Chapter 0912: Totem and Ancient Domain

Chapter 0912: Totem and Ancient Domain

Lan Chen was being quite polite. If it were someone with a bad temper, they would have retaliated immediately after having their bald head slapped in public.

Qin Yun chuckled and swiftly reached out his hand again, patting Lan Chen’s bald head once more. He laughed, "Palace Master, long time no see! I never expected to bump into you here!"

Lan Chen was about to blow up, but upon hearing Qin Yun’s words, he froze.

Very few people knew he was the head of the Blue Spirit Star Palace, and even fewer in the Xuan Domain were aware of it.

"Are you... Murong Xiaoren? Or Huo Zhong?" Lan Chen frowned and asked.

Back then, Murong Daren and Huo Zhong had also stayed in the Blue Spirit Star Palace.

"No!" Qin Yun shook his head with a small smile.

He hadn’t expected Lan Chen to be in this Xuan Domain either.

"Then who are you? Quit joking around! You must be Murong Xiaoren!" Lan Chen laughed. "I’ve seen you once before and know you’re with Xie Wufeng in the Hundred Towers Sect!"

"Baldy, don’t you recognize me? My surname is Qin!" Qin Yun grinned.

"Qin... Qin..." Of course, Lan Chen remembered Qin Yun. The name "Qin Yun" was burned into his memory, filled with shock and impossible to erase.

"What brings you to the Runes Temple?" Qin Yun asked.

"Nothing that important! Come, let’s talk somewhere else!" Lan Chen was also thrilled to meet Qin Yun here, as Qin Yun was the sect master of the Mystic Runes Sect, possessing the secret ancient Star-Moon Mystic Runes.

Lan Chen and Qin Yun left the Runes Temple.

Sitting in Lan Chen’s carriage, Qin Yun looked at his bald head and laughed, "Lan, where’s the Star Totem on your head? Why is it gone?"

Lan Chen felt uncomfortable under Qin Yun’s gaze and said, "I hid it! My Star Totem is an ancestral inheritance, something I was born with. Don’t get any funny ideas about it!"

"Lan, what are you doing here?" Qin Yun asked curiously.

"I’m preparing to take an assessment to join the Hundred Towers Sect! Lan Huayu is also here—he’s working as a Runes Master in that Runes Temple!" Lan Chen said.

"You’re only at the Midstage Martial King Realm!" Qin Yun chuckled.

"Only Midstage Martial King Realm? I’ve advanced pretty quickly! Lan Huayu is just at the Initial Stage of Martial King Realm... By the way, where did you take Lan Fengjin? Lan Huayu is very worried!"

"She’s still in the Mortal Domain, perfectly safe! And she’s now a member of my Mystic Runes Sect!" Qin Yun laughed.

"How’s your Mystic Runes Sect doing? How many disciples do you have now?" Lan Chen asked curiously.

"Fewer than five!" Qin Yun grinned.

Lan Chen snorted, "That's nothing special!"

Qin Yun bragged, "My Mystic Runes Sect has a Mystic Rune Master at the Emperor Wu realm—a woman, no less—who also possesses a Mystic Rune Soul!"

Lan Chen was shocked upon hearing this. "That’s actually quite impressive! Emperor Wu realm?!"

Qin Yun chuckled. "Lan, your cultivation used to be far beyond mine, but now? You can't beat me now!"

Lan Chen laughed. "Kid, don’t brag in front of me! No matter how fast you are, can you really surpass me? I’ve progressed rapidly thanks to my ancestral Star Totem... If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’d know that not long ago, many stars fell, and a large group of Star Beasts appeared! That’s when I obtained a massive amount of Star Cores and used my Star Totem to quickly reach the Martial King Realm!"

Lan Chen bragged proudly about this matter.

Qin Yun chuckled, "I've reached the Late-Stage Martial King Realm!"

Lan Chen, who had been grinning proudly, suddenly lost his smile.

"Really? You're not bluffing, are you?" Lan Chen exclaimed in shock.

Qin Yun released a faint trace of martial king's aura.

Upon sensing the intensity of that aura, Lan Chen immediately knew Qin Yun's core had undergone three transformations—he truly was at the Late-Stage Martial King Realm!

"You damn brat, how did you break through so fast?" Lan Chen was utterly baffled, knowing that Qin Yun possessed twin cultivation cores. Even with accelerated cultivation, it shouldn’t have been this rapid.

Qin Yun instructed Lan Chen to drive the carriage toward the Ascension Pavilion.

Along the way, Lan Chen shared many things with Qin Yun.

Qin Yun was particularly intrigued by the Star Totem and asked numerous questions about it. He learned that the Star Totem was embedded in Lan Chen’s bloodline and that Lan Chen was a descendant of Lan Xiao Wu Wang.

"Lan Xiao Wu Wang might still be in the Profound Domain... or perhaps the Ancient Domain. In any case, I’ve been searching for him!" Lan Chen sighed. "Maybe he’s already dead. Only by finding him can we uncover the secrets within the Cloud Dragon Mountain Range!"

Qin Yun’s father, Qin Long, was still in the Cloud Dragon Mountain Range. Before he left, Qin Long had mentioned wanting to thoroughly explore the area.

"With our current high-level cultivation, it’s extremely difficult to return to the Cloud Dragon Mountain Range in Linghuang," Qin Yun sighed.

"Not necessarily! I’ve heard that in Xianhuang, there’s a passage connected to the Cloud Dragon Mountain Range. Though it’s been sealed, and the mountain range has a unique ward that allows immortals to move freely within it. It might just be a legend, but I think there’s a good chance it’s true!" Lan Chen said.

