All members of the Dragon Clan surrounded Yang Xiao to take a proper look at the newly born clansman. It had to be said that he was truly adorable. His skin was fair, his figure was chubby, and all his limbs appeared just a bit bloated. His big eyes and long eyelashes also made him look likeable.
About seven to eight pairs of hands were touching the young boy at once as they were trying to feel the newly born aura. Yang Xiao flashed a broad smile at all the clansmen, which made them adore him even more.
Even Zhu Qing appeared overjoyed as if she was eager to give birth to a child herself.
“Alright. Alright,” Zhu Yan was so elated that he couldn’t stop smiling, but seeing Yang Xiao being molested by so many clansmen, he felt sorry for the boy, which was why he stepped forward to stop them, “It’s wonderful news that a new clansman has been born, so we should celebrate. It’s been a long time since we last had a new clansman. Go back now and get prepared. We’ll come together soon to hold a banquet.”
Zhu Kong nodded, “Great Elder is correct. We should celebrate this joyous event properly.”
Since Zhu Yan had said so, all the others stepped away from Yang Xiao, which allowed the boy to heave a sigh of relief.
Fu Zhun looked softly at him and asked with a smile, “Let’s go home.”
However, Yang Xiao appeared hesitant as he turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquisitive gaze. It was as though he wouldn’t leave with Fu Zhun if Yang Kai didn’t agree to it.
Seeing that, Zhu Yan felt sorrowful as it seemed that Yang Kai was more important than them in the boy’s heart. Although it was Yang Kai who hatched him, they were the ones that were related to him by blood. [Does it have something to do with the Ancestral Dragon Source?]
Fu Zhun turned to look at Yang Kai as well, but the coldness and steadfastness in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a look of pleading.
Yang Kai simply grinned and waved his hand, “Go now. You have to listen to your mother.”
Yang Xiao replied respectfully, “En, I’ll be obedient.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were both heartbroken and gratified. They were heartbroken because Yang Xiao seemed to only listen to Yang Kai. On the other hand, they were gratified because their child was obedient.
After taking Yang Xiao’s hand, Fu Zhun nodded gently at Yang Kai. Then, she turned around and headed towards Snowy Island. Zhu Yan bowed his head at Yang Kai with a grateful expression before he hurriedly raced after them.
The others slowly left as well, but they sported an awkward expression when they gazed at Yang Kai; after all, it was an inconceivable idea that he had managed to hatch a Dragon Egg, which had lost all its vitality.
Soon, only Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Qiong Qi were left on the island.
“Are you reluctant to part with him?” Zhu Qing suddenly gazed at Yang Kai and asked.
Yang Kai retracted his gaze and snorted, “He’s not my kid, so why would I be reluctant to part with him?”
Zhu Qing pressed her lips together and took his hand, “Let’s go back now and think about what we should gift him.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was startled.
With a smile, Zhu Qing explained, “Didn’t you hear Great Elder declare we would celebrate this occasion? That child will be the star on that day, so as his Seniors, we naturally have to prepare some gifts.”
Understanding what she meant, Yang Kai nodded, “You’re right. What should we give him?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I think that the Dragon Blood Pills you’ve refined would be excellent gifts. That boy has just been born, so his priority right now will be to improve his Dragon Vein.”
She paused for a moment, “But it’s you who gave me those pills.”
“You can give them to him as you please. I’ll just make more pills for you. Those pills aren’t anything rare anyway.”
[Not rare?] Zhu Qing was lost for words. On Dragon Island, every Dragon Blood Flower was extremely precious, let alone Dragon Blood Pills. However, she soon recalled that Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist, and he had two Wood Spirits tending to his personal medicine garden, so Dragon Blood Pills really might be common items in his eyes.
Speaking no further, all three headed to Half Moon Island at full speed.
Although Yang Kai had been muddle-headed during the hatching process, he had actually expended a lot of energy. He just couldn’t feel it at the time. Earlier, he wasn’t aware of it, but after he returned to Half Moon Island and fell into bed with Zhu Qing, he was engulfed in a sense of exhaustion immediately and fell asleep for the next few days.
Some days later, while he was in a groggy state, he felt a ticklish sensation on his nose, as if something was brushing against his face gently.
Absent-mindedly, he reached out and grabbed the person’s wrist before pulling her into his embrace, muttering under his breath, “Stop being naughty.”
A tender body remained unmoving in his embrace as she breathed heavily into his chest. Yang Kai closed his eyes and changed into a different position, hugging the woman in his embrace with one hand as he slid his other hand down her waist, reaching for her bottom.
As he stroked the half-moon gently, he couldn’t help but frown slightly because something felt off about the feedback he was getting.
Although he felt an amazingly elastic and plump sensation on his finger, the shape and size were all wrong, making him aware that the woman in his embrace wasn’t Zhu Qing. Furthermore, the fragrance that exuded from this woman’s hair was also different.
At that instant, Yang Kai woke in shock as his forehead was covered with beads of cold sweat. At the same time, a horrifying idea sprang into his mind. [Did I… make some kind of terrible mistake?]
Before he could understand what was going on, he heard footsteps approaching from outside along with Zhu Qing’s voice, “Your father has been asleep for a few days… Ah! You…”
Outside the room, Zhu Qing stared dazedly at the sight on the bed with widened eyes.
On the bed, Yang Kai was lying on his side while Mo Xiao Qi was tucked into his embrace. His big hand was even currently stroking her bottom.
Beside Zhu Qing, Yang Xiao batted his eyes and stared fixedly forward. With his lips curving into a grin, he darted his gaze between the duo on the bed as if he was happy with what he was seeing.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing quickly covered his eyes and dragged him away.
Yang Xiao shouted, “I can’t see! I can’t see! Why are you covering my eyes?”
Ignoring him, Zhu Qing lugged him out of the bedroom before she stomped her feet and said through clenched teeth, “How inappropriate!”
She had managed to stop all her Fellow Sisters from approaching her husband, but she had never expected to see Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi in the same bed instead.
After blowing her top for a moment, Zhu Qing turned to look at Yang Xiao, only to see that he was tiptoeing and trying to peek into the bedroom, as though he was curious about what was going on.
Seeing this, her face fell as she said in exasperation, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing. I saw nothing!” Yang Xiao placed his hands behind his back and lowered his head to whistle as he kicked away the stones on the ground.
The corner of Zhu Qing’s brow twitched as her expression turned weird. [Is he really the child of Great Elder and Second Elder? There are no similarities between him and them at all; instead, he looks like a younger version of Yang Kai. So adept at spouting nonsense with a straight face.]
Straightening her face, Zhu Qing said, “Remember, you saw nothing just now.”
Yang Xiao nodded his head repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, “I saw nothing.”
Meanwhile in the bedroom, after being woken up by Zhu Qing and Yang Xiao, Mo Xiao Qi jumped out of Yang Kai’s embrace like a frightened rabbit.
Yang Kai slowly straightened up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. Seeing the girl in front of him, he was torn between tears and laughter, “It’s you, Xiao Qi…”
It was truly a tragedy. He hadn’t expected that Mo Xiao Qi would come over to visit him at this hour. Instead, he thought that it was Zhu Qing, so without giving it a thought, he had begun exploring her body without holding back.
If he knew it was Mo Xiao Qi, he naturally wouldn’t have done so.
A flushing Mo Xiao Qi felt her face burning. Her butt, which was stroked by Yang Kai just now, felt scorching hot. With her head hanging low, she did not dare to look at Yang Kai and simply remained silent for a moment before all of a sudden stomping and shouting, “Big Brother Yang is such a bad bad baddy!”
Upon finishing her words, she dashed out of the bedroom and almost crashed into Zhu Qing.
“Qing… Elder Sister, Big Brother Yang is awake. I’ll take my leave now!” A flustered Mo Xiao Qi wasn’t even sure about the right direction as she just leaped into the air and disappeared.
“Be careful…” Zhu Qing exclaimed as she watched her leave, worried that the young girl would accidentally fall.
“Hmm?” An amazed Yang Xiao muttered as he looked in the direction Mo Xiao Qi left. Then, he shifted his attention to Zhu Qing and giggled.
“What are you laughing at?” Zhu Qing questioned with a long face as she stared at the young kid’s cheeky smile.
“Mother, you’re pretty magnanimous,” Yang Xiao replied smilingly.
A blush appeared on Zhu Qing’s cheeks as she refuted, “Who are you calling mother?”
Yang Xiao said matter-of-factly, “You are father’s wife, so I have to call you mother; otherwise, it would be regarded as disrespectful.”
“Just who taught you all of this?” Zhu Qing was stunned. It had only been a few days since the boy was born, but he already seemed to know quite a lot, including many useless things. After getting called ‘mother’, she felt somewhat awkward and joyful all at once, but at the same time, she wasn’t used to it. She hadn’t even given birth to a child, but now a young boy was calling her ‘mother’.
“Nobody taught me anything, I just know it somehow.”
Zhu Qing wasn’t willing to harp on this issue as she said solemnly, “You mustn’t tell anyone what you just saw.”
An astonished Yang Xiao asked, “What happened?”
He batted his eyes and appeared puzzled.
“En, clever boy!” Zhu Qing patted his head.
Yang Xiao moved his head away and pouted, “Why do all of you love to touch me like this? It’s disrespectful.”
An amused Zhu Qing asked, “Who else touches you like this?”
Yang Xiao grunted without replying to her. Without the need to think about it, Zhu Qing was certain that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun had done the same thing to him many times.
“A little kid like you should stand firmly on the ground when the adults rub your head. Blame yourself for being born short.” After Yang Kai finished speaking, Zhu Qing and Yang Xiao shifted their attention to him, only to see him waltz out of the room confidently and majestically. Admiration was written all over Yang Xiao’s face when he saw that.
On the other hand, Zhu Qing shot Yang Kai a glare.
Immediately feeling guilty, Yang Kai coughed and rubbed his nose.
Yang Xiao cupped his fists and said, “Xiao’er greets father.”
He appeared polite and well-mannered, then he suddenly changed the topic, “En, what father says is correct. I’ll remember it.”
“What will you remember?” Yang Kai stared at him with his sharp gaze.
Yang Xiao balled up his fists, “I want to grow to be taller than everyone else, so I can look down at everything in the world. In the future, if I’m displeased with anyone, I can pinch his head and make it explode. Father, that’s what you meant, right?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched but he still nodded, “You’re truly ambitious.”
An exasperated Zhu Qing snapped, “How can you teach a child such nonsense?”
Yang Kai quickly shrunk back as he muttered, “I’ve never had a kid before, so how would I know what to teach him?”
Zhu Qing snorted, “If we ever have a child together, I’ll never let you teach them.”
Yang Kai stared at her with widened eyes, “Nonsense! I have to teach my own children.”
A disdainful Zhu Qing said, “Look what you’ve just done. How can I believe that you’ll be able to teach our children how to act properly?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “The world is full of devious people, so how can a sheltered child face the challenges out there? Haven’t you heard of the saying that a loving Mother makes a wastrel?”
Zhu Qing shot him a glance, “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Yang Kai looked up at the sky, “Nothing.”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze between the couple with narrowed eyes as he seemed to enjoy this kind of atmosphere.
Seeing that, Yang Kai directly punched the boy’s head, “What are you grinning about?”
An aggrieved Yang Xiao looked up at Zhu Qing and called out, “Mother, Father hit me again!”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Qing was instantly filled with motherly love as she pulled Yang Xiao towards her and glared at Yang Kai, “Why do you have to hit him every time you speak to him?”
Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly, “En, en, that’s right.”
Yang Kai pointed at her and said, “See? Remember what I just said? This is what I mean when I say a loving Mother makes a wastrel! Women tend to dote on their children far too much, creating problematic characters in the future.”
An enraged Zhu Qing refuted, “It’s better than an abusive father who only teaches his child how to use violence.”
After they glared at each other for a while, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter. They had started arguing about how to educate their children before they even had one. What would the situation be like if they actually had a child in the future?
With the same thought in mind, Zhu Qing started giggling as well.
“By the way, why was Xiao Qi here?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
At that instant, Zhu Qing stared at him with a weird gaze, “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Yang Kai immediately lifted his hand to slap his face. [Are you stupid or what? Why did you have to mention that all of a sudden?]
Zhu Qing sighed and said, “Some time ago, after you were done with nurturing the Dragon Blood Flowers, you left Dragon Island without informing Little Sister Xiao Qi. After she found out about it, she was quite frustrated. Then, when she learned that you were still on Dragon Island, she decided to come over to settle the score with you; however, before she could do that, it seems she suffered a big loss at your hands.”
Yang Kai coughed, “Ahem, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Yang Xiao chimed in, “Is she Aunty Xuan’s daughter?”
“That’s right.” Zhu Qing nodded and looked at him in surprise, “You know her? Have your parents told you about her?”
“No,” Yang Xiao shook his head and fell into his thoughts, then he put on a smirk, “I just know, but I’m not even sure how I learned about it.”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances as they realised that Yang Xiao must have inherited something from Yang Kai during the hatching process; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known so many things, nor would his temperament be so similar to that of Yang Kai.
