Hun Changqing quickly pinned down the restless and gesticulating Zi Yan. He was quite exasperated by Zi Yan's unpredictable and capricious nature. Rubbing his aching temples, Hun Changqing sighed and said...
"Let's not even talk about the fact that the Ancient Void Dragon has been missing from the Central Continent for hundreds of years. In these hundreds of years, no one has been able to find its location. For us to go to the Central Continent now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, I have just returned to the Underworld Palace and still have some things to do, so it's impossible for me to leave now.
Anyway, you are only temporarily unable to grow up, not that your strength is stuck and you can't grow. So, we can postpone taking you back to the Ancient Void Dragon clan for now. After I finish dealing with things in the Northwest Continent, I will take you back to the Central Continent to slowly search for the location of your Ancient Void Dragon clan."
In fact, Hun Changqing's words were just made up. Although the Ancient Void Dragon clan had indeed disappeared from the Central Continent for a long time, hiding in a secret space, no one could find the location of the clan's territory, which belonged to the darlings of the space.
However, only Hun Changqing was truly able to find this place, and even reach the territory of the Ancient Void Dragon. He didn't need to put in much effort; he only needed to take Zi Yan to the Central Continent for a stroll. The elders of the Ancient Void Dragon, loyal to the Dragon Emperor lineage, would naturally sense Zi Yan's aura of Dragon Emperor blood and come looking for her.
However, Hun Changqing's affairs in the Northwest Continent were not yet finished. Although the scarce resources in the Northwest Continent could no longer support Hun Changqing's cultivation, those scattered resources were insignificant to him. If the resources of the entire continent were concentrated, they would still be considerable.
The Underworld Palace was developing well, showing a momentum to cover the entire Northwest Continent. Although this force was just an experiment for Hun Changqing and was dispensable to him, he had already seen some promising signs.
Hun Changqing naturally couldn't just abandon the situation and run back to Zhongzhou with Ziyan. At the very least, he had to eliminate the forces threatening the Underworld Palace in the Northwest Continent, allowing Medusa to develop peacefully here.
Otherwise, if a situation like this occurred again, Hun Changqing couldn't guarantee he could always return on time to save the day. Just one mishap would leave him kicking himself in regret.
Therefore, he could only appease Ziyan first, and after dealing with things here, he would take her to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. The Ancient Void Dragon Clan possessed many valuable items, and Hun Changqing was extremely envious of their spatial manipulation techniques.
While everyone could master spatial manipulation at a certain level, it was worlds apart from that of the Ancient Void Dragons.
The Ancient Dragon of the Void seemed to be the darling of space, effortlessly wielding any spatial manipulation without any bottlenecks. It could even manipulate spatial power in countless ways, far surpassing the spatial abilities of others who had reached a certain level.
While those exquisite spatial techniques were a unique talent innate to the Ancient Dragon of the Void clan, it was possible that the Ancient Dragons had left behind some records of spatial power. Given his relationship with Zi Yan, reviewing these records wouldn't be a problem. Perhaps Hun Changqing could even discover something from them. Therefore, Hun Changqing took the matter of bringing Zi Yan back to the clan seriously, not just going through the motions.
Upon hearing Hun Changqing's words, the excitement on Zi Yan's face faded considerably. She was well aware of the importance of the Underworld Palace to Hun Changqing and wouldn't abandon it simply because of her.
But the thought of having to postpone her coming of age again dimmed Zi Yan's bright eyes, revealing an undisguised sense of loss and a very dejected expression.
"Alright, don't look like that. I'll focus on handling the matters of the Underworld Palace and try to get the search for the Ancient Void Dragon Clan with you on the agenda as soon as possible."
Seeing Zi Yan's somewhat forlorn appearance, Hun Changqing's heart softened, and he offered a rare word of comfort.
Zi Yan was taken aback at first, sensing the importance Hun Changqing placed on her in his words. The gloom on her face finally dissipated, and a smile appeared, her dim eyes regaining their light.
"Are you going to Zhongzhou afterward?"
Medusa, standing beside him, frowned instantly and asked Hun Changqing.
Hun Changqing naturally understood Medusa's meaning, nodded, and then reached out to put his arm around Medusa's shoulder.
"Zi Yan's matter does indeed need to be dealt with, and my clan has some plans to implement recently. They are currently gathering clansmen like myself who are away from home. I only left the clan this time because I was worried about you, so I rushed back to eliminate the hidden dangers in the Northwest Continent so that you can develop the Underworld Palace in peace. I don't have much time left to spend away from home."
Hun Changqing naturally knew that Medusa wouldn't let him go to such a far place as Zhongzhou so easily, leaving her alone in the Underworld Palace. So he fabricated another "white" lie, and his tone was full of helplessness, which softened Medusa's gloomy and cold expression.
Medusa now understood the power of the family Hun Changqing mentioned. The call of the top families in the Dou Qi Continent was something that Hun Changqing, a mere Dou Zun, could not refuse. Medusa seemed to understand Hun Changqing's predicament. As Hun Changqing's woman, she naturally wouldn't throw a tantrum and cause him any more trouble.
However, the thought that Hun Changqing would soon leave her side again, and that the two would be separated by such a great distance, filled Medusa with an indescribable sense of loss. Moreover, the fact that even a behemoth like the Soul Clan would summon its members and disciples who were away from home shows that the Soul Clan's grand plan, as Hun Changqing spoke of, must be extraordinary. Although Medusa knew that Hun Changqing was strong, for a clan like that, the Dou Zun realm might not be anything special. Therefore, Medusa was filled with worry about Hun Changqing's return to the clan.
