The black and white qi that the White Dragon expelled flew towards Lin Yun at an extremely fast speed. Along the way, there were no unusual signs, but Little Gold could feel that even the space itself collapsed where the qi ball passed.

The recovery ability of space was very strong, and it instantly reverted to its original state, so much so that the human eye couldn’t detect any anomalies.

Could Lin Yun withstand this attack?

Little Gold began to worry about Lin Yun.

In the past, its only job was to transform into a sword; it never needed to fret over the safety of its master—it only had to exert its own power. After all, if one master died, there would be another one.

But this time, it hoped that Lin Yun wouldn’t just die like that.

Little Gold was about to communicate with Lin Yun, to use a Spatial Evasion technique to escape, which was Lin Yun’s usual style. But before it could speak, it felt Lin Yun’s intention.

He was about to make his move.

As the black and white qi ball was about to bombard Lin Yun, the White Dragon also indifferently withdrew its gaze.

There was no need to look back at the explosion; Lin Yun was surely dead.

However, the next second, it discovered that a sword flashing with lightning had pierced into its body, followed by a clump of Golden Flames that completely engulfed it.

Lin Yun’s fire was the most effective against such things.

The White Dragon’s body, composed of cloud and mist, was quickly burnt away by the Golden Flames. In the final moments of its consciousness, its eyes were also filled with confusion.

How... How did he evade it?

If its attack could be dodged by a Spatial Evasion technique, it wouldn’t have needed to charge up for so long. Once it attacked, it was supposed to be a guaranteed hit, and once it hit, it was supposed to utterly annihilate the enemy. How could it have been counter-killed?

The White Dragon didn’t understand this, and soon it was incinerated by Lin Yun’s fire.

Seeing the White Dragon dead, Lin Yun finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit weak in the knees. He didn’t care about his image and just plopped down on the ground.

This sword move of his was a fusion technique.

He had seen Dongfang Hongyue’s Fire Spirit Avatar and Lin Yu’s Sword Intent. When he wanted to comprehend his own Sword Intent, many pieces of information appeared in his mind.

Indeed, the most suitable Sword Intent to comprehend was his own.

But this didn’t mean he couldn’t learn from others.

Wu Xin’s suggestion to learn from Lin Yu was not feasible for him, as he didn’t possess the same imposing manner. Like Dongfang Hongyue, he preferred self-preservation, but he was also different from her. Dongfang Hongyue wouldn’t take action without ninety percent certainty, while Lin Yun was willing to take a risk on a favorable outcome.

So, Lin Yun realized this sword move.

He didn’t use just one sword when he launched his attack to kill the White Dragon; he also shattered the eye of the storm with one sword. It seemed like he had only made one move, but in reality, two swords were used.

"This move shall be called Hidden Sword Style!"

Thinking of how strong the White Dragon was and yet he managed to slay it, Lin Yun felt quite smug, feeling that he had pulled off a spectacular move.

However, looking at the large crater created by the black and white qi ball, Lin Yun also had lingering fears. It was fortunate that at the last moment, he realized such a cunning sword move, combining Lin Yu’s Sword Intent, Dongfang Hongyue’s Spirit Clone Technique, and his Cheating Heaven Step Technique, to successfully complete the counter-kill.

Otherwise, he would be in pieces by now.

Because he survived, the space of this place cracked instead.

As the White Dragon died, the area began to resemble shattered glass, with fragments falling from the cracks like the sound of breaking glass.

As the mist dissipated, Lin Yun found himself back in the original place, not far from where Bai Jiaojiao left her message.

Looking at those words, Lin Yun couldn’t help but sigh.

After all this trouble, he still hadn’t found any clues about the Sky-Piercing Tower. The White Dragon didn’t communicate with people at all, deceiving him into loneliness, leaving only injuries behind.

Although gaining a new skill in battle was a kind of achievement, Lin Yun couldn’t be happy thinking that Bai Jiaojiao might still be in danger.

Moreover, he was now hesitant again.

The White Dragon had said he trespassed in the Desolate Ruins, a place Lin Yun had never even heard of. But knowing there was such a powerful Guardian here, one could tell it was no ordinary place.

What’s more, Lin Yun was searching for the Sky-Piercing Tower. To search for it and to dismantle someone’s Desolate Ruins—it wouldn’t be right.

With no other clues here, and the only clue neither being the Sky-Piercing Tower nor likely to cause significant negative consequences, Lin Yun felt like he had a lump of air trapped in his chest with no outlet, leaving him in extreme anxiety, yet with a body full of strength but nowhere to use it.

As Lin Yun grew restive, the amount of Demonic Qi in his meridians inexplicably increased. He had only absorbed a bit from the High Priest and a bit more from Wu Xin’s attack; he was still far from filling his meridians.

But in his agitation, even considering blowing up the spatial node just to vent his emotions, the Demonic Qi in his body just filled up.

Not only did it fill up, but it also overflowed and infected another meridian nearby.

Lin Yun, sensing the changes in his body, felt his anger surge even more.

At such a time, this Demonic Qi was still causing trouble!

And as his anger intensified, the Demonic Qi in his meridians grew more violently, rapidly filling the newly tainted one.

