Chapter Forty-Two: Father Injured

"Who goes there?" Suddenly, a figure burst out from the labyrinth in front of the Formation Hall, stumbling and disheveled. With a loud shout, Lin Xiaobao flung a Violet Thunder Talisman he had prepared in advance. The charm transformed in midair into several beams of purple light, each about an inch thick, and slammed toward that wretched figure.

There was no need to ask; the person who suddenly appeared could only be Long Xingtian, who had just suffered greatly within the formation. Yet, at this moment, his appearance was so battered and unrecognizable that no one could tell who he was. Moreover, in the Wind and Snow Pavilion, any formal disciple could easily pass through the labyrinth ahead, so Lin Xiaobao's attack was understandable.

What Lin Xiaobao had not anticipated was that as soon as he made his move, those bootlicking disciples immediately followed suit, bombarding the newcomer with a flurry of talismans like a raging storm. Their target was none other than Long Xingtian.

Sensing the barrage of attacks, Long Xingtian, already fuming from his ordeal in the formation, instantly erupted. "Are you courting death?" With a sweep of his hands, he unleashed a torrent of power from his palms, whipping up fierce currents of air that diverted the purple lightning aside, causing it to detonate harmlessly. At the same time, he thrust an even greater force toward Lin Xiaobao's position.

Lin Xiaobao, well aware of his opponent's capabilities, had made full preparations the moment he released the talisman. As soon as Long Xingtian struck, Lin Xiaobao pushed off hard with both feet and leaped skyward, though his maneuver left the formal disciples beside him to suffer the brunt of the attack.

In that moment, the formal disciples cried out in agony. Long Xingtian, however, was also struck by several talismans, making his already ragged appearance look even more pitiful.

"Everyone, stop! That’s Senior Brother Long Xingtian!" someone among the formal disciples suddenly shouted. All eyes turned to Long Xingtian, shock and confusion in their gazes.

"Lin Xiaobao, I swear I’ll never let you off!" Long Xingtian roared at Lin Xiaobao, eyes blazing with fury, the talisman attacks having finally ceased.

"Ah... It really is Senior Brother Long!" Lin Xiaobao put on an innocent face and said, "I sincerely apologize, Senior Brother, I truly didn’t know it was you just now. I thought, since all the formal disciples can pass through the labyrinth, it surely wouldn’t harm any disciple of the Wind and Snow Pavilion. I assumed it was an enemy attack and acted accordingly. Please forgive me, Senior Brother Long—I offer you my apologies!"

Hearing Lin Xiaobao’s words, many formal disciples couldn’t help but nod in agreement, clearly accepting his explanation.

Yet, those struck by Long Xingtian’s counterattack lay groaning on the ground, not daring to utter a sound in the face of his near-berserk rage. Though they didn’t know exactly what was happening, the smarter among them realized this was a conflict between personal disciples—far beyond their place to intervene.

"A labyrinth? You call this a labyrinth? Go walk through it yourself and show me!" Long Xingtian bellowed, pointing at the maze behind him. Having suffered so much, he absolutely refused to believe it was merely a simple labyrinth, and even suspected Lin Xiaobao had something to do with it.

On second thought, though, Lin Xiaobao’s meager abilities made such a feat impossible. There must have been some unknown problem. If he could provoke Lin Xiaobao into entering the formation with so many witnesses present, even if Lin Xiaobao died inside, Elder Lin Tian would have no grounds to blame him.

With this in mind, Long Xingtian felt that all his earlier suffering had been worth it.

Unfortunately for him, as soon as Long Xingtian came to this realization, Lin Xiaobao had already strolled easily through the labyrinth. "It seems Senior Brother Long should review the basics of formations. Perhaps you should join these junior brothers for a few lessons when you have the time!"

"You—!" Faced with Lin Xiaobao’s taunt, Long Xingtian very nearly rushed forward to tear him apart, but the memory of his ordeal within the formation made him hesitate.

The other formal disciples, seeing Long Xingtian’s reaction, also wavered. They had witnessed Lin Xiaobao’s skill with formations firsthand. Although Lin Xiaobao’s easy passage didn’t necessarily mean there was nothing wrong with the formation, Long Xingtian was a personal disciple who had already reached the eighth level of innate cultivation. Seeing his current state, they chose to hold back and observe.

With laughter echoing behind him, Lin Xiaobao vanished from sight. As he went, he imagined the looks of disdain the formal disciples would cast at Long Xingtian once they discovered the labyrinth was just an ordinary maze. But Lin Xiaobao dared not linger to enjoy the scene—he was still no match for Long Xingtian, and only a fool would stick around to be beaten!

Having thoroughly mocked Long Xingtian, Lin Xiaobao felt his day off had been especially meaningful. Returning to Pine Ridge Peak, he hummed a tune from his previous life and strolled through the forests, finding the scenery captivating and serene.

Suddenly, his footsteps halted. Like a shooting star, he darted into the thicket, reaching out cautiously to touch the crimson drops scattered on the grass.

Why would there be blood on Pine Ridge Peak? Having studied under Old Mo for so long, Lin Xiaobao immediately recognized it as human blood, not animal. The blood was still fresh, not yet fully coagulated. Other than himself, the only one on the peak was Wang Dashan.

A diversion? Lin Xiaobao suddenly realized that Long Xingtian’s true target might not be himself, but rather Wang Dashan, intending to harm him and thus strike at Lin Xiaobao. At this thought, Lin Xiaobao wished he could sprout wings and soared toward the summit, his senses fully alert for any ambush.

Arriving at Wang Dashan’s place of seclusion, Lin Xiaobao halted and quietly extended his senses through the tightly locked door. He found Wang Dashan still meditating, his eyes closed. Remarkably, the boy had already reached the second level of martial cultivation. Although he was still behind Lin Xiaobao, their conditions were incomparable, and such progress spoke volumes about the innate strength of Wang Dashan’s physique.

If Wang Dashan wasn’t injured, then what was the source of the blood outside? Lin Xiaobao broadened his senses once more, and suddenly his expression changed. With a start, he dashed toward Pine Ridge Hall.

How could Lin Tian be injured? With his formidable cultivation, how could this be? Full of questions, Lin Xiaobao soon arrived at the hall.

There, Lin Tian sat cross-legged, seemingly tending his wounds. Sensing Lin Xiaobao’s arrival, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of murky air. Forcing a smile onto his pale face, he said, "In half a year, you’ve improved another level. Your cultivation speed is truly remarkable!"

"Father, what happened to you?" This time, Lin Xiaobao’s concern was genuine. No matter the reason, he had always remembered everything Lin Tian had done for him.

"It’s nothing serious," Lin Tian replied, though a couple of coughs betrayed his pain. "I ran into Shou Jianbai of Yuanyang Monastery from the Wanlan Kingdom on the battlefield. I hadn’t expected that old fox to have reached the peak of the ninth level of Spirit Dao. I suffered some minor injuries, but don’t worry—he’s hurt even worse than I am!"