The night was thick.
The ritual had reached its most critical point.
The formation glowed in deep blue.
Talismans trembled in the air.
A strange, powerful energy filled the entire courtyard.
Daoist Huang had his eyes shut.
His chanting was low.
Steady.
I knelt beside Ah Li,
guarding her with everything I had.
In my heart,
I prayed for this to succeed.
Then—
Footsteps.
Fast. Aggressive.
"Lin Han! Come out now!"
My uncle's voice exploded outside the gate.
Full of anger.
Full of impatience.
My heart sank.
I turned toward the entrance—
Before I could even move,
BANG!
The door was kicked open.
Lin Guodong stormed in.
Face flushed.
Eyes filled with fury.
"Hand over the property deed!"
"This house is mine!"
He didn't even pretend anymore.
"Get out!"
"Don't interfere!"
I roared, trying to block him from the formation.
He didn't care.
Not even a second of hesitation.
He kept walking toward me.
"Stop!"
Daoist Huang suddenly opened his eyes.
His voice was sharp.
"You're inside the core of the formation!"
"If you disrupt it, the consequences will be deadly!"
"Shut up!"
"I don't care about your tricks!"
Lin Guodong sneered.
"I'm taking that house tonight!"
Then—
A familiar mocking voice came from the gate.
"Well, well…"
"Look at our 'hero'."
Li Ya stepped in slowly.
Arms crossed.
A cruel smile on her face.
Behind her stood Liu Qiang,
like a loyal dog.
"I heard your fox girlfriend died?"
"Haha… Even thinking about it makes me happy."
I gritted my teeth.
"What do you want?"
"To watch you suffer."
She laughed.
"Look at you."
"So miserable."
"So disgusting."
"I love it."
The situation exploded into chaos.
Lin Guodong lunged at me.
Fists flying.
His punch slammed into my chest.
I could barely breathe.
"Stop! All of you!"
Daoist Huang shouted.
But nobody listened.
In the struggle—
Lin Guodong kicked over part of the formation.
Talismans scattered everywhere.
Then—
Li Ya stepped right onto a key talisman.
Boom!
The energy reacted instantly.
The air cracked.
Gold light burst across the courtyard.
A violent wave of heat and power rushed outward.
Talismans burned in midair.
The ground shook.
The very air screamed.
"Damn it!"
"The formation is unstable!"
Daoist Huang's face turned pale.
He waved his whisk wildly,
trying to suppress the chaos.
But I wasn't looking at any of that.
I had only one thought.
Ah Li.
I grabbed her body.
Held her tightly.
Shielded her with everything I had.
"Lin Han!"
Daoist Huang shouted.
"Leave now!"
"If you stay, you'll die!"
"No!"
"I'm not leaving her!"
My voice was hoarse.
But my eyes were steady.
Then—
A massive energy wave swept over us.
I felt my body lifted.
Thrown backward.
The world spun.
Sound vanished.
Light blurred.
I hit the ground hard.
Everything faded.
When I finally forced my eyes open—
The formation was gone.
The courtyard—
Destroyed.