Chapter 618: Brief Joy

The four great experts struck with all their might. Yun'er's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of coldness flashing within them.

Just as she was about to raise her head, Yang Tian smiled, gently tapped her nose with his finger, and signaled for her to leave it to him.

"Four old bastards ganging up on one, how thick-skinned!" the big black bird said disdainfully, striding through the void.

Its jet-black, glossy giant claws burst with divine light, surging forth like a tidal wave. Suddenly, a claw as massive as a mountain appeared in the void.

With a thunderous roar, strands of divine radiance shot out, striking like a blazing sun. One move overturned a wild divine sea, its power terrifying and awe-inspiring.

The four great experts' faces darkened. They were all forced back two steps, their faces full of shock.

"What a formidable bird, likely a peak great expert!" Xishan's pupils contracted. Although these five great experts were fearsome, they did not possess peak combat power.

But to overturn the attacks of four with a single move—the big black bird truly lived up to being a kingly creature.

The jet-black bird soared across the sky, its massive body pressing down upon the heavens. Its wings trembled slightly, shaking heaven and earth as if they could split the vast sky!

"Wait!" a great expert from the Wu family quickly said, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. Then he forced a smile and added, "That was indeed a misunderstanding. We'll leave."

He acted swiftly, and the others seemed to follow his lead. They forcibly suppressed Wu Yu's unwilling expression, and their bodies vanished in an instant as they left the Thundercloud Sect.

Seeing this, a hint of doubt flickered in Yang Tian's eyes. He murmured, "Could they have recognized me?"

From the start of the commotion to its end, only a brief moment had passed. A group of junior disciples from the Thundercloud Sect were stunned. This young man was too powerful, and the big black bird beside him was extremely fearsome, possessing the combat power of a grand elder.

"You're out?" Xishan walked over and asked tentatively. Only Yang Tian could make the Thundercloud Sect's little princess act so girlish.

"Something unexpected happened; I was delayed inside." Yang Tian replied with a look of apology, saying awkwardly, "I'm really sorry."

"So it is you. I didn't expect you to be this strong now." Xishan clicked his tongue, cast a loving glance at Yun'er, and nodded slightly. "Your friends are here. Come with me."

Xishan and Yang Tian left, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded junior disciples. Such matters were not yet for them to know.

At the foot of the Thundercloud Sect's mountain, after hearing the news, a group of experts clicked their tongues in amazement. They hadn't expected this to be Yang Tian, who was rumored to have died in the Dao God Mountain.

"Does he have a divine object on him?" a man as thin as a twisted dough stick couldn't help but ask.

"Don't even think about it. Our Wu family doesn't have a chance in such matters. Don't forget, the three ancient clans all protected him back then." The leader said flatly, a cold smile flickering in his eyes.

On the main peak of the Thundercloud Sect, Yang Tian and Yun'er walked side by side. Some disciples they passed were amazed that the sect's most terrifying genius was personally welcoming them—this must be an extraordinary figure.

Hearing about Yun'er's experiences these past days, Yang Tian breathed a deep sigh of relief. After receiving the final inheritance, Yun'er had not only broken through to the great expert stage but also obtained many pills, artifacts, and numerous killing formations.

"By the way, Yun'er, do you have any Yin-Yang Life-Returning Flower?" Yang Tian asked. This rare herb was very scarce, growing only where yin and yang intermingled.

Hearing this, Yun'er's crescent-shaped brows furrowed slightly. After thinking for a moment, she parted her red lips and said, "Brother Yang Tian, it seems we don't have that herb... I'll check the sect's treasury later."

"Brother Yang Tian, are you close to breaking through to the great expert level?" Yun'er's eyes shimmered with a hint of shyness as she spoke in a soft voice.

"I haven't touched the threshold yet. Probably soon." Yang Tian rubbed his nose and grinned.

"Haven't touched the threshold yet..." Yun'er's jade-like fingers twirled a strand of hair on her shoulder. As her eyes shimmered, a captivating charm flowed out, making one's heart tremble.

Yang Tian's eyes were instantly captivated by this charm. His throat moved slightly, and a blazing divine light flickered in his gaze.

Though the path was not long, it felt like an endless stone staircase. The atmosphere between them was extremely intimate.

Yang Tian's eyes frequently fell upon Yun'er, the deep affection in his gaze growing stronger.

Noticing this fiery gaze, Yun'er's cheeks flushed crimson. She lowered her head slightly, a hint of anticipation swirling in her eyes.

Though the path was long, they finally reached the end. It was a purple bamboo grove with a courtyard inside, shrouded in hazy purple divine light. The essence of heaven and earth was extremely abundant.

The moment Yang Tian appeared here, he saw a middle-aged man chatting cheerfully with two little ones, occasionally bursting into loud laughter.

