Chapter 0198: Dragon Totem

Chapter 0198: Dragon Totem

Qin Long shook his head. "I'm not sure either. The King of Suppressing Demons said that the beast horde has just crossed the river and should arrive soon. All the other cities have been working overnight to strengthen their defenses."

Qin Yun, worried about Xiao Xuanqin in the Cloud Dragon Mountains, hurriedly said, "Father, I need to go to the Cloud Dragon Mountains. Aunt Xiao is still there!"

"I'll go too!" Xiao Yuemei was also very worried about her aunt.

Qin Long said, "I'll go with you to ensure your safety!"

After making the decision, they immediately left the palace and flew out of the Imperial City, heading towards the Cloud Dragon Mountains.

Xiao Xuanqin had given Qin Yun a map showing her hiding place.

Qin Long studied the map, memorized the location, and led Qin Yun and the others, flying towards the Cloud Dragon Mountains.

Xiao Xuanqin was hiding in a cave on top of a mountain, not deep within the Cloud Dragon Mountains.

Upon arriving in the area, they saw no signs of the beast horde and felt relieved.

Soon, they found Xiao Xuanqin.

When Xiao Xuanqin saw Xiao Yuemei, she was so moved that tears fell. She had always feared that Qin Yun wouldn't be able to save Xiao Yuemei.

Later, she learned about what happened during the engagement...

She was especially delighted to hear that Xiao Yuelan had fully escaped Xiao Yanglong's control and thanked Qin Yun profusely.

Due to the Soul Shaker Powder incident, Xiao Xuanqin's reputation was tarnished, but Qin Yun didn't care. He brought Xiao Xuanqin to the Runes Hall in Tian Qin City and arranged for her to practice there.

With Xiao Yuemei by her side, Xiao Xuanqin could cultivate peacefully at the Runes Hall.

The round trip from the Cloud Dragon Mountains took three days, and Qin Yun was preparing to return to the Star Profound Martial Academy.

With Xiao Xuanqin looking after Xiao Yuemei, she could cultivate safely in the Runes Hall.

That night, Qin Yun and Qin Long stood atop a tall tower in the Tian Qin Imperial Palace, admiring the brilliant stars in the sky.

Qin Long removed the mask that covered half of his face and looked at Qin Yun, smiling. "Xiao Yun, you must have guessed why I wear this mask!"

Qin Yun, noticing the tattoo on Qin Long's right cheek, quickly nodded. "It's the Dragon Totem legacy!"

"Indeed, I obtained it from the Dragon King Spear, and it contains the totem's soul." Qin Long said.

"That's great! Unlike my totem, which is inert." Qin Yun laughed.

"Your totem is unique and not a typical one, so it can't be simply categorized as dead or alive!" Qin Long said. "I've had the Dragon Totem for years but haven't been able to understand the martial arts it contains. However, you derived martial arts from the Heavenly Lion Totem, proving its extraordinary nature."

Qin Yun could feel it himself. When he encountered the descendant of the Heavenly Lion, if the totem were lifeless, the golden fire lion would have informed him.

Qin Long continued, "The world under the Nine Suns is vibrant and colorful, concealing various mysteries. The martial arts we humans grasp are only a small part of this world."

"Father, I understand." Qin Yun nodded.

"You don't have to worry about your Martial Soul either! While the Blue Spirit Star Palace is a formidable entity to us, they are mere minor players in the Wuhuang region. What they claim may not be accurate." Qin Long encouraged Qin Yun to dispel his concerns about the Heavenly Lion Totem.

"The Blue Spirit Star Palace is so weak in Wuhuang!" Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise.

Looking up at the stars, Qin Long slowly said, "The vast and ancient Wuhuang region is teeming with sects and martial kingdoms. In that region, there are also nations known as martial kingdoms, governed by powerful Martial Kings. The strength of a martial kingdom is terrifying."

In the Wuhuang, there are Spirit-grade sects, like the Blue Spirit Star Palace, which has no Martial King and is only supported by experts of the Spirit Martial Realm, making it a Spirit-grade sect. If there are Profound Martial Realm warriors, it would be considered a Profound-grade sect. Beyond the Profound Martial Realm lies the Martial King Realm, enabling a sect to evolve into a Martial Nation.

Some sects, however, prefer to remain as they are, not wanting to become bloated and massive Martial Nations. Even as King-grade sects, they are extremely powerful. Ancient King-grade sects are feared even by massive Martial Nations.

Qin Yun listened patiently to the details of the Wuhuang, feeling deeply shocked. By comparison, the Blue Spirit Star Palace seems insignificant!

"Work hard, and one day, we will reach the Wuhuang," Qin Long said with a carefree smile. "Let’s go, I’ll take you to the Star Profound Martial Academy now."

...

The Star Profound Martial Academy was quite close to the Cloud Dragon Mountains, but its defenses were strong, so there was no need to worry even if a beast horde attacked.

Qin Long took a day to bring Qin Yun to Wanxing Lake.

It was night, and as Qin Yun flew through the air, he could see the mirror-like surface of the lake reflecting the stars in the sky, a beautiful sight.

Upon arriving at the Star Profound Martial Academy’s gate, Qin Yun waved goodbye to Qin Long and took out his identity token to enter.

