Chapter 418: Lin Dong's Departure, Qing Tan's Vow
"It's time we settle our own issues, now that the matter with the Tianxuan Sect is resolved…" Tian Yuanzi said calmly, turning his gaze to Lin Dong and Little Marten.
At this, Lin Dong clenched his fists, his gaze dark and murderous thoughts swirling within.
"Father, help him, please!" Ying Huanhuan, eyes rimmed with tears, turned pleadingly to Ying Xuanzi.
Ying Xuanzi held his gaze on his daughter, sorrow evident in his expression. His fists clenched, unable to act openly. His intervention could implicate the lives of tens of thousands of Dao Sect disciples. When they had legal grounds, he could step in, but with the focus now shifted to Little Marten, he had no legitimate reason to interfere.
Lin Langtian's eyes narrowed as he observed this. So Tian Yuanzi still hadn't given up on taking Lin Dong down.
"Big brother, what about Lin Dong and Little Flame…?" Jin Wu said hesitantly.
"Let's wait a moment. Little Marten has broken free; maybe he can find a way to help them escape. Now, as a Yuan Gate disciple, it's best I stay out of this," Lin Langtian replied with a slight frown.
"Little Marten… could that be the Celestial Marten?" Wu Xuan, standing nearby, murmured in astonishment as he looked at Little Marten beside Lin Dong.
The Seven Calamities Black Golden Crow clan was mysterious, but the Celestial Martens were among the top three clans of the Demonic Beast Realm, unmatched in both power and status.
"You old dogs from Yuan Gate! You won't win this time!"
"Ancestral Mark—Ignite!"
Boom!
Meanwhile, Little Marten roared defiantly as the three elders of Yuan Gate closed in. Symbols began to glow on his massive wings, pulsing as if drawn from the depths of his bloodline and emitting a strong, obscure energy.
Hiss!
A crimson light appeared, spreading across his wings. The symbols flickered and vanished, transforming into blood that flowed through his veins.
With a roar, his massive form began to swell once more, blanketing the Demon City in his shadow. His power spiked, visibly shocking Tian Yuanzi and the others. Thanks to igniting his ancestral marks, Little Marten had reached his peak.
Darkly determined, Little Marten turned his gaze to the elders in the distance. With a sweep of his sleeve, black and purple energy engulfed Lin Dong and Little Flame, quickly pulling them into a thick, purple-black cloud.
Buzz!
As the three entered the cloud, the light dimmed, revealing a warped spatial array.
"Spatial transfer?"
The Yuan Gate elders paled, their expressions shifting dramatically.
"I set up this transport array earlier amidst the chaos. The Eastern Profound Region is no longer safe; I'll take you away from here," Little Marten explained, his hands swiftly forming seals. The array spun faster, wild spatial waves emanating from it.
Lin Dong and Little Flame exchanged a glance and nodded. Without the Tianxuan Sect's intervention, they'd have been cornered already. This chance to escape the Eastern Profound Region was their best shot.
"You're not getting away that easily!"
Tian Yuanzi and his companions launched simultaneous attacks, unleashing overwhelming power toward the array, intent on shattering it.
"You three old mutts! Don't even think about it!" Little Marten's fierce cry reverberated from above.
The clouds churned, forming a colossal, thousand-foot purple crescent moon that loomed with terrifying energy, striking awe and fear into those below.
"Celestial Moon Slash!"
A massive, dark claw tore through the clouds, grabbing the crescent. Without hesitation, the moon's arc split open space, slicing down toward the elders of Yuan Gate.
Boom!
As the crescent passed, a huge fissure appeared in Demon City, attesting to the moon's devastating force.
"Hmph," Ren Yuanzi scoffed, his sleeve waving as he conjured a giant yin-yang disc, alternating between black and white as it floated in the air.
The black-and-white disc clashed with the moon, and an explosion reverberated as energy waves as high as a thousand feet spread across the sky. The space around them fractured, as if devoured by gaping black voids.
The impact sent the yin-yang disc flying backward, and even Ren Yuanzi staggered, taking two steps back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The monstrous energy continued to ripple outward as Little Marten's moon barrage relentlessly targeted Ren Yuanzi and occasionally swept toward the other two elders, signaling his intent to take on all three.
"It's been a while since I fought. You want a fight? Fine, I'll entertain you." Tian Yuanzi exchanged a look with Di Yuanzi, their eyes gleaming with cold intent. With a laugh, they both darted into the fray, joining the battle in the sky.
Tian Yuanzi's eyes gleamed, his figure piercing through space as he locked onto Lin Dong and his companions within the array.
His eyes narrowed as he aimed and fired a powerful gust, striking the array dead-on.
Crash!
The impact sent tremors through the array, throwing it off balance and leaving it on the verge of collapse.
"Your array's been disrupted! If you try to leave, you'll face certain death, Lin Dong. I told you, no one can save you this time!"
Ying Xuanzi and the Dao Sect disciples paled as they turned their gaze to Lin Dong's flickering array, waves of chaotic energy emanating ominously from it.
"You old piece of trash!" Little Marten cursed as he stared grimly at the turbulent light beams surrounding the portal. He knew that if they abandoned the portal now, they would fall straight into Yuan Gate's hands.
"What do we do?" he asked Lin Dong.
