209: Chapter 209 Father and Daughter's Parting!

"Good lad!"

The Wasteland Guardian's eyes flashed with brilliance. Feeling the aura radiating from Lu Chen—an aura completely different from before, deep as an abyss—he could not help but clap his hands and laugh, "Eighth-Rank! And definitely not an ordinary Eighth-Rank! It seems you have gained quite a lot in there!"

Lu Chen nodded slightly. There was no time for pleasantries, so he went straight to the point, his voice steady yet tinged with a trace of imperceptible urgency, "Senior, can the teleportation array at the Hunter Headquarters transport me directly to Jin City in the Southern Territory?"

He was concerned for Yu Linglong's safety, but he also needed to make full preparations before the battle.

The Wasteland Guardian laughed heartily, looking somewhat understanding, "Rest assured, as the hub of the Southern Territory, the teleportation array in Jin City has not been shut down. In my opinion, Jin Nihuang intends to wait until you arrive before closing it, trying to catch a turtle in a jar!"

Lu Chen's gaze suddenly turned cold, and a frigid arc curled at the corners of his mouth, "Since that is the case, let her gloat a little longer. Soon, she will not be able to laugh."

He did not set off immediately but sought out a quiet room.

Saving someone was a matter of life and death.

He needed to adjust his state to the absolute Peak!

The System inventory opened, revealing mountains of enhancement stones and protection tickets.

He was going to enhance all of his equipment, except for the [god-slaying spear], to +99!

He would push his base attributes to the absolute limit achievable at present!

Hum!

Clang!

In the quiet room, a continuous series of equipment hums and the crisp sounds of successful enhancements immediately rang out.

Piece after piece of equipment, radiating legendary luster, underwent thousands of refinements in Lu Chen's hands. Their light grew increasingly intense, and their attributes skyrocketed crazily!

The terrifying bonuses brought by the +99 enhancement caused Lu Chen's base attributes to surge once again; his vitality was like a Dragon, and his spirit was like an ocean!

As for enchantments, the +99 enchantment effect from the [god-slaying spear] was sufficient for him. The effects of other legendary equipment were of little use to him for the time being, so there was no need to enchant them to +99 first, and there was not enough time anyway.

Just as Lu Chen was doing his utmost to improve himself and prepare for the coming storm.

In the Southern Territory, Jin City.

This massive city, famous worldwide for trade, felt somewhat stagnant today.

In the center of the city, that magnificent and opulent massive building—the headquarters of the Jinbao Pavilion, which symbolized wealth and power—was experiencing even more undercurrents.

On the top floor of the Jinbao Pavilion, inside a "house arrest room" that was luxuriously furnished but filled with restrictive barriers everywhere.

Yu Linglong, dressed in simple clothing, stood quietly by the window. Her stunning face was slightly pale, but her eyes remained stubborn.

The door was gently pushed open, and a middle-aged man walked in. He was dressed in magnificent robes, and his refined face carried a hint of haggardness and endurance.

He was none other than Yu Linglong's biological father, the nominal Head Pavilion Master of the Jinbao Pavilion—Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao, an Eighth-Rank SS-level Wind-Fall Archer.

Looking at his daughter's thin back, a flash of deep pain and helplessness appeared in Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao's eyes.

He spoke in a hoarse voice, "Linglong... after today, I am afraid our father-daughter relationship will come to a permanent end."

Yu Linglong turned around and looked at her father, who seemed to have aged significantly in an instant. Her eyes reddened, but she shook her head firmly, "No, Dad! Lu Chen will definitely come to save me. He definitely has the strength to save me. Just watch, I will be perfectly fine. When that time comes, Jin Nihuang will surely die!"

Her tone carried unreserved trust in Lu Chen.

Hearing this, Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao shook his head bitterly, his eyes filled with pessimism, "There is no chance, Linglong. You do not understand Jin Nihuang's viciousness. Even... even if that Lu Chen truly has heaven-defying abilities, it will be too late for him."

"Jin Nihuang has already set up an inescapable net. As soon as Lu Chen appears in Jin City, the people she has arranged will immediately... kill you first to silence you!"

Yu Linglong's face instantly turned as pale as paper, and her delicate body trembled slightly, "What!!!"

Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao stepped forward, pressing his hands firmly onto his daughter's shoulders. His gaze suddenly became resolute and wild, "Linglong! You must tell Dad the truth! If... if Lu Chen really has the ability to save you, even if Dad has to risk his life and self-destruct his Domain, I will buy you that moment of time. But if he does not..."

His voice dropped, filled with deep-seated hatred and endurance, "Then Dad will continue to obey Jin Nihuang and lie in wait until I find an opportunity to kill her with my own hands. When that time comes, Dad will take her head to pay respects to you and your mother!"

He stared fixedly into Yu Linglong's eyes, "So, Linglong, you must confirm with Dad: does Lu Chen really have the strength to contend against the combined forces of the Jinbao Pavilion and the Skeleton Shadow?"

He emphasized the words "Skeleton Shadow" heavily. This was the world's number one assassin guild organization. With three Bone King-level assassins lurking, plus a large number of other Skeleton Shadow Assassins, could Lu Chen, being only one person, really contend against them?

Yu Linglong was streaming with tears. Looking at the determination in her father's eyes to perish with the enemy, her heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife.

She believed in Lu Chen's potential and believed that Lu Chen would surely rule the world in the future...

Now, Lu Chen must also be certain he could save her; otherwise, he would not come to fight!

She had wanted to nod, but in the end, out of cherishing her father's life, she chose to shake her head, her voice choking with sobs, "Lu Chen... his Rank is still low after all. He might have enough to protect himself, but to save me from here... I guess... it will be difficult..."

She could not bear for her father to die for her!

Hearing this, the flicker of wild flames that had just ignited in Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao's eyes instantly dimmed.

He took a deep breath, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant, and let go of her shoulders. His tone returned to its previous calm, even carrying a trace of dead silence,

"Alright... Dad knows. The time is up; Jin Nihuang only gave me this much time for farewells... Dad has to go."

He took one last deep look at Yu Linglong, as if wanting to carve his daughter's appearance into the depths of her Soul, then turned resolutely and left the room with a somewhat stumbling gait.

The soft sound of the door closing was like a heavy hammer striking Yu Linglong's heart.

She slid helplessly to the floor, tears gushing out like a broken dam.

"Brother Chen... in this life, I wanted so much to be your wife... but, everything is impossible now..."

Despair, like a cold tide, completely submerged her.

Not long after Head Pavilion Master Ye Lingxiao left.

A heavy, mountain-like Domain pressure descended without warning.

The door opened silently.

An old man dressed in blue-gray robes, with a simple and ancient face and eyes like ten-thousand-year-old ice, walked in slowly.

With every step he took, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, and the space emitted a faint, overwhelmed hum.

He was none other than the Eighth-Rank Peak Elder of the Jinbao Pavilion, Eighth-order Elder Chen Qingyang!

Eighth-order Elder Chen Qingyang's indifferent gaze fell upon Yu Linglong, who was slumped on the floor with teary eyes, as if looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. His voice was cold,

"Yu Linglong, you can only blame yourself for being the Head Pavilion Master's daughter and for not knowing how to assess the situation, joining a Nine-Star Guild. Otherwise, you might have had a sliver of a chance at survival."

"Now, I only wait for Lu Chen to appear today, and I, this old man, will personally send you on your way. This is your fate; no one can change it. You, accept your fate!"