Chapter 2512 Returning to the City

In the starry void outside the Dao Ruins, Lin Xun’s group hadn’t waited long before they saw a handsome young man come out from the distant ruins and walk toward them. Treading the void while holding a horsetail duster in one hand, he looked like he was taking a stroll.

Seeing this, Lin Xun secretly heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be vigilant.

Toward this temperamental and unpredictable Fourth Senior Brother, he was both apprehensive and on guard. In the situation that the other party refused to continue with the terms of their bet, it would definitely cause no end of trouble.

In just several steps, Ling Xuanzi swiftly arrived in front of them, where he looked at Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu with a friendly smile.

“Are you two friends with my junior brother? Very good. I saw how you put yourselves at risk to help him, which I will never forget. This is a small token of my appreciation, I hope you don't mind,” Ling Xuanzi said amiably and flipped his palm. A dozen Dao Accumulation Pearls that had come from Ancestor-level evil spirits appeared, which he then presented to Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu.

The two were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do. This unimaginably strong expert had previously killed his way to the area of the Dao Ruins that everyone regarded as a place of utter despair. Now, not only had he returned unharmed, but he had also brought out a bunch of Dao Accumulation Pearls of rare quality!

“Take it.” Ling Xuanzi smiled and stuffed the treasures to the duo. Then, he turned his gaze to Lin Xun, rubbed his nose, and sighed, “Junior Brother, do you really have to look at me like I’m a thief?”

Lin Xun pointed to the distance and said expressionlessly, “A private talk?”

Ling Xuanzi agreed straightforwardly, “As it happens, I also have a lot of matters to sort out with you.”

The two fellow disciples immediately teleported to a faraway spot. Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu glanced at each other, and were sensible enough not to disturb them.

However, their thoughts couldn’t help but wander off.

Has this senior brother of Lin Xun...defeated Evil God Dishen sealed at the bottom of that ancient well?

Why does Lin Xun seem to dislike this unfathomable expert?

......

Lin Xun directly asked, “Back in the Return Dominion, you already had the ability to break free from the Dao Endless Pagoda’s restraint?”

Ling Xuanzi laughed, “I thought you had known about this long before, Junior Brother.”

Lin Xun frowned, “It’s a serious matter we’re discussing here. I suggest you stop being cheeky and get serious.”

The corner of Ling Xuanzi's lips twitched a little. He took a deep breath to suppress his displeasure and nodded seriously, “Alright. That’s correct. Actually, I took the initiative to enter the Dao Endless Pagoda, firstly to honor the gamble I proposed, and secondly to take a look at the hidden mechanics in this supreme treasure that Master left behind.”

Lin Xun squinted, “So, did you find out anything?”

Ling Xuanzi sighed softly as if lamenting and shook his head, “This treasure is just like our Master, I don’t understand it and I cannot figure it out.”

“I see.” Lin Xun then suddenly asked, “All these years, you’ve been watching my every move?”

Ling Xuanzi rubbed his forehead, “I expected you’d ask this. My dear junior brother, I'm not a perverted peeping tom. Also, am I really such a terrible guy in your eyes?”

Lin Xun raised his brows, “I'm the one asking questions, not you.”

Ling Xuanzi raised his hands with a look of resignation, “Okay, you ask, I answer. After all, who told you...to be my little junior brother?”

There was nothing but helplessness in his voice. His little junior brother clearly still had prejudices against him!

If the other party was someone else, or even when facing that Evil God Dishen in the ancient well, Ling Xuanzi absolutely would not have suppressed his temper like this. Anyone who dared to treat him the way Lin Xun did would have earned a slap.

However, facing Lin Xun... Ling Xuanzi could only endure in patience. Meanwhile, seeing his senior brother acting meek and swallowing his insult, Lin Xun became more and more wary inside.

He continued to question, “Since you are so strong and fearless of being imprisoned by the Dao Endless Pagoda, why did you have no intention to leave? I’m sure you know that I’ll hand you over to Second Senior Brother or Master when I meet them, and they’ll definitely deal with you.”

A dispirited Ling Xuanzi said powerlessly, “I made the bet, so I have to accept defeat. What's more, Zhong Qiu can’t kill me even if he wants to, while Master would never kill me.”

What he meant was very clear. He had no fear of his second senior brother Zhong Qiu, and he firmly believed that his master would never kill him.

“Really?” Lin Xun asked.

Ling Xuanzi huffed, “This is the part where I tell the old stories of our Fangchun Mountain in detail, Junior Brother.

“Although I entered the sect later than Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Sister, the only disciple who could make me apprehensive in the entire Fangchun Mountain was Eldest Senior Brother.

“The one who can push me to my wits end is Third Senior Sister.

“The one that I cannot endure the sight of is Second Senior Brother.”

Lin Xun was surprised, “And why can you not endure seeing him?”

“Too arrogant.” Ling Xuanzi narrowed his eyes as a strong displeasure surfaced on his handsome face. “I, Ling Xuanzi, who was praised by Master as the most talented in all of history, am not even as conceited as him. All in all, whenever I see him, I just want to beat him up.”

Lin Xun was speechless. This was really a baffling and weird reason. He then asked, “Why did Third Senior Sister put you at your wits end?”

