He had Little Ape move the dozen or so bodies into the courtyard. With only an hour left until dawn, Lin Yun closed his eyes, sat cross-legged on his bed, and began to cultivate again.

His Elemental Power had been almost completely depleted from using the Demon Emperor’s Blood Pool and the War God Transformation. After refining ten Three-Stars Qi Essence Pills in a row, supplemented with Low Grade Primordial Stones, his Elemental Power was finally restored well after daybreak.

When he opened his eyes again, Lin Yun found that it was already noon. He hadn’t expected that restoring his Elemental Power would take a full three hours.

’That really takes a lot out of me,’ Lin Yun mused with a faint smile. He walked into the courtyard and stretched. The dozen or so corpses of the He Family Martial Artists from the previous night still lay silently in the yard.

Only through actual combat could he truly gauge his own progress. The Demon Emperor Technique and the War God Technique were truly heaven-defying. He was only at the Sixth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm, but as long as he activated the Demon Emperor’s Blood Pool and the War God Transformation simultaneously, he could fight an expert at the First Layer of the Celestial Spirit Realm.

At least, that’s what Lin Yun had initially thought. But after the battle last night, he knew he had been far too naive.

Although the burst of Combat Power was immense, it only lasted for fifty breaths. Forget about fighting; against a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, it was debatable whether he could even escape within that time.

Furthermore, once those fifty breaths were up, Lin Yun would be completely out of options. At that point, there would be nothing left to do but wait for death.

Therefore, the idea of relying on those fifty breaths to fight a Celestial Spirit Realm expert was incredibly naive.

Just as Lin Yun was relaxing in the courtyard, a Bai Family guard came trotting in. He stopped before Lin Yun and said respectfully, "Young Master Lin, there is a man at the gate who calls himself Li Tian. He claims to be a friend of yours, so I came to inform you."

"Li Tian?" Lin Yun was taken aback. What a coincidence. He was just thinking about Li Tian last night, given his current predicament, and now he had actually shown up today.

"Quickly, show him in," he said hurriedly to the guard, his heart pounding with excitement.

After the guard left, Lin Yun paced back and forth in the courtyard. ’This Li Tian is simply incredible,’ he thought. In his current situation, no one else could help him. Only Li Tian could turn the tide. He never would have guessed that Li Tian would actually show up.

It had been nearly half a year since he’d left the Southeast Domain. After being apart for so long, Lin Yun had been thinking that Li Tian and Qin Feng must have reached the Eastern Heart Domain by now.

Before long, the Bai Family guard led Li Tian into the courtyard. The moment he saw his friend, Lin Yun let out a hearty laugh, strode forward, and pulled Li Tian into a bear hug.

"Haha, what brings you here?" Lin Yun was overjoyed to see him.

Hearing Lin Yun’s hearty laughter, Li Tian gave a knowing smile and said softly, "Isn’t this precisely the time when Young Master Lin needs me most?"

Lin Yun was stunned for a moment by Li Tian’s words, then he broke into a hearty laugh. This Li Tian was truly... He led Li Tian over to a stone bench in the courtyard.

As they passed the dozen or so corpses of the He Family Martial Artists, Li Tian merely gave them an indifferent glance. The two sat down at the stone bench, and Lin Yun ordered a Bai Family maid to bring some wine and food. He was truly overjoyed that Li Tian had arrived.

Unlike Lin Yun’s other sworn brothers, Li Tian possessed an intellect that had few rivals in the world. Although his Combat Power might not match the others, one couldn’t forget that he was also an Array Master.

With his brilliant mind and masterful strategic abilities, Li Tian had appeared at the very moment Lin Yun needed him most.

With Li Tian by his side, Lin Yun wasn’t the least bit worried about the turbulent situation in Flawless Palace. Such was his confidence in his friend. With Li Tian around, Lin Yun could truly rest easy.

The food and wine were quickly served. "How did you know I was in Wind City?" Lin Yun asked as they drank.

"Are you looking down on me, Young Master Lin? If I couldn’t even track your whereabouts, how could I ever fulfill my promise to you?" Li Tian replied, not with a direct answer, but with a question of his own.

The first time they met, Li Tian had been a chatterbox. But he had said that as long as Lin Yun could help the Li Family return to the Eastern Heart Domain, he would acknowledge Lin Yun as his lord and willingly serve as his right-hand man.

As he got to know Li Tian better, Lin Yun gradually discovered just how formidable he was. The man’s value was no less than that of any top-tier expert; Li Tian’s power simply wasn’t measured in Combat Power.

At that moment, Lin Yun felt incredibly fortunate to have someone like Li Tian on his side. With him here, Lin Yun was now brimming with confidence.

Coincidentally, Li Tian felt much the same way about Lin Yun. Through their time together, he had come to admire the miracles Lin Yun created. Lin Yun had a way of pulling off things that everyone else believed to be impossible.

Therefore, Li Tian’s admiration for Lin Yun was completely genuine, and his resolve to become Lin Yun’s right-hand man was unshakable.

After some idle chat and a few cups of wine, Li Tian glanced at the corpses in the distance. "Young Master Lin, I expect these He Family bodies will be put to use today."

"Holy crap, you know about this too? How did you know they were from the He Family?" Lin Yun had never told Li Tian that these were assassins sent by the He Family. He couldn’t believe Li Tian already knew everything.

Li Tian just smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with a shrewd light, as if everything was already under his control.

After a moment of shock, Lin Yun quickly recovered. He couldn’t help but admire Li Tian’s resourcefulness. But more importantly, Li Tian was his brother, and Lin Yun trusted him completely.

"I can finally breathe easy now that you’re here," Lin Yun said with a light chuckle, raising his wine cup.

Raising his own cup, Li Tian replied calmly, "As I said, I will spend this life assisting you, Young Master Lin."

Though Li Tian’s tone was placid, every word he spoke was true. It was exactly what he felt in his heart.

With Li Tian here, Lin Yun was able to relax completely. There were many matters he no longer needed to worry about. In this regard, he was truly no match for Li Tian.

For instance, once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Tian immediately began to make arrangements for Lin Yun.

Borrowing a squad of guards from the Bai Family, Li Tian had the bodies of the He Family Martial Artists transported away.

Lin Yun didn’t even ask what Li Tian was thinking or planning to do. When it came to intellect and strategy, Li Tian was far superior.

Watching Li Tian’s departing figure, Lin Yun broke into a smile. He could already imagine the huge loss the He Family was about to suffer at Li Tian’s hands.

’This matter with Flawless Palace is no longer a threat,’ Lin Yun thought. With that, he returned to his room to cultivate in peace. As long as Li Tian was here, he didn’t need to worry about these things himself.

He would handle it far better than he ever could.

(Seeking collections, recommendations, Monthly Passes, and tips!)