On the plains of the Fog Area.

Lin Hui slowly descended, followed by Su Yaping and Master Yunxia.

Everyone below had noticed the three of them long before they landed, while they were still flying through the air.

The members of the Lin Family now stepped out of their carriages, watching Lin Hui’s group from a short distance away.

The numerous disciples of the Clear Wind Dao watched with a mixture of fervent excitement and apprehension from farther away.

As for Elder Du and the Lin Family’s guards, they only dared to gaze from a great distance, not even venturing to approach.

After all, they had only ever heard of experts of this caliber in storybooks. They had never seen one in person.

But no matter who it was, they all understood in their hearts that from this day forward, the Lin Family was destined to become a legend in Xinyu Town.

"Ah Hui..."

Surrounded by countless gazes, Lin Shunhe found it difficult to ask anything. Only after carefully examining Lin Hui and confirming he was still his son did he secretly let out a sigh of relief and speak.

The difference in him before and now was so vast that he had genuinely worried some old monster was impersonating his son.

But now, seeing the familiar little mannerisms and details, he knew it was the same person, the same son.

This mischievous son had just been hiding things a little *too* well...

"What do we do now?" Lin Shunhe asked in a low voice.

Now that he knew how powerful his son was, the final say naturally fell to Lin Hui.

Lin Hui glanced around and found everyone’s eyes fixed on him.

As his gaze swept across the crowd, he suddenly saw his older sister, Liu Xiao, looking as if she wanted to speak but was holding back. When his eyes met hers, Liu Xiao blushed for some reason and couldn’t meet his gaze, quickly looking away.

Lin Hui chuckled, amused. He could see that his older sister was, at her core, someone who revered authority. Now that her little brother had become that authority, her own confidence had immediately deflated.

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’these small changes that come with increased strength are one of the little pleasures I enjoy observing.’

’Otherwise, if I cultivated just for the sake of getting stronger, wouldn’t life be too dull?’

"We’ll do as you said before, Dad. Just stick to the plan. This sudden incident won’t have a major impact," Lin Hui said calmly via voice transmission.

"Alright! We’ll listen to you," Lin Shunhe nodded.

He quickly began to rally everyone to continue their journey.

The caravan started moving again. This time, Lin Hui and the Lin Family’s group had merged with the top ten members of the Clear Wind Dao.

The two groups had now completely fused into one.

Lin Xiaoliu huddled in her mother Liu Shenglan’s arms, stealing a glance at Su Yaping, then another at Lin Hui. She said nothing, burying her head like an ostrich and continuing to hide.

It wasn’t just her. Everyone in the group had been suppressed by Su Yaping’s Void Power field earlier. They hadn’t forgotten the suffocating feeling of being unable to even breathe properly, so they naturally felt a sense of fear toward her.

"I’m here, so you don’t need to stick with me. Go and attend to your own duties," Lin Hui said, turning his head to send a voice transmission to Su Yaping and Master Yunxia.

The two of them also felt a bit awkward staying there, so they nodded decisively, took their leave, and moved to guard the perimeter of the convoy.

Not long after the group set off, just as the atmosphere was starting to return to normal, two figures rapidly approached from behind.

"Teacher!"

Xia Si appeared in a sudden flash to the right of Lin Hui’s carriage, bringing someone with her.

"This guy says he wants to surrender and join us."

The young woman pointed to a bearded man with a Black Blade on his back.

"My Lord, I am Yan Jinghong, the Hall Master of the Blade Hall of the Wanhua Sect’s Tu Yue District for this invasion. Having witnessed your supreme strength and magnificent power, I am utterly convinced. I wish to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, to follow you and serve you faithfully in my quest for the apex of the Martial Dao. I beg you to take me in!"

’Yan Jinghong?’

Lin Hui sized up the man. Someone who couldn’t even defeat little Xia Si was, in his eyes, a negligible individual.

"Then you’ll follow Xia Si for now. We’ll see how you perform. The Wanhua Sect... did they send many experts this time?"

"Yes. This time, the Wanhua Sect sent twelve Priests, five High Priests, one Palace Master, and about two hundred other troops. Not a large number. The main force this time is actually the Hongyin Empire’s Celestial Goose Army. We don’t know their strategic objective, but the Celestial Goose Army sent seven generals. If they join forces to form a battle array, they can even match a marshal. Their overall strength is terrifying."

"How strong are the generals? And the marshals? How do they compare to the High Priests and Palace Masters of the Inner City’s Moon Tower?" Lin Shunhe couldn’t help but ask from the side.

"The Hongyin Empire doesn’t use divisions like Priest, High Priest, or Palace Master. They mostly differentiate strength by military rank. The rank of general has many internal levels. The weakest are on par with Priests and the Circulation realm, while the strongest can rival High Priests and Palace Masters. The gap is huge. As for a marshal... they’re essentially a Blood Ancestor, and it’s said they’re much stronger than a typical one. It’s terrifying." The bearded man with the Black Blade paused. "In the two city massacres that have occurred in history, both times it was after the Fog People of two of Tuyue’s cities were lured away. A single marshal from Hongyin then single-handedly slaughtered the city and razed the land. That’s why later on, all major cities began to require at least a double-digit number of Blood Ancestors to be stationed there. A double-digit number of Blood Ancestors can form a Federation Grand Array to resist a marshal."

Nodding, Lin Hui made a mental note about the marshals. It was undoubtedly a powerful tier of existence between a Blood Ancestor and a Fog Person.

This information was quite valuable. As for Yan Jinghong’s loyalty, only time would tell.

The immediate priority was to keep moving and get away from the battlefield.

