Chapter 40: A Letter from the Great Yan

Time flew by, and it had been several dozen days since the great battle at the Grand Dao Sect. During this period, due to the excessive exhaustion of his divine sense, Lin Jun had suffered from agonizing headaches daily, spending his time recuperating within the Peak Master’s main hall. Outside, the reconstruction of the Grand Dao Sect had been left to the female disciple, Ji Qingyou.

One day, Lin Jun woke up as usual, only to find that he was no longer at the Myriad Laws Sect, but in a space remarkably similar to Myriad Laws Peak.

"Where is this? Did I transmigrate again?"

Sensing the familiar surroundings, Lin Jun thought in disbelief. The room was nearly identical to his Peak Master’s hall, yet the layout was vastly different. Moreover, it was bustling with prosperity, unlike the cold, desolate atmosphere of his own peak. He sat up on the bed and discovered he was dressed in white robes, his cultivation base surprisingly at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Looking into a nearby mirror, he saw that his appearance had changed entirely; he no longer resembled himself.

"System? System, are you there?" He called out subconsciously, but received no response.

Perplexed, he walked outside and found himself at the entrance of a massive plaza. On the square, several cultivators in white robes, just like him, were manifesting the "Dharma Aspect of Heaven and Earth" (Fa Tian Xiang Di), appearing like ancient gods locked in a earth-shattering melee. The terrifying air currents, had they been in his previous world, would have been enough to tear space itself apart. Yet here, there was no reaction at all, as if the energy were being absorbed by the heavens and the earth themselves.

"Little Nine, why are you only just showing up? The sun is already high, hurry up and come practice your Dharma Aspect!"

The men, who were in the midst of combat, stopped upon seeing him and smiled. Though their expressions were gentle, there was a fierce edge in their eyes. Suddenly, a wave of inexplicable memories flooded Lin Jun’s mind: The Three Pure Sect, Master of the Jade Pure Palace, ninth disciple...

As the memories rushed in, Lin Jun’s expression went blank for a moment before he laughed heartily. "I'm coming! Who told you all to wake up so early?"

He spoke as if he knew what to do, following the methods in his memory to invoke the "Dharma Aspect," but at the critical moment, he found his mind completely blank. "Huh, how do I circulate my energy again?" he paused, bewildered.

"Haha! Did you forget again, Little Nine? When will you ever get rid of this habit of yours?" The man who looked like the eldest disciple laughed loudly and began to instruct him. "You do this first, then that, and then this..."

As he spoke, he gestured wildly. Although his explanation was abstract, Lin Jun somehow grasped it, and a set of techniques he had never used before appeared in his mind. He attempted to circulate the energy, and in an instant, golden light rose from his body, transforming in the blink of an eye into an illusory giant.

"Oh, Little Nine, what kind of Dharma Aspect is this? Why is it different from ours?"

"Little Junior Brother, I've never seen a manifestation like yours. Did you cultivate the Eight-Nine Profound Art wrong? Don't hold out on us!" Another senior brother said, looking stunned and worried.

"Huh?" Lin Jun was lost, unaware of what had gone wrong. The golden divine image he had conjured possessed two faces: the front was a divine aspect, while the back was a demonic one. Most incredible of all was that while his seniors' manifestations were mere illusions, his was a solid entity of unimaginable energy. Just looking at it, one could feel a heaven-shaking power radiating forth.

"No, Little Junior Brother, you must go report this to the Master immediately, lest something go wrong with your cultivation!" The third senior brother, Xin Wunian, dispersed his own manifestation and walked over with concern.

"No, wait!" the second senior brother, Zhan Wuji, blocked him. Behind him stood a war-god-like phantom, radiating powerful combat intent; he looked at the near-tangible manifestation behind Lin Jun, eager for a spar.

The Dharma Aspect of Heaven and Earth was a special illusory art that Nascent Soul cultivators could master. Once invoked, one could briefly unleash power several times greater than their own. Usually, the more solid the manifestation, the stronger the practitioner. Lin Jun’s almost physical manifestation was the peak of such a technique. It wasn't just the second senior brother who felt the urge to fight; even the eldest, Dao Wusheng, and the third, Xin Wunian, were intrigued.

At that moment, seeing the manifestation he had conjured, Lin Jun also felt a surge of fighting spirit. In his heart, though these three brothers were kind to him, he had always been suppressed by them in combat. Now that he had manifested this unique form, it was the perfect chance to test his strength and perhaps wash away his past humiliations.

"Alright, let's go!" Lin Jun’s eyes ignited with a fiery battle intent, and the golden god-demon behind him shone brilliantly.

"Little Nine, watch yourself!" the second brother shouted, charging forward without hesitation.

"Well-fought!" Lin Jun roared, stepping forward instead of retreating, and clashed with him.

The two didn't use any flashy spells, fighting like common men, yet every blow caused the mountains to shake and the light of the sun and moon to dim.

"I’ll have a go too!" Seeing that Zhan Wuji was being suppressed by Lin Jun, the eldest brother couldn't resist and joined the fray, his manifestation looming like an ancient god.

"Little Junior Brother, you're too strong! Don't say we're bullying you! I'm joining in too!" Seeing that the two couldn't take Lin Jun down, the third brother joined the fight. In the blink of an eye, the plaza returned to the earth-shattering chaos it had been before, only now it was three against one.

Yet even then, they couldn't suppress Lin Jun, whose manifestation remained as solid as ever. By the end, they were panting heavily, clutching their knees for breath, their own manifestations following suit. Even with the three of them joining forces until they were exhausted, they had only managed to fight to a draw against Lin Jun.

"Huff... huff..."

Lin Jun was also exhausted, barely able to maintain his manifestation. He collapsed onto the ground and waved at them. "No more, no more! You win!"

The three brothers looked at each other, seeing embarrassment on every face. As the second, sixth, and fourteenth ranked disciples on the Three Pure List, the fact that the three of them combined couldn't defeat this little junior brother was demoralizing. Though they hadn't used their full range of techniques, winning would hardly have been a glorious feat anyway.

"Little Junior Brother, here is a thousand immortal stones. You must never speak of this to anyone!"

"Little Junior Brother, I didn't expect you to be so strong so soon after joining the Master's sect. Take these thousand immortal stones as a welcome gift from your third senior brother!"

"Here! Take my share too! Whoever talks is a puppy!"

The second brother, Zhan Wuji, was the most direct, tossing a pile of immortal stones radiating spiritual energy into Lin Jun’s arms. Immortal stones were the universal currency of this world and were incredibly rare; their contribution left Lin Jun overjoyed. With a thousand ways to spend them in his head, he grinned from ear to ear as he accepted them.

Afterward, at the strong insistence of his seniors, they returned to the vast plaza to continue training together. In the midst of their practice, Lin Jun suddenly noticed a young girl in green robes standing in the corner.

Xu Qingluo!

The name suddenly surfaced in his mind.