After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

When news from Jingzhou reached Yujing City, the emperor was reviewing memorials in his study.

After reading the urgent report, he put down his pen and remained silent for a long time.

His gaze slowly fell on the well-worn copy of "A Brief Account of the Governance of Yunzhou" on the desk, his fingertips gently tracing the yellowed corners of the pages.

He picked up his pen and personally drafted an imperial edict.

He ordered Shen Mingyuan, Gu Changfeng, and Yu Qian to immediately go to Jingzhou to intercept the Jiangyao Clan.

The decree was strongly worded, stating, "It must be intercepted without fail."

The estuary of Jingzhou.

Cangyao saw the East Sea.

That boundless deep blue is so close; once we get through this bend, the most difficult hurdle will be over.

Lin Chu was still waiting for him.

Her dragon tail slapped the water hard, stirring up waves several meters high.

Just then, three figures descended from the sky and landed on the rocks at the mouth of the sea.

A composed middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of restrained authority.

The other was tall and slender, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

There was also an older man, whose features carried a sense of composure born of experience.

Cang Yao abruptly stopped.

She didn't know these three people.

Although Lin Chu had mentioned the names of his students to her, she had never seen their faces.

So she assumed it was another cultivator trying to stop her, and in her anxiety, she roared, and the floodwaters around her transformed into several water dragons that rushed towards the three of them.

Shen Mingyuan, Gu Changfeng, and Yu Qian exchanged glances.

They had learned everything before they arrived, including the teacher's arrangements for the journey.

The Emperor sent these three men, and they knew perfectly well his intentions.

The three of them took to the air at the same time, each using their own methods to navigate through the waves, deliberately letting the water dragons brush past them, and then pretending to be suppressed and forced to retreat repeatedly.

Yu Qian struck Cang Yao with a palm strike, but Cang Yao dodged to the side. His movements were extremely fast, and to outsiders it seemed like a deadly attack, but when his palm struck the water, it only stirred up a few insignificant ripples.

Seeing this, Gu Changfeng also thrust forward his three-foot-long sword. Cang Yao's tail fin swept across it, causing the sword's trajectory to deviate slightly, and it was just deflected by the dragon's tail.

Shen Mingyuan drew talismans in the air, and the golden runes exploded one after another, forcing Cang Yao to dodge constantly, each time leaving her just enough room to maneuver.

Surrounded by the three, Cang Yao, who was originally gentle and kind, was now somewhat irrational because she was worried about Lin Chu's safety and did not think much about it.

She fought the three men with all her might, each strike carrying the force of a raging torrent.

The three were forced to retreat repeatedly after being hit.

Just as Cang Yao was about to force her way through, Shen Mingyuan caught a glimpse of a faint golden light flying rapidly from afar.

The three of them subtly slowed down their movements.

Finally, each of them met Cang Yao's heavy blow, grunted, and flew backward, crashing heavily onto the reef.

The barrier at the estuary was completely breached, and Cang Yao transformed into a streak of silver light, rushing into the East China Sea.

The moment she entered the sea, Cang Yao's aura surged dramatically, as if it had been suppressed for too long.

The phantom of the white dragon solidified around her, its scales shimmering with silver light underwater.

Shen Mingyuan, Gu Changfeng, and Yu Qian stood up from the reef, dusted themselves off, and turned to fly toward the approaching golden light.

Lin Chu stood in the void, her white hair fluttering slightly in the wind, looking at the three disciples in front of her who were no longer young.

He understood immediately.

"Teacher." The three of them stood in front of Lin Chu, bowed in unison, and performed a proper bow.

Shen Mingyuan raised his head, looked at Lin Chu's aged face and the arrow wound on her shoulder that had not yet healed, and his lips moved.

Gu Changfeng opened his mouth, wanting to say "Teacher, please take care," but in the end, he swallowed those words back along with the sea breeze.

Yu Qian was standing closest, and he saw the faint smile in Lin Chu's eyes.

Lin Chu looked at the three people in front of her and nodded with satisfaction.

The three who followed me back then are now all capable of standing on their own.

Lin Chu didn't say much, just nodded slightly, everything was understood without words, and then turned around and continued flying towards Cang Yao.

The hardest part is over.

Next comes the tribulation of lightning.

With the essence of the Cangyao True Dragon's blood as her foundation, passing the tribulation of lightning is actually the easiest step.

But he still had to keep watch around, because no one could say for sure whether there were any greedy cultivators lying in ambush.

On the distant clouds, the reclusive masters who had been observing the journey had not yet dispersed.

Someone watched the faint golden light follow the direction the demon race had entered the sea, remained silent for a long time, and then murmured a sigh.

"What a show!"

A fierce wind was blowing on the sea.

The clouds above Cang Yao's head began to thicken, pressing down layer by layer.

Cang Yao raised her head, looking at the churning thunderclouds above her, her eyes showing no fear.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her spiritual energy, and prepared to receive the first bolt of heavenly lightning.

Then he turned his head and looked towards the shore.

The faint golden light stood there, quietly watching him through the surging waves.

Lin Chu's blue robe was soaked with blood and rain, and blood was still seeping from the arrow wound on his right shoulder. His white hair was stuck to his forehead, and his aged face was more heartbreaking than ever.

But he stood ramrod straight, a slight smile playing on his lips, and nodded at her.

