“In those days, the Yin family constantly visited the capital and bluntly declared that the Royal Heavenly Capital would change rulers within a hundred years. They even claimed that this change was related to my Xuan clan in the East Lands, so it was understandable that both you and I regarded the prophecy about the Xuan clan’s legitimate heir as a deliberate attempt to sabotage our families’ relations.” Xuan Wushe’s eyes sank slightly, as if they contained a dark whirlpool whose depths couldn’t be seen. He continued, “However, when I asked Kongsang privately whether this prediction was true, he frankly told me that the Yin family did not fake this prophecy. The Yin family’s old ancestor had already fallen as a result of attempting this divination. It’s clear that they paid a heavy price for this prediction.”
Looking at Yan Zhonghua’s dumbfounded expression, Xuan Wushe smiled lightly, as if in self-mockery. “Destiny is hard to disobey, so why should I waste so much effort to oppose heaven? At that time, I planned to drag the voodoo family into the water with me by taking the eldest daughter of the Ying family as my wife, thus producing a legitimate heir while taking this opportunity to turn the Ying family against the Yan family, but I didn’t expect…”
He didn’t expect for Lin Zhan to have such a fierce temperament. He would rather break than bend; he’d rather end up with nothing than accept a shoddy option. He would rather leave decisively, even if such an act pained him down to his very bones, rather than accept a compromise and serve a husband together with another person.
Contrary to expectations, Xuan Wushe had the wrong idea.
Lin Zhan was precisely such an unique person to begin with. His thoughts were quite different from the vast majority of people in the Nine Lands.
Yan Zhonghua smiled. “Lord Guangling may seem like he has a very good temper, but unexpectedly, he’s just as resolute and unyielding as You Ming.”
“Ever since we were cultivating in the mountains as youths, You Ming has brazenly displayed his personality. No one dares to provoke him. Anyone with eyes can see his burning intensity, so it’s not hard to imagine what his actual personality is like. Lin Zhan, on the other hand, truly caught me off guard.”
Yan Zhonghua nodded. He recalled You Ming’s characteristic of taking the tiles off the roof after merely three days of not being hit, then thought about that Lord Guangling, who always had a smile on his face as he followed behind Xuan Wushe, and couldn’t help sighing.
Yan Zhonghua collected his thoughts and asked, “Just now, you mentioned your eldest son. Could it be that he really appeared?”
“When Lin Zhan left the Nine Lands, he was already three months pregnant. Now, my eldest son is over 20 years old. His location just happens to be inside the sealed Five Continents. Furthermore, Yin Xinghan has already seen through his identity.”
Yan Zhonghua’s expression changed slightly. “Is the information reliable?”
“Naturally, it’s true,” answered Yin Xingli, who hadn’t not opened his mouth for a long time. “Our spy in the Royal Heavenly Capital reported that Yin Xinghan sent Yan Zizhang a transmission talisman that can travel through worlds. In it, he mentioned the names Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen, and the spy also heard him bring up the West Phoenix Monarch Feng Jingyu. We don’t know the specifics, but today, we received news that Yan Zizhang actually sent the leaders of the Black and White Crow Guards, two of the Heavenly Capital’s Four Generals — Lord Chuibi and Yue Suhua — to the Five Continents to kill two people: Lin and Yan.”
Yan Zhonghua’s eyes became cold, and the surrounding temperature dropped. Frost even crept up some of the leaves near him.
“Over the years, Yan Zizhang has become more and more unbridled.”
“Ever since you gave up your claim to the throne, Zizhang has increasingly believed himself to be infallible.” Xuan Wushe said, “However, there is good news. Kongsang is currently in the Five Continents and has already made contact with my son. With his help, everything will be much smoother.”
Yan Zhonghua inquired, “Lord Chuibi and Yue Suhua are difficult to handle. Do you plan to send someone to the Five Continents?”
Yin Xingli replied, “They sent a prophet there, so naturally, we will also send a prophet.”
Yan Zhonghua nodded slightly. “In addition to you, there must also be someone who can fight.”
