Chen Nan carried Xiao Chenxi to the dragon baby, who was fast asleep, purring softly. Even in its sleep, a smug smile could be seen on its face. Indeed, it had a bountiful harvest. Before it lay a pile of colorful, exotic fruits, emitting an enticing fragrance. These were all rare and precious treasures, normally extremely difficult to find, yet here in the ancient immortal ruins, it had gathered so many at once.
Knowing the preciousness of these rare fruits, the baby dragon had only eaten three in the past three days, and then restrained its appetite. Now, sensing Chen Nan's arrival, it opened its large eyes and looked at him with excitement.
"Little Dragon..." Chenxi smiled sweetly, waving her snow-white little hand at the baby dragon, her tender voice full of affection.
For the past three days, although Xiaolong himself restrained his appetite and did not indulge in gluttony, he was extremely generous to Chenxi, giving her the most precious rare fruits. It can be said that during the three days of Chennan's extreme grief, it was Xiaolong who took care of little Chenxi.
"Eeya eeya," the baby dragon wobbled to its feet, showing great affection for Xiao Chenxi. Chen Nan stroked the little dragon's scales and sighed softly, "Thank you. Let's go, let's leave this place."
Little Dragon nodded, then let out a "woo-woo" sound, extending a dragon claw and pointing at a pile of "treasures" on the ground, muttering incessantly. Chen Nan smiled, placed Little Chenxi on the ground, untied the bundle behind him, took out several large robes, and wrapped the pile of strange fruits on the ground. Then he used a robe to tie the three bundles together and hung them around Little Dragon's neck.
Xiao Long seemed overjoyed and followed Chen Nan out of the valley, his steps faltering.
"Brother, where are we going?" After leaving Hundred Flowers Valley, Xiao Chenxi seemed a little reluctant to leave, and kept looking back into the valley.
"How about your brother takes you to town? There are lots of children your age there, and you'll have many playmates." Chen Nan was puzzled by Xiao Chenxi's true identity, but he felt a deep affection for her, sometimes seeing her as a shadow of Yu Xin. This was a mental illusion he had created for himself, a source of hope and expectation. Of course, this was not mere romantic love; it was a recollection of the past. Emotionally, he regarded Xiao Chenxi as his own daughter.
Little Dawn looked back into the valley, somewhat reluctant to leave, but finally revealed a pure smile and said, "Wherever brother goes, Dawn will go."
Looking at the well-behaved and adorable little Chenxi, Chen Nan was speechless. This cute little angel, who looked only about three years old, was shrouded in mystery, yet she herself seemed oblivious to it. Chen Nan felt both pity and love for her, and he was determined to give her the happiest childhood possible, determined not to let her live like Yuxin, isolated from the world, in the mountains.
Chen Nan carried Xiao Chenxi, with the toddler dragon following behind. The two of them and the dragon left the ancient immortal ruins. Just as they stepped out of Hundred Flowers Valley, the four demon leaders who had disappeared for several days reappeared before their eyes.
The myna princess, with her glossy black wings, flew through the air, flapping her wings and calling out, "You've come at just the right time! The great formation left behind by the ancient immortals is about to activate again. This ancient immortal's ruins are only open for a few days every thousand years." Then she kept calling out, "Little fairy, are you really going to leave Kunlun Mountain with that guy? Why not stay? If you stay, we will honor you as our queen!"
The other three monsters were also filled with anticipation. Although they were in beast form, their faces showed the hope of humans.
Little Dawn looked somewhat reluctant, waving her snow-white little hand at them, and said, "Thank you for being so kind to me, but I still have to leave here with my brother. I don't know why, but I always have this feeling that my brother is the closest person to me."
Chen Nan's heart skipped a beat; he grew increasingly confused. Was it that the divine jade was sentient and remembered every detail Yu Xin had recounted, or had Yu Xin returned to this world through the divine jade? The mystery was overwhelming! What had truly happened in Hundred Flowers Valley over the past ten thousand years? Who exactly was Xiao Chenxi? All of this was shrouded in mystery.
Princess Myna said indignantly, "What's so good about this guy? He seems so ordinary. Why does this little fairy have a soft spot for him?"
"Don't talk about your brother like that, he's a good person," Xiao Chenxi retorted.
"What's so good about him? He doesn't look like a good person at all," Princess Myna persisted, repeatedly trying to persuade him.
"Shut up, you chattering crow. If you keep making noise, I'll pluck all your feathers." Chen Nan couldn't stand it any longer and scolded the myna bird that kept flying around in front of him.
Princess Myna was furious after Chen Nan retorted, and she shouted loudly in the air, "Little fairy, did you see that? This guy's mouth is full of foul language, how could you be with him?"
