Chapter 659: Copying the Thunder Ancestral Symbol
"What do you think you're doing?"
Shielding Lin Dong behind her, Ying Huanhuan glared at Flame Master, anger written all over her pretty face.
Flame Master looked at her, stunned for a moment. His fists clenched, then slowly relaxed as he turned his head aside. "I already said that before you awaken, I will not leave," he replied calmly.
"You!" Lin Dong ground his teeth.
Ying Huanhuan turned, her icy jade hand tugging lightly on Lin Dong's arm. "Calm down first, all right?" she said softly.
Her voice still carried a chill, but there was a faint hint of pleading in it.
Lin Dong looked at her for a long moment before finally sighing. The light array in the sky gradually dispersed, and the yuan power and spiritual power retreated back into his body.
"Thank you," Ying Xiaoxiao said with a faint smile.
Then she turned back, her frosty eyes fixing on Flame Master. After a brief pause, she said, "Flame Master, I understand what you're trying to do, but no matter what, I am not the Ice Master you once knew.
And no matter what happens in the future, I want you to understand that right now, I am Ying Huanhuan. If you insist on staying here, then at least restrain your aura."
Flame Master met her stern gaze, then exhaled slowly. "You should already understand the full situation," he said.
"Thunder Master has awakened. The Dark Master and the Primeval Master will appear one after another as well. When that time comes…"
Ying Huanhuan lowered her eyes slightly. "But that time is not now… is it?" she answered quietly.
Flame Master fell silent. After a long while, he gave a faint, wry smile, his gaze lingering on her beautiful face. "Who would have thought that you, who were always so calm you seemed inhuman, would one day be so reluctant to let someone go?"
Though he smiled, his voice was thick with bitterness.
"Because I am Ying Huanhuan," she said gently.
"Perhaps."
Flame Master shook his head, then turned away and waved his hand. "I'll do as you said and restrain my aura as much as I can."
With that, his figure vanished from the sky and reappeared atop a distant mountain peak.
And so, the strange clash ended just like that. Dao Sect's disciples exchanged puzzled looks, then glanced once more at the figures in the sky before finally dispersing.
They did not fully understand what had happened, but anything capable of making the usually calm Senior Brother Lin Dong so furious had to be something serious.
Lin Langtian watched and shook his head. He knew that the matter between Lin Dong and Ying Huanhuan was not something that could be easily resolved.
Compared to Xiao Yan's love life, Lin Dong's path of feelings was far more tortuous. Xiao Yan not only had two perfect wives, but more confidantes than one could count.
By contrast, even after completely eradicating the Otherworldly Demons, Lin Dong never truly had a happy ending with Ying Huanhuan. Instead, he set off again for the Great Thousand World to seek a way to revive his beloved.
The Xuan Domain Continent was, in many ways, harsher and more helpless than the Dou Qi Continent…
As Lin Langtian pondered this, a surprised voice rang by his ear. "Brother Langtian, when did you get here?"
Two figures appeared in a flicker—Lin Dong and Ying Huanhuan.
At Lin Dong's shout, numerous Dao Sect disciples turned their gazes over. When they saw the green‑robed figure, they froze.
Although the Anti‑Yuan Alliance had disbanded after Yuan Gate's fall, none of them could forget its leader—Lin Langtian.
What surprised them was how he had slipped into Dao Sect without anyone noticing.
Now that he'd been exposed, Lin Langtian did not look the least bit embarrassed. Smiling faintly at Lin Dong and Ying Huanhuan, he said, "I just arrived. I was looking for you, Brother Dong, and happened to see you and Flame Master trading blows."
Lin Dong grimaced. "I was too impulsive this time and made a fool of myself in front of you, Brother Langtian."
He sighed. He knew he had overreacted, but when he saw Flame Master quietly stirring the Ice Master's power in Ying Huanhuan's body without a word to them, he had snapped.
This kind of underhanded behavior was what truly enraged him.
He had trusted Flame Master enough to let him travel with them, but the latter's secretive actions had crossed his line.
He knew Flame Master and the others bore a grand wish: to protect this world. Lin Dong respected them deeply for that.
No one had given more to this land than the Eight Ancient Masters. From their point of view, they were not wrong—only the Ice Master's full awakening could save the world.
But Lin Dong did not want Ying Huanhuan to become a stranger for that reason. He also knew that saving the world was the Ice Master's duty—a duty Ying Huanhuan could neither choose nor avoid, given how intertwined their identities were.
Lin Langtian merely pressed his lips together and said nothing. He stepped forward and patted Lin Dong's shoulder silently.
He knew Lin Dong was not selfishly trying to make Ying Huanhuan abandon her duty. He simply wanted the best possible outcome.
All along, Lin Dong had been hoping to gain the strength to shoulder that burden himself so that Ying Huanhuan could stay as she was, while the world still found salvation.
He had clawed his way toward that goal through countless life‑and‑death battles, his body and heart both scarred.
Until then, he could only protect the girl he loved as best he could. Nothing more.
Even Lin Langtian felt a deep respect for such love. Ying Huanhuan felt it most clearly of all. Her ice‑blue eyes softened with warmth as she looked at Lin Dong.
"Don't worry, Brother Dong. There's more than one path forward. You don't have to stubbornly carry everything alone.
Remember, the Lin Clan has more than one peerless genius. I'm the clan head now. Even if the sky falls, I'll be the first to hold it up," Lin Langtian said with a light pat of Lin Dong's shoulder and a small smile.
Lin Dong blinked, then stared at him in a daze. After a moment, he finally smiled.
That was right. He was not alone. Brother Langtian was here too.
