Chapter 557: A Formidable Reputation

Chapter 557: A Formidable Reputation

"What is Zi Meng saying?"

Qing Fen Hou frowned, "She's saying that I'm hiding a Great Exalt within the city?"

If it weren't for Zi Meng Hou's sincere expression at the end, Qing Fen Hou would have thought she was speaking nonsense.

"A Great Exalt?"

Qing Fen Hou once again utilized the grand array within the city to carefully scan his surroundings several times.

Qing Fen City had long been imbued with arrays specifically designed to detect the depth and weight of life forces.

If there was a Great Exalt among them, he, Qing Fen Hou, would have been the first to know.

"What about those puppets?"

Qing Fen Hou glanced at the countless peak Dominator-level puppets wreaking havoc within the city and, with a slight fluctuation of his consciousness, recalled them all.

These puppets were specially crafted by the Zi Meng Domain to wreak havoc in Qing Fen City and obscure their true intentions. Qing Fen Hou, having seen through their scheme, casually dealt with them.

"It seems that during the hundred breaths I was trapped in the dream, quite an event unfolded in the city."

Qing Fen City's eyes deepened as he began to 'rewind' the events that transpired in the city.

As a Great Exalt, his mastery over time was exceptional, allowing him to easily rewind the flow of time within the city.

Of course, he could only rewind and not alter the past.

Swish!

Time flowed backward.

In the blink of an eye, he returned to a hundred breaths in the past.

At this moment, Qing Fen City was peaceful.

Until Zi Meng Hou descended with an incarnation.

In the instant that Qing Fen Hou fell into the beautiful dream woven by Zi Meng Hou...

Countless peak Dominator-level puppets appeared within Qing Fen City.

"These puppets?"

Qing Fen Hou paid no heed to them, his gaze falling upon the purple-haired woman and her companions hiding in the shadows.

The peak Dominator-level puppets had limited destructive power, and Qing Fen Hou had already instructed his disciples to stand guard at the core of the grand array before falling into the dream.

Thus, he did not believe that these puppets posed any real threat.

Indeed, after he awoke, the damage caused by the peak Dominator-level puppets to Qing Fen City was negligible.

Much ado about nothing.

"Is this Zi Meng's plot, and are they carrying it out?"

Qing Fen Hou pondered, thinking that the peak Dominator puppets were merely a distraction.

The real scheme, he estimated, would be executed by these people.

Qing Fen Hou continued to observe.

Soon.

He saw the purple-haired woman and her companions touring the various array nodes within Qing Fen City.

However, what puzzled Qing Fen Hou was that they merely walked through the city, even coming close to the core of the grand array without taking any action.

After lingering for a few breaths, they quietly left.

"What are they trying to do?"

Qing Fen Hou sensed something amiss. Zi Meng Hou had expended an incarnation that contained her true source self and countless years to weave a beautiful dream, only for her subordinates to take a casual stroll through Qing Fen City?

"Could it be...?"

Qing Fen Hou had a vague suspicion.

Just then.

The purple-haired woman and her companions arrived at the front of the Fen Tian Institute.

Unlike before, this time, they did not leave.

Instead, they initiated an attack on the Fen Tian Institute.

"Hmph."

"A group of Dominators dare to lay a hand on my disciples?"

Qing Fen Hou coldly huffed, "The array of the Fen Tian Institute has been specially adjusted by me. It is undoubtedly one of the most heavily fortified places in Qing Fen City."

With just a mere dozen or so peak Dominator-level cultivators, he had no reason to worry.

As expected.

Upon witnessing the formidable defenses of the Fen Tian Institute, the purple-haired woman and her companions immediately chose to retreat.

However, it was at this moment that something astonishing happened—something that took Qing Fen Hou by surprise.

Lin Yuan, who had been inside the Fen Tian Institute, walked out of his own volition.

"This..."

Qing Fen Hou was perplexed.

But what happened next left him utterly shocked.

With casual pats of his palms, Lin Yuan killed the group of peak Dominator-level experts, and finally, Zi Meng Hou's incarnation was also slapped to death.

That was Zi Meng Hou, a Great Exalt.

Even if it was just an incarnation, it was not something that a Dominator could deal with.

While an incarnation of a Great Exalt might not be able to crush the most powerful Dominators, it should not have been so easily overwhelmed, should it?

Time returned to its normal trajectory.

Yet, Qing Fen Hou remained silent.

"Is this disciple of mine a Great Exalt?"

Qing Fen Hou was baffled. The purple-haired woman and her companions, as well as Zi Meng Hou, a Great Exalt herself, merely suspected that he, Qing Fen Hou, had a trump card up his sleeve—that he was hiding a Great Exalt within the city.

But one knows one's own affairs best.

Qing Fen Hou had not done such a thing.

Moreover, Lin Yuan was a new disciple of his.

