162: Chapter 162 Brother Aotian, I will help you "properly" get justice.

On the main peak of the Xiao Family, upon a square paved with white marble.

The scorching sun beat down. Lin Aotian knelt on both knees below the jade steps, his white robes stained a dark brown by dried blood.

His back was straight, his jaw tight, and his bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the gates of the sleeping palace.

"Nickname, I know you are listening."

Lin Aotian's raspy voice was sent forth with spiritual power, echoing over the square.

"The Star River Ancient Ruins are very dangerous. I don't want anything; I only want to protect you as your attendant. If you don't agree, I will kneel here until I die."

Inside the sleeping palace.

Zi Yun sat on an agarwood chair, playing with a Nine Tribulations Death-Substitution Talisman in her hand.

The voice from outside drifted in, noisy and cloying.

"What an annoying fool," Zi Yun thought, her lips curving slightly upward.

If she hadn't been mindful that this body belonged to Xiao Ninger, someone like him would have had his soul extracted and refined by her long ago.

However, Lin Aotian still possessed a bit of Heavenly Mandate Luck.

It just so happened that there were many Formations in the Star River Ancient Ruins. Using this self-righteous fool to scout the path, or as a meat shield at a critical moment, wouldn't be bad either.

Trash should have a death befitting trash.

Zi Yun put away the Talisman, and the red light in her eyes vanished.

She replaced it with the cold yet struggling gaze characteristic of Xiao Ninger.

"Qing Yuan, open the doors."

The wooden doors swung open to both sides.

Zi Yun, dressed in an ice-blue gown, slowly walked out.

The sunlight hit her face, adding a touch of helplessness to her feigned pale complexion.

Hearing the footsteps, Lin Aotian snapped his head up.

His parched lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with pure joy.

Pushing off the ground with his hands, he scrambled up the steps on all fours, trying to grab the hem of Zi Yun's skirt.

Zi Yun's footsteps shifted back half a pace, almost imperceptibly.

The hem of the skirt slipped through Lin Aotian's fingertips.

Lin Aotian caught nothing, his hand stopping awkwardly in mid-air.

But seeing Zi Yun's furrowed brow as he looked up, he immediately felt she was distressed for him.

"Nickname, I knew you had me in your heart!"

Lin Aotian's voice cracked as he shouted, looking at her with a fanatical gaze.

"My injuries are nothing. As long as I can accompany you to the ruins, even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I will brave it for you!"

Disgusting.

Zi Yun felt a wave of nausea in her stomach, wishing she could twist this head off right now and stuff it into a latrine.

She suppressed the urge to strike, lowered her eyelashes, and let out a soft sigh.

"Brother Aotian."

Zi Yun spoke, her voice cold and helpless.

"Why must you be like this? Your cultivation hasn't recovered yet, and there are so many Prodigies in the ruins. If something happens to you, I..."

She trailed off, leaving room for wild imagination.

Hearing this, Lin Aotian's blood immediately rushed to his head.

All the grievances he had suffered before vanished because of that one "Brother Aotian."

He knew it—his Nickname hadn't changed. It was all that wretched servant Qing Yuan's instigation and her father's pressure; she was protecting him!

"I'm not afraid!"

Lin Aotian stood up, puffing out his chest as he surveyed the surroundings.

"So what if they are Prodigies? When has Lin Aotian ever feared others! Rest assured, Nickname, once we enter the ruins, I will be the sharpest sword in your hand!"

"If you truly wish to go, then follow behind me."

Zi Yun turned around, her back to Lin Aotian, her voice turning cold, "Don't try to be a hero."

"Thank you, Nickname!"

Lin Aotian couldn't have been happier.

Turning to look at Qing Yuan in the shadows, he tilted his chin, his eyes full of provocation and triumph, as if saying:

See that? Your Young Miss still cares about me the most.

Qing Yuan didn't even lift her eyelids. With her hands folded in front of her, she stared at the patterns on the ground, already considering Lin Aotian a dead man.

How stupid. He doesn't even know death is imminent, yet he's still barking in front of the Mistress.

...

Half a month later.

At the edge of the Ziwei Star Domain.

In the deathly silent starry sky, there was a massive Void Realm crack.

Chaos Qi surged within the crack, and the silhouette of a ruined continent could be seen.

The surrounding spatial turbulence would shred any approaching meteorites.

The Star River Ancient Ruins had officially appeared.

The immortal ships and warships of various great clans and Sects were all stationed outside the crack, with treasure light and Immortal Qi everywhere.

Roar—!

Nine Dragon roars tore through the void.

The Xiao Family's nine dragon agarwood carriage broke through the nebula and stopped at the position closest to the entrance.

The phantoms of nine true Dragons pulled the jade carriage, emitting a pressure that forced the warships of smaller Sects to retreat.

"It's the Xiao Family Goddess, Xiao Ninger!"

"What a grand display. I heard she went into seclusion for Bloodline purification. Judging by this Aura, she's likely close to becoming a half-step Immortal King!"

"Who is that man in white next to her? He only has a Profound Immortal cultivation; what right does he have to sit in the same carriage as Goddess Xiao?"

People from all directions were discussing.

Outside the jade carriage, Lin Aotian listened to the surrounding discussions, his vanity satisfied.

With his hands behind his back, he struck the pose of an otherworldly expert.

He wanted everyone to see that only he, Lin Aotian, was worthy to stand by Xiao Ninger's side.

Zi Yun sat behind the bead curtain, completely ignoring the clamor outside.

"Mistress," Qing Yuan sent a transmission, "this fool is making a scene outside. Should I go make him shut up?"

