Within the Huang family villa, the living room remained crowded, with several youths lingering in the courtyard, catching some air.

Whether inside or out, everyone shared a common feeling: suffocating, intensely suffocating. Since Zhang Yang fled and Chu Yuntian pursued him, everyone felt utterly lost, as if their backbone had vanished.

They all knew clearly that once Chu Yuntian dealt with this young man named Zhang Yang, he would surely return to settle accounts with them.

“How could we have trusted this Zhang Yang? How old is he? How could he possibly be a match for that fiend!”

A man in his forties slammed the table, shouting out his regret.

As soon as he finished, others immediately nodded in agreement: “Exactly! I say, if we had just obediently handed over what Chu Yuntian demanded, none of this would have happened!”

“Silence!”

The sixty-year-old man sharply rebuked them, immediately silencing the two speakers.

He was the oldest and held the highest seniority here; others dared not defy his words, though he knew perfectly well they were not convinced.

Sighing, he continued, “Even if we surrendered everything, this fiend wouldn't let us go. You know the way the demonic path operates. Seeking Mr. Zhang’s help was our last hope. Regardless of his age, he is a Fourth Layer expert!”

He spoke slowly, ending with another heavy sigh.

At this moment, he felt no better himself, like a piece of fish laid upon a chopping block, waiting only for Chu Yuntian to bring down the blade. He was certain that no one enjoyed this feeling of being utterly helpless.

The youths in the courtyard were also murmuring amongst themselves.

Their discussion revolved around how to escape and where to flee. By now, they had lost all confidence in Zhang Yang, focusing only on saving their own skins.

“Someone’s coming back!”

The one sitting there, wearing headphones, suddenly straightened up and shouted aloud.

The room instantly fell into profound silence. Even those outside rushed in, gazing expectantly.

Their observation posts had not been withdrawn; they were constantly watching. The moment anyone appeared at the villa opposite, they were spotted and reported back here.

“Did you see clearly? Who is it?”

The eldest man asked tensely. Everyone in the room kept their mouths shut, seemingly able to hear the rapid thumping of their own hearts.

“It is… it’s Chu Yuntian!”

After listening for a moment with his headset on, the man’s eyes filled with despair. He was also a disciple of the Huang family and understood precisely what Chu Yuntian’s return signified.

In an instant, everyone in the room felt their limbs go cold. Chu Yuntian’s return meant Zhang Yang had failed—either he was killed or had fled completely.

Either outcome was disastrous for them. Their Huang family was finished; this great demon would certainly not spare them.

Some began cursing in utter despair. A few young men pulled out their car keys, eager to flee. They dared not remain, preferring to buy a few moments of time, as long as they could keep themselves alive.

“Someone else is coming back!”

The man with the headset shouted again, and the room quieted once more.

“Wait… that white horse is back, and there’s a figure with it—it’s Zhang Yang! Zhang Yang chased Chu Yuntian into the villa! They’re fighting again! Mr. Zhang has a small shadow helping him, the people over there can’t see clearly!”

The man with the headset spoke rapidly, relaying the intelligence gathered from the front lines. He repeated the message.

Many stared at him in disbelief.

Zhang Yang was back too? The fleeing Zhang Yang had actually returned? Judging by the tone, it seemed Zhang Yang was now the one pursuing Chu Yuntian, rather than the other way around.

This reversal was so immense that they struggled to process it for a moment.

Moments before, they were steeped in despair; now, a new hope had arisen, a great hope at that. Since Zhang Yang was chasing Chu Yuntian, it implied he had the upper hand, with Chu Yuntian being the one fleeing.

If that was the case, Zhang Yang still had a chance to slay this fiend.

Everyone suddenly felt a renewed surge of hope. Huang Jing’s lips trembled with excitement; she was unable to speak.

She had suspected earlier that Zhang Yang had left intentionally. Now, it seemed this guess might be true. Something must have transpired while Zhang Yang lured Chu Yuntian away to result in this current situation where Zhang Yang was the pursuer.

The Huang family members held their breath, awaiting further news.

Inside the villa, Zhang Yang had indeed followed him in. Chu Yuntian’s desperate return, even while injured, raised significant confusion in Zhang Yang’s mind.

Whatever Chu Yuntian’s objective was, Zhang Yang only needed to stop him.

Bang! Bang!

At the villa entrance, Zhang Yang blocked Chu Yuntian, who was trying to barge in again. Lightning’s small claws suddenly swept forward, and an invisible, hair-thin filament shot out from its pincer-like glove.

This was the secret weapon of the Lightning Gauntlet; it hadn't been used before. But now, seeing Chu Yuntian looking somewhat battered and wounded in multiple places, with Zhang Yang blocking the way, Lightning felt confident enough to unleash it.

As the filament flew out, Zhang Yang understood Lightning’s intent.