There was a bitter smile in Ling Xuanzi's eyes, “You can ask Third Senior Sister when you see her and hear it from her. In short, she's a person who, no matter what she does, you can never have the idea of hating her.”

Lin Xun sank into a long silence before he said, “Fourth Senior Brother, let me ask you one last time, was it really just you honoring the terms of the bet?”

Ling Xuanzi gazed at him for a good while, then suddenly scoffed at himself, “Junior Brother, let me ask you something. If I were to break my promise, would you...be able to stop me?”

Lin Xun shook his head.

With a bright smile, Ling Xuanzi wrapped his arm around Lin Xun's shoulders. “Let me put it this way, I may be the worst among demons, but I will not harm the members of Fangchun Mountain. That is my bottom line and also the reason why Master had only imprisoned me back then. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, you'll understand one day.”

Saying that, he patted Lin Xun’s shoulder. Lin Xun frowned and glanced at the frivolous Ling Xuanzi, “If you lie to me, I won't ever call you Fourth Senior Brother again.”

The latter stiffened, then wailed, “Junior Brother, for you, I almost threw my life away fighting that whiny old bastard. Can’t there be more trust between us fellow disciples?”

Mentioning this, he himself burst out laughing in amusement, “You have no idea, that old bastard is actually the unluckiest thing alive. Not only was he forced to wear a green hat, but he also got imprisoned for countless years, hahaha! I almost couldn’t bear beating him up... ”

He hugged his belly as he couldn’t stop laughing, “Well, when I was leaving, I left him a special character, and now I think he probably won’t ever be able to forget me. But that’s fine, how could I let him off easy after he offended us of Fangchun Mountain?”

Lin Xun had an odd look on his face as he was tongue tied by this revelation.

This was Evil God Dishen they were talking about. How could such an unimaginably terrifying existence be reduced to a miserable green-hat wearer in the mouth of Fourth Senior Brother?

“Ahhh, let’s not talk about him. But you need to pay attention, Junior Brother. Considering the old bastard's cultivation, he will probably only take a few more years to break free. At that time, the first person he will be looking for is you,” Ling Xuanzi stopped laughing. “On another note, you can relax. As long as the situation does not involve Fangchun Mountain’s honor, I won’t come out to bother you again, unless...”

“Unless what?” asked Lin Xun.

“Unless you beg me to help.” Ling Xuanzi blinked, his face full of smiles.

“Do you think that’ll ever happen?” jeered Lin Xun.

When confronting Evil God Dishen, he had never thought of using Ling Xuanzi's power even in the moment he had almost fallen to danger.

It wasn't that he was stubborn. Instead, this idea of asking his senior brother for help hadn't even come to his mind at all. Moreover, he was already prepared to use Time Stopping to kill a way out at that time.

Ling Xuanzi was unconcerned by Lin Xun’s response. He smiled broadly, “Your pride and courage deeply move me, Junior Brother, so I'll just have to switch to another method.”

“What method?” asked Lin Xun.

“I’ll just beg you to let me help!” Ling Xuanzi laughed out loud. Turning into a streak of light, he disappeared into the Dao Endless Pagoda.

Lin Xun was stunned. A long time later, he let out a light sigh and whispered in his heart.

I hope it's really as you said, that you’re only honoring the terms of the gamble.

He then looked in the distance. The turmoil in the Dao Ruins had quieted at some point. Even the aura of those evil spirits was nowhere to be sensed. Compared to before, it appeared much colder.

“Looks like that Evil God Dishen ate a big loss at the hands of Fourth Senior Brother and had to lie low again.” Lin Xun shook his head and went back to Xiang Xiaoyuan and Yue Duqiu.

The matters in the Dao Ruins were no longer relevant to him. The most urgent thing to do now was return to Taiyi City.

......

Taiyi City was cheerless, and the atmosphere was incredibly tense. These days, many cultivators had left the city in a hurry due to the fear that the scourge in the Dao Ruins would spread to this place.

As the participants of the trial returned to the city after a blood bath to kill their way out, they also brought back news that made people feel even more alarmed and heavy.

Especially today, the ruckus in the Dao Ruins was so overwhelming that blood light erupted and spread all over the universe above. The sound of screaming and roaring was like thunder from the nine heavens.

Even those in Taiyi City could feel that terrifying aura of destruction from so far away. Everyone felt as though the sky was about to collapse.

However, to their surprise, the bloody turbulence didn’t flood out from the Dao Ruins. On the contrary, it gradually fell silent!

At the same time, more and more trialists had returned alive afterward. The sudden change took everyone aback.

Even City Lord Bai Jianchen, who had long been prepared for battle, had never expected it. The scourge that was clearly so close to erupting would actually fizzle out like that.

It started out with a bang and ended with a whimper, was how everyone felt about the whole thing. Did something unexpected happen that caused this? Bai Jianchen just couldn't guess as to why it happened this way.

Of course, the absence of a calamity was naturally a heavenly good thing for the entire Taiyi City!

“What? Lin Xun held back the vast majority of the evil spirits all by himself so that those trialists had a chance to return with their lives?”

When the news spread that Lin Xun had fallen into a heavy siege in the Dao Ruins, the whole city was thrown into shock. Many found it unbelievable.

“Where is he now?” There were also countless people who were concerned about his safety.