CHAPTER 177: EGGY THE TROUBLEMAKER, CAUGHT

The four troublemakers darted wildly across the second floor. The slowest of the black and white fish barely moved a few steps before Lu Chen grabbed them firmly.

Just as he was about to retract the Spirit Light Chains alongside the twin fish, Eggy swung the Hunyuan Greatsword toward the Spirit Light Chains and sliced through them effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the Fire Phoenix spread its wings, swooping past Lu Chen with the black and white fish clutched in its claws, soaring upward while casting a glance back at him.

Eggy circled the second floor of the Scripture Hall with the Hunyuan Greatsword. After completing a full loop, it returned to Lu Chen's side, letting out a shy, immature laugh. "Creak... Master, you're too slow, hahaha, you can't catch us."

Watching the twin fish whisked away, Lu Chen muttered, "Not bad, you little rascals."

He inhaled sharply, frustration flickering in his eyes. "Since you won't come back willingly, I'll have to get serious. Remember, I'm the master of the Hunyuan Greatsword."

"Phoe-Phoe, run!" Eggy shouted, dashing away at full speed.

Lu Chen commanded, "Slot and Strike, Scatter."

Eggy was instantly forced out of the sword.

Then Lu Chen whispered, "Hunyuan Greatsword, return."

He tightened his grip, and the sword streaked back into his palm like a shaft of light. "Now let's see how you'll escape the Spirit Light Chains."

"Creak... nooo!"

Separated from the sword, Eggy transformed back into a sphere, glancing fearfully at Lu Chen before retracting its limbs and rolling forward.

Seeing Eggy ejected from the Hunyuan Greatsword, Fire Phoenix faltered, stumbling as it carried the black and white fish higher into the air.

"Eggy, you little rascal, I'll catch you first," Lu Chen said, slinging the Hunyuan Greatsword onto his back as he shot forward in pursuit.

Eggy rolled frantically among the ruined stone pillars. Each time it turned and saw Lu Chen chasing, it squeaked and sped up even more.

"You little brat, you're fast," Lu Chen muttered, doing his best to keep up.

He had already pushed the Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment to its limits, yet Eggy remained just out of reach.

"Creak... Creak..."

Eggy's path gradually became blocked by chunks of rubble. Panicked, it expelled a large burst of white void light, enveloping its body.

Whenever a stone pillar obstructed its way, Eggy would release a pulse of white light, dispersing the pillar and then reconstructing it, forming row after row of smaller pillars to slow Lu Chen down.

Seeing the growing wall of stone, Lu Chen muttered, "So the white void light can reconstruct things... then what does the black void light do?"

He leaped forward undeterred. Beyond the first row, the pillars grew taller and denser, but he grinned. "You little rascal, you really made a lot of pillars. Don't forget, I can control the earth too."

Lu Chen lightly chanted, "Dao Art, Stone Wall Formation."

The Innate Bagua Diagram emerged, and the rows of stone pillars dissolved into nothingness. Just as he prepared to advance, a sharp pain stabbed at the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon on his forehead.

He touched it, only to feel an even more searing pain. "Is this a hint?"

"Eye of the Ancestral Dragon!" he shouted.

The mark on his forehead split open, sending a black beam of light straight toward Eggy. The black light struck, momentarily stiffening it and turning the surrounding white glow dark.

"Creak! Creak! Creak... Eggy turned black!"

Eggy squealed, attempting to escape, but the Stone Wall Formation had already encircled it.

Lu Chen approached with a smile. "You little rascal, where do you think you can run now?"

"Master... Master..." Eggy's eyes welled up as it gazed at him pitifully. "Master, I turned black, I turned black."

"You turned black, and you still won't come back?" Lu Chen reached out, grabbing Eggy and ruffling its head. "You little rascal, you've barely developed proper intelligence, and you're already causing trouble. What am I supposed to do with you?"

Eggy looked up at him, manifesting a tiny hand that reached tentatively for the Hunyuan Greatsword. "Creak! Creak! Creak! Master, I want the sword..."

Lu Chen gave a sidelong glance at its antics and chuckled. "Don't even think about it. I'm not letting you control the Hunyuan Greatsword."

"Master, I can control it myself. I just need to touch it a little..."

