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Chapter 132: The Formidable Guardian

Despite the convenience of summoning, Zhong Shan did not ostentatiously use the giant wolf for travel. Instead, he flew towards the Kaiyang Sect on his blade.

Outside the Kaiyang Sect, Tian Sha watched Tian Ling\'er\'s back. Tian Ling\'er looked into the distance with an expectant expression. Tian Sha felt extremely depressed. He once believed that spending more time with Ling\'er would win her heart back. However, over this period, he realized he was wrong. Ling\'er\'s heart couldn\'t hold anyone else but Zhong Shan. Their conversations had become fewer and fewer.

There was a time when Ling\'er admired him so much. But now, everything had been taken away by Zhong Shan, this pest, this thief.

Clenching his fist, Tian Sha, filled with frustration, turned and walked back into the Kaiyang Sect\'s great formation.

Tian Ling\'er flew to the top of a mountain peak, waiting eagerly, like a wife awaiting her husband\'s return. She stood there without complaint or regret, even in the rain, holding an umbrella at the peak.

Finally, after many days of waiting, her patience paid off. Tian Ling\'er saw a small black dot flying slowly towards the Kaiyang Sect from the distant sky.

It was Zhong Shan! It was Zhong Shan!

Overjoyed, Tian Ling\'er recognized him from afar. Throwing her red silk ribbon, she stood on it. Just as she was about to fly out to meet him, she quickly smoothed her hair with her hand, making sure it wasn\'t messy before flying up on her red ribbon.

Known for her dreamy and careless nature, Tian Ling\'er had never cared about her hair being messy in the past. But at this moment, she cared, for the first time, for someone else.

Flying on her red ribbon, she soared into the sky to meet Zhong Shan.

A smile blossomed on Tian Ling\'er\'s face. The excitement of the moment was uncontrollable. She wanted to appear more dignified, but the joy in her heart made it impossible. Her face beamed with an incredibly radiant smile.

As Zhong Shan flew towards the Kaiyang Sect, a figure suddenly appeared in a distant valley—an armored figure, the Thunder General.

The Thunder General\'s lips curled into a cold smile. After waiting for so long, he had finally appeared. He stepped lightly and flew up.

Zhong Shan flew through the air, the Kaiyang Sect visible in the distance. He took a deep breath, then noticed a small black dot flying towards him from afar.

A black dot?

Tian Ling\'er? The long red silk ribbon of the Kaiyang Sect was unmistakable. Tian Ling\'er? She had reached the Jindan stage and had come out of seclusion?

As they flew closer, Tian Ling\'er\'s smile blossomed like a flower, becoming more radiant the closer she got to Zhong Shan. She couldn\'t help herself, her speed increasing.

"Zhong Shan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

From afar, Tian Ling\'er couldn\'t control her shout.

Hearing Tian Ling\'er\'s call, Zhong Shan\'s heart softened in an instant, her voice breaking through his usually stone-like heart. Why was Tian Ling\'er here? Zhong Shan quickly understood. To be the first to see him, she must have been waiting outside the mountain gate for a long time. She must have waited for a very long time.

Waiting for him every day? Eagerly anticipating? Tian Ling\'er might not be the most exceptional and perhaps a bit scatterbrained, but her feelings for him were the truest. With such genuine affection, how could he refuse?

Though Zhong Shan was over eighty years old, the trials of time had tempered him, reducing the impulsiveness of youth. But precisely because of this, he understood the value of \'love\' more deeply and knew what was truly worth cherishing.

Before him was what he should treasure the most in the present moment.

Suddenly realizing everything, Zhong Shan felt his heart lighten, filled with a touch of emotion and excitement, he flew quickly towards Tian Ling\'er.

Tian Ling\'er, standing on her red silk ribbon, also flew excitedly towards Zhong Shan. She finally saw him again. She felt as if she was floating, her mind filled with nothing but Zhong Shan.

As Tian Ling\'er got closer to Zhong Shan, her radiant smile suddenly froze. She widened her eyes, looking not at Zhong Shan, but behind him.

A person, a person who had appeared out of thin air, a Yuanying stage expert? No, it was the Thunder General from before.

The Thunder General flew up from the valley, into the high air behind Zhong Shan, his face twisted with an evil grin. He raised his hands, forming a massive thunderball.

A thunderball?

He wanted to kill Zhong Shan?

The huge thunderball aimed at Zhong Shan, seemingly ready to blast him to pieces at any moment.

Seeing this, Tian Ling\'er froze inside, her face filled with terror.