"Who knows when we’ll even reach Xianhuang? That requires surviving six Semi-Immortal Trials!" Qin Yun said with a bitter laugh.

"Exactly! And who’s to say we won’t be obliterated during those tribulations?" Lan Chen shuddered at the thought.

Upon arriving at the Ascension Pavilion, Qin Yun led Lan Chen inside to the suite.

When Lan Chen saw the two beautiful women in the main chamber, he secretly scoffed at Qin Yun.

This guy was always surrounded by beautiful women, yet his cultivation remained just as formidable.

In Lan Chen’s view, cultivators should remain free from worldly attachments and fame to achieve rapid progress.

Yet Qin Yun’s very existence broke all those rules.

Qin Yun introduced Lan Chen to Hong Mengshu and Yu Shutian.

The two women were polite, knowing that anyone Qin Yun brought here must be someone he deeply trusted.

"Old Blue is also taking the selection trial. If he fails and you pass, you can take him with you!" Qin Yun said with a laugh.

Passing the exam allowed one to bring a follower into the Hundred Towers Sect, though the follower wouldn’t enjoy the sect’s same privileges.

"Little devil, you’re underestimating me!" Lan Chen retorted defensively. "During my test, I demonstrated strength equivalent to three dragons—that alone guarantees my success!"

"Brother Lan, once we enter the Hundred Towers Sect, we’ll be relying on your help," Yu Shutian said with a smile.

"Don’t worry! Since you’re friends with this little devil, I’ll help however I can!" Lan Chen said as he sat down, accepting the tea Hong Mengshu poured for him.

Qin Yun patted Lan Chen’s bald head.

Lan Chen glared. "Little devil, keep your hands to yourself! Or I’ll pin you down and shave your head bald!"

Hong Mengshu and Yu Shutian couldn't help laughing, even egged Lan Chen on to shave Qin Yun’s head.

"Lan, show us your Star Totem! There's an Astromancer here who has extensive expertise in this area, and she's also trustworthy!" Qin Yun said with a smile, glancing at Yu Shutian.

Yu Shutian looked at Lan Chen in surprise. "Brother Lan, you have a Star Totem?"

Lan Chen asked, "Miss Yu, you're that so-called Astromancer?"

Yu Shutian quickly nodded!

Lan Chen pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes. Suddenly, a white light emanated from his bald head, and darkened totemic markings appeared across his scalp.

Qin Yun was astonished upon seeing this. "It's evolved into a Dao Totem!"

Yu Shutian was also excited and hurried over to study the Star Totem.

"Miss Yu, does this Star Totem help your research on the stars?" Qin Yun inquired.

"It's incredibly helpful!" Yu Shutian replied. "It could actually help me discover a path to the Ancient Domain!"

"Miss Yu... are you serious? What connection does the Ancient Domain have with my Star Totem?" Lan Chen was shocked. His Star Totem was inherited from his ancestors, and he suspected Lan Xiao was in the Ancient Domain but had no means of reaching it.

"I suspect the Ancient Domain is hidden within the Star Domain, but it's currently in peril!" Yu Shutian explained. "Ancient records suggest that the Star Totem is a map leading to a sacred land within the Star Domain—the Ancient Domain! But that sacred land is also filled with dangers."

She then told Lan Chen about the recent falling stars and her own speculations.

Lan Chen was utterly astonished after hearing this.

Qin Yun quickly summoned the tiny sprite Mo Mo to record the Star Totem on Lan Chen's head.

Yu Shutian was momentarily stunned upon seeing Mo Mo. She hadn’t expected Qin Yun to have a fae sprite, and one who was also a grand priestess.

Mo Mo fluttered her tiny wings and curiously observed Yu Shutian, seemingly sensing that they were of the same kind—both sprites.

Lan Chen sat there, feeling a strange discomfort as his scalp was scrutinized.

Mo Mo quickly finished recording the Star Totem and gave Yu Shutian a little wave before returning.

Qin Yun felt he would soon master the Star Totem! With his Totemic Runesoul and Star Monarch Rune Soul, drawing the Star Totem should be child's play.

What surprised Qin Yun was how quickly Yu Shutian could record the Star Totem!

"Brother Lan, don’t worry! I won't breathe a word about the Star Totem!" Yu Shutian said happily. "Thank you! I must use this Star Totem to find the path to the Ancient Domain!"

"Let me know when you do. I need to go to the Ancient Domain to find my ancestor!" Lan Chen said. As his bald head gleamed with white light, the Star Totem faded from view.

"Of course! First, we must enter the Hundred Towers Sect. There, we’ll have access to more ancient texts for research!" Yu Shutian said. "The Hundred Towers Sect has an Ancient Stellar Pagoda, and I plan to join it."

Hong Mengshu nodded. "Xiao Tian, I’ll go with you!"

Lan Chen said, "I haven’t decided which tower to join yet."

Yu Shutian thought for a moment. "There’s a tower called the Star Voyager Tower, which mainly teaches knowledge about stellar navigation. It should be helpful for you, Brother Lan!"

"Great, then I’ll join the Star Voyager Tower!" Lan Chen laughed. "I’ll definitely get in!"

"Lan, for extra security, I’ll carve the Star Totem into your martial soul. It’ll make you stronger!" Qin Yun grinned. "That should guarantee you pass the assessment, right?"

Having just obtained the Star Totem, Qin Yun wanted to practice, and Lan Chen was the ideal practice target.