Xiao Wu shrank her neck and obediently communicated with Er Ming.
Er Ming was clearly a bit reluctant to part.
Xiao Wu stepped forward, patted Er Ming, and comforted him, "Be good, you go back first. I'll come back often to see you all later."
Under her persistent persuasion, Er Ming reluctantly left.
"I didn't expect your bond to be so deep?" Jiang Yunzhou teased.
"They all take care of me and are very good to me." Xiao Wu felt a sudden surge of sadness.
Jiang Yunzhou didn't want to dwell on her past, so he directly changed the subject: "Are you coming in with me, or waiting for me here?"
"W-we're definitely coming with you!"
Jiang Yunzhou nodded.
Although there shouldn't be any danger with Xiao Wu around, following Jiang Yunzhou would always be more reassuring.
Since Ah Yin's identity had been exposed, he no longer needed to hide anything: "Big Sister Lan, you're already in your territory. Do you have any means to escape from me?"
If it had been before she met Da Ming and Er Ming, she might truly have rallied her kin to help her escape this man's clutches.
But now, she had to consider her kin.
If she really escaped, would he let that big fellow come over and wreak havoc?
How would that be any different from extermination?
Whether intentionally trying to please him or not, she somewhat intimately wrapped around Jiang Yunzhou's arm.
Having 'chatted' with him daily these past days, she actually didn't dislike Jiang Yunzhou that much anymore.
Jiang Yunzhou's feelings for her were also no longer as they were at first, where he only wanted to use her as a shield.
The desire for revenge that had existed then had faded considerably by now.
Now, he wanted to cultivate her and help her transform again.
Talking to a person always felt more real than talking to a plant.
"What, still don't want to talk to me? How about you call out the Lan Yin King, and I'll chat with him for a bit..."
"You don't need to be afraid. I didn't intend to do anything to it. I just want to persuade it to voluntarily sacrifice itself to you, to help you transform faster..."
Ah Yin suddenly fell silent, no longer responding to him.
Receiving no response, Jiang Yunzhou ignored her and continued walking deeper into the swaying fields of Lan Yin Grass.
The girls were easily captivated by the surrounding flowers and plants, frolicking among them.
Not long after, a hoarse yet excited voice was heard. This voice came from the Lan Yin King.
"Our Queen! Is our Queen back? How could you become so weak?"
"It's humans, it must be humans who harmed you like this!"
"Humans! Return our Queen to our clan! Otherwise, you will regret it!"
Only the voice was heard, but no one was seen.
However, as far as the eye could see, a particularly tall Lan Yin Grass, glowing faintly blue, was gently swaying.
The voice came from it.
If Da Ming and Er Ming couldn't help him solve his eighth spirit ring, Jiang Yunzhou might have considered using this Lan Yin King as a backup for his eighth spirit ring.
After all, this was originally an opportunity that belonged to Tang San.
But now he already had other options.
In that case, why not persuade the Lan Yin King to fulfill their 'Queen'?
If it succeeded, it would not only cut off one of Tang San's opportunities but also help Ah Yin recover faster, wouldn't it?
In the original plot, Ah Yin did not touch these opportunities.
Who dares to say that these opportunities couldn't help her recover faster?
The group slowly approached the Lan Yin King, and Jiang Yunzhou gently placed Ah Yin on the ground.
"Big Sister Lan, perhaps you should think more about yourself. You've already sacrificed one life for that Tang fellow; you don't owe them anything anymore..."
He looked up at the special Lan Yin Grass and continued:
"Lan Yin King, your Queen wasn't harmed by me. On the contrary, I kindly saved her."
"If it weren't for me, she would still be in some remote corner for who knows how many years."
"Now that your Queen can appear here, you should be thanking me."
"If you don't want to see your Queen continue to suffer, shouldn't you do something for her?"
"For example, sacrifice your eighty-five-thousand-year cultivation to her. After all, you both come from the same origin, and it's not benefiting an outsider, is it?"
He didn't care if Ah Yin and the Lan Yin King were secretly communicating at this moment.
He was only responsible for throwing out bait, using words to guide the Lan Yin King, and incidentally doing some 'psychological work' on Ah Yin, instilling in her the idea of selfishness.