“By the way, why are you here? Where are your parents?” Yang Kai stared at the boy and asked.
“My parents are on their own Spirit Islands. I was bored, which is why I decided to come here.” As Yang Xiao spoke, he felt a chill running down his spine as he appeared meek, “My mother is too passionate. I can’t take it anymore.”
Yang Kai’s face fell, “Don’t ever say that in front of her; otherwise, she’ll be heartbroken.”
Yang Xiao replied, “I know… I’m just not used to it. Also, I don’t even know why I feel a little repulsed by her…”
Yang Kai’s chest clenched slightly when he heard that. There was no son in the world who would naturally feel repulsed by his own mother, so the only answer was that it had something to do with Yang Kai. During the hatching process, Yang Xiao had inherited a lot of things from him, which was why their temperaments were so similar. The boy must have also been affected by Yang Kai’s mentality, which was why he was somewhat reluctant to get close to Fu Zhun.
Yang Kai was resentful of Fu Zhun, so that impression might have passed on to Yang Xiao, who was still a Dragon Egg at the time, which caused him to feel repulsed by Fu Zhun after he was born.
“But at the same time, I love her and feel comfortable with her.” Yang Xiao appeared perplexed as he gazed at Yang Kai, “Father, can you tell me why?”
Certainly, Yang Xiao was fond of Fu Zhun because they were related by blood. The repulsion he felt must be due to some external forces. Yang Kai was too embarrassed to explain it to him, so he just said, “Just spend more time with her and you’ll get used to it.”
Yang Xiao nodded, “En.”
A smiling Yang Kai patted the young kid’s head, “I’m glad that you still call me father; however, you have your own parents, so it’s inappropriate that you keep calling me that.”
A shocked Yang Xiao questioned, “Father, don’t you acknowledge me as your son anymore?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s not true; however, the titles father and mother are sacred and unique. You are the child of the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder and Second Elder, so I cannot snatch that position from them. If I have a child of my own one day, I wouldn’t want them to call another man father either.”
“Is that the case?” Yang Xiao appeared perplexed, “I’m still young, so I don’t quite understand.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Of course you don’t. It’d be strange if you actually understood.”
Yang Xiao said, “Since you’ve said so, I’ll call you in a different way.”
Yang Kai looked curiously at him, “What do you want to call me then?”
After giving it a serious thought, Yang Xiao cupped his fists and saluted them respectfully, “Xiao’er greets Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother.”
He looked joyfully at Yang Kai, “It should be alright now, right?”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances, then he pulled Yang Xiao towards himself and forcefully stroked his head, “You’re quite clever!”
Yang Xiao said through clenched teeth, “I’ve indeed acknowledged you to be my Adoptive Father; however, if you keep doing this, I’ll…”
“What will you do?” Unperturbed, Yang Kai directly messed up the young kid’s hair.
After struggling out of Yang Kai’s grip, Yang Xiao tidied his hair and shot him a disgruntled look, “Adoptive Father, you’re so unreasonable.”
Yang Kai laughed, “This is the first lesson Adoptive Father will teach you. In this world, strength determines how much say you have. Since my fist is bigger than yours, you have to obey my orders.”
Yang Xiao fell into contemplation upon hearing this worldly wisdom.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing pulled him away into the distance and said to him in a hushed voice, “Don’t listen to your Adoptive Father’s nonsense. Not everything in this world can be solved with your fist.”
Yang Kai shouted from behind her, “If the problem can’t be solved with only one fist, use two fists then!”
Yang Xiao turned around and yelled excitedly, “I also have my teeth and both legs!”
Yang Kai guffawed, “That’s my boy!”
Zhu Qing placed her hand on her forehead and thought that this boy had been wrongly influenced by Yang Kai from the start, making her worry about how he would turn out when he grows up.
Then, she dragged Yang Xiao further away so that Yang Kai couldn’t come into contact with the boy anymore and teach him such twisted logic.
Yang Kai didn’t mind it. Since the boy had inherited his temperament, he was confident he would grow up to be a well-rounded and confident man.
Then, he turned to look at the side. Although no one could be seen over there, he could sense Fu Zhun’s aura hidden nearby. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Yang Kai, but rather that she had only just reunited with her child that was thought to be dead, so she wasn’t willing to part with him even for one breath, which was why she had secretly followed him all the way here. Even if she couldn’t talk to him, she would be satisfied by just observing him from afar.
Since she didn’t seem to have the intention of showing up, Yang Kai wasn’t going to call her out. Placing his hands behind his back, he simply shuffled back towards Zhu Qing’s bedroom.
Ten days later, the celebration party for Yang Xiao’s birth was held on Zhu Yan’s Azure Tree Island. Compared to Snowy Island, the Great Elder’s island was a more pleasant place to hold this kind of event.
All members of the Dragon Clan had come together, including Fu Ling, who was relieved of her guard duty specially for today.
There were only a small number of Dragons, and after a quick count, Yang Kai determined that there were exactly eighteen. If he included the newly born Yang Xiao, there were only nineteen in total. Out of the nineteenth, there were only seven female Dragons while the rest were all male.
There were two rows of tables at the banquet, and each table was able to seat two people.
Naturally, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were seated at the front, and the others took a seat according to their Dragon Veins below them. The stronger ones were seated closer to the Elders, while the weaker ones were seated further back.
In fact, when it came to cultivation, besides Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, there wasn’t a huge difference in power between the other members of the Dragon Clan. However, bloodline suppression was a fundamental problem for the Dragon Clan. If two people had equal cultivation, equivalent to the Third-Order Emperor Realm, an Eighth-Order Dragon could easily suppress a Seventh-Order one.
Just when Yang Kai wasn’t sure where he should take a seat, Fu Zhun said, “Yang… Yang Kai, your seat is over there.”
Her voice was slightly shaky as she still wasn’t used to calling Yang Kai by his name; after all, they were basically archenemies in the past. However, due to Yang Xiao’s birth, her resentment towards Yang Kai had vanished and was replaced by gratitude.
Furthermore, Yang Xiao was truly loyal to Yang Kai, so if Fu Zhun offended him, he could easily destroy her relationship with her child.
When she tailed Yang Xiao to Half Moon Island a few days ago, she heard what Yang Kai said about calling him his Adoptive Father instead, which was why she became more grateful to him, and her view of him had completely changed.
Therefore, she had the intention of repairing her relationship with Yang Kai.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai looked in the same direction and realised that the seat she had pointed at was at the front of one of the two rows of tables.
Arching his brow, he cupped his fists at her and without saying a word, he took a seat as he was told. The person across from him was Third Elder Fu Xuan, and the person beside him was Fifth Elder Zhu Qing. The person opposite Zhu Qing was Fourth Elder Zhu Kong.
Nobody was surprised by the arrangement as they all took their seats.
Yang Xiao’s petite figure was sandwiched between Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun as he didn’t occupy much space. He was clad in auspicious-looking clothes, which went to show that Fu Zhun had spent some time dressing him up.
However, the young kid was fidgety as he kept winking at Yang Kai. After he received a glare from Yang Kai though, he finally became obedient.
Zhu Yan clapped his hands, after which, some strikingly beautiful women appeared as they placed spirit fruits and glasses of wine on their tables. These women were not part of the Dragon Clan, but there had never been a lack of such individuals on Dragon Island.
Such women normally resided on the Spirit Islands of those male Dragons, so all of them were top beauties. Not only were they alluring, but they also had powerful cultivation.
However, they were only servants right now.
They must have learned about the recent good news on Dragon Island and what Yang Kai had done, which was why when they were serving food and wine, they curiously examined him as they wanted to find out why even members of the Dragon Clan regarded him to be an important guest.
The banquet on this day was to celebrate the birth of a new member of the Dragon Clan, and after everyone was seated, Zhu Yan gave a brief speech before proposing a toast.
The wine being served was Dragon Spirit Wine, which was a local specialty on Dragon Island that the Great Elder had brewed personally. It had been ageing for three thousand years now, so it was aromatic and mellow. Normally, Zhu Yan would only drink a small sip of it from time to time, but on this day, he actually brought out several dozen bottles of this wine. It seemed that he was determined to get everyone drunk, which went to show how jubilant he was.
All the food and Spirit Fruits on the tables were not ordinary either; of course, almost everything on Dragon Island was considered a treasure in the eyes of ordinary Masters. The food was even beneficial to Emperor Realm Masters. If outsiders saw this sight, they would undoubtedly feel heartbroken. All the things on the tables were extremely precious treasures, but they were being gulped down by these Dragons without a single care in the world. Anyone who saw it would chide them for being wasteful.
The atmosphere was lively as they drank and celebrated with one another. The smile on Fu Zhun’s face had never faded. After she drank some wine, her fair face had even reddened slightly. Yang Kai was amazed by the sight, for he had never expected that he would see this side of Fu Zhun one day.
The females of the clan came together and started dancing, which made everyone else cheer for them as their roars reverberated around Azure Tree Island.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao appeared bored, as a normal child would be at such an event clearly tailored towards adults. Although the place was bustling with noise, he was unable to join the fun, which was why he was somewhat distracted. Then, he secretly took his father’s bottle and poured a cup of wine for himself to have a taste. Nevertheless, Fu Zhun snatched it from him and chided him in his ear, which caused him to be further dejected.
Fu Zhun was heartbroken upon seeing that, so she hugged him and whispered in his ear until he cheered up again.
After a few rounds of drinking and eating, the best part of the party began.
Just like what Zhu Qing had said, since this was a celebration party for Yang Xiao’s birth, the Seniors had to present him with some gifts.
Apparently, Yang Xiao was excited about this as well, so after getting Zhu Yan’s permission, he jumped out of his seat and cupped his fists to Yang Kai first, “Adoptive Father, what have you prepared for me?”
Upon hearing this, all the Dragons couldn’t help chuckling.
Zhu Yan lectured him with a smile, “Little brat, you’re quite the brazen one. No one would ask for presents from other people like you do.”
However, Yang Xiao refuted matter-of-factly, “It’s completely justifiable that a son asks for things from his father, and I believe that Adoptive Father would give me the best stuff he has.”
Yang Kai poked the boy’s forehead and replied with a smile, “Adoptive Father doesn’t have expensive gifts for you, but he does have a few bottles of pills. Do you want them?”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze around before he said, “It depends on what pills they are. If I’m not happy with the pills you’re giving me, I’ll not take them.”
“Have a look for yourself, then,” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai tossed a Space Ring to the boy.
Although Yang Kai had many valuable things on him, the most useful items he had for Yang Xiao at this moment were undoubtedly Dragon Blood Pills. It had only been a few days since Yang Xiao was born, so he needed to quickly improve his Dragon Vein; therefore, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had prepared some bottles of Dragon Blood Pills for the boy, enough to last him a long time.
After catching the Space Ring, Yang Xiao fished out a jade bottle from it and directly opened it in front of Yang Kai. At that instant, he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. When he took a peek inside, he became elated and shouted, “Many thanks, Adoptive Father.”
He wanted to wear the ring right away, but his stubby little finger was too small for that. Left with no choice, he stuffed it into his clothes and turned to salute Zhu Qing, “Greetings, Adoptive Mother.”
The expressions of the other members of the Dragon Clan turned slightly awkward when they heard that. It didn’t matter that Yang Xiao called Yang Kai ‘Adoptive Father’ as he wasn’t exactly part of their clan; however, Zhu Qing was one of them, and in terms of seniority, she was at least a generation removed from the Great Elder and Second Elder. In other words, she was in the same generation as Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao calling her ‘Adoptive Mother’ had basically upgraded her seniority, which put her to be on the same level as the Great Elder and the Second Elder.
As a result, their relationships had become something of a mess. Nevertheless, no one actually cared about such insignificant details so they quickly adapted.
Zhu Qing fished out some Dragon Blood Pills as well, after which Yang Xiao took them with a joyful expression.
Following that, the boy had to salute all his Seniors, Brothers, and Sisters in the Dragon Clan one by one. All of them had prepared gifts for him, so soon, Yang Xiao’s hands were stuffed with gifts as he grinned from ear to ear.
He was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, so all members of the Dragon Clan had given him the best gifts they could offer. It would’ve been inappropriate if they gave him things that were not good enough.
Certainly, Yang Xiao would never forget about Qiong Qi. While Qiong Qi was drinking Dragon Spirit Wine, Yang Xiao suddenly appeared before his eyes. Left with no choice, the old man reluctantly fished out a bead and gave it to the boy.
It turned out to be an Emperor Authority Bead, and judging from the aura that was exuding from it, Qiong Qi must have personally refined it. In other words, Qiong Qi’s full-powered strike was sealed inside the bead.
For Yang Xiao, who was still young and weak, this bead could serve as a safety charm for him. Yang Kai wasn’t sure how powerful Qiong Qi was, but he estimated that the latter was just as formidable as a Ninth-Order Dragon.