Yin Xingli nodded with a smile. “In terms of strength, who in King Ye’s Palace can compare with the Ruler of Snow and Frost, Yan Zhonghua?”
Yan Zhonghua paused, then spoke, “I once made a solemn oath to never leave the Nine Lands.”
Not just him, but all the Nine Lands’ rulers and kings wouldn’t casually leave the Nine Lands.
“Then, what if I told you that You Ming is in the Five Continents right now and can’t return to the Nine Lands because of the barrier?” Xuan Wushe asked nonchalantly.
Yan Zhonghua stared blankly for a moment before asking, “When will we leave?”
Yin Xingli’s smile deepened. He shook the fan in his hand. “Sure enough, Demon Venerable You Ming’s face is the biggest — even more important than your son.”
“I haven’t heard from You Ming for many years.” Yan Zhonghua sighed softly. “I’m afraid that if I see my son, I won’t be able to stop myself from breaking the seal for him. When that happens…it won’t necessarily be good for him.”
“Let them decide for themselves whether it’s good or bad.” Xuan Wushe’s face also became more relaxed. “You haven’t seen Ah Hen for so many years. When you see him again, I’m afraid that as his father, you’ll have to give him some large gifts.”
“I’m afraid he won’t want it.” Yan Zhonghua asked, “His name is Ah Hen?”
Xuan Wushe nodded. “Ah Zhan adopted him. When Su Mo sent him to Ah Zhan, he told him that the child’s name was Yan Tianhen. This is probably a new name that You Ming gave him.”
Yan Zhonghua chewed the name in his heart for a moment before saying, “It’s a good name, much better than the previous one.”
“However, there is one matter you should think through first. If the Five Continents’ barrier is broken, then Ah Hen will definitely return to the Nine Lands with you. When that time comes, what kind of status do you want to give him, and how do you want him to think of himself?”
Yan Zhonghua showed a very simple smile and his face, which was as white as jade, seemed much more elegant in this instant. “Back then, I was caught off guard. Now, after 20 years of recuperation while maintaining my resolve for revenge, I’m afraid that Yan Zizhang will no longer be able to cover the sky with a single hand again.”
Xuan Wushe thought, Since Yan Zhonghua said this, he must naturally be confident in his ability to protect Yan Tianhen, so I can safely report back to Ah Zhan on a mission successfully completed.
The two people looked at each other and understood the deep meaning in each other’s eyes.
This was a very ordinary day. No major event seemed to have occurred in the Nine Lands. However, dark waves would always be brewing in the deep sea before the turbid and violent storm came.
Wind and rain are coming.
Lin Xuanzhi followed Yan Tianhen as he wandered around Heavenly Swamp Mysterious Land for two months.
During this period, Yan Tianhen sneaked into various dangerous places in Heavenly Swamp Mysterious Land under Xia Xiaochan’s guidance and harvested plenty of spiritual plants, demonic beasts, and other treasures. He had a lot of fun all the way, and his mood was a lot better.
Now that he was half-Divine Devil, his features underwent some changes. His ears were slightly sharper than before, the color of his pupils were richer, and a circle of red light appeared around his pupils. His long hair became darker, and his figure also lengthened.
The biggest change was his aura.
In reality, Divine Devils were very easy to distinguish, especially when the Divine Devil didn’t bother to hide their aura and deliberately indulged themselves by wantonly displaying their demonic Qi.
Yan Tianhen seemed like he deliberately wanted people to find out about his identity. He left demonic Qi wherever he went. This attracted the pursuit of many cultivators, who tried to track him down and kill him.
However, the current Yan Tianhen wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of those cultivators. His cultivation had already advanced to Profound Realm and had even attracted divine lightning. He easily broke through the lightning tribulation, and while he was at it, he even refined a lot of medicinal pills that could invigorate Qi and protect the user. He chewed them nonstop, as if he was eating candy, which made Xia Xiaochan tremble with fear. Xia Xiaochan was truly afraid that eventually, he would eat a pill, and it would be the straw that broke the camel’s back; the last snowflake whose weight broke the tree branch, and that it would kill Yan Tianhen.
