Chapter 390: That Kind of Realm

Lingxuzi seemed taken aback for a moment, not expecting anyone to stop him, but he didn't get angry. He smiled and said, "Child, step aside. You know you can't stop me."

"This is not about whether I can stop you," the gray-clad man said seriously. "Gray Robe owes his life to the master. Ever since he saved me, I've lived with the sole purpose of protecting him. I know that if you take him away, he will be imprisoned until death, which is a fate worse than death. If I can't stay by his side, I would rather die to repay my master's kindness."

"Gray Robe, step aside!" Lin Zhiguo lifted his head, his eyes red with unshed tears. "Senior Lingxuzi is merely fulfilling his duty to Hongmeng. I am the general of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade. I made mistakes and should be judged for them."

"Master, I have always obeyed your orders. Even when I disagreed with your plan this time, I stayed out of it and watched from a distance without interfering. But this time, I must disobey your order," Gray Robe said, his body beginning to gather internal energy as he prepared to fight.

Lingxuzi showed no reaction, seemingly waiting for Gray Robe to attack.

Yang Chen, standing nearby, observed Lingxuzi. He appeared to be standing there casually, yet there was something extraordinary about him. It was an enigmatic feeling; although he stood before them, he seemed entirely in another realm. Even though Yang Chen could manipulate space, he had a strong premonition that this man was not bound by spatial constraints at all.

However, the others, including Yujizi, couldn't discern anything unusual.

Gray Robe, having gathered his internal energy, suddenly sprang into action. He moved like a gray shadow, swiftly approaching Lingxuzi and aiming a palm strike at his chest.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound echoed, but Gray Robe's palm never touched Lingxuzi. An invisible force seemed to repel him, sending Gray Robe flying through the air. He rolled several times before landing, coughing up blood from internal injuries.

Lingxuzi stood there expressionlessly, sighing, "It's a pity. You, an old man, are so loyal. In this world, there is emotion and reason. Emotion can outweigh reason, but not now. What needs to be done, I must do. He can no longer continue as a general. A man who knows too many of Yanxia's secrets must be taken away by me. But rest assured, he will be taken to a good place to spend his remaining years."

"As long as I have breath left, I will not let you take the master," Gray Robe said, struggling to his feet, still ready to fight.

"You can't even get close to me, so how can you stop me?" Lingxuzi sighed.

"Even if I can't stop you, I will try," Gray Robe said, preparing to charge again.

Just then, Master Yunmiao, who had been silently watching Lin Zhiguo, suddenly knelt before Lingxuzi. "Senior, please spare him. Although he made mistakes, he knows them now. Please allow me to take him back to Shushan and let him spend his remaining years there."

"Yun'er," Lin Zhiguo saw Master Yunmiao pleading for him and tears welled up in his eyes, leaving him speechless.

"I know you two are husband and wife, but there is no room for negotiation in this matter," Lingxuzi said, continuing to walk toward Lin Zhiguo.

"Never!"

Gray Robe's eyes widened in anger as he charged forward to stop Lingxuzi.

Lingxuzi frowned slightly. Even a Buddha has his limits of patience. Although he had long transcended worldly matters, his tolerance had its bounds.

Seeing Gray Robe, severely injured, attempting to clash with Lingxuzi again, Lin Zhiguo's face showed a hint of resolve. Suddenly, he pulled a pistol from his coat pocket and pointed it at his own temple.

"Gray Robe, stop."

"Master?!"

Gray Robe froze upon seeing Lin Zhiguo holding the gun to his head.

"My mind is made up. Don't trouble Senior Lingxuzi anymore," Lin Zhiguo said, forcing a smile. "I understand your loyalty. I am fortunate you did not get involved in this mess. Gray Robe, you have been with me for many years. Rather than calling you my subordinate, I consider you my old friend. After I'm gone, the Lin family will likely decline, but I hope you can support them as much as you can."

Gray Robe closed his eyes in pain.

Lin Zhiguo then looked at Master Yunmiao. "Yun'er, the Lin family will be in Hui'er's hands from now on. I know you have no interest in managing family affairs, but as the wife of the Lin family's patriarch, please bring Hui'er back to take over slowly. Consider it my last shameless request. This situation is my fault alone. I have brought shame to the Yanhuang Iron Brigade, endangered these young people, and nearly let the divine stone fall into the wrong hands. But I am grateful I avenged our son and daughter-in-law."