Chen Nan knew the rules these monsters followed—they couldn't harm humans at will—so he felt no fear of the monsters before him. Therefore, he spoke to them without any politeness. Seeing the myna princess's incessant clamor, he shouted, "Everyone has the right to choose their own life! What right do you have to interfere? If you dare continue your bird talk, I'll have the dragon baby roast you!"
The little dragon strode forward in perfect unison, winked its big eyes at the myna princess in the air, and then waved its dragon claws. In the past few days, the little dragon had fought quite a few battles with the four demon leaders, and was slightly stronger, which gave the demons, who were unwilling to engage in major conflict, a real headache.
Princess Myna was furious to see the little dragon's swaggering manner and shrieked, "Don't think I'm afraid of you! I just don't want to fight you!" Although she said she wasn't afraid, she never dared to call the little dragon "big stupid bird" again. She discovered that every time she called the baby dragon that, it would enrage him and he would fight her endlessly.
The little dragon completely ignored its words, revealing a "dragon-like" expression, pursing its lips in disdain.
Little Chenxi was held in Chen Nan's arms. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her big eyes were like black gemstones. She looked at the four strange monsters in front of her, then at the little dragon with a defiant look on its face, and said, "Little Dragon, don't fight. Little Bird, Little Pig, don't stop your brother. I will come back to see you later."
Princess Myna, seeing that Little Dawn had already made up her mind and wouldn't stay, couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. She sighed softly, "Little fairy, you don't know how wicked the people who sell noodles are. Their minds are filled with dirty thoughts. In human society, many people will do anything for a little bit of profit. We're afraid you'll suffer, that's why we don't want you to leave the mountains."
Little Morning Glow smiled sweetly and said, "I'm not afraid, brother will protect me."
"Him? This guy is incredibly weak. How could he possibly protect you? If you don't believe me, let's test his abilities." The myna bird flapped its wings and flew around above Chen Nan's head, seemingly not taking him seriously at all.
Being so disrespected by a strange bird did indeed infuriate Chen Nan. Although it was a monster, it was still enough to make him furious. He placed the little Chenxi he was carrying on the back of the little dragon, quickly took the longbow from his back, and nocked a feathered arrow. He pulled the hard bow with both hands, the bowstring taut, and the arrow flew through the air.
Princess Myna seemed to completely disregard the arrow, ignoring its trajectory. Only when the feathered arrow was less than ten centimeters away did she sense something was amiss.
"Ah, a magic arrow!"
Indeed, the vice-dean gave Chen Nan a set of magically enhanced weapons, and this feathered arrow was an extremely powerful magical arrow. From the moment the arrow left the bowstring, it began to resonate with the magical elements in the air, and the magic power within it was fully activated. Although the myna princess had already sensed something was wrong, she didn't pay it any mind until the arrow got closer and closer, at which point she felt something was amiss.
The arrow, swift as lightning, struck Princess Myna squarely. The feathered arrow, imbued with powerful magic, shattered with a deafening boom, its immense magical energy instantly rippling through the air, shaking leaves from nearby trees. Chen Nan stood in front of the little dragon, blocking the aftershocks of the magical energy to prevent the scattered energy streams from harming Xiao Chenxi.
The powerful magical arrows did not harm the myna princess, but they did cause her glossy wings to flutter, making her look somewhat comical.
Chen Nan knew that although the magic arrows were incredibly powerful, they were far from enough to deal with this monster leader, whose strength was roughly equal to that of the little dragon. He quickly drew his bow and fired one magic arrow after another. Booming sounds echoed through the forest as the fired magic arrows exploded one after another, bursting into dazzling bursts of light in the air.
In fact, the magic arrows couldn't harm the myna princess at all. Only the first arrow, when she was careless and caught off guard, shattered her wings. The other feathered arrows, imbued with powerful magic, all shattered a few feet away from her.
The powerful magical energy unleashed by the magic arrows was completely blocked by the dark, luminous light emanating from Princess Myna, making it impossible for her to harm it in the slightest. Thousands of black rays of light emanated from her body, like a black sun hanging in the sky.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Nan's quiver was empty, and he stopped his futile attacks.
Princess Myna also withdrew her black light, angrily yelling in the air, "Ah, that damned bastard actually ambushed me! How awful! He even used a magic arrow!" She tried several times to swoop down and attack Chen Nan, but forcibly restrained herself, huffing, "If it weren't for ancestral rules, I would definitely tear you apart! Waaah... my beautiful coat! Waaah... you're utterly despicable!"
"You talkative crow, you yourself said you wanted to test my skills," Chen Nan teased.
"Damn it, how awful!" The myna princess flew around in the air, but after her feathers were all rumpled, she looked quite disheveled.
The wild boar spirit, the white rabbit spirit, and the sika deer spirit beside her looked on with schadenfreude, mocking the myna princess. Little Morning Dawn blinked her big eyes and said, "Brother, don't fight with the birds."
