The voice was not loud.
It can even be called gentle, with the natural intimacy between elders and juniors. But every word that falls into the ears is like a piece of ice, sliding down the spine.
Zhao Chengkong's breathing stopped for a moment.
It's not fear. It's the kind of instinctive stiffness of the body when faced with an absolute difference in power. Earth Realm Fourth Level's mental pressure, even if it is just a sound transmission through the air, is enough to make the soul of Mystic Realm Ninth Level's monk tremble. It is crushing on the life level.
The six people kneeling in the yard lowered themselves lower at the same time, their foreheads pressed against the gravel, and their bodies trembling like chaff. Zhao Chengyu, who had just been helped up, turned pale, and Zhao Nan subconsciously grasped his sleeves.
Only Su Yu.
He still leaned on the door frame, and even adjusted the posture of holding his chest. His eyes moved from Zhao Chengkong's tight back to the direction of the invisible voice coming from deep in the villa. Earth Realm Fourth Level... Earth Realm Fourth Level... is also a giant in the entire Qing Province. In a big family with a heritage of four hundred years, it is even more like the Optimus Prime Stone.
But Su Yu just watched.
Zhao Chengkong took a deep breath and suppressed the surging blood in his chest. He turned around, not looking at Zhao Chengxiong who was paralyzed on the ground, but bowed slightly towards the direction of the main hall.
"Grandpa."
The voice was calm and not much emotion could be heard.
"Chengkong just returned to the villa, and I haven't had time to pay him a visit. It's rude of me."
The other end of the transmission was silent for a few breaths.
Then, that gentle voice sounded again, this time directly in Zhao Chengkong's mind, avoiding everyone. "Take your friends and go back to settle down first. The villa is not peaceful these days, so don't move around much."
"For your brother and sister's injuries, ask Chengyu to go to the warehouse to get 'Jade Heart Pill'. Just say it was me."
The voice fell.
The invisible heaviness that weighed on everyone in the courtyard receded like a tide.
Zhao Chengkong straightened up. He walked up to Zhao Chengxiong and looked down at his unconscious cousin, who was only skin and bones after the demonization faded away. Zhao Chengxiong's mouth was still bleeding, and his eyeballs were trembling violently under his eyelids. It was obvious that the remaining demon soul in his body was backlashing.
Zhao Chengkong squatted down and probed Zhao Chengxiong's pulse with his fingers.
It's a mess. But I can't die.
"Come on two people and take him to Yaolu." Zhao Chengkong's voice returned to its usual helpless calmness, "Tell the elders of Yaolu that it's the demon soul that's backlashing. Use third-grade Soul Stabilizing Powder to stabilize him first, so he doesn't really become a useless person."
The two Soul Fusion Faction disciples stood up shakily, set up Zhao Chengxiong, and staggered away. The remaining four kneeling ones supported each other and followed them out.
I was the only one left in the yard.
Zhao Chengyu leaned against the pillar and let out a long breath that he had been holding for a long time. Zhao Nan let go of the hand holding his brother's sleeve, his fingertips were still trembling slightly. Zhao Ming and the other three young disciples looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion and joy of surviving the disaster.
"Brother, father..." Zhao Chengyu said, his voice still a little weak.
"I know." Zhao Chengkong interrupted him. He stood up and glanced at the broken courtyard wall and the broken bluestone floor. There was too much noise in the battle just now. It won't be long before the entire villa will know that the young villa owner is back, and as soon as he comes back, he severely injures the great elder's grandson.
This is what he did deliberately.
Zhao Chengkong looked at Su Yu.
Su Yu was still leaning there, with no change in his expression. He just retracted his gaze toward the main hall. Their eyes collided in the air.
"Let's go." Zhao Chengkong said, "Go see my uncle first."
Su Yu didn't say anything, raised his foot and followed.
Zhao Chengyu struggled to get up, but was held down by Zhao Nan. "Brother, your injury is not fully healed yet!"
