Vol 7 Chapter 30: Fate Revealed

Zhang Tianlong was dead.

He died with absolutely no presence whatsoever.

These family ancestors might seem to have profound cultivation, but in reality, they were merely the bottom-tier existences among cultivators of the same realm. Faced with the chasm between cultivation levels, they had no means whatsoever to bridge the gap.

The truly formidable ones were those Immortal Lords from Immortal Emperor lineages.

Like Chen Shengtian, one of Extreme Path Immortal Emperor's disciples, who single-handedly bought time for the Cultivation Alliance and repelled the siege of Demon Generals back in the day.

Even those five Immortal Lords dispatched by the Demonic Race to invade Earth were the absolute strongest among the Immortal Lord Realm. Any one of them could effortlessly crush this Zhang Family ancestor—they were existences capable of fighting across realms.

In the Immortal Realm, judging how powerful a faction and its cultivators were followed a very simple, brutally straightforward standard...

That was to see whether the opposing faction, whether sect or family, possessed territory in the Lower Realm of their own.

Like the Immortal Palace, which controlled both Tian Yuan and Tianming Realm as subordinate cultivation worlds, continuously absorbing a steady stream of ascending Immortal Seedlings. Only such factions could be considered to have profound foundations.

Meanwhile, the Zhang Family was still fighting over resources city by city, pool by pool—they couldn't be considered strong.

In comparison, the Immortal Knowledge Bird that Lin Jing temporarily summoned was actually the one not to be trifled with.

After helping Lin Jing eliminate the enemy, the Immortal Knowledge Bird transformed into human form, appearing as a woman wearing white robes—ethereal and agile, exceptionally beautiful. She bowed lightly to Lin Jing and spoke words that made Lin Jing's head ache: "Zhi Qianrou of the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan pays respects to the Throne."

As expected.

Hearing the bird introduce itself, Lin Jing sighed inwardly. It truly wasn't some lone wanderer but had considerable origins.

"Thank you for your assistance," Lin Jing spoke.

"The Throne flatters me."

Beside them, Wu Lingxi's head swiveled back and forth, her gaze constantly shifting between the Immortal Knowledge Bird and Lin Jing.

What exactly was happening here?

"Thank you for your help, Senior..." Sect Master Wu and the others naturally didn't know that Lin Jing had forcibly "charmed" the Immortal Knowledge Bird using a top-grade immortal artifact. They only thought Lin Jing had another identity, and a rather extraordinary one at that!

After all, Lin Jing possessed remarkable strength and had the confidence to nurture an Immortal King. Claiming to be a loose cultivator seemed quite unbelievable, but if he had connections with the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan, then it all made sense.

"A friend," Lin Jing spoke, introducing the Immortal Knowledge Bird to prevent the three sect masters from wild speculation.

But obviously, no one believed that.

Friend my foot.

Since when do friends call you "Throne"?

That dead Zhang Tianlong nearby had the correct form of address for True Immortals—not even calling them Fellow Daoist, but ants.

Seeing Zhang Tianlong dead, Sect Master Wu felt both happy and worried. He said, "With Zhang Tianlong dead, the Zhang Family has lost its pillar. However, Zhang Tianlong has a descendant who joined the Sun Worship Immortal Sect and became a nominal disciple of their Immortal King realm sect master."

"It's precisely because of this Zhang Family descendant who joined the Sun Worship Immortal Sect that our Wu Family lost out in the competition with the Zhang Family."

"I'm concerned about how the Sun Worship Immortal Sect might view this matter."

Mei Xiao said, "Why worry so much? It's just a nominal disciple, not a direct disciple. Would the Immortal King of Sun Worship Immortal Sect really make a big fuss over a nominal disciple?"

Since the person was already killed, Lin Jing didn't bother worrying too much about it.

"Just the Sun Worship Immortal Sect. If the Throne requires it, I can return to my clan and seek help from our elders," the Immortal Knowledge Bird said nearby. "The Throne's bloodline is incomparably noble—a king lost among mortals, destined to reach the pinnacle of Immortal King Realm. Why not directly accompany me back to our clan to avoid suffering harm from villains outside."

