Chapter 684

The Qingyun Sacred Sect Master didn’t know whether Lin Yuan was still inside Qingyun Archives.

But if they wanted to visit this senior, there was no other place to go besides the courtyard.

And given Lin Yuan's strength, even if he wasn’t currently in the courtyard, he would surely be aware of everything happening here. There was no way he wouldn’t know they had come to pay their respects.

So after respectfully voicing his intent to visit, the Sect Master stood quietly in place.

If Lin Yuan wished to see them, they naturally would be allowed in.

If not, the Sect Master wouldn’t dare insist.

No one knew how much time passed.

Then a voice sounded in the Sect Master's ear—

And simultaneously in the ears of all 456 elders.

"Come in."

"Yes." The Sect Master’s heart settled.

That reply confirmed Lin Yuan not only had no malice toward Qingyun Sacred Sect—he might even harbor goodwill.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted their request for an audience.

Very soon—

The Sect Master and all the elders walked deeper into Qingyun Archives.

"This place?"

As they proceeded, the Sect Master’s expression subtly changed. He could no longer sense the outside world.

As the sect master, he was normally able to control all aspects of Qingyun Sacred Mountain at a thought—but now he couldn’t even sense it, as if this place had been completely severed from external space-time.

“This control over space-time…”

The Sect Master was inwardly shaken. To open up an independent space-time inside Qingyun Sacred Mountain? It was like building your own fortress under a tiger’s nose.

As Sect Master, he could oversee the entire sect with a single thought—yet he had never noticed this before.

If Lin Yuan had harbored even a shred of malice, the Sect Master likely wouldn’t have even had time to react, let alone resist.

Not long after walking—

They arrived at a vast space.

At the center sat a cross-legged figure—Lin Yuan.

“Greetings, Senior.”

The Sect Master bowed at once.

Hundreds of elders behind him bowed as well.

“Mm.”

Lin Yuan nodded and casually asked, “Why have you come?”

“Senior, not long ago I used the sect’s inherited rune-detection method and witnessed that giant demon…”

The Sect Master spoke truthfully, hiding nothing about having seen Lin Yuan in action.

In fact, at the end of the rune-formed image, the Sect Master had already sensed that Lin Yuan was aware of their surveillance.

Trying to hide it now would only be foolish.

“We’ve come this time to thank Senior for protecting our sect all these years.”

His tone was filled with gratitude.

“No need.”

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

Over the past thousand years, he had continuously hunted nearby Demon Spirits and Great Demons, significantly reducing casualties among disciples sent out to purge them. That alone could be considered a form of protection.

And by his nature, once his strength was restored, if Qingyun Sacred Sect ever faced a true existential threat, Lin Yuan wouldn’t sit by and watch.

With his current strength, unless besieged by a group of Source Demons, Qingyun Sacred Sect would be as stable as a mountain.

So that simple "no need"—he had every right to say it.

“That rune-based detection method…”

Lin Yuan asked with interest.

He found that technique fascinating—clearly not something Qingyun Sacred Sect could have developed on their own.

The sect’s founder had only reached the First Stage of Freedom, roughly equivalent to a Chaos Great Saint. How could someone at that level have devised a surveillance method that nearly slipped past him?

“Senior, that rune-detection technique comes from the Eternal Sects in the center of heaven and earth.”

The Sect Master responded immediately.

“The Eternal Sects?”

Lin Yuan looked at him.

According to what he knew, the Eternal Sects were powers guarded by Rank Thirteen time lifeforms.

At the onset of the great upheaval, the source of the endless demonic energy had emerged within the territory of the Eternal Sects. Today, countless ‘Demons’ ravaged the world—but the strongest, the Source Demons, remained mostly concentrated in the central regions, held at bay by the Eternal Sects.

“Yes.”

The Sect Master nodded. “At the beginning of the upheaval, the Eternal Sects frequently sent envoys to support us. That detection technique was a gift from them, specifically meant to monitor Great Demons and stronger threats.”

“Unfortunately, it’s been a very long time since their last envoy came.”

He sighed, guessing that the Eternal Sects were now under enormous pressure and could no longer spare attention for others.

“I see.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

No wonder he had nearly missed detecting that technique—it had come from the Eternal Sects.

“Can you give those techniques to me?”

Lin Yuan asked directly.

Such methods from the Eternal Sects wouldn't be stored in Qingyun Archives, so Lin Yuan had no way to access them.

“Of course.”

The Sect Master took out a jade slip containing all the secret techniques passed down from the Eternal Sects.

To Qingyun Sacred Sect, no amount of secret techniques could compare to the protection Lin Yuan offered.

As Lin Yuan began examining the jade slip, the Sect Master and elders wisely retreated.

“Marvelous…”

Lin Yuan scanned through the techniques and his eyes gleamed.