"It's okay," Zhao Chengyu pushed away his sister's hand and stood up against the wall, "I have to go too."
Zhao Nan bit his lip and didn't stop him anymore, he just followed silently at the end.
The group of people walked along the bamboo forest path towards the main hall of the villa. The further they walked, the more black-armored guards appeared on the road, and their eyes were like sticky asphalt, clinging to them. Zhao Chengkong turned a blind eye and walked calmly.
The main hall is just ahead.
It was a magnificent palace built against the mountain, with black stone walls and flying eaves. The thirty-six white jade steps in front of the palace were now enveloped by a layer of pale golden light curtain. The light curtain flowed slowly like water waves, blocking out all prying eyes.
Zhao Chengkong stopped at the foot of the steps.
He looked up at the light curtain and frowned. This is the core of the mountain protection formation of the villa - "Heaven Evolution Barrier". It is personally controlled by the previous villa owners and will never be opened except in emergencies. When the great elder sealed the villa, this formation should be under his control.
He raised his feet and stepped on the first step.
The expected obstruction did not appear.
The pale golden light curtain seemed to have spirituality, and silently parted to both sides, revealing a passage that could only accommodate two people walking side by side. At the end of the passage was the closed main hall door.
Zhao Chengkong paused for a moment.
Zhao Chengyu and Zhao Nan behind them also looked surprised. The great elder's people blocked the main hall for seven days, and not even a fly could fly in. Now this formation... automatically opened?
"Let's go." Zhao Chengkong uttered one word and stepped onto the steps first.
Su Yu Follow up.
The two walked side by side through the light curtain passage and stood in front of the main hall door. The door was made of heavy Mystic Ironwood, and it was ajar at the moment, revealing a gap. There were no lights in the hall, and the light was dim.
Zhao Chengkong reached out and pushed the door open.
"Squeak--"
The door shaft made a low friction sound. The scene inside the hall gradually became clearer. It was empty, with huge pillars like a forest. The high platform in the center, where the throne of the village owner should have been, was empty.
A man stood with his back to them, standing on the edge of the platform, looking up at the dome.
He was wearing gray clothes that had been washed white, and his figure was thin, even a little thin. His hair was gray and tied back with only a wooden hairpin. Standing there, he looked less like a Earth Realm Fifth Level strong man and more like an ordinary teacher.
Hearing the door knock, he turned around.
He had a thin face, slightly high cheekbones, and slightly sunken eye sockets. His eyes were calm, like a bottomless ancient well. He looked at Zhao Chengkong at the door, then at Su Yu behind him, and the corners of his mouth curved.
It's not a polite smile, it's more like seeing your child bring back a friend, a kind of gratified acceptance.
"Chengkong ah."
His voice was a little hoarse and he seemed to be out of breath.
"Just come back."
Zhao Chengkong stood at the door and did not come forward immediately. He looked carefully at the uncle who had not shown up for seven days. His complexion was not very good, there was a faint green shadow under his eyes, but his breath was steady and long, and there was no sign of injury or regression in cultivation.
"Uncle." Zhao Chengkong said, "Are you okay?"
Zhao Kuohai walked down the high platform and walked towards them slowly. His pace was very slow, and you could even see a slight sluggishness in his left leg. "It's okay. It's just a critical moment of seclusion, so it's not easy to be distracted."
He walked up to Zhao Chengkong and patted him on the shoulder. The force was very light, but Zhao Chengkong felt a pure and gentle spiritual power enter his body, instantly soothing his slightly agitated soul due to the fierce battle just now.
"Thank you for your hard work."
These three words, Zhao Chengkong heard more meanings. It was not just thanking him for coming back, but more like... thanking him for taking action against Zhao Chengxiong just now. That battle might be the opportunity that Zhao Kuohai was waiting for.
"Uncle, the villa is now..." Zhao Chengkong lowered his voice.
"I know." Zhao Kuohai raised his hand to stop what he was saying. His eyes crossed Zhao Chengkong and landed on Su Yu. "Who is this?"