“Roar… Roar…”
The little tiger, Xiao Hua, growled softly on the side, shaking its tiny tiger head while teasingly staring at Tian Fan on the ground.
“Woh, hand it over quickly!”
Zi Ying’s cheeks were flushed, her demeanor far from ladylike as she pinned Tian Fan down and demanded he hand over the “Desire Without Trace” technique and the ancient divine script.
“Ugh…,” Tian Fan sighed helplessly. “Zi Ying, this behavior is not very ladylike!”
“Hmph, stop trying to change the subject. Hand it over!!”
Zi Ying wouldn’t fall for his tricks, her mischievous grin betraying her intent.
Tian Fan was a little surprised. Although he hadn’t used much strength to avoid hurting Zi Ying, he should have been able to escape her “devilish clutches.” Yet, he remained firmly pinned beneath her.
“Little Tian Tian, you’re bullying me! I’m going back to tell on you.”
Suddenly, Zi Ying stood up on her own, scrunching her cute nose and pursing her cherry lips as if on the verge of tears. A layer of mist shimmered in her eyes.
Tian Fan panicked, immediately standing up to console her. Seeing that Zi Ying was about to burst into tears, he simply tossed the “Desire Without Trace” manual her way.
After silently comprehending the manual once, a golden gleam flashed in Zi Ying’s eyes, and her delicate face lit up with joy. Yet, she quickly turned to Tian Fan, pouting with a look of grievance.
“Hold on! That character cannot and will not be given to you!”
Seeing Zi Ying’s pitiful expression, Tian Fan immediately knew what she was thinking and muttered under his breath, “D*mn it, I can’t even control that character myself.”
“Hehe, Little Tian Tian, are you the Son of God?”
Zi Ying’s lips curled into a sly smirk as she looked at Tian Fan.
“Ugh…” Tian Fan rolled his eyes. “Can you not make fun of me?”
The Sword Immortal Sect had dispatched ten prodigies to kill Tian Fan. Now that Wu Biheng had been eliminated, nine remained—formidable opponents.
At noon, Tian Fan and Zi Ying parted ways, each heading their separate paths.
There was no way to reconcile with the Sword Immortal Sect, and they would never let him go. Tian Fan had resolved that none of the ten would return alive—they all had to die.
“If people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. If they do, even the Heavenly King himself will be brought down.”
This was Tian Fan’s principle. Since the Sword Immortal Sect had sent ten prodigies to kill him, he saw no reason to spare them.
“Be careful, Tian Tian!”
Zi Ying waved her jade-like hand in farewell, telling him she would wait for him here.
After parting with Zi Ying, Tian Fan journeyed alone through the vast northern lands. The area was lush with vegetation, featuring expansive grasslands, branching rivers, misty waters, and endless wilderness. Some parts teemed with life, while others were barren wastelands.
At the moment, Tian Fan was traversing a desolate area dotted with swamps. This was the territory of powerful demons, a place avoided by most except for the strongest cultivators.
As he walked across the land, weaving between patches of woods and wetlands, he pondered his next steps. He feared no one below the level of Hunyuan, yet he couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding, as if he was about to lose something most precious.
“Quack…”
In the wilderness, a black bird swooped down, snatching a giant mudfish that had just surfaced from a puddle. With a forceful tear, blood splattered everywhere. The bird flew toward a distant cliff, where its nest and a few hungry chicks awaited.
Tian Fan felt a pang of emotion. Life could indeed be so fragile, lost in an instant due to the slightest carelessness.
Sighing softly, he continued forward. Soon, he spotted a firebird crowned like a phoenix and enveloped in red flames. It suddenly opened its beak, spitting out a blaze that reduced a towering tree to ashes.
Beneath the tree was a large stone cave, from which an armored pangolin crawled out. Its body was covered in hard scales. With a roar, it charged at the firebird, unleashing a golden orb from its mouth that crackled with lightning, creating a massive crater in the earth.
Leaves swirled, sand flew, and chaos erupted. The pangolin was incredibly powerful, stronger than an average cultivator in the early stage of Cloud Heaven.
Boom!
However, the firebird was massive, as large as a small hill. It had cultivated for hundreds of years, awakening some of its phoenix bloodline. With a single strike, it unleashed a fierce purple flame that scorched the heavens and earth. The pangolin was charred black on the spot, its life extinguished, becoming the firebird’s meal.
Tian Fan observed from afar, not daring to approach. The beast was likely at the peak of Cloud Heaven, a sobering reminder that strength was paramount. In this cruel world, survival was impossible for the weak.
With a faint sigh, he gazed into the distance and strode onward.
Traveling through the wilderness was perilous. This land belonged to wild beasts, and though these creatures had not yet transformed into human forms, their physical strength far surpassed that of humans.
It is said that within the vast wilderness, there might still exist powerful demons in the Immortal Ascension Realm. These beings are terrifying in nature. The cultivation of demons is far more difficult than that of humans, so when a demon reaches the Immortal Ascension Realm, it becomes exceedingly formidable.
