Meng Yutong suddenly looked up at the void.

She was instantly shocked.

"Could it be that the aftermath of the battle triggered that bell?"

At the very center of the Nation-Destroying Secret Realm, there was a bell tower, and hanging from it was an ancient bronze bell.

The entire bell tower was surrounded by Dao power, and its strangling force was something even a Returning to Void cultivator could not easily withstand.

Dong!

Dong dong!

The sound of the bell echoed throughout the secret realm, and immediately, terrifying Dao power erupted, sweeping away cultivators within a ten-mile radius in an instant.

These cultivators were all excellent disciples brought by various sects, most of them at the Golden Elixir stage, yet they couldn't even let out a scream.

Meng Yutong reacted quickly, grabbing Ye Tian like a chick and running.

They were too close to the center, and even though Meng Yutong used the Great Teleportation Divine Ability, she couldn't completely avoid the Dao power.

"Could this Dao power cause my cultivation to plummet!?"

Meng Yutong was horrified; she would never allow such a thing to happen.

In her urgency, she immediately summoned a Life-Saving Talisman and a Mystic Fan.

These two items were her treasured possessions. The Life-Saving Talisman could protect her divine soul, and the Mystic Fan, made of Starfall Iron, could withstand the strangling force.

According to the usual plot, Meng Yutong, out of deep affection for her disciple, would give the Life-Saving Talisman to Ye Tian, unaware that the most terrifying aspect of the Dao power was its ability to strangle spiritual sense.

But now, to avoid getting hurt herself, she directly used the Life-Saving Talisman on herself and even shielded Ye Tian in front of her.

Ye Tian was immediately dumbfounded.

"Master, what are you doing...?"

"Don't be afraid, Tian'er. With the Mystic Fan, I can surely protect us both."

......

Seventy miles away.

Lin Heng and the others naturally felt the tremor and heard the bell, but the Dao power hadn't reached them yet.

"What's happening?"

"Are they fighting again?"

Lin Heng glanced at the smoke and dust gradually spreading from behind, and his heart tightened with a sense of foreboding.

Instinctively, he shielded Yun Yao in front of him.

"Something's wrong, that's not smoke and dust, hide quickly!"

Mu Liuxi shouted.

Yun Yao also sensed something amiss and wanted to dodge behind a large rock, but Lin Heng was holding her slender waist from behind.

"Hey! Lin Heng, let go of me!"

"Sister, activate the shield quickly, there's no time!"

Could Lin Heng let go now?

You might be able to flash behind a rock thirty meters away, but I can't!

Boom~

The Protective Gang Qi activated but broke in less than three seconds.

The two were thrown several meters away, crashing to the ground.

Lin Heng was relatively fine, with Yun Yao in front of him, only his nose hurt from hitting the back of her head.

As for Yun Yao, she was already injured from Meng Yutong's fight, and the Dao power shock made her faint on the spot.

"Xiao Yao!"

"Lin Heng!"

Mu Liuxi hurried over, full of guilt, "It's all my fault, I forgot Xiao Yao was injured."

She had dodged too quickly at the time and forgot that Lin Heng had no self-protection ability.

"Cough, cough!" Lin Heng coughed twice, grimacing as he got up and quickly ran to Mu Liuxi's side, full of concern, "Second Senior Sister, is Sister Xiao Yao okay?"

"She shouldn't be in any life-threatening danger... just fainted."

"It's all my fault for dragging Sister Xiao Yao down. If it weren't for her protecting me... I'm afraid..."

Tears welled up in Lin Heng's eyes, but in his heart, he thought:

[Good thing I was quick-witted and hid behind Sister Xiao Yao. Honestly, using a human shield is safe and reliable.]

[Sister Xiao Yao, you can't blame me. If I hadn't done this, I'd probably be dead, and you'd only be slightly injured.]

Uh...

Mu Liuxi was about to comfort him, but his inner mutterings stopped her.

While his actions were understandable, wasn't it a bit disrespectful to compare his sister to a 'human shield' in his mind?

The tone seemed to have a hint of schadenfreude.

Not long after.

