"Mm." Lin Xuanchen nodded. "I will. Then let's go now."
"All right." Wang Dong'er nodded lightly, then led Lin Xuanchen out of the inn, speeding toward the Clear Sky Sect.
Since Lin Xuanchen had no flight skill, he chose to run along the ground, while Wang Dong'er spread her light goddess butterfly wings and flew through the air.
Although Lin Xuanchen had no flight skill, he did have Three Thousand Lightning Movement! Even Wang Dong'er could not keep up with his speed on the ground. All she could make out was a hazy streak of blue lightning darting along.
After another few dozen minutes of running, a great mountain quietly came into Lin Xuanchen's view in the distance.
The peak was not only towering but also looked extraordinarily treacherous. Three sides of the mountain rose in sheer cliffs, as though carved by a blade. Only one side had a gentler slope, and even that was only in comparison to the other three.
Ranges of rolling mountains surrounded the steep peak, but even the tallest among them reached only halfway up its slopes.
A misty sea of clouds drifted slowly above those mountains. Most of the steep peak lay hidden beneath it, with only a small portion rising above the clouds. They would have to pass through the cloud layer to see it in its entirety.
Gazing at the sight before him, Lin Xuanchen could not help pondering for a moment before recalling the highest peak from his previous life-Mount Everest!
However, he had never visited Mount Everest in his previous life, so he had no idea whether these magnificent mountains could compare to it.
"A-Chen, let me fly you up from here." As Lin Xuanchen was pondering, Wang Dong'er slowly landed beside him and spoke with a sweet smile.
"All right." Lin Xuanchen accepted without fuss and nodded. "Dong'er, thanks for the effort."
"No problem." Wang Dong'er smiled faintly and slipped her arm through his. With a slight stir of her thoughts, the enormous butterfly wings on her back beat hard, lifting her and Lin Xuanchen into the air.
Golden soul power surged around Wang Dong'er as she carried Lin Xuanchen toward the steepest peak.
After flying for about a quarter of an hour, Wang Dong'er finally landed with Lin Xuanchen on the mountain's gentler slope.
"The natural energy here is quite dense."
Lin Xuanchen briefly sensed the natural energy around him and could not help feeling a little startled.
Although the natural energy here could not compare to that within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it was still denser than in ordinary places.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the brief moment while Lin Xuanchen was marveling inwardly, three black figures suddenly shot toward him and Wang Dong'er from ahead.
The three black figures moved at incredible speed, even producing a series of sonic booms along the way, before finally coming to a steady halt in front of him and Wang Dong'er.
"Young sect master?" The instant the leading man in black recognized Wang Dong'er's pretty face, an exclamation of surprise escaped his lips.
"What? Am I not allowed to come home?" Wang Dong'er asked, knitting her lovely, butterfly-like brows in displeasure.
"No, no, no!" The leading man in black immediately shook his head upon hearing that and slowly explained:
"We're merely a little surprised. You only left for Shrek Academy three or four months ago, young sect master. We didn't expect you to return so soon. After all, under Shrek Academy's rules, students only get one long vacation a year."
"There's nothing for you to do here. Go back," Wang Dong'er said lightly, waving at the three men in black.
"Yes." All three men in black nodded, then darted back in the direction they had come from.
"Young Sect Master Dong'er." Lin Xuanchen deliberately leaned a little closer to Wang Dong'er and teased, "Looks like you have quite the impressive entourage."
"Not at all." Wang Dong'er laughed lightly and took Lin Xuanchen's hand. "All right, come with me first."
With that, Wang Dong'er pulled Lin Xuanchen along as they climbed the steep mountain paths.
Wang Dong'er led Lin Xuanchen into a layer of mist. As they walked, she explained with a smile, "A-Chen, ordinary people can get lost very easily in this mist. It's my family's last line of defense. One careless step, and you could fall off a cliff and be smashed to pieces."
"Is your husband an ordinary person? Other people might be smashed to pieces if they fell, but I wouldn't necessarily be," Lin Xuanchen said with a smile.
"Hehe." Wang Dong'er giggled. "You and your cheeky mouth."
While Lin Xuanchen and Wang Dong'er were talking, the mist before them suddenly drifted away to either side, revealing a sea of clouds so low that they could almost tread upon it.
At the mountaintop rising from that sea of clouds, a majestic castle stood in silence.
The castle was gray throughout and exuded an ancient air, giving it quite an imposing presence.
"A-Chen, this is my home!" Wang Dong'er smiled gently and led Lin Xuanchen up to the great castle.
Three large, dark-gold characters were carved above the castle's arched entrance-"Clear Sky Castle."
"How magnificent." Looking at the great castle before him, Lin Xuanchen could not help smacking his lips in admiration.
From what he remembered of his previous life, it seemed only the nobility and royalty of ancient times had been entitled to live in such grand castles.
"A-Chen," Wang Dong'er said with a merry smile, "you're the first person I've ever brought home. We don't usually have guests."
"I'm your family's first guest, but why do I feel like I'll also be its last?" Lin Xuanchen said with a smile. "Your home isn't exactly easy to reach."
"Who says there's anything wrong with our home?!" In an instant, a booming, resonant voice rang out from within the great castle.
The moment those words fell, a tall, dark-red figure rushed out of the castle and appeared before Lin Xuanchen and Wang Dong'er in a flash.
The newcomer was an exceptionally burly middle-aged man. His short hair was dense and stiff as steel needles, and his broad face looked as though it had been carved with knives and axes. Golden light glinted in his tawny eyes, and he wore a gray coat.
His muscles were so massive, however, that even his clothes could hardly conceal them.
The Titan Giant Ape? The hundred-thousand-year soul beast that sacrificed himself for Tang San in the original story. He certainly looks imposing.
Lin Xuanchen raised his eyes to meet Tai Tan's orange-yellow gaze, his presence showing not the slightest hint of timidity.
Tai Tan's gaze soon fell upon Lin Xuanchen and Wang Dong'er's clasped hands, their fingers intertwined, and his expression immediately darkened.
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