What if it succeeded?
Let her take Tang San's opportunity herself, saving Jiang Yunzhou the trouble of acting.
"Alright, Big Sister Lan, we're going elsewhere to cultivate. We won't disturb your reunion for now. I'll come see you tomorrow, and by then, the decision is yours."
If she decided to stay here, it wouldn't matter.
If she was willing to go with him, then he might take her to the Yin Yang Two Extremes Eye.
He looked at Ah Yin on the ground and whispered, "Don't disappoint me..."
After speaking, he said no more and took the three girls, turning to walk elsewhere.
Having just broken through, they could take this opportunity to consolidate their cultivation.
The three girls did not comment on his actions, quietly acting as companions.
"Let's go first."
The group walked a short distance, found a suitable spot for cultivation, and sat down to circulate their cultivation techniques.
Now they all had many cultivation techniques that needed to be practiced, and if they truly wanted to cultivate diligently, there simply wasn't enough time.
Shenghun Village.
Tang Hao spent more than half a month to barely recover from his injuries.
This time, Jiang Yunzhou brought him not only physical trauma but more so a spiritual blow.
Even his 'heart of a strong man,' which he had always relied on, was completely shattered in that battle.
For the first time in a battle, he felt stifled, for the first time he felt powerless, and for the first time, fear arose in his heart.
If it were before, he wouldn't even know what 'fear' was.
But that young man, seemingly acting casually and indifferently, could completely overpower him in all aspects.
One must know that Jiang Yunzhou was only a Spirit Saint at that time.
He thought he was strong enough, a being who dared to challenge the Spirit Hall; how could there be any weaklings?
Yet, he was truly defeated by a young man.
After his injuries recovered somewhat.
He missed home.
He dragged his still unhealed body back to Shenghun Village.
He bypassed his dilapidated wooden house and walked directly to the bottom of the waterfall.
"Ah Yin, I've come to see you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, a look of panic appearing on his face.
Coupled with the scattered footprints on the ground, it was clear that someone had been here not long ago.
"Ah Yin, where is my Ah Yin?"
He looked at the empty patch of land, as if struck by lightning, and froze in place.
"Ah—"
"No, don't..."
"Who? Who stole my Ah Yin!"
"Who exactly~~~~"
Tang Hao roared hoarsely, his Titled Douluo's pressure erupting without reservation, instantly enveloping the entire village.
Some villagers heard the sound and wanted to go out to investigate, but under this terrifying pressure, they trembled and dared not make a sound.
Tang Hao was almost insane.
He released his mental force without reservation, trying to search for any lingering aura of Ah Yin.
But he was ultimately too late; there was no trace of Ah Yin left in the air.
He began knocking on doors house by house, interrogating and asking if any outsiders had visited the village recently.
Finally, from the villagers' fragmented descriptions and the familiar physical features, he basically confirmed: the day after he fought Jiang Yunzhou, Jiang Yunzhou had been here.
"It's Jiang Yunzhou? How did he know about Ah Yin's existence?"
But now was not the time to think about these things; the most important thing now was to find Ah Yin.
"Jiang Yunzhou, I will definitely make you pay!"
He left Shenghun Village with a heart full of hatred.
Now, this place, which once held his last shred of hope, was also left with nothing.
He rushed to the Supreme Academy at the fastest speed.
But when he arrived, the place was already deserted, with not a single soul in sight.
Perhaps they had left not long ago, as he could still vaguely sense that Ah Yin's aura had once lingered here.
He followed that faint aura, found the spot where Ah Yin had once been planted, and knelt, weeping bitterly:
"Ah Yin, I'm sorry, I implicated you, I didn't protect you well..."
"Don't worry, I will definitely save you..."
An unprecedented gloom and killing intent appeared on his face, wishing he could tear Jiang Yunzhou to pieces immediately.
Harmg Ah Yin had clearly touched his bottom line.
Having tracked her this far, the residual aura in the air was enough for him to determine Ah Yin's whereabouts.
He hated Jiang Yunzhou to the extreme, so before leaving, he shattered the Supreme Academy.
Then he chased with all his might in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.