Return to Wushan Town

The morning after his Dragon Transformation, Lin Yun made a decision: he would return to Wushan Town.

This thought had been circling in his mind since last night. The Green Spirit Fruit had purified his bloodline, granting him the ability to undergo Dragon Transformation. He had to tell his father about this, and there was another urgent matter he needed to handle!

Hogg had endured too much over these years; the decline of the clan, the disappearance of his wife, and the future of his three sons—all these burdens rested solely on his shoulders. When the bloodline test results came out years ago, neither Linley's nor Lin Yun's bloodline concentration was sufficient for Dragon Transformation. Although Wharton's concentration met the criteria, he was only twelve and still studying at the O'Brien Empire Academy. Although Hogg had said nothing, Lin Yun could feel his disappointment. The Dragonblood Warrior bloodline of the Baruch Clan had been passed down for thousands of years, yet in this generation, only one child had any hope of inheriting it.

Now, he could finally give his father an answer.

Lin Yun stood up from the bluestone and stretched his body. The energy from the Green Spirit Fruit had not been fully digested yet; he could feel a lingering, warm power within his body, slowly nourishing his bloodline.

He changed into clean clothes, secured his Space Ring, and walked back to the dormitory along the path behind the mountain.

The courtyard of Dormitory 1987 was very quiet. The doors to Yale's and Reynolds' rooms were closed; they were likely still asleep. There was no movement from George's room either. Linley's door was wide open, the room empty, his bed neatly made, and several books on Wind Element magic resting on the table.

"Still not back." Lin Yun stood at the doorway, looking at the empty room, and frowned slightly. Linley had been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for nearly three months, a month longer than originally planned. Although he had confidence in Linley's strength, it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.

But now was not the time to think about that. Lin Yun left a note on the table, telling Linley that he had returned to Wushan Town and asking him not to worry when he returned. Then, he turned and walked out of the dormitory.

It took the better part of a day to walk from the Ernst Institute to Wushan Town. With his current speed, this distance was nothing. Moreover, he wanted to take this opportunity to properly feel the changes in his body after the Dragon Transformation.

The morning country path was shrouded in a thin mist. In the fields on both sides, the wheat seedlings were green, and dew shimmered with crystalline light on the leaves. Occasionally, a few early birds flew overhead, letting out crisp chirps.

Lin Yun's speed was fast, but his footsteps were light. His physical fitness, under the transformation of the Green Spirit Fruit, had far surpassed what it once was. Every stride covered several meters, yet there was almost no sound when he landed. This was a technique he had learned from the secret manual Wind Spirit Movement—integrating the power of the wind into his steps to make his body as light as a feather. In the Coiling Dragon World, the power of this same secret manual was much stronger than it had been in Swallowed Star.

Along the way, he did not encounter any trouble. Occasionally, a few low-level magic beasts would dart out from the woods by the road, but upon sensing the aura radiating from him, they would immediately tuck their tails and flee. The mental pressure of a Level 9 Mage was not something these low-level magic beasts could withstand.

In just about an hour, the silhouette of Wushan Town finally appeared in his field of vision.

The small town was no different from when he had left—low houses, narrow streets, and mountains looming in the distance. The old locust tree at the entrance of the town remained the same, its branches lush, with a few old men playing chess beneath it.

Lin Yun slowed his pace and walked into the town.

Baruch Manor was in the deepest part of the town, requiring him to cross the entire Wushan Town to reach it. Along the way, many residents recognized him and greeted him one after another.

"Young Master Lin Yun is back?"

"I heard you're studying magic at the Ernst Institute? That's the number one magic academy on the continent!"

"Young Master Lin Yun has grown taller; you look exactly like your father when he was young."

Lin Yun smiled and responded to everyone, but his pace did not stop. He could feel his heartbeat accelerating. It wasn't nervousness, but a complex emotion of feeling timid as he neared home.

Finally, the gates of Baruch Manor appeared before him.

The manor was still the same. Mottled stone walls, rusted iron gates, and a courtyard overgrown with weeds. Everything was exactly as it had been when he left, yet it felt as if everything was different.

Lin Yun pushed open the iron gate and walked in.

In the courtyard, Hogg was sitting on a stone bench beneath the dragon-shaped stone sculpture, holding a yellowed book in his hands, seemingly studying something. He wore an old, washed-out robe, and there were significantly more white hairs at his temples than when Lin Yun had left.