Lin Yun: "..."

Isn’t Demonic Qi supposed to be a scarce resource?

Wu Xin had arranged so many schemes in the Southern Border just for a bit of Demonic Qi, so people would generate evil thoughts and produce Demonic Qi.

When it came to him, generating a bit of Demonic Qi wasn’t an issue for Lin Yun, but while other people produced Demonic Qi like droplets, he produced it like a gushing spring—wasn’t this a bit too unfair?

Perhaps, as Wu Xin said, he was inherently a demon?

There had been signs before, such as his bloodthirsty and murderous tendencies, which he had suppressed with his moral beliefs over the years, but lately, his decisiveness had intensified, as if he could no longer contain the demonic nature within him.

Now, his emotional fluctuations alone were generating so much Demonic Qi, which seemed to be the final piece of evidence confirming his suspicions.

Lin Yun grew increasingly agitated as one vexing thought after another surfaced in his mind, like Bai Jiaojiao’s disappearance and his own anomalies. These events had already unfolded, and from them, his mind leaped to what might happen, such as being a pawn, manipulated by others the entire time.

And then he considered the yet-to-happen, if he were to die, his wives might turn on each other, or even be bullied by others...

The more he thought, the more negative emotions he harbored, and the previously cooled Spirit Liquid Sea within him boiled once again, turning what was at most a hot spring into magma.

Xiao Qing could no longer stay put, and in a blink, she appeared beside Lin Yun.

"Master, are you hurt?"

There was some disturbance at Mount Heavenly Dragon, and Xiao Qing hadn’t felt the change in the external world before. As Lin Yun had not called her, she had quietly remained in the Dantian until now, when she took the initiative to come out.

Without Lin Yun’s summons, forcefully leaving his body cost her ten times more energy.

But sensing that something was amiss, she still chose to do so.

Xiao Qing’s sudden speech interrupted Lin Yun’s wild speculations.

A strand of red in Lin Yun’s eyes quickly faded away, so swiftly that even Xiao Qing didn’t notice.

"I... I’m fine."

Lin Yun focused and checked his acupoints, finding that in that brief period, seven more had turned black.

Had Xiao Qing not spoken out of the blue, he feared all might have blackened.

This thought alone made Lin Yun feel a chill down his spine.

Just now, due to emotional fluctuations, he must have fallen into the Heart Barrier that only cultivators in the Heart Guarding Realm could encounter.

Perhaps because his journey had been too smooth-sailing, Lin Yun thought his mindset was quite good. Even though he didn’t ignore the issue of the Heart Barrier, he had never experienced just how terrifying it could be.

Now, he had a bitter taste of it.

It was just a bit of amplified emotion that nearly drove him to a frenzied state. Had Xiao Qing not appeared, he feared something terrible might have happened.

Because those thoughts were his own, not imposed by others. Had they gone to the extreme, it might have been impossible to turn back.

Now with a clear mind, Lin Yun of course realized his earlier mistakes.

Having emotions is normal, he is not a Saint. He can feel irritated, angry, complain, and even become panicked.

It is natural for humans, but as a cultivator, he shouldn’t blame heaven and others.

Faced with problems, being irate and anxious is useless. Finding ways to solve them is the right approach.

Of course, Lin Yun always understood this proverbial advice, but had been incapable of regaining clarity in his previous state.

"Xiao Qing, you truly are my lucky star."

Lin Yun picked up Xiao Qing and planted a kiss on her.

Xiao Qing froze on the spot, having never been kissed like this by Lin Yun before. He would just hug her, which didn’t feel special, so sometimes when Xiao Qing watched Lin Yun kiss other women from inside the Dantian, she found it quite strange.

Just the touch of lips, without even sending out Spiritual Liquid, made such a peculiar reaction in them!

Now, Xiao Qing understood it herself.

She felt like her blood was about to ignite, her head a bit woozy, unsure what was happening. The master she could normally regard with equanimity now seemed different.

Not daring to look at Lin Yun, she diverted her gaze.

But as she looked away, she saw something quite interesting.

"Master, that tower is so tall and huge."

Xiao Qing marveled because the tower truly seemed to reach the heavens; she even grew curious to fly up and see how tall it actually was.

Lin Yun, upon hearing this, was stunned on the spot.

A tower?

The Sky-Piercing Tower?

Lin Yun immediately became excited, asking eagerly, "Where is the tower?"

"Right over there!"

Xiao Qing was confused as to why Lin Yun couldn’t see such a huge tower and could only stretch out her little paw to point in the direction.

Following Xiao Qing’s paw, Lin Yun finally saw the tower.

It was a tower that appeared out of nowhere, one that he couldn’t find no matter how hard he looked previously, but at Xiao Qing’s indication, it suddenly came into view.

Yes, it was the same tower that Bai Jiaojiao and Green Snake had entered, with its three characters identically inscribed!

"Xiao Qing, I love you so much!"

Lin Yun hugged Xiao Qing, showering her with several kisses before letting go and rushing toward the Sky-Piercing Tower with his sword in hand.

Xiao Qing: "..."

What is this feeling, so odd...