was the first time she ever spoke in such a soft and gentle tone. After all, after so many years, this was the first time she ever saw Lin Dong in such a lethargic state. This fellow had always maintained a sharp and formidable demeanor. Regardless of the dangers that he faced, he would charge forward fearlessly. In fact, even if he was beaten by others until he fell to his knees, he would still wipe off the blood and stand up once again with a vicious expression in his eyes. Moreover, though everyone witnessed his outstanding accomplishments, they forgot about the effort that he had put in to accomplish them.

He had encountered one powerful foe after another. However, he was always the last man standing.

Lin Dong nodded gently. However, he was still feeling upset. Ling Qingzhu gently bit her lips when she saw this. Subsequently, she extended her long delicate hand before she grabbed Lin Dong's hand. After which, she locked her fingers with his, before she held tightly onto his hand.

Lin Dong was slightly startled. In fact, he realized that Ling Qingzhu's delicate body had stiffened momentarily. After all, the latter had a cold and prideful demeanour. Moreover, she typically preferred to hide her emotions within her heart, and quietly endure the bitterness and sweetness without mentioning it to others. Therefore, it was a rarely seen sight for her to voluntarily take the initiative.

Lin Dong sighed. When he saw that Ling Qingzhu was willing to set aside her pride in order to comfort him, he felt warmth in his heart. Promptly, he stared at her before he softly said, "I'm sorry."

He had received a rejection from someone else, yet she had to be the one to set aside her ego and take care of him. This was clearly unfair towards her. However, she had always been this way. Willing to quietly endure and accept everything; she was so heartachingly tough.

"There is no need to apologize." Ling Qingzhu shook her head and said.

"Let's go. I will show you my Lin Family manor."

Lin Dong grinned. He held Ling Qingzhu's hand before he relied on his memories and walked towards his Lin Family manor. It was not the Lin Clan. Instead, it was the Lin Family. A small branch family. Yet, this was the place which he treasured the most.

Ling Qingzhu nodded gently, before she gave a sweet and gentle smile, which made hundreds of blooming flowers pale in comparison.

The both of them walked across the street. After which, Lin Dong stopped. With shock in his eyes, he stared at the sight in front of him. This was the intersection between a couple of streets. However, this place was currently a little chaotic. From the looks of it, it seems like two factions were fighting. The sound of fist meeting flesh was accompanied by sharp miserable screeches.

Lin Dong looked at the group in front of him. There was a fearsome looking young man holding onto a wooden rod, before he swung it towards the group standing opposite him. His ferocity intimidated the others and no one dared to stop him.

Lin Dong looked at this somewhat familiar looking young man, before he became a little absent-minded. Eventually, he managed to dig him out from his memories.

Raging Blade Dojo, Wu Yun.

This young man seemed to be quite powerful as he managed to deal with most of the opponents on his own. After which, he patted his hands in a pleased fashion before he tossed away the wooden rod in his hand. Then, he smilingly said, "How dare you offend my Raging Blade Dojo in Qingyang Town? You must have a death wish."

"Please, do you really think that your Raging Blade Dojo is the strongest faction in Qingyang Town?!"

"Do you have any objections?" Wu Yun widened his eyes as he cried out.

"Have you forgotten about the Lin Family in Qingyang Town?!" That man coldly snorted.

Wu Yun's expression stiffened. He cried out angrily in embarrassment, "What do you know? I wonder which corner you were hiding at when I joined forces with Lin Dong to deal with the minions from the Xie Family and the Lei Family!"

Right after his voice sounded, a soft laughter sounded from a short distance away. Wu Yun immediately turned his head angrily as he prepared to mess with the guy who actually dared to mock him.

However, when he turned around, he immediately saw a black clothed young man as well as a stunning beauty, who was so beautiful that it caused everyone around her to lose their breath, standing at the front of the street.

"You..." Wu Yun became a little absent-minded due to Ling Qingzhu's stunning looks. However, he quickly recovered his senses. Immediately, his eyes widened as he stared at the black clothed young man. His finger was trembling in shock as he pointed at the latter and said, "Lin... Lin Dong?"

Instantly, the originally noisy street became completely silent. Many disbelieving pairs of eyes turned to look at that black clothed young man. Was he the legendary Lin Dong from the Lin Family?

The crowd slowly focused their attention on him. Finally, the disbelief in their eyes gradually disappeared before wild heat surged. After all, was there anyone in the Great Yan Empire who did not know who Lin Dong was? Moreover, this legendary man had actually came from their Qingyang Town!

When he saw their fervent expressions, Lin Dong cupped his hands together and smiled towards Wu Yun. After which, he grabbed Ling Qingzhu's hand and walked towards the other side of the street.