Hearing footsteps, Hogg looked up. When he saw Lin Yun standing before him, the book in his hand nearly fell to the ground.

"Lin Yun?" Hogg stood up, his eyes full of surprise. "Why are you back today? Is the academy on break?"

"No." Lin Yun walked up to his father, looking at his gaunt face, and a wave of bitterness surged in his heart. "I just wanted to come back and see you."

Hogg looked his son up and down, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes. "You've grown taller and sturdier. It seems you haven't slacked off at the academy."

He paused and asked, "What about Linley? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Big brother is still training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range; he'll be back in a while," Lin Yun said.

Hogg nodded, not asking further. He had confidence in both his sons. Linley was steady and grounded, while Lin Yun was naturally gifted; neither were children who would cause him worry.

"Wharton is at the O'Brien Empire Academy. He wrote a letter last month saying his grades there are very good and he has already reached the level of a Level 6 Warrior." A smile appeared on Hogg's face. "That kid has never caused me any worry since he was small."

Lin Yun smiled. Wharton was only three years younger than him and Linley, and was twelve this year. The three brothers had grown up together and shared a deep bond. Wharton's personality was much more lively than Linley's, and his talent was also quite good. When he tested for bloodline concentration at age six and met the criteria, Hogg had sent him to the O'Brien Empire Academy—the best warrior academy on the Yulan Continent.

"Have you eaten? I'll have Martha make you something." Hogg turned to head into the house.

"Father." Lin Yun called out to him.

Hogg stopped and turned back.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and then slowly released his Dragon Transformation state.

Emerald-green scales emerged from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his arms, torso, and legs. Sharp claws grew from his fingertips, dragon horns protruded from both sides of his forehead, and a dragon tail extended from the base of his spine. The entire process took only a few seconds. A Dragonblood Warrior, covered in emerald-green scales, with horns on his head and a tail like a sharp spear, stood before Hogg.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

The book in Hogg's hand fell completely to the ground. His eyes were wide open, his lips trembled slightly, and he stood there as if he had been struck by a binding spell, motionless.

"Father." Lin Yun's voice came from beneath the scales, carrying a metallic texture. "I can undergo Dragon Transformation."

Hogg did not answer. His eyes turned red, tears swirling in them before sliding down silently. He raised his hand, trembling as he reached toward Lin Yun, his fingertips gently touching the scales on his son's arm.

Those scales were hard and cold, yet Hogg touched them as if they were the most precious thing in the world. His fingers traced the scales, brushing over every pattern and every ridge.

"Dragon Transformation..." Hogg's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "You really underwent Dragon Transformation..."

He suddenly looked up, grabbed Lin Yun's shoulders with both hands, and stared at him intently. "When did this happen? How did you do it? Your bloodline concentration... it clearly wasn't enough when you were tested back then..."

"Just yesterday." Lin Yun explained briefly. "I obtained a miraculous fruit during my training. It purified my bloodline and raised the concentration to a level sufficient for Dragon Transformation."

Hogg was stunned for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed. In that laughter was wild joy, relief, and the catharsis of an emotion suppressed for over a decade finally being released.

"Good! Good! Good!" He said the word "good" three times in a row, patting Lin Yun's shoulder hard. "The bloodline of the Baruch Clan has not been severed! It has not been severed!"

Lin Yun deactivated his Dragon Transformation. The scales, dragon horns, and dragon tail slowly faded away, and he returned to being that ordinary-looking youth once again.

Hogg sat on a stone stool, his hands resting on his knees, his head bowed, and his shoulders trembling slightly. It was a long time before he finally looked up. His tears had dried, but a light that Lin Yun had never seen before appeared in his eyes—it was hope.

"Lin Yun." Hogg's voice had calmed down, but his tone carried an unprecedented solemnity. "What is your current cultivation level?"

"Level 9 Mage, peak Level 8 Warrior. In my Dragon Transformation state, my warrior strength can reach the peak of Level 9," Lin Yun answered truthfully.

Hogg gasped. A fifteen-year-old Level 9 Mage, a peak Level 8 Warrior, and a Dragonblood Warrior who could rival a peak Level 9 after transforming—this strength was among the absolute top tier of the younger generation across the entire Yulan Continent.

