Zhang Yang spoke at length with the old man and learned many things he hadn't known before. At the very least, Zhang Yang now understood that as long as the two Immortal Peaches he held were administered to the old man and the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, the Twelve-Crowned Golden Python of Changbai Mountain would cease its hostile eyeing of him.

But throughout the entire encounter, the old man never revealed his true identity to Zhang Yang, and after exchanging a few final words, he departed as silently as he had arrived. However, Zhang Yang knew the elder hadn't left the Kunlun Mountain Range.

With him present, and with the Senior Illusory Mouse of Yinlong Mountain also in place, the Twelve-Crowned Golden Python wouldn't dare leave Changbai Mountain to rashly venture into Kunlun to seize the immortal pills. The lingering aftermath of the Heavenly Tribulation had finally dissipated, and the cultivators who couldn't withstand its pressure were beginning to regain consciousness one by one.

Under the guidance of Long Feng and Qiao Yihong, the Long family disciples started cleaning up the Long Family Plain again and recommenced the reconstruction of the Long Family Palace. The Long Family Palace, having stood for generations, had once again been reduced to ruins shortly after its last destruction.

More than half of the palace had collapsed, and the land was scorched earth everywhere. Near Zhang Yang's secluded chamber where he underwent the tribulation, bottomless pits dotted the landscape.

Whenever the Long family disciples approached these massive craters, they were reminded of how Zhang Yang, struck down into the earth by the tribulation lightning, had managed to crawl out step by step, ultimately succeeding in overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation. Those younger Long family disciples were unaware that Zhang Yang's tribulation was a result of his advancement to the Fifth Layer, but they all knew that Zhang Yang had defied Heaven and ultimately triumphed.

Zhang Yang had become an idol in the hearts of all Long family disciples. The influence of this Supreme Elder among the disciples had long surpassed that of the Long Family Head, Long Haotian, and the other senior members of the Long family.

In the days that followed, while the Long family rebuilt its palace, the various sects and factions gathered at Kunlun paid them no mind. Now, they were even more eager than before to enter the Long Family Plain to personally visit the Long family and the Zhang Family of the Medical Saint.

Everyone knew that the Long family was now thoroughly and inextricably bound to the Zhang Family of the Medical Saint. It could be said that the Long family had benefited immensely from the Medical Saint's family prestige this time.

Even though the Long family now lacked a Fourth Layer expert and a Great Perfection guardian, as long as the Zhang Family of the Medical Saint stood behind them, the Long family remained a paramount great family in Huaxia. If the Medical Saint's family ranked first, the Long family ranked second, even ahead of those established families and sects possessing Great Perfection masters.

Their standing was more than just a little higher than before. All of this was credited to Zhang Yang.

If Zhang Yang had failed to pass his tribulation, someone would likely have attacked long ago, and the true strengths and weaknesses of the Long and Zhang families would have been exposed to everyone. Now, the same question lingered in everyone’s minds: what exactly was the deal with those prior bolts of tribulation lightning?

None of them had reached Great Perfection, and even Fourth Layer experts had to stay far away to avoid being accidentally injured by the residual power of the lightning. Therefore, they had no idea what had truly transpired.

Mi Xue had fainted due to being unable to withstand the pressure of the preceding Heavenly Tribulation. Zhang Yang sent a sliver of Heaven and Earth energy into her body to help cleanse the residual effects and allowed her to sleep for a few more days, which would be beneficial for her future cultivation.

In the following days, Zhang Yang mostly stayed by the old man's side, helping him regulate his body in preparation for taking the Immortal Peach Pills, while the Golden Three-Eyed Beast remained inactive. It seemed it would not be giving birth anytime soon.

Master Shi Ming had long since led the Shaolin disciples, along with Qu Meilan and Yan Yifei, to assist the Long family disciples in rebuilding the palace, whereas Long Feng found himself overwhelmed by managing the Long family affairs in place of the now-occupied Long Haotian. This was because the number of people wanting to enter the Long Family Plain to visit the Long and Zhang families was simply too high—these were the main pillars of the Huaxia cultivation world.

Long Feng couldn't easily refuse them now. Having no other choice, Long Feng had to specifically seek out Zhang Yang to explain the current situation at Kunlun and ask if Zhang Yang might be able to make an appearance before everyone at some point.

Looking at Zhang Yang, Long Feng found himself unsure of how to begin. The Zhang Yang before him felt overwhelmingly lofty, completely different from how he was before.

It wasn't that Zhang Yang intended to be this way; after breaking through to the Fifth Layer, his entire being had undergone a qualitative transformation, naturally connecting him to the Heaven and Earth energy. Looking at him was like looking at the heavens and earth itself, thus creating an aura of immense stature.

Zhang Yang gave a wry smile and shook his head, having guessed Long Feng's thoughts. He decided to speak first: "Long Feng, we are still good brothers." A Fifth Layer expert at the age of twenty-two certainly did not possess the grumpy temperament of previous Fifth Layer masters.