These were all facts.

He, Qing Fen Hou, had no reason to lie about this.

"Wait a moment."

"My disciple is not a Great Exalt."

Qing Fen Hou suddenly realized something, "The important array for detecting the thickness of life forces within the city did not trigger any alerts. If Lin Yuan were truly a Great Exalt, I wouldn't have been unaware of it."

"He's not a Great Exalt, yet he possesses such formidable strength..."

Qing Fen Hou fell into deep thought, rewinding the events that had transpired once more.

"The Blazing Sun Divine Body?"

"Has he awakened the Blazing Sun Divine Body so quickly?"

Qing Fen Hou's expression shifted, "Could it be his bloodline? The Blazing Sun bloodline?"

In the Ancient Blazing Sun Country, any being capable of condensing a Blazing Sun Seed would possess, to some extent, the Blazing Sun bloodline.

In other words, it was the bloodline of the royal family of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country.

Of course, the Blazing Sun bloodline within normal beings was extremely thin and could be virtually ignored.

The reason the royal family of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country could rule over the entire country was that the concentration of the Blazing Sun bloodline flowing within them was consistently maintained at a certain level.

However, there are always exceptions.

There was a minuscule possibility for beings outside the royal family to experience a reversion to ancestral type, resulting in a more concentrated Blazing Sun bloodline.

After such a reversion, the Blazing Sun bloodline would become more potent, marked by the ability to easily condense Blazing Sun Seeds and withstand the radiance of the Blazing Sun, causing one's strength to soar to the Dominator realm at a terrifying speed.

Furthermore, the awakening speed of the Blazing Sun Divine Body would be frighteningly fast, which is completely unreasonable compared to normal beings.

And a fully awakened Blazing Sun Divine Body would be even more powerful than a being who awakened the Blazing Sun Divine Body through normal means.

Aside from the above, beings with extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodlines possess extremely terrifying combat power, unrivaled at the same level, and even capable of battling beyond their tier.

"Could it be that my disciple's bloodline has undergone a reversion to ancestral type, resulting in an extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodline?"

Qing Fen Hou thought to himself.

This reason also explained why Lin Yuan was able to condense so many Blazing Sun Seeds.

As a being with an extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodline, it would be much easier for him to condense the Blazing Sun Seeds.

As for why the array didn't detect the life force weight of a Great Exalt, it was because Lin Yuan was not a Great Exalt but a Dominator with an extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodline.

"However, to be able to exert almost Great Exalt-level combat power at the Dominator level, the density of the Blazing Sun bloodline within my disciple should be no less than that of the core royal family of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country."

Qing Fen Hou mused to himself.

The concept of 'battle beyond their tier' depends on which realm they currently reside in.

It's possible for a being at the Sage realm to battle a Dominator, but for a Dominator to battle a Great Exalt is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Even among the Blazing Sun royalty, very few possess such capability.

"I never expected that I, Qing Fen, would accept a disciple with a Blazing Sun bloodline comparable to the core royalty."

Qing Fen Hou was full of emotion.

Compared to Great Exalts, the core royalty of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country was far more important.

Each member of the core royalty possessed an extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodline, resulting in terrifying combat power, and their growth was almost unhindered by bottlenecks.

Even without cultivation, as long as they basked in the radiance of the Blazing Sun, they could rapidly grow to the Dominator realm.

As for the Great Exalt realm, while it would require some effort, they could still achieve it with a bit of hard work.

One must know that Qing Fen Hou had expended countless resources and effort to reach the Great Exalt realm, but for the core royalty of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country, it was a different story.

Of course, the core royalty with their dense Blazing Sun bloodlines did possess freakish innate talent, but their ceiling was still at the Great Exalt realm. As for the Heavenly Exalt realm?

To reach the Heavenly Exalt realm, one couldn't rely solely on bloodline.

However, a member of the core royalty of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country, even if they only reached the Great Exalt realm, their terrifying combat power would still be enough to be unrivaled among Great Exalts and even challenge Heavenly Exalts.

"What luck I have..."

Qing Fen Hou's thoughts were complicated as he felt that he had picked up a disciple who was destined to be unrivaled among Great Exalts in the future. Even now, Qing Fen Hou still felt as if he were dreaming.

Outside the Fen Tian Institute.

After Lin Yuan slapped and shattered Zi Meng Hou's incarnation, he saw Feng Wanxing, who had just arrived.

"Senior Brother Feng."

Lin Yuan took the initiative to greet him. During his cultivation in the Fen Tian Institute, Lin Yuan had gotten along well with this senior brother.

"Junior Brother?"

Hearing Lin Yuan calling him Senior Brother, Feng Wanxing dared to reply. The scene he had just witnessed was too frightening.

