Peach Saint Yin Xiaotao scanned his surroundings and closed his eyes. After a moment of sensing, he detected no other unusual presences and slowly vanished.

He had just been trading barbs and joking around with Elder Tie, seemingly unconcerned with the events that had transpired. In reality, however, he was on high alert.

That the Mechanical Desecration Association had infiltrated the Dimension Plane did not surprise Peach Saint. However, the fact that they dared to target Magical Beasts was cause for alarm.

Meanwhile, on the Ancestral Star, on the other side of the Unstable Rift, Li Qian’s figure materialized at the bottom of the reservoir in a flash of light.

Elder Tie had entered the Unstable Rift, and the Four-Winged Mantis had followed him.

Without the Four-Winged Mantis holding them back, the waters of the reservoir naturally closed.

Even though the water level had dropped significantly due to the flood discharge, the reservoir still held a considerable amount of water.

So, upon arriving at the bottom of the reservoir, Li Qian unsurprisingly choked on several mouthfuls of water. "GLUG, GLUG, GLUG..."

’Damn it, why does this happen every time?’ he thought, caught completely off guard.

He made a silent vow to hold his breath first, no matter what new place he entered next time.

’I can’t fall for the same trick three times.’

’That would be just plain stupid. People would laugh at me.’

And who, you might ask, would laugh at Li Qian?

Wouldn’t you know it, Elder Tie, standing right beside him, was struggling to suppress a grin.

A short distance away, Chu Xiran was also trying her best to stifle a laugh at the sight.

Li Qian’s lips twitched. He had Qizai create an air pocket in the water.

As a Wind-Water Dual Element Pet Beast, this was child’s play for Qizai.

Inside the bubble, Li Qian saw that the smile hadn’t left Elder Tie’s face. An idea sparked in his mind. "Elder Ruhua," he said, "we should probably head up. I imagine everyone else is getting anxious waiting for us."

"Er..." Hearing what Li Qian had called him, the smile on Elder Tie’s face instantly froze.

’Elder Ruhua? What the hell?’

’Wasn’t it supposed to be Elder Tie?’

’If anyone else heard me being called ’Elder Ruhua,’ where would I ever show my face again?’

"Little Taotao, you just wait..." Elder Tie knew exactly where that nickname had come from. He glared in a certain direction, muttering resentfully to himself.

Having gotten his little bit of revenge on Elder Tie, Li Qian didn’t linger in the water. He mounted Qizai, and they burst through the surface.

Seeing Li Qian, Chu Xiran, and Elder Tie emerge one after another, the crowd on the shore breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Sorry to have made everyone worry." After reaching the shore, Li Qian clasped his hands in a gesture of apology, looking a little embarrassed.

"The most important thing is that all three of you are back safe and sound!" Chujiang River said reassuringly, walking over quickly.

The contingent from the Public Security Bureau also gathered around.

Director Peng Zhongyan asked curiously, "What exactly happened after you entered the Unstable Rift? And what about that Demon Dragon Rhinoceros? How did you manage to escape from it with your lives?"

Indeed, in Director Peng’s mind, the trio must have exhausted every last resort, racked their brains, and relied on a healthy dose of sheer luck just to barely escape the Demon Dragon Rhinoceros with their lives.

As for actually killing the Demon Dragon Rhinoceros... he wouldn’t have dared to even imagine such a thing.

The gap in their power was just too vast. It was an impossible feat.

Of course, this was all a logical conclusion based on his ignorance of the Saint Spirit Level reinforcements they’d had.

Peng Zhongyan’s barrage of questions left Li Qian a bit stunned. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answers; he just didn’t feel like giving them.

At that moment, he was simply too exhausted.

Glancing at the sun nearing its zenith, Li Qian yawned. "Director Peng, please ask Elder Tie or Teacher Chu whatever you need to know. I’ve been at this since last night. I’m hungry, exhausted, and sleepy. I can’t go on."

Zhou Weiping, who was standing nearby, heard this and immediately volunteered, "Director, I request permission to escort Li Qian home."

At this, Peng Zhongyan’s mouth twitched.

He turned to look at Elder Tie, but the old man simply brushed him off. "I’ve been fighting all night and am exhausted as well. Go ask the young lady."

With that, he followed Li Qian and Zhou Weiping toward one of the Public Security Bureau’s cars.

Chu Xiran could only give a wry smile as she watched them leave.

’Citizens have a duty to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau’s investigation,’ she thought. ’Since Elder Tie and Li Qian have both bailed, I guess it falls to me.’

’Luckily, while I’ve been through a lot tonight, I haven’t done much fighting. Most of the battles were way out of my league anyway.’

’So I still have some energy left.’

Zhou Weiping drove the Public Security Bureau vehicle with haste, arriving at Jiaoyang Cultivation Base a short while later.

"Li Qian..." Zhou Weiping called out softly after the car came to a stop. He turned to look into the back and was surprised to find Li Qian already fast asleep on the rear seat.

"Shh, don’t wake him. I’ll get him inside." Elder Tie, sitting in the passenger seat, also glanced back before putting a finger to his lips.

...

Li Qian slept soundly and deeply. He didn’t wake up until eight the next morning, startled awake by his own rebelling stomach.

His mother, Han Yuqing, had anticipated this and had prepared a meal for him early on.

Without even washing up, Li Qian went straight to the dining room and began to wolf down the food.

"Slow down, slow down. I made plenty," Han Yuqing said, her heart aching a little as she watched Li Qian eat like a starving man.

Reminded by his mother, Li Qian slowed his eating pace slightly. "By the way, Mom," he asked between bites, "the riots the night before last didn’t affect our Cultivation Base, did they?"

"No," his mother Han Yuqing replied. "The Public Security Bureau has sentries nearby, and your Uncle An sent over plenty of guards, too. So, even though there were riots in the city, our Cultivation Base wasn’t affected." She hesitated for a moment before asking, "By the way, didn’t you say you were helping Tan Tou and the others with their evolution the night before last? How come you didn’t get back until noon yesterday?"

Li Qian knew his mother would ask. Not wanting to lie but also not wanting to worry her, he decided to be vague. "The evolution was pretty much done by early yesterday morning. But as you know, riots broke out in Lingshui City afterward. Tan Tou and the others had just evolved and were quite strong, so I had them lend a hand."

His mother, Han Yuqing, fell silent for a moment after hearing his explanation. "Xiaotian," she said finally, "you’re a grown man now, far more capable than your father and me. We trust you. We know that you have your reasons for every decision you make. But... Mom just hopes that no matter what you do, you’ll always put your own safety first!"

Li Qian felt his eyes sting at her simple, earnest words of concern.

Just as Li Qian, moved by his mother’s words, opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words, a frantic voice shattered the moment. "Qianzi! Qianzi! Where’s my Tan Tou? Did it finish evolving?!"