Reunion

This day.

Poison Dragon Pool on the Silver River.

The soldiers of both sides fought fiercely.

Amidst the surging waves of the river, a group of aquatic spirits, unarmored yet wielding weapons, stood in formation. Though their ranks were haphazard, signs of training were evident. However, perhaps due to insufficient training time, or perhaps because these aquatic spirits were inherently weak, their formation appeared rather disorganized.

The other party.

They exuded Sha Qi and menacing aura. Although they lacked any particular strategy, each of these monsters was protected by armor and was incredibly powerful. When they fought, they advanced relentlessly and gained the upper hand.

"Kill!"

A young general, wielding a red-tasseled spear, was locked in a fierce battle with a bull-headed demon.

Although the young general was handsome and looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, his marksmanship was exquisite and his strength was considerable. However, the Minotaur on the other side was no less formidable, wielding a pair of large iron axes with ferocious power.

In a short time.

It's a close call.

The battle dragged on without a clear victor, and the young general grew increasingly anxious. Seeing his own soldiers falling one by one and being forced into retreat, he gritted his teeth and transmitted his voice into the distance, "Aunt, the Green Bull Mountain is too strong, and the soldiers can't hold on much longer."

Far away.

Her hair was adorned with two golden hairpins, and her phoenix shoes were worn with jeweled stirrups. She wore chainmail armor over white gauze, and an embroidered belt cinched her slender waist.

A female general, exuding heroic spirit, wields a sword and fiercely battles a bull demon with two horns on its head.

The sword flashed.

The cold light was chilling.

A voice reached my ears, and I glanced around out of the corner of my eye—

Really!

Our troops have suffered heavy losses and are on the verge of collapse. If we do not retreat now, they will scatter. If we are then pursued relentlessly, we risk total annihilation.

"Ao Jun".

"Lead all the soldiers and retreat immediately!"

Without hesitation, the female general let out a shout and a bolt of lightning shot out from the top of her head, carrying a sword as she charged toward the bull-headed demon that was entangled with the young general, allowing him to escape.

"Withdraw!"

The young man dared not hesitate.

He broke free from the battle, wildly brandishing his red-tasseled spear, blasting a path through the Silver River and creating towering waves as he led the remaining soldiers in a hasty retreat.

"Chase after them!"

"Don't let these Silver River bastards get away!"

The bull demon with two horns roared, wielding a Mountain-Splitting Axe that forced the female general to parry with her sword, causing her to retreat rapidly. Then, with a swift swing of the axe, she shattered the thunderous magic sword that was entangled with the bull demon in the distance.

"Chase!"

The bull-headed demon was also furious. He led his demon soldiers and generals to chase after them along the Silver River.

It only caused a brief delay.

His soldiers were far less adept at swimming than their opponents, and despite their best efforts, they could not catch up.

"The Green Bull King".

"I'm sorry, I can't keep you company any longer!"

Seeing her soldiers escape, the female general immediately ceased fighting. Pointing her longsword to the sky, a Thunder Prison descended, engulfing the bull demon known as the 'Green Bull King'.

Taking advantage of the break.

He turned decisively and vanished like lightning.

Boom!

A moment later, the Green Bull King cleaved open the Thunder Prison with his axe, but the female general was nowhere to be seen.

"Hateful!"

"She got away again!"

The Green Bull King glared angrily with his bull eyes, which were filled with rage.

"Father."

"The Silver River Navy are all aquatic spirits who can navigate the waves and make the small boats unable to catch up with them."

The bull-headed demon turned around, carrying two large axes, and panted heavily through his bull-nose nose as he reported.

"They ran away, so they ran away."

"The Silver River Navy has been severely weakened by this attack. After I return to Green Bull Mountain to rest and recuperate for a while, I will launch a full-scale attack along the Silver River to the Silver River's stronghold and wipe them out completely!"

Despite his boastful words, the Green Bull King's eyes betrayed his fear. He abandoned the pursuit and led his demon soldiers and generals back to Green Bull Mountain in triumph.

The upper reaches of the Silver River.

In the deepest part of the water, there was a water palace.

Ao Jun ordered his soldiers to rest, while he waited outside the water palace.

Before long, a female general arrived amidst wind and thunder; it was Ao Le.

"Aunt."

Seeing that his aunt had returned unharmed, Ao Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

"The little Green Bull King can't stop me."

Ao Le, sword in hand, surveyed his surroundings. Of the three thousand naval troops he had led out, eight hundred had been slaughtered in a single battle. Of the remaining two thousand, several hundred were wounded or maimed.