The illustrious Zi Meng Hou had been slapped to pieces by Lin Yuan? Feng Wanxing speculated that Zi Meng Hou should have only descended with an incarnation and her true body probably didn't dare to enter Qing Fen City.

But even if it was just an incarnation, it was still the incarnation of a Great Exalt. How could it be so easily shattered?

"Junior Brother, just now..." Feng Wanxing looked at Lin Yuan and cautiously probed, "Just now..."

"Just now," Lin Yuan casually explained, "some Dominators from the Zi Meng Domain sneaked into Qing Fen City and tried to make a move against me. The commotion in the city was probably caused by them, so I directly took action and dealt with them."

"Some Dominators from the Zi Meng Domain?"

Feng Wanxing glanced around.

Although he didn't know which Dominators from the Zi Meng Domain had infiltrated, their strength must have been at the peak of the Dominator realm for them to dare to infiltrate at this time.

"Finally, Zi Meng Hou also descended with an incarnation and threatened me, making demands. How dare she do that with just an incarnation? So, I took care of her as well."

Lin Yuan said.

"Zi Meng Hou?"

"How dare she?"

Feng Wanxing only felt that the Junior Brother in front of him had become very unfamiliar.

He never expected that the usually quiet and low-key Junior Brother possessed such formidable strength.

"Junior Brother, your strength..."

Feng Wanxing swallowed.

"I just had a breakthrough." Lin Yuan didn't intend to hide it.

After the awakening of the Blazing Sun Divine Body, the amount of resources Lin Yuan needed for his subsequent cultivation could be described as vast and boundless.

Even if he tried to hide his strength, he wouldn't be able to conceal it when it came to the demand for cultivation resources.

Therefore, it was better to be open about it.

According to Lin Yuan's understanding of this source world, a Great Exalt-level existence could basically roam freely in this world.

As long as one didn't offend the royal families of the ancient countries, one could live a carefree life.

And Lin Yuan's current comprehensive strength had basically reached the threshold of a Great Exalt,

and in some aspects, he was even stronger than ordinary Great Exalts.

Feng Wanxing had countless questions in his mind, but he didn't know how to ask them.

Just had a breakthrough? And he could easily shatter a Great Exalt's incarnation?

Just then, a figure clad in a crimson-red robe appeared in the distance.

"Your Lordship."

Upon seeing this, Feng Wanxing immediately bowed.

"You may leave now."

Qing Fen Hou glanced at Feng Wanxing.

In the time retrospection, he also saw how this senior disciple of his cared for the junior disciple.

Therefore, he didn't pursue the matter of him leaving the core of the grand array without permission.

"Master."

Lin Yuan addressed Qing Fen Hou.

He still held respect for Qing Fen Hou.

If it weren't for the undisturbed cultivation in the Fen Tian Institute,

Lin Yuan estimated that the time he would need to grow to his current strength would have been several times longer.

And there was no guarantee that something unexpected wouldn't have happened during that extended period.

"En, let's go inside and talk."

Qing Fen Hou nodded and then entered the Fen Tian Institute with Lin Yuan.

"I never expected your Blazing Sun bloodline to be so dense."

Inside the Fen Tian Institute, Qing Fen Hou looked at Lin Yuan with emotion.

"The Blazing Sun bloodline?"

Lin Yuan's heart stirred, and he immediately understood that Qing Fen Hou attributed his strength to the Blazing Sun bloodline.

The so-called Blazing Sun bloodline was something Lin Yuan had learned a lot about from the numerous classic inheritances within the Fen Tian Institute.

With this thought, Lin Yuan felt that he didn't need to explain too much.

Everything could be attributed to the Blazing Sun bloodline.

"I'm not sure either, I just feel that the more I cultivate, the easier it becomes."

Lin Yuan said immediately.

"Your situation of reverting to the ancestral type midway is naturally different from those who have been cultivated since childhood in the core royal family."

Qing Fen Hou shook his head.

Even within the royal family of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country, it is extremely rare for the bloodline concentration to reach the core level. For the bloodline concentration to suddenly surge due to reversion to the ancestral type, like in Lin Yuan's case, there have only been a handful of such examples since the existence of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country.

"Yes."

Lin Yuan agreed with Qing Fen Hou's statement.

"What do you plan to do from now on?"

Qing Fen Hou asked, looking at Lin Yuan.

"What does Master think I should do?"

Lin Yuan immediately threw the question back.

"Since the concentration of your bloodline has reached the level of the core royal family, you should, in theory, go to the imperial capital as soon as possible and integrate yourself into the royal family."

Qing Fen Hou said, then paused for a moment, "But you have no background in the royal family, and rushing back there might not be a good idea."

"Not a good idea?"

Lin Yuan immediately understood.

Even within the royal family, there are disputes and factions. Lin Yuan's Blazing Sun bloodline is extremely dense and has reached the core level, but since he doesn't belong to any of the main lineages of the royal family, his sudden return would cause a lot of complications.

