Disaster struck suddenly. Although Ren Yuanhao's mind was filled with a fierce killing intent, his peripheral vision caught sight of Shen LanNi with her hair scattered. He immediately leaped over the fallen filing cabinet, shielding her and Shen WanJun with his body.
At that moment, thunder roared, and the might of heaven and earth pressed down. His ears were completely filled with ripping, tearing sounds and the overwhelming roar of the wind. Everyone felt as if their nostrils were in a vacuum, and every breath consumed a great deal of physical strength.
Scattered papers and ashes were swept away by the wind like a robber. The group felt as if a swarm of wild bees were dancing wildly. Lightning split the sky and struck the abandoned swimming pool in the courtyard, immediately giving off a scorched smell. Thunder boomed overhead. The entire manor seemed to be covered by a giant pot lid, with a giant furiously banging on it, his hands and feet dancing with excitement!
And at this moment, Shen LanNi, holding Ren Yuanhao tightly, her long hair billowing in the wind like flames, opened and closed her mouth, seeming to say something.
Even though Ren Yuanhao was less than 20 centimeters away from her, he couldn't hear anything. He pressed his hands firmly against the cold, damp wall. The stronger the wind, the fiercer the thunder, and the more power he needed to circulate for the "Bihai Chaosheng" technique!
"DiDi, good boy, hold on for another minute or two. The storm will move inland along the southeast corner, and then it will be a bit better. Hang in there!"
The system's voice was like celestial music to Ren Yuanhao. His fingers were almost digging into the wall. The sharp wind, like blades, constantly slashed at him. The most painful part was undoubtedly his eardrums. He looked at Shen WanJun and his daughter with some concern, only to see that their faces were already as white as paper!
Zhang Liang glanced out the window. Lightning illuminated the eerie abandoned manor as if it were daytime. The descending tornado was slowly dissipating and weakening. He knew this was his only chance to escape, even though the risk would be considerable. However, he then thought that if he fell into Ren Yuanhao's hands, his fate would likely be even worse.
With this thought, he no longer had any reservations. Suppressing the pain in his arm, he flipped himself up under the wind pressure. He hadn't taken a few steps before he was pulled towards the door by a powerful suction!
Ren Yuanhao was already struggling to save himself and had no time to concern himself with the escaping Zhang Liang. He just kept circulating the Bihai Chaosheng cultivation technique to resist the internal and external pressures. Meanwhile, Zhang Liang seemed to be grabbed by a vengeful spirit in the wind. In an instant, he was dragged out of the house. After a burst of pained cries, it was unknown if he was blown away by the wind or had genuinely escaped by chance; his life or death was unknown.
It was unclear how much time had passed, perhaps three to five minutes, or perhaps half an hour. The wind gradually lessened, and the thunder grew distant. Lightning, like sharp swords across the sky, tore open several cracks in the firmament.
"Yuanhao? Yuanhao!"
Ren Yuanhao vaguely heard someone calling him. The moment he blinked, he saw Shen LanNi's pale yet stunningly beautiful face.
"I'm not dead, why are you panicking?"
"Yuanhao, quickly, quickly go check on my sister. She should be... she should be in one of the rooms in this building..."
Only then did Ren Yuanhao slap his forehead. His face was deathly pale, and he rushed out of the house.
However, he searched every room in the manor one by one, but he couldn't find Shen YunShu's figure anywhere. He could only return dejectedly to the room where Shen LanNi was, shaking his head at the two anxious people.
"What? YunShu, she's... gone?"
Shen WanJun's eyes were dull and clouded, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Ren Yuanhao could only nod silently. Of course, he hadn't seen Zhang Liang escape in the storm either, but he really couldn't believe that Zhang Liang had taken Shen YunShu away during his escape, because under the might of heaven and earth, mortals could only bow in submission. How could they have the capacity to take others away?
"Uncle, please don't worry. Once your bodies have recovered a bit, we can look for her. It's not too late," Ren Yuanhao said, seeing that the two were weak and powerless. He thought they must have been tricked by Zhou Long, so he asked, "LanNi, did you eat some medicine, and that's why..."
"Wuhua Niang Chun Gao. It's colorless and tasteless. I've heard my master mention before that it's a poison refined by the disciples of a secret sect from the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Sect."
Shen LanNi's eyebrows were knitted together. She pressed one hand to her left chest, her blood circulation severely blocked. Her complexion was naturally extremely grim, like a wilting flower scattered in the wind and rain.
"Presumably, that brat Zhou Long should have the antidote. I'll go and come back."
After Ren Yuanhao spoke, he was about to rush into the inner rooms when Shen LanNi shook her head and sat down cross-legged with great difficulty. "No need. How could that guy Zhang Liang hand over the medicine to him? He's just a pawn used and discarded."
Shen LanNi sat up straight, seemingly wanting to circulate her energy to regulate her breathing. Ren Yuanhao did not dare to delay and also sat down cross-legged, the Bihai Chaosheng cultivation technique flowing continuously.
The two sat facing each other, circulating the same technique. Ren Yuanhao occasionally infused his internal energy into Shen LanNi's meridians. The "Wuhua Niang Chun Gao" that Zhou Long had tricked Shen LanNi into taking was slowly dissolved under the interplay of their internal energies!
It was unclear how long it had been. The sound of wind and thunder had significantly weakened, and the two also opened their eyes from their quiet recuperation.
"How are you?" Ren Yuanhao looked at Shen LanNi, feeling that her face finally had a rosy complexion. But she didn't answer. Instead, she rushed out of the room and shouted "Shen YunShu" towards the ruined manor, her voice hoarse and desperate.
"Pull her back. YunShu has likely been taken away." Shen WanJun had no internal energy to protect himself. The poison was seeping in bit by bit, and he was completely unable to move.
"Uncle, I'll go right away."
Ren Yuanhao hurried out. As soon as he stepped across the threshold, he saw Shen LanNi standing in the center of the ruins, under the drooping palm tree, her head bowed. She allowed the wind and sand to ravage her, only calling out "Shen YunShu" with a heartbroken cry.
He quickly strode towards her, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly. "Don't worry, I'll definitely find a way to bring her back. Zhang Liang's fate is unknown. This is no place to linger."
"I'm not leaving without finding my sister!"
"In such terrible weather, do you think she could survive with her delicate body? She was likely taken away by someone. Where will you find her now? Besides, aren't you going to manage your disciple, and the competition?"
Ren Yuanhao continued to persuade her, knowing Shen LanNi's stubborn nature, but he didn't expect her to be so resolute.
"There will be other opportunities for the competition, but I only have one sister!"
"But you only have one father!"
Ren Yuanhao pointed to Shen WanJun inside the door and continued, "Your father is also poisoned by 'Wuhua Niang Chun Gao.' Are you just going to abandon him? If the poison continues to penetrate, who knows what will happen? He's already old. Tell me, as a daughter, are you qualified?"