Despite the public outrage and the cacophony of angry shouts, nothing could be changed. Lingyun's return home to "fulfill his filial duty one last time" was a done deal and could not be altered.
However, human emotions are truly a strange thing, extremely prone to fluctuation.
More than twenty senior figures used their profound sonic skills to preach that filial piety is the most important virtue, and that no matter how great a person's sins may be, they have the right to say goodbye to their parents...
As a result, the inflammatory words quieted down the uproar, and people gradually accepted the fact that Lingyun was going home to "fulfill his filial duty one last time."
Ling Zixu seemed to have a premonition that danger would occur when he left the City of Sin, so he did not announce the date of his departure. However, based on Meng Ke'er's perception of Ling Yun's aura, it was irrelevant whether he announced it or not.
Two days later, Chen Nan received an urgent notification that Ling Yun and his group were about to leave secretly. As agreed beforehand, he quickly headed towards the Dragon Field of Shenfeng Academy.
At this moment, ten young powerhouses had gathered in Longchang.
The three dragon knights from the War God Academy stood on the backs of dragons that resembled small hills, exuding an aura of power that gave people a feeling of being as majestic as a mountain.
Three martial artists have arrived from the Immortal Martial Academy. Two of them have already reached the third-tier mastery level, and the other has even reached the fourth-tier initial level. This is a powerful combination.
Four mages arrived from the Illusionary Demon Academy. They floated in the air, each surrounded by a strong magical aura. However, the magical elemental fluctuations around one of them were significantly stronger than those of the other three, clearly indicating that he had already reached the fourth tier.
Before long, Kevin, Leng Feng, and a martial artist from Shenfeng Academy walked over from a distance.
Kevin, a blond and handsome man, has been cultivating every day since his defeat at the Immortal Martial Academy by the young Marquis Shenwei. Now, his cultivation has greatly improved and he has reached the third stage of mastery.
Leng Feng remained as cold as ever, exuding an aura of iciness. He was one of the top experts at Shenfeng Academy and also the elder brother of Dongfang Fenghuang, a family friend. He had stood up for Dongfang Fenghuang when she confronted Chen Nan, and the two became friends after their initial conflict, subsequently sparring with each other on several occasions.
The martial artist who came with Kevin and Leng Feng was a bit older than the others, probably around thirty-one or thirty-two years old. He exuded an aura of power, and anyone with discerning eyes could tell that he had already reached the fourth level of cultivation and was extremely strong.
Chen Nan clicked his tongue in amazement. The strength of these groups was too formidable. Some of them had not appeared in the last Youth Strongman Competition, but their strength was terrifying. The four academies were indeed full of hidden talents.
With a cry, Dongfang Fenghuang descended from the sky atop a giant golden eagle. Her outfit accentuated her beautiful figure, showcasing both her heroic spirit and sex appeal.
Chen Nan was surprised to find her among those involved in the operation. Just then, another slender female figure appeared before them. It was Long Wu, a stunningly beautiful woman with a neutral appearance, dressed in men's clothing. Her graceful figure exuded a murderous aura, and her powerful presence was unmistakable.
Chen Nan was genuinely surprised. He had never been able to see through Long Wu's cultivation level before, and only today did he realize that she had already reached the peak of the third-order mastery realm, and could break through the third-order limit at any time and enter the fourth-order realm.
With so many young powerhouses gathered together, their strength is truly terrifying!
Finally, Meng Ke'er, standing on a jade lotus platform, flew swiftly from afar, like a fairy on water.
The War God Academy has three dragon knights, the Immortal Martial Academy has three warriors, the Illusion Demon Academy has four mages, the Divine Wind Academy has three warriors and two mages, plus Chen Nan and Meng Ke'er, making a total of seventeen young powerhouses.
Among them were a fourth-tier martial artist from the Immortal Martial Academy, a fourth-tier mage from the Illusion Demon Academy, a fourth-tier martial artist from the Divine Wind Academy, plus Meng Ke'er and Chen Nan, totaling five fourth-tier experts. Their strength was astonishing. Even if Ling Zixu hadn't been poisoned and could still maintain his near-peerless master cultivation, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand so many experts.
Meng Ke'er said, "Although we have a large number of people and seem to be strong, we are not necessarily guaranteed to win. As the cultivation level increases, the gap in strength between different levels will become wider and wider. A master at the early stage of the fourth rank can easily fight against several peak experts at the third rank. The mid-stage of the fourth rank will be stronger, and the peak of the fourth rank can only be described as terrifying. Even if we have a large number of people, it is still hard to say whether we can kill Ling Zixu in his prime."
Meng Ke'er did not tell everyone that Qi Lingzixu's body had accumulated a lot of poison, so as not to let these experts down if they knew.