Slowly, Eggy pressed its right hand onto the sword guard. The moment it did, it transformed back into the planetary jade token and merged with the sword. "Look, Master, Eggy can fly again..."

"What!!" Lu Chen swore under his breath. This time, it didn't just turn into the planetary jade token. It activated the fourth button. Dark black energy instantly spread across the Hunyuan Greatsword.

Lu Chen tried to snatch the sword to extract the jade token, but Eggy directly manipulated it to fly out of his hand. The dark blade slashed through everything in its path, disintegrating the stone walls into nothingness.

Watching Eggy flee at high speed, Lu Chen cursed. "You little rascal."

He charged after it, moving with lightning-fast agility. Wherever the dark sword passed, everything dissolved into nothingness.

"White reconstructs, while black destroys?" Lu Chen muttered.

He pushed his spirit qi to its peak, forcing Eggy out once more.

Dragged forward by its own momentum, Eggy stumbled ahead. Each time it struck a stone pillar, the black glow on it diminished bit by bit. After a chaotic journey, the black energy finally vanished, and Eggy came to a stop at Nantian Wan'er's feet.

Nantian Wan'er had just arrived with Jun Laoye near the rubble, moving aside the broken planks that had nearly crushed Nantian Yijian's head. Seeing Eggy at her feet, she immediately paused.

Eggy wobbled to its feet, a strong dizziness forcing it to expel the last traces of black energy from its body. The black mist coated the rubble, startling Nantian Yijian, whose head had just been freed.

"What's happening? Why do I feel such immense pressure? Is there an enemy attack?" Nantian Yijian shouted, opening his eyes. Seeing the ruined surroundings, his face darkened instantly. "Why am I waking up buried under rubble again?"

"Little Jian, move aside! That black mist is dangerous!" Lu Chen glared at Eggy and swiftly pulled Nantian Yijian out. By the time he was free, the black mist had already dissolved the stone completely.

Seeing the disintegrating stones, Jun Laoye quickly stepped back. "This mist is strong... but what is this black spirit qi? Why is it so corrosive?"

"This is spirit qi infused with Void's power, generated by the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon I just learnt," Lu Chen explained.

"That's odd. Second uncle said that while Void's power may be rare and despair-inducing, it has no corrosive properties."

"Uncle Jun is right. Normally, Void's power doesn't harm you. I've encountered it before. It only left a feeling of endless despair." Lu Chen waved his hand, dissipating the black mist. "When I first acquired Void's power during my cultivation, it had no offensive traits. But it seems to have mutated while I was condensing it, gaining corrosive effects."

"All right, tidy this up first. When Wind Dragon returns, he can use the Cleansing Dust technique to restore the place. I have more important matters to handle," Lu Chen said, turning to face Eggy, who was hiding behind Nantian Wan'er. "Come out, little rascal, and take a look at the mess you made. Luckily, you didn't touch the pillars holding the manuals, or you'd be in big trouble and grounded."

Eggy rubbed its small hands in distress and scuttled out from behind Nantian Wan'er, hiding in her arms. "Waa... Eggy was wrong! Eggy doesn't want to be grounded! Eggy can fix it..."

"Hmph... look at what you've done! And you still dare hide?" Lu Chen carried the Hunyuan Greatsword on his shoulder, feigning a scowl. "Where are your little friends? Why aren't they coming down to save you?"

"They're up there... Phoe-Phoe and Fish-Fish are above... Master, I was wrong..."

Lu Chen pretended to glare fiercely, his right leg subtly inching forward. "Hmph, just a moment ago it was all brotherly loyalty, and now it's just about saving yourself? Since you said you were wrong, why aren't you rolling back here? Are you expecting me to come and hug you?"

Nantian Wan'er saw through his act and chuckled, setting Eggy down. "Go back, Eggy. Lu-gege won't ground you."

Eggy hesitated but, feeling Nantian Wan'er's presence, whimpered, "Waa..."

It slowly inched toward Lu Chen while glancing back repeatedly.

"I'll warn you three times. Come back now, or I'll really ground you," Lu Chen said with a low hum, moving a few steps closer.

Hearing the warning, Eggy rolled forward. "All right, all right, Eggy will come back."

It wobbled as it reached him, then scrambled up onto his shoulder with a sense of urgency.