Chapter 427: The Painting (Two-in-One)

"Fight me, Long Quan!!!"

Yan Jing's voice echoed across the lotus pond.

Opposite him, Long Quan let out a low growl. The pitch-black spears planted around him dissolved into dust. He raised his head and glared at Yan Jing, his dark eyes looking ready to devour him alive.

Below, the onlookers wore identical expressions of shock.

Time seemed to freeze.

No one had expected Yan Jing to neutralize Long Quan's killing blow, much less turn around and launch an offensive.

He was even actively provoking him.

If a fight really broke out—

Would the Third Ring Domain be turned upside down? The same terrifying thought involuntarily surfaced in everyone's minds.

Before this, no one would have even considered the possibility.

Because his opponent was Long Quan.

A heavenly prodigy of the Long family from two generations ago, a figure who ranked highly in all of Yueyin. He was an absolute powerhouse.

Even if the six people from the First Ring Domain all possessed the strength to fight above their tier, none could say they would win for sure.

Yet Yan Jing had neutralized the killing blow with a single finger and even injured the man in return.

This meant Yan Jing's strength was not much weaker than Long Quan's.

"Too ruthless..."

Xie Lingling muttered, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.

With the gap in their strength so narrow, Yan Jing's words had backed Long Quan into a corner.

If Long Quan refused to fight today, he would lose all face.

His butler was paralyzed, his son had lost his legs, and now the father was chickening out before the battle even began.

If word of this spread, the Long family's reputation would be ruined. They would become a laughingstock.

But if Long Quan accepted the challenge and lost, or even just suffered heavy injuries...

The Long family would absolutely have a massive chunk of flesh torn off by the other two of the Three Major Families.

After today, the Three Major Families might be reduced to two.

Sometimes, the fate of a prosperous family hinged on a single decision.

It could change everything.

Everyone understood this well, which was why their hearts grew cold. Yan Jing was simply too ruthless.

"The guy's crazy. Has he not thought about the consequences?"

Shui Nianshuang took a deep breath, unable to calm her shock.

If she risked everything, she might be able to pull off what Yan Jing had just done.

But the key was that she couldn't risk everything.

This was a playstyle that completely disregarded consequences.

If he lost, his life was forfeit.

Even if he won, he wouldn't gain any tangible benefits. He would only make his opponent lose face, and what followed would likely be endless trouble.

At the very least, that person would never let the matter rest.

That esteemed figure highly valued his political achievements.

He was always incredibly domineering regarding the people he chose and the decisions he made.

If a massive upheaval really occurred within the Long family, Yan Jing would not meet a good end.

Only Sheng Xia, standing off to the side, felt a sudden dawn of realization.

She finally understood why Yan Jing had been able to get that mental cultivation method directly from Ye Liu, and why Zhao Qianling had acted that way toward him.

All the reasons Zhao Qianling had spouted later were just empty excuses.

Only Yan Jing's strength was real.

Zhao Qianling knew that even he wasn't confident in handling Yan Jing, which was why he had behaved like that.

Such a young Sixth Tier expert, one capable of standing off against a veteran Seventh Rank—his future was limitless.

Given this, rather than fighting for pride, it was better to build a good relationship.

She believed that Long Quan, hovering in the air, understood this logic as well.

The difference was that Yan Jing had given Long Quan no opportunity to build a relationship at all.

Was it because of the Long family's attitude, or was it intentional?

Sheng Xia could no longer simply attribute Yan Jing's actions to impulsive arrogance. After everything they had been through, his figure was draped in a veil of mystery in her eyes.

"Not going to make a move?"

Seeing no reaction, Yan Jing took a step forward and smiled. "Your son is still lying on the ground, you know."

"Come on, Long Quan. Take a gamble. Don't be a coward."

Listening to Yan Jing, Long Quan felt a unique magic in his tone.

It was as if all other sounds were fading away, leaving only Yan Jing's mockery echoing between heaven and earth.

His anger continuously surged. The weird energy around him rippled and flowed, and the lotus pond below began to form ripples that gradually swelled into crashing waves.

