In another luxurious inn in the capital of Chu, a young man of unparalleled beauty, as handsome as Pan An and as charming as Song Yu, was drinking with a handsome young man whose face was unusually cold.
The stunningly handsome man, whose looks rivaled those of Pan An, raised his cup in acknowledgment, then bowed his head and drank a cup of wine, saying, "Brother Qi Teng, you should have arrived at the Chu royal palace that day, right? What did you think of that young man who could draw Hou Yi's bow?"
The young man called Qi Teng had a face as cold as ice that never melts, and said coldly, "You mean Chen Nan? Nothing special, just a name without substance."
The stunningly handsome young man laughed and said, "Brother Qi, you underestimate him. He made another breakthrough a few days ago, and his cultivation level is enough to rank him among the top ten experts in the Eastern Continent. He is definitely not below you or me."
"Oh." Qi Teng's eyes flashed with cold light as he said chillingly, "I was just looking for him to avenge my senior brother from Hun Tian Dao. Nangong Yin, you wouldn't be thinking of making a move too, would you?"
The stunningly handsome young man known as Nangong Yin is Nangong Xian'er's elder brother. He bears a striking resemblance to Nangong Xian'er, and it would be difficult to find a man as handsome as him in the world.
"Hehe, Brother Qi, don't be in such a hurry to duel Chen Nan. That Hun Tian Little Demon King is no pushover. If you defeat Chen Nan before him, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Hun Tian Dao? The battle between us in the Six Paths can't be rushed. There's no need to start off on bad terms and make the righteous holy land laugh at us."
Qi Teng nodded and said, "Brother Nangong is right. I was too rash."
Nangong Yin smiled and said, "I've heard that the disciples of the Righteous Path Holy Land in this generation are all outstanding individuals. It's really not good for us, the Six Paths disciples, to fight amongst ourselves. We should unite closely. Fortunately, the disciples of the Six Paths in this generation are all extraordinary. In particular, the Heartless Path has produced a talent like Brother Qi, who has mastered the secret techniques of his sect. The Heartless Path will surely be carried forward and flourish in Brother Qi's hands."
The Art of Heartlessness requires severing the seven emotions and extinguishing the six desires, so those who cultivate this art appear cold and aloof, with little emotional fluctuation. Hearing Nangong Yin's flattery, Qi Teng's expression only softened slightly; he truly remained as unyielding as ice.
"Brother Nangong, you flatter me. The elders in my sect passed away early, and we juniors had to figure things out on our own. I have only just begun to master the Heartless Curse, and I still cannot fully comprehend the supreme techniques within it!"
Nangong Yin was moved and said, "The Heartless Body has already been initially formed? Congratulations, Brother Qi. You are probably almost invincible among the younger generation."
Qi Teng shook his head without speaking, and after pondering for a while, he said, "The Mischievous Little Demon King was once known as almost invincible among the younger generation, but what happened? In his very first battle after being born, he defeated the Zhenpai Divine Halberd and almost lost his life. It's hard to predict anything!"
Nangong Yin smiled and said, "He's an unlucky guy. He's had a lot of bad luck. He was arrogant and then encountered a special situation. In the end, it was like trying to climb to the sky to turn things around."
Qi Teng stared intently at Nangong Yin and said, "If we're talking about the strongest, I'm afraid it has to be your Path of Passion. It's truly astonishing that two experts qualified to be among the 'Top Ten' have emerged in this generation! The fairy of the Tantai Holy Land is probably in trouble, hehe..." Although he was laughing, his face was extremely cold, and his laughter was particularly chilling.
Nangong Yin smiled slightly and said, "I am determined to have Meng Ke'er. Speaking of my younger sister, I have to say a few words. Xian'er is indeed a genius! Hehe. By the way, my younger sister once asked me to invite Brother Qi for a small gathering. I wonder if Brother Qi would be willing?"
Qi Teng nodded and said, "I couldn't ask for more."
Chen Nan returned to the Chu Kingdom's palace and immediately went to visit Long Wu. She was now in good health and could walk without assistance.
At this moment, Long Wu was sitting by the fireplace, casually flipping through a book. Meanwhile, the rogue Long lay lazily on her embroidered couch, dozing off repeatedly.
This creature consumed half of the Angel's Heart, reaping enormous benefits. After several days of refining, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon had almost completely transformed the vast angelic essence into dragon essence. Now, its dragon body had grown considerably thicker and longer, and if it stood upright, it would be even taller than Chen Nan. Its cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the fourth rank.
However, this creature was greedy. For several days, it refined the Angel's Heart while searching for the palace's medicine storehouse. It eventually found it, but the defenses there were too tight, and it never had a chance to make a move.
Pizi Long yawned repeatedly and said, "Sister Wu, your body has just recovered a bit. Don't read books anymore; it's too mentally and physically exhausting. Why don't you chat with me? We can talk about romance, feelings, and the ideals of dragon life."
