Volume Two: Mountains and Rivers Block the Way Chapter Twenty-Two: Unexpected Change

Three or four hours had passed, and Lan Sheng and Lan Shan had regained their strength.

Lan Shan, anxious and restless, said to Lan Sheng, “Lan Sheng, Palace Master Lin has been inside for so long, yet there’s not a single sign of movement.”

Lan Sheng himself felt uncertain, but did not want his younger sister to worry, so he comforted her gently, “Palace Master Lin is one of the foremost figures in Cloud Palace, and moreover possesses the bloodline of an ancient beast. He will surely turn misfortune into fortune this time.”

Lan Shan cursed inwardly, “You only ever say useless things,” then struggled to twist her body and shouted at Lan Sheng, “Hurry up and retract this garment—let me out!”

Lan Sheng wanted to persuade her to stay inside the Crystal Garment, as it would be safer, but seeing Lan Shan’s fierce gaze, he shrank his neck and recited the incantation to let her out. As he used the Sun Fixing Talisman to retrieve the Crystal Garment, he muttered, “I gave you the family heirloom to protect you, yet you still resent me. Truly ungrateful.”

Lan Shan shot him a glare, then spoke in a negotiating tone, “May I borrow your Crystal Garment for a moment?”

Lan Sheng was puzzled and asked, “What do you want to do with it?”

Lan Shan stared intently at the massive black clouds before her, did not answer directly, but pressed again, “Just say if you’ll lend it or not!”

Lan Sheng looked at the Crystal Garment in his hand, hesitated, then handed it over, saying, “Though I don’t know what you plan to do with it, I believe you’re a good person and won’t harm me.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Shan turned to glance at him. Truth be told, after so many days out, Qin Ying had yet to scrutinize this child closely. He still wore a white robe, a delicate jade belt at his waist, a purple-gold crown atop his head, his features fair and exquisite, long hair flowing—quite the elegant youth. Qin Ying wondered: such a handsome young gentleman, why is he so enamored with this battlefield of life and death?

Lan Sheng felt uncomfortable under her gaze, checking his appearance to see if he was disheveled. Lan Shan spoke, “Though you act rashly, you possess a sincere heart. Though your strategy is lacking, you have fearless courage. In the future, you must follow Yuan Lord and temper yourself well, surely you will become a hero of this generation.” With that, she took the sparkling Crystal Garment.

Lan Sheng was embarrassed by her praise and tried to change the subject, easing the awkwardness. He asked, “Lan Shan, do you know why the sacred relic of the Tian Clan ended up in our Lan family?”

Lan Shan had no interest in chatting about this, so she responded perfunctorily, “The Lan and Tian families have long been close, intermarriage is routine. Isn’t the Cloud Umbrella with Tian Chong? What’s so strange about the Crystal Garment being with the Lan family?”

Lan Sheng boasted, “Sister, you only know part of it. The Lan and Tian families are indeed close, intermarriage is true.”

Lan Shan rolled her eyes at him again.

Lan Sheng continued unhurriedly, “Don’t rush. Although the two clans are so intertwined, almost inseparable, the ancient sacred relics were bestowed by Yuan Lord and the Fairy to the clan chiefs of the celestial descendants below, and since the mythic era, each clan’s chief has kept them. But by the time of my uncles’ generation, the Lan and Tian clans had few male heirs left—only my Uncle Tian and my father remained to inherit the leadership. Yet my father only wished to seek the Dao and immortality, and refused to be the Lan clan chief.”

“So, your Uncle Tian reluctantly became the chief of both clans?” Lan Shan interjected.

Lan Sheng nodded, “Exactly! My Uncle Tian is a rare talent, entering the Immortal Rank in his twenties—truly remarkable. After he took over the Lan clan’s sacred relic, to avoid criticism from the Seven and Five Clans for acting alone, and to prevent the Lan clan from worrying about becoming a vassal, he gave the Tian clan’s sacred relic to us.”

While the two of them chatted animatedly outside the hurricane, Lin Bai was enduring a life-and-death ordeal inside.

Lin Bai spoke gently to the three Li brothers, “I have not spent much time with the Lanling Fairy, and I don’t know if she still remembers me. I have here a jade pendant she once bestowed upon me; may I trouble you, uncles, to pass it on for me?”

Lin Bai hoped to use this opportunity to draw out the three old sharks, aiming to subdue one on the spot and find a chance to escape.

