(Part 1)

Seeing the three disappear, the Three-Headed Fire Dragon was about to chase them but suddenly felt a familiar aura sweep over. Fear that originated from the soul made it shudder. It stared at the spear that was already in front of it and stopped attacking. The huge body even receded a few meters.

“Who are you? Why is the Taicang Spear in your hands?”

A dumbfounded voice came from the air. With black and purple foul air in its mouth, the Three-Headed Fire Dragon stared at the weapon held by Qing Mu unblinkingly, with a hint of horror and disbelief.

Its life element was fire. It was also an ancient fierce beast. There were very few weapons and formations that could restrain it, but the Taicang Spear, which could restrain almost anything, had to appear. It was its natural nemesis. It was just that the Taicang Spear disappeared after True God Bai Jue fell. How could it appear in the hands of such a young immortal lord?

“I am Qing Mu. I inherited the Taicang Spear on Liaowang Mountain. We had no intention of disturbing Your Noble’s promotion. Please, let us leave.” Qing Mu rose into the air, staring at the hovering Three-Headed Fire Dragon not far away, and said solemnly.

“Nonsense, how could you inherit the Taicang Spear!” The Three-Headed Fire Dragon opened his mouths wide and sneered, then his eyes became fierce as he stared at the Taicang Spear, “You’re just lucky and picked up this Taicang Spear. Boy, I would be more lenient if the Taicang Spear was still in the hands of True God Bai Jue, but in the hands of a lower generation like you, it’s too ridiculous to think that you’re trying to stop me. After I swallow the Taicang Spear and you, my spiritual power will naturally increase greatly. When the time comes, my promotion to a god will just be around the corner. Even the Heavenly Emperor cannot do anything to me!”

The huge body of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon twisted and faced the deterrence of the Taicang Spear, rushing towards it. The big mouth opened and the reddish-purple dragon’s breath was spat out of its mouth, covering Qing Mu’s entire body.

Qing Mu’s face darkened, and his hand holding the Taicang Spear fiercely tightened. Crimson flames shot out of the top of the Taicang Spear and fought the fire dragon’s dragon breath. But it was obvious that although the power of the flame was more refined and pure, it couldn’t withstand the continuous burning of the dragon’s breath. The huge body of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon was getting closer and closer to Qing Mu, and he could even feel the strong stench from its mouth.

Qing Mu’s face paled, and tiny beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. His wrist holding the Taicang Spear was even cut by the dragon’s breath. Seeing Qing Mu, who was gradually losing his resistance, a touch of pride was drawn in the Three-Headed Fire Dragon’s eyes, and the huge dragon claws grabbed the black figure in front of it.

“Go die!”

At the moment the dragon claw was about to capture Qing Mu, the blood from his wound dripped into the black stone bracelet on his wrist and the Taicang Spear at the same time. Almost immediately, a powerful golden light shot out from the stone bracelet and the Taicang Spear and struck the dragon claw in front of his face.

The golden light passed through the dragon’s claw and shot straight into one of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon’s heads. The dragon’s head instantly turned into flying ash, leaving no trace.

Qing Mu stared at the stone bracelet on his wrist in shock. He suddenly felt a rush of pain in his mind, and his complexion was instantly pale. Seeing that the Three-Headed Fire Dragon hadn’t had any time to react, he quickly put away the Taicang Spear, moved his body, and instantly disappeared from the peach forest.

At the same time, Hou Chi, who was outside the gray mist, also felt a scorching heat flowing through her stone bracelet. The imprint on it seemed clearer.

Almost at the moment, Qing Mu disappeared, the huge body of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon tumbled in the air, and it howled in anger, “You dared to destroy one of my heads. Qing Mu, we shall not share the same world!” [1]

Outside Yuanling Swamp, the three people who were about to re-enter saw Qing Mu coming out with the spear. Their expressions were delighted, and they quickly left on a cloud.

An hour later, they were finally thousands of kilometers away from Yuanling Swamp. Hou Chi looked at the pale Qing Mu, tightened her hands, and said nothing

Seeing Hou Chi’s cold expression, Qing Mu walked to her side and brushed her hair. He smiled and said, “Hou Chi, don’t worry, I’m fine.” He held Hou Chi’s tightened hands and slowly stretched them out. Seeing the deep and shallow marks on the white and tender palm, a streak of distress flashes across his eyes. Then he squeezed slowly, patted Hou Chi’s stiff body, and gently embraced her, “Hou Chi, I’m fine.”

