Chapter 202

"Lin Shu, your hand!" Xuanyuan Qing rushed to Lin Yu's side, her eyes full of anxiety.

Lin Yu moved his broken bone, pain surging through his whole body like an electric current, but he just shrugged: "Just a small injury, it doesn't matter."

"What are you acting like a tough guy for?" Zhang Tianhua walked over and patted Lin Yu on the shoulder, "In that battle just now, you kid pressed the Tongtian Pavilion expert into the ground and rubbed him, it was really satisfying!"

Lin Yu's mouth curled slightly: "Just good luck."

The elder War God bowed, his voice low and solemn: "If not for the help of the three of you in this battle, Tianyuan would have fallen. The Qin family owes you a great debt."

"A small effort." Lin Yu looked into the distance, his eyes gradually becoming cold, "The Tongtian Pavilion won't let it go at that, they will definitely come back."

"Indeed." The elder War God sighed, "But with friends like you, the Qin family feels much more at ease."

After saying goodbye to the Qin Family War Gods, the three embarked on the return journey. Along the way, Lin Yu kept savoring the wonderful feeling during the battle—Ao Fist, silver needles, and locking techniques blending in his body, as if breaking through some barrier.

"What secret is hidden in the Shennong Secret Treasury?" Lin Yu looked at his palm, "Why would the Tongtian Pavilion spare no cost?"

Returning to Huacheng, Lin Yu first went to the hospital to treat his fracture, then returned to Zhongcaotang to report the whole process to Xu Jianhua and Xiao Chengzhou.

After hearing this, Xiao Chengzhou whistled: "Good fellow, this Tongtian Pavilion's ambition is even greater than I imagined!"

Xu Jianhua pushed his glasses: "Tianyuan, Otherworldly Space, immortality... it sounds like a fantasy, but since you saw it with your own eyes, it must be true."

"Zhang Tianhua has sacrificed himself." Lin Yu clenched his fists, his knuckles making a slight cracking sound, "I cannot let him die in vain."

"I have already activated the intelligence network to investigate the Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master." Xu Jianhua shook his head, "But this person's whereabouts are mysterious, and so far there have been no results."

"The Tongtian Pavilion is too cunning." Xuanyuan Qing complained, "Even the Qin family can't do anything about them."

Lin Yu suddenly slapped his thigh: "Right! We brought back some data from the Tongtian Pavilion base; we didn't look at it carefully because the situation was urgent at the time, perhaps we can find clues in it!"

He took a stack of yellowed parchment from his backpack and spread it on the table. The four immediately gathered together to read through it.

"These look like excerpts from ancient books." Xiao Chengzhou pointed to one of the pages.

"And some look like cultivation techniques." Xu Jianhua added.

Lin Yu flipped to the last page, his pupils suddenly shrinking. In the center of the paper was a strange symbol—two intertwined dragons circling a tower, the tower tip pointing straight to the sky.

"This symbol has appeared many times in the previous data." Lin Yu flipped back to the previous pages, and sure enough, he found the same symbol in many places, "The Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master seems to value it very much."

"Girl, you study ancient characters a lot, do you recognize this?"

Xuanyuan Qing stared at the symbol, her brow knitted into a ball: "It looks a bit familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen it. Let me go check the ancient books."

Over the next few days, Xuanyuan Qing buried herself in the library. Lin Yu, Xu Jianhua, and Xiao Chengzhou discussed countermeasures to guard against possible retaliation from the Tongtian Pavilion.

Late on the fifth night, Lin Yu was sorting medicinal herbs at Zhongcaotang when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps.

Xuanyuan Qing pushed the door and entered, her cheeks flushed with excitement: "Lin Shu, I found it!"

She held a heavy ancient book in her hands and pointed to one of the pages urgently: "This symbol belongs to the 'Shangyuan Society'!"

"Shangyuan Society?" Lin Yu put down the half-piece of ginseng in his hand, "I've never heard of this organization."

"The Shangyuan Society was founded in the late Southern Song Dynasty, specializing in the art of immortality." Xuanyuan Qing opened the ancient book, "They firmly believed that there was a passage to the Immortal Realm between heaven and earth, and that finding it would grant immortality."

Lin Yu's eyes lit up: "This is consistent with the Tongtian Pavilion's goal."

"Not only that." Xuanyuan Qing couldn't wait to flip to the next page, "The Shangyuan Society headquarters was in the Kunlun Mountains! Their leader called himself the 'Heaven-Reaching Envoy,' and the sign they used was this two-dragon-circling-tower!"