He had just killed a Blood Ancestor. Tuyue Inner City definitely had methods to sense such a thing, so clearing his name of any suspicion was the most important thing.

The group quickly resumed its journey.

This time, there was no longer any panic in anyone’s heart. With Palace Master-level experts like Lin Hui and Su Yaping present, the monsters of the Fog Area were like kittens and puppies. Encountering them would be like a gentle breeze, nothing worth mentioning.

Strangely enough, though they had traveled at least a dozen kilometers, they hadn’t encountered a single monster in a Fog Area that was supposed to be teeming with them.

Lin Hui was now sitting in the carriage with his dad. They faced each other in silence, listening quietly to the sound of the wheels outside.

After a long while, Lin Shunhe sighed.

"Do you... have nothing you want to say to me?"

"I comprehended Martial Arts on my own and consumed a strange treasure in the Fog Area, allowing me to break through my limits. But I was worried that my treasure would invite disaster, that someone might try to capture me to refine into a human pill. So I focused on cultivating in secret and hid my strength. In truth, even I don’t know what level I’ve reached. So what would you have me say?" Lin Hui said with a natural expression.

"...Your excuse is so perfectly interlocking... you didn’t leave a single flaw..." Lin Shunhe was speechless.

"What about you? How did you suddenly become so strong? You’re a man in your forties or fifties who never cultivated in the first half of your life and had no aptitude for Summoning, yet you suddenly shot up to a level where you can fight Priests. Shouldn’t you explain how that happened?" Lin Hui retorted.

"I just fused with a replica Evil Soldier. I joined a faction, made some insignificant contributions, and that’s how it happened. After all, you know my temperament—I’m afraid of death and trouble, so I hide what I can. It can also save the day at a critical moment. See? Didn’t it just prove useful?" Lin Shunhe’s reasoning was also quite solid.

The two looked at each other and both heaved a long sigh.

"Alright, let’s just drop it then. So, are you planning to go back?" Lin Shunhe asked.

With his strength exposed to so many people, it would be impossible to hide it if he returned. He would inevitably enter the sights of the Blood Ancestors. If those man-eating monsters targeted him, a conflict would be unavoidable.

This was the fundamental reason why, besides the elders, there were basically no other Blood Ancestor-level experts in the urban area.

The powerful weren’t fools. Why would they stay on the edge of the city, waiting to be besieged and devoured by the Blood Ancestors?

So, at this point, both Lin Hui and Lin Shunhe knew their options: either join the Inner City and become one of them—a dog for the Original Blood Nobility, a reserve food supply for future Blood Ancestors.

Or leave.

"It seems we really have no choice but to leave now. The world is unpredictable... it always forces you to go with the flow, whether you want to or not..." Lin Hui lamented.

"There’s no other way. The core members of your Clear Wind Dao are here. Go ask them. Bring along those who want to go, and let those who don’t wish to return from here. That will provide a clean break," Lin Shunhe said.

"Mhm. But Dad, since you plan to go to Black Cloud, with so many mouths to feed, you must have made some preparations, right?" Lin Hui asked.

"Of course. When have you ever seen your old man not have a backup plan?" Lin Shunhe’s expression was calm. "I’ve arranged for an old friend from Black Cloud to receive us at Jade Sea. They’re a large merchant caravan. However, they don’t know our true background; they just think we’re an ordinary family of Inner Strength Martial Artists. Be careful when you meet them and don’t expose yourself. It would be best to wait until we get to Black Cloud and establish a foothold before slowly revealing our strength and joining a faction. Otherwise, the impact of showing up directly would be too great, and the backlash would be strong. After all, at your level... it’s impossible to keep a low profile anywhere you go."

Lin Shunhe said, shaking his head.

"I understand," Lin Hui nodded.

"Of course, I should also remind you that Black Cloud is much stronger and more prosperous than Tuyue. It’s one of the three most flourishing cities in the entire federation. The scale of its Inner City Moon Tower and the number of its experts far surpass Tuyue’s. And because they’re constantly at war with Hongyin, I suspect their overall military might could easily crush several Tuyues. So don’t you dare get arrogant and conceited just because you’ve gained a bit of power."

"Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve never cultivated for the sake of being arrogant or oppressing others. I just want to live the life I want to live, that’s all," Lin Hui said with a small smile.

"That’s good. It seems we’re both gentle and low-key, father and son. If it weren’t for how dangerous and chaotic this world is, who would want to live so cautiously, so full of fear? Sigh..." Lin Shunhe sighed again.

Next, the father and son chatted about some minor daily events from the past, exchanging information. By analyzing the various incidents that had occurred in Tuyue from each other’s perspectives, they immediately gained many new insights.

The group continued onward for another two hours or so, and soon the sky began to darken.

Everyone began to look for a mountain hollow. They took out prefabricated isolation tarps and set up a simple, enclosed shelter against the mountainside.

Combined with the Ning Xiang incense and people taking turns on watch, the night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Lin Hui gathered all the disciples of the Clear Wind Dao. He told them of his decision to leave Tuyue and head for Black Cloud, and asked who among them was willing to follow.

"Go to Black Cloud!?"

Wang Hongshi and the other top ten disciples were all shocked. This sudden, major decision had caught everyone off guard.

Black Cloud wasn’t a nearby town; it was incredibly far from Tuyue...

"Daoist Master, how long is the journey to Black Cloud? How do we even get there?" Wang Hongshi asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.

They had finally managed to follow such a powerful Daoist Master, and everyone could see a bright future ahead. But now they suddenly had to travel so far away, which was a bit...

After all, most of them had family and friends in Tuyue... to ask them to give up everything and start over in Black Cloud...