Of all the people present, only Yu Yuanzhen was still able to stand up with difficulty.
But even this titled Douluo, who was over level 90, had his forehead covered in cold sweat.
His Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul was roaring wildly, not with fighting spirit, but with... fear!
An absolute fear that comes from the very bloodline, like facing a natural enemy!
Yu Yuanzhen suddenly looked up, staring intently at the source of the aura, his voice hoarse with extreme shock.
"The back mountain!"
"That's the direction where Qingyuan lives in seclusion!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a streak of blue lightning and rushed out of the council hall without regard for anything else!
The others, as if waking from a dream, suppressed the lingering power and scrambled to catch up.
...
The group followed the source of the aura at top speed and arrived at the summit of the back mountain.
The familiar wooden house came into view.
However, everyone was stunned.
The roof of the wooden house has a huge, smooth gap, as if it had been neatly cut open by some invisible divine weapon.
The small medicinal herb garden in front of the house is still lush and green.
A mountain breeze blew by, swirling up a few fallen leaves.
There was nothing else besides that.
The people are gone, the house is empty.
The young man named Yu Qingyuan and his strange black dog both disappeared.
The terrifying aura that had just been enough to change the color of the heavens and earth and make even a titled Douluo tremble had vanished without a trace, leaving only a faint, unsettling aftertaste in the air.
An elder looked around, his face full of confusion.
"Where is he? Where is that... that peerless expert from just now?"
"Could it be that you're just passing by?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with doubt and uncertainty.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang, who had barely managed to get up from the ground, adjusted his glasses, which had almost fallen off, and his eyes behind the lenses began to shine with the light of "wisdom" once again.
"Obviously."
He spoke slowly, in the tone of a scholar who had seen through the truth, and said decisively.
"Just now, there must have been some reclusive being, beyond our comprehension, who happened to pass by this place."
He took a deep breath, as if savoring the lingering power of the strongman, a look of fanatical reverence on his face.
"That aura was merely a trace of divine power that being inadvertently revealed."
As he spoke, he glanced at the empty wooden house, a smile playing on his lips, a mixture of pity and disdain.
"As for Yuqingyuan..."
"Hmph, they were probably terrified by that divine power and, knowing that this place was not safe to stay, fled down the mountain overnight."
The master's words were like a reassuring pill, instantly making everyone "realize the truth".
Yes!
That must be it!
Tang San stood behind his teacher and nodded silently.
The teacher's theory was indeed flawless.
Then, recalling Yu Qingyuan's previous mystification, and now his being frightened away by the aura of a true powerhouse, he thought of it all.
Such a mindset is not just bad, it's downright despicable.
They didn't even have the courage to face the strong; all they knew was to flee.
Such a person is not even qualified to be a follower of the Tang Clan.
Tang San's eyes turned completely cold, and he lost all interest in the "Jade Purity Source" he had never met.
Ning Rongrong, however, stood there, stunned.
Her feelings were somewhat complicated.
For some reason, the lingering scent in the air felt somewhat...familiar to her.
It was as if... as if the oppressive aura I felt from that black dog that afternoon had been amplified a thousand times, ten thousand times!
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she burst out laughing.
How could that be?
Ning Rongrong chuckled to herself and shook her head inwardly.
That was just a piece of trash who couldn't even cultivate a martial spirit; how could he possibly be related to that earth-shattering aura from just now?
I was really overthinking it.
but...
It's good that he's gone.
Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at the empty wooden house. The last bit of guilt in her heart vanished.
This ridiculous engagement is finally a thing of the past, and nothing can bind her anymore.
She suddenly remembered Yu Qingyuan's calm face and his plain words from that afternoon.
"I won't regret it."
These words still echoed in Ning Rongrong's mind.
How could she possibly regret it?
Shedding a useless person and embracing a brand new life is a wonderful thing.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, completely erasing that calm face from her memory, turned around, and followed the sect elders.
...
at the same time.
The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan is located in a secluded yet elegant courtyard.
Yu Qingyuan's figure, accompanied by Xiaotian, quietly appeared, as if they had never left and had merely taken a stroll in their own courtyard.
This used to be his residence.
He lived here before leaving the sect and going up the snow mountain alone.
The courtyard was spotless, and the stone tables and benches were immaculate. Clearly, even when he was not there, someone always remembered him and came to take care of it from time to time.
Yu Qingyuan's gaze fell on the door of the main house, which he had locked himself.
He reached out and gently pushed it away.
A dull, lingering smell of dust, accumulated over many years, wafted over.
Unlike the cleanliness outside the courtyard, everything inside the house—tables, chairs, beds, bookshelves—was covered with a thick layer of dust.
Xiaotian snorted, seemingly with some disdain.
Yu Qingyuan's lips curled up slightly, carrying a hint of casualness as if he were returning to his hometown.
"It's been many years since I've been back; it's time to clean up."
He murmured to himself.
Before he finished speaking, he didn't even make any further movements.
It was just a fleeting thought.
Buzz—!
An invisible wave suddenly spread out from him!
That's not soul power, but a more fundamental and purer kind of power.
In an instant, the dust in the room, as if commanded by some supreme will, was swept up by a gentle yet irresistible airflow and poured out, forming a small gray tornado outside the room. Then it was blown away by the mountain wind and disappeared without a trace.
The entire room was completely refreshed, cleaner and more thorough than any manual cleaning could achieve.
Only visible ripples of air remained in the air, slowly spreading outwards.
This extraordinary move, and the resulting shockwaves, happened to fall into the eyes of a figure hidden in the shadows not far away.
The figure jolted violently!
It was none other than Yu Yuanzhen, the sect leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!
He did not return to the council hall with Yu Xiaogang and the others.
After confirming his grandson's departure in the back mountain, his unease and worry intensified. As if possessed, he came to the courtyard where Yu Qingyuan used to live, hoping to find some clues.
He had assumed it would be deserted, just like the back hill.
But to my utter surprise, I stumbled upon this scene!
Yu Yuanzhen's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size!
That fluctuation!
That ripple of air!
Although it was a thousand times weaker, its essence, that transcending soul power, seemed to originate from the very beginning of heaven and earth...
It comes from the same source as the terrifying aura that made even a titled Douluo like him tremble on the snow-capped mountain peak just now!
(End of chapter)