Hence, this gift could be considered extremely precious, and Qiong Qi must have given it to the boy after considering Yang Kai’s face.
After Yang Xiao was done collecting his gifts, his arms were stuffed with things that could make most people in the world feel green with jealousy. It had to be said that he was born extremely fortunate.
When they were done with gift-giving, it was time for the highlight of the party.
This wasn’t just a party to celebrate the birth of a new Dragon Clan member, it was also an event to announce the attribute of this new clansman.
Each Dragon had an associated attribute. Nevertheless, whatever their attribute, all members of the Dragon Clan would become extremely formidable when they reached the peak of their power. Most Dragons fell within the Five Elements. For example, Zhu Qing was a Red Dragon who made use of fire. However, there were some who fell outside the Five Elements. For example, there were Thunder Dragons and Nature Dragons as well.
A space was soon emptied, after which Zhu Yan fished out something and placed it on the ground. Yang Kai took a look and realised that it was a mini altar. Many dragon-shaped patterns had been etched into this altar. All of them were colourful, but they all looked somewhat strange.
After asking Zhu Qing about it, he learned that it was a sacred item to ascertain a newly born clansman’s attribute. It was a precious treasure that had been passed down over the generations and was so ancient that even the Great Elder wasn’t sure about its history and origins. However, every newly born clansman had to go through this test, for they could only work hard in the right direction after their attribute was confirmed.
All the members of the Dragon Clan gathered together to prepare for the ceremony while outsiders like Yang Kai and Qiong Qi were excluded from the preparation.
Mo Xiao Qi didn’t come to the party on this day, perhaps too embarrassed to face Yang Kai.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Xiao received some guidance from Zhu Yan before he stepped onto the mini altar. Then, he sat down with his legs crossed, closed his eyes, and wore a solemn expression.
As the abstruse Dragon language was chanted as all members of the Dragon Clan straightened their faces and activated their Dragon Sources to use their Secret Techniques.
Streams of Dragon Aura then exuded from their bodies and penetrated the altar.
Soon, the altar began shining. At the same time, the Dragon patterns around the altar seemed to have come to life as they gleamed with different colours.
The voices that were chanting the Dragon language alternated between high-pitched and hushed. As they undulated, the whole world seemed to shake as the waves around Azure Tree Island surged.
The altar became increasingly luminous as the different colours intertwined with one other. All of a sudden, the lights separated and turned into orbs of different colours that circled around Yang Xiao.
All members of the Dragon Clan widened their eyes and stared fixedly at the young child.
The attentive Yang Kai could feel that the ceremony had reached its critical moment.
With a whoosh, the red orb disintegrated. Yang Kai arched his brow and realised that this was because there was no Fire Dragon’s Source in Yang Xiao’s body.
This was to be expected as he was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder. Although it was possible that he could be born with a Source that was of a different attribute, the most likely outcome was him inheriting his parents’ traits. Moreover, his true form was that of a White Dragon, which suggested that he was probably an Ice Dragon.
*Xiu…* The blue orb vanished.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The orbs popped one by one, and soon, only two light orbs remained around Yang Xiao. One of them was green, and the other one was white. They respectively exuded a Wood Attribute aura and Ice Attribute aura.
[Maybe he inherited my attribute?] Zhu Yan wondered
*Xiu…*
The green orb popped.
Zhu Yan gritted his teeth upon seeing that, as he found it to be a shame that Yang Xiao did not inherit his Source attribute. On the other hand, Fu Zhun was elated as a broad smile filled her face.
However, her smile soon turned to shock because the white orb also vanished following the green orb.
The altar turned dim, and there were no more light orbs around Yang Xiao.
Everyone fell silent as they stared at the sight in shock.
While Zhu Yan staggered, the colour had drained from Fu Zhun’s face as she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai widened his eyes as he appeared puzzled. Although he didn’t understand what was happening, he realised that something was off through the crowd’s expressions.
To his side, Qiong Qi stroked his chin and said under his breath, “It can’t be…”
“What happened?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Qiong Qi explained, “Since all the light orbs have vanished, it means that the Dragon Source in his body doesn’t match any of the attributes in the altar. Which most likely means he has no Dragon Source at all.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes, “He has no Dragon Source? How is that possible?”
This shouldn’t be possible. If Yang Xiao didn’t have a Dragon Source, he wouldn’t be able to exude such a pure Dragon Aura, and he wouldn’t have had a White Dragon form after he was born. Furthermore, only by possessing a Dragon Source could he assume Human form.
Qiong Qi shrugged, “That’s why I said it can’t be.”
He had personally seen the little White Dragon before, which was why he couldn’t find any explanation for what just happened.
Realising that it was eerily silent around him, Yang Xiao opened his eyes and gazed at Fu Zhun before asking with a hopeful gaze, “Mother, what attribute am I?”
Fu Zhun parted her lips, but before she could say a word, her tears had started streaming down her face.
Fate had been cruel to her child. He had nearly died when he was still just a Dragon Egg, and now that he had finally been born, he didn’t manage to pass the Dragon Clan’s initiation ceremony.
“Mother, why are you crying?” Yang Xiao got to his feet on the altar and looked dazedly at Fu Zhun.
Fu Zhun shook her head without saying a word, but her gaze was filled with sorrow.
Realising that something was amiss, Yang Xiao turned to look at Zhu Yan and asked, “Father, what happened?”
At that moment, Zhu Yan seemed to have aged tremendously. After his lips squirmed for a bit, he heaved a sigh, “The ceremony has failed.”
The atmosphere around the celebration party, which was bustling with noise just now, turned solemn because of the failure.
“What do you mean that it has failed?” Yang Xiao appeared puzzled.
Zhu Yan didn’t know how to explain it to him. On the other hand, Fu Xuan sighed and walked over to stroke the boy’s head before replying gently, “Since the ceremony has failed, it means that you either don’t have a Dragon Source or that your Source isn’t pure.”
Yang Xiao pointed at himself and asked in shock, “I don’t have a Dragon Source?”
Yang Kai dashed forward and pushed away the others, who had surrounded the altar as he shouted, “That’s impossible! There’s no way he doesn’t have a Dragon Source. After he was born, he was in his Dragon form. Old Qiong and I saw it with our own eyes.”
Upon hearing that, Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan turned to look at him with hopeful gazes. At that time, they didn’t manage to see Yang Xiao’s true form as when they arrived, he had already assumed Human form. They even thought that their child was indeed extraordinary as he could assume Human form not long after he was born. After hearing what Yang Kai had said, they found what he said sensible. If Yang Xiao didn’t have a Dragon Source, or that his Source wasn’t pure, he wouldn’t have been able to assume his Dragon form.
Then, they shifted their attention to Qiong Qi, who nodded his head to affirm what Yang Kai had said.
“Kid, show us your true form this instant.” Yang Kai gazed at the boy and said. If Yang Xiao could assume his true form, it meant that he had a complete Dragon Source in his body. The reason he didn’t pass the ceremony must be that something had gone wrong with it, rather than him.
Yang Xiao clenched his teeth and nodded repeatedly. Then, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Right in front of everyone’s eyes, he remained unmoving as his Dragon Aura undulated.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes as he appeared helpless. Gazing at Yang Kai, he stated, “I can’t do it!”
Yang Kai glowered at him, “What do you mean that you can’t do it?”
Yang Xiao pouted, “I just can’t…”
The hope behind the eyes of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun turned into despair when they heard that. Fu Zhun parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a word in the end.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well as he wondered, [How is it possible that he can’t do it?]
Yang Kai could still vividly remember the little White Dragon. He was around 20 metres long and a pure jade white colour. Although Yang Xiao’s Dragon Form was still small, it already appeared intimidating. Since he was already in his Dragon form after he was born, why couldn’t he return to it at this point?
“Did you really try?” Yang Kai asked.
“I-I’ve tried my best.” Yang Xiao was flustered. What was he if he wasn’t a member of the Dragon Clan?
Yang Kai said, “Don’t panic and take it slow. Take a deep breath to calm yourself down first.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao did it as he was told.
Yang Kai went on to say, “Now, follow your instinct and imagine that you can roam the sky freely. You’re a member of the Dragon Clan, so there’s no way you can’t turn into a Dragon.”
Yang Xiao meticulously followed Yang Kai’s advice as his face slowly reddened. A long time later, he let out a breath and looked dejectedly at Yang Kai. He still couldn’t turn into a Dragon.
Then, he turned to look at Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun. When he saw their parents’ disappointed gazes, his chest tightened, and he leapt away and ran off.
“Lin’er!” A flabbergasted Fu Zhun quickly ran after him.
Yang Kai hinted at Zhu Qing with his gaze, after which she hurriedly raced after them as well. He was worried that the young child would do something foolish in this moment of panic.
The place fell into silence.
Yang Kai stared at Zhu Yan and asked, “Great Elder, is there something wrong with this altar?”
Zhu Yan replied with a frown, “It’s impossible for something to be wrong with the altar, and there was no problem with the ceremony either. Lin’er simply couldn’t reveal his true form just now, everyone saw it.”
He paused for a moment and stared seriously at Yang Kai, “I have to ask you one question. You must be totally honest with me. Did you really witness Lin’er in his true form that day?”
Yang Kai immediately nodded, “If I lied about what I had seen on that day, I’ll dig out my own eyes!” As he spoke, he pointed at his eyes with his fingers.
A puzzled Zhu Yan said, “How is that possible? Since he had shown his true form after he was born, why couldn’t he do so today?”
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “Could I be the reason behind it?”
“You?” Zhu Yan gazed doubtfully at him.
Yang Kai explained, “He’s the child of you and Second Elder, so there’s no way he isn’t a member of the Dragon Clan; however, it was I who hatched him. Hence, I might be the reason if there’s anything wrong. Perhaps when I was hatching him, my Human bloodline affected him in some way, causing his Source to become impure.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan knitted his brow for a moment before he nodded, “It’s possible.”
A helpless Yang Kai said, “If that’s the case, I’ve caused him great harm…”
Zhu Yan, however, shook his head and consoled him by stating, “You don’t have to blame yourself. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible for Lin’er to be born. Whatever the case, you’ve given him life. Even if his Source has become impure because of that, it’s not your fault.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Will he be resentful of me?”
Zhu Yan replied, “Only if he dares to be!”
If that was the case, Yang Xiao would truly be ungrateful; however, he had been obedient in the past few days, and his temperament was likeable, so it was unlikely that he would have this kind of thought.
After giving it a thought, Zhu Yan went on to say, “Moreover, there were severe problems with his Dragon Egg to begin with, which led him to be unable to hatch in the past. It’s very likely he has a congenital defect, so it may have nothing to do with you at all.”
Yang Kai asked, “Whatever the reason behind it, how will the Dragon Clan handle him if his Source is impure?”
The Dragon Clan emphasised the purity of one’s blood, and only true members of the Dragon Clan had the right to reside in Dragon Palace. The ones with impure bloodlines would be sent to Half-Dragon City. Although Yang Xiao was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, there still wouldn’t be any exception made.
Hence, Zhu Yan wasn’t even sure how he should reply to Yang Kai.
Given how much Fu Zhun cared about Yang Xiao, she would undoubtedly go mad if her baby was banished to Half-Dragon City. However, since his blood was impure, how could he be allowed to stay in Dragon Palace?
Seeing that Zhu Yan was hesitant, Yang Kai immediately stated, “If that’s the case, I’ll take him with me. In any case, the outside world is vast and filled with interesting things.”
Zhu Yan gave him a grateful look as this was the best solution for now. He wasn’t worried at all if he had to entrust his child to Yang Kai; after all, Yang Kai was the one who had hatched Yang Xiao. Although they were not related by blood, they were just as close to each other as any father and son.
“I’ll go check on him. He’s so bad-tempered despite his age. What a naughty kid!” Yang Kai snorted and turned to leave.
After what happened, the other members of the clan were not in a mood to keep celebrating. They consoled the Great Elder for a bit before they left. At the same time, they were all crestfallen. Before the incident on this day, no one could have expected that the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder would have impure blood.
Although Yang Kai was possibly the culprit, he couldn’t be blamed. Just like what Zhu Yan had said, without Yang Kai’s efforts, Yang Xiao would never have been born. Furthermore, the egg likely suffered from a congenital defect in the first place.
On the edge of Azure Tree Island, Fu Zhun was standing on the beach as she stared fixedly at the reef from afar as though she was trying to penetrate it with her gaze. She wanted to go over, but she was at a loss for words and didn’t dare to approach any closer.
Hearing some footsteps, she turned around and saw Yang Kai striding toward her. As if seeing a saviour, she immediately grabbed Yang Kai’s arms and said with bloodshot eyes, “Yang Kai, Lin’er doesn’t want to talk to me. Please help me persuade him. Please help me. I was wrong in the past. I’ll apologise to you now.”
Yang Kai looked down at her hands and secretly sighed. He knew that the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder had completely lost her cool; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so humble.
She intended to repair the relationship between them at the celebration party and she had just expressed her gratitude to him; however, at this moment, she was begging him, even going so far as to apologise.
