A passing traveler through the heavens

With a thought, Ji Lin instantly removed his armor and placed his hand on Yang Jian's shoulder.

In an instant, a soft light enveloped Yang Jian. In the blink of an eye, the wounds on Yang Jian's body healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yang Chan's face, which was originally full of grief, was instantly replaced by gratitude and surprise.

Her body trembled slightly, her lips quivered uncontrollably with excitement, and her voice became intermittent and incoherent due to her overwhelming emotions.

"Brother Ji Lin, what are you doing here? What are you doing here?"

Nezha stood to the side, a playful and lively smile on his face, his bright eyes looking at Ji Lin as he spoke.

"Hey, your armor was so impressive!"

"Those moves just now, each punch was powerful enough to blast the heavenly soldiers and generals with no chance to fight back!" Nezha said, making exaggerated gestures as he imitated Ji Lin's fighting style.

Ji Lin's lips curled up: "You're just as good as I am. I was really lucky to have your help in the fight just now, otherwise it would have been a huge problem."

Nezha scratched his head sheepishly, a blush creeping onto his face, and said nonchalantly, "It's only right to help those in need."

"I, Nezha, cannot tolerate such injustices; I must take action!"

Ji Lin and Nezha exchanged compliments, and the atmosphere gradually became lively. Then, the group helped Yang Jian into the slightly dilapidated temple.

As soon as you step into the dilapidated temple, a dark, damp, and nauseating smell hits you, and the stale and decaying odor instantly permeates the entire space.

Inside the dilapidated temple, under Ji Lin's treatment, Yang Jian had recovered and the pain in his body gradually dissipated over time.

He slowly stood up, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude, walked steadily to Ji Lin, clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed, and said solemnly.

"Brother Ji Lin, Yang Jian truly doesn't know how to repay your great kindness." After saying this, he turned around and faced Nezha.

"And this benefactor, thank you for your righteous rescue. If it weren't for you, I, Yang Jian, would probably be in grave danger today." Yang Jian bowed to Nezha again, his attitude sincere and respectful.

Ji Lin quickly waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "Brother Yang, it's fate that we've met, there's no need to be so polite."

At this moment, Nezha came over with a grin: "You're too kind. I, Nezha, am born to help the weak and can't stand those who bully the weak."

"That Jade Emperor is treating you so badly, it's really too much! Of course I, Nezha, can't stand by and do nothing!"

In stark contrast to the joyful and warm atmosphere inside the dilapidated temple, Ji Lin and Nezha's actions of storming the execution ground thoroughly enraged the Heavenly Court.

Upon learning of this, the Heavenly Court was immediately enraged and dispatched the Three Golden Crows and Marshal Tianpeng with a large army, vowing to capture them and bring them to justice to uphold the authority of Heaven.

In order to escape the Heavenly Court's pursuit, after a heated discussion, Ji Lin and the others finally decided to split into two groups. Ji Lin and Yang Jian headed to the Golden Cloud Cave on Jade Spring Mountain, while Nezha took Yang Chan in another direction.

The fact that they split up was also to avoid being captured by the Heavenly Court and to increase their chances of escape.

Before long, Ji Lin and Yang Jian, after a long and arduous journey, finally arrived at Yuquan Mountain.

However, the scene before them made their hearts sink. Yuquan Mountain was shrouded in rolling heat waves, as if they were in a huge, unbearably hot steamer. The air was distorted by the high temperature, becoming illusory and blurry.

Looking up, the mountain and the clouds were covered with countless celestial soldiers and generals. They surrounded the entire mountain like ants, making it impossible for even a bird to get in or out.

Ji Lin frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "It seems that the Heavenly Court got information from somewhere and knew that you wanted to become an apprentice, so they came to Yuquan Mountain to wait for you to come to them."

A hint of resentment and anger flashed in Yang Jian's eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging slightly.

But he knew he couldn't act impulsively at this moment, so he could only suppress the burning anger in his heart, grit his teeth, and bury his resentment deep inside.

Left with no other choice, the two turned and left, heading towards a nearby town.

The town was bustling and lively, with people busy with their own tasks, their faces beaming with the satisfaction and happiness of ordinary life.

Ji Lin and Yang Jian found a secluded tavern, sat down in a corner, hoping to rest there and discuss their next plan.

