One person: I am Li Buren, I cannot bear to do anything!

Seeing the Yang Five Thunder aura displayed in Li Buren's hand, Zhang Lingyu's pupils slowly lost focus.

Xia He ignored Li Buren, who was getting closer and closer and whose hand was exuding a dangerous aura.

Like any teenage girl who feels sorry for her boyfriend, she looked at the timid Zhang Lingyu in her arms with loving eyes.

"He was expelled from his sect and saw that the Yang Wu Lei he had never obtained was in the hands of others."

"Lingyu must be very sad, right?"

Xia He could no longer hold back; she couldn't bear to think too much and hugged Zhang Lingyu tightly.

Li Buren's Five Thunder Talisman gradually solidified as he slowly stepped forward.

"I can't bear it, but I need your help with something this time..."

Recalling the old master's instructions, Li couldn't bear to take another step forward; he was only one step away from Xia He.

"You fiend Xia He, today I will take your life!"

"Zhang Lingyu, why aren't you backing away at once?"

Xia He subconsciously looked down at Zhang Lingyu, whose lips were still trembling in his arms. He knew that he could not escape Li Buren's lightning spell.

Her eyes were already red, and she was thinking silently to herself.

"Lingyu, I don't expect you to fight him for me, I just beg you not to push me away, okay? I'll leave on my own..."

Xia He tightened her grip, seemingly wanting to take this last moment to give Zhang Lingyu a proper hug.

But soon, Xia He felt a faint force coming from her arms.

Zhang Lingyu broke free from her embrace.

Tears welled up in the eyes of this girl, who was known as the "bone-scraping knife" but had a pure heart.

The figure had its back to Xia He, its long hair disheveled, which conveniently covered the girl's tearful eyes.

Xia He's hand fell limply to her side; she had no strength left.

Zhang Lingyu stood up unsteadily, but even so, he was unwilling to lie in Xia He's arms any longer.

Xia He understood for the first time what it felt like to be heartbroken.

"Maybe, I really am too dirty..."

She recounted the mistakes she had made in her life.

"Lingyu is a good boy. He shouldn't be with me. I don't blame him."

She murmured.

"If there is an afterlife, I will not go to Quanxing, but stay with you for the rest of my life."

Xia He closed her eyes, held back the tears that hadn't yet flowed, and waited for Li Buren's Five Thunder Talisman to descend.

Li Buren watched as Zhang Lingyu struggled to stand up.

The face of this prodigy from Longhu Mountain was obscured by his disheveled hair, making it impossible to see his expression.

"It seems you've made your choice."

Zhang Lingyu remained silent, simply standing in front of Xia He, no longer moving.

"Um?"

Li couldn't help but snort.

"Get out of the way."

Zhang Lingyu remained motionless.

"What do you mean?"

The Five Thunder Talisman crackled and throbbed, its lightning illuminating Zhang Lingyu's face.

He spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Kill me first if you want to kill her."

The water-soaked thunder poured out from Zhang Lingyu's hand.

"Xia He, let's go!!"

The girl, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them, her eyes brimming with tears that she could no longer hold back. She jumped up and hugged Zhang Lingyu tightly from behind.

"Spirit Jade..."

As Zhang Lingyu felt the warmth behind him, he sensed that some shackles had been broken.

"I admit I'm not a perfect person. A Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, yet I'm in love with one of the four madmen of Quanxing. It's truly a sign of moral decay."

"But so what?"

For a moment, Zhang Lingyu even felt like he wasn't speaking.

"But I really don't want to be a conflicted person anymore."

"I want to accept my imperfections, accept my mistakes, and accept the bumpy road in my life that needs to be counted."

He grasped Xia He's hand as she embraced him from behind.

"I also want to accept you completely, Xia He."

Tears soaked Zhang Lingyu's back, and for the first time, Zhang Lingyu showed such a relaxed and sincere smile.

"Tch, what's going on? You're making me sound like the villain."

The Five Thunder Talisman, which seemed poised to strike and kill two people with a single talisman, vanished in an instant.

Li Buren clapped his hands, and the Five Thunder Talisman dissipated into the air.

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. The Celestial Master didn't expel you from the sect. You're still Lingyu Zhenren."

Zhang Lingyu stared at Li Buren in astonishment.

Xia He simply hugged him tighter.

"The Celestial Master told me to help him see if you, Zhang Lingyu, can accept your imperfections and get through this test."

"I originally thought you would continue to be stubborn, but I didn't expect you to stand up today, Master Lingyu."

Li Buren patted Zhang Lingyu on the shoulder with a smile.

Zhang Lingyu was still a bit dazed.

"Your Yang Wu Lei..."

Li Buren ignored him and simply walked out on his own.

"Aren't you going back, Master Lingyu? Your master's home has been attacked, and you're still here having a romance?"

Zhang Lingyu hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to go back.

Xia He nudged him from behind and whispered something to him.

"They seem to be serious this time. Let me go back with you..."

Li couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he covered his head and went outside.

"This is ridiculous, it's like I'm visiting my parents' home to meet them..."

...

Longhu Mountain

"Don't stop me, I'm going to fight those guys!"

"Dare to touch Master?! I'll beat them to death!"

The seemingly tall and honest young man was now roaring angrily, but was being held back by several of his junior brothers.

The other, a tall and thin man named Liang Fuguo, had a serious expression.

"Rongshan, don't be impulsive! Going there will only be suicide!"

Rongshan: "?"

At this time, Longhu Mountain was even more lively than during the Luotian Grand Ceremony.

Not only the ten disciples, but also the Lu family, led by Lu Jin, appeared on Longhu Mountain.

Representatives from the Talisman Sect and other orthodox sects also came.

"Tsk, it's been a long time since it's been this lively."

Inside the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhang Zhiwei looked at the scene before him with emotion.

"Perfect timing! It's rare for us all to be together like this, let's take a group photo!"

Seeing Zhang Zhiwei's carefree and cheerful demeanor, Lu Jin, who looked worried, was furious.

"You, you, you! Even at this crucial moment, you're still acting like this!"

Zhang Zhiwei didn't care and walked out with a smile.

A young Taoist priest also walked in, with the same grinning face.

"A good mindset determines a Taoist master's life."

"Since things have come to this, we might as well take a group photo. It's rare for us to get together like this; we weren't even this complete during the Lunar New Year."

Li couldn't help but chuckle as she pushed Lu Jin out.

"You're all joking around here, don't you know that Tenth Master is really serious this time!"

"I've heard that more than half of the Ten Elders are here, ready to make their move."

Lu Jin looked worried.

As the head of one of the four families, he always considered things meticulously.

"There aren't many of us here this time. Besides the Zhengyi lineage, it's just my Lu family."

"If we really want to deal with the Ten Elders, I think we need to come up with a detailed plan."

"The deployment, the order of attack, and the negotiation methods all need to be prepared."

The old master leisurely began to call people to prepare for taking photos.

Li Buren nodded very seriously, seemingly agreeing with Lu Jin's statement.

"What Senior Lu said makes perfect sense."

"I also have a tactic here."

Lu Jin looked at Li Buren.

"What tactics? Tell me and I'll give you some suggestions."

Li Buren strode towards the door, straightening his back and shaking his Taoist robe.

"Tactics are..."

"I stood alone in front of the mountain gate, taking on all of them single-handedly."