The Sovereign's Ascension

When they were done playing their music, Lin Yun arrived in a pavilion where Luo Hua was already seated. When Lin Yun saw the jaw of wine on the table, his eyes immediately lit up. He opened it up and exclaimed, “Millennium Flame!”

“Congratulations on reaching the limit of the Heavenly Soul Realm, Brother Lin,” smiled Luo Hua.

Lin Yun was left speechless because Luo Hua seemed to have an endless supply of Millennium Flame. He smiled before taking the Millennium Flame and retrieving a special jar of wine from his interspatial pouch, “Let’s drink mine today.”

He had a lot of wine from the Dragon Clan in his interspatial pouch, and each of them was precious. Then again, there was no way they could be compared to the Millennium Flame.

“What is this wine?” Luo Hua asked.

“It’s not particularly good wine, but it’s significant to me,” smiled Lin Yun.

“Oh?” Luo Hua’s voice was filled with curiosity as she responded, “I’m all ears.”

“The name of this wine is called the Phoenix Stand Wine,” Lin Yun smiled. “This was something she gave me, and I have been keeping it. I only have one jar. If we’re going to celebrate, let’s drink this wine.”

“I see. Is she the one that left you with that strand of hair?” Luo Hua smiled, pointing at Lin Yun’s finger.

“Yeah,” smiled Lin Yun and poured a cup for Luo Hua. “Here.”

“The one that gave you this jar must have her own difficulties,” said Luo Hua with her voice echoing out in the pavilion.

“I know,” said Lin Yun. “Her standing is too high.”

“How high?” asked Luo Hua.

“Perhaps even higher than heaven…” Lin Yun smiled.

“So?” replied Luo Hua.

“The reason why I’m working so hard is so that I can stand by her side,” smiled Lin Yun. As the two of them drank, they chatted and Lin Yun soon forgot about his objective. After getting tipsy, Lin Yun remembered the Profound Wither Key and asked, “Lady Luo, since you’re from a saint clan, I believe that you recognize this object.”

“The Profound Wither Key,” said Luo Hua in a surprised tone. She then continued, “Over 3,000 years ago, when the nine emperors appeared, they re-established the Divine Dragon Empire and became legends. But the story of the nine emperors doesn’t end there. Each of them have a different ending. The Southern Emperor’s outcome is the most terrible one. He had been trapped by love for his entire life as he wanted to revive his deceased wife. Plus, he’s the only confirmed fallen emperor among the nine emperors. As his successor, the Profound Wither Saint has been a target by many people back then, including some of the nine emperors.”

“Why?” Lin Yun asked.

“The Southern Emperor had three mysterious treasures in his lifetime. The Life-Death Painting with Hell’s Gate hidden in it. The Heaven Summoning Talisman and the Heavenly Dragon Bone. Anyone would be tempted by the three treasures. Rumor had it that the three treasures were in the Southern Emperor’s tomb. However, some even speculated that they were in the hands of the Profound Wither Saint. But no one knew where the Southern Emperor’s tomb was, so they could only look for the Profound Wither Saint.” Luo Hua sighed. “But after everyone confirmed that the Profound Wither Saint didn’t have any of the treasures, he was also heavily injured. In the end, he died in the Profound Wither Sea and the Profound Wither Island became his tomb.”

“I see…” Lin Yun muttered.

“Even without the three treasures, the Profound Wither Saint’s inheritance alone is enough to tempt many people. This is why so many people have been searching for the Profound Wither Key for many years. Only those with the key can obtain the Profound Wither Saint’s inheritance.” Luo Hua then turned to look at Lin Yun and asked, “Where did you get the key from?”

“Thunderclap Sword Demon,” said Lin Yun and even told Luo Hua the entire process.

“The one abandoned by the Profound Sky Sect? I’m starting to think that the rumors were fake. The Profound Sky Sect was probably trying to fool everyone. He must have received an order from someone in the Profound Sky Sect to search for the Profound Wither Key…” Luo Hua gave the key back and smiled, “But you got it instead. What else could have happened after running into someone as unreasonable as Flower Burial.”

