# Chapter 1998: Familiar Yet Strange
Their attacks intersected in the void, and the Floating World Seal directly collapsed. The enormous Bull God let out a wild roar before gradually dispersing. However, Lin Feng felt a beast-like force rampaging wildly through his body. He was knocked back to the ground, the blue stones beneath his feet cracking one after another, forming terrifying fissures.
"What a powerful ancient seal technique. My attack was completely enveloped by it." The wild figure in the void spoke, his gaze fixed on Lin Feng below. He laughed arrogantly, "No wonder you defeated Ji Shang. Impressive. Being able to withstand seventy percent of my attack power is already worthy of pride."
Lin Feng looked at the figure in the void. This man's words were arrogant, but his strength was indeed formidable.
"Lin Feng, we will be working together in the future. I hope your strength can grow even stronger before you step into the Holy Land. It would be best if you could break through to the High-rank Emperor realm. That way, Piaoxue will likely have a better chance." At this moment, the Tianci Dynasty Emperor beside the wild figure smiled at Lin Feng. Although his tone was polite, Lin Feng could still sense a faint hint of pride. It seemed that even though they were both members of the Tianci Dynasty's imperial family, there were still conflicts of interest at play. The Tianci Dynasty had invited three factions, but it wasn't the Tianci Dynasty's core authority that acted directly. Instead, the three princesses' forces stepped forward. Lin Feng could deduce that in this generation of the Tianci Dynasty, there were three extremely powerful princesses at the Emperor realm: Princess Piaoxue, the Emperor before him, and one other. Thus, these three Emperor-level figures had each established contact with their respective factions.
Princess Piaoxue and her mother, the Saint Consort, had chosen his War King Academy, while the Emperor in the void had chosen to cooperate with the Demon Soul Academy faction.
"Thank you for the reminder, Imperial Brother. Even at Lin Feng's current level, he is more than capable of protecting me." Princess Piaoxue smiled lightly, helping Lin Feng respond. Her mention of "protection" was naturally a polite gesture. In truth, Lin Feng could completely guess that Princess Piaoxue's own strength was absolutely terrifying. She simply kept it restrained, showing only her gentle and delicate side.
"Then I was overthinking it." The Emperor spoke calmly, "I heard that many people will be heading to the Saint Dao Platform today to listen to the Saint's voice. We also plan to go and take a look, to see how formidable the figures from the various dynasties who have descended upon Qi Tian Holy Capital truly are. Farewell."
"The Saint Dao Platform can be entered today?" Piaoxue asked doubtfully.
"A few days ago, the Holy Spirit Dynasty personally issued an invitation to the entire Qi Tian Holy Capital." The Emperor smiled, glancing at Lin Feng and the others. It seemed that Piaoxue had been spending these past few days clinging to Lin Feng, nurturing their relationship. Such a major piece of news had actually been overlooked by her. With a flick of his sleeve, the Emperor led the geniuses of the Demon Soul Academy away, vanishing in an instant.
"Is the Saint Dao Platform one of the ancient ruins you mentioned earlier?" Lin Feng asked Princess Piaoxue.
"Yes. The Saint Dao Platform is controlled by the Holy Spirit Dynasty. Like our Tianci Dynasty, the Holy Spirit Dynasty is a dynasty that has been passed down since ancient times. In the past, it was one of the branches of the Qi Tian Holy Dynasty. Ordinarily, the Saint Dao Platform within their territory is not easily accessible to outsiders. That's why even I have never had the chance to set foot on it. I didn't expect the Holy Spirit Dynasty to be so generous today, inviting all the geniuses to come."
Piaoxue replied, causing Lin Feng to nod slightly. "In that case, let's go to the Saint Dao Platform and take a look."
Princess Piaoxue glanced at Lin Feng, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth. "Alright. I knew you geniuses wouldn't be able to resist the urge. Since the Holy Spirit Dynasty has issued the invitation, many of the geniuses who have arrived at Qi Tian Holy Capital will surely go to see this ancient ruin. In the end, they might even get to hear the Saint's words. Even if not, a gathering of geniuses is bound to be something you look forward to."
Lin Feng smiled. Since he had come to Qi Tian Holy Capital, he naturally wanted to see all the geniuses of the entire Qingxiao Land. He imagined that many near-monstrous individuals would be encountered in this holy capital.
The Holy Spirit Dynasty, like the Tianci Dynasty, was one of the most ancient dynasties, with vast and boundless territory. It was said that the people of the Holy Spirit Dynasty excelled in the art of holy spirits, which was incredibly wondrous and powerful.
When Lin Feng and the others arrived at the Holy Spirit Dynasty, someone guided them into the dynasty. After some time, they came to a place like a fairyland. Mist rolled and drifted across the ground. Stepping on it felt like walking among the clouds. On both sides of the ancient path paved with mist were neatly arranged seats. Behind those seats stood towering stone pillars, radiating a holy light.
Many people had already arrived ahead of them. They were scattered across the wide expanse of mist, but all their gazes were fixed on one place—the end of the ancient path where Lin Feng stood. There, a row of figures, all women, exuded an immortal aura and were extremely beautiful. Behind them stood a stone platform that soared into the sky, as if shrouded in mist, like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection on water. That was the Saint Dao Platform.