Zhang Yang currently held no awareness of being a senior; he still hoped everyone could interact as they had before, making their association more enjoyable and free of burdens. Long Feng nodded, feeling a great sense of relief in his heart.

Despite Zhang Yang having reached an unreachable height, he remained gentle and warm towards his friends, leading Long Feng to believe that befriending Zhang Yang was truly the best decision of his entire life. "Senior Zhang...

Brother Zhang." Seeing Zhang Yang raise an eyebrow slightly, Long Feng knew he had spoken incorrectly and quickly corrected himself before continuing, "Currently, many great sects and factions are gathered at Kunlun. They all wish to enter our Long Family Plain, first to pay respects to the Long and Zhang families, and second, I suspect, to gauge our true strength, as the scale of that lightning tribulation a few days ago was truly astonishing." Zhang Yang nodded, completely unworried that these sects and families might stir up trouble after entering the Long Family Plain, as the entire area was essentially under Zhang Yang's watchful eyes.

"Rest assured, let them in. Oh, and Long Feng, when they arrive, don't let them idle.

Aren't these people looking for something to do? Have them help you rebuild the Long Family Palace.

With the internal energy of cultivators, their strength will significantly increase the speed of reconstruction." Knowing that these sects and families might not harbor the best intentions, Zhang Yang was unapologetic and directly assigned their subsequent task. Could these sects and families refuse?

Zhang Yang only needed to show his face once they entered the Long Family Plain, and everything would be resolved. Long Feng laughed heartily and shook his head.

Making those sects and factions come help rebuild the Long Family Palace would truly be quite difficult for them. "Not good, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast is going into labor!" Zhang Yang smiled faintly, but then his eyes narrowed.

A vortex of Heaven and Earth energy suddenly formed in one area of the Long Family Plain, swirling chaotically. That location was precisely where the Long family had settled the Golden Three-Eyed Beast.

Judging by the appearance, the beast was about to give birth. "Long Feng, go and receive those sects and factions.

I need to check on the Golden Three-Eyed Beast." Zhang Yang vanished before his voice even fully registered in Long Feng's ears. Long Feng paused briefly, then shook his head with a touch of bitterness.

The current Zhang Yang was far beyond anything he could catch up to now. In a corner of the Long Family Plain, Long Feng had specifically set aside an area to accommodate the Golden Three-Eyed Beast.

The three little ones—Zhuifeng, Wuying, and Shandian—were already gathered there, watching the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, whose expression appeared intensely pained. It seemed the effects of the Fetal Preservation Elixir had finally worn off, and the little Three-Eyed Beast was impatiently eager to emerge from its mother's womb and breathe the freshest air in the world.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast looked even more frail now than when it was first found underground. Its strength had fallen to its absolute minimum; at this moment, it probably couldn't even defeat a First Layer spirit beast.

Zhang Yang had no experience with spirit beast deliveries; he could only rely on monitoring the energy fluctuations and vital signs of the Golden Three-Eyed Beast to assist it through a safe birth. The jade porcelain bottle containing the Immortal Peach Pills was on Zhang Yang's person.

He stared intently at the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, determined to administer the elixir at the most critical moment to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Wuying, Shandian, and Zhuifeng could easily restrain the beast, preventing it from struggling too violently, but as the delivery neared, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast's suppressed strength suddenly erupted!

As the beast thrashed, powerful bursts of Heaven and Earth energy would sporadically explode from its body, sweeping towards Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts. This was not the Golden Three-Eyed Beast's intention; it was purely the most primal instinct of a mother protecting her unborn child.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang had already advanced to the Fifth Layer, his control over Heaven and Earth energy being near perfection. Facing the countless chaotic and powerfully aggressive waves of energy generated by the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, Zhang Yang effortlessly extinguished them with soft waves of his hand, saving a great deal of trouble.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast lay on its side, its abdomen swollen like a small hill rising from the ground, seemingly on the verge of tearing open at any moment. "No C-section!" Zhang Yang knew clearly that if he were to cut open the beast's belly to help the little one emerge, not only would the medicinal effects of the Immortal Peach Pills be wasted, but the Golden Three-Eyed Beast would certainly die.

Several silver needles shot from Zhang Yang’s hand, embedding themselves in various points on the beast's body. This time, Zhang Yang didn't need to manually manipulate them; the needles would automatically rotate at a specific frequency under his control.

The most prominent characteristic of a Fifth Layer expert: remote manipulation of objects. This was not the mere ability to pull objects from a distance like in the Great Perfection stage, but the genuine control over anything a few meters, or even tens of meters, away from the body.

With his hands freed, Zhang Yang placed his palms on the Golden Three-Eyed Beast's belly, continuously channeling gentle Heaven and Earth energy to soothe the impatient little one struggling inside. At this moment, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast struggled more fiercely, sending waves of wind-like Heaven and Earth energy crashing towards Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts.

Zhang Yang focused entirely on calming the unborn cub, leaving the task of resisting these extremely sharp surges of Heaven and Earth energy to the three spirit beasts. Resisting them was far less effortless for the three little ones than it was for Zhang Yang.

(To be continued) No pop-up novel website