“Oh? But I’m a reasonable person,” said Lin Yun while he fell into deep pondering. He suddenly recalled that he had faced several assassinations when he went out under the identity of Flower Burial. In the past, he thought that the assinsations were because of the Heavenly Astral Pavilion, but now he started to wonder if they were because of the Profound Sky Sect.

Fortunately, he was a cautious person and didn’t reveal his identity as Flower Burial. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be saved even if he was in the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect.

“Wait. I’ve seen the Profound Wither Island from afar. Not even Saints dared to get close to the storm around it. Even if I have the key, what use do I have of it if I can’t even get close?” Lin Yun asked.

“I heard that ninth-grade spiritualists could use the stars to look into the future. Perhaps the sea on the Profound Wither Island will be dissolving soon. After all, the inheritance of the Profound Wither Saint needs an inheritance,” said Luo Hua.

This instantly resolved all of Lin Yun’s doubts. If there were really any changes to the seal on the Profound Wither Island, then this key would be an entry ticket in. But this made him feel even more doubtful.

“Thank you for your information,” said Lin Yun.

“There’s no need to speak like that to me,” smiled Luo Hua.

“Then I’ll punish myself with one cup of wine,” said Lin Yun before he gulped down a cup of wine.

When Lin Yun returned to his residence, he wore a grave expression because he had a secret that he didn’t know if he could share with Luo Hua. He had the rose painting that was given from Senior Hong back in the Azure Sky Sect. Back then, Senior Hong said that he had taken it out from the Southern Emperor’s tomb, but Luo Hua said that no one knew about the location of the Southern Emperor’s tomb. Then how did Senior Hong know about the location?

Furthermore, was Senior Hong really that strong back then to enter the tomb of the Southern Emperor? Or did he listen incorrectly? Maybe the tomb of the Southern Emperor that Senior Hong entered back then wasn’t the Southern Emperor of the nine emperors.

But Lin Yun clearly remembered that Senior Hong told him he saw demons from the rose painting and a sword ray that damaged his foundation. It had similar characteristics to the Life-Death Painting that Luo Hua spoke about. If the Life-Death Painting contained Hell’s Gate, then it would make sense why Senior Hong saw demons in the paintings.

Could it be that the rose painting was one of the Southern Emperor’s three treasures, the Life-Death Painting? Just thinking about it made Lin Yun’s scalp go numb because he actually has been carrying such a terrifying painting with him. Ever since he comprehended the Dustlight Sword Art from the painting, he had gradually forgotten about it. Then again, he might not have been able to see its secrets given how weak he was back then.

Holding onto the rose painting once more, Lin Yun wore a grave expression with a trace of fear in his heart. If this painting was really the Life-Death Painting, then Senior Hong would have been at least a Saint. He couldn’t imagine how terrifying the painting was that it could even cripple a Saint. Discovering its secrets would be risky for him.

As of right now, Lin Yun didn’t want to take the risk. He quickly put away the painting and continued to think about his situation. Now that he thought about it, the Flower Burial Sword wasn’t among the three treasures of the Southern Emperor. It could have been something that the Southern Emperor’s wife gave him.

When he recited the poem he heard back then, he suddenly stood up with a shock on his face. Holding onto the Flower Burial Sword, Lin Yun realized his speculation was true. After all, Luo Hua said that the Southern Emperor was obsessed with reviving his deceased wife back then.

But even Lin Yun knew that someone who was already deceased couldn’t be revived. So what the Southern Emperor did was no different from entrapping himself. The poem was a perfect description of what Luo Hua said about the Southern Emperor.

This time, Lin Yun could no longer maintain his composure. The painting that he used to comprehend back probably contained Hell’s Gate. Lin Yun couldn’t help his bewilderment at the idea of the Flower Burial Sword in his hand being the sword of the Southern Emperor.

“I need to go to the Profound Wither Island when it opens no matter what…” Lin Yun took in a deep breath because he knew that he couldn’t afford to let the Profound Wither Saint’s inheritance fall into the hands of others. After all, it might contain the secrets of the Southern Emperor.

The tomb of the Southern Emperor contained the Southern Emperor and his wife. Naturally, they wouldn’t want to be disturbed, so at the very least, Lin Yun had to prevent others from getting the information.

Lin Yun held onto the Flower Burial Sword and looked at it for a long time before he sighed, “Looks like I haven’t let you down over the years…”