"Forget it," Lin Jing said with embarrassment, waving his hand. This Feather Crown was a bit too outrageous—the brainwashing had reached such an extent that it made this Immortal Lord realm Immortal Knowledge Bird treat him with the respect due to an Immortal King.

However, Lin Jing still had some self-awareness. This Feather Crown could at most command bird clans of the Immortal Lord realm—it would definitely be ineffective against Immortal King realm. If he truly encountered an Immortal King powerhouse from the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan, he would undoubtedly be slapped to death with one blow.

"There shouldn't be any issues. Qianrou, you probably have nothing urgent to attend to next, right? Why not rest here for a while and help deter any further enemies if they come," Lin Jing spoke.

Although he wouldn't let this Immortal Knowledge Bird return to her clan, he could have her stay for a period of time.

When the Sun Worship Immortal Sect saw the Immortal Knowledge Bird present, they would probably ignore this matter.

For the sake of a nominal disciple, it wouldn't be worth offending the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan.

"Good, I'll follow the Throne's command," Zhi Qianrou said.

"This is excellent. The Immortal King of Sun Worship Immortal Sect might not care about such trivial matters, but even if the Immortal King doesn't inquire, minor troublemakers can be difficult. I was worried that Zhang Family prodigy might use his status as a nominal disciple to incite some Immortal Lord powerhouses from Sun Worship Immortal Sect to cause trouble. But with Senior present, they naturally wouldn't dare act recklessly," Sect Master Wu was overjoyed.

His gaze toward Lin Jing had completely changed, feeling extremely fortunate about the decision to make Lin Jing vice sect master and become Lingxi's master.

"Then I'll trouble Sect Master Wu to prepare a cave abode for her as well," Lin Jing spoke.

"I'm rather tired from the journey. Lingxi, I'll teach you after some time has passed."

"Of course, of course," Sect Master Wu said.

"Okay, Master," Wu Lingxi also nodded repeatedly.

..........

Returning to his cave abode, Lin Jing immediately investigated the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan. The Immortal Knowledge Bird clan should belong to a reclusive, hidden clan without openly known factions, their habitat unknown.

Just like their name suggested—Immortal Knowledge, Prophetic Knowledge—this was a powerful bird clan born with the racial talent of foreseeing the future. Naturally, their clan had Immortal Kings overseeing them.

They could accurately predict future disasters, so this clan had almost never been drawn into major conflicts, always able to maintain their independence. Their clan history could even be traced back to the previous epoch.

"A prophetic clan," Lin Jing fell into deep thought. This was rather troublesome. Even if he temporarily prevented this Zhi Qianrou from returning, it might be fine for a short time, but if too much time passed, they would likely still be discovered.

However, before that happened, he needed to make good use of this Zhi Qianrou. No point letting such an opportunity go to waste.

It was perfect timing—while he was still weak, he could have her serve as his Dharma Protector.

He didn't need much time—a hundred years would be sufficient. The Third Incarnation was confident about establishing firm footing in the Immortal Lord Realm.

Additionally... he hoped that by the time things exploded, he would have gained the leverage to negotiate with the Immortal Knowledge Bird clan.

"Throne."

A moment later, Lin Jing arrived at the cave abode the Invincible Sect had prepared for the Immortal Knowledge Bird. Lin Jing asked, "What brought you to this region? Will staying away from your clan for a period cause any issues?"

Zhi Qianrou said, "The elders of our clan foresaw that Heaven's Mandate might appear within a thousand years, so they dispatched clan members scattered abroad to see if anyone could assist the one destined to bear Heaven's Mandate. I was merely passing through this area, but fortunately encountered the Throne."

"What?"

Lin Jing's expression changed sharply, saying, "You mean the Immortal Realm's Heaven's Mandate is about to emerge?"

Zhi Qianrou nodded, saying, "Throne, with your talents, you might potentially bear Heaven's Mandate."

The Third Incarnation's gamble to sneak into the Immortal Realm was indeed the correct choice. Just look—another opportunity had appeared, and one that even Immortal Emperor lineages would struggle to obtain.

But the question arose: Could one person bear the Heaven's Mandate of two Immortal Realms? Could an incarnation bear Heaven's Mandate?