After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Luo Yiyan gritted his teeth and refused to back down, his sword following his body, aiming straight for the face of the Wen family head.

The head of the Wen family swung his blade to parry, and the swords clashed, producing a piercing metallic hiss.

The two exchanged several blows in the dimly lit hall, their sword light clashing with the black mist, causing the pillars of the hall to rattle like billiard balls.

Although the Wen family head's cultivation was comparable to Luo Yiyan's, he was ultimately no match for Luo Yiyan.

After dozens of moves, sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing became rapid, and his left shoulder was slashed open by Luo Yiyan's sword, the flesh rolled back, and blood gushed out.

He staggered backward, his back hitting the corner of the table, his face ashen.

"You can't escape." Luo Yiyan pointed his sword at him, his voice icy. "Give up resistance, come back to the sect with me for trial, and perhaps I can spare your life."

The head of the Wen family lowered his head and suddenly laughed.

The laughter was hoarse and venomous, like the final, unwilling cry of a dying man in the mire.

"Spare my life?" He slowly raised his eyes, his eyes almost bloodshot. "How righteous of you to say that! How high and mighty!"

"I did all this because you righteous people forced me to! Since the righteous people couldn't stand up for me, I turned to the evil path. What's wrong with that!"

"I knew there was no turning back before I did all this, and I never thought I could survive after being exposed! So, you don't need to pity me! I don't need it!"

He suddenly raised his black blade, but instead of stabbing it at Luo Yiyan, he plunged it into his own chest.

Luo Yiyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"not good!"

He tried to stop them, but it was too late.

A large amount of black gas gushed from the Wen family head's mouth and nose, his body convulsed violently, as if he had been devoured by a black blade. Countless twisted lines bulged under his skin, and he mumbled the last few evil incantations incoherently.

"Get out of here!" Luo Yiyan shouted, his spiritual power surging. He swung his sword and unleashed a golden sword light, shattering the remaining black mist inside the hall and covering the disciples' retreat outside.

They had just left the main hall when a muffled explosion came from behind them.

The Wen family head's body exploded into a cloud of black mist, the entire hall collapsed, and smoke and dust billowed.

Luo Yiyan was pushed back seven or eight steps by the shockwave, and only managed to steady herself by using her sword to support herself on the ground.

He looked up and saw that everything had vanished into nothingness.

"Senior Brother Luo, are you alright?" A disciple ran over to help him.

Luo Yiyan shook her head and raised her hand to wipe away a trace of blood from the broken tile on her cheek.

"Send a message back to the clan, saying that the head of the Wen family committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and used evil magic to self-destruct before his death. Tell the elders to send people over as soon as possible to clean up the mess and see if they can find any useful traces."

……

Yu Linzhou received the message from Steward Liu three days later.

For the past three days, Lin Zhixu has shown no signs of waking up and has been lying quietly on his bed.

Each time they examined his body, his pulse was steady, his dantian was unharmed, and his consciousness gradually returned to clarity. Everything was fine, but he just couldn't wake up.

Even with his vast experience and knowledge, he was at a loss for what to do.

He couldn't force the issue, so he could only wait patiently.

When the communication jade pendant vibrated, Yu Linzhou was tucking Lin Zhixu in when he answered it.

Steward Liu's voice came from the other side: "Master, the matter at the palace has been resolved."

"The old emperor died suddenly after the evil cultivator died. The people of Tianheng Sect arrived in time, and the Wen family head died by self-destruction during the resistance."

"Everyone in the Wen family who got involved has been taken down. Those who weren't involved have also been dispersed. The Wen family... is completely gone."

Yu Linzhou hummed in agreement.

Steward Liu continued, "After the old emperor died, the new emperor quickly ascended the throne. The dragon vein has been temporarily stabilized, but the damage is considerable. It will probably take quite some time to restore the previous concentration of spiritual energy."

"Understood." Yu Linzhou's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

Steward Liu paused, seemingly hesitating for a moment, before finally asking, "Master, how is the young master?"

Yu Linzhou looked up at the person on the bed.

Lin Zhixu lay quietly in the brocade quilt, his complexion better than the previous two days, and his lips had regained some color, but he still did not wake up.

A breeze seeped in through the half-open window, causing the bed curtains to sway gently and lifting a few strands of hair that were scattered on the pillow.

"He's still not awake, and we don't know when he'll wake up."

Manager Liu was silent for a moment, then said, "Young master is a lucky man, he will be alright."

Yu Linzhou gave a noncommittal "hmm".

Manager Liu did not continue the topic.

The master clearly wasn't in the mood to say anything more to him right now; any further conversation would only be pointless attempts at comfort.

"If Master has no further instructions, I shall take my leave."

"Go." Yu Linzhou closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Keep an eye on the black market. If there are any more fools, don't hold back."

Manager Liu solemnly replied, "Yes, I understand."

The communication was interrupted, and the spiritual light on the jade pendant gradually dimmed.

Yu Linzhou tossed the jade pendant aside and rubbed his brow.

After a while, he stood up, walked to the bedside and sat down, looking down at Lin Zhixu's still sleeping face.

He reached out and gently brushed aside the stray hairs on Lin Zhixu's forehead with his fingertips, then checked the temperature of his forehead.

"Why aren't you awake yet?" he complained softly, his voice tinged with grievance. "If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to go crazy. If I become possessed by a demon, will you be afraid?"

Lin Zhixu naturally ignored him.

Yu Linzhou sighed, leaned against the bed, and closed his eyes.

The sunlight outside the window gradually shifted westward, casting bamboo shadows that swayed gently on the wall.

Only the very soft breathing of the two people gradually blended together.

……

Lin Zhixu had a very long dream.

In his dream, he became another "Lin Zhixu" and embarked on the path of destiny that was rightfully his.

In their youth, he and Luo Yiyan embarked on the path of cultivation together, filled with passion.

Both of them came from poor backgrounds, had no connections or backgrounds, and only a youthful spirit that refused to accept their fate.

After traversing mountains and valleys, enduring wind and rain, overcoming numerous difficulties and suffering hardships, they finally opened the door to the world of cultivation.

At that time, they all thought that from then on, the sky's the limit.

But reality dealt him a heavy blow.

Luo Yiyan was found to have a top-grade golden spiritual root and a natural sword bone, which shocked half of the cultivation world.

Lin Zhixu was just an ordinary wood-type spiritual root; to put it nicely, he was mediocre; to put it bluntly, he was a good-for-nothing.

From this moment on, the roads we once walked side by side were forcibly split in two by fate.

Lin Zhixu felt disappointed and sad, but in the end, he was happy for Luo Yiyan.

He thought that it didn't matter if he wasn't good enough, as long as Luo Yiyan could become stronger and reach places he couldn't reach, then his ambitions would have a place to rest.

Lin Zhixu had no idea that Luo Yiyan had a connection with Wu Cang Immortal Venerable long ago. Luo Yiyan used a promise from the past to give him the opportunity to enter Tianheng Sect.

Although one cannot become a direct disciple of an immortal, being able to enter Wucang Peak as an outer disciple is already a blessing that many people would kill for.

Lin Zhixu was grateful.

Once inside Wucang Peak, he cultivated with all his might.

He thought that even if he couldn't keep up with Luo Yiyan, he couldn't hold him back.

He wants to become stronger, strong enough that one day he can stand by Luo Yiyan's side and protect him.

But talent is like an insurmountable chasm.