Jian Kun threw his head back and laughed madly, blood dripping from his lips. "Long Qingxuan? She should be a mindless puppet by now!"
His laughter turned shrill. "But don't worry, Dragon Queen. If you want to be with your daughter so badly, you can offer yourself to the Abyssal Ghost Knight too!"
Nantian Fengyu's palm struck his face again, sending teeth flying. But Jian Kun just kept laughing, his eyes wild with madness.
Long Xi stepped forward, her draconic eyes flashing with white light. Behind her, the majestic form of the Dragon of Light materialized, its ancient gaze piercing into Jian Kun's soul.
Jian Kun's laughter died instantly. His body went rigid as his mind fell into a trance, completely vulnerable to Long Xi's soul-searching technique.
Images flashed through his memories—
The Abyssal Ghost Knight's sudden attack.
Lan Huiqian desperately fighting before being struck down.
Long Qingxuan, Linlin, and Yue Zhihe being taken away along with the corrupted Long Chen and Qian Jinglei.
Long Xi's expression darkened with each revelation. When she finally withdrew her power, Jian Kun collapsed to his knees, panting in horror.
"You...what did you—"
Long Xi waved her hand dismissively. A brilliant white light engulfed Jian Kun's body. His screams were cut short as his form dissipated into nothingness—not even ashes remained.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
Long Xi turned to Lan Huiqian. "Thank you for trying to protect my daughter."
Lan Huiqian shook her head quickly. "I...I only acted out of selfishness. I wanted Yun Lintian to owe me a favor."
"It doesn't matter," Long Xi said calmly. "You still fought for them."
She then looked at Nantian Fengyu and the others. "It seems impossible to track this Abyssal Ghost Knight."
The group frowned, but then—
"Eh? Shouldn't you be able to sense Yun Lintian?" Mumu suddenly piped up from Yue Chuntao's shoulder, nibbling on a carrot. "Through your Divine Phoenix connection?"
Nantian Fengyu smacked her own forehead. "Ah! How could I forget about that!"
Her eyes ignited with crimson flames as she focused. The image of the Divine Phoenix appeared behind her again, its wings spread wide.
Nantian Fengyu's crimson eyes blazed as she focused, the Divine Phoenix's image behind her growing more vivid. But after a long moment, her brows furrowed deeply.
"This... doesn't make sense."
Yue Chuntao tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"I can feel Lintian's presence," Nantian Fengyu said slowly, "but his location keeps shifting—randomly, every second. It's like he's..." She struggled to find the words. "Like he's flickering through space uncontrollably."
Long Xi's expression darkened. Without a word, she closed her eyes, her draconic aura flaring. The Dragon of Light manifested once more, its majestic form pulsing with power.
After several breaths, Long Xi opened her eyes, her frustration evident. "The same. His position changes faster than I can track."
Zhang Zifeng, who had been observing silently, finally spoke. "If we can't find him directly, then we'll have to use another method." She turned to Lan Huiqian. "Bring me something connected to Yun Lintian."
Lan Huiqian hesitated for only a moment before retrieving a small transmission jade from her spatial ring. "This... he gave it to me long ago."
Zhang Zifeng accepted it with a nod. "Wait here."
Her figure disappeared as she rushed back to the Celestial Pavilion.
"Please come with me," Lan Huiqian spoke and invited Long Xi and the others.
Long Xi and the others naturally followed her.
Inside a secluded chamber of the Celestial Pavilion, Zhang Zifeng worked swiftly. The air hummed with energy as intricate formations lit up around her. The jade token floated at the center, pulsing faintly.
Back in the courtyard, the others waited impatiently.
Nantian Fengyu paced like a caged beast. "This is taking too long!"
Long Xi remained still, but the occasional flicker of white light in her eyes betrayed her unease.
Yue Chuntao, ever playful, poked Mumu's nose. "Do you think we can find him?"
Mumu swatted her hand away irritably. "Stop that!"
Just then, Zhang Zifeng emerged, holding a delicate compass. Its needle spun wildly before finally settling, pointing unerringly in one direction.
"It's done," she said. "This will lead us to Yun Lintian."
Nantian Fengyu snatched the compass and peered at it. "Finally! Let's go—"
The needle suddenly jerked to the opposite direction, then spun in rapid circles.
Zhang Zifeng's eyes narrowed. "Even the compass is struggling... Whatever space Yun Lintian is in, it's unstable."
Long Xi stepped forward. "Then we move now. The longer we wait, the more unpredictable his position becomes."
Nantian Fengyu grinned fiercely. "Good. I've been itching for a fight."
Yue Chuntao twirled a strand of hair. "Yeah, let's go."
With the compass in hand, the group prepared to depart.
Yun Lintian's figure flickered through the void, following the compass's guidance. The spatial turbulence around him grew increasingly violent, tossing him between dimensions like a leaf in a storm.
His brows furrowed. This isn't right...
Golden light flashed in his eyes as he activated the Eye of Heaven. The illusion shattered instantly, revealing the truth—this was no natural spatial turbulence. It was a carefully laid trap.
"So you knew I would come," Yun Lintian murmured.
With a wave of his hand, space itself peeled away like layers of rotting skin. The chaotic void dissolved, revealing an endless grey wasteland beneath his feet. The air reeked of decay, thick with the aura of death.
Before him stood two figures—Long Chen and Qian Jinglei.
Yun Lintian's expression darkened.
Long Chen's once-bright eyes were now hollow, his body wreathed in grey flames. Beside him, Qian Jinglei stood cold and beautiful as ever, but her frosty demeanor had twisted into something far more sinister. The death energy radiating from them was unmistakable.
"Yun Lintian," Long Chen's voice echoed unnaturally, layered with whispers not his own. "You shouldn't have come."
Qian Jinglei's lips curled into a smile devoid of warmth. "The Abyssal Ghost Knight has prepared a gift for you."
Yun Lintian's gaze swept across the barren landscape. "Where is he?"
Long Chen raised a hand. The grey earth trembled as countless skeletal figures clawed their way to the surface. "First... you must pass through us."
Yun Lintian nodded slightly.
His divine energy surged, the power of Creation and Destruction swirling around him. "I'll free you both—even if I have to break you first."