"Since that is the case, allow me to see if you have improved in the past ten years."
The man in the green robe smoothly brought his right hand to his waist, and a feather fan appeared in his hand. He opened the fan and fanned it towards the ice snake. With a single sweep, the ice snake, which had been thrashing and roaring, was sent flying dozens of meters away. As soon as it stopped, the ice snake turned into ice and fell to the ground.
"Zuo Quan, it seems your strength has indeed improved by mastering the resources of the Half-Yin Realm over these ten years. But you dream if you think you can seize control of the Half-Yin Realm through despicable means!"
What? He is Zuo Quan?
As soon as the expert's voice faded, silver-white flames ignited on his hands, enveloping his entire body. Then, the temperature plummeted, and ice crystals visibly spread in all directions. A roar, like that of a tiger or a lion, erupted from the expert.
"What is that?"
I watched in astonishment as the silver-white flames burning around the expert transformed into a monstrous beast: a tiger's head, a lion's tail, and a pangolin's feet, its entire body covered in crimson scales.
Bai Ling'er, who had been perched on my head, suddenly darted down from my head with a "swoosh" and hid in my embrace. Its tiny body trembled uncontrollably, and its quivering voice reached my ears.
"That is the Hu Kui!"
Within the Hu Kui, the expert's hair was disheveled, and his tattered clothes had transformed into something else. He was now clad in white battle armor, his jade mask revealing only his eyes. His hands were empty, palms facing the sky, as if a celestial being had descended, wielding divine weapons.
"Go."
With a push of his hands, the Hu Kui let out a long roar, its four claws digging in, and a stream of light shot out.
Zuo Quan moved his hands, and the fan in his grip shifted rapidly. In the blink of an eye, a blood-red spear appeared in his hand.
"Well met."
As the blood-red spear materialized in Zuo Quan's hand, his green robe also transformed, becoming the armor I had seen before at the gates of the royal mansion.
"Ten years ago, I could lock you up in the death row. Today, I can do the same to you again."
With Zuo Quan's words, the blood-red spear in his hand transformed into a Flood Dragon, emitting a faint dragon's roar. A blood-red Flood Dragon appeared before him.
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
Instantly, the silver-white Hu Kui and the blood-red Flood Dragon clashed.
The Hu Kui used its mouth and claws, and upon engagement, it pinned the blood-red Flood Dragon beneath it, biting down on its throat.
The Flood Dragon was not to be outdone. Though its throat was held, its body twisted and coiled around the Hu Kui, its four dragon claws incessantly scratching at the Hu Kui's body.
For a time, ice crystals and scales flew through the air, and the two ancient beasts fought from the sky to the ground. The houses before them were like cardboard boxes, turning to fragments wherever they passed. The rumbling sounds echoed throughout the entire space.
To avoid becoming collateral damage, I retreated a few steps, but the shockwaves from their battle still stung my cheeks.
Bai Ling'er poked its head out from my collar, its small eyes fixed on the battle between the two beasts. "What a fierce battle between dragon and tiger!"
I rolled my eyes and ignored it.
In my opinion, the Flood Dragon, or rather Zuo Quan, currently had the upper hand. Although the Hu Kui had bitten the Flood Dragon's neck, its body was also tightly entangled by the Flood Dragon. Escaping would not be easy. After all, Flood Dragons, like snakes, rely on their bodies to constrict their enemies; once entangled, escape is nearly impossible.
"What dragon and tiger battle? Can't you see the Hu Kui is entangled by the Flood Dragon? It's only a matter of time before the expert loses."
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. "Don't you have any faith in him?"
Although I was displeased with Bai Ling'er for hitting me with its tail whenever it pleased, I could do nothing about it. I could only retort indignantly, "Faith or not, it has to be backed by strength, doesn't it?"
As I spoke, the Hu Kui let out an enraged roar, and its body actually expanded by a circle.
"Hmm?"
Following the Hu Kui's furious roar, its body continued to grow. In contrast, although the Flood Dragon also roared repeatedly, its body showed no change. Its roar seemed to be somewhat suppressed by the Hu Kui.
At this moment, I felt another pain in my chest. "What are you standing there foolishly for? Hurry and leave."
"Why?"
Bai Ling'er ran out directly, completely forgetting its fear of the Hu Kui. Its form turned into a bolt of lightning and dashed towards the dungeon.
"If you want to die, stay here and keep watching."
Upon hearing this, I shivered. Although I didn't understand why it wanted to run, I knew that Bai Ling'er could sense danger in advance. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to escape from Zuo Quan.
My feet moved swiftly, following Bai Ling'er's pace towards the dungeon. As the dungeon came into view, before I could even enter, I felt a powerful thrust from behind, as if I had been hit by a speeding car.
Instantly, I became a tumbling gourd and was propelled into the dungeon entrance. Fortunately, during my escape, I had cast the Tian Qiao Seal on myself. Just as my head was about to hit the wall, I managed to protect my head with my arm, thus avoiding a fatal blow.
However, a deafening explosion followed, which completely knocked me unconscious. In the moment before I lost consciousness, I couldn't help but curse Bai Ling'er for its treachery.
Not knowing how long I had been unconscious, I awoke to a familiar scent, one that was unforgettable after a single whiff. I had smelled it not long ago.
I suddenly opened my eyes. Just as I had suspected, I was now in the bamboo building within the Yin Bamboo Forest.
"Awake?"
Wu Gege's figure reappeared by the bedside. Her face was still veiled, and her eyes appeared somewhat red and swollen, perhaps from the excitement of seeing me.
"Mmm!"
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my arm. I looked down to see two bamboo splints tied to my right arm. The piercing pain made me suspect that my arm might have been broken.
"No need to look. The bone isn't broken, just a slight fracture. I've already bandaged it for you. You'll recover in a few days."
"Thank you!"
I had originally come to Wu Gege for help, hoping he could heal Old Ghost so I could escape Fang Huixin's entanglement. But unexpectedly, I was captured and thrown into the dungeon, and the expert was released. I had no idea what the situation was like in the Fifth Prince's mansion now.
"Wu Gege, why am I here? Did you bring me back?"
"Ling'er brought you here?"
As she spoke, Bai Ling'er crawled out from behind Wu Gege.
"Idiot, this young lady saved you. Shouldn't you say thank you?"
Looking at Bai Ling'er floating in mid-air beside Wu Gege's shoulder, I couldn't help but complain, "You? You ran faster than a rabbit when escaping. If not for your snake-like appearance, I would have thought you were a rabbit. It's a miracle I wasn't killed by you."
It would be a lie to say I held no grudges against Bai Ling'er. If it had warned me of the danger earlier, would I have ended up in this state?
"You dare to say that? I told you to run quickly, but you didn't listen. Even I had to run from that kind of fight, yet you were foolishly standing there. If I had known this would happen, I would have let you die there. At most, this young lady would have lost a few hundred years of cultivation. Truly, good intentions are repaid with ingratitude."
"You..." I wanted to retort to Bai Ling'er, but then I thought better of it. Regardless, it had saved me.
Putting it aside and no longer bothering with it, I asked Wu Gege, "Gege, what happened to the mansion? And what about that expert I released?"
I was grateful to the expert for saving me, but I was more concerned about whether Old Ghost was alright after the explosion in the Fifth Prince's mansion caused by the fight between the expert and Zuo Quan.
If Old Ghost had been killed by the explosion, then escaping Molu Village would likely require force.
"I don't know!"