Chapter 235: Tears of the Elderly
Starfall Pavilion, back mountain.
Two young girls of similar age were facing each other. One of them, with purple hair, was none other than Xiao Yi Xian. She raised her head proudly, her purple eyes looking down at the girl in front of her who looked exactly the same as her, hands on her hips, speaking with a pretentious tone, "Call me big sister, or I'll eat you when I grow up!"
After saying that, she raised her hands and made a fierce expression, glaring at Mu Qing Luan.
Mu Qing Luan pouted and lowered her head, muttering in a small voice, "... You dare! My master is Lord Feng, if you eat me, he won't let you go."
"I'll secretly eat you!" Xiao Yi Xian said fiercely.
"I... I'm going to tell master right now!" Mu Qing Luan almost cried and turned to run to the outer courtyard.
"Hmph, just know how to report things!" Xiao Yi Xian crossed her arms and pouted.
Perhaps because Mu Qing Luan had a trace of the Gu Tian Phoenix's bloodline, the two of them simply didn't get along and argued whenever they met. During this period, such small conflicts had happened frequently, but most of the time, Xiao Yi Xian had the upper hand, benefiting from her Dragon Clan bloodline, which made her naturally inclined to take the lead. The personality in her bloodline seemed to be liberated, beginning to resemble her character in the original story.
In fact, many people's personalities are decided from birth, and if they don't experience any major events later, they won't change much.
The commotion from the two girls was clearly visible to Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo, who were nearby. Both of them showed smiles, watching the two girls play around, making them feel younger.
"The Gu Void Dragons and the Gu Tian Phoenix are mortal enemies. According to Gu texts, these two races would fight whenever they met. Your disciple's original form is a Qing Luan, so her bloodline should contain a trace of the Gu Tian Phoenix. It's a bit difficult for them to get along," Lord Tianhuo said with a smile, his large belly sticking out.
Lord Feng also had a faint smile on his handsome face. Learning that his old friend was undergoing a transformation made him feel great; his mood was better than it had been in a long time. He even felt that his cultivation had subtly improved.
"Mutual hatred in youth is normal. When they grow up, they will naturally understand right and wrong," Lord Feng said softly.
While the two were talking, a sudden invisible spatial fluctuation reverberated from above Starfall Pavilion.
"?!"
Sensing this spatial fluctuation, both Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo's smiles disappeared instantly. They stood up, their gazes turning toward the sky, their expressions becoming serious. This was because Starfall Pavilion was surrounded by a natural formation, and even a Dou Zun expert, without coordinates, could not silently enter.
At the same time, a silver portal appeared high above Starfall Pavilion, and two figures emerged from it.
"Whoosh!"
Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo both immediately moved to meet them, and their faces relaxed. The visitors weren't enemies, but before either of them could speak, the elderly figure standing beside Yao Yan suddenly disappeared from their sight.
"What?!" Lord Feng stared at Yao Yan, using his perception to the fullest. With his strength, he couldn't sense how the elder had left.
"That person is an elder from the Gu Void Dragon Clan. He came here to see Xiao Yi Xian," Yao Yan explained.
Yao Yan could understand Zhu Li's impatience. Due to the Starfall Pavilion's array, Xiao Yi Xian's aura wouldn't have been sensed by Zhu Li before. Now, being within Starfall Pavilion, with their bloodline connection, if Zhu Li couldn't sense her, then that would indeed be a problem.
Additionally, the name Zhu Li made Yao Yan trust him, especially since the one who had become the "guard dog" of the Dragon Emperor was called Zhu Kun!
Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo exchanged looks, then both turned to look at Yao Yan. They hadn't expected that Yao Yan had really brought an Gu monster from the Gu Void Dragon Clan with him. Based on the power Zhu Li had just demonstrated, he was very likely a powerful figure beyond the Dou Zun level.
Otherwise, even a high-level Dou Zun wouldn't have left them completely unaware.
"Let's go." Yao Yan had already seen Xiao Yi Xian and Zhu Li. Although he couldn't sense Zhu Li's movements, once he locked onto Xiao Yi Xian, it was easy to find him.
The three of them flashed and quickly arrived at the back mountain.
At that moment, they saw Zhu Li, who was looking at Xiao Yi Xian with great excitement. The calm, peaceful expression he had before was gone, replaced with tears, as if he could no longer hold back his emotions. His body was trembling with intense feelings, which directly scared Xiao Yi Xian.