Lin Yu stood up abruptly: "Heaven-Reaching Envoy, Heaven-Reaching Pavilion... this is definitely not a coincidence! The Heaven-Reaching Pavilion is likely the descendant or branch of the Shangyuan Society!"

Early the next morning, Lin Yu gathered everyone to share this major discovery.

"If the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion is related to the Shangyuan Society, understanding the history of the Shangyuan Society might help us find the weakness of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion Pavilion Master." Lin Yu paced back and forth, his thoughts flying.

Xu Jianhua checked his laptop: "According to historical records, the Shangyuan Society suddenly disappeared in the late Yuan Dynasty. There are rumors that they discovered an ancient ruin containing clues to the Immortal Realm, after which the entire organization vanished."

"Where is the ancient ruin?" Lin Yu pressed.

"The data doesn't specifically mention it, only saying it's in a 'place where dragon veins gather'." Xu Jianhua spread his hands.

Xuanyuan Qing suddenly slapped the table: "Wait! The ancient book mentions that the founder of the Shangyuan Society left a sentence—'To seek the heavenly path, observe the heavenly eye'. Could the heavenly eye refer to a certain place?"

A flash of inspiration hit Lin Yu: "Heavenly eye... in Taoist classics, it often refers to the sun, moon, and stars... dragon veins gather, observe the heavenly eye... could it be an observatory?"

"Right!" Xuanyuan Qing's eyes lit up, "There is an ancient observatory in the southwest, built in the Southern Song Dynasty, exactly the era when the Shangyuan Society was founded!"

"It seems we have to go to the observatory." Lin Yu decided, "If there is a Shangyuan Society ruin there, perhaps we can find clues about the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion Pavilion Master."

"I'll go with you!" Xuanyuan Qing stated her position immediately.

Lin Yu nodded: "Teacher Xu and Old Xiao stay in Huacheng to continue collecting intelligence, contact us at any time if there is a situation."

Two days later, Lin Yu and Xuanyuan Qing boarded a long-distance bus to the observatory. The bus jolted on the rugged mountain road, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from a bustling city to a desolate mountain area.

"Lin Shu, what do you think we can find?" Xuanyuan Qing looked out the window, her voice filled with both expectation and worry.

Lin Yu looked at the distant mountains: "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure either. But as long as we can find clues about the Tongtian Pavilion Pavilion Master, this trip is worth it."

"By the way, does your hand still hurt?" Xuanyuan Qing asked suddenly.

Lin Yu clenched his fist: "Much better, the broken bone has been set. The Rong Sect secret technique accelerated the recovery."

"That's good." Xuanyuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief, then her eyes lit up, "Lin Shu, look, that mountain over there looks like a crouching dragon!"

Lin Yu was just about to agree when the bus suddenly braked hard, and the two were thrown forward before they could react. Lin Yu grabbed Xuanyuan Qing, avoiding her hitting the seat in front.

"What's going on?" Lin Yu poked his head forward to look.

A giant rock lay in the middle of the road, blocking their path.

"Strange, this rock wasn't here when I drove this road this morning." The driver scratched his head.

Lin Yu became alert, his gaze sweeping over the dense woods on both sides of the mountain road. This terrain was most suitable for an ambush.

"Get off the bus." Lin Yu whispered to Xuanyuan Qing, "This is no accident."

No sooner had the two gotten off the bus than several men in black darted out from the woods, holding sharp weapons and heading straight for them.

"Tongtian Pavilion people!" Xuanyuan Qing exclaimed.

Lin Yu pushed Xuanyuan Qing behind him, spread his arms, and assumed a fighting stance.

"Why run, we meet again." The leading man in black sneered, "This time, no one will save you."

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes; although his right hand had been set, it hadn't fully recovered. Silver needles flickered between his fingers in his left hand, cold light flashing.

"Lin Shu, I'm here to help you!" Xuanyuan Qing took a silver bell from her waist.

"No!" Lin Yu stopped her, "You retreat to a safe distance first, I'll deal with them."

"But—"

"Behave!" Lin Yu's voice deepened.

Xuanyuan Qing gritted her teeth and retreated a few steps, but didn't leave completely, instead observing the surroundings vigilantly.

"Kid, you were lucky in the Tianyuan battle." The black-clad leader sneered, "This time, let's see where you can escape to!"

"Escape?" Lin Yu's mouth curled into a cold sneer, "Today, let me show you the true power of the Rong Sect Eight Techniques!"

Before he could finish, he had already charged into the enemy group like an arrow off a bowstring. This journey, I'm afraid, won't be so smooth.