He raised his hand. Clouds and mist shifted, and a chilling, murderous aura spread outward.

He was just about to take that final step.

However—

At the very last second, he actually forced his raised hand back down and reached toward Long Qiancheng below.

He was backing down!

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

No one could have imagined that Long Quan was actually afraid.

He had no intention of fighting this battle.

But then, something even more unexpected occurred.

Just as the giant python formed of mist was about to deliver Long Qiancheng back to his side, Yan Jing extended a finger. Countless pitch-black spears materialized in the air, aiming straight for the misty python.

"You dare!!"

Long Quan practically roared, veins bulging on his neck.

"I said, come fight me."

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes.

Long Quan fell silent for a few seconds before saying coldly, "Consider yourself lucky today. I won't ruin that lord's plans."

With that, the python continued to rise. But the hundreds of spears behind Yan Jing also moved, drawing back slowly like chambering bullets.

Long Quan didn't stop. He stared gloomily at Yan Jing's face while channeling his weird energy. Although the python was slower than before, it continued its slow ascent.

The spears behind Yan Jing also began to gather weird energy, flashing with countless dark points of light.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, swords drawn and bows bent.

The air temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

...

The people on the ground watched the slowly rising python and the spears that looked ever closer to firing, not even daring to breathe.

The instant the python neared Long Quan.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound tore through the air.

Several spears shot forward at terrifying speed!

Long Quan hastily waved his sleeve. Mixed black light erupted behind him, and a Great Heavenly Seal materialized in front of the panic-stricken Long Qiancheng, barely blocking the incoming spears.

The closest spear was a mere half-meter from Long Qiancheng's head.

Seeing Long Qiancheng frightened pale, Long Quan flew into a rage and roared at Yan Jing, "What the fuck are you trying to do?!!"

"Are you really looking to die!!!"

"I said, come fight me." Yan Jing's gaze was ice-cold. "I'm saying this for the last time."

...

Long Quan was so furious his entire body trembled.

Ever since he became the family head, he had never—never in his life—been this humiliated!!!

The veins all over his body were bulging, and the backs of his hands shook.

Finally, he squeezed a few words through gritted teeth. "Speak. What exactly do you want?"

Hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Yan Jing's face.

His gaze slowly lowered. "How much did your Long family get from the Shen family back then?"

Disbelief flashed through Long Quan's eyes.

"You did all this for that?"

"For that Shen family girl?"

He would rather believe that Yan Jing was truly a lunatic than accept such an absurd reason.

"I'm the one asking questions right now." Yan Jing's expression remained indifferent.

"..." Long Quan's face flushed bright red with anger, the wounds all over his body that had just stopped bleeding nearly tearing open once more.

But in the end, he spoke coldly. "When the Shen family was destroyed back then, that damned Mu Yi never split the shares according to the agreement."

"Our Long family and the Zhang family only ended up with leftover scraps."

"Fuck, doing all this over such a reason is ridiculous..."

He hoisted Long Qiancheng up from atop the giant python's head, then tossed a bronze Key to Yan Jing. "It's in the storehouse of Wing 2309 on the west side."

With that said, he turned to leave.

Before departing, he looked back at Yan Jing and said indifferently, "She is a jinx."

"A group of people just like you came to the Third Ring Domain back then. I think you should know what their final ending was."

"Those who left her have all achieved brilliant success and leaped through the dragon's gate. Those close to her, like her parents, died miserably in the end. You're quite talented; don't ruin your own future."

Yan Jing chuckled. "Leaped through the dragon's gate—are you referring to He Xinquan?"

"Didn't you fucking kill him?!" Long Quan lost his composure and snapped directly, unexpectedly announcing He Xinquan's death.

This shocked the crowd below.

For a long time, there had been much outside speculation regarding who had died in the final Dungeon. Some guessed it was Zhao Dongchuan, who hadn't shown his face since the Dungeon ended; some guessed it was Jin Yao of the Beast Lord; others thought it was that Wang Gang who came from nowhere.

But few had suspected it would be He Xinquan.

For one, He Xinquan was obviously the strongest among them. Second, He Xinquan was a prominent heavenly prodigy in Yueyin with a special status.