"Godfather..." His eyes fixed on the middle-aged man not far away, Yang Tian's eyes instantly reddened, and his nose tingled with emotion. It had been several years since they last parted at the Li family.

A trembling voice sounded, and Lin Yuan's body stiffened instantly. He slowly turned around, gazing at the grown youth before him, his arms trembling uncontrollably.

"Xiaotian..." Lin Yuan was extremely agitated, leaping to his feet. After Yang Tian disappeared from the Divine Mountain of Dao, Lin Yuan never believed that his godson had died.

"Yang Tian's here, haha..." Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing both jumped up, howling with joy, their big eyes brimming with surprise.

They hadn't changed at all, still two little lads, their big eyes sparkling with delight, overjoyed.

Yun'er smoothed her jade-like hair with her hand, watching their happy expressions, and couldn't help but smile. This feeling seemed wonderful.

Lin Yuan's cultivation had broken through to the Rebirth stage. With a large accumulation of precious medicines, the signs of age on his face had completely faded. Now he was in high spirits, full of pride.

"You're back." Yang Ba and the others were all there; they showed no surprise at Yang Tian's appearance. How could someone who had ascended to the peak of the Heavenly Stairway of Creation die like that?

"Bird Lord..." Da Hu rushed over excitedly, his fur shimmering like satin, radiating a milky white divine glow. When he saw the big black bird, he exclaimed.

"How did you get out!" Fatty and Xiao Ji found it hard to believe—the big black bird had actually come out too.

"Haha... didn't expect that, did you..." The big black bird scratched his bald head, still filled with emotion, as if in a dream.

"That madman came out too..." At that moment, when Yang Tian and the big black bird heard Fatty's shout, their eyes widened, and they couldn't help exclaiming.

"That figure must be an incredibly powerful expert. Suppressed for who knows how many ages and still not dead—truly beyond belief." The big black bird marveled repeatedly.

"Can people really live that long?" Yang Tian also found it utterly incredible. The madman had lived for who knows how many millennia, yet his body had not withered. His realm was impossible to fathom.

Perhaps the madman was a figure from an era beyond tracing.

They talked for a long time, all of them greatly excited, but the impending great calamity made Yang Tian uneasy.

In the hall, a huge jade table was laden with delicacies, all stewed from various exotic creatures, along with many dishes Yun'er had brought from the Array Sect. These dishes had the effect of enhancing cultivation; even a sip could extend a mortal's life by decades.

No one was happier than Yang Tian. He brought out the monkey wine he had never been willing to drink, and the aroma of the wine swirled through the ancient hall, intoxicating enough to make one drowsy.

"What a rare treasure..." Xing Shan had also been invited; his hands trembled slightly. This was the rare monkey wine.

"I didn't expect there to be such good stuff." Xing Hao couldn't help rubbing his hands together. A single sip made his whole body emit vital energy, even his mouth and nose could not contain it.

"Mine... all mine..." Xiao Bai shouted, stubbornly covering the wine to stop them from drinking, causing the group to burst into laughter.

Once the monkey wine was brought out, even some old fellows from the Thunder Cloud Sect lost their composure. One by one, they shamelessly walked in, all wanting to drink a few drops.

There weren't many drops left in the red gourd. Xiao Bai wailed in distress, for these were all treasures.

"Squeak, squeak..." The little monkey staggered, rolling around like a ball, clearly having drunk a lot. The old men of the Thunder Cloud Sect were astonished, carefully scrutinizing it—this was the descendant of a divine monkey!

Lin Yuan was full of pride. These were all major figures of the Thunder Cloud Sect, even the Great Elder had come. Now these people were quite polite to him, smiles lingering on their faces.

"How much longer can this kind of life last?" Looking at the ruddy-faced figures, Yang Tian couldn't help sighing.

The festivities lasted until nightfall. A group of old men from the Thunder Cloud Sect were drunk and unsteady, but the signs of age on their faces had faded considerably. One person even broke through to a new realm on the spot, which made Xiao Bai even more pained.

"You got a divine stone, and you're still so stingy..." Fatty snorted lightly. The divine stone Xiao Bai had obtained was no small piece; it would be enough to sustain his cultivation for a long time.

Yang Tian sent Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing into the Ancestral Dragon Ring. Yang Xiao's disappearance had hit them hard; the two had grown up under Yang Xiao's care, and their bond was deep.

Night fell, the bright moonlight rose, and a thin mist shrouded the Purple Bamboo Grove, swirling with hazy, auspicious radiance, very splendid.

At that moment, a jade hairpin and a broken spear shaft were placed on the stone platform. Yang Ba's eyes immediately reddened—these were Yang Xiao's artifacts, unforgettable.

Fatty took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the two artifacts. Though their essence had dissipated, artifacts nurtured by the Life Wheel Eye should yield some clues.