Vol 6 Chapter 13: Cultivators' Grand Assembly

"Senior Lin... it was Senior Hu who insisted we must report to you personally and explain the matter regarding the Zhuge Family, which is why we brought him here."

"Currently, the Zhuge Family has been thoroughly investigated for permitting demonic beasts to consume humans, with the entire clan under scrutiny. Both of their decision-makers have already been taken into custody..."

After Zhu Yan and Hu Yousong departed, Huang Qianyun hurriedly explained to Lin Jing, fearing that Lin Jing might hold them responsible.

"This matter is concluded. You may leave."

Lin Jing naturally wouldn't blame others for such trivial matters. Having completed his breakthrough now, everything felt stable and secure. His heart yearned for home, and he couldn't be bothered with further conversations with others.

He directly tore open a spatial rift before him and stepped through it.

After breaking through to the Void Mystical Stage, Lin Jing's spatial attainments had undergone tremendous improvement. Even within the ancient Immortal Realm with its extremely high world strength, he could now tear through space and perform short-distance spatial movements.

"Seeing off the senior—" Watching Lin Jing's departing figure, Huang Zhixin took a deep breath and said, "Grandfather, the waters of the cultivation world run much deeper than we imagined."

"Whether it's this Senior Lin or that senior who appeared beside Senior Hu, they both seem vastly stronger than the surface-level cultivators on Earth."

"Void Mystical Stage... what kind of realm is that?"

Earlier, the other party even mentioned something about going to the star realm? Had he already cultivated to the point where he could leave Earth...

Just how incredibly high must that realm be?

"Probably a realm lost to history," Huang Qianyun said, feeling like he'd truly broadened his horizons this time. He urged, "Alright, I have the Snake Demon, you have the False Core—these are our opportunities, grandfather and granddaughter. With these aids, we have hope of establishing our foundation. When our cultivation reaches higher levels, we'll naturally witness broader worlds."

"However, this Snake Demon conflicts with my attributes. I need to find a way... to exchange it for other resources."

............

Jiangnan region, Porcelain Capital.

A spatial rift opened in the sky as Lin Jing emerged from it, finally returning to his hometown. A long-missing smile appeared on his face.

Earlier, the Ice Soul Gu had already helped him locate his parents' whereabouts. Having retired from business, Lin's father and mother had moved directly into a mountain villa for their retirement. This location was also found with help from Mount Lu Recluse—excellent feng shui, suitable for recuperation.

When Lin Jing returned, he discovered that Lin Lan was also there. Through his divine consciousness, he could see his parents in the courtyard, busying themselves with the tea leaves they grew—quite leisurely and refined. Meanwhile, Lin Lan sat cross-legged in her own courtyard, practicing breathing exercises.

"I wonder if Lin Lan has told my parents about my situation."

Lin Jing didn't go directly to see his parents, not wanting to startle them. Instead, he sent a mental message to Lin Lan:

"Hello?"

As soon as he spoke, Lin Jing himself fell silent. Returning to Earth made mental communication feel like making a phone call—deep-seated memories stirred within his bloodline, coming out with a simple "hello."

"Lin Jing?" Lin Lan's eyes snapped open upon hearing the familiar voice. She looked around and asked, "Is that you, Lin Jing?"

"It's me." Lin Jing descended not far from Lin Lan. Seeing Lin Jing, Lin Lan took a deep breath and immediately shot out a talisman.

"Malice Detection Talisman, go!"

She threw the talisman at Lin Jing, and then... nothing happened. Seeing this, Lin Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that for?"

"Master was worried that if you were resurrected through witchcraft, you might have turned into a monster that would attack familiar people, like vengeful spirits do. That talisman detects whether someone harbors malicious intent."

Lin Jing sighed: "I didn't die because of you all. Even if I became a vengeful spirit, why would I seek revenge against you?"

"Better safe than sorry. Are you really Lin Jing?"

Lin Lan still found it hard to believe. During this period, she and Mount Lu Recluse had researched many ancient texts about corpse transformation and discovered that there indeed existed a spell that could resurrect someone in corpse form, turning them into corpse cultivation.

But the problem was, Lin Jing had been completely cremated! Not even a finger remained!

If Lin Jing returned as a ghost spirit, that would seem more plausible than corpse cultivation!

Could it be that one could be resurrected using just ashes?

Are corpse path spells really that miraculous?

"Stop overthinking it," Lin Jing said, wishing he had told the truth earlier. While the truth might sound bizarre, these lies indeed had many loopholes—he'd forgotten about the cremation part.

"Where's your master?"

"Master is at a manor not far from here."

"Did you tell mom and dad about my situation?"

"You told me not to tell them yet. Besides, without confirming with my own eyes that you're really Lin Jing, I couldn't bring myself to tell them, not wanting to cause them too much emotional turmoil."

Lin Jing nodded: "How else do you want to confirm? I'll cooperate. Once confirmed, you can talk with mom and dad, prepare them mentally so I can appear properly."

"No need for further confirmation," Lin Lan said. "At the very least, you bear no malice. That Malice Detection Talisman was obtained by master from a Foundation Establishment stage holy monk. And if you weren't Lin Jing, you wouldn't be so careful, afraid of startling them. Rest assured, I'll gently reveal it to them first. Once their emotions stabilize, you can appear then!"

Lin Lan's voice grew softer as she spoke. After all, she had grown up playing with Lin Jing since childhood. After Lin Jing died, she had grieved for a long time. Now that Lin Jing could live again, even if in "corpse cultivation" form, so what?

Many people despise corpses and fear ghost spirits, but few would reject the corpse of a relative they've lived with day and night, or fear encountering the ghost spirit of their own family member.

Huu.

Lin Lan stepped forward and directly embraced Lin Jing, her eyes instantly reddening. Her voice choked with sobs, she said nothing, but Lin Jing could feel everything.

...Lin Jing sighed.

"I'm back. Don't worry, no one can bully you all from now on. Speaking of which, Lanlan, you've grown up so much—have you found a partner yet?"

Lin Lan pushed Lin Jing away, wiped her tears, and said, "What partner? I'm a cultivator now, a Qi Refinement third layer cultivator! Who could possibly be worthy of me? My master says I have remarkable aptitude, promising for Foundation Establishment, and shouldn't focus my mind on irrelevant matters."

"Wait, you... why can't I see through your cultivation level?" Lin Lan stared: "Is it because corpse cultivation is special?"

"Also, in this state of yours—though I can't detect anything—master says you might attract attention from Mount Mao experts..."

Lin Jing said: "Don't worry, that won't happen. I've already registered with the Dao Alliance."

He estimated that Hu Yousong would probably give him that much face.

"That's great!" Lin Lan's eyes lit up. Mount Mao also fell under Dao Alliance jurisdiction. Since the Dao Alliance hadn't raised any objections, Lin Jing's identity naturally wasn't problematic.

"In that case, you shouldn't have problems attending some important events, right?"

"In half a month, there's a cultivators' grand assembly in the Jiangnan region. If nothing else comes up, my master originally planned to take me."

"Is it one of those gatherings for exchanging resources and exhibiting antiques?" Lin Jing asked.

"Yes, and there might be some sparring matches too?" Lin Lan said.