After a while, Hou Chi buried herself into Qing Mu’s shoulder, and her voice was muffled, “I’m useless.”

Qing Mu shook his head. He felt a burning tingling sensation coming from his forehead, clenched his teeth, and calmed his breathing before saying, “No, Hou Chi, this has nothing to do with you.”

Seeing Hou Chi’s cold expression, Feng Ran rubbed her nose. Knowing that it wasn’t the best idea to provoke this little god, she sighed and stood aside. Seeing Qing Mu and Hou Chi’s interactions, his eyes held some understanding. When he saw Feng Ran’s bitter face, he planned to calm the atmosphere, “Lord Feng Ran, thank you for your help in the peach forest just now.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Feng Ran glanced at him coldly, and a sneer flashed across her eyes, “Doesn’t Second Highness know that I was raised by the Thousand-Year-Old Demon Tree? The formation in the peach forest was left by him. If you want to thank someone, then thank him. It doesn’t have much to do with me.”

“Then that old demon lord…”

Jing Jian was taken aback by Feng Ran’s icy eyes. The Thousand-Year-Old Tree Demon of Yuanling Swamp…Feng Ran’s cultivating place…and that peach forest. He seemed to have thought of something, and the slight joy in his heart completely changed to ice.

“It seemed like Second Highness has remembered. Ten thousand years ago, the Immortal and Demon Realms started the battle in Yuanling Swamp. The person you should thank has already died in your older brother’s hands.”

The harsh words entered Jing Jian’s ears. Seeing the hatred and disgust in Feng Ran’s eyes, he took a long breath. His already pale face turned even whiter, and his hand extended towards Feng Ran hung weakly, a trace of sadness crossing his eyes.

You don’t know how long I’ve looked for you…Feng Ran.

[1] “We shall not share the same world” – Not willing to co-exist with someone else in the same place/world. Used to express deep hatred towards someone or something

(Part 2)

I’ve walked into Yuanling Swamp countless times these ten thousand years, and even this time is not an exception, but you don’t know that you were the girl who saved me back then.

Ten thousand years ago, he was young and vigorous. He entered Yuanling Swamp to practice. After a big battle with a demon beast, he was seriously injured and passed out in the peach forest. It was a girl who had saved him. The girl wasn’t very old, and one could tell that she was a very young demon beast at first glance. But she was very domineering, and her pair of phoenix eyes were particularly clever. For some reason, he couldn’t see through her original form. When he woke up, he had already been thrown out of the gray mist of Yuanling Swamp.

Because he was seriously injured, it took him hundreds of years to slowly recover, so he missed that immortal-demon war. Unfortunately, when he went back to Yuanling Swamp to find that girl, she was nowhere to be found.

The dimness in his eyes completely covered up, Jing Jian retracted his outstretched hand and tensed up quietly, but his face regained his consistent warmth and calmness, “Feng Ran, I am willing to bear my older brother’s fault.”

“Bear it? The old guy is dead, and he can’t even enter the road of reincarnation. Jing Jian, how will you bear it?” Feng Ran’s gaze coldly swept across Jing Jian, but she was taken aback by the seriousness in his eyes, a strange feeling rising in her heart. This guy didn’t seem to be joking…But how does it matter? She turned her head angrily, just in time to see the crimson color in the middle of Qing Mu’s forehead.

“Qing Mu, what’s wrong with you?”

Hearing Feng Ran’s voice, Hou Chi’s heart shuddered, and she quickly broke free from Qing Mu’s arms. She looked at his face. Tiny blood veins emerged from Qing Mu’s forehead and gradually spread across his body. Qing Mu pressed his lips tightly, and dense and cold sweat came out from the corners of his eyebrows.

“The Three-Headed Fire Dragon already has the body of a demigod. Its dragon breath is too overpowering, and has invaded Qing Mu’s body.” Jing Jian hurriedly walked over and said this after he used his spiritual power to check Qing Mu’s body.

“Hou Chi, don’t worry.” Qing Mu forcibly smiled and soothingly patted Hou Chi, whose expression drastically changed.

“It’s not serious. I have an elixir left by God Father…” Hou Chi hurriedly untied the Qiankun [1] bag pinned to her waist and began to search for it.

“Goddess, it’s useless. The Three-Headed Fire Dragon is an ancient fierce beast. Its dragon breath is too overpowering and will gradually dissipate Qing Mu’s immortal power, and finally, his spiritual roots will be destroyed. Heavenly Father said that there is no immortal medicine that can help.”

