Ni Yinghong suddenly froze.

Apart from her, the other people around were also dumbfounded, and the atmosphere changed from a lively one to an extremely quiet one in an instant.

These were two extremes too; extremes that gave people faint chills.

Ou Yangming let go after giving her a tight hug, and smiled sincerely as he said, "Thank you."

Ni Yinghong was usually quirky, but could always make the most appropriate decisions in the shortest time, no matter the issue, so she was deeply doted on by the three great ancestors and the other elders.

However, now that she was being stared at by a crowd of people, her quick wits seemed to have flown away, as though they had grown wings.

When Ni Yinghong sensed the strange and quiet looks around her, she was so ashamed and angry that she suddenly kicked Ou Yangming.

Ou Yangming held his ankle and cried in pain, whereas Ni Yinghong escaped like a frightened snowbird.

On the other hand, Ni Yunhong twitched his mouth and commented while being in a daze, "Brother Ou, you've gone too far!"

Ou Yangming knew that he was in a bad situation, but he had thought about the fifth level in the tower when he came out.

If he had not suddenly thought about Ni Yinghong's reminder then, he would have passed out long ago, and would not have successfully finished the Testimony Path.

Therefore, as soon as Ou Yangming came out, he was just so grateful that he revealed his true sentiments.

Nonetheless, after being kicked by Ni Yinghong and sensing the strange situation around him, he knew that he had gone overboard, but even then, he could not admit it.

Ou Yangming grimaced in pain and asked with an innocent look, "What do you mean that I've gone too far?"

"You, you, you…" Ni Yunhong pointed at Ou Yangming, but could not utter a single word even after a long time.

'How can I explain? Should I tell him that Ni Yinghong is actually my younger sister and not my younger brother? I can't bring myself to say that…'

"Hehe… Ou Yangming, you've just finished the Testimony Path, so you should be quite tired. Come, come, I'll bring you to rest, perhaps you'll have to go into action again very soon." Ni Xueming suddenly laughed, then gave Ni Wangyang a look before pulling Ou Yangming away.

Ni Yunhong stamped with fury. He wanted to stop them, but Ni Wangyang blocked him and comforted, "My good nephew, don't be mad."

'Yes, Yunhong, don't be mad. He probably did it unintentionally.' This was Ni Yunhong giving himself a piece of kind advice.

'That's right. Even if you want to mess with him, you should wait until he's out from the Chaos Cave.' This was him wanting to plan an act of revenge.

Nevertheless, be it a good intention or an ill intention, his central idea remained the same; this was not the right time to take revenge on Ou Yangming.

Hence, Ni Yunhong could only angrily put this aside for now, but deep down he was not as furious as he seemed. In fact, he vaguely had a thought, 'It's true that that fella doesn't have a good background, but he's quite capable. Even if he's matched with Yinghong… Maybe—just maybe—he'll be a good match!'

The situation below the tower could not be hidden away from the elders at the top of the tower. When they looked down at the other people, everything was clearly visible to them.

Ni Xueshu and a few elders exchanged glances and said, "Great Ancestor, look…"

"Ou Yangming is about to enter the Chaos Cave to search for our ancestor's legacy, and it's our clan's top and unshakable priority," Ni Jingtong responded.

"Yes," the elders replied to him.

"But the Chaos Cave is the Ni family's forbidden area, after all. Outsiders aren't allowed to enter." Ni Jingtong suddenly sounded very cold.

"Great Ancestor, you're saying…" Ni Xueshu looked up and asked softly while making a gesture of swinging a saber.

"The young fella was able to complete the Testimony Path, and he also comprehended the integration of Heaven and man. He has a very promising future," Ni Jingtong shook his head and explained, then added after a pause, "A talent like him is what the Ni family needs."

One of the elders stood up and remarked, "Great Ancestor, you're right. I heard from Yunhong that he wants to acquire the Life-prolonging Golden Pill for his senior, so it's clear that he values his family and close friends greatly. If that's the case, he's worthy of being roped in."

The other three elders nodded. Even if a clan wanted to rope in a master from the outside, they had to consider the price to be paid and that person's character.

If that person had a great reputation, the clan was obviously willing to pay a higher price, but if that person would break promises and had a terrible reputation, they would not consider him even if it would cost them very little.

"Don't meddle in this. Since he was brought here by Yunhong and Yinghong, let them handle it," Ni Jingtong ordered.

Ni Xueshu and the other elders bowed and responded to him, but said to themselves, 'Great Ancestor still favors the siblings the most, he always leaves the best for them.