Chen Nan stroked her soft hair and said, "Sometimes some things are unavoidable. Like now, if you don't treat it like this, it will keep chattering and will take advantage of you, never stopping."
"Nonsense, I just wanted the little fairy to stay," Princess Myna retorted, unconvinced.
At this moment, the fat wild boar demon slowly walked over, bringing Chen Nan a heavy sense of oppression. It stretched out one of its front hooves, turned it upwards at an incredible angle, and patted its back, a move that left Chen Nan dumbfounded.
Although the myna princess was furious, she still didn't forget to translate. She said angrily, "It wants to test your skills. You can give it a good blow, and it will not fight back. It wants to see if you have the ability to protect the little fairy."
Chen Nan found it somewhat amusing that these monsters were acting like children. However, their words and actions clearly showed that they genuinely liked Xiao Chenxi. Since the wild boar demon had asked him to unleash his full power, he couldn't refuse and risk being underestimated. He decided to strike with all his might.
Three days ago, in Hundred Flowers Valley, Chen Nan's ordinary longsword had been shattered by an old monster lurking in the shadows. Now, he drew the magical longsword given to him by the vice-dean. The blade's light was not dazzling, even somewhat dim, no different from ordinary swords. But Chen Nan could clearly sense the powerful force contained within it. With a slight exertion of his strength, the magical power within the blade emanated from it, resonating with the magical elements in the air.
Chen Nan held the sword above his head with both hands, concentrating all his power into the blade. Raging golden flames emanated from his body, a dazzling golden light swirling around him, making him appear like a human torch. He poured immense power into the sword, causing the once dull blade to erupt with a chilling light, its brilliant blade aura piercing the air with a hissing sound.
Chen Nan held his long sword to the sky, its blade energy soaring upwards, a chilling killing intent filling the air. Powerful energy rippled outwards from him, creating waves of energy in the air.
The golden light emanating from the longsword grew brighter and more dazzling. Beyond the nearly one-meter-long blade stretched a blazing sword aura over ten feet long, the intangible sword energy transforming into tangible sword energy, and the golden light gradually showing signs of materializing.
The four demons were greatly surprised. Although their cultivation methods differed from humans, the essence of cultivation was the same. They sensed the powerful energy emanating from Chen Nan, never expecting his cultivation to be so profound.
In general, these demons are still immature. Although they are highly skilled, they are far inferior to human experts of the same level in many aspects. If a human expert had their level of cultivation, they would have already sensed Chen Nan's true strength.
The blade energy ultimately existed between tangible and intangible; the blade's edge, over ten feet long, became almost tangible, and its chilling aura caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.
"Slash!" Chen Nan shouted, his long sword falling straight down, the tangible sword energy like the scythe of death descending upon the wild boar demon.
At the same time, the magical power contained within the longsword erupted, its dazzling light blinding the eyes. The powerful magical energy and fierce sword aura were awe-inspiring, ravaging several large trees in front, sending leaves flying and branches creaking. Finally, the last few trees exploded under the violent and powerful shockwave, scattering debris into the air.
This was merely the result of the tangible sword energy and magical power surging forth, not even actually touching several large trees. A hint of fear flashed in the wild boar demon's eyes. Although its cultivation was incredibly formidable, if it stood still and took the blow head-on, it probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Just as the blazing, almost tangible blade of energy was about to strike the boar demon, it suddenly twisted, its not-so-large body expanding in an instant as if inflated. In that instant, the boar demon became much larger than an elephant, its two white tusks gleaming like giant swords. It turned its head, its two terrifying tusks swaying, to meet the descending, tangible blade of energy.
A solidified, dazzling blade of light, over ten feet long, slashed down on the wild boar's tusks with a resounding boom.
A deafening roar shook the entire forest. The dazzling blade of light clashed with the wild boar demon's menacing tusks, unleashing a burst of light as brilliant as the sun.
Intense energy fluctuations raged throughout the mountains and forests outside Hundred Flowers Valley, causing trees to sway wildly and leaves to flutter in the air. The scattered sword energy and magical power shattered the nearby mountains, leaving huge craters in the forest floor. Many large trees were broken, and the ground was littered with broken branches and fallen leaves.
Although the wild boar demon possessed astonishing cultivation, it was still shaken and swayed three times by this powerful attack. Chen Nan was sent flying by the force of the collision, gliding horizontally for five or six zhang before regaining his balance and landing on his back. The magic longsword was now completely shattered, leaving only the hilt in his hand.
It wasn't that Chen Nan's cultivation wasn't deep enough; it was simply that the wild boar demon's cultivation was too astonishing. If classified according to human cultivation levels, it had at least reached the fifth rank, and might even be close to the sixth. Although it was only passively defending and didn't launch a fierce counterattack, the powerful recoil was still something that ordinary experts couldn't withstand.
