Chapter Thirty: The Way to the Spirit Realm

“Hmm, Shihan, after some time, let’s go to the Yan Empire and find that Mo Yousheng so you can take your revenge. Grandfather Feng should also be in the Yan Empire now—who knows, we might even run into him!” Lin Yanghao voiced the thoughts that had been weighing on his heart to Feng Shihan.

“Alright,” Feng Shihan replied softly, a joyful smile blooming on her delicate face. The thought that she might soon see her grandfather again filled her with happiness. In her life, the two people who mattered most were Feng Batian and Lin Yanghao; they were her entire world.

Having resolved to help Feng Shihan avenge her grievances, Lin Yanghao planned to take her to the Spirit Realm. There, cultivators were as numerous as the stars, spiritual energy was abundant, and it was truly a paradise for those seeking the Dao. Countless sects and schools flourished in that land. In stark contrast, the Dragon Martial Continent where Lin Yanghao now resided suffered from a scarcity of spiritual energy and incomplete natural laws—even a single Foundation Establishment cultivator was rare, let alone someone who could pursue immortality. Thus, Lin Yanghao set his sights on the Spirit Realm, longing to chase the legendary path of immortality.

Yet the Spirit Realm was not so easily reached. According to that old monster, Master Muyu, there were only two ways to enter it. The first was by reaching the Nascent Soul stage or higher, at which point one could break through the barriers of space by sheer force. Lin Yanghao immediately dismissed this option—how could he possibly reach the Nascent Soul stage when he hadn’t even achieved Foundation Establishment yet? And he had to consider Feng Shihan as well.

“Cultivation techniques that are treasures here in the Dragon Martial Continent are probably commonplace in the Spirit Realm. Though this might be an exaggeration, it should be much easier to obtain such methods there. I hope that by then, Shihan and I can truly be together forever, living as carefree immortals.” Lin Yanghao indulged in these beautiful thoughts, unaware of the harsh reality that awaited him in the cultivation world: the ruthlessness, the struggles for resources, and the brutal competition. Only when he truly entered that world did he realize how naïve his dreams had been.

The second method, though, was hardly easier. The Dragon Martial Continent still held a few ancient teleportation arrays, relics of a time whose secrets had long since been lost. Even in the cultivation world, these arrays were considered extinct. Now, only a handful remained, and their numbers dwindled with each passing generation. It was uncertain whether anyone in the mundane world even knew of their existence.

And finding an array was only the first step. To activate it, one needed a medium-grade spirit stone and four low-grade spirit stones as the array’s core. The low-grade stones could be found with effort in some remote, energy-rich mountains, but the medium-grade stone posed a real challenge. Not even Master Muyu could say for certain if there were any left on the entire continent.

Despite the countless obstacles, Lin Yanghao’s resolve did not waver. One could only know the outcome by trying; giving up at the first sign of difficulty would only lead to a lifetime of regret, as it had in his previous life.

So he was determined to settle his affairs on the Dragon Martial Continent as soon as possible, so he could focus on finding the teleportation array and the necessary spirit stones to reach the Spirit Realm.

Feeling a weight on his chest, Lin Yanghao suddenly remembered the two treasures he had taken from the White Tiger Sect. He hurriedly retrieved them from his robes, first examining the crystal that even Nascent Soul cultivators would kill for—a stone as red and translucent as a ruby. Then he looked at the so-called Star Iron, said to be useful for crafting spiritual artifacts. It looked like nothing more than a hard, unremarkable rock.

The stone, in fact, had been placed in the White Tiger Sect’s treasury precisely because of its hardness. No tool could so much as mar its surface. Even the sect’s furnace, which could melt refined iron, had failed to affect it. Convinced it was a treasure, the sect’s ancestors stored it away for future generations to uncover—only for it to be forgotten over time, until fate placed it in Lin Yanghao’s hands.

A few days later, Lin Yanghao and Feng Shihan arrived in the Yan Empire. After some inquiry, they learned that Mo Yousheng had become a prominent figure there. With his Martial Emperor cultivation and the wealth he’d seized from the former Feng family, he had established the Mo family as one of the empire’s top ten clans. He’d also recruited several powerful experts—two of them Martial Emperors themselves. Lin Yanghao also searched for news of Feng Batian, but everyone he asked replied the same way: they had never heard of him. This convinced Lin Yanghao that Feng Batian had not yet sought revenge on Mo Yousheng, though he could not guess the reason why.

Returning to the inn, Lin Yanghao gave Feng Shihan a few brief instructions before heading out toward Mo Yousheng’s residence.

At midnight, Lin Yanghao arrived at the Mo family manor, which was grand and imposing, built from the finest materials. He couldn’t help but be impressed—this great clan was nothing like the minor Tian family he had destroyed before. But this time, Lin Yanghao had no intention of challenging the Mo family openly. Unlike before, he would use assassination, striking down his enemies one by one. There was no need to exterminate the entire Mo family, for Mo Yousheng had few close relatives.

After searching the manor, Lin Yanghao finally found Mo Yousheng in the study, accompanied by two men of fierce and villainous appearance. Clearly, they were not good people.

“Who’s there!” Suddenly, one of the men on Mo Yousheng’s left shouted. As expected, the senses of a Martial Emperor were keen—he had detected Lin Yanghao’s presence.

Leaping down from the roof, Lin Yanghao said nothing, simply staring at the trio.

“Young friend, what brings you here so late at night?” Mo Yousheng, sensing the formidable aura Lin Yanghao exuded, was astonished. For someone so young to have such cultivation—he must have a powerful background. Not wishing to make an enemy of him, Mo Yousheng tried to curry favor.

“I’m here to kill you,” Lin Yanghao replied coldly, wasting no words on such a man. He struck immediately, and with a single move, Mo Yousheng was forced onto the defensive.

“Let’s help!” The two men, seeing Mo Yousheng overpowered by a mere youth, rushed forward to join the fight.

Since the possession incident, Lin Yanghao’s strength and speed had increased dramatically. If fighting three Martial Emperors at once had been difficult before, now it was effortless; he could easily overwhelm all three.

Though he had never cultivated any true Daoist techniques, his body brimmed with genuine spiritual energy, far beyond what any martial artist could hope to match.

Seeing that even the combined might of three Martial Emperors was no match for Lin Yanghao, Mo Yousheng was filled with despair. When had he ever offended such a terrifying being? He had never even seen him before.

The destruction wrought by their battle was immense—everything within a hundred meters was leveled.

“Now witness my Furious Tiger Claw!”

With a single strike, one man fell dead; after a few more exchanges, the second was slain as well, leaving only Mo Yousheng, trembling with fear.

“We have no grudge between us—why do you want to kill me? Let me die knowing why!” Mo Yousheng, realizing his end was inevitable, could only beg for an explanation.

“Do you know Feng Shihan? She is my woman,” Lin Yanghao replied simply.

“So that’s it, so that’s it! Wild grass never dies—the spring wind brings it back to life. I always knew this day would come, though I didn’t expect it so soon. My only regret is not having killed Feng Batian and letting the two of them escape!” Mo Yousheng sighed in resignation.