Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The crowd upon hearing this, retreated another nearly two hundred meters in unison.

Yi Chen watched the misty pink fog rising from Yang Manor, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, with no one knowing what he was thinking.

After tumbling through the air several times, the fog still couldn't break free from Yang Manor's confines, as if it had finally given up and suddenly pulled back towards the center before seeping back into the ground.

By this time, the day had already brightened, and the situation within Yang Manor once again became visible to everyone.

All of their pupils involuntarily constricted.

In the daylight, they saw Yang Yuyan, dressed in white, startlingly appear at the breach in the wall of Yang Manor, now unharmed, with her altered legion standing behind her, lined up in a neat row.

Yang Yuyan turned her head, her eyes coldly fixating on the direction of Yi Chen and the others. Her legion of altered beings also turned their gazes in unison, chillingly uniform, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

For some reason, Yi Chen always felt that this resurrected Yang Yuyan wasn't the same as before—it was as if, her core had been replaced.

'Yang Yuyan' moved her lips, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, no sound came out. She gave Yi Chen a deep look then let out an unearthly roar to the sky before leading her legion back into the depths of the manor, vanishing from sight.

Yi Chen frowned as he observed the scene, and if his guess was correct, with his half-baked ability to read lips, that 'Yang Yuyan' seemed to say, "We will meet again".

"We will meet again?"

Yi Chen smacked his lips, repeating the phrase silently in his mind twice, then a sinister smile surfaced on his face.

"Waste of space."

"Whether or not you have changed your core, if I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time."

Yi Chen muttered to himself, then called over Lin Baihu and the others to prepare for their retreat, leaving two or three swift riders behind to keep watch.

He had already done plenty this time. Next, it would be up to the wisdom of the imperial court and the various sects.

No cause for alarm; the sky wouldn't fall without someone tall to uphold it.

"Brother Lin, let's retreat. Report the true situation; we have done all we can do."

"That monster is highly infectious, grows fast, and seems indestructible. But luckily, its range of activity is limited. For the time being, you should evacuate the surrounding people and animals, and it would be best to encircle the entire Yang Manor with a wall to contain it."

"Otherwise, if that monster continues to spread and breaks the blockade, things will become troublesome."

"With this matter concluded, I've been away from the temple for many days; I will return now."

"The task of infusing Gold into the Dragon-Slaying Sword, I will have to entrust to you, Brother Lin."

Yi Chen took off the Dragon-Slaying Sword and handed it to Lin Zhengyi, then turned and prepared to leave.

"This time, we owe a great debt to the Daoist master. Rest assured, I will take care of the Dragon-Slaying Sword. Once it's been forged, I will personally deliver it to you," Lin Baihu assured him.

Seeing that Yi Chen was ready to depart, Lin Baihu did not attempt to hold him back. He had plenty to deal with himself, including immediately reporting the situation at Yang Manor to his superiors at the peacekeeping headquarters, and providing compensation for the deceased conscripts—a truly daunting task.

Shortly thereafter, only a few riders remained behind as Lin Baihu, leading the rest of his militia, hurriedly left the area.

"Little Miao, let's go."

Yi Chen called out, and with a leap, Little Miao jumped onto his shoulder. He hadn't brought Little Miao into Yang Manor earlier for safety reasons but had left it with the conscripts stationed outside.

"Meow meow meow" (Father, can you stop calling me Little Miao? I want to change my name)

With a meow, Little Miao reluctantly hopped onto Yi Chen's shoulder.

When looking closer, there were a few white cat hairs clinging to its body.

The hairs seemed like they could belong to either a Persian or a Ragdoll cat.

Perhaps a bit of both.

Yi Chen: "..." Buddy, I was worried about your safety and didn't bring you in. Where did you sneak off to last night? You've only been born for a few days, do you know this counts as puppy love?

Yi Chen internally ranted, and with a hint of annoyance, lightly tapped Little Miao on the head.

"Not Little Miao, so shall I call you Morning-lament?"

"Enough with your whining. Let's go, let's go."

He ignored Little Miao's protests and finally turned his head for one last look at the Yang family's stockade behind him before striding toward Hidden Dragon Temple.

The Yang family's stockade stood silently behind him, like a scar upon the earth, indelible.

As for how many such scars would mar the earth in the days to come, only Heaven knew.

——

When the east is not bright, the west shines,

I dry up the remaining sun to dry my sorrows,

Busy not the night before, busy the night after,

Dreaming not of gold, I dream of millet and wine.

The spring rain doesn't wet the confidant ghost,

The autumn chill pierces the lovelorn man profoundly.

...

Humming a tune from his previous life, Yi Chen began to make his leisurely way back home.

When passing by the Qing Shui River, although the floodwaters had receded and the bridge was passable, Yi Chen still carved another log at Little Miao's vehement request, and together they experienced the thrill of 'shrimp fishing' once more.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, with no unusual events.

Aside from a green snake suddenly darting out from the roadside grass, attempting to attack Yi Chen, who crushed it with his foot, there were no accidents.

With his exceptional leg strength, Hidden Dragon Temple was within sight by the hour of Shen.

"The senior brother has returned, the senior brother has returned."

From a distance, the two young ones, Qing Feng and Ming Yue, saw the tall Daoist figure approaching the temple—those arms, that waistline; who else could it be but their beloved senior brother?

The two youngsters' happiness also infected Yi Chen; being awaited by others after a ten-day absence felt quite nice.

With one in each arm, he laughed heartily as he carried them both across the threshold of the temple.

Tonight at Hidden Dragon Temple was exceptionally festive, with a large table filled with chicken, duck, various fruits and mushrooms. All four brothers were cheerful. Even Qing Yunzi, who rarely drank, shared two cups with Yi Chen.

Of course, there was still no fish on the dinner table.

...

...

At night, Yi Chen opened the window and stood with his hands behind his back, facing the evening breeze. He let the wind rush into his sleeves and whip his robe into a fluttering sound.

He thought a lot at that moment.

When heaven and earth undergo great change, there is no such thing as an unbroken egg in an overturned nest.

Perhaps after he reached the Body-Breaking Realm, he could prepare for a journey to Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Considering the favor of returning the Heavenly Master's jade token, Dragon Tiger Mountain would likely share some information about Yin Manor or the news of the blood-colored meteor with him. This way, he could make early preparations and plan ahead.

"But relying on a mountain means the mountain may fall, relying on a person means they may leave."

"Iron must be strong in itself."

"I still need to work hard on my cultivation."

Looking into the profound night sky, Yi Chen's eyes flashed with a severe light. He closed the window and took out the closely guarded Thunder Exorcism Jade. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to touch the beautiful green jade.

"Let's begin."

"Without ruthlessness, one cannot stand firm."

Little Miao, seeing this, let out a strange cry and whooshed up to the roof beam once more.

In the small room, a tall Daoist practiced his stances all night, while a black cat quietly lay on the roof beam watching, an oddly harmonious scene.