Zhou Yin reported his name and sect.

Yu Nuo racked his brain and finally recalled this third-rate sword sect. He didn't look down on it, just smiled in embarrassment: "So you are a top disciple of the Mirror Sea Sect. Speaking of which, our Jinting Sect is actually neighbors with your esteemed sect, but unfortunately we rarely interact. I hope you can forgive me, fellow Daoist."

Him saying they rarely interact was already being polite. In fact, although the Jinting Sect couldn't compare to top sects like Shangxuan Sect and Tianyan Sect, it was still considered a major sect. How could it pay attention to a minor sect like Mirror Sea? Not interacting was normal.

Seeing his cold expression, Yu Nuo felt grateful that he had saved him, and was afraid of saying the wrong thing to hurt his pride. Little did he know that this was just Zhou Yin's natural temperament. Whether his attitude was humble or arrogant was completely irrelevant to Zhou Yin.

"Just now when I was fighting that person, I'm sure you saw everything, fellow Daoist Zhou. This time you saved me, but I'm afraid it will cause trouble for you in the future as that person will hold a grudge against you."

"No matter, I travel all over and don't stay in one place for long," Zhou Yin said indifferently, then asked: "What grievance do you have with that person?"

Yu Nuo said: "To be honest with you, I am a subordinate of General Hui of the Pingnan Army. This person was snooping around the military camp in the middle of the night and was discovered by us. I was too impulsive and chased after him, only to find out he was a Core Formation cultivator. If you hadn't intervened, I would have lost my life."

Having been out for some time, Zhou Yin had some understanding of the relationships between the countries. "Within the borders of the Dongyue, the largest cultivation sect is Wanshan Sect, and its sect leader is also revered as the National Preceptor by the Dongyue monarch. Why are you not from Wanshan Sect?"

By this time, the two had long since descended from the rooftops and were slowly walking along the deserted main street, talking without being disturbed.

Yu Nuo explained to him: "You may not know this, but while it's true that Wanshan Sect has a lofty status in Dongyue, General Hui of the Pingnan Army is not favored by the current emperor. To put it bluntly, his merits overshadow the sovereign. Others avoid General Hui like the plague, so how could anyone from Wanshan Sect come to protect him?

"The court officials are embroiled in factional struggles, and many have long been displeased with General Hui. The most formidable among them is the faction led by Prime Minister Jiang. I suspect that person was likely acting on the orders of Yao Xincheng, who is Jiang Hui's most capable subordinate."

Zhou Yin asked: "So the cultivation sect colluding with Jiang Hui is Wanshan Sect?"

Yu Nuo shook his head: "That I don't know. Wanshan Sect claims not to get involved in mundane affairs, and I indeed haven't seen them operating under the Wanshan Sect banner. That shout just now was just a shot in the dark. The other party didn't deny it, but they might have been trying to frame Wanshan Sect."

The trail went cold again, but it wasn't entirely hopeless.

Just now when Yu Nuo mentioned Lord Yao, judging from the middle-aged man's response, he clearly knew him. So there was an eighty percent chance he was also involved in the massacre of the Zhou family's village. Although the sect's name was unknown, the Demon Suppressing Bell and that flying magic treasure in the other party's possession were all clues.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, are you traveling on the orders of your sect? Your cultivation can't be considered low, but there are talents everywhere in the world, and Foundation Establishment cultivators are a dime a dozen. Those of us at the Foundation Establishment stage without a strong background or backing really can't afford to provoke them." Having acted on impulse himself, he turned around and started advising Zhou Yin.

"Aren't you a disciple of Jinting Sect? Why are you acting as a bodyguard alone?"

Yu Nuo smiled bitterly: "I'm just an ordinary disciple of Jinting Sect. A few years ago, I had just reached early Qi Refining stage and came down from the mountain to gain experience. Not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, I provoked a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Fortunately, they didn't want my life, but I was injured. It so happened that General Hui passed by and took me back to heal. I was grateful for his kindness and admired his character, so I stayed to help him fend off many assassinations and schemes."

Zhou Yin asked: "Have you heard of Zhou Zhang?"