It would be like a civilian prince returning to the imperial palace and trying to inherit the throne. It definitely wouldn't be a smooth process.

"So, I suggest you continue to stay in Qing Fen City and only return to the imperial capital after you've reached the Great Exalt realm."

Qing Fen Hou said.

A core royal family member with the strength of a Great Exalt would have formidable power that strikes fear into others. Returning to the capital at that time would at least ensure his own safety.

"Then I'll follow Master's suggestion." Lin Yuan immediately responded.

In fact, Lin Yuan had no intention of integrating himself into the so-called royal family because his current strength had nothing to do with the Blazing Sun bloodline.

If he returned to the imperial capital and integrated himself into the royal family, they would likely examine his bloodline concentration.

At that time, Lin Yuan would definitely be exposed.

Therefore, if Qing Fen Hou asked him to return to the imperial capital, Lin Yuan planned to 'disappear' during the journey back and find another place to cultivate in seclusion.

With his current strength, he could come and go as he pleased within the surrounding domains, or even the surrounding ancient countries.

"As for your identity..."

Qing Fen Hou fell into thought, "The identity of a core royal family member must not be exposed."

A member of the royal family with an extremely dense Blazing Sun bloodline would surely attract assassination attempts from surrounding ancient countries, and even attract the attention of Heavenly Exalt level experts.

"I will announce that you are a disciple I took in many years ago. I just left you outside to cultivate, and only brought you back after you recently entered the Great Exalt realm."

Qing Fen Hou said.

This explanation was quite reasonable. Qing Fen Hou occasionally traveled through the Qing Fen Domain, and when he passed by the Yu family, he noticed Lin Yuan's talent and accepted him as a disciple in secret.

As for the discrepancy in the timeline? Yu Yan is not even 500 years old yet? A Great Exalt could easily create a small world and accelerate the flow of time within it, causing the fluctuations in the rules to resemble those of the outside world.

In a small world, many rules can be projected from the outside, and there are also some strange and dangerous places in the vast Ancient Blazing Sun Country where the flow of time is very fast.

"Yes."

Lin Yuan nodded.

Moreover, with him having displayed the strength of a Great Exalt, even if Qing Fen Hou wanted to downplay it, the Zi Meng Domain would still likely investigate Lin Yuan's identity.

In this situation, it was better to proactively create an identity for Lin Yuan.

Afterward, Qing Fen Hou continued to give a few instructions before getting up to leave.

Inside the Fen Tian Institute.

Lin Yuan fell into deep thought.

"The core royal family of the Ancient Blazing Sun Country?"

Lin Yuan wondered to himself.

It was said that those with a bloodline concentration reaching the level of the core royal family had unparalleled combat strength and could even rival Great Exalts while still in the Sovereign realm.

This was also the reason why Qing Fen Hou was certain that Lin Yuan's Blazing Sun bloodline was extremely dense.

Aside from the core royal family, who else could possess the strength of a Great Exalt without actually being one?

"Is this what a thirteenth-grade bloodline is like?"

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly, filled with amazement.

A Sovereign rivaling a Great Exalt was akin to a ruler in the chaos void, comparable to a Chaos Honored One.

At least up to this point, Lin Yuan had never heard of such a thing.

However, there were indeed traces of this in the source world.

"But I'm not a Sovereign."

Lin Yuan thought to himself. His true realm was the Path Opening realm.

Even with a thirteenth-grade bloodline, it was impossible for a Path Opening realm cultivator to rival a Great Exalt.

As Qing Fen City gradually calmed down, information about Lin Yuan began to spread rapidly.

Outside the Fen Tian Institute, Lin Yuan had displayed the strength of a Great Exalt, decisively killing the infiltrators from the Zi Meng Domain, foiling their scheme, and even shattering one of Zi Meng Hou's incarnations.

The impact of this news on the various forces and families in the Qing Fen Domain was unimaginable.

"Th-this..." Qing Fen Hou's other disciples were the first to receive this news, and they were left bewildered.

Their junior disciple was a Great Exalt?

"Big Brother Feng, is this true?"

One of the disciples immediately sought out the eldest disciple, Feng Wanxing, to verify the news.

"Of course, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes." Feng Wanxing nodded.

Although he had many questions initially, he understood everything once he heard Qing Fen Hou's explanation.

No wonder Qing Fen Hou personally brought the junior disciple back. It turned out that he had accepted him as a disciple many years ago.

"From now on, don't call me Big Brother Feng anymore." Feng Wanxing thought for a moment and immediately instructed them.

Among Qing Fen Hou's disciples, strength was revered. They didn't know about it before, but now that they knew Lin Yuan was a Great Exalt, Feng Wanxing dared not let them address him as Big Brother anymore.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end