"Keep the portal running!" Lin Dong clenched his teeth and commanded.
Little Marten nodded firmly, his voice icy and urgent, "The portal is unstable; I have no idea where it'll take us. Lin Dong, Little Flame—if we get separated, come find me at the Celestial Marten Clan in the Demon Realm. When the time comes, I'll bring an army with me, and we'll slaughter Yuan Gate!"
"Understood!" Lin Dong's eyes burned red. They had been cornered like stray dogs, and the urge for revenge was now etched into his bones.
"Let's go!"
With that, the light around their bodies intensified, and the three began to blur and distort.
Boom!
Little Marten's form dissolved first, disappearing as a silver beam into the twisted space, followed closely by Little Flame.
Everyone watched as the three chose to flee, even knowing the transport would likely be lethal. Countless eyes were drawn to the last figure remaining—the one bearing Lin Dong's crimson gaze directed at Tian Yuanzi and his allies.
A beast-like growl erupted from Lin Dong, reverberating through the air.
"You Yuan Gate dogs forced this disgrace upon the three of us today. I, Lin Dong, will remember it well. Mark my words—the day my brothers and I return to the Eastern Profound Region will be your end!"
The end!
The final words, laced with uncontainable rage, echoed through the crowd as Lin Dong's body, cloaked in a brilliant beam, vanished into the twisted space.
Tian Yuanzi and his two companions stood, gazing darkly at the place where the trio had disappeared. Though they were aware that transporting now was nearly a death sentence, a faint unease settled over them.
The seeds sown today, perhaps, would one day… be repaid in blood.
"Master, the array is broken, and those three are exhausted. They'll be ripped to shreds by the spatial turbulence—there's no way they survive!" a Yuan Gate elder, Shi Dong, said with a sycophantic smile.
"I wasn't aiming for a 'near miss'," Tian Yuanzi replied coldly, casting him a dark look. "This brat, if he lives, will be a disaster."
"Spread the word—issue a bounty on Lin Dong and his brothers. Not only here but across every region. Whoever provides information will have access to any of Yuan Gate's martial techniques," Di Yuanzi commanded coldly.
"Yes, sir!" Shi Dong, his smile faltering, nodded obediently, fear flickering in his eyes.
"I wonder how long this brat can survive," murmured Ren Yuanzi, his voice an icy whisper that chilled all who heard it.
Their voices carried, stirring murmurs throughout the crowd as people discussed Yuan Gate's tempting bounty.
But amidst the voices, a girl in a black dress quietly emerged, her expression pale and icy, her gaze fixed coldly on Tian Yuanzi and his two allies.
"It's Qing Tan," Lin Langtian whispered as he recognized her.
"If I get the chance, I'll lay waste to Yuan Gate myself!"
With her chilling words, the girl's unwavering hatred filled the air, echoing across the scene.
"You're clearly close to that brat. Shi Dong, capture her," Ren Yuanzi ordered impatiently, his brows creased.
"Yes, sir!"
Shi Dong leaped forward, reaching to seize Qing Tan. But just as he approached within a few feet, a black beam shot from a newly-formed rift above her, smashing into Shi Dong's chest.
Bang!
With a dull sound, Shi Dong fell from the sky like a bird with a broken wing, hitting the ground and coughing blood as he landed. Shocked by the sudden turn, everyone fell silent.
"This presence…"
Even the Yuan Gate elders' eyes widened as they turned toward the tear in the sky. Tian Yuanzi spoke slowly, his voice tense. "The Dark Hall Lord?"
"Tian Yuanzi, I spent centuries finding such a perfect disciple. If she suffers any harm, then prepare for war with the Dark Hall." A raspy, mocking voice spoke from the tear. Moments later, a black-robed figure with a dark crown appeared, drawing gasps from the crowd.
"It's Bo Xuan, Hall Lord of the Dark Hall from the Northern Profound Region!" someone exclaimed.
"If I'd known she was your disciple, our treatment would have been… different. A bit of misjudgment on our part," Tian Yuanzi replied, offering a reluctant smile. Though Bo Xuan was only at the Reincarnation Stage, he wielded the Dark Ancestral Symbol, a power even Tian Yuanzi respected.
Bo Xuan merely smiled and turned to Qing Tan. "Coming back with me?"
Qing Tan pressed her lips together, her fists clenched. Softly, she replied, "When we return, send me to the Dark Tribunal."
"Are you sure?" Bo Xuan's dark eyes gleamed.
"I said it—I will see Yuan Gate fall," Qing Tan replied, her tone cold.
"When you become Dark Hall Lord, you will be our king. Your will shall be absolute—even I could not stand in your way." Bo Xuan's voice softened, a hand resting gently on her head.
"Thank you, Master," Qing Tan said quietly, warmth flickering in her otherwise icy eyes.
"Come now," Bo Xuan said, gesturing for her to follow. With a wave of his hand, a dark rift opened beside him. The black light enveloped Qing Tan and her bodyguard, and without another glance at the crowd, they vanished into the rift.
Tian Yuanzi's gaze darkened as her words echoed in his mind. Turning his eyes to Lin Langtian, a thought sparked in his cold gaze.
"Return with me to Yuan Gate," he commanded. "I have a task for you…"
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