526: Chapter 526 An Unexpected Encounter

"We're here. We should be safe now."

Zhou Yan stopped and stood with hands on his hips, surveying the scenery before him. He confirmed that this was an area officially operated by the Lianxing Pavilion; the sense of order here was palpable.

"Finally escaped."

Lv Yang clutched his chest, panting heavily as if he were carrying some immense burden.

Zhou Yan couldn't be bothered to comment on Lv Yang's mysterious stamina. Changing his appearance didn't affect his physical strength or endurance, so surely a slight adjustment to his figure wasn't that unbearable?

It was fortunate that Lv Yang hadn't mastered the Law of the Heart; otherwise, upon hearing Zhou Yan's inner thoughts, he might have initiated a life-and-death struggle of a Mortal crusading against a Soul Transformation expert.

After the guide had initially led them into the Desire Realm, the two of them had immediately headed straight for the Lianxing Pavilion's regular district.

After all, describing the area near the exit as 'foul and chaotic' would have been an understatement.

Lv Yang rested for a moment, wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, and looked at the city before him, which was starkly different from the previous one.

He looked ahead and then behind, a flash of shock crossing his eyes. Subconsciously, he moved to press his palms together and recite a Buddhist mantra.

But before his hands could meet, Zhou Yan slapped them down.

Seeing Zhou Yan's stern face, the retort Lv Yang was about to give died in his throat, and he gave an awkward smile.

"Sorry, I almost forgot."

The two were standing between two factories. Looking into the distance, they could see skyscrapers and orderly flight tracks; looking back, there were still cyberpunk-style buildings and the occasional speeding driver shouting curses.

"I really didn't expect the styles to vary so much under the rule of the same power."

Ignoring Lv Yang, Zhou Yan began rummaging through his backpack for the phone Mu Qianqiu had given him earlier.

Just as he opened the bag, his hand paused instinctively.

At the very top of the backpack was that unintelligible book, and the second item was the Dragon Soul he had picked up in the desert hotel.

Looking at the Dragon Soul, Zhou Yan stole a glance at Lv Yang. Seeing his companion's face full of wonder, Zhou Yan felt a complex mix of emotions.

Suo Jialuo told me to find him, and Lv Yang told me to retrieve that sword.

Suo Jialuo made the invitation from the perspective of the Dragon Clan, while Lv Yang made his from the perspective of an Immortal's Reincarnation. As for the Cang Tian Library, they provided a path and mission based on the assumption that I am Meng Zhang.

Yet Lv Yang also knows my identity as a Transmigrator.

It's all so messy. What exactly is going on with the Immortal Realm?

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Zhou Yan took out the phone from Mu Qianqiu and dialed a number.

"Hello, Secretary Wang?"

"Yes, we've arrived. Come pick us up."

After hanging up, Zhou Yan waved to Lv Yang, signaling for him to follow.

"What's this? You actually arranged for someone to pick us up?"

"Aren't we staying here for the night?"

Seeing Lv Yang's confusion, Zhou Yan gave a smirk.

"Just joking with you. How could I not make preparations before coming? I said I'd ensure your safety."

"While the safety and service attitude in the Lianxing Pavilion's official areas are excellent, it's still not as safe as being within our own sphere of control."

"Not to mention, I need to meet a Senior Brother. He's the one responsible for protecting you."

Lv Yang followed behind Zhou Yan, looking at the bustling city, his thoughts unknown.

"What are you looking at... Holy crap!"

Zhou Yan felt Lv Yang falling behind and was about to turn around to tell him to keep up when he suddenly heard a loud boom that startled him.

Lv Yang stood there staring blankly into the distance. Zhou Yan followed his gaze to where the sky was shrouded in a layer of dark clouds.

Then, like a television screen glitching, white static flickered for a few seconds before everything returned to normal—except the buildings in that area were now significantly shorter.

*Thud.*

Lv Yang collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from his eyes. Having had similar experiences, Zhou Yan knew exactly what this was: a manifestation of Law erosion.

He acted quickly, using his own Power of Law to help neutralize those violent forces.

But Zhou Yan hadn't felt even a hint of Law power himself; he had only seen a bit of static. So how did Lv Yang get hit? What was going on?