Yu Nuo was startled: "You mean Junior Master Zhou? He is the closed-door disciple of the head elder, possessing exceptional talent and highly regarded. He is now the leader of the second-generation disciples, at early Foundation Establishment stage... Wait, your name is Zhou Yin, and his is Zhou Zhang. Are you...?"

Zhou Yin said: "He is my elder brother."

Yu Nuo was dumbfounded: "You are biological brothers? No wonder I found your features somewhat similar. But why is he in Jinting Sect while you are in Mirror Sea Sect?"

"When I was young, my spiritual roots were insufficient and my aptitude limited. Jinting Sect only took him."

Yu Nuo instantly imagined countless stories of love, hate, and enmity, such as brothers separated for many years, one a genius and one ordinary, leading to them becoming enemies. His gaze instantly changed from shock to sympathy.

"You've really had it rough!" He sighed, patted Zhou Yin's shoulder, and feeling that his elder brother was also a Jinting Sect disciple, he suddenly considered him a half-fellow disciple and felt even closer to him. "The path of cultivation is full of thorns. Not to mention brothers, even fathers and sons can turn against each other for spirit medicines and magic treasures. Your elder brother didn't mean it. In a few years, when your cultivation catches up to his, maybe you brothers will reconcile."

After getting the information he wanted, Zhou Yin shut his mouth and let the other party ramble on and on, talking to himself.

Yu Nuo rarely met a cultivator with a similar experience as himself, feeling like he had found a kindred spirit. He couldn't help but chatter on for a long time before finally shutting up. Rubbing his nose, he looked at Zhou Yin with an embarrassed smile: "I talked too much. If you don't mind, you can come find me in the Pingnan Army. Just give them my name and they'll know."

Since it concerned Zhou family's village, Zhou Yin indeed needed to see General Hui, so he said: "I will come find you."

Hearing this, Yu Nuo was overjoyed. He pulled Zhou Yin aside and said a few more words before taking his leave.

Halfway back, half the night sky suddenly lit up, followed by a bolt of lightning breaking through the clouds and descending with the force to split mountains and rivers, striking towards the mortal realm.

This direction...

Zhou Yin's face changed. His sleeves fluttered as he mounted his magic treasure. In a moment, he rushed back to the Ji Residence, but was still half a step too late.

Accompanied by the clap of thunder, the lightning struck the eaves of the Ji family home, instantly slicing off a corner of the flying eaves.

Cries of alarm rang out from the Ji Residence as everyone was startled awake, especially the womenfolk who were terrified.

"Everyone stay inside!" Zhou Yin said to the old butler who hurried out, while he had already reached the side room, barely erecting a barrier to block the second bolt of lightning striking the roof.

The clouds roiled and the heavens trembled. The lightning and thunder grew from sparse to dense, one after another, as if wanting to turn the entire Fulin County upside down before relenting.

Accompanied by lightning and thunder, raindrops fell from the sky, from the size of soybeans to a torrential downpour. Fulin County instantly turned into a vast expanse of water. Forget about human figures; even chickens and dogs were probably hiding everywhere.

However, Zhou Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, he was worried that this tribulation would come too abruptly. If there were cultivators nearby, they would know at a glance that it was a sign of transcending tribulation. At that time, it would probably bring unnecessary trouble.

Now that the rain had fallen, it just happened to cover up the momentum of the tribulation, making people think that it was just an ordinary storm.

However, with his current weak cultivation, it was really too difficult to block the tribulation. After the third lightning strike, the barrier had been completely shattered, and the Melting Water Sword he carried with him had also turned into debris.

When the fourth tribulation came down, he protected the demon beast egg with his body. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the back of his hand, sliding all the way to the quilt covering the demon beast egg, staining it with a blotch of crimson.

Seeing that the fifth tribulation was about to arrive, and he absolutely could not block it, either he would be struck to death, or both he and the egg would be struck to death.

Although this was originally the heavenly tribulation for the demon beast egg to hatch, at this moment, he was also implicated. If he could not pass this hurdle tonight, he estimated that it would be a fate of both body and soul being destroyed.

Zhou Yin's face was pale. He thought of that forbidden technique with great power in the jade slip. His mouth opened slightly, intending to recite it.

But unexpectedly, at this moment, another sudden change occurred.