She was the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder, a Master on par with Great Emperors, but at the same time, she was also a mother.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai said, “You’re his mother. How dare he not want to talk to you?”
Fu Zhun shook her head, “My attitude just now must have saddened him. Please help me persuade him!”
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “What’s the point of persuading him? You’re his mother, so you should do whatever you feel is best for him. Since he dares to ignore you, I’ll beat him up and make him stand before you.”
Upon finishing his words, he pushed her hands away and dashed forward.
An anxious Fu Zhun exclaimed from behind him, “Don’t beat him up! Please don’t do that!”
Seeing as Yang Kai was oblivious to her, she immediately changed her stance, “Please be gentle when you do that! Be gentle to him…”
Yang Kai shook his head and sighed. Fu Zhun might be a dutiful Elder of the Dragon Clan, but she wasn’t qualified to be a mother. Whenever Yang Xiao was concerned, she would lose her ability to think clearly.
Some time ago, he had told Zhu Qing that a loving mother makes a wastrel. Now, it seemed that Zhu Qing paled when compared to Fu Zhun in this regard. If Yang Xiao were to grow up by Fu Zhun’s side, he might become an arrogant and reckless person when he grew up. Given his background, it would be too late to discipline him if he got into trouble in the future.
Considering all that, Yang Kai became more determined to take Yang Xiao with him. At the very least, he wouldn’t allow Yang Xiao to grow up by Fu Zhun’s side unless she could change herself and stop being so overwhelmingly doting on him.
As the waves splashed onto the reef, Yang Xiao’s petite figure sat on the beach’s edge. Although he had been soaked to the bone, he remained unperturbed as he submerged his legs in the seawater. Zhu Qing was keeping him company as she gazed at him with a helpless expression.
Yang Kai walked over and stood behind Yang Xiao, then he waved his hand at Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing nodded and leapt into the air before she landed on the beach and stood beside Fu Zhun.
“Is my mother still over there?” Yang Xiao suddenly asked.
Yang Kai grunted and shot him a look, “She’s heartbroken. I’ve heard that you’re not willing to talk to her.”
“Who said I don’t want to talk to her anymore?” Yang Xiao refuted loudly, but he soon lowered his tone and appeared hesitant, “I just don’t know how to face her.”
Yang Kai snorted, “She is your mother, so why wouldn’t you know how to face her?”
Yang Xiao hung his head low and replied in a hushed voice, “But… She looks so disappointed.”
“Of course she’s disappointed. The ceremony has failed, do you think she’d be happy? How could she be joyful about it?”
Yang Xiao batted his eyes, “But I did not want to disappoint her!”
Yang Kai grinned and patted his head, “At least she hasn’t doted on you for nothing. You’re right to have this thought in mind.”
In a dejected manner, Yang Xiao replied, “But my Source isn’t pure…”
Yang Kai interrupted him by saying, “It’s still too early to come to any conclusion. Who knows whether there’s something wrong with the ceremony or not? You have shown me your true form after you were born, so it’s not possible for your Source to be anything else but pure. You should know that only by possessing the purest Dragon Source could you transform into a True Dragon. I have a Dragon Source as well, and it’s a very high rank one, but I can only transform into a Half-Dragon because I am originally Human. I will only be able to turn into a True Dragon if I manage to eliminate every ounce of my Human blood in my body one day.”
A puzzled Yang Xiao asked, “Why couldn’t I show my true form just now, then?”
“You have to ask yourself about that. Maybe you were too nervous? Or perhaps you are still not proficient in transforming since it was your first attempt.” Yang Kai shrugged, “I can’t give you an explanation. So, you’ll have to look for the answer on your own.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Xiao nodded his head.
Yang Kai went on to say with a smile, “In any case, so what if you don’t have a Dragon Source or if your Source isn’t pure? The world isn’t ruled by the Dragon Clan. None of the Ten Great Emperors is from the Dragon Clan, so who says you can’t grow without your identity as a Dragon? Can you not still reach the peak if your Source isn’t pure?”
With a helpless smile, Yang Xiao replied, “Adoptive Father, don’t you think it’s too early to tell me this? I’m still a kid.”
“A kid?” Yang Kai directly smacked his head and glowered at him, “Other kids don’t behave like you do.”
“Why did you hit me again?” Yang Xiao covered his head with an aggrieved expression.
Yang Kai stroked the young kid’s head and consoled him, “Stop being unhappy. Do you understand that your emotions affect others? Your mother is especially crestfallen because you’re her most cherished one. She is actually sadder than you are.”
With a serious expression, Yang Xiao replied, “I’ll remember Adoptive Father’s teaching. I’ll apologise to her now so that she will cheer up.”
Upon finishing his words, he got to his feet.
“There’s no rush.” Yang Kai pulled him down and took a seat beside him. After giving it a thought, he asked, “I’ll ask you a question. Do you want to leave Dragon Island with me?”
Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened when he heard that, and then he asked excitedly, “Can I leave Dragon Island?”
Yang Kai replied, “Initially, you probably couldn’t… But now, I guess you’ll be allowed to leave.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Xiao understood the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words. If his Source was pure, he’d be a true member of the Dragon Clan, and he’d have to remain on Dragon Island to cultivate; however, since his Source wasn’t pure, he couldn’t stay in Dragon Palace anymore.
No matter how much Fu Zhun loved him, she couldn’t openly break the rules and would have to send him away one day soon. Compared to going to Half-Dragon City, leaving with Yang Kai would be the better option.
Upon that realization, Yang Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, “It’s actually a blessing to have an impure Source, then. I should have celebrated it instead.”
Yang Kai shot him a glare, “Why do you look like you don’t want to stay on Dragon Island?”
Yang Xiao giggled and scratched his cheek, “It isn’t that I don’t want to stay here. It’s just that mother always follows me around, so I can’t do whatever I want.”
Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh, “You don’t even know how lucky you are. Many are jealous of you, but you don’t appreciate having a mother like her.”
Yang Xiao put on a fawning smile, “Adoptive Father, you’re more powerful than I am, so you’re always right.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he thought that his way of teaching Yang Xiao had made things problematic.
Although he hadn’t managed to completely untie the knot in Yang Xiao’s heart with this brief bit of persuasion, he had managed to make him calm down at the very least. Then, he also told the young child how interesting the outside world was to get him looking forward to leaving Dragon Island with him soon.
One hour later, Yang Xiao followed Yang Kai and shuffled toward Fu Zhun. With a serious expression, he apologised to his mother, which prompted her to pull him into his embrace and start bawling, constantly blaming herself for the suffering he had to go through.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were rendered speechless as they watched them by the side.
After Yang Xiao and Fu Zhun left together, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing returned to Half Moon Island.
At the break of dawn the next day, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun arrived at Half Moon Island together with Yang Xiao.
After making Yang Xiao wait outside, the four adults entered the side hall, and then Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun told them the purpose of their visit. A shocked Yang Kai questioned, “You want me to enter the Dragon Temple with Xiao’er?”
Zhu Yan bowed his head, “That’s right. Last night, I gave it a thought and realised that what you said made sense. Maybe there was something wrong with the ceremony, which was why Xiao’er couldn’t pass it. This Old Master also checked his body carefully and couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Although I couldn’t identify the Source in his body, he is undoubtedly a member of the Dragon Clan since he has a Dragon Aura which only a Pureblood could possess. Perhaps his Source is hidden somehow in a way I cannot detect; therefore, this Old Master wants you to enter the Dragon Temple with him and ask our Ancestors to check him.”
Yang Kai asked, “Why do you want me to do that? Both of you are more than capable of doing so.”
Zhu Yan shook his head, “The Dragon Temple is where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders reside. Unless something serious has happened, we cannot disturb their peace as we please. Hence, it is inconvenient for either of us to enter.”
It really wasn’t a serious enough matter for the Elders to ask the Ancestors to examine Yang Xiao’s Source.
Fu Zhun said, “You, however, are not really part of the Dragon Clan, so you don’t have to follow our rules. It would be good if you could lend us a hand on this matter.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was inwardly elated. The Dragon Temple was a sacred place, and even members of the Dragon Clan couldn’t enter it unless something serious happened, so why was it that an outsider like him could go in as he pleased? After giving it a thought, he realised that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun must have wanted to do him a favour, and by allowing him to enter the Dragon Temple, they could at the same time ask him to bring Yang Xiao with him to have the boy’s Source inspected.
After all, Yang Kai had asked to enter the Dragon Temple previously; however, after he had nurtured so many Dragon Blood Flowers for them, Fu Zhun went back on her word, which caused him to be incensed. That was why he had returned to Dragon Island to sneak into the temple, though he ended up stealing a Dragon Egg instead.
Upon realizing the intricacies of this matter, Yang Kai nodded firmly, “Since both of you insist, I’ll bring him with me.”
To the side, Zhu Qing shot him a funny look. [He must be over the moon in his heart, but he still pretends to have been put in a tight spot. What a…]
After they came to an agreement, they hesitated no more and headed straight to the Dragon Temple.
Members of the Dragon Clan were well-known for their long lives, but there would still come a day when they had to depart for the next life. There were two places for their deceased to go. One of them was the Dragon Grave, and the other was the Dragon Temple. The Dragon Grave was where most of the deceased members of the Dragon Clan resided, so there were a lot of their remains there. Since they were powerful when they were alive, their Corpse Qi was naturally richer after they passed away. Yang Kai had never entered the Dragon Grave before, but he had heard that it was extremely gloomy inside. A top cultivator like Fu Xuan almost lost her life after being locked inside for just ten years, which went to show how terrible the environment really was.
On the other hand, the Dragon Temple was where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders resided. In other words, only the Great Elders had the right to be enshrined in that place after they passed away. For example, Zhu Yan would be placed in the temple one day, but Fu Zhun didn’t have the right.
In return, the Dragon Souls of these Great Elders would continue to protect the entire Dragon Clan. The Blessing Technique that was drawn out of the temple could render the bloodline suppression on the Dragon Clan less effective or even completely useless.
Certainly, the valuable experiences and knowledge of the Dragon Souls of the fallen Great Elders were also a great treasure. It had been more than ten generations since the first Great Elder’s Soul entered the temple, so there were quite a lot of Dragon Souls inside now.
In the past, after Yang Kai activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source and summoned all the slumbering Dragon Souls inside the temple, he became practically invincible. As long as he stood in the temple, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun wouldn’t be a match for him even if they joined forces.
Yang Kai still remembered that the biggest Dragon Soul that had appeared back then was a full 1,000 metres in length. This Master was none other than the first generation Great Elder.
Yang Kai wasn’t certain what order ones Dragon Vein had to be to produce a 1,000-metre-long figure, but judging from Zhu Qing’s 300-metre-long figure as a Ninth-Order Dragon, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun could possibly be between 400 and 500 metres in size. As such, Yang Kai estimated the first Great Elder to be a Twelfth-Order Dragon, which could be regarded as the peak of the Dragon Clan’s power.
However, as time passed, the Dragon Clan seemed to become less powerful as the succeeding Great Elders all had shorter figures.
The Dragon Temple wasn’t far from Half Moon Island, but it wasn’t near either. It took them half a day to reach their destination.
Looking from afar, the Dragon Temple seemed to be floating on the clouds and appeared quite surreal. Its aura was ancient and imposing, fully displaying its illustrious history.
Not just anyone could enter the temple. Only those from the Dragon Clan could step into this place; otherwise, they would be crushed into dust by the ambient Dragon Pressure.
Upon landing on a spot in front of the temple, Zhu Yan fished out a Dragon-shaped token, from which a beam of light shot forward.
Soon, a spinning cloud appeared in front of them, and as it accelerated, a swirl that could let a person pass through appeared.
Fu Zhun crouched down and gave Yang Xiao some advice, “After you go in, you must listen to your Adoptive Father and mustn’t run around. Got it?”
Yang Xiao nodded obediently, “I’ll remember.”
Fu Zhun then looked up at Yang Kai, “Please take care of him.”
Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile, “Second Elder, you don’t have to be overly polite with me. Since Xiao’er calls me Adoptive Father, I’ll make sure that he won’t be harmed.”
He then beckoned to Yang Xiao, “Let’s go.”
The adult and child then stepped into the swirl and disappeared.
Fu Zhun looked longingly at her child, as if her heart could follow him into the swirl. After he disappeared though, she became dejected and anxious.
Zhu Yan sighed and consoled her by saying, “Don’t worry. Yang Kai will take care of him.”
Oblivious to him, Fu Zhun simply stared fixedly at the Dragon Temple.
After passing through the swirl, Yang Kai took Yang Xiao’s hand and stepped into the Dragon Temple.
While he was in a dazed state, he suddenly realised that he was no longer holding anyone’s hand. Turning around, Yang Kai was shocked to see that Yang Xiao had disappeared without any warning. At that instant, he was drenched in cold sweat. Just now, he had promised Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun that he would take good care of Yang Xiao. Now that Yang Xiao had disappeared, how would he explain himself?
