Chapter 54

As he approached his hometown, Lin Xi felt a sense of trepidation. Seeing Lin Ruyun's body, he felt a weakness in his heart, almost afraid to open his eyes to look. But with a determined bite of his lip, Lin Xi moved over.

Lin Ruyun's face was pale, and she lay motionless, like a dead person. However, this time, as he calmed down, Lin Xi immediately noticed something different.

Although Lin Ruyun looked as if she were dead, a closer look revealed a faint pulse in her wrist, and a very slight tremor. If one wasn't careful, it would be impossible to notice.

A dead person definitely wouldn't have a pulse!

"Auntie!"

Lin Xi finally couldn't help but walk over quickly, a flush of excitement rising on his face. He had originally thought his aunt was dead. But now, he was surprised to find that there was still a glimmer of hope, which couldn't help but make him excited.

Lin Ruyun lay in the iron coffin, motionless. Her breathing was faint, and her body was extremely cold, but no matter what, that faint pulse gave Lin Xi a glimmer of hope.

Rustle!

A sound of footsteps came from behind. Elder Six, Han Shizhong, followed the Great Elder into the hall and slowed his pace behind Lin Xi.

"Lin Xi, I have already questioned a captive elder of the Sunfire Sect. The third elder was hit by a Qi Cultivation technique called Soul Search. This technique is extremely vicious; those who are hit will either suffer from memory confusion and become mentally impaired, or their souls will scatter, making even immortal medicines ineffective. I hope you don't have too much hope," the Great Elder said solemnly.

Although it might not be the right time to say such things, the Great Elder still wanted to remind Lin Xi that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

He didn't want Lin Xi to suffer a second blow because of too much hope.

"Great Elder, you don't need to say more. I know what I'm doing. As long as there's a glimmer of hope, I won't give up on Auntie," Lin Xi said firmly.

His eyes were clear, and his demeanor was resolute, clearly showing that he hadn't lost his reason.

A worried look flashed in the Great Elder's eyes, and he glanced at Elder Six, Han Shizhong, beside him.

Han Shizhong understood and stepped forward, saying, "Patriarch, this cold iron ice coffin I found in the Sunfire Sect is used to enhance one's cultivation by combining water and fire after reaching a certain level in the Crimson Flame Palm. The third elder being placed in this coffin can preserve the body for a while. However, it can't last too long. Although we martial artists have great strength, we are still human and will die without food or water. The third elder's current condition, without any intake of water or food, means she can't last much longer."

Even at this moment, Han Shizhong didn't forget to take credit.

It was only then that Lin Xi felt the extreme coldness under his hands, and he was startled back to his senses.

Lin Xi now understood that the Great Elder was still not entirely at ease with him. To avoid any misunderstandings, he said, "Great Elder, rest assured. I know what's important. — Han Shizhong, place this cold iron ice coffin on Sunfire Mountain. Additionally, I entrust you with the task of guarding this ice coffin. Use all the methods you can think of to find more ice and place it in the ice coffin to lower the temperature."

The lower the temperature, the less the body's various functions would consume. When it reached a certain level, it would achieve a state of cryopreservation, thus preserving Lin Ruyun's body to the greatest extent.

These were simple principles for Lin Xi.

"Understood, Patriarch. Rest assured, I will do my best to preserve Elder Lin's body," Han Shizhong said, overjoyed.

Lin Xi's willingness to entrust him with such an important task was a great opportunity. Following someone who could defeat the Crimson Flame Sect meant an unlimited future. More importantly, Lin Xi was only eighteen years old!

Han Shizhong could easily imagine how bright Lin Xi's future would be.

The reason he didn't use the time when Lin Xi challenged the Crimson Flame Sect to escape or do something else, and even followed him to Sunfire Mountain, was because he saw the limitless potential in Lin Xi.

Han Shizhong was betting on Lin Xi, staking his future on him. At his age, reaching the Thunder Roar stage or the legendary Qi Cultivation stage was almost impossible.

But if Lin Xi reached the Qi Cultivation stage, as his follower, he would eventually reach that stage as well.

This was Han Shizhong's true ambition and aspiration!

At the time, if Lin Xi had lost, he would have been dead, and Han Shizhong would have suffered no loss. But the facts proved that he had won the bet.

Now, no matter what, Han Shizhong wouldn't leave Lin Xi. With a keen sense, he could smell the boundless potential in Lin Xi.

Lin Xi nodded and walked out of the main hall without another glance.

The Great Elder sighed in relief and followed him out.

Although it was somewhat cruel, the now rational Lin Xi was beneficial to the entire sect.

Facing the strong wind, standing on Sunfire Mountain, he could see everything below.

As a major sect with centuries of history, the Sunfire Sect's accumulated wealth and treasures far surpassed those of the Thunder Sect. Just the mountain gate alone was much more majestic and grand.