The waiter greeted them warmly with a professional smile and asked what they would like to order.

Ji Lin ordered a few side dishes and drinks. After the waiter left, the two began to discuss in hushed tones, their voices extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard by others.

"Given the current situation, what should we do?" Yang Jian asked Ji Lin with a grave expression, his eyes filled with confusion.

Just as Ji Lin was deep in thought, a series of chaotic footsteps and the clanging of pots and pans suddenly came from the kitchen, breaking the original tranquility of the tavern.

Immediately afterwards, a small, thin black dog rushed out of the kitchen in a panic. Its fur was messy, wet, and covered with vegetable leaves and dirt, as if it had just rolled in dirty water. It looked very disheveled.

Its eyes were filled with fear and panic as it looked around as if searching for a safe haven.

Suddenly, as if it had discovered something, it ran straight towards Yang Jian and leaped into his arms, trembling and making faint whimpering sounds.

Just then, a burly chef carrying a cleaver chased after them from the kitchen, muttering to himself.

"That unlucky dog, always causing trouble! I'll make you my dinner today! I'll show you how to mess around in my kitchen!"

He was taken aback when he saw the little black dog hiding in Yang Jian's arms. He quickly said, "Sir, I'm sorry to disturb your meal. This dog ran away from the kitchen. It's very disobedient and runs around everywhere, making a mess of the kitchen."

"Give it to me, and I'll take it back and process it immediately, making sure it won't delay your meal."

Yang Jian gently stroked the little black dog's head to soothe it, and the little black dog gradually calmed down under his touch.

Yang Jian raised his head, looked at the chef with sincere eyes, and said, "Brother, look at this poor little dog, it's so skinny and quite frightened."

"Can't we spare its life? It didn't cause trouble on purpose; maybe it was just starving."

The chef frowned, looking troubled: "Sir, it's not that I'm not giving you face, but this dog has been causing trouble in the kitchen and has ruined several dishes."

"I have no way to explain this to you, so please, just give it to me."

Ji Lin watched this scene with astonishment: Could this little black dog be the future Howling Celestial Dog? This is too much of a coincidence!

Before Ji Lin could think further, Yang Jian and the chef each held their own version of events, the atmosphere gradually became tense, and their voices grew louder and louder, on the verge of starting a fight.

Ji Lin immediately stood up, took out a bag of money from his pocket, and threw it to the cook: "Put the dog down, take the money. This money should be enough to make up for the dishes you ruined. Consider it as buying this little dog's life."

Upon seeing this, the chef's eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior. He quickly dropped the little black dog, hurriedly picked up the money bag from the ground, gripped it tightly with both hands, and said with a smile on his face, bowing and scraping.

"Alright, sir, you're very generous and a man of great character. So let's leave it at that. I won't bother you any longer."

"Please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything." With that, she dashed off, afraid that Ji Lin might change his mind.

Yang Jian held the little black dog, his eyes filled with doting affection, and gently stroked its head. The little black dog gradually stopped trembling and calmed down in his arms.

The little black dog nestled in Yang Jian's arms, licking his hand from time to time, seemingly expressing its gratitude, while making soft whimpering sounds.

Yang Jian looked at it tenderly and said to Ji Lin, "Brother Ji Lin, if it weren't for you today, this little dog would probably be in grave danger."

Ji Lin smiled, waved his hand, and said, "It was nothing. It seems this little dog has a connection with you; it might be of great help in the future."

"All things have a spirit; saving its life is a way of forming a good karmic connection."

Ji Lin pondered for a moment, then asked Yang Jian to wait in the tavern while he prepared to head back to Jinxia Cave to see if Yu Ding Zhenren was there.

After settling Yang Jian in, Ji Lin used stealth to quickly run towards the Golden Cloud Cave.

Soon, he returned to Jinxia Cave, where it was completely silent and there was no trace of Jade Cauldron Immortal.

But Ji Lin saw a letter left by the Jade Cauldron Immortal on the futon. The letter contained only a few words: Jade Void Palace of Kunlun Mountain.

With a thought, Ji Lin's letter burst into flames, which quickly spread and engulfed the letter.

As the letter turned to ashes, Ji Lin turned and left Jinxia Cave, preparing to return and tell Yang Jian the news.