Chen Changqing returned to the secluded courtyard behind Evergreen Peak.
Liu Ruyan stood beside the stone table, her fingers unconsciously tapping its surface. Clearly, she had been waiting anxiously.
The moment she saw Chen Changqing, she immediately 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 difficult to detect.
The grand competition was imminent. As Mount Shu's absolute main force this time, Chen Changqing was leaving the mountain at such a critical juncture. Any Sect Master would likely hesitate before agreeing.
Chen Changqing walked over, his expression relaxed.
"Let's go."
"Master agreed."
Liu Ruyan froze for a moment, then her phoenix-like eyes brimmed with delight.
"At least he knows what's good for him."
Though she said that, inwardly she clicked her tongue in amazement.
It seemed Ancestor Wuzhen's breakthrough into a Tribulation Immortal had involved Chen Changqing far more deeply than the outside world had rumored.
Otherwise, Chen Yuan would never have allowed him to leave Mount Shu at a time like this.
Wangcai had long since grown impatient at the side, his tail wagging like a windmill.
"Master, are we leaving now?"
Chen Changqing nodded, his gaze falling on Wangcai.
"That little body of yours won't do. Change back into 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 had been half a man tall transformed into an enormous beast nearly a hundred zhang long.
Its entire body was covered in ink-black scales, every scale gleaming with a metallic luster. Its limbs were thick and powerful, its feet stepping through the void as though it were climbing invisible stairs.
Above its ferocious