This battle.

A crushing defeat!

With a grim expression, Ao Le led Ao Jun into the main hall of the Water Palace.

Years have passed, and the once timid and quiet Ao Le, after hundreds of years of separation and family changes decades ago, has now transformed into a brave and skilled female general.

He moves with the speed of the wind and handles matters with efficiency.

It's very different from before.

"Aunt."

"In this battle, Silver River suffered heavy losses. If Green Bull Mountain takes the opportunity to attack, I am afraid we will have no choice but to ask my grandfather for help."

Ao Jun stood upright, holding a red-tasseled spear.

A hundred years ago, Ao Jun was only knee-high to Ao Le. Now, with the passage of time, he has become a seasoned young general in the Silver River. He assists his aunt Ao Le in governing Silver River and has earned considerable fame in both the Silver River and Green Bull Mountain areas.

"Your eldest brother, second brother, and father are respectively stationed in Lotus Valley, Crescent Moon Lake, and Hundred Spirits River. Yan Xun is stationed in Breakwind Mountain, and General Zhang Shu is assisting Father in training troops at the Purple Sun River."

"Even if we ask for help, who can Father send?"

Ao Le shook his head, his eyes filled with seriousness.

When their father was banished from the Min River to the Poison Dragon Pool, he was accompanied only by his children and family, Tortoise Chancellor, Lord Zhang Shu Yuan Lake Water Lord, and Yan Xun, who had returned from his training.

The rest.

Those like Dark Frost, Ru Chi Yin, or even Lan Feihu and Yuan Bi from Yuan Lake, none of them followed.

He is truly all alone.

So much so that when he arrived at Poison Dragon Pool to take up his post, the Poison Dragon Pool was still occupied by that Poison Dragon, which could not be driven away. He could only set up his capital in the western part of Poison Dragon Pool, with the Purple Sun River as his administrative center, and send his three sons, one daughter, and disciples to garrison the area. Then he recruited soldiers and horses, advancing step by step.

I have been here for forty-nine years.

There were no soldiers or generals.

Then came the situation of having soldiers but no generals.

It remains difficult.

"My grandfather's old subordinates in the Min River, as well as my father's and uncle's subordinates, were all truly powerful."

Upon hearing this, Ao Jun realized that both the Silver River and the Purple Sun River were currently short of soldiers and generals. Thinking of this, and recalling the officials and generals of the Min River, he couldn't help but feel indignant.

"My father was banished to the Poison Dragon Pool."

"This place is far from the Ancient Sorrow and the Min River. In an unknown place like Nine Continents of Chunshen, the dangers are unpredictable, so those people are naturally unwilling to take the risk."

"That's common sense."

Ao Le takes it all in stride.

Ao Zhan's demotion made the situation immediately clear. The Poison Dragon Pool was dangerous, and following Ao Zhan only made their future bleak. No one dared to rashly gamble their future, along with their lives, on Ao Zhan's shoulders now.

I understand.

But for some reason, Ao Le's mood suddenly dropped after he finished speaking.

"Snort!"

"A bunch of ingrates."

"Zhang Shu is first-rate in training and commanding troops, and has a bright future. Even the new Dragon King of the Min River personally came forward to win him over, and yet they still ended up at the Poison Dragon Pool together?"

Ao Jun was indignant.

As he spoke, noticing that his aunt hadn't spoken for a long time, he quickly looked over. He saw Ao Le with her head bowed, seemingly lost in thought. Ao Jun frowned, recalling his earlier words—

"Uncle?"

A thought flashed through his mind, and Ao Jun felt a pang of regret. Looking at his aunt, he said repeatedly, "Aunt, I believe Uncle will not betray us and join the demons. He will come back sooner or later. Maybe he is on his way back to the Min River or on his way to Poison Dragon Pool right now."

Ao Le listened.

He looked up and smiled at Ao Jun, "When your uncle entered Chunshen Realm, your father hadn't even married your mother yet, and you were probably still nowhere to be found. You've never even met your uncle. Aren't you afraid your father will beat you up for talking nonsense like this?"

"My father is too busy beating up those demons to have time to beat me up."

Seeing his aunt smile, Ao Jun felt relieved and chuckled along.

"You!"

Ao Le shook his head, his gloom vanishing instantly, replaced by a deep longing.

Unlike Ao Jun's attempt to appease him.

She had lived with her husband for hundreds of years and knew his temperament very well.

Betrayed by demons?

Absolutely not!

Even if one were to join the ranks of demons, there must have been some considerations involved.