"No need."

Zi Yun took a sip of tea, her eyes cold.

"He's a man about to die; let him enjoy his triumph for a little longer. The higher one climbs, the harder one falls."

Rumble!

Suddenly, the space in front of the ruins' entrance collapsed.

A wave of heat surged out.

Nine Golden Crows, their bodies burning with Solar True Fire, pulled a bronze war chariot as they charged out.

Wherever the war chariot flew, a black scorched trail was left in the starry sky.

"Tianshu Palace Young Lord, Ye Wuhun!"

Someone in the crowd cried out in surprise, and the expressions of the Prodigies from various forces changed.

The bronze war chariot stopped a hundred zhang in front of the Xiao Family's nine dragon agarwood carriage.

The Golden Crows folded their wings, yet the heat wave still forced the Xiao Family guards to take a step back.

Standing on the war chariot was a man wearing dark gold battle armor.

He was Ye Wuhun, handsome in appearance with a pair of dark gold eyes, emitting the pressure of a half-step Immortal King.

With every breath he took, the surrounding Laws of the starry sky moved with him.

Innate Dao Body.

Ye Wuhun didn't care about the onlookers.

He stepped off the war chariot and flew directly toward the nine dragon agarwood carriage. His dark gold eyes stared at the figure behind the bead curtain, his gaze filled with possessiveness.

"Nickname."

Ye Wuhun's voice was loud, making the very starry sky tremble.

"The Xiao Family Head has already agreed with my Tianshu Palace. I will help you take the Immortal Vein in these ruins. You shall be my Dao Companion."

There was no negotiation, only a command.

Outside the jade carriage, Lin Aotian's face turned livid.

Dao Companion?!

This wild man who came out of nowhere dared to claim his woman in front of so many people?

The fire of jealousy instantly clouded Lin Aotian's mind.

He didn't consider the massive gap in their strength at all.

He took a step forward, blocking Ye Wuhun's path.

"Stop right there!"

Lin Aotian drew his sword and pointed it at Ye Wuhun, roaring.

"So what if you're the Tianshu Palace Young Lord? Is Nickname someone you can just talk about? Get lost!"

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at Lin Aotian as if he were a madman.

A Profound Immortal pointing a sword at an Innate Dao Body who was a half-step Immortal King?

Was his brain full of water to do such a thing?

Ye Wuhun didn't stop.

He didn't even spare Lin Aotian a glance; there was no emotion in his eyes.

To him, an ant blocking the way just needed to be stepped on; it wasn't worth getting angry over.

"So noisy."

Ye Wuhun indifferently spat out two words.

Boom!

He didn't move a hand, nor did he draw a blade.

Relying only on a sliver of the pressure from his Innate Dao Body and his half-step Immortal King Aura, a force formed that slammed directly into Lin Aotian.

Crack—!

Lin Aotian's protective Immortal Qi shattered instantly.

The immortal sword in his hand also snapped inch by inch.

"Pfft—!"

Lin Aotian's eyes bulged, his chest caving in completely as the sound of breaking bones could be heard.

He sprayed a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments, and his entire body was sent flying back like trash, even faster than he had approached.

Bang!

Lin Aotian slammed heavily against a pillar of the jade carriage, the impact cracking even the hard jade.

He slid to the ground, his body twitching as blood leaked from his seven orifices, slumped outside the bead curtain like a dead dog, unable to even crawl up.

Defeated in an instant by the power of a single word.

Ye Wuhun stopped ten zhang from the jade carriage, his gaze piercing through the bead curtain to stare heatedly at Zi Yun.

"Nickname, why does the Xiao Family keep a dog that doesn't know its place?"

Ye Wuhun's voice was cold.

"If you're afraid of getting your hands dirty, I can help you clean house."

The bead curtain was slowly pulled aside by a fair hand.

Zi Yun slowly stepped out.

She didn't look at Ye Wuhun, nor did she look at the people around them.

Instead, she walked directly to Lin Aotian, who was lying like a dead dog, and knelt down.

Her ice-blue gown spread out beside the blood.

"Brother Aotian..."

Zi Yun reached out, pretending to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, her brow furrowed in a display of heartache and anxiety.

Lin Aotian's vision was blurred, and the intense pain throughout his body made him feel like he was about to pass out.

But seeing "Nickname" before him, seeing her kneel for him, his sense of humiliation was actually overshadowed by being moved.

He struggled to lift a blood-stained hand, trying to grasp Zi Yun's wrist: "Nickname... I'm useless... I failed to protect you..."

Zi Yun caught his bloody hand in hers.

A subtle fluctuation of Law emanated from her fingertips, quietly sealing the life force within Lin Aotian's body, preventing him from self-healing.

Buzz—!

Just then, the massive Void Realm crack behind them suddenly erupted with light.

The Seal of the ruins had completely opened.

A thick surge of Primordial Qi gushed out.

"The ruins are open!"

The immortal ships of the various forces immediately roared as they charged toward the crack.

Ye Wuhun gave Zi Yun a deep look before turning into a streak of golden light, being the first to rush inside.

Zi Yun withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to Lin Aotian's ear.

A pleasant fragrance wafted into Lin Aotian's nose.

But he didn't see that in those beautiful eyes right before him, there was nothing but undisguised mockery and cold killing intent.

Zi Yun spoke softly in his ear, in a gentle voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Don't be afraid, Brother Aotian. Once we're in the ruins..."

Her lips curled into a terrifying arc.

"Nickname will definitely help you get your justice 'properly'."