"What about your older brother?" Hogg asked. "What is his level now?"

"Level 6 Mage, Level 5 Warrior," Lin Yun said. "His progress is also very fast."

Hogg nodded and remained silent for a long time. Then he stood up, looked at Lin Yun, and a complex emotion flashed through his eyes.

"Lin Yun, come with me."

He turned and walked toward the depths of the estate. Lin Yun followed behind him, vaguely guessing what this was about.

Hogg led Lin Yun through the main house, across the vegetable garden in the backyard, and arrived in front of a small stone hut at the very back of the estate. Lin Yun had seen this stone hut since he was a child, but Hogg had never allowed him or Linley to enter. The door to the stone hut was a heavy iron door with a rusty, large lock hanging on it.

Hogg pulled an old copper key from his pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and used a great deal of effort to open the lock. The iron door let out a harsh, creaking sound, and a damp, musty smell drifted out from within.

The inside of the stone hut was very dark, with only faint light filtering in through a few cracks in the roof. Lin Yun followed Hogg inside, his eyes adjusting after a moment to make out the furnishings.

The stone hut was small, only about a dozen square meters. Hanging on the wall directly opposite was a portrait of a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair, gentle eyes, and a faint smile on her lips. She was holding two infants in her arms, and a young man stood behind her—it was Hogg in his youth.

Lin Yun's heart tightened sharply.

That was his mother. The woman in the portrait overlapped with the image of his mother in his memories. Although his mother had "passed away" when he was three, his soul retained those vague memories—a warm embrace, soft singing, and hair that carried a faint floral scent.

Hogg stood before the portrait, looking up at the woman's face, and remained silent for a long time.

"Lin Yun." He finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Your mother did not die from complications during Wharton's birth."

Lin Yun's body trembled slightly. He knew his mother hadn't died from childbirth, but he hadn't expected Hogg to reveal the truth at this moment.

"When your mother was pregnant again back then, both she and I were very happy." Hogg's voice was very soft, as if he were telling a story from long ago. "However, the medical conditions in Wushan Town were too poor, so I set out with your mother for Fenlai City. In Fenlai City, your mother safely gave birth to little Wharton. Little Wharton was very cute, and both your mother and I were overjoyed."

He paused, taking a deep breath.

"Not long after little Wharton was born, I took your mother and little Wharton to the Radiant Temple to pray for him. That day, both your mother and I were very happy. Afterward, we left the Radiant Temple and stayed at a hotel in Fenlai City for the night."

Hogg's voice began to tremble.

"It was that very night that a group of mysterious people arrived at the hotel and snatched your mother away. I was outnumbered and could only manage to protect Wharton."

His eyes were filled with pain, as if he had returned to that desperate night over a decade ago.

"I saw that one of the attackers had a red spider birthmark on his arm."

"I knew that group of people were not ordinary; the weakest among them were Level 4 Warriors, and the strongest was even more powerful than me. Fortunately, their target was only your mother, otherwise I would have been killed long ago." Hogg's voice was low and repressed. "To be able to mobilize such a team, they were no small figures even in Fenlai City. I didn't dare to make a scene. I brought little Wharton back and told the outside world that your mother died in childbirth. This secret was known only to the butler Hiri and your Uncle Hillman."

Lin Yun stood there, silent for a long time.

He knew his mother was still alive. He knew she had been sacrificed by the Radiant Church to the Lord of Light, transformed into a Twelve-Winged Angel, and turned into a weapon of war for the Lord of Light. He knew that to save his mother, he had to kill the Lord of Light—the man who stood at the very pinnacle of the Coiling Dragon universe.

But he could not tell Hogg these things. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't. Hogg had already endured too much; telling him that his mother was still alive but had been turned into a mindless fighting machine would only cause him more agony.

"I couldn't tell you all about this. For over ten years, I have kept this secret buried deep in my heart." Hogg's voice grew lower. "I didn't dare to speak of it... I couldn't even go and investigate on my own whether your mother was dead or alive, or who those people were. I didn't dare to look into it."

He turned around and looked at Lin Yun, his eyes filled with tears.

"I am the heir of the Dragonblood Warrior clan; at the very least, I had to raise you all to adulthood. I could not let the Baruch Clan's lineage end. I endured year after year, yet every night I found it hard to sleep. Whether your mother was dead or alive—this has been torturing me!"