"Luofuzi secluded himself in seclusion and refused to see anyone."

"My husband must be experiencing Sudden Enlightenment or he is stuck in some kind of predicament."

"However, with my husband's ability to protect himself, he will surely be fine."

Ao Le composed himself, his gaze resolute.

Stand up.

He said to Ao Jun, "Come outside with me and calm the soldiers down."

"Yes!"

Ao Jun responded.

The aunt and niece walked out of the hall one after the other.

But at this moment—

A Daoist priest dressed in Water-Merging Daoist Robe and wearing a dragon-shaped crown strode over and landed in front of the hall. He had a handsome face with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were filled with an intense mix of emotions, including longing, love, and guilt.

His eyes were fixed on the valiant female general in front of him.

Ao Jun stared at the newcomer, not recognizing him, and roared, "Who goes there?!"

A single word was uttered.

Only then did I realize that this person looked familiar.

"Huh?"

"This is--"

The painting I often saw in my aunt's side hall when I was a child involuntarily flashed through my mind.

The person in the painting —

Although their clothes and attire were different, their appearances and expressions were exactly the same.

Ao Jun's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"Uncle?!"

"My husband."

Ao Le held Lu Qingfeng's arm, her face full of tenderness, completely unlike her previous demeanor as a female general. Her eyes seemed to speak volumes, holding countless unspoken words.

Lu Qingfeng looked down at Ao Le and couldn't help but smile.

Since entering Chunshen Realm, he has not seen Ao Le.

If I do the math, it has been 844 years.

"A sudden change occurred a hundred years ago, and I apologize for keeping you waiting."

"It also implicated my father and my third brother."

Lu Qingfeng also had so much to say to Ao Le.

He said it.

I felt a pair of burning, fiery gazes fixed on me.

He paused, looked up, and saw the pale-faced young general.

Recalling the way he had addressed him earlier, Lu Qingfeng wasn't in a hurry to reminisce with Ao Le. Instead, he looked at Ao Le and asked, "Is this the son of Third Brother, Ao Jun, whom he had a few years ago?"

Ao Le nodded with a smile.

Ao Jun stared at Lu Qingfeng, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Upon seeing this, Lu Qingfeng smiled at Ao Jun and said, "Call me Uncle. I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare a gift."

"No, no need."

"It's good that my uncle is back."

"My aunt has been thinking about this for a long time, and my uncle's return today is the greatest gift for me."

Ao Jun quickly replied.

Seeing the radiant smile on my aunt's face that I had never seen before, I was happy for her too.

"They certainly know how to talk."

Lu Qingfeng held Ao Le's hand tightly with one hand, and beckoned to Ao Jun with the other, "A gift is still necessary. Come forward."

As Ao Jun listened, he couldn't help but look up at Ao Le.

Ao Le smiled and said, "Your uncle has quite a few good things on him, why don't you come over?"

"Yes."

Ao Jun then stepped forward and stood in front of Lu Qingfeng.

Without making a move, Lu Qingfeng pointed a finger, which landed on Ao Jun's head before Ao Jun could react. Ao Jun was startled and instinctively tried to retreat, but he couldn't move an inch.

"So strong."

"At least the Fourth Realm!"

Ao Jun was both surprised and frightened.

I wonder what my uncle-in-law's intentions are, since this is our first meeting.

Just as I was feeling lost and confused, a gentle voice reached my ears—

"This Divine Ability is called 'Soul-Severing Divine Radiance,' which can capture the Living Soul Human Immortal, immortals, demons, Buddhas, and all living beings."

"Do not get distracted, and contemplate it carefully."

The words fell.

Ao Jun felt a profound and mysterious technique settle in his heart, followed by a burst of profound insights that surged into his mind, all related to the 'Soul-Severing Divine Radiance'.

"The Soul-Severing Divine Radiance!"

After a brief assessment, Ao Jun's eyes lit up, and he immediately realized how formidable the situation was.

Knowing that this was a rare fortuitous opportunity, he quickly closed his eyes and calmed his mind to comprehend its profound meaning.

I don't know how much time passed.

A myriad of insights welled up in my heart, but a sharp pain, like my soul withering away, brought me to my knees as I tumbled out of this wondrous state, still feeling unsatisfied.

Open your eyes.

His aunt and uncle were no longer around. A magical pill fell from the sky and turned into sweet rain, landing on Ao Jun's head.

"Hiss!"

Ao Jun felt a sharp pain in his soul and dared not delay. He quickly sat cross-legged to recover his soul.