"What difficulties will you face in carrying out the plan back in the clan? Your current strength is indeed very strong, and you haven't encountered any opponents here. But you also mentioned that your clan has an incredibly powerful foundation. And now that your clan has suddenly made such a big move, it must be extremely dangerous. You must be extra careful!"
Medusa asked Hun Changqing with concern and anxiety, her eyes filled with worry.
Hun Changqing felt a warmth in his heart at Medusa's concern. He felt a rare sense of guilt and shame for deceiving Medusa and wanting to run away to Zhongzhou. His gaze softened as he looked at Medusa, and he tightened his embrace. He then chuckled and said...
"You know who I am. I'm not the kind of Muggle who would risk his life for his family. No matter how important the clan's plans are, nothing is more important than my life. I will always put my safety first. If things go wrong, I will retreat first. Besides, the Soul Clan has terrifying resources. This time, we're not dealing with an ancient clan that is comparable to the Soul Clan, so there won't be any accidents. Don't worry, I will come and take you back to Zhongzhou after this matter is over."
Medusa's worried heart eased a little after hearing Hun Changqing's words. When she heard Hun Changqing say that he would take her back to Zhongzhou after the matter was settled, it sounded to Medusa like Hun Changqing was going to marry her. This made Medusa's heart fill with sweetness. She leaned gently on Hun Changqing's shoulder, and a happy look appeared on Medusa's face.
Meanwhile, Zi Yan, watching Medusa nestled against Hun Changqing, felt a flicker of jealousy in her eyes. She pouted at Medusa with displeasure, but wisely refrained from causing trouble. Instead, she rolled her round eyes upwards, revealing the whites, and made a face at Medusa where Medusa couldn't see, venting her frustration.
After all, once they reached Zhongzhou, she would be the only one left by her master's side. This woman would have to obediently stay in the Underworld Palace to guard Hun Changqing's territory. With one less troublesome woman between her and her master, wouldn't her master be able to do whatever he wanted?
Thinking of this, Zi Yan looked at Medusa's back as she nestled against Hun Changqing. Her eyes, no longer filled with resentment, became strangely eerie, even showing a hint of pity. A chilling smile played on her lips, and a drop of saliva unconsciously dripped from the corner of her mouth as she indulged in her fantasies.
Meanwhile, Medusa, who had been nestled happily in Hun Changqing's arms, seemed to have suddenly realized something. She abruptly opened her bewitching eyes, rose from Hun Changqing's embrace, grabbed his hand, and pulled him up, leading him towards the deepest part of the Underworld Palace.
"Come on! Come inside!"
Medusa was so engrossed in Hun Changqing's words, so overjoyed, that she had momentarily forgotten the important matter. Hun Changqing had been gone for over a year, and soon he would be heading to Zhongzhou again.
Medusa dared not waste any more time, and immediately pulled Hun Changqing up, ready to begin the most sacred ritual between a man and a woman. Judging from her aggressive posture, it seemed she wanted to devour Hun Changqing whole, as if she wanted to make up for all the things he had missed during the past year, and all the things he would miss after his departure.
Hun Changqing was initially stunned by Medusa's actions, then, seeing the wild, predatory glint in her eerie snake eyes, his lips twitched. He knew Medusa's meaning, and at the same time, he felt a sense of helplessness.
You see, before he left the Dou Di Cave, he had been thoroughly exploited by Xing Su. Xing Su was then a Nine-Star Dou Zun, a far cry from his previous strength, and in some ways, he had to exert tremendous effort to completely subdue Xing Su, allowing Xing Su to return to Zhongzhou satisfied and exhausted. Only then could Hun Changqing escape and rush back from the Dou Di Cave to save the day. It
hadn't been long since the last time, and he wasn't hungry at all. However, Medusa's murderous gaze left Hun Changqing with no chance to refuse. He could only sigh helplessly and let Medusa pull him towards the room deep within the Underworld Palace.
Having experienced the previous incident, Zi Yan naturally knew what Medusa was trying to do with her master. Her previously smug heart skipped a beat, and her smiling face froze, turning somewhat ugly.
Although extremely unwilling and annoyed by what was about to happen between the two, Zi Yan was completely powerless to stop it. She could only watch with a gloomy expression as Hun Changqing and Medusa slowly departed, their figures disappearing into the darkness deep within the Underworld Palace. Deep jealousy flickered in her eyes.
"Hmph!"
After the two figures completely vanished into the darkness, an extremely cold snort escaped Zi Yan's lips, echoing in the Underworld Palace's main hall, which had returned to silence after their disappearance.
"You wretched woman, I'll let you be smug for a while longer. Wait until Master comes with me to Zhongzhou, then we'll see what you do! I'll try everything you and Master haven't yet experienced. You can just stay in this dilapidated Netherworld Palace and guard it yourself, hmph!"
Zi Yan said viciously, staring at the spot where the two had disappeared. Her tone was filled with undisguised envy and jealousy. After standing there for an unknown amount of time, Zi Yan, filled with resentment, transformed into a streak of purple light and left the Netherworld Palace.
With Zi Yan's departure, the palace finally returned to its usual deathly silence and coldness, giving off an extremely eerie feeling. However, after an unknown amount of time, faint, alluring, and seductive voices began to emanate from the eerie palace. These voices dispelled much of the gloom, instead imbuing the palace with a touch of spring.