A faint, gentle glow suddenly appeared around the quilt covering the demon beast egg.

The light circle slowly expanded, enveloping Zhou Yin as well.

The fifth tribulation descended, instantly illuminating the surrounding several miles. The thick lightning broke through the roof and struck the light circle.

The light circle trembled violently, and the lightning startled ripples on it. The ripples grew larger and larger, eventually swallowing all the lightning. At the same time, the light circle disappeared into nothingness.

The lightning suddenly disappeared, but the rain still did not stop. It rained for the entire night, as if it wanted to submerge the entire Fulin County into a river.

He tried his best to minimize the impact caused by the tribulation. Even if someone had noticed the anomaly in the rain just now, they would only think that it was some cultivator transcending tribulation at the Core Formation stage. For a while, they would not associate it with a demon beast hatching.

After all, high-grade demon beast eggs had disappeared from the continent for who knows how many years.

Propping himself up with the corner of the table and panting for a few breaths, Zhou Yin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sat down, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured water to drink.

Indeed, when a demon beast egg hatches, there will be heavenly tribulation. This is just like when a cultivator advances to a new realm, the heavens will send down tribulation, and the higher the realm, the more difficult it is to transcend the tribulation.

Similarly, the higher-grade and rarer this demon beast is, the greater the power of the tribulation.

Although he had never seen the scene of a demon beast hatching, this tribulation could not be considered small by any means.

A small bulge protruded from the quilt on the bed, and something inside was struggling to squeeze out.

But the quilt was too heavy. After struggling for a long time, it was to no avail.

Zhou Yin ignored it and slowly drank tea for a long time, then closed his eyes and regulated his internal breath.

Although he was injured because of this, it was not entirely without benefits. At least now he felt that his meridians were much more comfortable than before. The spiritual energy circulated in his body for a small cycle, and it became more abundant.

With the fusion of spirit and energy, the good fruits naturally formed, and his cultivation realm had risen to another level. If he were to go into seclusion now, it would not be difficult to break through the early stage of Foundation Establishment and reach the middle stage.

Zhou Yin opened his eyes and looked at the quilt that had been bulging for a long time before he leisurely lifted it.

A gray, still slightly wet furball suddenly appeared in his sight.

Feeling the pressure on its body suddenly lighten, it raised its head. Seeing Zhou Yin, its eyes lit up. It excitedly flapped its chubby, furry little wings and let out an affectionate and loud call.

Furball: "Chirp!"

Zhou Yin: "..."

"Chirp chirp chirp!" The furball's excitement was beyond words. If it hadn't just been born and had no strength, and its legs were too thin and short, it would probably have jumped off the bed and pounced on him.

Zhou Yin pinched the corner of his forehead, suddenly feeling a little speechless.

Of unknown origin, suddenly appearing in the Dragon Shadow Pond, possessing powerful spiritual energy, and encountering a magnificent heavenly tribulation when hatching, even Zhou Yin, who was unmoved by the eight winds, had a bit more expectation and interest in this demon beast egg.

If it could hatch a baby dragon, no matter how rare, it would be reasonable and not too surprising.

But how could it be a gray, mouse-sounding chick?

Author's Note:

Setting Reminders:

1. Dongyue is a country larger than Anyang. Currently, the country is divided into two factions. One is led by Prime Minister Jiang Hui, while the other is the pro-war faction represented by General Hui. However, it is evident that their boss, the ruler of Dongyue, is worried about General Hui's growing power and influence, so he wants to use him while also suppressing him.

2. Regarding the annihilation of the Zhou family's village, to put it simply, Jiang Hui colluded with a certain sect. Jiang Hui wanted to frame General Hui, while the sect was seeking treasure. When they couldn't find it, they killed the people out of frustration and conveniently blamed it on General Hui, killing two birds with one stone. Zhou Yin suspects that the sect in question is the Wanshan Sect, the 4th largest sect on the continent, but there is no evidence yet.

3. The ranking of cultivation sects on the continent: Shangxuan Sect - Tianyan Sect - Qinggu Sect - Wanshan Sect - ...... (countless time and space traversed in between) ...... - Mirror Sea Sect (truly pitiful)