Just like this, they carelessly walked and rested, refining pills and fighting. Two months passed in this manner.
Lin Xuanzhi kept a certain distance from Yan Tianhen. Not only did he have to ensure that Yan Tianhen was within his line of sight, but he also couldn’t get too close, or else Yan Tianhen would flip out. This truly required a lot of skill.
No matter how he looked, Feng Jingyu couldn’t understand the two people’s current situation, so he simply slept on Ling Chigu’s head everyday and watched the show, or looked for some spiritual plants that could hasten his recovery to kill time.
“Do you know where the Great Demon-Sealing Array in Thousand Stars Island is located?” Yan Tianhen asked Xia Xiaochan, who was happily eating nibbling on fruit.
Recently, Xia Xiaochan had seen Yan Tianhen kill many people, so he was terrified as hell when facing Yan Tianhen. He hurriedly nodded repeatedly, looking like a chicken pecking at rice. “Of course I know. It will only take me three days to find it. However, I can feel that it is very dangerous inside that barrier, so I can’t enter it easily.”
Yan Tianhen curled his lips. “You only need to find it. You won’t have to worry about the rest.”
Xia Xiaochan asked, “Are you planning to leave now?”
“I can’t stuff anything else into my storage bag anymore. There are quite a few strange demonic beasts in this mysterious land. Unfortunately, I’m too lazy to disturb them. I might as well leave and make preparations for going to the Demon-Sealing Array later.”
Xia Xiaochan subconsciously looked towards Lin Xuanzhi.
Lin Xuanzhi sat cross-legged on a grassy field, his facial features gentle and clear. His clothes were as white as snow and his long hair was like ink, forming a scene right out of a painting.
Xia Xiaochan whispered, “Why don’t you have him carry it for you? He has a magic treasure similar to a separate space on him, including every manifestation of nature. I’m afraid it won’t be a problem even if he placed the entire Heavenly Swamp Mysterious Land inside it.”
Upon hearing Xia Xiaochan’s words, killing intent flashed through Yan Tianhen’s eyes.
Xia Xiaochan shrank his neck back and cut in, “This is an innate feature unique to my species; I didn’t deliberately investigate him. Moreover, I didn’t tell anyone. Don’t overthink this.”
Yan Tianhen felt that it was funny and raised his hand as he flicked Xia Xiaochan’s forehead with his finger. “How can you be such a scaredy-cat? At the very least, you’re the Golden Cicada King.”
Xia Xiaochan replied righteously, “Who let me only be able to find treasures but not fight? I’m a refined Golden Cicada King.”
Yan Tianhen shook his head. “I don’t see it.”
Xia Xiaochan, “…”
Ever since Yan Tianhen recovered his half-Divine Devil bloodline, Ah Bai and Hu Po hadn’t dared to casually approach him anymore. This was also an innate instinct of their species.
Yan Tianhen was a little sad at first, but later, he stopped paying attention to these two tiger cubs. He realized that a Divine Devil’s aura repelled spiritual beasts on a fundamental level. These two tiger cubs must have felt that his aura was both unfamiliar and terrifying, so they gathered around Lin Xuanzhi’s side every day, avoiding dangers while sticking close to benefits.
This was his identity. What did he need to hide?
Even if he restrained his demonic Qi and temporarily fooled Ah Bai and Hu Po, the day when he shows his true colors will always come, so won’t the result still be the same when that happens?
It was better not to hide it from the beginning.
After Yan Tianhen had enough rest, he stood up. “Let’s go now.”
Xia Xiaochan looked at him, opening and closing his mouth several times like he wanted to say something. Finally, he said, “After going out, you have to be careful. You’ve killed many sects’ disciples in this mysterious land. Those who escaped outside must have a grudge against you. They’re probably waiting in ambush outside.”
Sarah: one mention of You Ming and YZH is willing to break the rules and find him in FC ? looks like both of Ah Hen’s parents will soon be in the same place *camps for the drama*
Ea: excited for YZH and You Ming’s meeting
YZH: I can’t leave the Nine Lands, I promised.
XWS: What if I told you You Ming is there?
YZH: …So when do we leave? Now?