The Chill Spring Sword was thrust forward in tandem with the filament. Zhang Yang forced Chu Yuntian to defend against his sword, creating an opening for Lightning.

On the other side, Swiftwind also charged forward, while Shadow spewed internal energy, preventing Chu Yuntian from changing his direction of escape.

Pffft!

A dull sound followed as Chu Yuntian clutched his waist and staggered back a step. With the combined efforts of Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts, they had managed to wound Chu Yuntian again.

This time, Lightning’s gauntlet succeeded; the filament within the glove pierced a hole through Chu Yuntian’s waist. This injury severely hampered his mobility.

The man and three beasts surrounded Chu Yuntian in the courtyard, giving him no chance to flee again, but they didn't rush to attack immediately.

Clutching his waist while staunching the bleeding, Chu Yuntian slowly raised his head.

A slight dizziness washed over his mind—a result of the toxin spreading due to his rapid earlier dash. He now needed to expend significant internal energy just to suppress the poison; his full strength was less than thirty percent available.

Forcibly using internal energy was possible, but it would only accelerate the toxin’s outbreak, ending just like the Elder of the Hu Yan family—dying from poisoning.

Glancing at the door to the villa living room, a trace of helplessness crossed Chu Yuntian’s face.

His rush to return, even risking injury to come here, indeed had a purpose. Earlier on the rooftop, he had only brought his personal weapons; all his other belongings were left here.

These items included what he had looted from the Huang family, along with commonly used healing medicines.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yuntian gripped his Flame Saber once more.

He had returned to retrieve those items and escape. He could forgo the healing medicines, but he absolutely could not abandon the Huang family’s possessions here; he had to take them with him, no matter what.

Chu Yuntian suddenly moved, unleashing another burst of powerful internal energy, sending out several strikes in succession.

Such a powerful eruption of internal energy would certainly hasten the toxin’s manifestation, but Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts could only temporarily retreat, as the lethality of these strikes was immense.

Successfully forcing Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts back slightly, Chu Yuntian shot straight past Zhang Yang into the villa.

Risking the full outbreak of the poison, Chu Yuntian pushed forward to reclaim his belongings.

In an instant, Zhang Yang followed him into the room, and the sounds of fierce combat soon erupted inside. Fortunately, the villa was large and situated in the suburbs, meaning there weren't many outsiders nearby who would be alerted.

Entering the room, Chu Yuntian appeared even more wretched.

Not only were his clothes disheveled, but his face had also taken on a darker hue. This reckless burst of internal energy had worsened the poison within him, forcing him to divert even more energy to suppress it, thus further weakening his combat ability.

Gritting his teeth, while awkwardly dodging behind a sofa, Chu Yuntian pulled out a jade bottle from his person.

He bit open the jade bottle, and a stream of pale green liquid flowed down his throat, swallowed entirely in a few gulps.

This was a treasure Chu Yuntian kept close to his body, one he would never use unless absolutely forced to.

As the jade bottle opened, an overwhelming fragrance dispersed outward. The moment Zhang Yang caught the scent, his expression changed.

This fragrance was far more potent than any heavenly material or earthly treasure he had ever encountered. Judging by the scent alone, this was unequivocally a high-grade heavenly material.

Elixirs brewed from such materials yielded the best effects.

It was a pity that Chu Yuntian swallowed it raw. Zhang Yang couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret; heavenly materials yield their greatest efficacy when brewed into medicine. Swallowing them directly was sheer waste.

Furthermore, consuming many heavenly materials directly could lead to poor assimilation of their medicinal properties, potentially causing adverse effects.

Chu Yuntian’s face now showed a flicker of pain, but the darkness on his complexion had visibly lessened. The substance in the jade bottle was extraordinary; it immediately helped him suppress the poison dealt by Lightning.

However, it was only suppression, not a cure. Relying solely on this type of heavenly material to detoxify was impossible.

Chirp chirp chirp!

Shadow suddenly cried out, and Zhang Yang’s expression shifted again slightly.

The heavenly material was hidden within the jade bottle, so Shadow’s sensitive nose couldn't detect it beforehand. But the moment the bottle opened, it recognized the origin of this treasure.

As it called out, it relayed the results of its sniffing to Zhang Yang.

This heavenly material was indeed supreme: it was a drop of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk. Only a Spirit Spring that was at least ten thousand years old could generate a Spirit Eye capable of brewing such milk, meaning the energy contained within was immense.

Moreover, once a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Eye formed, it could produce at most one drop of Spirit Milk every decade. The quantity Chu Yuntian just chugged down was unknown, but the waste made both Shadow and Zhang Yang ache in their hearts.

While Zhang Yang was feeling the pain of loss, Chu Yuntian had already reacted. The strength in his hands increased again, and his body lunged towards the second floor.

His remaining possessions were all upstairs.

First update: If monthly tickets surpass 2222, there will be at least five updates today. The next chapter is expected around 7 o'clock. RQ