Through shared vision, Lord Canglan also felt a distinct tremor, much stronger than this one, and the source seemed quite close.

But there was nothing unusual happening there.

With Lv Yang severely injured, Zhou Yan didn't have time to overthink. He ordered Lord Canglan to act on his own and investigate what happened, while he urged Secretary Wang to hurry over so they could get Lv Yang to a hospital.

Half an hour later, Secretary Wang checked the time and spoke to Zhou Yan.

"Mr. Ace, since Ms. Lv Qi is out of danger, I will return to His Eminence Mingwang's side."

Secretary Wang reached into his coat and produced two metal cards.

"The coordinates are recorded on the cards. One is for a pre-arranged public residence, and the other is a private residence."

"At the public residence, only Mr. Ge and his squad are present. As for the other Taiyi Sect personnel who came along, most chose private residences."

"Once Ms. Lv Qi wakes up, if she requires a private residence as well, you can contact me again."

"I'll be taking my leave now."

Zhou Yan took the two cards, waved goodbye to Secretary Wang, and subtly gave a Taiyi Sect salute.

When Secretary Wang saw the salute, his usually stoic face twitched slightly. A small spark of joy at being acknowledged rose in his heart, and he subtly returned the salute.

After seeing off Secretary Wang, Zhou Yan looked through the glass window at Lv Yang, who was lying inside hooked up to various instruments, and felt a massive headache.

He really hadn't expected this. He'd promised to protect the guy, and they'd survived an encounter with an Evil God at the desert hotel without a scratch, only for him to end up in a hospital in Dream City just from being a bystander.

This guy couldn't be doing this on purpose to scam me for medical fees just because he heard I found him a bodyguard, right?

However, the medical standards in the Eastern Region were truly Heaven-Defying.

They actually had a department specifically for treating injuries caused by the Law.

Though the costs were high, its availability and convenience were far better than in many parts of the Northern Border.

According to the professional medical exam, Lv Yang had suffered from Law agitation—meaning he had indirectly observed the aftershocks of a Law, causing slight damage to his brain.

In layman's terms, it was a high-grade mild concussion.

Even if he hadn't been brought to the hospital, he would have woken up after two days of rest. With professional treatment, he would wake up naturally in twenty-two hours.

"I never thought that after all this time, I'd have the experience of staying by a hospital bed again."

Bored, Zhou Yan shoved his hands in his pockets and began wandering around the Law Department's corridor.

He occasionally marveled at the technological aesthetics of the Eastern Region, while also digging through his memories for some pleasant recollections of his days as a person from Blue Star.

He wasn't sure if the Law Department was on holiday or what, but he didn't see any patients or many doctors.

He just walked through the empty corridor, his mind drifting.

Turning a corner, Zhou Yan saw a window at the end of the hallway. The late afternoon sun spilled through, and combined with the slightly dim corridor, it evoked a sense of longing.

Zhou Yan walked toward it and noticed the surroundings starting to change.

"Is this the intensive care unit? There's another corridor ahead, and it's right by the window."

Exiting the long hallway, he came to a passage lined with windows.

Ahead was a row of glass windows. Through them, Zhou Yan could see the vast sunset pouring in, feeling warm against his skin.

The shadows of trees swayed on the pristine white floor. If not for the heavy technological feel of the place, Zhou Yan would have truly felt like he had returned to his hometown.

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, took his hand out of his pocket, and held it before his eyes to block the sunlight that couldn't actually hurt him.

If the Eastern Region weren't so 'Heaven-Defying,' it might actually be a good substitute for Blue Star.

Luckily I still have Taiyi City, even if I wasn't the one who built it.

"Speaking of which, why hasn't there been any news? What exactly happened..."

Zhou Yan turned around, thinking he'd seen enough of the view and wanting to continue wandering while he thought, when he suddenly realized that not far ahead of him stood a pink-haired girl with a dazed expression.

A breeze blew through the open window, lifting her soft pink hair. The pale yellow sunlight reflected off her, creating a lighting effect that looked like a 'heart filter' from an anime.

The pink-haired girl didn't mind the strands of hair blowing across her face; she just stood there staring blankly at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan stared back at her just as blankly.

In the next moment, the two of them spoke in unison.

"What is your name?"