“Krrrrr…”
In the distance, a massive wild elephant shrouded in golden light let out a thunderous roar, shaking the earth. Ripples spread out from under its feet, radiating outward.
In a nearby pool, a small flood dragon was struck and pinned beneath the elephant’s foot, letting out pitiful whimpers. The little creature held a small fish in its tiny claws but released it out of fright. The fish fell into the water, swished its tail, and swam away unharmed.
The little flood dragon’s large, watery eyes glimmered with tears. It had wandered out to play and was teasing a fish when it inadvertently entered the territory of a beast king. Being so young and not yet at the Spirit Condensation Stage, it was utterly incapable of withstanding the attacks of a Cloud Heaven Stage beast king. Bright red blood flowed from its abdomen, staining the pool water crimson.
“Kreeeaa…”
The wild elephant roared again, causing the pool to tremble once more. Its thick leg, as wide as a meter in diameter, stomped down toward the small flood dragon. The little creature, terrified and helpless, used its tiny claws to cover its eyes in despair.
Boom!
A silver light as radiant as the moon flashed. A figure clad in white appeared, striking upward with a fist. The massive body of the wild elephant was sent flying backward, splashing a huge wave of water.
Back in the Enchanted Forest, a flood dragon had transformed into a divine dragon at the cost of its life to send Tian Fan away. Although it had done so for its offspring, Tian Fan would never forget the gesture. This gave him a natural sense of closeness toward flood dragons. Now, seeing this young one in danger, he couldn’t stand idly by.
Behind him, the little flood dragon sensed the shift and removed its claws from its eyes, revealing a human dressed in white standing on the water’s surface, smiling warmly at it.
Startled, the little creature shuffled backward but, weakened by its injuries, aggravated its wounds with the sudden movement. More blood oozed from the wounds, and it whimpered softly, clearly unable to speak human language yet.
“Don’t be afraid, little one. I won’t hurt you,” Tian Fan said with a sunny, reassuring smile.
“Awuu? Awuu?”
The small flood dragon called out in confusion.
“Haha, I mean it. I won’t hurt you…” Tian Fan chuckled, guessing the meaning behind the little one’s cries.
“Kraaa!!!”
Behind him, the wild elephant stood up from the pool and bellowed furiously. Someone had dared trespass into its territory! The roar caused towering waves to rise.
“Brother Elephant, I entered your domain unintentionally and meant no disrespect. I simply couldn’t bear to see the little one behind me perish. Can we leave this matter as is?”
A golden barrier appeared before Tian Fan, blocking the massive waves and shielding the injured little flood dragon. Without this protection, the young creature might have been swept away by the surging waters.
The wild elephant growled lowly but didn’t attack again. Having cultivated to the Cloud Heaven Stage, it was an experienced and wise creature. Tian Fan’s earlier strike had sent it flying with ease, proving his strength far exceeded its own. Moreover, Tian Fan had courteously explained his intentions and shown respect for its status as a beast king. The wild elephant saw no point in pressing the issue further.
“Thank you…” Tian Fan smiled and clasped his fists in gratitude. He then carefully picked up the injured little flood dragon from the pool. In a flash, he disappeared, leaving the wild elephant momentarily stunned by his incredible speed. It was relieved it hadn’t acted rashly.
“Awuu… Awuu…”
In a small grassy area, Tian Fan circulated the Five Elements Technique, silver divine energy flowing to the little flood dragon’s wounds. The injuries quickly began to heal, and the creature let out soft, contented sounds.
“Little one, why did you wander out here alone? Don’t you know how dangerous it is?” Tian Fan said with a smile while tending to its wounds. Creatures with even a trace of intelligence could understand human speech, and this little flood dragon, already in the Foundation Establishment middle stage, could comprehend him. It responded with “awuu awuu” calls.
“All done. Your wounds are healed. Hurry back to your family now,” Tian Fan said, standing up after finishing the treatment.
“Awuu… Awuu…”
The little creature shook its head, its big, watery eyes blinking adorably. It reached out with a tiny claw to grab Tian Fan’s pant leg.
“Haha, no, you can’t come with me. Your family will worry. Besides, I’m being hunted. Following me would be far too dangerous,” Tian Fan said with a playful smile, assuming the role of a caring older brother. If Zi Ying were here, she’d likely laugh until she couldn’t breathe at his antics.
“Awuu??”
The little flood dragon cried softly, nodding its small head. Then, it reached toward its abdomen, clenched its tiny mouth, and tightly shut its eyes.
Plop!
With a sharp pull, it tore off a silver scale, wincing in pain. The little creature offered the scale to Tian Fan with its claw.
“A gift? Haha, how adorable,” Tian Fan said, accepting the silver scale with a smile. He placed it in his pouch, his fondness for the creature evident. After healing its wound with the Five Elements Method once more, he gave it a final glance and headed toward another area.
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