Although Lin Feng and his group's footsteps were light, many people still turned their gazes toward them. The figures scattered ahead all had extraordinary auras. Their eyes were like lightning, extremely sharp, as if they could pierce through another's gaze. They were all formidable individuals.
Though sharp, they only glanced at Lin Feng and the others before looking away. However, there were exceptions. For instance, at one spot, there was a group of peerless beauties. These stunning women were so beautiful they shocked the heart, as if they didn't eat the food of mortals. They even outshone the beautiful women of the Holy Spirit Dynasty, adding even more scenery to this fairyland.
These people were all fairies from the Guang Han Palace, capable of captivating all beings.
They naturally all recognized Lin Feng. In the battle before the Guang Han Palace back then, Lin Feng had been abandoned by the heavens, with no laws descending upon him. Yet he had defied the heavens, which had deeply shaken them. Moreover, Lin Feng seemed to have an extraordinary relationship with several of the Guang Han Palace's fairies.
Yiren Lei was also there. Her appearance seemed largely unchanged, but her beautiful eyes held a bit more depth and a touch of world-weariness, as if adding a different kind of mature beauty. The moment she saw Lin Feng, her smile was enough to captivate all beings. The crowd who saw her smile turned their gazes toward Lin Feng. This icy, peerless beauty had actually shown such a beautiful smile to that group of figures. And within that smile was a faint, alluring charm that seemed to seep into one's bones. Moreover, among that group of figures, there was already a woman as ethereal as a fairy, so beautiful she was beyond defilement.
But this wasn't enough to make the crowd pay too much attention. Everyone who came here was a standout figure with an extraordinary identity. If these people had ordinary backgrounds, that would be the strange thing.
Seeing Yiren Lei's smile, Lin Feng smiled and nodded at her. Then his gaze shifted to another figure watching him. This person's gaze was colder than the others—a coldness that came from the bones, from the soul—a merciless chill. In her eyes, there seemed to be no emotion at all. Even when she saw Lin Feng, her eyes remained the same. Yet the strings of her heart trembled slightly the moment Lin Feng appeared.
"Yuexin!" Meng Qing called out to the woman. They were sisters, but at this moment, Qiu Yuexin faced both her and Lin Feng with such indifference.
Qiu Yuexin turned her gaze away, no longer looking at Lin Feng and the others. Her heart was like dead water, causing a flicker of disappointment to flash across Meng Qing's face.
"There are enough people here now. Can the Holy Spirit Dynasty open the Saint Dao Platform?" A voice rang out. But the people of the Holy Spirit Dynasty ahead smiled and said, "No rush. Please, everyone, take your seats. Today's visitors will surely be more than just these. Why not wait until everyone has gathered before listening to the Saint's voice together?"
"That's fine. There are so many people here, and I don't recognize many of them."
Someone agreed. Then, everyone took their seats before the towering stone pillars. Lin Feng and his group also chose a spot. At that moment, a stunning figure walked toward them—it was Yiren.
"When I heard that you had made a name for yourself in the Holy City Province, I was happy for you." Yiren Lei walked up to Lin Feng, smiling lightly. That unique, alluring charm seemed to bloom before Lin Feng once more.
"Sit." Lin Feng gestured to Yiren. Yiren Lei took a seat beside Lin Feng.
"How are things at the Guang Han Palace?" Lin Feng asked calmly, without a ripple of emotion. Seeing Yiren again, his heart had no great ups and downs. It was exceptionally calm. Once the Dao was attained, all things became empty; from then on, meeting was like encountering a stranger. In the past, when he was in despair, Yiren Lei had abandoned him for the Dao, which had wounded his heart. But Yiren Lei had never promised him anything. In the beginning, it was only a hundred-day marriage. In that state of mind, Lin Feng had felt some despair. But now, he had let go of much. Yiren Lei had made her own choice, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Seeing Lin Feng's calmness, Yiren Lei sighed inwardly. From then on, meeting was like encountering a stranger. Although Lin Feng smiled and chatted with her, the familiar feeling of the past was gone. He was just an acquaintance. Meeting again, it was only simple, polite greetings—no joy, no sorrow. But shouldn't she have expected this ending, which was the result of her own choice back then?
"It's fine. The Guang Han Palace doesn't lack cultivation resources. They've collected many powerful ancient scriptures. Moreover, the Guang Han Palace provides us with many opportunities to improve our strength." Yiren Lei replied with a smile. Neither of them had expected that when they met again, it would be such a calm conversation.
"That's good. You've finally found your own Dao. I hope you can reach the pinnacle of martial arts." Lin Feng offered his blessing. But Yiren Lei smiled. "Mm. I will work hard to achieve it. Although occasionally, when I think of you, I still ask myself whether I was right or wrong, in the end, it was my own choice. But if one day I truly achieve the ultimate martial path, and you become a Demon God, will you still remember the promises of the past?"
Yiren Lei's smile still carried that alluring charm that captivated all beings, making Lin Feng feel as if he might sink into it. Steadying his mind, Lin Feng sighed inwardly. He thought of the promises he had once made—the story of the Demon God and the Snow Goddess. But that still seemed very far away!
PS: Some friends said that a WeChat account was missed. It might be an issue with certain websites. Let me repeat it: jingwuhen888, which is the pinyin of my pen name plus three 8s. Also, the number of followers has now reached four thousand!