"Zhong Shan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Tian Ling\'er shouted again, her voice full of panic. However, Zhong Shan mistook her trembling voice for excitement. When he saw Tian Ling\'er\'s expression change drastically, he sensed something was wrong.

Turning his head, it was too late. The Thunder General\'s massive thunderball had already been hurled towards him, expanding tenfold upon release, transforming into a giant lightning pillar speeding towards Zhong Shan.

Even a tenth-level innate stage cultivator would be doomed under such an attack. The Thunder General\'s face twisted into a malevolent grin.

"Zhong Shan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Tian Ling\'er\'s eyes filled with tears, and she sped up even more.

Zhong Shan was about to die? Zhong Shan was about to die? No, Zhong Shan must not die, he absolutely must not die.

Tian Ling\'er screamed inside, her speed increasing yet again.

In an instant, as the lightning pillar was about to reach Zhong Shan, Tian Ling\'er suddenly wrapped her arms around him, her back facing the lightning pillar.

The change happened so quickly. When Zhong Shan turned his head and saw the lightning pillar, there was no time to dodge, no time at all. Was he going to die?

In that critical moment, it seemed to Zhong Shan that time stood still, memories of the past flashing through his mind. Was he going to die like this, so unclear and sudden?

At that very moment, a figure appeared before Zhong Shan. Tian Ling\'er.

Tian Ling\'er hugged Zhong Shan tightly, her back enveloped in protective energy. Her eyes locked onto Zhong Shan.

In this moment, there was no fear in Tian Ling\'er\'s eyes, only an overwhelming, heart-wrenching tenderness, a softness that could dissolve everything.

Tian Ling\'er smiled. At this last moment, she smiled at Zhong Shan.

Seeing Tian Ling\'er\'s eyes, Zhong Shan felt his mind explode, an intense unwillingness to die, a refusal to accept death, surged through his brain.

"No~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan roared, his eyes bloodshot as his body twisted madly, trying to shield or push Tian Ling\'er away.

But it was too late. Everything happened too fast.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

With a thunderous explosion, Tian Ling\'er was struck and sent flying towards the valley below.

"Pfffft~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Tian Ling\'er\'s mouth, splashing directly onto Zhong Shan\'s face. He did not blink, not even once, letting the blood splatter on his face and into his eyes. Then, together with Tian Ling\'er, he plummeted into the valley.

Zhong Shan\'s mind was in turmoil, his bloodshot eyes dazed. He felt as though his heart had shattered, an overwhelming, gut-wrenching pain filling his chest.

Why, why was it Ling\'er? Why?

At this moment, Zhong Shan could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down his face for the second time in his life, the first time being for Ku\'er. Heroes do not shed tears lightly, but only when deeply sorrowed. Zhong Shan hated it, hated that he wasn\'t the one injured instead.

"Ling\'er~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan cried out, holding the limp Tian Ling\'er tightly as he dashed towards the distant valley.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Holding Tian Ling\'er, Zhong Shan crashed through a boulder, shattering it into pieces. Yet, Zhong Shan seemed unfazed, his eyes fixed only on Tian Ling\'er in his arms, who was now barely clinging to life.

In the sky, the Thunder General, seeing that Zhong Shan was still alive, grew furious. He raised another thunderball, ready to hurl it down.

"Scoundrel~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from the sky. To the Thunder General\'s shock, a massive azure hand materialized out of thin air.

The colossal hand, ten zhang wide, appeared in an instant, slamming down towards the Thunder General.

The Thunder General\'s expression changed as he desperately hurled the thunderball at the hand.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The azure hand instantly crushed the thunderball and continued its relentless path towards the Thunder General.

"Ah~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

With a scream, the Thunder General was sent flying, spewing blood. Injured, he glanced at Zhong Shan, and then, filled with fear, he turned and fled without hesitation.

"Ling\'er, Ling\'er~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Zhong Shan continuously channeled his true essence into Tian Ling\'er, trying to keep her alive. Tian Ling\'er was barely breathing, her back charred and her eyes slightly unfocused. Yet, as if in a final burst of clarity, she smiled foolishly.

Tian Ling\'er\'s meridians were shattered, her body severely damaged. Surviving this seemed nearly impossible.

As Zhong Shan held Tian Ling\'er, crying out in despair, an elderly man suddenly appeared before them—Shou Shan.

Shou Shan grabbed Tian Ling\'er\'s wrist, his brow furrowing as he examined her. He then infused her with a surge of azure energy. In the next moment, his figure blurred, and he disappeared from sight.