In the outskirts of the forgotten forest, lay an ancient platform that seemed to not be damaged by time, Upon the teleportation formation, intricate designs suddenly began to glow as if awakened by an unseen force, the floor of the platform shimmered with a dazzling light and from the shimmering light, a figure emerged.

Meng Lin, not feeling disoriented by the teleportation formation, looked around, realizing the familiar environment, it was the forgotten forest.

"Hmm!!"

Suddenly a voice sounded from behind Meng Lin who turned to see an old man floating in the air, with a piercing gaze, the old man said "Disciple Meng Lin!"

Meng Lin quickly recognized who it was, "Division Head Zheng" she wondered what the division head of the Martial Arts Mountain was doing here but she realized that it was probably on the orders of the sect to guard this teleportation formation.

Division Head Zheng was momentarily stunned by the aura of the girl before him. "You, what happened to you, your cultivation"

Meng Lin took a moment to assess herself. "I had an encounter within a secret realm," she said, her voice steady.

Division Head Zheng floated closer, his eyes narrowing as he took in the changes in Meng Lin. "This is no small feat. Your aura... And you've leapt across realms, that is good," he observed and said with a mixture of astonishment and happiness.

Meng Lin nodded "I was informed about the sect's condition and the Divine Sage Ancestor's injuries, can you tell me what the situation is now, my sect token had broken within the Secret Realm"

The Division Head nodded, his piercing eyes turning to the distance, "it's as you've heard, our sect has taken heavy blows, however after our last confrontation, the Scarlet Demon Sect also suffered a heavy blow, we've both retreated to recuperate and strengthen our defenses. The situation is at a stalemate, neither side making a significant move."

He sighed, "The Divine Sage Ancestor is still recovering. His injuries were severe, and it will take time for him to regain his full strength. In his absence, the sect has been cautious."

Meng Lin's eyes raised as she spoke. "I understand, but what are you doing here"

Division Head Zheng looked at Meng Lin his eyes glowing before he spoke, glancing around the ancient platform. "This teleportation formation is crucial for our communication and movement between strategic points. We suspect the Scarlet Demon Sect has been trying to locate and interfere with them"

"I see, then I'll return to the sect immediately" Meng Lin said after gathering her thoughts.

Division Head Zheng nodded." You will surely be paid attention to by the higher ups after your return," he then continued, taking out a talisman "there is a giant killing formation covering this area, this talisman will make sure you're not affected by it"

Meng Lin took the talisman, examining the complex runes etched into its surface. "Thank you, Division Head Zheng."

Division Head Zheng waved his hand and said "another thing, thr Scarlet Demon Sect has been bold since the beginning of this conflict, some of them have hidden within the vicinity of the sect, you might encounter some, on your way back, so be careful"

Meng Lin nodded before bringing up her qi, quickly taking off and flying towards the distance.

As Meng Lin soared through the sky, the landscape below her transformed rapidly. The dense foliage of the Forgotten Forest gave way to the more familiar terrain near her sect's domain.

Her mind was preoccupied with the news about the Divine Sage Ancestor’s condition and the ongoing conflict with the Scarlet Demon Sect.

She wondered what the sect would do if anything were to happen to the Divine Sage Ancestor. As she had a vow towards the sect, if she were to get called to action then she would surely have to go even if the sect was facing a losing battle.

Oh!

Lost in her thoughts Meng Lin suddenly noticed how quiet the place was, not the silence of nothingness but rather the emptiness of monsters, she had assumed that all parts of the continent would house some form of monsters but she didn't even feel the Qi of the nether cloud domain here.

Had the sect set up a barrier around it's domain or were they fighting and holding the monsters off from entering the region?.

She adjusted her qi to speed up her journey, eager to return and truly find out how the sect was doing, suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Meng Lin came to a halt, her eyes gazing far towards her left.

From a distance of 30 miles Meng Lin squinted her eyes to faintly see three men fighting, two wore the white robe of the sect while the other wore black robes, the attacks that they released told her that they are within the Gold Core Realm.

She raised her eyebrows as she noticed that one of the white robed men seems to be attacking alongside the black robed man against the other white robed man.