It's as if it's saying, "I'm here for you."

Cang Yao nodded vigorously, turned around, and let out a clear whistle towards the sky.

A silvery-white bolt of lightning struck her, exploding into a sky full of electric light.

Cang Yao gritted her teeth and endured it, the white dragon phantom trembling around her.

The second and third bolts of lightning grew more intense with each strike, and her dragon body shone brighter and brighter in the lightning, with golden patterns beginning to appear on her silver scales.

Just as the final lightning bolt was about to strike, a sudden change occurred.

A dark shadow shot out from the distant clouds, heading straight for Cang Yao.

That was a rogue cultivator who had been hiding for a long time. His cultivation level was only at the Nascent Soul stage, but the timing he chose was extremely dangerous—it was the very moment when Cang Yao was fully engaged in fighting the lightning tribulation and could not spare any attention.

Lin Chu made a move.

At this moment, the little remaining fortune within him surged forth, transforming into a golden barrier that stood between Cang Yao and the dark figure.

The shadowy figure's magical artifact crashed into the barrier, exploding with a loud bang.

Lin Chu let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

The dark figure was blasted away and was about to escape when Yu Qian and his two companions caught up with it.

Yu Qian delivered a chop to the back of the shadowy figure's neck, Shen Mingyuan cast a spell, and Gu Changfeng blocked with his sword. The rogue cultivator let out a muffled groan and fell silent.

The final bolt of lightning struck.

Cang Yao roared to the sky, and his phantom solidified completely in the lightning, transforming into a silver-white dragon.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and a transparent gate of light appeared in mid-air.

Cang Yao rushed into the door without hesitation, and a shattering sound rang out.

Leaping over the dragon gate.

Successful.

Although she was only a nascent dragon, the pressure emanating from Cang Yao carried the aura of a true dragon that made everyone's hearts tremble.

"Her bloodline is so exaggerated?" On the distant clouds, the faces of the several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Thunder Sect turned ugly.

They returned to their sect and brought back a lot of reinforcements, originally planning to wait until Lin Chu was exhausted before making their move.

I never expected Lin Chu to hold on until now.

"We can't let her go! Given the dragons' vengeful nature, if we let her leave, we'll never have peace again."

Upon hearing this, the faces of several Thunder Sect cultivators darkened.

Moreover, even disregarding the dragon clan's revenge, this dragon, which has just completed its tribulation and whose spiritual power is not yet stable, is itself a moving treasure trove.

Dragon scales, dragon blood, dragon tendons—each one is a rare treasure in the world.

Without much hesitation, the lights of several magical treasures shone simultaneously.

Chao Cangyao was bombarded with a devastating barrage.

Cang Yao had just survived the tribulation of lightning, and her spiritual power had not yet recovered. She barely managed to dodge a few strikes, but a flying sword slashed across the dragon's tail, and her blood instantly stained the seawater red.

She shuddered in pain, but did not turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the fading golden figure on the shore.

Lin Chu stood in front of her.

He raised his hand, his fingers constantly tapping, writing, and drawing in the air, each stroke using up the last of his vital energy.

Golden barriers, scrolls, inkstones, and chess pieces stood in front of those magical treasures, layer upon layer.

But he knew he couldn't hold on much longer. His luck was almost gone, and the golden light surrounding him was fading at a visible speed. Even his feet, which were standing in the void, began to sway.

Just then, a giant hand descended from the sky, carrying the terrifying pressure unique to cultivators at the Integration Stage, and slammed down on Cang Yao and Lin Chu simultaneously.

A dragon's roar echoed from afar.

The whistling sound was clear and resonant, carrying an undeniable majesty.

A figure in pure white appeared before the two, holding a long-handled guandao (a type of Chinese halberd) taller than herself, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light.

Ao Tianxin held the knife in one hand and swung it towards the sky. The blade collided with the giant palm, creating a visible shockwave.

The Nascent Soul stage expert let out a muffled groan as the sleeve of his right arm was shattered, and his expression changed drastically.

He glanced down at the deep, bone-revealing knife wound on his tiger's mouth, then without a word, turned and flew away in a streak of light.

In a single exchange, he was severely injured and fled without daring to utter a single harsh word.

Cang Yao steadied herself.

She looked down at her completely transformed body, now resembling a dragon, and felt the unprecedented, immense power within her.

Without pausing for a moment, it turned around, and with a gentle flick of its tail in the water, it pulled the old man who was already unsteady on his feet onto its back.

Lin Chu's body was as light as a withered leaf.

Cang Yao wanted to say a lot, but she couldn't say it.

She simply lowered her head slightly, touched his aged cheek with her softest forehead scale, then slapped her tail and flew away into the distance.

All she wants now is to escape this sea area, find a quiet place, and use the true dragon blood she has just condensed to save him.

I don't want to think about anything else.

The sea breeze howled past as Cang Yao, carrying Lin Chu on her back, shot off into the distance, flying past the cultivators who were still observing out of fear of Ao Tianxin.

Shen Mingyuan stood on the reef, watching the silver-white figure disappear into the horizon of the East China Sea. He remained silent for a long time, then straightened his clothes and bowed deeply.

Gu Changfeng stood next to him and also bent down.

Yu Qian turned his back to them, looked at the sea, and wiped the corner of his eye.