Just then, a tiger's roar came from high above. The little princess of Chu appeared above everyone, riding the tiger king Xiaoyu. She was wearing a white dress and had a purple ribbon tied in her hair, looking like a fairy descending from the sky.
The little princess's beautiful face was framed by a pair of bright, sparkling eyes that darted back and forth. She said with a grin, "Oh dear, I'm not late after all! Were you all waiting for me? I'm sorry, I'm late." The little princess jumped off the tiger king's back, her face full of laughter.
The crowd looked at each other and shook their heads, saying they hadn't invited her.
When Dongfang Fenghuang saw her mischievous appearance, she knew that this troublesome little thing wanted to go with them to find "fun". So she said in a deep voice, "Little troublemaker, don't be silly. We have important things to do. You can't come with us."
"Hehe, really? But Sister Wu is willing to take me." The little princess ran to Long Wu's side with a smile and said, "Sister Wu, don't be sad, I'll stay with you."
A hint of sadness flashed in Long Wu's eyes, then she smiled and said, "I won't play along with your nonsense today, go back now."
The little princess chuckled and said, "You two are really not nice, hmph. Luckily, Sister Ke'er and I are fellow disciples. Sister Ke'er, you must take me with you." She ran to Meng Ke'er's side and shook her left arm.
"Your sister and I are from the same sect. When did you become my junior sister?" Meng Ke'er said with a smile.
"Isn't my sister's senior sister my senior sister too?"
"But we're not from the same sect, hehe. You little rascal, just as your sister described, are clever and mischievous, but too naughty." It was clear Meng Ke'er liked the little princess very much. She stroked her long hair and said, "You can't come with us today. It would be very dangerous if you did. Don't shake my arm or beg me; I won't agree no matter what. Also, you're not allowed to secretly follow us, or I'll tell your sister and have her send someone to bring you back immediately."
At this moment, Meng Ke'er sensed through her aura that Ling Yun and his group had already boarded the flying dragon and sailed away. She hurriedly said to everyone, "Let's prepare to depart!"
The little princess said nonchalantly, drawing out her words, "I know."
One by one, everyone leaped onto the back of the three-headed dragon. As Chen Nan passed by the little princess, she called out to him, "You scoundrel! Humph, don't think you're some big shot now. One day I'll step on your nose and trample you under my feet."
"Hmm, keep dreaming." Chen Nan replied nonchalantly and walked quickly forward. He didn't have time to provoke the little devil right now.
"Hmph, you scoundrel, you think I can't do anything to you? I'll bring Little Dawn to find you later..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Nan nearly collapsed to the ground. He dared not argue with her, lest she actually do what she said. He sighed inwardly, "I must find an opportunity to carry out this maid-training plan to the end..."
The sky was clear and cloudless. Under the vast sky, the three-headed dragon and the golden eagle flew like lightning, chasing eastward like four streaks of light.
Five miles behind the dragon, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon was struggling to keep up. It flew at breakneck speed, panting heavily, howling incessantly: "Awooo... Damn it, why are these three giant lizards flying so fast? Luckily, I've refined the effects of the Vermilion Fruit, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to catch up." Then it cursed repeatedly: "%@%￥%￥... If I hadn't lost my Dragon Essence, would I have had such a hard time chasing you three vermin? Awooo..."
In just a quarter of an hour, Chen Nan, Meng Ke'er and the others spotted the flying dragon in the distance.
The three dragons were many times faster than the flying dragons, and quickly overtook them. The three dragons roared to the sky in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and making the flying dragon tremble in fear. It dared not fly fast anymore and its speed immediately slowed down.
Five people sat on the back of the flying dragon. An elderly man, well past seventy, sat steadily in the center, calm and composed, an aura of immense power emanating from him. This wasn't the old man intentionally showing off his superior skill; it was simply the natural energy fluctuations emanating from the flow of his internal energy, revealing the unmistakable presence of a powerful figure.
Without a doubt, this person is Ling Zixu, the younger brother of the Ling family patriarch, one of the ten great cultivation families of the Eastern Continent, and a legendary near-peerless master.
Ling Yun sat beside him, looking anxious, and told him something. The other three were all dressed in blue jackets and seemed to be servants of the Ling family.
Meng Ke'er frowned slightly and muttered to herself, "Didn't Ling Zixu only have two servants with him? How come there's suddenly an extra one?"
At this moment, Ling Zixu suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. As if two bolts of lightning struck the air, he coldly swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice, "What is the meaning of this?"
Everyone whose gaze fell upon him felt a burning pain on their skin. This terrifying power shocked everyone. The old man's cultivation was truly terrifying. It was likely that his cultivation was no longer within the range of a peak fourth-tier expert!