“Xiao’er! Xiao’er!” Yang Kai shouted as his loud voice reverberated around the spacious hall, but he did not get any reply. Next, he released his Divine Sense, but he was shocked to realise that it had been suppressed to a radius of ten metres around himself.
This wasn’t the first time he had entered the Dragon Temple. Previously, after Wu Kuang made use of the temple’s power to break through space and sneak into a Lower Star Field, Yang Kai had come to the temple to look into the matter. Afterwards, he chased after Wu Kuang through the same Void Corridor that the latter had opened up.
However, Yang Kai had not come across such a strange incident at that time, which was why he couldn’t understand what was going on right now.
He had a feeling that it had something to do with the Dragon Souls in the temple. The Souls had been enshrined in this place for a long time, and although it wasn’t certain how many years had passed since their deaths, their Souls were still fairly powerful.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai bellowed, “Show yourselves!”
As he activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source, his high-pitched Dragon Roar resounded in the hall.
The next moment, Dragon Roars could be heard responding to him from all around.
Following that, lights were ignited consecutively as the gigantic Phantom Dragons appeared from the columns that seemed to be leading to the Heavens. Then, they surrounded Yang Kai and made sure that he couldn’t run away. Every Phantom Dragon appeared vivid and they looked just as majestic as when they were alive. As the Dragon Pressure undulated, ripples could be seen spreading from the space Yang Kai stood in, as though the space around him would break apart at any moment.
Yang Kai looked around and swept a glance over all the Phantom Dragons before asking in a grim voice, “Where’s the kid who has come with me? Where are you hiding him?”
All the Dragon Souls fell silent as they just stared fixedly at him.
“Are all of you deaf?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened.
He wasn’t even sure whether these Dragon Souls still had any consciousness left. Perhaps they were only possessed with instinctive reactions since a long time had passed since they had died. Nevertheless, he couldn’t let Yang Xiao be harmed.
“Answer my question!” Yang Kai bellowed as his Dragon Roar seemed able to pierce the Heavens.
Finally, a Dragon Soul responded to him. The longest one suddenly raised his head and looked in a particular direction.
Following his gaze, Yang Kai peered through the void to where the Dragon Soul was looking.
At that moment, Yang Xiao was seated with his legs crossed on a rock. His expression was serene, and he didn’t seem to be injured at all. His aura was steady, and he was surrounded by colourful lights. As the lights kept leaving and entering his body, he appeared to be in a strange state.
Yang Kai watched him for a moment before he turned to look at the first Great Elder’s Dragon Soul with a frown, “You know why I’ve brought him with me?”
He wasn’t even sure how he came to this conclusion; however, upon seeing what was happening to Yang Xiao, Yang Kai was certain that these Dragon Souls were examining his Source. That was why Yang Xiao was taken away to a different location in the temple right after they stepped into this place. Without the Dragon Souls’ help, Yang Kai couldn’t even see Yang Xiao or locate the latter.
After receiving a nod, Yang Kai said, “There seems to be something wrong with his Source, so I needed you to check on him. Since you are already doing so, please carry on.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the area around Yang Xiao darkened and he disappeared.
Yang Kai set his mind at ease. Since the Dragon Souls were willing to help, it proved that there was nothing wrong with Yang Xiao’s Source; otherwise, they would’ve expelled Yang Xiao as not just anyone could step into this sacred place.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai went on to say, “There’s something I want to ask all of you. I want to cultivate some Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques, but I don’t know where to start.”
Normally, a Divine Spirit’s Source contained all of its ancestral inheritance. Given the right opportunity, a Divine Spirit could obtain their Ancestors’ knowledge and experience, including Secret Techniques; therefore, they could instinctively use these skills and methods.
Yang Kai had comprehended a lot from his Source as well. For example, he had never learned the abstruse Dragon language from anyone; however, after he cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he gained an understanding of this ancient language as if he had known it all along.
The only thing he was displeased about was that he hadn’t really learned any Secret Techniques, making him wonder if there was something wrong with his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
The reason he came to the Dragon Temple was to comprehend some useful Secret Techniques, and since the chance was right before his eyes, he wouldn’t let it slip through his fingers.
Upon hearing this request, the first Great Elder opened his mouth as a white light orb shot out directly at Yang Kai.
A shocked Yang Kai thought that he had somehow offended the first Great Elder and prepared to defend himself; however, upon closer look, he realised that he was mistaken. The aura inside the light orb was profound and powerful, but it didn’t have any murderous intent.
[Could this be…] Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he thought of a possibility. Seeing as the light orb was about to hit him, he quickly sat down with his legs crossed and hung his head low.
As soon as the light orb came into contact with Yang Kai, it expanded and engulfed him in it. The next moment, he realised that a lot of information was madly penetrating his mind, which caused his Knowledge Sea to shake violently and he felt a slight pain in his head.
[He’s trying to impart his wisdom to me!] An elated Yang Kai quickly made his mind focus and did his best to absorb the information from the light orb. A long time later, the light that had surrounded Yang Kai slowly diminished.
Before the light completely vanished, another Dragon Soul shot out a similar light orb that engulfed Yang Kai once more.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as things were going differently from what he had imagined. Although he wanted to comprehend a few of the Dragon Clan’s Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques from the Dragon Temple, he had never expected that the Great Elders of the past would be so enthusiastic and directly impart all of their wisdom to him.
It would be fine if it was just two to three times, but there were more than ten generations of the Great Elders’ Dragon Souls on the scene, which was a bit troublesome to digest, but at the same time, Yang Kai was truly overjoyed.
A myriad of expressions came over Yang Kai, who was seated on the ground. Nevertheless, he was meticulously absorbing all this new knowledge. Soon, the pain faded, and he seemed to have plunged into a state of emptiness, thus making him unable to sense anything around himself.
All of a sudden, he opened his eyes, which shone brightly as he had gained a lot of wisdom, and after a blink, the gleam in his eyes faded.
Looking up, Yang Kai realised that the more than ten Dragon Souls had turned dimmer than they initially were. Knowing that they must have exhausted a lot of their energy, he cupped his fists to express his gratitude.
The more than ten Great Elders’ Dragon Souls nodded, after which they roared and disappeared from the place.
Following that, an immense pressure swept over Yang Kai as his vision turned blurred. Then, he realised that he was already outside the temple.
After that, he turned his head and saw that Yang Xiao was standing beside him; however, the young child appeared sullen with his brows knitted together. Apparently, he had been sent out of the temple as well.
“Are you alright?” Yang Kai stroked the young boy’s head.
Yang Xiao shook his head, “I’m fine.”
Seeing them, Zhu Yan and the others, who were waiting for them, immediately flew over.
Seeing Yang Xiao’s dejected face, Fu Zhun felt her heart sinking. However, she wouldn’t dare to ask him anything; instead, she turned to look at Yang Kai and questioned, “How was it?”
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “I don’t know.”
Zhu Yan frowned, “What do you mean that you don’t know?”
Yang Kai explained to them that he and Yang Xiao were separated right after they entered the temple, so he wasn’t sure what was happening to the boy. It wasn’t until now that they were sent out of the temple together.
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan understood that he couldn’t get the answer from Yang Kai, so he turned to gaze at Yang Xiao and asked, “What was the result of the examination?”
Yang Xiao hung his head low and fell silent. Despite his silence, the answer could be deduced from his expression.
Zhu Yan felt unsteady as he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to say a word in the end. Ultimately, he just heaved a sigh and patted Yang Xiao’s head.
Fu Zhun crouched down in front of her child and flashed the best smile she could muster at him, “It’s fine. You are still my son. So what if your Source isn’t pure? I’ll take care of you.”
“Mother, I’m so sorry!” Yang Xiao pressed his lips together and crashed into her embrace before he started sobbing.
“How is this possible?” Yang Kai scratched his head with a puzzled expression. He thought that since the Dragon Souls were willing to check on Yang Xiao, there shouldn’t be a problem; however, he didn’t expect that the result would be the same as the previous ceremony. Could Yang Xiao really have suffered from a congenital defect, or was affected by Yang Kai during the hatching process?
Every move Yang Xiao made was able to infect Fu Zhun. She had merely forced a smile just now, so upon seeing that he was crying, she started tearing up as well.
The mother and son hugged each other and bawled their eyes out, which caused Zhu Yan to feel heartbroken as well. No matter how Zhu Qing tried to console them, her attempts were useless.
After they finally calmed down, Zhu Yan brought his family away.
A dispirited Yang Kai then followed Zhu Qing back to Half Moon Island.
Although he had told Yang Xiao that it didn’t matter even if his Source was impure, it was merely to temporarily cheer him up. Only a member of the Dragon Clan could truly understand how terrible it was to have an impure Source. In the future, he wouldn’t be able to mingle with his fellow clansmen as an equal. Although he was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, he would forever be considered an outsider to the Dragon Clan now.
Since that was the case, Yang Xiao probably had to leave with Yang Kai. There was no way he could stay on Dragon Island as any attempt to have him remain would be a violation of the clan’s laws.
However, Yang Kai didn’t understand whether it was his fault or Yang Xiao’s congenital defect that had resulted in such an outcome.
Realising that Yang Kai was feeling uneasy, Zhu Qing spent the next few days treating him gently, which slowly managed to cheer him up a little.
Since his matters on Dragon Island were all settled, Yang Kai didn’t want to delay any longer. Although he was unwilling to part with Zhu Qing, he had set up a Space Array just outside Dragon Island; hence, he could easily visit her in the future.
Yang Kai informed Mo Xiao Qi about it a few days earlier so that she had enough time to get prepared. This time, she had to leave with Yang Kai and return to Spirit Beast Island. Yang Kai decided to escort her back home and build a Space Array over there as well. Previously, Li Wu Yi had told him to do so, and the array would be useful if Mo Xiao Qi wanted to meet Fu Xuan in the future.
One day, Zhu Yan came over to have a drink with Yang Kai for a night, but they never really talked about anything the whole time. It was only at the break of dawn, before Zhu Yan left, that he said, “Please take good care of Xiao’er on our behalf.”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai nodded his head as he understood that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun wanted him to take Yang Xiao with him. Although it had only been a few days since Yang Xiao was born, the problems he was facing meant that he couldn’t stay in Dragon Palace. Since he had to leave the palace one day, it was best he leave with Yang Kai sooner rather than later. With Yang Kai taking care of him, Zhu Yan could set his mind at ease.
On the day of departure, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were waiting on Half Moon Island. Mo Xiao Qi and Fu Xuan had already arrived. Just like a pair of sisters, they were holding hands and whispering to each other. Fu Xuan’s eyes were filled with sorrow. She had spent quite some time with her daughter, so naturally, she was reluctant to part with her.
A long time later, Yang Xiao was still nowhere to be seen and Yang Kai frowned as he had a premonition.
A few hours later, a beam of red light approached them and landed in front of them, after which, Zhu Lie revealed himself.
“Where are Great Elder and the others? Why aren’t they here yet?” Zhu Qing asked.
Zhu Lie’s face twitched as he replied, “Second Elder took Yang Xiao away and went into hiding.”
“She hid him?” Zhu Qing appeared shocked.
Yang Kai was rendered speechless. Although he knew that Fu Zhun was unwilling to send Yang Xiao away, he hadn’t expected that she would go to such an extent.
Zhu Lie went on to say, “Great Elder asked me to come over to ask you to wait for a while more. He’ll send Yang Xiao over soon.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Upon completing his task, Zhu Lie flew away as he was probably going to look for Fu Zhun and Yang Xiao as well. Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances before they smiled helplessly.
They went on to wait for an entire day, and it wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that Zhu Yan rushed over to Half Moon Island with Yang Xiao. His wrinkled face was dark, so it was apparent that he was incensed. Fu Zhun was following them as traces of tears could still be seen on her face. She looked longingly at Yang Xiao, whose hand was held by Zhu Yan. Nevertheless, she knew that there was nothing she could do about it, so she bit her lip and silently wept.
Zhu Yan passed the boy to Yang Kai and said solemnly, “I’ll entrust Xiao’er to you now. If he’s naughty… discipline as you see fit.”
Yang Xiao immediately said, “Father, don’t worry, I’ll listen to Adoptive Father and not cause any trouble to him.”
His obedience made Zhu Yan feel assured as he nodded.
Gazing at Fu Zhun, Yang Kai gently pushed Yang Xiao and said, “Bid your mother farewell so we can get going.”
After a nod, Yang Xiao walked up to Fu Zhun and looked up at her.
The emotions in Fu Zhun’s heart finally exploded as she crouched down and pulled him into her embrace. As she cried her heart out, she whispered into the young child’s ear. Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly and helped her wipe away her tears as he consoled her.
Moments later, Fu Zhun finally calmed herself down and gave him some parting advice.
Yang Kai walked over and stated gently, “We should leave now.”
Fu Zhun bowed her head and suppressed the sorrow in her heart before stuffing a Space Ring into Yang Xiao’s hands. As she sniffled, she said, “Mother has prepared some things for you, and if anyone dares to bully you, just call out to us. We’ll stand up for you.”