Meng Yutong found Lin Heng and the others, accompanied by a paper puppet carrying Ye Tian on its shoulder.

"Master, Junior Brother Ye..."

"We'll talk after we leave; we can't stay here any longer."

Meng Yutong's face was somewhat pale, clearly showing signs of severe injury.

Leaving the secret realm, the group boarded the Cloud Boat to return.

Inside the Cloud Boat cabin.

Two beds, Yun Yao lay on the left, Ye Tian on the right, with Mu Liuxi and Lin Heng each taking care of one.

It was obvious Yun Yao's injuries were much lighter; the Dao power weakened with distance, and they were seventy miles from the central bell.

Meng Yutong sat on a meditation cushion, eyes closed, seemingly healing her injuries.

[Master must be panicking now... feeling her cultivation slowly dropping!]

[But, who can she blame but herself for this?]

[It's a bit strange, though. How did Ye Tian get injured? And so severely... Could something have gone wrong?]

[Oh well, once Ye Tian wakes up, I should receive my reward.]

Lin Heng secretly rejoiced.

Although the plot outcome deviated slightly, completing the "Rebel Disciple" scenario was a certainty.

He was increasingly curious about what the supreme reward would be.

A weapon, an elixir, or perhaps a heaven-defying technique?

Lin Heng shook his head, reminding himself not to let his guard down.

This was just the first key plot point; many more pitfalls awaited him.

After Ye Tian's rebellion, the entire Qianyun Peak would become a harem scene.

Whether it was the mysterious Senior Sister or the cold Second Senior Sister, none could escape their predetermined harem fate.

So, he had to select certain key nodes to enact 'reverse' plots to avoid being killed by Ye Tian.

Soon, the sect would issue a mission, during which Ye Tian would break one of his legs and conveniently help him win over Yun Yao.

To avoid the broken leg, the best method was not to participate in the mission.

As long as he didn't join the mission, maybe Yun Yao wouldn't be given away.

This would also slow down the protagonist's development.

After all, the protagonist had the Blessed Polygamy Aura, growing stronger with each female lead he acquired.

As he thought about this,

Suddenly, Yun Yao's eyes snapped open.

Hmm?

Before Lin Heng could react, a pain like being kicked by a mule hit his chest, and he was sent flying two meters away.

Smack!

Yun Yao stood over him, lifting her jade foot to step on his nearly broken chest.

"Damn!"

"Sister, what are you doing?"

Lin Heng was dumbfounded. For the past two hours, he had been feeding her water and wiping her sweat.

And now, as soon as she woke up, she kicked him.

Was it because he used her as a shield?

The situation was so urgent then; it shouldn't be that, right?

What he didn't know was,

Yun Yao's divine soul had been slightly shaken, but it didn't mean she couldn't hear Lin Heng's inner thoughts while she was unconscious.

Using her as a human shield was one thing, but gloating in his heart, calling her dumb and thick-skinned?

How could she not teach such a junior brother a lesson and establish her authority!!

"Xiao Yao, what are you doing? Don't disturb Master's recovery!"

Mu Liuxi pointed outside, signaling with her eyes.

Yun Yao immediately understood, grabbing Lin Heng by the collar and dragging him out.

"Sister! Sister! Are you crazy? I took care of you all the way, and you're hitting me!"

"Hehe!" Yun Yao chuckled, a captivating smile appearing on her beautiful face.

"My dear junior brother, I don't mind you using me as a shield; after all, I have a duty to protect you! But did you think I couldn't feel the smile on your lips when I was unconscious?"

"Did you think I couldn't feel your restless little actions when you held me?"

Thump!

Lin Heng's heart skipped a beat.

Did he smile?

He remembered squeezing out two tears; as an Oscar-level actor, how could he make such a rookie mistake?

If he smiled, it should have been only in his heart.

Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ].

As for the little actions...

"I... I was just..."

Lin Heng didn't have much time to argue.

In fact, Yun Yao had no physical sensation while unconscious, but she heard this:

[Looks small, but fits nicely in the palm, really soft to squeeze.]

No need to elaborate on what that was describing.

...