"From now on, the Thunder Sect will relocate here. This Sunfire Mountain will be renamed Thunder Mountain and will serve as our sect's mountain gate and training ground," Lin Xi said solemnly, facing the wind.

"Understood!"

The Great Elder and Han Shizhong were overjoyed. Although they had similar thoughts, only Lin Xi, as the patriarch, had the authority to make this decision.

The Great Elder had this idea to prevent the Sunfire Sect from reviving. If Sunfire Mountain remained, they could regroup and rebuild. This would be greatly detrimental to the Thunder Sect.

As for Han Shizhong, he had already known Lin Xi's decision when he suggested placing the cold iron ice coffin here.

Sunfire Mountain was majestic and had many halls, making it much more impressive and grand than the original Thunder Mountain.

With such a mountain gate, the Thunder Sect could smoothly transition from a sect to a major sect!

At this moment, all the disciples of the Thunder Sect had already arrived at the Sunfire Sect, busily sorting through the various wealth and treasures.

The sudden death of the Crimson Flame Sect was unexpected, so the Sunfire Sect's wealth remained untouched on the mountain. Whether it was elixirs, medicinal herbs, silver bills, or various gold and silver, everything was intact.

Even many of the disciples' clothes were left on the mountain.

The Thunder Sect disciples were divided into teams, constantly carrying things out and registering them in ledgers. Everything was carried out in an orderly manner, thanks to Han Shizhong's effective command.

During Lin Xi's unconsciousness, some of the sorting had already been completed. As the three of them walked out of the hall, a core disciple saw the opportunity and immediately approached.

"Patriarch, the two elders, the inventory has been completed. Here are the numbers, please review them, Patriarch and elders."

The core disciple held out a stack of ledgers with both hands.

"Hand them over to the Patriarch for review."

Han Shizhong immediately glared. At this moment, it was important to highlight Lin Xi's position as the patriarch.

Lin Xi didn't hesitate, picked up a ledger, and started reading. The contents were varied, recording all kinds of trivial items. After flipping through a few pages, he saw the following:

"One hundred and thirty-seven bottles of Crimson Flame Pills, three bottles of Thunder Roar Pills, eight hundred thousand taels of gold, ten million taels of silver, and three hundred million silver bills!..."

Lin Xi's pupils contracted, and his heart tightened.

What is a major sect? What does it mean to be wealthy and powerful?

This was it!

The Thunder Sect had operated many businesses in the secular world and was considered wealthy. But compared to the Sunfire Sect, it was like a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.

Eight hundred thousand taels of gold, ten million taels of silver, and three hundred million silver bills!

This wealth alone was enough to support the Thunder Sect disciples for several hundred years, covering their living expenses and cultivation.

The Sunfire Sect had deep roots and had been operating for over a hundred years. This wealth had accumulated over a long period, and it now fell into the hands of Lin Xi and the Thunder Sect.

One hundred and thirty-seven bottles of Crimson Flame Pills were enough to cultivate many experts for the Thunder Sect. Lin Xi no longer needed to go to the Fierce Beast Mountains.

As for the Thunder Roar Pills, they were undoubtedly for the Crimson Flame Sect's own use. The fact that there were only three bottles showed how precious these pills were.

Not to mention the countless medicinal herbs stored in the Sunfire Sect's treasury, piled up like mountains. The herbs in the Sunfire Sect's treasury were different from those in the Thunder Sect; there were no herbs with less than ten years of cultivation.

Herbs with over a hundred years of cultivation were piled up in countless numbers, too many to count!

"This... we really hit the jackpot!"

Lin Xi looked at the ledger, muttering to himself.

Behind him, the Great Elder and Han Shizhong's breathing was also irregular.

At such close range, with their cultivation, they couldn't possibly miss the details. Both realized what such a vast wealth meant for the Thunder Sect.

To put it bluntly, what did the scattered disciples of the Thunder Sect mean after the great upheaval?

With this wealth, they could easily establish a much larger and stronger Thunder Sect. Compared to this, the seven hundred disciples of the Thunder Sect before were insignificant.

"This... is really something extraordinary!"

Han Shizhong muttered.

To flatter Lin Xi, he hadn't reviewed these ledgers beforehand. Although he knew the gains would be significant, he hadn't expected them to be so vast.

"We've plundered the entire treasure of a major sect!..."

A thought flashed through Han Shizhong's mind, giving him a sense of absurdity. But this feeling was so real, it couldn't be more real.

"Patriarch, at the place where the Sunfire Sect's leader fell, our people found these two items. However, our disciples couldn't make a decision and didn't dare to keep them privately. Please review them, Patriarch."

The core disciple holding the ledger suddenly added, as if determined to shock.