“I understand!” Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Yan covered his face with his palm and thought that she was basically encouraging their child to start walking sideways and cause trouble. At that instant, he thought that it was actually a good idea to let their child leave with Yang Kai. If he was allowed to stay on Dragon Island, Fu Zhun would unconditionally dote on him and he might even become a rotten adult one day.
At that moment, Zhu Yan wondered just how the Dragon Clan’s icy Second Elder had changed completely after their child was born.
In the end, Yang Kai and the others departed. He didn’t allow any of them to see them off so, on Half Moon Island, three women looked dejectedly at the leaving figures as their eyes were filled with a sense of longing.
As they flew forward at full speed, Yang Kai’s group reached the entrance half a day later.
Noticing the noise, Fu Ling came over to find out what was going on. Upon seeing that Yang Xiao was following Yang Kai, she was stunned, but after she learned the reason behind it, she did not make things difficult for them. Presently, Yang Kai was highly regarded on Dragon Island, so all members of the Dragon Clan had to be polite to him. Furthermore, she didn’t have the courage to go against him.
Therefore, she quickly let them pass.
After passing through the entrance, they left Dragon Island and shot up from the bottom of the sea. Soon, they reached the surface and leapt out of the water.
An amazed Yang Xiao looked around and tutted, “Is this the outside world? It’s not so different from Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “This is just a small part of the world. We’re on the East Sea right now, and Dragon Island is surrounded by water as well, which is why you don’t see any differences. Soon, you’ll see that the outside world is truly different from Dragon Island.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Xiao replied, “I see.”
“Let’s go. We’ll head to Spirit Beast Island first to send Xiao Qi home,” Right after Yang Kai finished speaking, Mo Xiao Qi pouted.
Since the farce previously, Mo Xiao Qi had been too embarrassed to face Yang Kai. Now that she had to leave Dragon Island with him, she remained quiet, which was unlike how vivacious she usually was; however, upon hearing that he wanted to send her back to Spirit Beast Island first, she was displeased.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles and formed a hand seal as he readied himself to use his Space Secret Technique.
Previously, he had exchanged Space Spirit Beads with Li Wu Yi, so it was easy for him to head to Spirit Beast Island directly, he just had to communicate with the Space Spirit Bead he had given to Li Wu Yi and he’d be able to reach him in an instant.
Supposedly, Li Wu Yi was on Spirit Beast Island at the moment.
Just then, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly asked, “Big Brother Yang, can we fly back to Spirit Beast Island?”
Yang Kai stopped what he was doing and stared doubtfully at her, “Why?”
Although both Spirit Beast Island and Dragon Island were both on the East Sea, there was still quite some distance between them. Yang Kai estimated that it would take him seven to eight days if he decided to fly over. Since he had a Space Spirit Bead there at this moment, which was a more convenient way to arrive there, he wasn’t willing to take the effort to fly over. It’d be a waste of time and energy.
Mo Xiao Qi hung her head low and replied, “Doesn’t Yang Xiao want to see the outside world? If we fly over to Spirit Beast Island, he can take in some different sights.”
Yang Xiao was still looking around when he heard that, then he clapped his hands and said, “That’s right, Adoptive Father. We should fly over.”
He wasn’t aware of what lay between the two islands but still went along with her because he truly was looking for some excitement.
Yang Kai stopped performing his hand seal and smiled helplessly, “Why do you look like you’ve been bored for years?”
Yang Xiao replied, “That’s absolutely right. Although it’s only been a few days since I was born, do not forget that I had been sleeping in the egg for a long time.”
Seeing how pitiful he described himself to be, Yang Kai relented, “Alright then. Since both of you have asked, we’ll fly over.”
Then, he turned to look at Qiong Qi.
The corners of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched as he thought that he was the one who had to expend a lot of energy after they decided to fly over. It was especially tiresome for him because he was so old.
Despite his unspoken criticism, he had no choice but to assume his true form. At that instant, a hideous yet majestic beast appeared before the trio.
They consecutively jumped onto Qiong Qi’s back and Yang Kai laid down a rug before sitting across from Mo Xiao Qi, then he put Yang Xiao on his lap.
Following that, they headed to Spirit Beast Island at full speed. Initially, Yang Xiao was curiously looking around, but upon realising that all he saw were the ocean and islands, he soon grew bored. Looking up at Mo Xiao Qi, he asked, “Elder Sister Xiao Qi, is there anything fun on Spirit Beast Island that I can play with?”
Yang Kai knocked the little boy’s head and stared at him with a long face, “What did you just call her?”
Yang Xiao covered his head and replied, “Elder Sister. What’s wrong with that?”
Yang Kai said, “Xiao Qi and I call each other Brother and Sister, and you are my son, so don’t you think it is wrong for you to call her Elder Sister?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao gave it a thought and replied, “According to the seniority on Dragon Island, I’m supposed to call her Elder Sister. However, given that you’re my Adoptive Father, she is my Senior. What should I do?”
Mo Xiao Qi pressed her lips together and smiled, “Just separate your relationship with your Adoptive Father from the others. If you adhere to your Adoptive Father’s seniority, your relationships with others will all be messed up.”
Upon hearing her advice, Yang Xiao nodded, “You’re right.”
Despite his immature voice, his manner of speaking was that of an old man, which was amusing to others.
Yang Kai shared the same thought. After he helped Yang Xiao to be born, he messed up the seniority in many ways, so he wasn’t willing to dwell on the issue.
Yang Xiao asked again, “Is there anything fun on Spirit Beast Island?”
Instead of answering his question, Mo Xiao Qi questioned, “Is there anything fun on Dragon Island?”
Yang Xiao shook his head like a rattle. To him, there was nothing fun on Dragon Island. Not only was the atmosphere not lively, but there was also a mother who followed him around all the time.
Mo Xiao Qi went on to say, “Spirit Beast Island is the same to me.”
As they looked into each other’s eyes, they realised that their fates were pretty similar. At that instant, they couldn’t help but heave long sighs.
“You two are both so young, why are you sighing like that?” Yang Kai chided them, after which Mo Xiao Qi stuck out her tongue.
Yang Kai reached out to pinch Yang Xiao’s fleshy cheeks and said, “Let’s talk about something serious now.”
Yang Xiao couldn’t even speak clearly as he muttered, “What is it that Adoptive Father wants to say?”
Yang Kai asked, “Has your mother or father taught you how you will cultivate in the future?”
Yang Xiao replied, “Mother has placed a copy of the Dragon Transformation Secret Art in my Space Ring.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “Good. You might have a congenital defect or your bloodline might be impure, but either way, you’re still the child of two Tenth-Order Dragons; therefore, you must have some Dragon Blood in you. The Dragon Transformation Secret Art does suit you, so you should work hard on cultivating this Secret Art, then. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to transform into a True Dragon one day.”
The Dragon Transformation Secret Art was perfect for the current Yang Xiao. Furthermore, Yang Kai could grow the Dragon Blood Flowers in his medicine garden and refine Dragon Blood Pills, so as long as the supply was adequate, improving Yang Xiao’s bloodline should not be a problem and turning him into a True Dragon was not without hope.
Feeling something was off though, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep moving about so restlessly?”
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but scratch his ears and cheeks in embarrassment before timidly replying, “Adoptive Father, there is a saying that one should not speak something improper before a child.”
Yang Kai touched his chin, suspiciously looking at him, “Why do I feel that you have done something wrong?” As Yang Xiao was sitting between his thighs, Yang Kai couldn’t clearly see what face the boy was making. But he had a feeling that this smelly brat had done something wrong; otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting like this. No one could understand a son better than his father, and Yang Xiao had predominantly inherited his temperament, so Yang Kai could accurately infer many things from Yang Xiao’s actions alone.
“Why…” Yang Xiao’s tone became weaker. His eyes kept wandering here and there. Even Mo Xiao Qi, who was sitting right opposite him, could tell that something wasn’t right at this point and raised her eyes to signal to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai chuckled before he replied with a gentle smile, “Xiao’er, just say what you want to say to your Adoptive Father. You should know that your Adoptive Father will always listen to your troubles whenever you want.”
Yang Xiao forced a cough before speaking, “First you have to promise that you won’t hit me.”
Yang Kai was immediately piqued and snapped, “Why would I hit you without a good reason? Don’t worry, I won’t hit you.”
Yang Xiao immediately raised his head and turned to Mo Xiao Qi, “Big Sister Xiao Qi, you heard him, right? Adoptive Father said that he won’t hit me, and Adoptive Father must be a man who keeps his word.”
Mo Xiao Qi replied, “Of course, of course. Speak up now, don’t keep us guessing.”
Yang Xiao moistened his lips before he softly murmured something.
“What was that?” Yang Kai knocked on his head, “Speak clearly, I didn’t hear it.”
Yang Xiao immediately jumped up and shouted, “Adoptive Father just said that he wouldn’t hit me, but you still did.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched before he assured, embarrassed, “It’s just a habit, Adoptive Father won’t do it again.”
Yang Xiao squinted at him, “How come I don’t believe you?”
Yang Kai snorted and added, “While I am asking nicely, quickly tell me, otherwise…”
“There is no problem with my Source!” Yang Xiao quickly threw out a sentence before he hid behind Mo Xiao Qi, vigilantly staring at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kept nodding his head, “En en, there is no problem with your Source… no problem with your Source… How do you know that there is no problem with your Source?”
Yang Xiao replied, “I knew it when I was tested in the Dragon Temple.”
“Be specific,” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Yang Xiao meekly stated, “I can transform into a True Dragon!”
“Ha… haha… hahaha!” Yang Kai broke into a hearty laugh and confirmed, excitedly looking at Yang Xiao, “Can you really transform into a True Dragon?”
“It’s true. Adoptive Father, please look!” Just as he said so, Yang Xiao’s figure distorted before he really transformed into a jade-like White Dragon, just as fair as the first time Yang Kai saw him.
But Yang Xiao apparently couldn’t maintain this state for too long and reverted back to his Human form shortly after.
Yang Kai clapped his hands, “Good!”
A big weight had finally lifted off his shoulders. Yang Xiao’s previous ceremony had failed and had almost become a thorn in Yang Kai’s heart, because he always worried whether he had done something wrong when he hatched this boy, resulting in his Source becoming impure. But now it was evident that there was nothing wrong with his Source; being able to transform into a True Dragon was proof in itself.
Relieved, Yang Kai immediately jumped up and grabbed Yang Xiao as he ground his teeth and roared, “If I don’t beat your ass up today, my surname will no longer be Yang!!”
[This damn brat is so bad! When he came out of the Dragon Temple, when Zhu Yan asked him about it, he actually hid everything! As a result, not only did Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun feel heartbroken, even I suffered for days as I worried about him. Had I known that there was no problem with his Source, I wouldn’t have taken him from Dragon Island as he is perfectly qualified to stay!]
Yang Xiao’s face turned pale when he heard this and objected, “Adoptive Father, you’re going back on your word!”
He promptly kicked the ground, trying to run away, but he was born not too long ago so how could he escape from Yang Kai’s grasp?
Suddenly feeling a vice grip on his arm, Yang Xiao was lifted off his feet by Yang Kai and immediately called out in horror, “Big Sister Xiao Qi, save me! Adoptive Father is going to beat me!”
Mo Xiao Qi, however, was unsympathetic as she declared firmly, “You deserve it!”
She felt that Yang Xiao had gone too far this time too. [Why didn’t he inform us of such important news in the first place and hid it instead? Fortunately, he has some reservations, otherwise, we all would have remained in the dark and kept blaming ourselves.]
This brat needed to be taught a lesson for doing something this selfish.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already placed Yang Xiao across his knee and lifted his arm up high. Swinging down, he prepared to spank the naughty kid’s butt as he really felt he needed to be disciplined this time.
Yang Kai was also mad at Yang Xiao for lying like this. He had made up his mind to make this boy suffer today, otherwise, he would commit all kinds of irresponsible and immature matters in the future.
However, just as he was about to deliver the first spanking, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow because he felt something was off, and in the next instant, his eyes bulged.
Yang Xiao, who had just been on his knee, had actually disappeared into thin air.
Qiong Qi, who was silently flying forward, minding his own business, also let out a cry of surprise as he abruptly paused and turned to look up just like Yang Kai, staring at Yang Xiao who was already a thousand meters away from them, looking like a small dot in the sky. The next moment, Yang Xiao’s voice came from the distance, “Adoptive Father, you went back on your word, I hate you!”
“Smelly brat, come back here right this instant!” Yang Kai shouted back, his expression contorted quite wonderfully. With his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, he actually allowed Yang Xiao to escape from his grasp. Not only was it a huge embarrassment, it was completely incomprehensible given the difference in strength.
“If you promise that you won’t hit me, I will come back, or else… or else… I’ll run away!” Yang Xiao, moving backwards, stuttered as he shouted aloud.
Yang Kai coldly chuckled, “You dare threaten me? Good, good, good! Go on then, run away!”