Chen Nan felt a surge of qi and blood, but fortunately he was not injured. Such a performance was enough to shock the demons. You must know that they were the leaders of the new generation of demons in Kunlun Mountain, and ordinary people would hardly be able to withstand a single blow from them.
Just as the sword energy and magical power began to rage, the dragon baby carried Xiao Chenxi into the air. At this moment, Xiao Chenxi was extremely anxious, waving her little hands in the air and saying, "Brother... are you alright?" When she saw Chen Nan being blasted away, she almost cried, and there were still a few tears in her eyes.
Chen Nan waved to her and said softly, "Chen Xi, don't worry, don't be afraid, your brother is alright."
The boar demon stopped expanding and its body began to shrink rapidly, returning to its original size. Chen Nan tossed aside the hilt of his sword and said to the boar demon, "Want to test my abilities again?"
It had originally agreed to remain motionless and let Chen Nan deliver a powerful blow, but at the last moment it suddenly changed its form and launched a proper counterattack. This made the wild boar spirit feel humiliated, and it grunted a few times, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
The myna princess, flying in the air, acted as a translator again, saying, "It has confirmed your ability to protect the little fairy's safety in the absence of a super powerful enemy."
Chen Nan knew that these demons genuinely cared about Xiao Chenxi's safety. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will never let Chenxi suffer the slightest grievance, let alone her safety. Now, can we leave?"
Princess Myna nodded helplessly, and the other three monsters stopped trying to stop her.
The baby dragon descended from the sky, and Chen Nan stepped forward to hold Xiao Chenxi in his arms. Xiao Chenxi hugged his neck tightly, a few glistening tears clinging to her long eyelashes. She said with lingering fear, "Brother... I was really worried!"
"Don't worry, Chenxi, your brother is alright," Chen Nan comforted her.
Princess Myna wanted Dawn to stay, but there was nothing she could do. She flew helplessly through the air, finally landing on the antlers of a deer. She sighed to the three demons, "Little fairy, you still have to leave with him. But the ancestor says his demonic seed is deeply ingrained, and one day he might become a murderous monster. Alas, why should little fairy stay with such a person?"
Chen Nan possessed keen senses and an exceptionally sensitive spiritual perception. Although Princess Ba Ge's words were barely audible, he still caught them. His heart skipped a beat. He recalled the words his father and mother had spoken years ago: "On the night Dongfang Xiaotian attacked, Chen Nan nearly suffered a qi deviation. The demonic seed has already taken deep root. The cultivation path he chooses to take may be completely different from mine..."
Now, similar words echoed in his ears again, and he couldn't help but be moved.
Little Dawn seemed to have heard something too. She tilted her head to look at Princess Myna, as if she wanted to say something, but then held back. Chen Nan's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Little Dawn's intuition to be so sharp.
Chen Nan lifted her onto the dragon baby's back, and just as he was about to stand up, he couldn't help but ask the myna princess, "Your cultivation is so profound, you can almost transform into human form, why haven't you gone to human society to gain experience?"
"Do you think we don't want to? If it weren't for the fear of that terrifying immortal..." It suddenly stopped talking.
Chen Nan was greatly surprised and asked, "What exactly are you hesitating about?"
Princess Mynah harbored resentment towards Chen Nan for taking Xiao Chenxi away. She huffed and said, "Hmph, there's no need to tell you. In short, if it weren't for certain restrictions, powerful demons would probably have appeared in human society long ago."
Chen Nan nodded; he finally understood. Even powerful demons who had achieved mastery of their cultivation were subject to restrictions and could not freely enter human society.
The little dragon carried Chen Nan and Xiao Chenxi into the sky. Xiao Chenxi waved her two snow-white hands down below, and her innocent but affectionate words came from the air: "Little bird, little pig, little rabbit, little deer, I will come back to visit you and Uncle. I will miss you..."
For nearly a thousand years, an ancient legend has circulated in Kunlun Mountain: a lost fairy is being nurtured among the celestial flowers in Hundred Flowers Valley, and this being is very likely to become the future king of the demon realm of Kunlun Mountain.
The four demons were filled with complex emotions. The legend had been shattered today. Their revered king of the demon realm had left with Chen Nan, leaving them utterly lost and filled with regret…
But their sense of loss paled in comparison to Chen Nan's. Looking down at the Hundred Flowers Valley receding into the distance, his heart ached with an overwhelming bitterness. It seemed that every detail from ten thousand years ago had vanished completely with the passing years. The names and figures of Yu Xin and Chen Xi lingered endlessly in his mind…
Looking back, it all seems like a dream; looking back, the past is like the wind. He silently waves to the ground below...
goodbye...
A new volume has begun, filled with bloodshed and carnage, while the shocking secret from ten thousand years ago begins to emerge.