Outside the Firmament Nine-Story Tower, dusk had settled in. The setting sun bathed the land in golden light, draping everything in a shimmering veil.
It had started with thunderous booms, progressed to raging winds, surging clouds, flashes of lightning, and deafening peals of thunder, and now it had fallen completely silent.
The silence had descended right at noon—just two hours after Yan Zhen and Elder Yu Yan had entered the Thunder Pool Secret Realm.
Yet from noon until now, a full three hours had passed without a single stir.
There were only two possibilities. First, they had successfully subdued the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire but sustained serious injuries, so they were healing inside. Second, they had failed to subdue it, leaving them gravely wounded, unconscious, or even dead within the Thunder Pool.
Clearly, the second seemed far more likely.
Even the Thunder Supreme had battled the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire for three days and three nights without subduing it. To conquer it in a mere two hours was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Vice Dean Wen Qingshan’s heart raced with excitement. Though he didn’t believe Elder Yu Yan would die so easily in the Thunder Pool Secret Realm, he hoped she would at least emerge gravely wounded and weakened—ideally with lingering hidden injuries or chronic ailments that would bar her from ever competing with him again.
As for Yan Zhen, Wen Qingshan didn’t want him dead just yet. If he had to die, it should be at Wen Canglan’s hands, shattering Canglan’s heart demon and propelling him to greater heights.
On the Yu Family’s side, the Family Head Yu Lu gazed silently upward at the tower’s peak. A trace of worry softened her otherwise impassive and strikingly beautiful face.
Though she trusted that her son-in-law and sister would be fine, one could never be too careful…
Shui Bailan felt the same, her calm facade masking a surge of anxiety.
Dean Yu Qing showed it more openly, her brows furrowed in unease. If not for her second sister holding her back, she would have charged inside to check already.
“We really should go in and take a look. What if they’re too injured to move and we don’t rescue them in time? We’d regret it forever.”
The Family Head shot her sister an annoyed glance, clearly unwilling to hear such ominous words. Shui Bailan quickly tugged at her close friend’s sleeve, urging her to stay calm.
Even Butterfly Mother, the Family Head’s protector, offered reassurance.
“The Great Elder and Little Uncle are both blessed by fortune. Let’s wait a bit longer—perhaps they’ll come out any moment now—huh?”
Before she could finish, the doors of the Firmament Nine-Story Tower burst open with a resounding boom. Yan Zhen emerged, supporting the limping Elder Yu Yan.
The four women of the Yu Family shifted from worry to joy in an instant and hurried forward.
Seeing their disheveled state, Dean Yu Qing asked anxiously, “Big Sis, are you all right?”
Elder Yu Yan smiled gently. “No need to worry. It’s just a minor injury.”
The Family Head Yu Lu glanced at her elder sister and sighed in relief once she confirmed nothing was amiss. She then turned to Yan Zhen. “Did it work, Son-in-Law Yan Zhen?”
Yan Zhen nodded with a grin. “Thanks to you, Mother-in-Law, I succeeded by the skin of my teeth.”
At those words, the indifference faded from the Family Head’s face, replaced by the faintest wisp of a smile curving her lips.
“Good. And your injuries?”
“The jade pendant healed most of them. A few pills back home will take care of the rest.”
“Then let’s head back first—Rain Swallow.”
The mother of Cousin Sister Yudie immediately summoned a Flying Skiff, bringing it to a stop before them and opening the cabin door.
Shui Bailan stepped forward at once to help Yan Zhen support Elder Yu Yan into the cabin. Dean Yu Qing and the Family Head Yu Lu followed suit.
The Flying Skiff rose straight into the air, heading toward the Elders’ Small Building where Elder Yu Yan resided.
The watching mentors and students stared in stunned silence as they departed, only erupting into chatter moments later.
“Yan Zhen actually succeeded for real?”
“This kid is way too ridiculous! Even the Thunder Supreme couldn’t subdue the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire. How did he pull it off?”
“It must’ve been the Great Elder risking her life to help him.”
“The Great Elder is a Mystic Ancestor expert—impressive, sure, but still no match for the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.”
“The Yu Family Head lent him several high-tier Mystic artifacts too.”
“…”
Vice Dean Wen Qingshan’s face turned ashen, regret gnawing at him. He never should have agreed to let Yan Zhen retrieve the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.
Master Molan grew concerned. With that boy having subdued the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire, his strength would skyrocket. Given his growth rate, in just a couple of years, he’d probably be able to thrash him single-handedly.
The other mentors were split between admiration and skepticism, but they all agreed on one thing: the Holy Land would surely send someone to make contact ahead of schedule—perhaps even the Thunder Supreme or Yu Shizun in person.
This kid was about to soar!
Yan Zhen didn’t dwell on it. He followed the four beautiful elders of the Yu Family back to the Elders’ Small Building and watched as the Yu Family Head Mother-in-Law and Dean Little Aunt worked together to heal Elder Great-Aunt. It took half an hour, but they finally purged the lingering Wind-Thunder Power from her body.
The Yu Family’s Timely Rain Scripture lived up to its reputation. Not even Mystic Venerable-level power could withstand the combined efforts of the sisters—that was one reason the Yu Family still dominated amid a sea of Mystic Venerables.
It wasn’t just their patron, the Yu Shizun; they had this supreme Mystic art as well!
Of course, for all its strengths, the technique had its drawbacks. First, it required Yu Family bloodline to cultivate. Second, practitioners couldn’t engage in intimacy afterward, lest their partner exploit the vital gate. Third, the art was incomplete, prone to causing physical anomalies that stalled cultivation.
It had its pros and cons, much like Yan Zhen’s own Emperor Flame Technique—absurdly powerful, yet without refining an Extreme Flame, one could get stuck forever if luck ran out.
Once the Wind-Thunder Power was cleared, Elder Yu Yan continued meditating with her eyes closed, restoring her mystic power.
To avoid disturbing her, the others filed out of the room one by one.
Yan Zhen took out the Healing Jade Pendant and Space Talisman, handing them back to the Yu Family Head Mother-in-Law. “I owe my escape from danger to this jade pendant.”
She accepted the pendant but pushed the Space Talisman back. “Keep this one. It might come in handy someday.”
“But…”
“Consider it a gift to celebrate your conquest of the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.”
“Thank you, Mother-in-Law.”
Yan Zhen didn’t argue further, pocketing the talisman with sincere gratitude.
The Family Head nodded in approval. Noticing the charred streaks covering him—even his handsome face smudged with soot—she pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped his face.
“Go wash up in the bath.”
Yan Zhen demurred politely. “I’ll clean up when I get home.”
“Get properly cleaned before you go,” she said coolly. “Don’t worry the others.”
He paused, then nodded.
She was right. Returning in this state would only pain them.
“Then excuse me. I’ll go wash up.”
Given the Yu Family’s fondness for baths, Elder Yu Yan had built a private bathroom adjoining her quarters. It featured both a shower and a spacious tub for leisurely soaks.
Likely from Elder Great-Aunt’s frequent use, the tub carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Yan Zhen filled the tub with hot water, stripped off his clothes, gave himself a quick rinse, and settled in to soak.
He had just sunk down with a contented sigh when the bathroom door swung open. The Yu Family Head Mother-in-Law glided in gracefully and fixed her gaze on him.
Yan Zhen jolted in surprise. “Mother-in-Law, is something wrong?”
She replied calmly, “I came to check your injuries.”
