"Chang'an, why are you looking at me like that?"
As soon as Mu Xi opened her eyes, she saw Li Chang'an staring intently at her, his gaze making her a little nervous.
That look of his—she'd seen it more than once before, but always when he was about to do something bad.
"It's nothing. How do you feel?" Li Chang'an swallowed hard, forcing himself to abandon his reckless thought of riding a goddess for now. After all, this wasn't the right place for it.
"I feel great. It's like a missing part of my heart has finally been filled," Mu Xi answered truthfully with a small nod.
Li Chang'an asked, "That's good. So, what's the first trial?"
"My soul power just needs to break through level forty," Mu Xi said, a little surprised. That seemed way too simple.
'Of course, it was obvious the Nature Goddess was pulling her punches.'
Li Chang'an nodded inwardly, confirming his suspicion, and then turned toward her.
"Senior, this junior has already cleared two trials. May I ask what reward I'm entitled to?"
Yes, shamelessness was always one of Li Chang'an's guiding principles.
"…Fine. Since I've already given away my inheritance, I might as well give you this too."
The Nature Goddess let out a weary sigh, clearly exasperated, but she could do nothing else.
A creamy white light flashed.
Suddenly, a massive bone—over ten meters long—appeared before them. The bone curved like the body of a dragon, every joint radiating an aura of majesty. As it emerged, Li Chang'an felt the surrounding elements surge violently in response!
Not only that, faint echoes of dragon roars resounded around them, proclaiming the bone's extraordinary origin.
"The Dragon God had guardians and subordinates. The owner of this soul bone was one of the dragon clan—second only to the Dragon God himself. We called him the Time Dragon."
"Though his raw power wasn't the greatest, his innate ability allowed him to halt time itself. At full strength, he could even reverse time. He was the Dragon God's mightiest right hand when ruling the Divine Realm."
"In the great war, I don't know where the other dragons were buried. But after much searching, I managed to find what remained of him. I've kept it hidden ever since."
As she spoke, the Nature Goddess's voice carried a trace of shyness. Clearly, she had admired the Time Dragon. Otherwise, why else would she have gone to such lengths to recover his remains?
What she didn't say was this—her choice to side with the spirit beasts back then had less to do with politics… and more because the Time Dragon was just too handsome.
Now, with Mu Xi inheriting her mantle and Li Chang'an receiving the Time Dragon's bone, it felt almost like they were together in another way.
"This soul bone is incomplete," the Goddess continued. "You'll need to fuse it with another time-type spirit beast to restore its full power. Fortunately, the Time Dragon's bone isn't part of the standard six human soul bone slots. It is a divine soul bone—it won't occupy any of your existing positions."
Her form was growing fainter without her divine heart, but her expression remained filled with relief.
"Thank you, senior, for bestowing this soul bone! I swear I will never tarnish the name of the Time Dragon!" Li Chang'an bowed deeply, his gratitude sincere.
Time manipulation… Even a fraction of such an ability could change the course of any battle.
And of course… it has other uses too. Imagine stepping in and out ten times in the space of a second.
As for finding a compatible spirit beast to fuse with, Li Chang'an already had a plan. He remembered in the original story, Tang San once hunted several beasts in the Star Dou Forest while adding spirit rings to his Clear Sky Hammer. Among them was a rare sixty-thousand-year beast—Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Though not a pure time-type, it possessed a peculiar ability: reversing aging.
There had to be a time-elemental factor in that skill, Li Chang'an reasoned. He'd definitely pay the Star Dou Forest a visit to look for it.
Besides, with the forest's ruler practically wrapped around his finger already, hunting a single beast there was hardly an issue.
"I believe in you. Once my successor completes the nine trials, the three of you will go to her. From then on, she will be your new master."
The Goddess spoke this last part to Mu Xi.
"Master, no… I don't want to leave you…" Tears welled up again in the Xiao Yuer's eyes.
"Foolish child. My power is nearly spent, and your mission is almost over. You'll still be able to accompany me for a while longer." The Goddess gently comforted her.
Li Chang'an, meanwhile, was secretly pleased. The two centaurs were idiots but useful in combat, especially once freed from this suppressed realm. But the real prize was the former King of Slaughter—practically half a demigod-level fighter.
"Enough. The inheritance is complete. You should leave now." The Goddess's voice grew weaker; her phantom form was nearly transparent.
"Thank you, senior." Mu Xi bowed obediently.
"Thank you, senior. Don't worry—so long as I live, the Divine Realm will never be the same again."
Li Chang'an carefully stored the Time dragon's soul bone in his special storage device, where time was frozen and energy loss was impossible.
"Good. I'll be waiting for that day." The Goddess smiled faintly, raising her hand to open a shimmering portal of space.
"By the way, senior," Li Chang'an asked suddenly, holding Mu Xi's hand before stepping through, "how old exactly is the Time dragon's soul bone?"
"Age…" The Goddess thought for a long moment before finally answering.
"Over a million years. But how many abilities you can draw from it—that will depend on you."
'A million-year soul bone… damn, that's insane.
Good thing my system can streamline all the abilities into something optimal. Might cost some points, but totally worth it.'
Li Chang'an nodded, took Mu Xi's hand, and stepped through the gate, leaving behind only the Goddess's lonely shadow in the tomb.
---
Ming Dou Mountain Range – Outer Rim
As soon as they emerged, Li Chang'an pitched a tent and claimed he was starving, insisting they have a proper meal.
Dinner finished, he immediately pulled Mu Xi into the tent with him. He'd been holding himself back far too long.
"Chang'an… maybe we should wait until we're back—"
"Nope. I can't stand it anymore. Look at me…"
Muxi, ever the shy one, couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Chang'an…"
"Hm?"
"Could you… maybe go faster?"
The tent shook violently, creaking as if it might collapse at any moment.
___
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