※※※※

Under Ni Xueming's company, Ou Yangming returned to the side room that he was temporarily staying in.

Ni Xueming had a friendly smile on his thin face as he said, "Look, are you comfortable staying in this room? Let me know if you're unhappy about anything, and I'll ask them to change you to another room."

Although Ni Xueming was not from the direct line of descent and was only part of the five-generation system's branch, he was still an elder in the clan. Based on his cultivation base of Yang Grade, he had a place in the Ni family.

As such, as long as he gave the orders, Ou Yangming could have a comfortable stay here.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I'm very satisfied with his room," Ou Yangming quickly said, then asked after a moment of hesitation, "May I ask when I'll be entering the Chaos Cave tomorrow morning?"

Ni Xueming was stunned, but he quickly understood that it was an instruction given by the great ancestor.

He chuckled and answered, "Just get some good rest for now, and try your best to replenish your lost energy. As for what will happen tomorrow, the great ancestor has made arrangements, and you definitely won't be disappointed."

Ou Yangming nodded slightly. Even though he wanted to seize every minute and second by entering the so-called Chaos Cave right away, since the Ni family did not allow him to, he could not be too proactive or they might be suspicious, which would not be good.

Ni Xueming turned around, but just as he was about to leave, he could not help but ask, "Ou Yangming, do you really not know?"

Ou Yangming's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, 'It's finally here.'

Fortunately, he was well-prepared, thus he asked in reply to the elder as if he was confused, "Know what?"

Ni Xueming stared at him closely, but could not notice anything strange from his face, so he let out a hollow laugh and said, "Nothing, I'll be leaving. Please have a good rest." Following that, he turned to leave in a hurry. The elder was feeling rather gloomy because he failed to see if Ou Yangming really had no idea or if he was simply pretending.

Ou Yangming turned to close the door, and he exhaled deeply as soon as he did.

Though he had pulled it off earlier, his back was already drenched in a cold sweat. If Ni Xueming had stayed any longer, perhaps he would be able to notice a clue.

Ou Yangming slapped his forehead and thought, 'Ni Yinghong is indeed…'

Subsequently, he suppressed the thought as he dared not think about it in detail.

Suddenly, Ou Yangming was alarmed. It was a feeling of extreme danger, as though he was being eyed by something powerful.

Despite that, he was glad that the powerful being was not powerful enough to fight him.

As Ou Yangming breathed steadily, he swayed his body a little. Each time he swayed, his body seemed to be interacting with his surroundings on a certain level, allowing his body to blend in with the environment around him.

It was the integration of Heaven and man, and this was the most mysterious thing about it.

If he fully released the energy, it would be when he would counterattack.

That said, a dog's bark was heard out of the blue.

"Woof!"

Ou Yangming instantly stopped the aura from the integration of Heaven and man because he quickly figured what was spying him.

After all, he was in the Ni residence. How could other powerhouses sneak in easily to spy on him? It must be someone or something from the Ni family.

A sound of the wind was suddenly heard coming from behind Ou Yangming, and he flashed to hide without thinking.

The big yellow dog had arrived in an aggressive manner, and it opened its mouth after seeing Ou Yangming hide.

Its mouth seemed to have turned into a fearsome bloody mouth at that instant, which was way beyond the extent a normal dog could open its mouth to. Besides, its large mouth seemed to be generating something as it released a hair-raising aura.

Ou Yangming immediately widened his eyes. He was highly focused and felt nervous.

This was because he sensed a strong crisis that seemed to be a few times more dangerous than what he felt before, and he was certain that the big yellow dog's mouth was not a bluff, but mighty energy that was similar to a killing weapon.

However, Ou Yangming could not identify it due to his limited knowledge.

The big yellow dog left its mouth open, but was clearly hesitant. At last, it glared at Ou Yangming before closing its mouth.

Ou Yangming sighed a breath of relief when the dog closed its mouth, and he seemed as if he had just survived a huge crisis.

"Woof!"

The big yellow dog barked at Ou Yangming once more, then took two steps outside. Seeing as Ou Yangming was indifferent, it could not help but bark again.

This time, as dumb as Ou Yangming was, he understood it.

He asked in shock, "Are you asking me to follow you?"

The big yellow dog nodded like a human.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows as he was hesitant. Ni Jingtong had asked him to rest before entering the forbidden area, yet the big yellow dog—a half-spirit beast—that had human feelings was asking him to follow it.

It was a difficult choice for Ou Yangming.

The big yellow dog eventually looked displeased, so much so that its fur was about to stand up.

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly as he finally decided. "Don't be mad, I'll go with you."