She contemplated whether a sect disciple had betrayed the sect and if she should go help as she could see that the fight had reached a stalemate where neither gained the upper hand.

After thinking for a bit she flew towards the fight at a fast pace, utilizing the Formless Cultivation Method to lower her presence to that of an ants. She flew fast, covering a couple miles every ten breaths and after a few moments Meng Lin finally got a good look at the three individuals fighting.

'This is surprising' Meng Lin thought lightly as she recognized all three individuals fighting, the black robed man was Zhang Wei, the Scarlet Demon disciple that she encountered when she first entered the dead zone of the Nether Cloud Domain, he was within the Middle Stage of the Gold Core Realm now.

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He is a master of shadow manipulation, likely unlocking the elemental Qi of shadow, his abilities are annoying to deal with as he merges with his shadow to escape whenever he desires.

What made Meng Lin really surprised was the other individuals, one was the Gold Core Cultivator who had threatened her when she helped out an outer sect disciple, the young blacksmith with sect points, Ruan Lee.

The other individual was precisely that young man Ruan Lee, he had gone from a nobody in the Qi gathering Realm to being a Gold Core cultivator in less than two months.

Meng Lin was truly surprised, she couldn't help but go back to her amused thoughts of the young man being a protagonist character.

As Meng Lin approached the three fighters, she observed their movements closely. Zhang Wei's shadow manipulation skills were formidable, allowing him to evade and counter with precision.

The guy who had threatened her also seemed to be in the Middle Stage of the Gold Core Realm, his abilities are fire related and he seems to primarily use qi to attack.

Ruan Lee, on the other hand, exhibited a purple lotus which increased his strength and control over his qi, his attacks were displaying a level of skill beyond his Cultivation Realm of the early stage, it made Meng Lin surprised as he was able to content with two cultivators one realm higher than him and he wasn't on the losing end.

With a mix of curiosity and wonder, Meng Lin finally arrived, her form materializing in the battlefield as she descended gracefully, her presence catching the attention of the three.

"You!!!" All three voices sounded, both in surprise and apprehension, her sudden arrival had been truly unexpected.

"Seems like I've stumbled upon something interesting," Meng Lin remarked, her voice cool and collected. The air around them seemed to still and flow with her voice.

Zhang Wei, with his mastery of shadow manipulation, was the first to recover from the surprise. A sneer formed on his lips as he said, " It's you, one of the soul shattering sect's rising stars"

Ruan Lee, still in shock from Meng Lin's sudden appearance, quickly regained his composure. His expression was one of worry and confusion, his eyes flickered when they landed on her and he said "you should leave this place, return to the sect and inform the sect elders", he naturally can't see the cultivation level of Meng Lin so he gathered the best method for both of them.

He reasoned that since she was in the foundation establishment realm the last time they met then she would at most be within the early stages of the Gold Core Realm, if she were to participate in this battle, she would at most slow him down.

Meng Lin turned her attention to Ruan Lee, noting the significant change in character. "Junior Brother Lee, it seems you've had quite the change since we last met, your aura is... intriguing."

Before Ruan Lee could respond, Meng Lin shifted her focus to the other white-robed man, whose allegiance seemed questionable at best. "And you," she said, her tone slightly colder, "seem to have forgotten your allegiance to the sect."

The man, Wei Han hesitated, before suddenly chuckling and snorted, "hump, what allegiance to the sect, the sect is not what i hoped and my talents are being wasted under their command."

"Rather than that, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself, you refused to apologize before and now you're playing judge, it seems you truly don't value your life" His proposition was cut short by Meng Lin's sharp laugh which filled the air with sudden tension.

"What's so funny" Wei Han demanded, his voice laced with irritation and a growing sense of unease.

Meng Lin's gaze was piercing, her laugh subsiding into a smirk. "What's funny is how you think you have talent to move the sect, do you think your talent will shine within the Scarlet Demon Sect. That's laughable since you clearly don't have any talent"

Wei Han's face reddened, his anger boiling at Meng Lin's words. "Bitch! I'll kill you" His aura surged and he said "Core Manifestation: Solar Majesty."

Thump!!

