Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Endless exhaustion and darkness engulfed him. He had won, but he had also lost. The foundations of his body and soul were on the verge of complete collapse; the price of this pyrrhic victory was eternal slumber.

Just as his consciousness was about to completely fade away and his body began to fall limply—

A sudden change has occurred!

A gentle, vast golden light, imbued with boundless life force, emanated from the deepest part of his broken body without warning! This golden light was not dazzling, but it carried a serene power that was impervious to all laws and repelled all evil, gently enveloping him like the most resilient cocoon, firmly protecting the last faint glimmer of life in his heart and sea of ​​consciousness!

Merit golden light!

Yes, during those three difficult years, the puppets he sent out delivered countless grains of food to countless people on the verge of despair, almost as if they were gifts. Those bowls of life-saving coarse grains, those lives that were extended, their gratitude, the vitality they carried... all this intangible yet real "gratitude" and "redemption" had long since gathered into a sea in the unseen realm, transforming into this immeasurable merit that protects you!

Heaven wanted to destroy him, but the merit formed by the wishes of billions of living beings insisted on protecting him!

This power, originating from the "human being" himself, preserved his last breath at that moment.

At this moment, a tremendous transformation is taking place within Lin Yan's body.

The dantian, which had been nearly solidified and shattered due to exhaustion, was revitalized by the life force of the golden light of merit, which originated from the vows of all living beings. The massive amount of medicinal power that had been forcibly swallowed but not refined, the residual true essence injected into the illusory human path at the last moment, and even the purest thunder essence remaining after the final collision between the Qiankun Sword Formation and the thunder dragon, were all now converging madly towards the center of the dantian in an unprecedentedly harmonious manner under the harmonization and guidance of the golden light of merit.

There, the original fist-sized "fake pill" was already riddled with cracks from the final collision. But now, it was no longer a simple energy compression. The golden light of merit, like the most divine craftsman, used the shattered fake pill as its foundation, the eight realms of intent as its bones, the remaining Purple Heaven Divine Thunder as its fire, and the boundless power of sentient beings' vows as its soul, and began to reforge it!

"Buzz—"

A Daoist voice, seemingly emanating from the primordial chaos, silently reverberated from Lin Yan's dantian.

The shattered fake pill melted completely in the golden light, turning into a chaotic liquid that shimmered with eight different colors: gold, cyan, blue, red, yellow, white, gray, and purple. Strands of golden light, like veins of merit, flowed through it.

This chaotic liquid began to spin rapidly, contract, and solidify!

The light grew ever brighter, and the Daoist aura ever more profound. Finally, all the radiance abruptly receded inward!

A perfectly round golden pill, the size of a longan, floated quietly in the center of the dantian.

This golden elixir cannot be described by a single color. Its entire body radiates a harmonious nine-colored halo, profound and noble, as if containing the secrets of the primordial creation of heaven and earth. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the golden elixir is not smooth, but rather bears eight extremely clear and vibrant dragon-shaped Dao marks!

These eight dragon marks correspond precisely to the eight elements of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, ice, wind, and thunder. Like living beings, they are connected head to tail, slowly circling the golden core. With each circle, an incomparably pure core energy, far surpassing the quality of previous true essence, flows out, automatically circulating through the body according to the path of the "Heaven and Earth Creation Technique".

Wherever this newly formed elixir passed, the meridians, riddled with holes and nearly ruined, began to be repaired, widened, and strengthened at a visible speed, like rain after a long drought! The charred and shattered internal organs were nourished, the dim and damaged sea of ​​consciousness was moistened, and even the humanoid phantom that had fallen silent due to exhaustion of power became more solidified in the Daoist charm emanating from this nine-colored golden elixir.

Nine-colored golden pill, with eight dragons coiling around it!

This is not only the Golden Elixir, but also the manifestation of his supreme Dao fruit, which was tempered by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, integrated with the Eight Great Realms, carried on the great vows of humanity, and bore the merits of all living beings!

The moment this unique golden core was completely stabilized, although Lin Yan's consciousness remained dormant, the dissipating momentum originating from his life essence was completely suppressed. In its place, a hidden yet even more magnificent and vast life aura emerged. It was as if a divine seed, forged by thunder and fire and buried deep in the earth, was waiting for the right time to break through the soil and grow into a towering tree.

The three elders, with their profound cultivation, immediately sensed the stabilizing and growing vitality within Lin Yan's body, as well as the restrained yet palpable fluctuations of his inner energy. Their anxieties subsided considerably, and tears welled up again, this time of joy and excitement.

The old man's voice trembled, filled with utmost reverence: "Nine colors swirling, eight dragons protecting the path... Young Master... he's done!"

Lin Yan lost all his strength and fell from the sky like a feather.

Below, the three heartbroken Elder Dan, Elder Fu, and Elder Zhen transformed into three streaks of light that tore through the sky, soaring upwards on their swords and gently catching the falling young master.

Elder Dan quickly fed Lin Yan a handful of pills and then used his true essence to dissolve them for him.

Looking at the body in their arms, enveloped in golden light, barely breathing yet stubbornly undying, the three elders wept uncontrollably.

"Young master... let's go home."

In the courtyard of a mansion on New York's Upper East Side, the night air carried a chill. Three streaks of light silently descended, revealing the weary figures of Elder Dan and his two companions. Charles appeared instantly beneath a pillar, seemingly blending into the shadows. He was about to bow in greeting when he froze upon seeing Lin Yan being carefully cradled in Elder Fu's arms.

The boy's face was as pale as paper, his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, and the skin exposed under his tattered clothes was covered with charred cracks. He looked like a piece of porcelain that had been forcibly pieced together.

"Young Master..." The old butler's throat tightened, and his voice instantly went hoarse. He quickly stepped forward and almost reverently took the wounded body from Old Master Fu's hands, then turned and strode upstairs to the master bedroom.

In the bedroom, Old Dan directed the man to be placed in the large bathtub. "Charles, help the young master take off his clothes," he said, his voice tinged with undisguised weariness. The old butler gently and carefully cut away the fabric stuck to the wound.

Elder Dan took out an ancient wooden bucket from his storage ring. The moment the seal was broken, a rich medicinal aroma filled the entire room. A dark green, viscous liquid was poured into the bathtub, slowly rising over Lin Yan's chest. Elder Dan circulated his true energy in his palm, pressing it against the edge of the bathtub. Fine bubbles began to rise from the liquid, and the temperature gradually increased.

"Master Fu, please protect the heart meridian. Charles, you are responsible for guiding the medicinal power starting from the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin," Master Dan instructed in a deep voice.

For the next twenty-four hours, only the faint hum of circulating true energy and the sound of rippling water filled the room. Charles's forehead was beaded with sweat, yet he dared not be distracted, carefully guiding the medicinal power through the severely damaged meridians. Elder Fu, his expression grave, golden light shimmering at his fingertips, remained steadfast in maintaining the faint life force within Lin Yan's heart.

The color of the medicine in the bathtub faded visibly, from dark green to light green, and finally became crystal clear, as all the medicinal power was absorbed.

Charles then let out a soft sigh of relief, dried Lin Yan's body with a soft towel, and changed him into clean silk pajamas. As he settled the boy in the down comforter, the morning light shone through the gap in the curtains, illuminating Lin Yan's still pale face.

Elder Dan stepped forward to check the pulse again, and his tense expression finally eased a little: "The most dangerous moment has passed."

The old butler nodded silently, tucking the blanket around the young master, his bloodshot eyes never leaving the sleeping face. Outside the window, New York City was awakening.