Yet now Long Quan clearly knew some inside information and blurted it out directly.

"And that means her parents weren't killed by you people?"

Yan Jing lifted his spear and stepped forward, making Long Quan's pupils shrink in alarm.

In the end, looking awkward, Long Quan shot Yan Jing a glance, then coldly waved his sleeve and vanished into the mist.

Yan Jing watched the gradually dissipating sea of clouds, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.

He still hadn't made a move.

Even after Yan Jing had pushed him this far, the man had still chosen to retreat.

So there was definitely something wrong with this journey.

Particularly, a few of the things the other party had said were worth pondering.

First, after Sheng Xia explained that the domain lord had explicitly ordered him to reach the First Ring Domain alive, Long Quan had called him "a man without fortune."

Second, when Long Quan made his excuse just now, he'd said he "won't ruin that lord's plans."

While "plans" could naturally be understood as the itinerary of this journey.

That wasn't what Long Quan had said when he first showed up.

At that time, he definitely knew everyone was here for a trial, yet he had declared, "Either become fertilizer or die," adding that he would report to that lord if anything happened.

The turning point for everything was when Sheng Xia pleaded for leniency and pointed out that the lord wanted him to arrive at the First Ring Domain alive.

Long Quan didn't look like a magnanimous or forgiving person. Yet, in that final glance before leaving, alongside the hatred and killing intent, there seemed to be a tiny hint of pity...

"Heh, I suppose that counts as a harvest."

Yan Jing smiled faintly, gave a light flap of his wings, and flew toward the west.

Soon, he found the corresponding wing.

After repeatedly scanning it with weird energy, he pushed open the wooden doors in front of him, which looked like they hadn't been touched in years.

With a creak, sunlight eagerly squeezed into this long-unvisited room, illuminating the shapes of the dust swirling in the air.

Through the thin veil woven of light and dust, Yan Jing saw a room full of haphazardly stacked sundries.

Some wooden crates were piled in the corner, a few with their corners pried open to reveal the sleeves and rolled hems of clothing inside. There were also mops, rags, bedsheets, quilts, cups, and nightstands stacked and thrown together.

The only seemingly valuable item in the entire room was a vanity table against the wall.

Beneath its shattered mirror was a mahogany cabinet covered in a thick layer of dust.

Yan Jing stepped forward, inspected the items one by one, and stored them in his created space.

There truly weren't any valuable objects. It made sense; even if they had received anything of real value, it would have been hidden away or divided up long ago, not left in a place like this.

But Yan Jing had anticipated this from the start.

What he wanted were precisely these old items.

The Shen family's most important possession from back then was currently on his person.

The Ritual on that path to godhood.

All he wanted to bring back were the things Shen Youran cared about.

Suddenly, his movements paused as he packed.

In the corner behind a wooden crate, he caught sight of a dusty painting.

It was a very ordinary painting, not anything valuable. It didn't even have a trace of weird energy fluctuation.

But he reached out and picked it up. He gently wiped away the dust, his gaze gradually softening as he looked at the image upon it.

"Found a treasure..."

He chuckled. He first stepped into his created space, then switched his consciousness to the Inner World, contacting the monitoring Xiao Xin and handing the painting over to it.

"I'll keep watch in the Inner World. Xiao Xin, help me deliver this."

"Eeya eeya~"

Xiao Xin saluted and instantly vanished into thin air.

1

Ling'an City.

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa while working, Shen Youran stared blankly at Xiao Xin, who had suddenly appeared in front of her. Then she joyfully pulled Xiao Xin into her arms. "What brings you here, little cutie?"

"Eeya eeya~"

Xiao Xin happily rubbed against Shen Youran's face, then its small face returned to a serious expression. It pulled the painting out from its crossbody bag and presented it to Shen Youran.

"Xiao Yanzi gave this to me? What is—"

Shen Youran suddenly froze.

Her gaze fell upon the painting, as if she could no longer look away.

Minutes and seconds ticked by. The painting in her hands gradually blurred amid a shimmering wave of tears.