Fortunately, Xiao Yi Xian was fearless and could feel the bloodline power within him. The familiar power made her confused, and she asked, "Old man, are you one of my people?"
Upon hearing Xiao Yi Xian's words, Yao Yan blinked rapidly. He remembered that when he handed Xiao Yi Xian over to Lord Tianhuo, the little girl had been very polite, but how, after only two or three months, had she suddenly dropped her guard?
He couldn't help but look at Lord Tianhuo and Lord Feng. How did they raise this child?
"Yes!" Zhu Li nodded heavily, wiping his tears from his eyes. He never imagined that the Dragon Emperor's bloodline would still have a legacy and that he would still see its return. Over the past thousand years, he had almost become numb to it, and only recently had he begun to think about cultivating a successor.
"I am Zhu Li, the Third Elder of East Dragon Island," he began to introduce himself, but then hesitated, considering the presence of others.
Xiao Yi Xian, with the Dragon Emperor's bloodline and an incredibly high concentration, might be the direct heir. In this case, it was absolutely vital that no one learned about her existence—especially the three Dragon Kings. If they found out, East Dragon Island wouldn't be able to stop them.
Xiao Yi Xian glanced at him with a complicated look in her eyes, then turned her gaze to Yao Yan, her face breaking into a smile. "Big brother?! You're back!"
She ran over to Yao Yan.
"I found her. She has quite a few family members," Yao Yan ruffled Xiao Yi Xian's head, smiling, then knowingly asked Zhu Li, "It seems that Xiao Yi Xian's bloodline meets the Third Elder's requirements."
Zhu Li, seeing the relationship between Yao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, his eyes flickered for a moment, and after a pause, he slowly spoke, "… Naturally, it meets them, and far exceeds them!"
"That's good. I wonder if the Third Elder can help her find her family?" Yao Yan affectionately ruffled Xiao Yi Xian's head.
Zhu Li hesitated, his gaze shifting toward Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo.
"These two are my elders and can be trusted," Yao Yan saw Zhu Li's hesitation and frowned, assuring him.
"This matter is of great importance," Zhu Li shook his head and said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Lord Feng and Lord Tianhuo exchanged a glance and immediately cupped their hands toward Zhu Li, then left. They weren't so oblivious that they didn't recognize the importance of the situation, especially when dealing with someone who was very likely a Dou Sheng-level expert.
After they left, Zhu Li raised his hand, distorting the space around them and cutting off any external interference. He then respectfully bowed to Yao Yan.
"Thank you, young friend, for bringing our princess back!" Zhu Li said in a deep voice.
Yao Yan was about to stop him, but was stunned by his words. He looked at Xiao Yi Xian beside him, his tone also growing serious. "Do you mean... Xiao Yi Xian is the Dragon Emperor's direct heir?!"
"The bloodline cannot lie. In fact, I have some bloodline connection to the Dragon Emperor, so I can sense the bloodline power within Xiao Yi Xian. Although it hasn't fully awakened yet!" Zhu Li said, his gaze gentle as he looked at Xiao Yi Xian, speaking slowly.
Compared to his previous numbness, his eyes seemed much brighter now, as though he had found a new direction for the future.
Unlike the troubles brought by the Three Dragon Kings, what was most frightening was not having a direction, not knowing who to fight for, or where the Gu Void Dragon Clan's future lay.
Now everything had changed. He could even use Xiao Yi Xian's name to summon some of the old ancestors back. As long as one or two old ancestors received the message and returned, East Dragon Island would no longer have to fear the Three Dragon Kings!
"Dragon Emperor... How did he disappear? Did he die?" Xiao Yi Xian stared at Zhu Li, suddenly asking, as if the emotions were overwhelming her. Her hand that was gripping Yao Yan's clothes tightened.
She had always wondered why she was born without parents. Even the low-level beasts had parents who found food for them, while she had to fend for herself. She almost died many times in the jaws of low-level beasts and could only gnaw on grass when hungry...
"I don't know either. The Dragon Emperor disappeared very suddenly, with no warning. It was as if he vanished into thin air... If not for that, our clan wouldn't have fallen into such disarray," Zhu Li sighed deeply, speaking slowly.
If only there had been a successor, the Gu Void Dragon Clan wouldn't have ended up in this state.