“I’m leaving now!” Yang Xiao shouted.
“Go go, go away!” Yang Kai said as his face turned black.
“I’m… really leaving…” Yang Xiao’s voice grew weaker.
Yang Kai only sneered, remaining unmoved.
Yang Xiao suddenly fumed with anger, made up his mind, turned around, and flew off.
Staring in the direction Yang Xiao left, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked quietly, “Old Qiong, did you feel it as well?”
Qiong Qi solemnly nodded, emphasizing his every word, “Time Principles!”
Yang Kai heaved a deep breath, “Sure enough, I didn’t sense it wrong. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but you noticed it too. How certain are you?”
Qiong Qi replied with a serious look on his face, “That boy definitely used the Dao of Time.”
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement, “How did that smelly brat comprehend the Dao of Time?” The moment Yang Kai was about to spank him, time seemed to stop for a moment, so he didn’t even notice how Yang Xiao slipped away. This boy had escaped from right under his nose, and by the time he recovered, Yang Xiao was already a thousand meters away.
Qiong Qi’s eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief as well, but soon a possibility crossed his mind and he shouted, “Inheritance!”
Yang Kai thoughtfully spoke, “You mean to say, he got it from me…”
“Apart from that, this Old Master can’t think of another possibility.” Yang Xiao’s Dragon Source wouldn’t grant him such an ability, and since Yang Xiao’s character was greatly affected by Yang Kai, it meant that when Yang Kai hatched him, Yang Xiao had inherited many things from Yang Kai.
Because Yang Kai had cultivated the Time Flies Seal though, he understood a bit about the Dao of Time, and now it was apparent that a bit of comprehension had been passed on to this boy, that was the only explanation.
Since Yang Xiao inherited comprehension of the Dao of Time from Yang Kai, what about the Dao of Space? The Dao of Space was Yang Kai’s Grand Dao, so if Yang Xiao had inherited some talent in the Dao of Space as well, that would be an enormous boon.
“Big Brother Yang, are you not going to chase him?” Mo Xiao Qi asked, apparently worried. Although she had hoped that Yang Kai would give this brat a memorable lesson, she became a little worried seeing Yang Xiao run away just now.
“Rest assured, he can’t run far.” Yang Kai smiled. Despite Yang Xiao raising hues and cries, he definitely wouldn’t go too far. Furthermore, Yang Kai had locked his Divine Sense onto Yang Xiao, so it was impossible for this smelly brat to really escape.
Just as he said that though, Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed as he cursed, “Damn!”
His figure immediately flickered as Space Principles fluctuated and he vanished into thin air.
Qiong Qi also frowned deeply before calling out to Mo Xiao Qi, “Hold on tight.”
The next moment, his speed soared as he flew towards a certain direction as swiftly as a wind.
In the sky over the sea, a grim-looking black-robed old man was hovering mid-air. Several corpses were floating on the sea below, dying it red with blood.
There was a pale but beautiful young woman hovering by that old man’s side. Although she was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, she appeared weak and feeble at this moment, unable to muster even an ounce of strength. Had the black-robed old man not been holding her up with his Emperor Qi, she would have already crashed into the water.
The old man happened to be holding a fair-skinned tender little fatty with one hand at this moment. Naturally, it was none other than Yang Xiao, who had just arrogantly proclaimed that he was running away from home.
Despite Yang Xiao raising a ruckus just now, he naturally understood that Yang Kai would not let him really run away. At most, he would catch him and beat him up after letting him roam free for a bit. But now, Yang Xiao had accidentally fallen into this old man’s grasp, and after witnessing such a scene, there was a good chance he was going to be silenced.
Yang Xiao immediately wore the most innocent look he could muster as he asked the black-robed old man, “Grandpa, who are you? Why did you catch me?”
The black-robed old man tilted his head and furrowed his brow, looking rather troubled.
[If it was just an ordinary brat, I would have killed him right away, but I can sense Pureblood Dragon aura from this little fatty. In other words, this brat might be a member of the Dragon Clan!]
[Since when did the Dragon Clan have someone like him though?] The old man gave it a careful thought, but he couldn’t come up with any answers. As far as he knew, all members of the Dragon Clan had reached maturity centuries ago, so how could a mere boy like this exist? However, the Dragon Clan having a new clansman couldn’t be ruled out.
Furthermore, this place wasn’t far from Dragon Island, so it wasn’t surprising for a Dragon Clan member to be here.
Killing this boy would be as simple as killing an ant, but it would be problematic if he drew a Master from the Dragon Clan here as a result.
While the black-robed old man was hesitating, he suddenly furrowed his brow as he turned towards one side.
A ripple in the sky appeared before Yang Kai’s figure manifested, emerging like a ghost. The old man’s pupils shrank at this sight as he naturally recognized this kind of Space Divine Ability, owing to his vast knowledge and experience. Furthermore, such a profound instantaneous movement ability was only attainable by those who cultivated the Dao of Space to an extremely high level. In fact, when he took a closer look at Yang Kai, a sliver of recognition appeared in his eyes, as if he knew him from somewhere.
As Yang Kai stared at the old man, his face couldn’t help but turn serious; because he discovered that the black-robed old man was a Third-Order Emperor. Worse, this old man gave him an uncomfortable amount of pressure, similar to when he was facing Cang Mo.
A Pseudo-Great Emperor!
Yang Kai was inwardly shocked, but he showed nothing on his face. He had heard Yang Yan mention that this world had restrictions, and many Pseudo-Great Emperors were living in seclusion, but he never expected to run into one in the middle of the vast East Sea.
Counting Cang Mo, Yang Yan, Li Wu Yi, and Sheng Yu Zhu, this old man was the fifth Pseudo-Great Emperor Yang Kai had encountered.
When the girl next to the black-robed old man saw Yang Kai, her terrified eyes suddenly glimmered with pleasant surprise before silently sending signals for help.
When Yang Kai glanced over at her, he was even more shocked.
He actually knew this girl, and her background was far from ordinary.
Yao Lin!
Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Jun, had a son and a daughter. His son was Yao Si and his daughter was Yao Lin, and Yang Kai had met both of them.
Yang Kai met Yao Si in the Shattered Star Sea, but their encounter was brief and they didn’t even converse, not even once. On the other hand, Yang Kai had actually gotten into a big conflict with Yao Lin, one that was life threatening for both of them. It was only because at the critical moment Serene Soul Great Emperor’s Soul Descend appeared that Yang Kai was forced to retreat, allowing Yao Lin to survive.
It wasn’t surprising to run into Yao Lin in the East Sea; after all, Serene Soul Palace was also located in the Eastern Territory. What Yang Kai wondered about was who this black-robed old man was. What gave him the courage to make a move on Yao Lin? Judging by Yao Lin’s appearance, it was quite obvious that she was kidnapped, and the corpses floating on the bloody sea below obviously belonged to Yao Lin’s guards, though they were already dead at this moment.
[Does this black-robed old man have some kind of enmity with Serene Soul Great Emperor? Or did Yao Lin accidentally provoke this old man and was taught a lesson by him?] He was well aware of Yao Lin’s character. She was domineering and arrogant, not putting anyone in her eyes. If she really did provoke this old man, it wasn’t that surprising either.
But no matter what, since Yang Xiao was in this old man’s hand, Yang Kai had to get involved.
As these thoughts flashed in his mind, Yang Kai turned a blind eye to Yao Lin’s plea and asked, only looking at Yang Xiao, who was held by the old man, “Xiao’er, are you alright?”
Yang Xiao grinningly replied, “Adoptive Father, don’t worry, your son is alright.”
[Adoptive Father!?] The black-robed old man furrowed his brow upon hearing this, even more confused than he had been before. He recognized this boy had a Pureblood Dragon aura and assumed he was a member of the Dragon Clan, but no member of the Dragon Clan in this world would call a mere Human ‘Adoptive Father’. A prideful and arrogant member of the Dragon Clan, even as a newborn, would never demean themselves so.
[Was I mistaken? Could it be that this little fatty isn’t a Dragon Clan member, and just has a slightly stronger Dragon Clan bloodline? Strange, it’s really strange!]
“When I tell you to not run around, you better not run around! Look what you have gotten yourself into. Since you’re alright, why are you still standing there instead of coming back!” Yang Kai sternly shouted.
Yang Xiao’s brow twitched as he thought, [I very much want to go back now, but I’m being held tight by this old man; how am I supposed to leave?]
Caught in this awkward position, Yang Xiao had no choice but to ask the black-robed old man with a bitter look on his face, “Grandpa, my Adoptive Father is asking me to go back, can you please let me go now?”
The black-robed old man didn’t say a word as he just deeply stared at Yang Kai.
Slowly, murderous intent began to fill the air.
He hadn’t expected to run into others on this vast ocean, and not a word of what he did today could be allowed to leak out, so he was already considering silencing all the witnesses to his crimes, but seeing how Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he was feeling quite frustrated. Against someone like Yang Kai, it was necessary to kill with a single blow, otherwise Yang Kai would simply escape.
With the murderous intent being so obvious, how could Yang Kai fail to detect it. His nerves growing taut, he hurriedly stated, “Old Sir, we father and son were just passing through. If this little brat was impolite to you, this Yang will apologize on his behalf. There is no need to keep holding onto him, right? He is just a boy.”
Yang Kai was currently cursing Yang Xiao in his mind. [Smelly brat, don’t you understand Dao of Time? You just slipped away from my grasp, so how did you get captured by someone else right after? Quickly use your Dao of Time to slip away!]
Yang Kai didn’t dare to act rashly in this situation. Yang Xiao was caught by this unknown man, and just a slight move could lead to unimaginable consequences. Yang Xiao had just been taken out of Dragon Island by him a few days ago, so if something happened to him, how would he face the Great Elder and Second Elder in the future? Yang Kai’s heart was pounding with anxiety, but that only made him grow calmer and calmer.
Right then, a streak of red light shot over from the horizon.
The black-robed old man, who had been staring at Yang Kai, frowned and promptly looked in that direction. Immediately after, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
With the flash of red light, Qiong Qi rushed over with Mo Xiao Qi, and when he saw the black-robed old man, Qiong Qi said a cry of shock as well. Obviously, he was aware of the opponent’s strength.
“Qiong Qi!” The black-robed old man finally spoke, his eyes filled with apprehension. He suddenly realized that the situation had grown completely out of his control. Even though he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm, facing Qiong Qi, an Ancient Divine Spirit, he still felt pressured.
[Why is Qiong Qi here? And there is even a girl riding on his back.] His day was turning stranger and stranger.
On another side, after peeking out from Qiong Qi’s back, Mo Xiao Qi spotted Yao Lin and opened her mouth instinctually, “Ah…”
Just as she was about to speak though, Yang Kai’s voice sounded in her ear, “Don’t say another word.”
Mo Xiao Qi quickly swallowed what she was about to say back into her stomach, though she kept staring at Yao Lin while Yao Lin stared back at her pleadingly.
Obviously, the two girls knew each other as they were both daughters of Great Emperors who lived in the Eastern Territory. They would have met, talked, and bickered a few times. If they didn’t recognize each other, then who would? But with Yao Lin’s bad personality, Mo Xiao Qi didn’t have any deep friendship with her, so their relationship was only that of acquaintances.
But at this moment, she absolutely couldn’t let this be known, at least not until Yang Xiao was safe; otherwise, the black-robed old man might gain another advantage.
Attacking the daughter of a Great Emperor was extremely sensational and no one would want this news to be leaked out. This was why Yang Kai stopped Mo Xiao Qi from speaking another word, to prevent the situation from becoming even more complicated.
Things had suddenly taken a strange turn. Everyone had different thoughts while only Yang Xiao, this smelly brat, who didn’t know how high the Heavens were, kept looking around curiously, planning who knows what.
After a long silence, the black-robed old man suddenly asked, “Qiong Qi, what do you want?”
His voice was hoarse as raspy, like metal scraping against metal, extremely harsh on the ears. The reason he was asking was because Qiong Qi had been eyeing him like an enemy since he appeared.
The old man was confused by this. [Is Qiong Qi with these people? Otherwise, how come all of them ran over one after another? If that’s the case, my luck is really terrible.]
“You tell me, what do you want?” Qiong Qi’s voice was thunderous, releasing power on par with that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. He was naturally not intimidated in this situation; after all, he had accompanied Flowing Time Great Emperor in the past and seen many Pseudo-Great Emperors. He didn’t need to be polite in front of this old man at all.
The black-robed old man frowned before suggesting, “How about you stay out of this matter?”
Qiong Qi agreed with a nod, “Good. Let the boy go and I’ll retreat.”
“Him?” The black-robed old man lifted Yang Xiao and shook him a bit.
Yang Xiao immediately objected, “Grandpa, please be gentle, I’m getting dizzy.”
“En.”
“Is he a member of the Dragon Clan?” The black-robed old man asked.
“You don’t need to know,” Qiong Qi fumed a jet of white mist through his nostrils as his eyes turned fierce and vicious, “You only need to know one thing, if anything happens to that boy, you will definitely die today.”
