The two did not take the imperial carriage again, instead strolling leisurely like ordinary cultivators. Streams murmured through the valley, and spirit plants breathed in and out. For once, they were far from the tangled demands of clan affairs.
It was rare for the Young Lord to indulge in such leisurely pursuits, and Yun Qing was naturally happy to accompany him. His mind, too, relaxed for a moment amid the tranquil scenery.
At the very instant Yun Qing let his guard down, Yun Huang suddenly moved ahead of him.
Without turning around or giving any warning, he casually raised a hand and gently closed it around empty space.
"Humm-!"
Space shuddered with a resonant cry! In an instant, the light throughout the valley dimmed, as though that hand had forcibly seized every ray! Pure, boundless radiant sun divine power surged madly toward Yun Huang's palm like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!
A sphere of light, condensed to the utmost limit, appeared above his palm, spinning.
The sphere resembled a miniature sun, its core incandescent white, its edges streaming with crimson flames like molten gold. It radiated terrifying energy that made the soul tremble. The air around it twisted violently, giving off a mournful whine like glass about to shatter.
An energy core formed entirely from highly compressed radiant sun divine power!
An ominous premonition coursed through Yun Qing's entire body...
Before he could react, Yun Huang finally turned around slowly. His pale golden eyes shone with breathtaking intensity in the light of the miniature sun in his palm, and a distinctly ill-intentioned smile curled his lips.
"Since you wish to put on a show of 'weakness,' elder brother, how could I bear not to help?"
Without giving Yun Qing a chance to refuse, he flicked a finger!
The energy core, emanating an aura of destruction, did not strike Yun Qing. Instead, it became a streak of golden light and silently sank into the ground beneath his feet.
"BOOOOM-!!"
The next instant, countless golden formation lines interwoven with flames and flowing light blazed across the ground within a three-zhang radius of Yun Qing! The formation disc activated instantly, and brilliant divine light shot skyward, swallowing him completely!
Yun Qing felt the space around him turn blindingly white, as though he had been forcibly stripped from his original world and plunged straight into the sun's core! Endless radiant sun divine power poured madly into his body from every direction!
It was not an attack, but a kind of... tempering?!
No, to Yun Qing, it felt more like a forced "infusion"!
Heat! Searing pain! Tearing agony!
Far more violent and primal than the power he had experienced during their spar the other day, it stabbed viciously into his meridians, bones, and organs-even deep into his soul-like hundreds of millions of red-hot steel needles!
The chaos dao embryo began churning madly of its own accord. Hazy gray chaos qi surged forth, trying to devour these intruders.
Yet this radiant sun divine power was too vast, too pure. Carrying Yun Huang's will, which stood above all things, it forcibly collided with his chaos qi, mingling with it and annihilating it!
"Urgh...!"
Yun Qing gave a muffled groan. Veins bulged instantly at his temples, and the muscles beneath his fitted black robes spasmed violently from the excruciating pain. He clenched his teeth, blood seeping between them, while chaos qi swirled through his double pupils at an unprecedented speed as he tried to analyze and adapt to this destructive power.
He understood Yun Huang's intention at once.
Yun Huang was forcibly "helping" him disguise his injuries in the most domineering way possible!
"Hold fast to your essence and preserve the one. Draw the radiant sun into chaos, and embrace vitality through nirvana." Yun Huang's cool voice pierced the blazing light and flames, reaching clearly into Yun Qing's sea of consciousness, which was nearly submerged in searing agony.
Yun Qing's mind shook, and he circulated his cultivation with all his strength. The chaos dao embryo encompassed all things and gave rise to all methods.
He drew the violent radiant sun divine power into his chaos vortex, using the intent of nirvana to forcibly suppress and strip away its blazing "life." Then, through the Dao of chaos, he shattered and decomposed it into the most fundamental yang-attribute energy particles, carefully incorporating them into the circulation of his own spiritual power.
Time lost all meaning at that moment.
After an unknown length of time, the radiant sun divine light filling the valley slowly receded, and the formation lines on the ground gradually dimmed.
Yun Qing remained standing where he was, but his face was pale as paper, undried blood clung to his lips, and his aura was weak and disordered. It looked particularly "genuine."
He now truly looked as though he had yet to recover from serious injuries. Even his origin aura had become muddled and unstable.
As for how much pure radiant sun essence he had absorbed and refined through this torment, or how much deeper his understanding of chaos had grown... well, such things were hardly suitable for sharing with Yun Chi.
Yun Huang walked quietly up to Yun Qing and extended a slender finger. A wisp of chaos spiritual power actually wound around his fingertip as he gently touched it to Yun Qing's brow.
Yun Qing's body instinctively stiffened, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to dodge.
