Chapter 475: I

Zhi Mo gave a cold snort, "Miss Su, don't you know the Red Lotus Sect has already been destroyed? Now you can't even protect yourself."

As soon as his words fell, Gu Qingwan cleverly said, "The city lord's son can actually speak such nonsense."

Lu Yuan walked slowly to Gu Qingwan's side, "We four have come today for only one purpose—to rescue Su Linglong."

King Qi tightly gripped the Demon-Breaking Golden Wheel in his hand and bravely stepped forward, "Zhi Mo, your city lord's mansion's evil deeds are monstrous; today I will take Su Linglong away and execute you, this villain!"

Zhi Mo widened his eyes, "You four also want to defeat me? Ridiculous!"

Su Liyan coldly laughed, "Someone once told me that when in crisis, one should trust one's own strength."

"Zhi Mo, take a look at our strength!"

The Ice Crystal Long Whip in her hand flashed a blinding cold light, and a chill permeated the entire mansion.

She leapt up, turning into a white bolt of lightning that shot toward Zhi Mo.

Lu Yuan swiftly employed the Heavenly Gang Big Dipper Formation, deployed the Five Elements Escape Armor Technique, and bound Zhi Mo within it.

At the same time he drew the Heavenly Gang Thunder Fire Sword from his waist and swung it down.

Seeing the situation turn in their favor, Gu Qingwan attentively set up the Detection Technique to check whether anyone else was nearby.

She found that everyone else in the city lord's mansion had already been subdued by Su Liyan's Ice Crystal Long Whip.

Zhi Mo struggled in frustration, "Don't get cocky—my father will take care of you!"

King Qi stepped on Zhi Mo's back and sneered, "Hmph, how will your father deal with us?"

"We have come for justice, and even in this city lord's mansion we will only cut down evildoers."

Su Liyan took the opportunity to pass Zhi Mo and arrived at the door of a room at the rear.

Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan closely followed, realizing that Su Linglong was imprisoned here.

Su Liyan reached out and pushed open the heavy door panel.

In the dark chamber, Su Linglong lay weakly in the corner.

Her watery eyes saw Su Liyan and Lu Yuan.

"Older sister…"

She cried out sorrowfully, "I thought I would never see you again."

"Don't cry, little sister."

Su Liyan lifted Su Linglong into her arms, "We've come to rescue you."

Lu Yuan scanned the room, looking for anything of value.

He found an old treasure map.

By chance, this treasure map turned out to be the city lord's long‑kept secret treasure—a map showing the location of the Cold Moon Pearl.

"This is truly an unexpected delight."

Lu Yuan laughed triumphantly, "We actually ended up obtaining the city lord's secret treasure."

The team prepared to withdraw swiftly from within the city lord's mansion.

They took Su Linglong, took the Cold Moon Pearl seized from the enemy, and quickly left the mansion.

Accompanied by the dawn's light, they returned to the hideout of the Red Lotus Sect.

Taking out the Cold Moon Pearl, everyone decided to use it as funding, raising part of the expenses for the imminent Star Firefly Ancient Tomb expedition. Lu Yuan had an idea—to find the fragmented Heavenly Gang Dao Symbol.

He believed that if they gathered these Dao symbols, they could more deeply master profound immortal arts and better protect themselves and their teammates.

Thus, he led Gu Qingwan, King Qi, and Su Liyan into the secret realm within the White Blossom Flower City Lord's Mansion.

In the secret realm, an ancient mysterious aura pervaded; the four proceeded cautiously, constantly observing their surroundings.

This secret realm was like a labyrinth, with countless treasures and dangers hidden at its end.

Lu Yuan pondered the mysteries of immortal arts, hoping to find the fragmented Heavenly Gang Dao Symbol he needed.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan saw on the wall a depiction of a weakened fragment of the Heavenly Gang Dao Symbol.

He immediately stopped and fell into thought.

"We have finally found a fragment of the Heavenly Gang Dao Symbol."

Lu Yuan exclaimed excitedly, "If we can find the other fragments, we can restore it to completeness."

Gu Qingwan walked over to Lu Yuan's side and carefully examined that fragment.

"Based on the pattern of the fragment, I can make an inference."

"I feel it certainly won't be far away."

King Qi raised the Demon‑Breaking Golden Wheel, staying on guard.

"Since we have found a fragment of the Dao symbol, there ought to be other clues nearby."

"Everyone, pay attention to the surroundings."

Su Liyan tightly gripped the Ice Crystal Long Whip, providing a magical shield to protect Lu Yuan and Gu Qingwan.

"We must act carefully, after all this is a secret realm inside the city lord's mansion—nothing to be taken lightly."

The four worked closely together, coordinating to search every corner of the secret realm.

They conducted meticulous searches on the walls and ground, and carefully examined the ancient murals and statues.

Suddenly, behind an ancient bronze vessel in the corner, Lu Yuan discovered another fragment of the Heavenly Gang Dao Symbol.

He eagerly picked it up and brought it alongside the previous fragment for comparison.

"This is the second one!"

Lu Yuan exclaimed excitedly, "The further we search, the closer we get to the complete fragment set!"

Gu Qingwan pondered for a moment, then said, "From these two fragments, I guess there are at most two more; we must continue searching."

King Qi waved the Demon‑Breaking Golden Wheel, boosting the team's confidence considerably.

"As long as we persevere, we will surely find the other fragments!"

Su Liyan saw Lu Yuan working so hard, and she also became more determined in her will.

"Lu Yuan brother, you're really amazing. As long as you're with us, we will definitely succeed."

Lu Yuan felt his teammates' support and encouragement, and he showed a confident smile.

"Thank you for everyone's support. I believe that as long as we work together to keep searching, we will definitely find all the fragments and advance further on the path of immortal arts." Lu Yuan tightly gripped the two broken Dao talismans in his hand, his gaze firm as he looked at his teammates.

"We've found a few fragments; we're getting closer to a complete Dao talisman."

"I have decided to use these two Dao talismans to contend against the Dark Evil Elder."

Gu Qingwan quickly thought it over and offered a clever plan.

"The Dark Evil Elder possesses powerful dark force within his body; we can use the nature of the Heavenly Gang Thunder Fire Sword to restrain him."

"You use the thunder-fire sword to perform an immortal arts attack, while the others assist you in controlling the situation."

King Qi raised the Demon-Breaking Golden Wheel, gazing at the Dark Evil Elder in the distance.

"Don't worry, I will protect you all."

"Lu Yuan brother, go ahead and use the immortal arts attack without worry."

Su Liyan quickly rubbed the Ice Crystal Long Whip, preparing to unleash a powerful ice-type immortal arts.

"I will support you from behind and use the Ice Crystal Long Whip to give you even greater strength."

The four of them tacitly united, waiting outside the White Blossom Flower City Lord's Mansion for the Dark Evil Elder's arrival.

Soon after, a black shadow appeared before them—that was the Dark Evil Elder.

The Dark Evil Elder curled the corner of his mouth in a smug smile.

"I never expected you to dare challenge me; it seems you are seeking your own death!"

He strode arrogantly toward Lu Yuan, dark force filling the surrounding air. (End of chapter)