After wiping out the Wang Family, Yi Tianyun quickly returned to the inn. This time, there was no repeat of the previous kidnapping incident.

The only ones with a grudge against Yi Tianyun were the Wang Family. Now that they were eradicated, it was only natural that no one else would come looking for trouble.

"Elder Yi, are you alright?"

They looked Yi Tianyun up and down, their eyes filled with worry. Even though he hadn’t told them where he was going, they could imagine what he had set out to do.

"What could possibly happen to me?" Yi Tianyun smiled, then looked around. Seeing that Ren Zhirou wasn’t in the room, he asked in surprise, "Where’s Miss Ren?"

"Miss Ren is standing outside," Yi Yuwei said, pointing. "She’s been muttering to herself. I don’t know what she’s thinking about."

Yi Tianyun nodded and walked out onto the balcony. Ren Zhirou was gazing into the distance, her thoughts seemingly miles away.

"Miss Ren, what are you thinking about?" Yi Tianyun asked with a smile.

"I remembered a few things. During the battle just now, some memories came back to me... I remembered where my home is." Ren Zhirou didn’t turn to look at him, her gaze fixed on the horizon.

"You remember now?" Yi Tianyun chuckled. "So you finally realize I’m not your brother, huh?"

"Yes, I’ve remembered a little. You aren’t my brother..." Ren Zhirou turned to him with a brilliant smile. "But I still feel a closeness to you, as if you were... My real brother didn’t wait for me to wake up this time. I wonder what happened to him."

Yi Tianyun nodded and speculated, "Something must have happened. That secret chamber hadn’t been attended to in a long time; clearly, no one had been there for ages."

"Yes, I should go back. I’ve vaguely recalled a few things, and I know what I must do now." Ren Zhirou turned her gaze to the horizon once more. "It’s getting late. It’s time for me to leave. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

"You’re leaving already?" Yi Tianyun paused before asking, "Do you want me to help?"

"There’s no need. Some things are best dealt with by oneself," Ren Zhirou said with a radiant smile. "Brother, I’m leaving now. If fate allows, we will meet again."

With that, she leaped into the air. A pair of invisible wings unfurled from her back, carrying her into the sky. In the blink of an eye, she vanished over the horizon. This was the power of the Core Formation stage—the ability to condense one’s energy into Spirit Wings and take flight.

Her cultivation was at the fifth level of the Core Formation stage, making her even more powerful than the old ancestor of the Cyan Profound Mansion. One could only imagine the kind of faction she came from.

"Ding! Hidden Chain Quest ’Aid the Empire Goddess’ successfully activated. Completion Reward: 50,000,000 EXP, 1,000,000 Madness Value, Ren Zhirou Favorability +200, Title ’Imperial Guardian God’. (Note: This is an optional quest that will impact the world’s balance.)"

Yi Tianyun was taken aback. The quest notification left him stunned. ’Ren Zhirou is the Empire’s Goddess?’ But on second thought, with her level of cultivation, it wasn’t surprising. The rewards were incredibly generous, and this was another quest that would alter the state of the world. This was the second time he had encountered such a world-altering quest.

This empire-level quest was clearly on another level. Whether he could even get involved was another question entirely. That must be why the note specified that he could choose whether to help; participation would not only affect the world’s balance but also his own circumstances.

He had to be more cautious with this one. It was just like helping Ye Qingxuan, which would mean going up against the Netherworld Empire—a choice that would directly affect him. Just rescuing her had the potential to change the world, but as long as he didn’t get further involved, he himself wouldn’t be in much danger.

’The Empire Goddess, huh... No wonder she refused my help. She probably thought I couldn’t be of any use.’ Yi Tianyun shook his head and went back inside.

Yi Yuwei and Yi Yuxuan looked over and couldn’t help but ask, "What about Miss Ren?"

"She has gone home," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "It’s also time for us to return to the Merak Sect. I’ll take you two back first."

They both nodded. They knew Yi Tianyun had much to attend to. If they stayed with him, they would only be a burden, so returning to the Merak Sect was the best option.

Yi Tianyun then led them outside. The streets were buzzing with commotion and noisy chatter. They soon saw a new poster pasted on a notice board—a Golden Arrest Warrant, indicating an extremely high bounty.

"This... The Wang Family was wiped out?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Although they had been prepared for this, they were still shocked. Their hearts especially skipped a beat when they saw the two words "Black Dragon." It had to be their Elder who had annihilated the Wang Family. He had wiped out an entire family just to avenge them, and they were so moved they didn’t know what to say.

Yi Yuxuan finally understood just how formidable Yi Tianyun was. He had annihilated the Wang Family just like that, and it hadn’t even taken long.

"Let’s go. Nothing to see here."

Yi Tianyun gave a slight smile, acting as if it had nothing to do with him, and led them out of Celestial Heart City. Once they were in the outskirts, Yi Tianyun suddenly wrapped an arm around each of them, startling them.

’Is Elder Yi taking liberties with us?’

Their faces turned bright red, but neither of them struggled. After all, Yi Tianyun had saved them and given them their freedom. So what if he took some liberties?

But they had completely misunderstood his intentions. Yi Tianyun wasn’t thinking along those lines at all. He simply said, "Hold on tight. We’re about to fly back."

"What?" Before the two could react, Yi Tianyun stomped his foot. The Phoenix Wings on his back unfurled, and in the blink of an eye, they shot into the sky and vanished.

He didn’t ride the Black Dragon, choosing instead to use his Phoenix Wings to fly swiftly toward the Merak Sect. The Black Dragon was now on a wanted poster, so for the sake of caution, flying with his Phoenix Wings was the better option.

"Elder Yi, you... you can fly? Have you already broken through to the Core Formation stage?"

They were both utterly shocked. Only those who had broken through to the Core Formation stage could fly. This meant that Yi Tianyun had reached the Core Formation stage at such a young age—it was simply unbelievable!

"Not quite yet," Yi Tianyun said with a smile. "Hold on tight. We’ll be back at the Merak Sect soon. Just hang in there."

"Okay..."

The two of them exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. They had just been thinking that Yi Tianyun was taking liberties with them, but now it was clear that wasn’t the case at all. He was simply flying them back. They had clearly been overthinking things.

Seeing them laugh, Yi Tianyun was baffled. ’What’s so funny?’