TL/N: Lou River Sect will be changed to Lou He Sect.
Lan Ruo, the Nascent Soul stage ancestor of the Lou He Sect, also frowned slightly. Her gaze swept across the land, where the sects of Hou Fen were already in ruins.
Scattered everywhere were crumbling walls and the corpses of countless fallen cultivators; even the once-proud sect peaks had been razed to the ground.
"Feng Luan, the ancestor of the War God Shrine, has come to pay respects to Senior Lin Che."
With a light voice echoing from afar, a stunningly beautiful woman in magnificent robes appeared out of thin air amidst the fiery red clouds.
The woman wore a sky-blue palace dress, the hem of which was adorned with layers of triangular jade ornaments, and a sash tied around her waist, from which many long ribbons extended.
This palace dress, worn by the young woman, exuded a lively and ethereal aura.
Her appearance was extremely beautiful; without makeup, her complexion was as radiant as the morning sun reflecting on snow, truly a beauty as pure as jade, a face as beautiful as a flower and as lovely as the moon.
This person was none other than Feng Luan, one of the mid-Nascent Soul stage ancestors of the War God Shrine!
Ancestor Lan Ruo took flight and cupped her hands towards Feng Luan, saying, "Fellow Daoist Feng Luan, what brings you here today?"
Ancestor Feng Luan revealed a gentle smile, her voice as melodious as a lark's, "I heard that a senior who recently graced my Hou Fen is here. As the founder of the War God Shrine, I have come to pay my respects."
Ancestor Lan Ruo raised her head, her eyes slightly narrowed, "Fellow Daoist, your visit is not merely to pay respects, is it?"
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be nervous. We are now allied, so we won't say anything more. May I ask if you could introduce us?"
Seeing Feng Luan's insistence, Ancestor Lan Ruo said no more. After all, the War God Shrine and the Lou He Sect were currently allied, and a strained relationship would not be good for them.
Ancestor Feng Luan landed steadily on the ground, taking small steps toward Lin Che's room. She cupped her hands and said, "This junior, Feng Luan of the War God Shrine, requests an audience with Senior Lin Che."
"Come in."
As the icy voice rang out from the room, Feng Luan's expression changed, and she could even feel her Nascent Soul becoming disordered.
It seemed the cultivator in the room was far, far superior to her; a single glance could annihilate her soul.
Ancestor Feng Luan adjusted her breathing and stepped into the room, noticing the handsome young man sitting in a chair drinking tea.
When she saw Lin Che's handsome face, even Feng Luan's cheeks flushed slightly. In all these years, she had never seen such a handsome young man.
His face looked so youthful and radiant…
Feng Luan had originally thought the cultivators stationed here were already old and gray, but she hadn't expected him to be so young, probably no more than a hundred years old.
To reach the Soul Transformation stage at such a young age, this person's talent was absolutely unparalleled in the world; his future achievements were undoubtedly limitless!
Feng Luan bowed respectfully to Lin Che, "Junior Feng Luan, the founder of the War God Shrine, greets Senior Lin Che."
Lin Che sipped his tea, glancing at the curvaceous Feng Luan out of the corner of his eye, and had to admit that the founder Feng Luan was indeed still quite charming.
He vaguely remembered that in the original story, the Hou Fen Alliance suffered a crushing defeat when attacking the Country of Xuan Wu, and even the War God Shrine was almost completely wiped out.
In the early stages, when the Hou Fen Alliance attacked the Country of Xuan Wu, it did indeed catch the cultivators there off guard, giving the Hou Fen Alliance an opportunity.
However, the Country of Xuan Wu, having recovered, immediately rallied its cultivators for a major counterattack, ultimately leading to a disastrous defeat for the Hou Fen cultivators, with even the War God Shrine and Lou He Sect disciples being mostly killed.
And the Feng Luan before him, in order to continue the legacy of the War God Shrine, had led several core disciples of the War God Shrine away from the Country of Xuan Wu, to the Country of Chang Li, another Rank 3 Cultivation Country, and rebuilt the War God Shrine.
As for her Daoist partner, Yang Sen, he perished in the great war of Hou Fen.
Ancestor Feng Luan smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so young, Senior. I thought you were an old senior."
Lin Che gestured for her to sit, saying, "Fellow Daoist Feng Luan, please don't be so formal, please sit."
Feng Luan nodded, turned, and sat beside Lin Che. Being so close to a Soul Transformation stage expert made even Feng Luan's heart race.
After all, she had cultivated for many years, and the only experts she had recently encountered were at the Soul Formation stage. Now that he had reached the Soul Transformation stage at such a young age, she was naturally filled with surprise.
"Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?"
"Senior is too kind. I learned that you were willing to escort our Hou Fen cultivators to the Country of Xuan Wu, and I came on behalf of the War God Shrine to express my gratitude."
Ancestor Feng Luan's lips curled slightly, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face. "Moreover, it is my honor to be able to communicate with you, Senior."
Lin Che smiled without saying a word.
Feng Luan truly lived up to her reputation as a Nascent Soul stage beauty from Hou Fen. Her composure in the face of a Soul Transformation stage expert was undeniable, making her the most composed person below the Soul Formation stage.
"Senior, I heard you're not a cultivator from my Hou Fen?"
"That's right. I come from the Country of Zhao."
Lin Che didn't hide his identity. After all, his name had been known to the Country of Suzaku for a hundred years. If he hadn't suddenly disappeared, the Country of Suzaku would probably have already made him their next Suzaku Prince.
"The Country of Zhao..."
Feng Luan frowned slightly, seemingly unfamiliar with the name. However, to cultivate such a gifted disciple, the immortals within the Country of Zhao must be extraordinary.
Coupled with such a young Soul Transformation stage cultivator, the Country of Zhao should soon be able to advance to a Rank 5 Cultivation Country.
After all, according to the laws of the cultivation world, as long as a cultivator reaches the Soul Formation stage, they can advance to a Rank 4 Cultivation Country; if they break through to the Soul Transformation stage, they can directly advance to a Rank 5 Cultivation Country, gaining access to abundant resources.
If Hou Fen could also reach the level of a Rank 4 Cultivation Country, there would be no need to fear the rampaging Fire Beasts, nor would there be any need to force the cultivators of Hou Fen to migrate to the Country of Xuan Wu for survival.
Lin Che lightly tapped the table with his fingers, his divine sense expanding wildly in all directions, almost encompassing the entire thousand-mile radius of Hou Fen, thus pinpointing Li Muwan's location.
Currently, Wan'er and her brother Li Qiqing were on their way to rescue stranded mortals. They all possessed the Nascent Soul stage magic treasures he had given them, which would naturally ensure their safety.
At this moment, Ancestor Feng Luan spoke up: "Senior Lin Che, I have a daughter named Zhou Zihong. She has already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and with her talent, she can be considered a prodigy in the entire Hou Fen."
"I wonder if it would be possible for my daughter to stay by your side, even as a personal maid."
After all, Ancestor Feng Luan was a Nascent Soul stage expert, and she understood that after this battle, she might very well perish within the Country of Xuan Wu, so her biggest worry was her daughter, Zhou Zihong.