"Eeya eeya..."

Xiao Xin hugged Shen Youran's tear-stained face, reaching out with its small hands to gently wipe her tears away.

But those crystal droplets couldn't be stopped. They rolled down her cheeks one by one, landing on the picture frame.

It was a portrait.

The painting featured a man and a woman.

The man looked to be around forty. He wore glasses and carried a smiling, gentle, and refined expression. He sat very upright on a wooden chair, his hands resting on his knees.

Behind him stood a woman, also smiling, who appeared to be in her thirties or forties. She wore a snow-white dress, and a hint of cunning glinted in her fox-like eyes.

In her hands, the woman held a white crown, slowly lowering it toward the top of the man's head.

Looking at the couple in the painting, Shen Youran's tears fell one by one.

She looked at Xiao Xin, who was watching her with a worried expression. She wanted to say something, but couldn't make a sound. Wearing a smile that looked worse than crying, she wept continuously, holding Xiao Xin tightly in her arms.

"Let me put it on you."

Her mother had been as beautiful as ever that day.

Although she was over forty, perhaps due to natural beauty, or perhaps because her father had protected her so well, she had retained her childlike innocence. The years had not left any deep marks on her face.

"Hehe, I can't bear the weight of this crown."

The man tried to dodge, but the woman grabbed and held him in place. "Don't move!"

The man smiled dotingly and let her do as she pleased.

"I want to put it on Daddy too..."

The young Shen Youran stood to the side, but the woman extended a finger and wagged it smugly. "No can do. Because Daddy is Mommy's man. Little Youran, you'll have to find the one you decide to spend your whole life with before you can personally crown him."

"I see..."

Shen Youran blinked her fox-like eyes.

Even at such a young age, it was clear she was going to be a beauty. Her parents' best physical traits were already beginning to show on her. Compared to her naturally captivating mother, she carried more of her father's down-to-earth, gentle temperament.

"Then I'll take a picture of you two."

She pulled out her latest birthday present—a Polaroid camera.

And snapped this photo.

Later, because her mother loved it, they had someone paint a portrait based on the photograph.

Through tear-blurred eyes, she tremblingly pulled out her phone, wanting to call Yan Jing and tell him not to go looking for trouble with the Three Major Families. She didn't know where Yan Jing was right now. Ever since he entered the Third Ring Domain, he seemed to have deliberately cut back on contacting her, but she wanted to talk to him right this minute.

But Xiao Xin waved its hands. "Eeya eeya~"

It found a pen and wrote to tell Shen Youran that Yan Jing was very busy right now and couldn't answer the phone.

<Master is always very busy, right?>

It wore a sorrowful expression, as if worrying on Yan Jing's behalf.

"Mm."

Shen Youran lowered her gaze.

At this moment, she wished for nothing more than to immediately hop on a plane and fly to the Third Ring Domain. Ultimately, however, she could only place her hand on Xiao Xin's head and stroke it gently.

Upon receiving the message Xiao Xin brought back, Yan Jing exited the Inner World.

Then he sent Shen Youran a message: "Please don't worry. I haven't done anything extreme. Everything is fine."

"Okay ♡, stay safe."

"Mm. Remember to drink lots of hot water lately."

"Okay ♡."

Yan Jing put his phone away and finally stepped out of his created space.

Fortunately, Xiao Xin was much faster now. A round trip across the Surface and Inner Worlds had only taken about two or three hours.

By now, night had fully fallen.

He found some Long family staff to ask for directions, and after a bit of effort, reunited with the others.

Seeing Yan Jing arrive, everyone's expressions shifted slightly, but no one said much.

Even Zhou Kai, who had been the most displeased with Yan Jing along the way, deliberately averted his gaze and avoided looking at him.

"The Long family has announced that the trial is ending early. That family head basically issued an eviction order,"

Sheng Xia walked over to Yan Jing's side and informed him softly. "After what happened, we really can't stay any longer. We'll likely set off for the Second Ring Domain tomorrow morning."

"Your performance... The other two guides have already reported it to the lord... Be prepared."

"Got it."

Yan Jing nodded.