Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

Chu Ling'er wiped away her tears and said seriously, "Before you came, I tried to sense it through the Bagua Mirror."

"Besides the few we've already found, the remaining three stars—Yuheng is myself, Kaiyang and Yaoguang…"

She closed her eyes again, placed her hands on the Bagua mirror, and chanted ancient incantations.

The Bagua mirror glowed faintly, its surface rippling like water, revealing a blurry image.

A moment later, Chu Ling'er opened her eyes, her expression grave:

"The Kaiyang star position is located deep in the southwestern Miao region. Its aura is weak and unstable, as if it is isolated by some kind of powerful seal or barrier."

"The Yao Guang Star Position..." She paused, a look of doubt and unease flashing in her eyes, "The aura of the Yao Guang Star Position... is very strange."

"It appears and disappears, its location is unpredictable, and... it seems to be entangled with an extremely powerful, destructive evil aura."

"What makes me even more uneasy is that I sensed that the Netherworld Sect Master, 'Old Ghost of the Netherworld,' has left the sect's headquarters and is heading... towards the Jiangnan region."

"What?"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

The Netherworld Old Ghost is an old evil cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage!

The Nascent Soul stage is the true mark of entering the path of cultivation, and it is fundamentally different from the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages.

With every gesture, one can draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, fly through the air, and live for five hundred years.

In this degenerate age where spiritual energy is scarce, Nascent Soul cultivators are practically legendary beings.

Ling Feng's hand, gripping the sword, bulged with veins as he said in a deep voice, "Young Master, if the Netherworld Old Ghost personally intervenes, we must immediately seek help from the Free and Unfettered Valley."

"The power of a Nascent Soul cultivator is beyond our ability to contend with."

Lin Chen slowly shook his head. He straightened up, leaning on the table, and glanced at the pale faces of the crowd: "Third Master has received the distress signal."

"But Xiaoyao Valley is tens of thousands of miles away from here. Even if the elders in the valley use the teleportation array, it will take at least three days."

"And the Old Ghost of the Underworld..." He looked at Chu Ling'er, "Miss Chu, can you sense approximately how long it will take him to arrive in Jiangnan?"

Chu Ling'er closed her eyes again to sense the situation, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

A moment later, she weakly opened her eyes: "It's blurry... but his breath is moving rapidly. At the latest... tomorrow evening."

"One day," Shen Qingqiu calculated calmly. "We have at most one day to prepare. Or, we can evacuate."

"We can't retreat." Ye Qingcheng suddenly spoke. She leaned against the door, her face still pale, but her eyes were sharp as knives.

"The monk may run away, but the temple can't."

"The Chu family is here, the Shen family is in Jiangnan, and the Su and Qin families are both in Jiangnan."

"If we run away, what will happen to them? Will they just wait to be slaughtered by the Netherworld Sect in their rage?"

She looked at Lin Chen: "The families of your fiancées will all become targets."

These words enlightened everyone.

The engagement between Lin Chen and the person with the Nine Yin Physique was no secret within the Netherworld Sect.

Once they escape, the Netherworld Sect will definitely hold a grudge against these families.

"Qing... Miss Ye is right." Chu Ling'er stood up, leaning on the long table. Although her steps were unsteady, her back was straight.

"My Chu family has guarded this place for generations, and we cannot flee because of me alone. Besides, here..." She looked out the window at the gloomy courtyard, "the souls of my second and third uncles and their families are still restless."

Shen Qingqiu didn't speak, but silently took out more medicinal herbs from the medicine box and began to classify them.

Her actions speak volumes—as a doctor, she wouldn't leave when her patients needed her most.

Looking at the three women in front of him, each with a different personality but equally resilient, Lin Chen felt a mix of emotions.

There is gratitude, guilt, and a heavy sense of responsibility.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his body and the stinging pain in his meridians, and said in a deep voice, "Ling Feng."

"Your subordinate is here."

"First, immediately issue the highest level of warning to the Su family, Qin family, Shen family, and Ye family, informing them that the Netherworld Old Ghost is approaching, and advising core clan members to immediately move to the preset safe point and activate all defensive formations."

"Second, interrogate Ghost Face. Use every means to pry his mouth open."

"I need to know the exact strength of the Netherworld Old Ghost, the weaknesses of his techniques, his entourage, and all the details of the 'Sun Hunting Plan'."

"Third, all Ice Guards are on high alert. Inspect all equipment, talismans, and array materials. The Chu residence's defenses are currently insufficient and need to be reinforced immediately."

A series of clear and decisive orders calmed the somewhat panicked atmosphere back down.

Ling Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes, sir!"

He turned and walked away quickly, his footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

Lin Chen then turned to the three women: "We also have a mission."

"Miss Shen, you are proficient in medicine and formations. Please immediately survey the terrain of the Chu residence and, combining it with Miss Chu's spiritual perception, design a complex formation that can maximize the Yin energy characteristics of this place while protecting the living. There are no restrictions on medicinal herbs and formation materials; whatever you need, have the Ice Guard fetch it."

Shen Qingqiu nodded and took out paper and pen to start sketching: "Give me an hour."

"Miss Chu," Lin Chen looked at Chu Ling'er, "your body needs rest, but the situation is critical right now, and I need you to use your spiritual power to do two things."

"First, try to communicate with the spirits of your second and third uncles' family members to obtain their detailed memories of the time they were killed, which may reveal clues about the Ghost Face Sect or the Netherworld Sect; second, continue to sense the movements of the Netherworld Old Ghost and report any changes immediately."

Chu Ling'er clenched her fist: "I can. The power of spiritual communication consumes my soul, and Sister Shen's pills can help me recover. As for soul communication..."

She looked out the window, a look of pain in her eyes. "They died because of me, and I want them to rest in peace more than anyone else."

"Ye Qingcheng." Lin Chen looked at her one last time.

"Speak," Ye Qingcheng replied briefly.

"Your Frost Yin Body has just awakened. Although the Heart-Locking Curse has been lifted, your foundation is unstable. I need you to complete the first stage of foundation building in the Frost Yin chapter of the 'Mysterious Yin Chronicle' within the next day."

"This is not a request, it's a requirement." Lin Chen's tone left no room for argument. "Miss Shen will prepare supplementary pills for you, and I will personally guide you through the cultivation process."

"Only when you master the initial power of Frost Shadow will we have a better chance of winning when facing the Netherworld Old Ghost."

Ye Qingcheng met his gaze for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in her arrogant eyes, before finally nodding: "Okay."

"Now, act on your own." Lin Chen paused, looked at them, and said, "Remember, we are not waiting to die, we are fighting for our lives."

"You can do a lot in a day."

The candle flame crackled and burst into flames.

The three of them left the main hall, their footsteps echoing through the quiet old house.

Lin Chen stood alone in the same spot, then slowly sat back down in his chair.

He closed his eyes and looked inward at himself.

The multiple burns in the meridians were the price of forcibly unleashing the Yin-Yang True Thunder.

Inside the dantian, the Nine Yang True Qi, though still powerful, showed faint signs of getting out of control.