Master Yunmiao nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Zhiguo then cast a complicated glance at Yang Chen. "In the end, I couldn't hold my head up in front of you, but that doesn't matter now. I hope you treat Ruoxi well; she is a pitiable child."

Yang Chen smirked, "Finally, you decide to be honest?"

Lin Zhiguo chuckled, "I've said everything I needed to. You will find out sooner or later."

"That's enough. Let's go," Lingxuzi said, stepping forward and supporting Lin Zhiguo's back.

Lin Zhiguo nodded and turned away.

Lingxuzi suddenly thought of something and turned back to Yang Chen with a smile, "I watched your fight earlier. I hope you can gain some insights from it."

Without waiting for anyone to respond or bid farewell, Lingxuzi, supporting Lin Zhiguo, moved in a blink of an eye to a spot over a hundred meters away!

Even Yang Chen couldn't clearly see how Lingxuzi moved. It was not a form of spatial distortion but rather like he directly traversed from one place to another! Before the group could get another look at the mystical scene, Lingxuzi and Lin Zhiguo had already disappeared.

The few people present were silent for a while until Yujizi spoke up, "I never expected that Uncle actually crossed that threshold. There really is a realm beyond the innate stage."

Yang Chen, on the other hand, gained a deeper understanding. It confirmed his suspicion that relying solely on the Yanhuang Iron Brigade couldn't guarantee the country's safety indefinitely. Evidently, there were such individuals truly standing as the last line of defense. These people must have broken through the current limit of the innate stage.

Yang Chen had only vaguely felt before that he had room to grow, but now he could be certain. Reflecting on how Lingxuzi seemingly traversed space, Yang Chen gained more insight.

It felt as if an unprecedented door was slowly revealing a small gap.

"What are you thinking about?" Cai Ning suddenly asked softly.

Yang Chen shook his head, "Nothing I can explain clearly. By the way, now that Lin Zhiguo is gone, what will happen to your Yanhuang Iron Brigade?"

Master Yunmiao wiped away her tears and said, "No need to worry. Hongmeng has two main responsibilities: one is to guard the country's foundation, and the other is to supervise the generals of the Yanhuang Iron Brigade. Since the brigade is a covert and non-conventional organization, it can't follow legal procedures. So if a general is judged, Hongmeng will arrange the next general in a special way. We just need to wait for the new general to take office."

Yang Chen nodded, not overly concerned. With the matter resolved, he thought of Mo Qianni, whom he had left at the Rose Bar with Rose. The two women must have been worried about him, and he was eager to return and see them.

"Since it's all settled, I'll head back," Yang Chen said to the others.

Yujizi clasped his hands in thanks, "Many thanks, Young Master Yang. If it weren't for you, I would not have survived."

Yang Chen waved his hand and turned to leave.

Running at full speed to the dock where he parked his car, Yang Chen drove through the city's empty streets at dawn, speeding furiously.

Reflecting on the night's rushed events, Yang Chen realized he had forgotten to call home and explain why he hadn't returned, feeling a wave of regret. Lin Ruoxi would probably be angry with him again. It was bad enough to go out to dinner with another woman and then not come home; he was asking for trouble.

But it didn't make sense to call home in the middle of the night, and he couldn't exactly explain what had happened, so he decided to drop the matter.

Arriving at the Rose Bar, which had only a few people left inside at this hour, Yang Chen noticed a couple of unfamiliar Red Thorn Society members at the bar. Yet, he sensed many people surrounding the bar, evidently placed there by Rose for protection.

Seeing Yang Chen, many familiar Red Thorn Society elite members bowed in respect.

Yang Chen waved at them in acknowledgment and walked to Rose's room in the back hallway. He asked the two guards at the door, "Is your boss sleeping inside?"

The two bodyguards shook their heads, "Mr. Yang, we don't know if the boss is asleep or not."

Yang Chen realized he was being silly. It would indeed be strange if the bodyguards knew whether his woman was asleep or not. So, he decided to open the door and enter the room himself.

Stepping into the fragrant bedroom, Yang Chen looked up and saw the scene on Rose's large bed. Instantly, he felt all the blood rush to his head, and he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.