Li Xian, a careless man, emerged directly from behind the dense black clouds, flying as he spoke, “If it weren’t for your old dragon’s sake…”

At this moment, Lin Bai was floating cross-legged in midair. Seeing only Li Xian approach, he felt a surge of joy.

To steady the other two sharks behind, Lin Bai feigned weakness, saying, “I am still young in my cultivation, after exchanging blows with you uncles for a while my strength is depleted. Allow me to sit and recover for a moment. Please, Uncle Li Xian, come take the token and deliver it to the Fairy.”

Li Tong’s deep, resonant voice rolled out from the mist, instructing Li Xian, “Third brother, just take the token. Second brother and I will cover you from behind.”

Li Xian saw that Lin Bai was already in a sorry state and had no thought of caution. With his elder brothers behind him, he felt even more confident, and thus carelessly flew close to Lin Bai, reaching for the emerald jade pendant hovering before Lin Bai’s chest.

Lin Bai seized the moment when Li Xian bowed his head and reached out, swinging both fists toward the two dark shadows behind Li Xian. Then, with a flick of his right hand, a scarlet Hunyuan Blade appeared. Lin Bai raised the blade and slashed toward Li Xian’s head, just as his hand was halfway extended.

Li Xian was caught off guard and shocked. With his right hand already extended, he could only lift his left elbow to block the blade.

Lin Bai’s wrist flicked lightly, all the energy he had accumulated concentrated in the Hunyuan Blade, narrowly missing Li Xian’s elbow and slicing toward his neck.

At this point, Li Xian could not evade; he closed his eyes, intending to take the blow head-on with his protective qi.

But the third old shark miscalculated. Even though Lin Bai was nearly exhausted, he was still a sixth-grade Divine Rank expert, while Li Xian, having left the Three Shark Hurricane Thunder Formation, was only a seventh-grade Immortal Rank.

A sharp, ringing clash of metal echoed through the world, making one’s teeth ache.

When the mist cleared, the protective qi flowing around Li Xian’s body had been shattered by Lin Bai’s powerful strike.

At that moment, Lin Bai followed up with a qi-charged punch to Li Xian’s face. Li Xian hastily withdrew his hands to defend.

But Lin Bai would not let him succeed; he instantly transformed his punch into a palm strike, chopping straight at the back of Li Xian’s head. With no way out, Li Xian groaned, his head lolling as he collapsed into Lin Bai’s arms.

All this transpired in mere breaths. By the time Li Tong and Li Da, fierce and desperate, rushed to rescue Li Xian, it was already too late.

They saw Lin Bai gripping Li Xian’s hair with one hand, the scarlet Hunyuan Blade pressed against his neck, glancing at them sideways with a cold smile.

Li Da screamed hysterically, “Lin Bai, you despicable villain! We trusted you, and yet you use deception to capture my brother. Shameless scoundrel!”

Lin Bai snorted coldly, “Today, in front of you uncles, I feigned surrender—indeed, I have shown you my disgrace.”

Li Tong, abandoning his previous calm tone, anxiously pleaded, “Lin Xian, do not harm your third uncle. Our families have been friends for generations; please, for old times’ sake, spare him.”

Lin Bai was furious, “Now you invoke old ties? Weren’t your moves earlier meant to kill me? Did you remember old friendship then?”

Li Da’s rage turned to supplication, “Lin Xian, both sides serve their masters; at such moments, harsh moves are unavoidable. You, as Cloud Palace Star Lord, need not stoop to our level as wandering immortals.”

Li Tong hurriedly added, “Exactly! Release my third brother quickly, let’s talk things over.”

Lin Bai snorted, gestured with his lips, “Remove the wind wall behind. Once I reach safety, I’ll let him go.”

The first and second old sharks exchanged glances, full of unwillingness. At this moment, Lin Bai raised the Hunyuan Blade; its edge had already cut Li Xian’s dark skin, blood seeping out. Li Tong and Li Da quickly agreed, mustering their energy to open a gap in the heavy wind wall, allowing a slanting ray of golden sunlight to shine in.

Lin Bai slowly retreated to the edge, tightened his grip on Li Xian’s neck, and turned to dash out of the hurricane’s enclosure.

Just as he joyfully formed a hand seal, intending to rush into the Golden Bell, an old man with white hair, youthful face, and black robes floated gracefully to block his path.

Lin Bai looked closely at the old man's face and was shocked.

The elder spoke with a voice both loving and stern, “Bai’er, stop this nonsense. Let go of the third old shark and come to your father.”

It was none other than Lin Bai’s father, Lin Xiaoyun, King of the Kunpeng Sea Dragons.