The crowd was staring at his back and no one dared to walk up to him. In fact, even Wu Yun was scratching his head, before he punched the chest of the person standing beside him with excitement and said, "Did you see that? Lin Dong actually greeted me. God damnit. How many times have I told you guys before... He has actually returned to Qingyang Town. I must go and pay him a visit later on!"

"Ouch, boss. Please be gentler."

"......"

Compared to most other places, the area outside the Lin Family manor was much more peaceful. After all, most Lin Family members had moved to the Lin Clan. In fact, hardly anyone remained behind in this old manor in Qingyang Town.

Nonetheless, the moment Lin Dong showed up at the front door, a servant cleaning the courtyard immediately realized his presence. The latter was promptly stunned for a moment, before he quickly took off. Immediately, his loud cries echoed across the entire Lin Family.

"Young master Lin Dong has returned!"

The originally quiet and peaceful Lin Family immediately erupted into an uproar before many individuals came flooding forth. Meanwhile, their eyes were all filled with excitement and joy as they looked at the tall young man walking in from the front door.

"Dong'er!"

Suddenly, the large group split apart, before a middle-aged man with some white hair, ran forward with an excited expression on his face.

"First uncle."

Lin Dong looked at this middle-aged man, before he quickly walked forward and supported him. This person was his first uncle, Lin Ken. Over all these years, he had stayed behind in Qingyang Town to guard their old manor.

"Little fellow, you have finally returned. I thought that you have forgotten about this place." Lin Ken looked much older than before. However, when he looked at Lin Dong, his eyes were filled with joy. Although he had stayed behind in Qingyang Town, he had still heard about the numerous deeds accomplished by Lin Dong after he left. After all, he was the pride of their entire Lin Family.

Lin Dong felt a little emotional in his heart. Then, he looked at Ling Qingzhu, before he scratched his head and said, "This is my first uncle. You can also address him in this way."

A flush swiftly appeared on Ling Qingzhu's stunning face. After which, she bowed towards Lin Ken and said, "Greetings, first uncle."

"Haha, you must be Qingzhu, am I right? Not bad. Lin Xiao has already told me about you. Haha, it seems like Lin Dong has really good taste." Lin Ken smilingly nodded. He observed Ling Qingzhu for a moment, before his eyes were filled with satisfaction. After all, even across the entire Eastern Xuan Region, there were hardly any ladies that could match up to Ling Qingzhu in terms of looks and demeanor. In fact, no one in Qingyang Town had ever saw such a stunning beauty before. This was evident from the fact that there were numerous young men secretly peeping at her with heated eyes.

"It's good now that you are back. Your room has always been kept clean. Do you want me to ask someone to take you over?"

Lin Dong shook his head. He chatted with Lin Ken for awhile before he led Ling Qingzhu and walked towards the back mountain. After they left, no one cared about this back mountain and it was now overrun with wild weeds. When a gentle breeze swept past, the wild grass and flowers scattered across the mountain would dance gently with the wind.

Meanwhile, there were numerous houses located in this back mountain. Although they were simple looking houses, they were kept clean and tidy. Lin Dong walked to the front of a house. After which, he stared at the wooden pillars that were stuck deep in the ground. In fact, he could vaguely see various palm imprints on these wooden pillars.

When Lin Dong stood in front of these wooden pillars, he became a little absent-minded. He recalled that many years ago, regardless of rain or shine, a skinny tender young man would bitterly practice a simple martial arts over and over again in this place. At that time, all he wanted to do was to become stronger and seek justice for his father...

Perhaps that naive young man from before would have never imagined that one day, he would become one of the top experts in this world.

However, so what if this was the case?

Lin Dong slowly shut his eyes. Meanwhile, his face was plastered with fatigue.

For the next few days, Lin Dong stayed in Qingyang Town and showed no signs of leaving. Moreover, each day was spent in an exceptionally peaceful manner. He would merely take a leisurely stroll in the peaceful back mountain, while Ling Qingzhu quietly tagged along.

Lin Ken seemed to have detected Lin Dong's emotional state of mind as well. Therefore, he rejected everyone who had showed up to visit him, and did not allow anyone to disturb him.

On the third day, Little Marten and Qingtan had also rushed over to Qingyang Town. Moreover, they even went to the capital and brought Lin Xiao and Liu Yan back.

The instant Liu Yan saw Lin Dong, she immediately ran over and hugged him. Meanwhile, her eyes reddened. This was because along the way, Little Marten had already told her about everything that took place. Moreover, this was the first time she ever saw her son, who was always brimming with energy and vigour and would never admit defeat regardless of how bleak the situation was, with such a lethargic expression on his face. Therefore, his expression nearly caused her heart to break.

"Dong'er, there are some problems in this world that can never be resolved perfectly. Your hardwork did not go to waste. We'll always be proud of you."