Hou Chi’s hand that was searching for the immortal medicine stopped, and she suddenly raised her head to look at Qing Mu. The red line on his forehead had already spread to his neck, and his dark pupils were also stained with a crimson color.

“Who can save him?” Hou Chi turned her head and stared at Jing Jian unblinkingly, with a cold expression.

As if he was frozen by the ice in Hou Chi’s eyes, Jing Jian paused before saying, “Although the Three-Headed Fire Dragon’s dragon breath is powerful, it is only a demigod. If a stronger dragon vein power is used on him, it can be melted away.”

All three of them were stunned. A stronger dragon power! The Three-Headed Fire Dragon already had the body of a demigod. The only people in this world stronger than it were the five-clawed golden dragon Heavenly Emperor and the ancient scaled dragon God Gu Jun. God Gu Jun’s whereabouts were unknown, so the only person who could save him was…The Heavenly Emperor!

But the dragon vein power was the original source of a dragon, so how could the Heavenly Emperor easily agree? Even if Jing Jian asked him, he probably wouldn’t be able to succeed.

“Let’s go back to Liaowang Mountain.” Without even thinking, Qing Mu grabbed Hou Chi’s hand and said to Feng Ran with a frown.

Her hand was held tightly. A hot breath penetrated into his bones little by little, and the scarlet line of blood was cold and terrible. Hou Chi closed her eyes, then opened them, and fixedly looked at Qing Mu, “No, we’re going to the Heavenly Palace.”

“Hou Chi…” Feng Ran suddenly stood up and stared at Hou Chi’s straight figure in disbelief. After they left Qingchi Palace, even though it was too difficult to find Bo Xuan, Hou Chi had never had the idea of going to the Heavenly Emperor and Empress for help.

“No, Hou Chi, you can’t go to the Heavenly Palace.” Qing Mu’s face was pale, but his expression was extremely firm, “No matter what, you can’t plead to the Heavenly Emperor for me, absolutely not.”

“Even if my spiritual veins are completely destroyed and I am reduced to a mortal, you definitely can’t go to the Heavenly Palace.”

Hou Chi looked at Qing Mu and said nothing. The atmosphere became cold for a while as the immortal cloud floated in the sky. Feng Ran stood to the side, frowning, while Jing Jian stood beside her and sighed. If Qing Mu insisted on not going to the Heavenly Palace, there was no way to save him. With the power of the Three-Headed Fire Dragon’s dragon breath, his spiritual veins will be destroyed in a month at the most, and he won’t be any different from a mortal.

“My God Father once said that both can’t be obtained, then I must choose the most important thing. Qing Mu, I must go to the Heavenly Palace.”

A bust of strong spiritual power suddenly burst out from Hou Chi’s stone bracelet, which completely wrapped Qing Mu in it. Qing Mu closed his eyes, and only had time to see Hou Chi’s extremely determined expression.

“Hou Chi…” Feng Ran’s expression changed, and her voice was close to nothing, “You can use the stone bracelet’s power now?”

Even if Qing Mu was injured, it seemed way too easy to stop him. Wasn’t this stone bracelet too strange?

“Just now, I was able to gather spiritual power outside of Yuanling Swamp.” Hou Chi set Qing Mu down, turned around, and cold words came out of her mouth, “Feng Ran, we’re going to the Heavenly Palace. Even if we have to rely on external forces, I have to give it a try.”

As Hou Chi spoke, Feng Ran was stunned to see ink-colored spiritual power flowing from the stone bracelet into Hou Chi’s body. Almost instantly, the cyan robe on her body turned into a simple purple robe. Opening and fusing together, flaming red peach blossoms spread from her waist to the edge of the robe. Her long hair was scattered with a green hairpin in a diagonal direction keeping it in place. Black and gold-pattern boots were under her feet, and she looked mysterious and solemn.

The her right now was no different from her on Da’ze mountain, as if she had completely changed in an instant.

“Hou Chi.” Feng Ran murmured, and her outstretched hand slowly retracted. Standing behind the purple figure, she felt a trace of surprise.

Looking at Hou Chi like this, Jing Jian’s pale face held a strange look, and his eyes held disbelief and helplessness.

If this Hou Chi appeared in front of his Heavenly Mother…would she regret that she missed the years of her growing up?

[1] Qian Kun – Two characters in the Chinese classic text, I Ching, representing Heaven and Earth