He had always wanted to take the Ice Master's place so that when catastrophe struck, he could stand where she once had, and Ying Huanhuan could be spared.
Even someone as confident as Lin Dong could not help feeling uneasy about surpassing the Ice Master. She was the most powerful and monstrous talent among the Eight Ancient Masters, after all.
He had never been sure he could convince them all to trust him with her burden.
But with Lin Langtian's words, his heart grew lighter. It felt as if half the crushing weight on his shoulders had been lifted away.
In Lin Dong's eyes, Brother Langtian was a genius even he deeply admired. Even if he himself failed to reach the Ice Master's height, Brother Langtian might still take her place, allowing Ying Huanhuan to remain by his side.
"In that case, I'll owe you a great debt, Brother Langtian," Lin Dong said sincerely, cupping his fists.
He knew better than anyone what he had gone through. A nobody from Qingyang Town, with no background or backing, he had hacked his way forward step by bloody step.
For him, growing stronger had always been the only reliable path. He had only ever trusted himself.
But now, for the first time, he felt what it was like to have someone else standing in front of him, shielding him from the storm.
From that moment on, he truly acknowledged Lin Langtian as the Lin Clan's patriarch.
A clan head who could uphold the sky for every member of his bloodline.
After a moment of emotion, Lin Dong tugged lightly on Ying Huanhuan's sleeve. Since Lin Langtian cared so much about them, she could hardly remain unmoved.
But Ying Huanhuan ignored his hint. Her icy gaze met Lin Langtian's as she said coldly, "I won't thank him."
Lin Langtian's mouth twitched. He might not care much for her thanks, but her attitude felt more than a little harsh.
Even Lin Dong looked embarrassed. He had no idea why the usually well‑mannered Ying Huanhuan seemed to have such a problem with Brother Langtian.
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Ying Huanhuan finally lifted her eyes and spoke again. "He owes my sister. I'm just helping her collect the debt. What's wrong with that?"
As Ying Xiaoxiao's younger sister, she could easily see her elder's feelings.
Every time she had gone to the Great Yan Dynasty, her sister had come along and quietly asked about Lin Langtian.
Once, she had even spotted a painting in her sister's room—a young man in green robes whose face was eight or nine parts like Lin Langtian's.
With that, she had little doubt who lived in her sister's heart.
Yet her sister still sat before that painting alone, day after day, heartsick with longing, while this man wandered around collecting one beauty after another. Ying Huanhuan could not help feeling displeased on her sister's behalf.
She had no intention of explaining any of that. Before either man could react, she turned and left without a word.
Lin Langtian watched her retreating back with a dark expression, while Lin Dong just looked bewildered. After a moment, he turned to Lin Langtian.
"Brother Langtian, you and Senior Sister?" he asked cautiously.
Lin Langtian coughed lightly. "Well, yes, some things did happen between Xiaoxiao and me," he admitted with a small smile. "But I swear, I never wronged her."
Then he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, let's talk business. Brother Dong, do you remember our agreement?"
At that, Lin Dong blinked. Then, as something clicked, he smiled. "Brother Langtian, you came here for the Thunder Ancestral Symbol, didn't you?"
He had known for some time that Lin Langtian could copy the Eight Ancestral Symbols. The stronger he grew, the more shocking he found that ability.
Even the Ancestral Stone Spirit, Yan, had been stunned by it. After all, the power to create Ancestral Symbols had always belonged to his master, Symbol Ancestor, alone.
Lin Dong was curious, but he never pressed for answers—much as Lin Langtian never pried into his secrets either. It was an unspoken pact between them.
Besides, he welcomed Lin Langtian's growing strength. If Brother Langtian could take the Ice Master's place against the Otherworldly Demons, then Lin Dong would have more reason than ever to protect Ying Huanhuan.
"Hehe, so you do remember. Yes, the Thunder Ancestral Symbol is what I came for," Lin Langtian said with an unguarded smile.
He knew Lin Dong was no petty man. There was no need to hide his intentions.
Lin Dong nodded readily. "We agreed on this, and I keep my promises. But this isn't the right place. Please come with me, Brother Langtian."
With that, he leaped into the air. Lin Langtian followed close behind.
Soon, they reached a secluded back mountain of Dao Sect. Lush forests and tranquil air made it a perfect cultivation spot.
At the edge of a cliff, Lin Dong took in the distant view, then turned back. "There's something else I haven't told you yet, Brother Langtian," he said hesitantly.
He raised his right hand. A silver light flickered in his palm, and the space around it began to twist.
"The Space Ancestral Symbol?" Lin Langtian said, startled. "Did Brother Zhou give it to you?"
Lin Dong nodded with a sigh. "Senior Brother Zhou Tong has always felt guilty toward the sect. He insisted on leaving the Space Ancestral Symbol behind. Sect Master thought it would be a waste to let it gather dust, so he entrusted it to me—with Brother Zhou's full approval."
Lin Langtian exhaled softly. To give up the Space Ancestral Symbol to repay a debt… Zhou Tong truly was a man of deep feeling.
"In that case, you should keep it. The Space Ancestral Symbol will help you greatly," Lin Langtian said with a smile.
Lin Dong nodded. "Then I'll thank you in advance for not contesting it, Brother Langtian."
Remembering their purpose, he flicked his finger. A bolt of lightning shot into the sky.
Lin Langtian's gaze rose to follow it. High above, a thunderball a thousand zhang across floated in the distance, like a sun made entirely of lightning.
Within that thunder sun, he felt a terrifying yet familiar pulse.
It was…
The Thunder Ancestral Symbol.
(END CHAPTER)
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