The black-robed old man nodded before replying, “Anyone can make a bluff, but since it’s being said by Qiong Qi, this Old Master will have to think carefully about it.” He pondered for a moment before casually raising his head and throwing Yang Xiao out, “He’s all yours.”
The next moment, the black-robed old man suddenly lifted his black robe as the sky suddenly grew dark. It seemed as if his black robe turned into a black curtain that covered the sky. Taking advantage of this sudden change, the old man grabbed Yao Lin with one hand and immediately fled.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, had already shot forward, catching Yang Xiao in his arms. When he scanned Yang Xiao with his Divine Sense though, his face drastically changed as he hurriedly shouted, “Old Qiong, kill that bastard!”
Qiong Qi didn’t reply but his figure had already been turned into a small black dot over the horizon, pursuing the black-robed old man the moment he threw Yang Xiao out.
Mo Xiao Qi descended from the sky. When Qiong Qi gave chase, she naturally jumped off. Qiong Qi couldn’t guarantee her safety when fighting against a Pseudo-Great Emperor, so he had of course let her off first.
“Is Xiao’er alright?” Mo Xiao Qi asked as she stood beside Yang Kai, but as she looked down at the little fatty in Yang Kai’s arm, her she couldn’t help gasping in shock, “What’s wrong with Xiao’er?”
Yang Xiao’s eyes were completely wide and there was a terrified look on his face. He was bleeding from all his orifices, and his body was alternating between red and white. Obviously, he was struck with some kind of sinister move. Clearly, the black-robed old man had done something when he threw Yang Xiao just now.
Yang Kai tore Yang Xiao’s clothes and laid him down flat. The next moment, his gaze fixed on his back, where he saw a clear five fingers imprint on his jade white skin. Wisps of evil energy could be seen spreading from this imprint, making Yang Xiao’s body alternate between hot and cold.
“Come with me!” Yang Kai said, grabbing Mo Xiao Qi’s arm, and with a flash of thought, he took her into the Small Sealed World, straight to the medicine garden. He then shouted aloud, “Mu Zhu, Mu Na!”
The two Wood Spirits immediately rushed over. Once they saw Yang Kai holding the little fatty with a distraught look on his face, they were greatly frightened and hurriedly asked, “Master, what happened?”
Yang Kai placed Yang Xiao on the ground and anxiously informed them, “He was injured by a powerful Master. I need to force the evil energy out of him while you help me stabilize his vitality and heal his injuries.”
The two Wood Spirits hurriedly nodded and got to work.
Not only did the Wood Spirit Clan have a unique advantage in cultivating Spirit Herbs, but healing others was also their speciality. With the assistance of two Wood Spirits, Yang Kai could naturally act feely. Not to mention, they were inside the Small Sealed World where his will was law.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai tapped a few times on Yang Xiao as he conscientiously and meticulously pushed his Emperor Qi, carefully moving it inside Yang Xiao.
He had no idea what Secret Technique the black-robed old man had used, but it was absolutely insidious. Even though it wouldn’t kill Yang Xiao, it was incredibly difficult to remove it. Yang Kai had to constantly infuse energy into Yang Xiao to maintain the latter’s vitality, and during this process, Yang Kai could even feel wisps of dark and insidious energy trying to erode him along with Yang Xiao.
[Damn old dog!] Yang Kai didn’t know who the old man was, but he hated him to the bone. If he got the chance, Yang Kai would kill that old man a thousand times over.
The two Wood Spirits worked diligently as specks of green light started to fly over from the medicine garden, flying into Yang Xiao’s body like fireflies, providing him endless vitality. Mo Xiao Qi was also surprised by the two little Wood Spirits, but she didn’t have time to care about them now as she was preoccupied with praying for Yang Xiao’s safety, over and over again.
At some point, Yang Xiao suddenly opened his eyes and cried in agony, “Adoptive Father, it hurts!”
“Serves you right!” Yang Kai had an exasperated look on his face. Meanwhile, the movements of his hands became more rapid. [If this smelly brat hadn’t joked about running away from home, why would he have encountered such a disaster? I too was a little careless when I told him to go too, but who would have thought that he would run into a Pseudo-Great Emperor committing a kidnapping?]
“Adoptive Father, am I going to die?” Yang Xiao asked again.
Yang Kai snorted, “How could it be that easy for you to die with me here?”
Yang Xiao still wanted to talk but just as he opened his mouth, he spurted a mouthful of blood. The blood seemed to be boiling as it let out sizzling noises the moment it touched the ground, making Mo Xiao Qi extremely worried. She was worried that Yang Xiao would not be able to hold on.
While Yang Xiao kept coughing up blood, again and again, Yang Kai kept checking his condition, adjusting his Emperor Qi output while the two Wood Spirits worked in concert, increasing their healing efficiency.
After some time, Yang Xiao’s abnormality finally and slowly disappeared. Yang Kai flipped him over and glanced at his back. The five finger imprint on his back had disappeared as well. It was just that Yang Xiao had coughed up a lot of blood and was currently weak and pale, having difficulty trying to keep his eyes open to look at Yang Kai. In the next moment, his head tilted to one side as he fell asleep.
Yang Kai took out a few healing pills from his Space Ring and stuffed them into the boy’s mouth before helping him digest their medicinal efficacies. Only once all of this was finished did he say to Mu Zhu and Mu Na, “It’s okay now.”
The two Wood Spirits also stopped while wiping the fine beads of sweat on their foreheads.
“He will stay here for a few days to recover, so I’ll be leaving him in your care.” Yang Kai exhorted.
Mu Zhu replied, “Master may rest assured.”
Yang Kai glanced at Yang Xiao with a complicated look on his face before he caressed his forehead and then said to Mo Xiao Qi, “Let’s go.”
With a surge of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, the two emerged from the Small Sealed World.
No one was in the vicinity. Just the smell of blood permeating in the air and the billowing sea, as well as many Sea Monsters that had come smelling the blood and were vying for the corpses floating on the water.
Mo Xiao Qi was a little confused, wondering how they appeared in a medicine garden at one point, and then back over the sea the next moment, but she still asked with concern, “Is Xiao’er alright?”
“He is out of danger,” Yang Kai nodded, but his face was filled with gloom.
Yang Xiao was able to survive not because the black-robed old man had shown mercy, but because he belonged to the Dragon Clan, which granted him powerful resilience and recovery abilities. Had it been someone else, he or she might have already lost their lives even if Yang Kai and the two Wood Spirits treated them immediately.
The old man’s last move wasn’t just to take Yang Xiao’s life, but to distract Yang Kai at the same time so that he could calmly escape.
[That was borderline lunacy!]
[But…he actually dared to kidnap Serene Soul Great Emperor’s daughter. Who the hell was he?]
After waiting for a while, Qiong Qi finally returned.
Yang Kai looked up, whereupon Old Qiong shook his head, “He got away!”
If that old man really fought, Qiong Qi was confident that he could defeat him, but at the end of the day, the enemy was still a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and since he was determined to escape, Qiong Qi was powerless to stop him. Unlike Yang Kai, Qiong Qi wasn’t proficient in the Dao of Space, so he didn’t have a unique advantage in tracking or escaping. After chasing the black-robed old man for a while, he had no choice but to return.
Although he was mentally prepared, Yang Kai was still unwilling to hear Qiong Qi say so and grumbled, “He got lucky.”
Had the old man not run away, with Qiong Qi, his Embodiment, and Yang Kai working together, they definitely would have been able to keep him here. But since the old man ran, they could do nothing. Now, it was too late to chase the old man as they had no clue where he had run off to. Yang Kai pondered for a while before asking, “Any idea who he was?”
Qiong Qi shook his head, “This Old Master has been sleeping in the Four Seasons Realm for countless years, and only came out not too long ago. This Old Master is completely unaware of the other Masters in this world.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “Senior Li might know something.”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin before adding, “Xiao Qi, we need to return to the Spirit Beast Island immediately.”
Originally, he had planned to return straight to Spirit Beast Island via the Space Beacon he left with Li Wu Yi, but in order to satisfy Yang Xiao’s wish, and coupled with Mo Xiao Qi’s proposal, they decided to fly back. In light of today’s events though, Yang Kai was afraid of some problems cropping up from undue delay, so he decided to head over directly.
Yang Xiao had encountered a mishap right under his nose, so Yang Kai couldn’t let anything happen to Mo Xiao Qi too, so he decided to take her back as soon as possible.
Mo Xiao Qi didn’t object either, simply standing there obediently on the spot.
Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi, enveloping Mo Xiao Qi and Qiong Qi in it before he lifted the Space Spirit Bead given to him by Li Wu Yi, formed a few hand seals, and pushed his Space Principles.
Suddenly, a flash of white light blinded the trio before they slipped through the Void. By the time they regained their vision, the trio was already standing by a lake.
The lake was crystal clear and surrounded by extremely rich World Energy. One could see fish swimming in it while Li Wu Yi was sitting by the shore, fishing casually.
After sensing their arrival, Li Wu Yi looked around and immediately noticed their figures. A smile involuntarily bloomed on his face as he put down the fishing rod and welcomed them, nodding to Mo Xiao Qi, “Welcome back, Xiao Qi.”
“Uncle Li!” Mo Xiao Qi greeted him back, looking around for a while before curiously asking, “Where is Aunty Feng?”
In her mind, Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng were completely inseparable. Although the two weren’t husband and wife, their relationship was better than ordinary couples, so she couldn’t help but find it odd that Li Wu Yi was without Jiu Feng.
“I’m up here!” Jiu Feng’s voice rang out from the treetop beside Li Wu Yi. Mo Xiao Qi immediately looked up and saw Jiu Feng lying sideways on a branch, her legs dangling down lightly.
“Aunty Feng!” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly cried, flying up and plunging into Jiu Feng’s arms, rubbing her head on her chest.
Jiu Feng, on the other hand, pinched her ear and pulled on it, angrily snapping, “Smelly girl, you’re only returning now? If you hadn’t come back, Sir would have gone to Dragon Island to look for you.”
Mo Xiao Qi stuck her tongue out, “Aren’t I back now? Don’t pinch my ears.”
“Alright, I will let you off for coming back.” Jiu Feng sized her up, “Did you get thinner?”
Mo Xiao Qi hurriedly jumped up and began checking herself, but after a moment, she asked instead, “Do I look thin now? I was living happily with mother, she took very good care of me!”
“En, seems like you aren’t thinner,” Jiu Feng nodded, poking the little girl’s chest as she said in a low voice, “Rather, you seem a bit bigger, especially here.”
Mo Xiao Qi immediately grew shy and her cheeks turned red all over. She snuck a glance at Yang Kai before retorting, “Aunty Feng, you are talking nonsense! I’m not talking to you.” Having said this, she ran off.
Yang Kai lightly coughed before greeting, cupping his fists, “Greetings Senior Li, Senior Jiu Feng.”
Li Wu Yi smiled and asked, “How did your trip go?”
“Although there were some twists and turns, nothing big happened,” replied Yang Kai.
“That’s good then.” Li Wu Yi lightly nodded, “Since you have come to Spirit Beast Island, stay here for a few days, the Great Emperor also wants to know what the situation is like on Dragon Island, so he might have some questions to ask you.”
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “Whatever the Great Emperor asks, this Junior will honestly answer, but before that, there is a matter of great importance I need to report to Senior.”
“What is it?” Li Wu Yi, seeing Yang Kai’s solemn expression, he couldn’t help but turn serious as well.
Yang Kai replied, “It’s like this, after we left Dragon Island, we ran into someone.”
“Who?” Jiu Feng asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea…” Next, he described the old man’s appearance before adding, “There was another person beside him, the daughter of Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Lin.”
“Yao Lin?” Li Wu Yi furrowed his brow, “What’s Yao Lin’s relationship with that person?”
Yang Kai replied, “It doesn’t look like there is one; or rather, that old man seemed to have attacked Yao Lin as all her guards were dead while she was captured. When she saw me, Yao Lin seemed to be pleading for help, but unfortunately, I was powerless to do anything. Qiong Qi gave chase when that man fled, but he still managed to escape.”
“Are you sure Yao Lin was captured?” Li Wu Yi’s eyes widened in shock.
Jiu Feng also asked, “You know Yao Lin? There is no room for mistake in this matter.”
Yang Kai replied, “I met Yao Lin once before, and although it was a few years back, there is no way I would mistake her. I can guarantee that it was Yao Lin. I believe Xiao Qi also recognized her, so you can check with her for confirmation.”
Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng glanced at each other and both found it a bit strange that anyone in this world would actually dare to make a move against a Great Emperor’s daughter. Was that old man simply tired of living?
But if what Yang Kai said was true, this was an incredibly serious incident. How could anyone be allowed to make a move on a Great Emperor’s daughter without any repercussions? Who will bear the fury of the Great Emperor?
After pondering for a while, Li Wu Yi stated, “Follow me to see the Great Emperor, we also need to inform Serene Soul Palace immediately about this.”
Yang Kai simply nodded, “Good.”