Once inside, he hurried to the Treasure Tree Forest, climbed up a large tree, and entered his tree hollow.

As soon as Qin Yun entered the tree hollow, Du Gui appeared with a grin.

"You’re finally back, you mischievous brat," Du Gui said with a laugh. "When I heard you were cast into the Tian Qi forbidden land, I thought of all sorts of ways to rescue you, but then a meteor suddenly fell."

"I thought you were dead and mourned for quite a while."

Qin Yun smiled. "Teacher, I’m sorry to have caused you worry!"

"It was Little Meilian who was the most worried," Du Gui said. "She kept coming to me, pleading for me to save you. Sigh..."

"Is she okay?" Qin Yun asked.

"That little girl was overjoyed to learn you were alive and was able to put many sad things behind her! She comes here every morning to check if you’ve returned. You’ll see her tomorrow morning."

After a few more casual words, Du Gui returned to rest.

Inside his room, Qin Yun closed his eyes and began to cultivate the Star Yang Heart Sutra, gathering the power of the stars to strengthen the spiritual star crystal in his mind. Strong mental power makes many tasks much easier.

He suspected that his rapid mastery of mysterious patterns and martial arts was due to his unique mental power.

Dawn came quickly, and after washing up, Qin Yun changed into a fresh blue robe and walked out of his room to see Qi Meilian sitting in the hall.

She wore a white dress, her long braid hanging over her chest, and looked at Qin Yun with an excited expression.

"Little Meilian, did you climb up here on your own?" Qin Yun asked with a joyful smile.

"Brother Yun!" Qi Meilian, seeing Qin Yun alive, shouted happily and then jumped into his arms, laughing. "Now I can fly as well!"

Qin Yun already knew about what had happened from Meng Feiling, and now the entire Star Profound Martial Academy was buzzing about his story.

"I’m sorry for putting you through this," Qin Yun said, gently stroking her cute little face with a look of concern.

"It’s okay! I’m just so happy that you’re alive, and you even taught Qi Yu a lesson," Qi Meilian said with a sweet smile, showing that she was a very optimistic and cheerful girl.

She had often been bullied and insulted since childhood, but she had remained lively and innocent without becoming bitter or vicious, which was truly remarkable.

Seeing Qi Meilian’s genuine and sweet smile, Qin Yun was amazed. He hadn’t expected that despite her delicate appearance, she had such a strong heart.

"Little Meilian, I’m quite wealthy now. What would you like? I’ll give it to you!" Qin Yun said with a smile.

"I don’t know, I’ll let you know when I think of something." Qi Meilian was already satisfied just to see Qin Yun again.

Qin Yun and her sat at the high opening of the tree hollow, looking at the scenery of Xuanwu Academy.

Qi Meilian smiled softly and said, "Cloud Brother, Yuelan Sister has deep feelings for you too. When we were young, you helped Yuelan Sister and me. In our hearts, you are a great hero!"

Qin Yun smiled and said, "Little Meilian, older brother will continue to protect you in the future and ensure no one bullies you again! The Grand Preceptor also instructed me and Yuelan to take good care of you and not let anyone bully you."

A sweet, happy smile spread across Qi Meilian's beautiful face. "I knew it! As long as I stay strong and alive, one day I will become happy and joyful."

Just then, Du Gui suddenly flew over.

Seeing Du Gui's serious expression, Qin Yun and Qi Meilian quickly went inside.

After coming in, Du Gui said gravely, "Something major is about to happen!"

Qin Yun said urgently, "Is it the ghost beasts and ferocious beasts that are coming?"

Du Gui nodded. "Yes! They’re arriving sooner than expected. I wonder whether the cities have prepared their defenses!"

Qi Meilian said, "I’ve heard Master mention this before! I’ll go back now; I need to get stronger!"

Qin Yun nodded at her, ruffled her hair, and then sent her to the tree hollow, watching her fly to the ground and leave the Treasure Forest.

"Master, since we are so close to the Cloud Dragon Mountains, if we're surrounded by the beast hordes, can we defend ourselves?" Qin Yun had seen ghost kings, which were extremely powerful ferocious beasts before.

Du Gui said, "The Star Profound Lake can also play a defensive role! The lake is very deep, bottomless, and the water is icy cold. Although the ferocious and ghost beasts can easily cross the Cloud Dragon River, it won't be so easy to get here! The flying beasts will be the most troublesome."

The beast hordes crossing the river would certainly be on an enormous scale; otherwise, Du Gui wouldn't be so worried.

"When that day comes, wouldn't it become very dangerous for us to go out?" Qin Yun said, as Xuanwu Academy was also quite a distance away from the Tian Qin Imperial City.

Du Gui nodded. "That's for sure! The ferocious and ghost beasts in the Cloud Dragon Mountains are coming in hundreds of millions. They will spread across various countries and outnumber humans."

Imagining the scene of various cities surrounded by all kinds of ferocious beasts, Qin Yun shuddered.

He asked, "Where do these beast hordes come from? There are so many of them. Are they all transformed demon beasts? That doesn’t seem possible either! Could it be related to the Immortal Burial Ground?"