These rune-based methods had reached an astonishing level. Even for him, seeing them for the first time was an eye-opener.

“These definitely came from Rank Thirteen lifeforms.”

He was certain. Within the methods, he sensed the perspective of time-based Rank Thirteen beings.

Only someone capable of observing countless timelines could craft such complete and intricate techniques.

“The Eternal Sects…”

Lin Yuan looked toward the center of the world, then continued studying.

After spending the better part of a day, Lin Yuan had basically grasped the dozens of rune techniques within the jade slip.

They covered a wide range of applications, showing clearly that when the upheaval first began, the Eternal Sects genuinely intended to help other sects survive the crisis.

“The Dao of Runes really is profound.”

Lin Yuan was deeply moved. He had believed himself nearly finished with the path of runes—not fully mastered, but close.

Yet now, after seeing these techniques from the Eternal Sects, he realized how far he still had to go.

“My two Primordial Spirits have already explored very distant regions.”

His eyes darkened. Once he noticed that the local supply of ‘Demons’ was running low—

He had dispatched two Primordial Spirits to explore farther areas—first to hunt more Demons, and second to search for sects like Qingyun Sacred Sect in hopes of obtaining their rune legacies.

That was also why, when the terrifying giant demon appeared, Lin Yuan used his true body to act.

With the two Primordial Spirits away, there was no point in re-condensing new ones.

“Let’s continue opening up particle worlds.”

He gathered his thoughts. With the recent refinement of the near–Source Demon giant demon, he now had ample resources.

With each particle world he opened, his strength grew.

Far from Qingyun Sacred Mountain—

Lin Yuan’s Yin Primordial Spirit sat cross-legged, sending out countless projections in all directions.

These projections were far weaker than his true body. Their main role was scouting. If they encountered an enemy they could handle, they would deal with it. If not, the Yin Primordial Spirit would step in.

Using projections for blanket exploration was currently Lin Yuan’s most efficient strategy.

Even if they ran into danger, he could simply dissolve them.

“According to the ancient texts stored in Qingyun Archives, before the great upheaval, this Source World’s powers were divided into five tiers.”

Lin Yuan thought, “The first tier, naturally, was the Eternal Sects—eternal and indestructible, guarded by Rank Thirteen time lifeforms.”

“The second tier was the Supreme Sacred Sects, supported by Third Stage of Freedom powerhouses—Invincible Supreme Saints or Strongest Heavenly Sovereigns.”

“The third tier was ordinary sacred sects like Qingyun Sacred Sect. Their founders entered the Three Stages of Freedom—but in truth, Qingyun only barely reached that level.”

“The fourth and fifth tiers were powers established by Stage Six of Longevity cultivators, and they were numerous.”

Lin Yuan shook his head. Due to the widespread influence of the Dao of Runes, there were many Stage Six cultivators in this Source World. Only those who reached the Three Stages of Freedom were considered to have ascended to true greatness.

“I’ve searched so long, and I haven’t even found a third-tier sacred sect, let alone a second-tier Supreme Sacred Sect.”

He shook his head.

What he was looking for were sects that had been overrun by Demons. Any sect that still survived had likely hidden themselves so thoroughly they were nearly impossible to locate.

Sects overrun by Demons wouldn’t leave behind any cultivators—but much of their legacy, especially rune-based, was likely to remain.

The ‘Demons’ weren’t interested in legacies—they only desired to devour living beings.

And when a sect was collapsing, its leader would usually ensure the sect’s legacy had at least a sliver of hope to be rediscovered by future cultivators.

So over the years, Lin Yuan’s two Primordial Spirits had not only hunted ‘Demons’ but also searched for these destroyed sects in hopes of obtaining their rune legacies.

But up to now, he had only found ruins of fourth- or fifth-tier sects. Even when they did have rune inheritances, they were of little help to him.

What Lin Yuan longed for was the ruins of higher-tier sects—at least sacred sect level.

“Unfortunately, after the great upheaval, most sects relocated their headquarters to avoid the Demon plague, rendering pre-cataclysm maps useless. Only the Eternal Sects have the means to locate surviving sects.”

He shook his head.

Take Qingyun Sacred Sect for example—its headquarters, Qingyun Sacred Mountain, was actually a weapon at the Third Stage of Freedom level. In times of crisis, it could even carry all disciples away.

“Step by step.”

Lin Yuan wasn’t impatient. He continued monitoring the progress of his countless projections.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Lin Yuan's expression shifted—one of his projections had discovered a sect ruin.

This ruin was in a state of extreme space-time disorder. Though it had been completely overrun by Demons, over countless years, it had slowly begun recovering, and many of its ancient formations were reactivating.

“This ruin… is unusual.”

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the distant site.

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