All the martial artists looked in the direction from which the sound came, including Ye Feng, Han Yuerong, and Chi Zhongcheng.

"It sounds like Lin Youyou's voice!" Chi Zhongcheng said.

"Let's go take a look."

After saying that, Ye Feng took the lead and sped off in that direction.

Chi Zhongcheng and Han Yuerong immediately followed, and the other martial artists naturally followed as well.

As soon as Ye Feng arrived, he saw Lin Youyou standing in the air, her pretty face pale and her expression panicked.

A large crater appeared on the ground, and Chen Zhiwu was being held in the pincers by a huge monster, with most of his body being dragged underground!

It was obvious that it was a demonic beast that could burrow into the earth.

Moreover, this means that even if Ye Feng wanted to help Chen Zhiwu, he couldn't.

The monster only used its two pincers to hold Chen Zhiwu, its body hidden behind Chen Zhiwu or underground.

Thus, Chen Zhiwu and the ground became the monster's shield.

If Ye Feng launches an attack, there's a high chance he'll injure Chen Zhiwu!

"It's a Earth-Splitting Dragon!"

Chi Zhongcheng, who arrived shortly afterward, said with a shocked expression.

"You seem quite surprised, City Lord. Did you never encounter the Earth-Splitting Dragon when you entered the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion before?" Ye Feng asked.

Chi Zhongcheng shook his head and said, "Of course I've encountered them, but no demonic beasts have ever appeared on the outskirts of the Ziyang Immortal Mansion. The Earth-Splitting Dragon and several other demonic beasts have always appeared in the central and core areas of the Ziyang Immortal Mansion! I never expected that an Earth-Splitting Dragon would appear on the outskirts of the Ziyang Immortal Mansion this time. This is truly an ominous sign!"

Han Yuerong frowned and said, "There's no need to save him. The Earth-Splitting Dragon is poisonous. Chen Zhiwu's face is turning purple, and other parts of his body are starting to turn bluish-gray. This means that the Earth-Splitting Dragon's venom has entered his entire body! Even if we save him, he won't escape death."

Several martial artists who were originally planning to rescue the person stopped after hearing Han Yuerong's words.

"Lin Youyou... I'll haunt you even as a ghost..."

Chen Zhiwu said with difficulty.

These were his last words.

The next moment, the earth-splitting dragon grabbed Chen Zhiwu and burrowed into the ground, disappearing completely.

Moreover, the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion was filled with the power of defensive arrays, which greatly interfered with Ye Feng's divine sense, making him unable to sense what lay beneath the ground.

In this way, Ye Feng also lost track of the Earth-Splitting Dragon and Chen Zhiwu.

The night breeze turned and looked at Lin Youyou, whose eyes were red and who was sobbing softly.

“Miss Lin, Chen Zhiwu just said he would never let you go, even in his dreams. Could you please explain to us what’s going on?” Ye Feng asked.

As soon as Ye Feng said this, everyone's eyes turned to Lin Youyou.

"Could it be that Lin Youyou harmed Chen Zhiwu? That's impossible!"

"Yes! How could Youyou possibly have any malicious intentions? She's so kind, even timid. She would never harm anyone, no matter who tries to harm her!"

"I don't believe it either!"

The martial artists present all spoke up.

Ye Feng ignored the others' words and stared intently at Lin Youyou.

Lin Youyou sobbed for a long time before finally saying, "It's...it's my fault that Chen Zhiwu is in trouble..."

“I made a pact with him to advance and retreat together, to live and die together, but just now… just now the Earth-Splitting Dragon suddenly emerged from beneath the ground and attacked us… I was so scared that I abandoned Chen Zhiwu and ran away…”

"It's my fault... I'm the one who let him down..."

Lin Youyou burst into tears, crying so hard she was practically a baby.

Upon hearing Lin Youyou's words, the martial artists present all showed expressions of sudden realization, and many expressed understanding and sympathy.

"So that's what happened. No wonder Chen Zhiwu was so grief-stricken."

"Actually, this can't be blamed on Lin Youyou. The Earth Dragon is very powerful, and only City Lord Chi and the heads of the four major families can deal with it calmly. Perhaps Mr. Ye can as well."

"But how could we, martial artists at the mid-stage or early stage of the Separation and Union Realm, possibly be a match for the Earth-Splitting Dragon?"

"Yes, it's perfectly normal for Lin Youyou to abandon Chen Zhiwu and run away alone; it's only human nature."

"We can't blame her, we can't blame her."

The night wind had a strange expression.

At that moment, it felt like a hundred thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

Ye Feng gave Lin Youyou a deep look, then said nothing more, pretending that what had just happened had never occurred.

After all, Chen Zhiwu is already dead, so blaming Lin Youyou now is useless.

Furthermore, it will require everyone present to work together to break through the second and third layers of the defensive array.

Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to avoid internal strife at this time.

Han Yuerong quietly approached Ye Feng and asked, "Mr. Ye, what do you think?"

"Use your eyes to see," Night Wind said.

"ah?"

Han Yuerong stood there dumbfounded.

Ye Feng chuckled and said, "We have no way of knowing whether what Lin Youyou said is true or false, unless we search her soul, but that's obviously impossible. So what else can we do but let it go?"

"Anyway, neither of us intends to investigate the truth or avenge Chen Zhiwu, right?"

Hearing Ye Feng say that, Han Yuerong nodded.

Han Yuerong originally wanted to see Ye Feng's attitude, and although Ye Feng did not give a direct answer, Han Yuerong had already figured it out.

That is, Ye Feng doesn't believe Lin Youyou's explanation!

It's just that Ye Feng was too lazy to investigate, so he gave up!

The martial artists—especially the male ones—were still surrounding Lin Youyou, constantly comforting her.

"Youyou, don't cry, it's not your fault."

"Yes, Chen Zhiwu's death was a complete accident, something no one expected. Not to mention you, any of us probably couldn't have done better than you."

"That's right, that's exactly the point!"

A burly man stepped forward, patted his chest, and said confidently, "Youyou, don't worry, I will protect you! I, Wu Tianxiong, swear that I will never let you get hurt in the slightest!"

"Thank you, you are all good people..." Lin Youyou wiped away her tears and said gratefully.

These male warriors all laughed proudly.

A day and a night passed quickly.

The outer perimeter of the Ziyang Immortal Abode was thoroughly searched, but most people didn't find anything of value.

Only a handful of people, including Ye Feng, found rare and precious materials that could be used to refine weapons.

Now is the time to break through the second layer of defensive formation and enter the central area of ​​the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion!

"Let's all attack together!"

"The defensive arrays of the Purple Sun Immortal Abode are increasingly powerful, so everyone must not let their guard down!"

Chi Zhongcheng let out a loud roar and then released his powerful true energy.

The heads of the four major families naturally took action as well, and Ye Feng also released his own Dragon Emperor True Qi.