Suddenly the whole area brightened and a giant sun appeared overhead, casting intense heat and light across the battlefield.

Within 50 meters of the Sun, the earth scorched and intense heat permitted the air, Ruan Lee squinted his eyes and felt an insane burn on his body, he raised his aura and delveged deep within himself, as if looking for something.

"Come on, awaken" he said as he tried to unlock his Core Manifestation, it was the only way that he could both survive and save Meng Lin who he felt gratitude for.

His aura was beginning to shift when he suddenly heard a phrase which made him stop in his track, "is that all"

Meng Lin's voice, clear and unfazed, cut through the oppressive heat like a cold breeze. Ruan Lee, his concentration broken, turned towards her, the urge to unlock his Core Manifestation momentarily forgotten. He saw Meng Lin standing calmly, no protective barrier around her, yet it appears as though she was untouched by the intense heat.

Wei Han, on the other hand, was pouring all his energy into maintaining the giant sun, his face twisted in a grimace of effort and anger. The sight was surreal, the immense heat causing waves of distortion in the air around them, yet Meng Lin stood serene.

Realization suddenly hit Ruan Lee as he realized the thought of needing to save her now seemed naive. Here she was, not just surviving the onslaught but appearing to be unaffected.

Meng Lin's next actions were swift and precise. With a slight movement of her hand, a pulse of corrosive qi radiated from her hand, headed towards Wei Han.

Wei Han, already strained from maintaining the giant sun, barely had time to react. His eyes widened in horror as the corrosive qi, a dark, sinister energy that seemed to corrode the light around it, approached him. He attempted to muster his defenses, but the intensity of Meng Lin's attack was beyond anything he had anticipated.

The corrosive qi hit Wei Han with the force of a tempest, tearing through his defenses as if they were made of paper. His screams filled the air, a chilling sound that echoed across the battlefield, before being abruptly silenced.

The giant sun overhead flickered and vanished as Wei Han's energy dissipated, leaving no trace of him behind except a charred mark on the ground where he once stood.

Ruan Lee and Zhang Wei, who had been preparing for a strategic retreat, froze in shock. The battlefield, moments ago a stage for their conflict, had turned into a stark silence of Meng Lin's overwhelming power.

Meng Lin turned her gaze towards Zhang Wei, her expression was calm but her eyes reflected decisiveness. Zhang Wei, sensing the imminent danger and realizing the shift in power dynamics, made a split-second decision.

His body flickered, merging with his shadow in an attempt to escape the battlefield and avoid Meng Lin. However it was futile, Meng Lin extended her hand and a surge of her corrosive qi covered the ground, quickly turning the area of a hundred meters into a dead zone.

"Ahh!!"

From underneath Ruan Lee, a scream was heard as the corrosive qi acted like a predator, tracking Zhang Wei within the shadow of Ruan Lee, the corrosive qi enveloped his shadow form, causing more screams to echo through the shadow of Ruan Lee.

Aughh!!

The shadow writhed and twisted, trying to escape the shadow, but it was like trying to move in a muddy water. Within moments, the shadow stilled, and Zhang Wei's presence was extinguished from the battlefield, leaving behind a quiet that was both eerie and telling.

Ruan Lee watched in awe and disbelief, his understanding of the higher realm being solidified by the power display, Meng Lin was definitely at the Soul Wondering Realm.

Meng Lin turned to Ruan Lee, her expression softening slightly "Junior Brother Lee. Are you alright?" Her voice brought Ruan Lee back to reality, grounding him after the shock of witnessing such power.

"I... Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to you," Ruan Lee replied, still trying to process the events. He looked at Meng Lin with a newfound respect and a bit of awe. "What will you do now?" he asked, curious about her plans.

"I need to return to the sect. It's been a while since i left," Meng Lin replied, her gaze turning towards the direction of their sect.

"Would you like me to accompany you back?" Ruan Lee offered, feeling a sense of gratitude and wonder towards Meng Lin.

Meng Lin considered his offer for a moment before nodding, she also has questions to ask him "Alright, Junior Brother Lee. Let's return together."

Together, Meng Lin and Ruan Lee took to the skies, their figures swiftly moving towards the horizon, leaving the region.