Chapter 141: The Greedy Elder in Linen
"Xiao Diao, have you ever heard of the Qi-Observing Technique?" Lin Dong asked, watching Lin Langtian's retreating figure. The marten spirit, Xiao Diao, emerged from the stone talisman and gave a pensive look before shaking his head.
"Qi is such a vague concept; even the most powerful figures rarely mention using it to judge someone's fate," Xiao Diao replied.
"So, you think Lin Langtian was just making it up?" Lin Dong frowned, skeptical of the so-called Qi-Observing Technique. Lin Langtian had been so insistent, though, and for a moment Lin Dong wondered if he might indeed be blessed with extraordinary luck.
"Hard to say. Lin Langtian is a mystery even to me," Xiao Diao admitted. "Maybe he really does have some strange methods. Who knows?"
Xiao Diao grinned, seeing Lin Dong's furrowed expression, and continued, "But let's not get bogged down in that. First things first—let's get the Devouring Ancestral Symbol to recognize you as its owner. Focus on that, and everything else will follow."
Lin Dong nodded. He had obtained the Devouring Ancestral Symbol unexpectedly, and now it was time to secure it. He left the inn and set out to find a secluded spot beyond the city walls to begin the ritual.
Meanwhile, Lin Langtian was on the move, leaving the inn as well. "It seems that after three months, everyone else has returned to Lin City. I'll need to hurry back," he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The family gathering is in six months. By then, I must reach the Half-Step Nirvana Stage."
Seeming to understand Lin Langtian's resolve, the Golden Crow let out a shriek and transformed into its larger form, its black-and-gold wings stretching to several meters across. The bird's shimmering feathers exuded a cold, metallic energy like hardened steel.
Lin Langtian looked on with slight surprise.
"Your pet is not the only one who's made progress over these three months," Ling Yi's voice spoke from within him. "The Golden Crow has absorbed the Nine Nether Cold Qi from the monument realm, growing impressively. This is just its normal adult form. When it matures fully, it will be several hundred meters long."
Lin Langtian nodded in satisfaction. The beast's immense size was a testament to its royal lineage among spirit beasts. If it absorbed the Nine Nether Cold Sparrow's blood essence, it could become a Nine Nether Black Gold Crow and grow to more than a thousand meters.
After the Golden Crow insisted, Lin Langtian leaped onto its back, and with another screech, the crow soared into the sky, speeding away.
Roughly an hour after Lin Langtian had departed, the sky shimmered with faint distortions. Out of thin air, an elderly man in coarse linen robes appeared. With his gray hair and simple clothing, he looked like an unassuming farmer, but the manner of his arrival marked him as anything but ordinary.
The elder frowned slightly, casting his gaze over the collapsed mountain peak and, as if sensing something, reached out, sweeping his hand through the air. "A faint trace of devouring energy… Could the Devouring Ancestral Symbol really have been claimed from the ancient monument?" he murmured.
The elder's face darkened. "After all the trouble I went through, traveling all this way for the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, only to let someone else claim it? Not if I have anything to say about it."
The monument realm's seal had fully formed, so even he could not enter. However, he had sensed faint traces of devouring energy here and was determined to follow it.
Without hesitation, the old man disappeared in the same direction as Lin Langtian, pursuing the faint trail left behind.
As night descended, Lin Langtian and the Golden Crow had traveled for a full day. Deciding to rest, they landed on a mountainside to recuperate.
Sitting beneath a large tree, Lin Langtian closed his eyes, quietly absorbing the world's natural energies and revitalizing his reserves.
"Langtian, I sense someone tracking us," Ling Yi's voice interrupted.
"What?!" Lin Langtian's eyes shot open, and he grew instantly alert. For Ling Yi to detect a threat meant this wasn't an ordinary pursuer. It could only be a Nirvana-level powerhouse—or someone even stronger.
"Let's move. Now!"
He leapt to his feet, preparing to call the Golden Crow, but stopped, his gaze locking eastward where a faint sound of something slicing through the wind caught his ear. Though quiet, it made his hair stand on end—a deadly threat was closing in.
Before his eyes, waves of energy began to ripple through the sky, and from these, an old man in plain linen robes appeared, like a ghost materializing from nowhere. Although the elder seemed ordinary and his energy unassuming, Lin Langtian felt a pressure surpassing even that of Lin Fan, his Nirvana-level elder.
"This aura… a Nirvana stage expert who has overcome at least three Nirvana Tribulations."
The elderly man studied Lin Langtian, raising an eyebrow with an interested grin. "A young man at the peak of Creation stage… and even a Half-Step Heavenly Symbol Master. Quite the talent."
Maintaining a calm expression, Lin Langtian suppressed his unease. He had a sinking feeling that the elder could be a powerful Nirvana-level cultivator, possibly even at the Three Yuan Nirvana level.
"Forgive me, Elder, but you seem to have followed me for quite a distance. May I ask what you seek from me?" Lin Langtian inquired with feigned composure.
The elder's expression showed a glimmer of admiration. "A fine sense of awareness—most would have missed my trail. I am here for the Devouring Ancestral Symbol."
Hearing this, Lin Langtian's heart sank. The elder's gaze shifted to the Golden Crow, his eyes lighting up. "And that rare beast with you—a royal black gold crow? I'd like to claim it as well."
(End of Chapter)
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