Liu Yan hugged Lin Dong while tears rolled down her face. Then, she said, "If you grow tired, your parents are always here for you. Don't weigh yourself down with the burden of saving the world. It doesn't matter how terrifying the Yimo Emperor is. As long as mother is by your side, I will never allow you to die before I do."

At this moment, even though Lin Dong's heart had been toughened up after experiencing numerous struggles over the years, he involuntarily hugged Liu Yan tightly. Meanwhile, tears began to roll down his face. After all these years, this was his most vulnerable moment.

Standing beside them, Lin Xiao's eyes also turned red. Then, he patted Lin Dong's shoulder before he said, "Well done, son. Father is proud of you. In the future, let's stay in Qingyang Town. I have asked Lin Xia, Lin Hong and the rest to come back and we will stay by your side."

Lin Dong rubbed off his tears and smilingly nodded.

Lin Xiao eventually pulled away Liu Yan, whose eyes were completely red. Standing beside them, Little Marten looked at Lin Dong. After which, he looked at the deepest part of the back mountain before he laughed, "I recall that you obtained the Ancestor Stone in that area, am I right? I was able to detect you at that time."

"If I had known that a demonic spirit was hidden within, I would have most likely tossed it away." Lin Dong said. After which, he looked at Little Marten before the both of them laughed. Meanwhile, their laughters were filled with rich brotherly sentiment.

"Initially, Little Flame insisted on coming along. In fact, he even wanted to return the Chaos Ancestral Symbol. However, I stopped him from doing so." Little Marten said.

Lin Dong nodded. Meanwhile, Qingtan also gave her Darkness Ancestral Symbol to the Darkness Master. This was because he did not want them to intentionally reduce the strength on their side for his sake. After all, they desperately needed such strength now.

"In the following days, allow us to stay with you. In any case, whatever happens next has nothing to do with us. If they succeed, the world will be saved. However, if they fail, well, there is no need for us to put up a struggle then. Things would be rather straightforward if all of us died together." Little Marten laughed.

Lin Dong smiled and nodded. However, his smile looked a little forced.

As the days passed, the Lin Family became increasingly lively. Lin Hong, Lin Xia and the rest had all been called back. In fact, even some of the younger members of the Lin Clan had insisted on following them back to Qingyang Town. In a short period of time, the originally peaceful Lin Family became much livelier.

Moreover, it seemed as though Lin Dong had put down certain baggage. In fact, he would joke around with them occasionally. Moreover, as he recalled the various events that took place during his childhood, he would involuntarily burst out into laughter.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Lin Dong was sitting at the edge of a cliff in the back mountain. Meanwhile, he was staring at the endless mountain range and the swivelling clouds in the sky. During this half a month's time, he had not trained at all. Meanwhile, he had unilaterally severed any connection with the three Ancestral Symbols, Ancestor Stone, Great Desolate Tablet and other divine objects originally present within his body. It felt as though he had severed the lines of fate.

Behind him, the faint sound of footsteps sounded. Immediately, Lin Dong gently tilted his head, before he saw Qingtan gently walking over. Currently, she was no longer wearing the black dress that she typically wore in the Darkness Palace, and had put on a simple emerald dress instead. Faintly, she now bore some resemblance to that naive little girl from before.

Qingtan arrived beside Lin Dong before she crouched down. Then, she used her clear large eyes to stare at him, before she softly asked, "Brother Lin Dong, are you still upset?"

"No, I'm not."

Lin Dong smiled and rubbed her little head before he said, "It's just that I feel like all my hardwork over the years have gone to waste."

"That's not true. Brother Lin Dong, you have managed to change many things. In my eyes, you are always the strongest. Back then, Lin Langtian seemed like such an untouchable existence in our eyes. At that time, even though all of us hated him bitterly, no one dared to do anything to him. However, thanks to your hard work, we succeeded eventually. Do you know, when we received news that you killed Lin Langtian, even our father cried." Qingtan tilted her head before she smiled in a loving manner.

"It doesn't matter what others speak of you. You are the most important person in our hearts."

Lin Dong looked at this young lady, who had a solemn expression on her face, before he felt a little absent-minded. Promptly, warmth surged within his heart.

Swoosh.

A rushing wind sound appeared, before Little Marten appeared in the vicinity of this cliff. Following which, he looked at Lin Dong and it seemed as if he was hesitating over whether he should speak to him.

"What is it?" Lin Dong looked at him and asked.

"According to the news I received, they have already set up a formation in the Chaotic Demon Sea and are ready to begin."

Lin Dong's expression froze momentarily. Promptly, he lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly lifted his head before he sucked in a deep breath of air. After which, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"In that case, I should start as well."

I will protect those that I care about in my own way.