The fingertip touched his skin, cool against it. A gentle, refreshing current of chaos qi passed into his nearly depleted sea of consciousness, swiftly nourishing and smoothing over the tiny cracks caused by refining the radiant sun divine power. At the same time, it firmly stabilized the deliberately created state of "weakness" and "disorder" within him.
"Now you look the part." Yun Huang withdrew his hand and said evenly, "There is no need to thank me too much."
If only he had concealed the mischievous amusement in his eyes a little better, Yun Qing might actually have bowed and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Young Lord."
As it was...
In the end, Yun Qing could only suppress his helpless urge to laugh and cry, shaking his head inwardly. Bear with it. Bear with it. Just consider it... humoring this ill-natured little brother of mine.
While the two engaged in this silent "banter," Yun Qing keenly caught sight of several figures hurrying toward them through the distant mountain woods. Their leader was none other than Yun Chi.
Yun Chi and the others had been kept at bay by that terrifying energy field. Only after the formation dissipated could they hastily approach.
At a glance, Yun Chi saw Yun Qing's deathly pale face and wildly unstable aura. Wild joy grew in his heart like unchecked weeds, and he was just about to step forward and ask after him with "concern"...
Suddenly!
Yun Huang, who had been standing quietly and enjoying the show, abruptly raised his head. Cold light flared in his eyes, and his golden gaze, sharp as lightning, pierced straight into the azure sky! His gaze crossed the endless void and locked firmly onto some invisible presence!
Overawed by his aura, Yun Chi faltered, not daring to speak.
Yun Qing also sensed the unusual atmosphere. Stepping forward, he asked quietly, "Young Lord?" He activated his double pupils as well, striving to follow Yun Huang's gaze into the boundless heavens. Dimly, there truly seemed to be some vast, indistinct outline of laws flickering within a crack at the world's end...
Slap!
Without warning, a pair of slender, jade-like hands covered Yun Qing's eyes, blocking all sight with irresistible force.
Yun Huang shook his head slightly, seemingly losing interest all at once, and said indifferently, "Go back. You will learn of it soon enough."
Without another word, his black-clad figure warped slightly, as though merging into the light. The next instant, he vanished into thin air, returning directly to the Perching Phoenix Hall.
Yun Qing stood where he was, the cool touch of those fingertips seeming to linger over his eyes. He looked in the direction Yun Huang had disappeared, his heart tightening. Something momentous was definitely about to happen...
Yun Chi, who had long since run out of patience, immediately darted forward once Yun Huang left, blocking Yun Qing as he likewise turned to leave. He had not forgotten his real purpose!
When Yun Qing turned back, Yun Chi immediately plastered a concerned smile across his face and cupped his hands. "Eldest Young Master!"
As he saluted, his divine sense swiftly swept over Yun Qing's pale face and the muddled, unstable aura around him.
Just as I thought! Yun Qing actually stood up for that brat Yun Li earlier. The Young Lord was displeased after all and punished him! Yun Chi's inward delight swelled further, but his face was filled with concern.
"Was the Young Lord just... ah, you must have worked so hard teaching today and worn yourself out attending to clan affairs that your old injuries flared up! I recently happened upon a three-thousand-year-old Blood-Jade Ganoderma. It works wonders in strengthening one's foundations, replenishing vitality, healing injuries, and nourishing the body. In my hands, it would truly be a pearl gathering dust, a wanton waste of heaven's gifts. If you would accept it, Eldest Young Master, I would gladly present this medicine to you. I also ask that you forgive my earlier offense."
Yun Qing stopped and deliberately put on a brave front. "Thank you for your concern, Cousin Yun Chi. I merely circulated my cultivation too hastily yesterday and aggravated some old injuries. A few days of regulating my breathing will suffice."
He seemed intent on concealing something, unwilling to discuss his injuries further.
"I see." A gleam flashed in Yun Chi's eyes as he feigned understanding. Then he edged half a step closer and lowered his voice, his tone carrying the indignation of someone sharing a common enemy. "Speaking of which, it was all that scoundrel Yun Hao's reckless ignorance! Had he not deliberately provoked you, how would you have been dragged into this..."
"There is no need to bring up the past!" Yun Qing abruptly interrupted him, his tone slightly cold, a trace of anger flashing through his double pupils at just the right moment.
In Yun Chi's eyes, this display only further confirmed his suspicion that Yun Qing had been punished by the Young Lord and was deliberately putting on a brave face.
"You are magnanimous, Eldest Young Master. I spoke out of turn." Yun Chi readily took the hint and did not pursue the matter.
Knowing that going too far was as bad as falling short, Yun Qing saw that Yun Chi had stopped asking questions, formed a hand seal, and returned directly to the Perching Phoenix Hall.
Whatever else Yun Chi guessed or imagined after he left was no longer within Yun Qing's considerations.
Before you continue