"Pah, you shameless dragon, go to hell!" Long Wu was both angry and amused, throwing the book at the rogue dragon.
"Ugh, Sister Wu, how could you treat me like this?" The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon lazily lay on the bed, jokingly saying, "Look how destined we are! I am a divine dragon, and your name also contains the character for dragon. Or perhaps, my divine dragon blood flows in your veins, and the half of the angel's heart you ate was something I obtained first... Ouch! How could you be so violent? Ah, it's you, you damned brat! What are you doing? Let me go!"
Chen Nan's face was full of smiles, but his hands were not idle. He used the purple-gold dragon as a long rope, quickly tied a knot, and then used the Dragon-Capturing Hand to send it out of the window.
Long Wu watched all this quietly with a smile on her face until the purple-gold dragon got up from the snow. Only then did she wave to it with a grin.
The rogue dragon huffed and said, "Hmph, I can't be bothered with you. I'm going to go talk to that little girl Phoenix about her dragon dreams!"
"Long Wu, you've almost recovered, haven't you?"
"Hmm, much better."
"Now that you've consumed half of the Angel's Heart, a vast power has gathered within you. If you refine it, you'll surely become one of the top ten experts in the Eastern Continent. I know that for some reason, you've never been willing to put in the hard work to cultivate in the past. But now you should start a new life. With your talent, if you want to stand out, entering the top ten will be a piece of cake. I hope you forget everything from the past. Of course, never forget me..."
"Go to hell!" Long Wu punched him hard, rolled her eyes at him and said, "I was just about to thank you, but I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful again."
Chen Nan laughed and said, "Actually, the last sentence is the key point!"
Long Wu punched him a few more times, then walked to the window, looked at the snowflakes fluttering outside, and said, "I'm leaving Chu Du in two days. My father is going to send someone to pick me up and take me home."
Go home?" Chen Nan was taken aback, then said, "You should go home, but don't forget your old friends."
"No, it won't..."
"I mean you must remember me, anyway..."
"Bang"
Before Chen Nan could finish speaking, Long Wu punched him again.
"You deserve a beating, you're never serious."
"Uh, I was just worried you'd be sad about the separation. Besides, I'm telling the truth. Long Wu, go back and calm down, forget about the unpleasant things from before. You can't get married, but if you do get married, you must let me know. I owe you a life, and I can only repay you with my body for this lifetime. If one day you resolve your inner conflict, just let me know in the cultivation world, and even if I'm thousands of miles away, I'll ride a dragon to the Long family in Jin Kingdom. Ouch, don't hit me, I'm telling the truth..."
"You really are..." Long Wu stared silently at the snowflakes fluttering outside the window for a long time without saying a word...
Two days later, the old steward of the Long family arrived in Chu Capital on a flying dragon to take Long Wu home. In the square of Pingyang City, many young people came to see her off, and Long Wu bid farewell to each of them, wishing them well.
Sitting atop the flying dragon, Long Wu looked down at Chu Yue, the little princess, Kelly, Meng Ke'er, and the young masters from the four academies—Dongfang Fenghuang, Kevin, and Leng Feng. Her eyes welled up with tears. The world was vast, and with this parting, some people might never see each other again in their entire lives.
Chen Nan rode on a purple-gold dragon, wielding a halberd, and disregarded the astonishment of the people of Chu. He flew straight into the sky, watching the dragon dance gradually disappear into the distance.
Suddenly, the purple-gold dragon roared, its voice carrying for miles, and surprisingly, it sounded somewhat like Chen Nan's: "Awoo... Your hair, as white as snow, is a poignant farewell. I burn in despair, but who has been moved? I invite the bright moon to illuminate our memories, and love is perfect under the moonlight. Your hair, as white as snow, brings tears to my eyes, and I wait, but who has grown old? In the drunken years of this mortal world, I carve a monument of unwavering love for you, a monument to loving you forever. Awoo... If you must marry, marry me... Awoo..."
From a distance, Long Wu was seen waving her arms vigorously, as if she were shouting something.
It wasn't until Long Wu disappeared into the horizon that Chen Nan came to his senses. He looked down and saw countless people pointing and whispering at him.
"Ah..." Chen Nan yelled to the sky, "Damn mudskipper, the people down below think I'm howling like a wolf, get down here now!"
Chu Yue, Kelly, Leng Feng, the little princess, and others burst into laughter, while the other ordinary people discussed among themselves.
Half a month after the outbreak of the great battle in the Chu royal palace, the number of cultivators who had gathered in the Chu capital had not only not retreated, but was still increasing. Many experts were searching for the whereabouts of the invincible master, while waiting for news of who would ultimately acquire the divine artifact.
Two days later, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the capital: the Little Demon King of the Hun Tian Dao, one of the six ancient evil sects, challenged Chen Nan to a duel at the central square of Chu Du.