It was precisely because the Dragon Emperor disappeared and there was no successor that the Gu Void Dragon Clan split into pieces, with countless strong warriors fleeing into the void.
Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip and said nothing.
Zhu Li, seeing this, looked back at Yao Yan and said, "I want to take the princess back to Dragon Island and raise her to become the new Dragon Emperor."
Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly loudly retorted.
"I don't want to! I don't want to be any Dragon Emperor! I never had a family before, and I won't have one in the future... I'll just follow big brother, wherever big brother goes, I'll go!" Xiao Yi Xian gripped Yao Yan's clothes tightly, her eyes fierce and determined as she stared at Zhu Li.
Zhu Li, upon hearing this, didn't know what to say. He wanted to persuade her, but looking at her fierce eyes, he realized that she had no good feelings for him. Trying to persuade her with the word 'bloodline' seemed futile.
In the original story, Zhu Li had taken the drifting Xiao Yi Xian back to the clan, thus forming a bond. But now, she had been brought back by Yao Yan, and that was a whole decade earlier. The situation was completely different.
"Big brother won't let you go to any Dragon Island. That place is dark and boring," Yao Yan gently rubbed Xiao Yi Xian's head, comforting her, while also sending a voice transmission to the increasingly frustrated Zhu Li. "Senior, we'll talk about this later. Xiao Yi Xian is very resistant to this matter right now. Let's wait."
Zhu Li hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Then it's settled. You can't throw me to that old man!" Xiao Yi Xian looked up at Yao Yan, seeking his guarantee.
"Of course not."
Yao Yan nodded.
After that, he patted Xiao Yi Xian's head and signaled for her to go back.
Xiao Yi Xian made a fierce face at Zhu Li before swaying her ponytail as she walked toward her small room. The distorted space around her couldn't stop her departure. To the Gu Void Dragon Clan, the void was like water to a fish.
"Young friend, can you persuade her a little?" Zhu Li seemed to realize the relationship between Yao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian and couldn't help but plead.
If Xiao Yi Xian didn't want to, even if he forcibly took her back, it would be meaningless. He couldn't do something like 'use the emperor to command the lords'. Even if he could do it, what would he be different from the Three Dragon Kings?
Yao Yan thought for a moment and then slowly said, "Senior, I've more or less figured out the situation of East Dragon Island, including the other three Dragon Kings... I don't think it's a good idea for Xiao Yi Xian to return with you. Once her news is leaked, the Three Dragon Kings will certainly not sit still, and Xiao Yi Xian will face endless pursuit. Even East Dragon Island will become a target."
After a pause, he continued, "Of course, if East Dragon Island has the power to suppress the Three Dragon Kings, I can promise you that I'll persuade Xiao Yi Xian to go back. Actually, what she said just now was out of anger... You don't know what she went through when she was young. She almost got eaten by a low-level beast. In fact, she craves family more than anyone else, but she always looks carefree."
When Zhu Li heard that Xiao Yi Xian had almost been eaten by a low-level beast, his face showed shock and fear. Thinking of that scene, he felt a chill down his spine.
"Senior, let Xiao Yi Xian stay in Starfall Pavilion for now. When her strength grows, she can return to the Gu Void Dragon Clan. During this time, the clan members can contact her and protect her. This will reduce her resistance until she's willing to accept you," Yao Yan said slowly.
Zhu Li nodded, contemplating for a moment. He then looked at Yao Yan and said seriously, "This is fine, but there is one thing I need your help with. The princess's bloodline hasn't fully awakened yet. She needs to return to Dragon Island and enter the Dragon Phoenix Pool for a baptism. The sooner, the better!"
"Okay, I'll help with that. Please wait a few days, and I will persuade Xiao Yi Xian," Yao Yan nodded in agreement.
"Everything is entrusted to you!" Zhu Li bowed once more to Yao Yan.
"No need for such formalities, Senior. I genuinely accept Xiao Yi Xian as my little sister, so I will never refuse anything beneficial to her. But regarding Xiao Yi Xian's identity, I hope you can keep it hidden for a while. She hasn't grown enough yet, and exposing her too early will only harm her," Yao Yan avoided the bow and reminded him.
"I was too excited before and lost my composure. After hearing your words, I will proceed more cautiously," Zhu Li promised.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997