After returning to the secluded courtyard behind Changqing Peak, Chen Changqing found Liu Ruyan standing beside the stone table, her fingers unconsciously tapping against its surface. She was clearly growing anxious from the wait.
The moment she saw Chen Changqing, she hurried over.
"How did it go?"
"Did the Sect Master refuse to let you leave?"
There was urgency in her voice, along with a faint trace of concern that was hard to detect.
With the Grand Tournament fast approaching, Chen Changqing was Shushan's undisputed mainstay this time. If he chose to leave the mountain at such a moment, no Sect Master would likely agree so readily.
Chen Changqing walked up to her, looking relaxed.
"Let's go."
"Master agreed."
Liu Ruyan froze for a moment, then her phoenix eyes overflowed with delight.
"At least he knows what's good for him."
Though she said that aloud, inwardly she clicked her tongue in amazement.
It seemed Chen Changqing's role in Patriarch Wuzhen's breakthrough to the Tribulation Immortal realm had been even greater than the outside rumors claimed.
Otherwise, Chen Yuan would never have allowed him to leave Shushan at a time like this.
Wangcai had long since grown impatient at the side, his tail wagging like a windmill.
"Master, are we setting off now?"
Chen Changqing nodded, his gaze falling on Wangcai.
"That little body of yours won't do. Return to your true form."
Wangcai barked excitedly, and his body immediately swelled against the wind.
In the blink of an eye, the little black dog that stood half a man tall transformed into a colossal beast nearly a hundred zhang long.
Its entire body was covered in ink-black scales, each one gleaming with a metallic luster. Its limbs were thick and powerful, its feet treading upon the void as though it stood