Hogg's voice suddenly rose, carrying all the pain and anger suppressed for over a decade.

"You and Linley made me very proud, first becoming students at the Yulan Continent's premier magic academy, and then becoming geniuses at the Ernst Institute. I had great confidence in you. Wharton's Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration also met the requirements, and his grades at the O'Brien Empire Academy were excellent. I was very proud that all three of my sons were so outstanding; I felt I had done right by the ancestors of the Baruch Clan! But even then, I still didn't dare to investigate your mother's situation, because Wharton still needed a large amount of money to pay for his expensive tuition."

He paused, looking at Lin Yun, and the tears in his eyes finally fell.

Lin Yun stepped forward and took his father's hand. He felt a deep ache for the man before him; for the sake of the family, he had carried too much.

When he was twelve, he had obtained a large amount of gold coins and Magic Crystals in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, but he hadn't given these gold coins to Hogg. He knew that once Hogg had this money, he would have no worries and would go to investigate his mother's trail, which would result in him returning severely injured and dying shortly thereafter.

At that time, his own strength was only Level 7, and he couldn't use Dragon Transformation; he didn't have the strength to help Hogg take revenge. But now it was different—as a peak Level 9 Dragonblood Warrior, he feared no one as long as the Saint Realm experts did not emerge!

Hogg's hand was trembling, his entire body was trembling. For over a decade, this secret had weighed on his heart, and now that it was finally spoken, he didn't feel a sense of relief; instead, it was as if all his strength had been drained away.

"Father." Lin Yun's voice was calm and firm. "Mother might still be alive."

Hogg suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with an expression of disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"I have no proof, but I can feel it," Lin Yun said. "Mother is still alive, somewhere. Those people took her not to kill her, but for another purpose. As for what that purpose is... I don't know yet, but I will find out."

He did not tell Hogg about the angel transformation. That was not a truth Hogg could bear right now.

Hogg stared at Lin Yun for a long time, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to utter: "You... how do you know?"

"Intuition," Lin Yun said. "Besides, Mother was just an ordinary person. Why would those people go to such great lengths to snatch her? They could have easily killed her on the spot. The fact that they took her means she had value to them. People with value are not easily killed."

Hogg was stunned. He had never thought about the problem from this angle. For over a decade, he had always assumed Lina was dead, and he had only wanted to avenge her. But now, Lin Yun had given him a new possibility.

"Father." Lin Yun looked into Hogg's eyes and said every word clearly, "I will definitely find the people who kidnapped Mother and bring her back. I promise you."

Hogg opened his mouth, his throat feeling as if it were blocked by something, unable to make a sound. He squeezed Lin Yun's hand tightly, then let go, turned around, and faced the portrait once more.

"Your mother's name was Lina." His voice was very soft, as if he were speaking to the woman in the portrait. "She was the gentlest woman I have ever met in my life. When she married me, the Baruch Clan was already in decline, but she never once complained. She always said that as long as the family was together, it didn't matter where we lived."

Lin Yun stood behind his father, looking at his mother in the portrait.

Lina. This name had appeared in his memories countless times, but at this moment, hearing it spoken by Hogg, it carried an entirely different weight.

"I will find her." Lin Yun said softly, as if making a promise to his father, and also to his mother in the portrait.

Hogg did not speak; he simply stood there, gazing at the portrait, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Yun stood with him for a long time.

When they emerged from the stone house, the setting sun had already dipped below the horizon.

Hogg locked the door of the stone house and tucked the old copper key back into his pocket. He turned around and looked at Lin Yun, his gaze holding something that had never been there before—it was trust, a sense of entrusting a burden.

"Be careful." Hogg said. "That group is not weak, and the fact that they could openly snatch someone away from the Radiant Church clearly shows they have close ties to them. If you are exposed..."

"I won't be exposed." Lin Yun said. "Father, please rest assured. I won't act rashly until I have sufficient certainty. I am only going to investigate first to see if I can find more clues."

Hogg nodded, saying nothing more. He knew that his son had grown up and now possessed his own judgment and capabilities.

Lin Yun stayed with his father in Wushan Town for a few days before setting off to return to Fenlai City; he was going to capture someone and collect a little interest first!