Reunion

Wu Tian slowly made his way to the hot spring and gently lay down, even his ears drooping as he looked somewhat exhausted.

The battle just now had not lasted long, but it had consumed an enormous amount of physical strength and energy. What made him feel exhausted, however, was not the depletion of his strength.

It was... killing.

In both his past and present lives, this was the first time he had ever killed someone.

During battle, the hunting instinct originating from his soul and bloodline allowed him to face the fight calmly, even coldly.

He could savagely bite through an enemy's throat and kill with composure, but once the slaughter was over, he felt an exhaustion that came from deep within his heart.

He did not regret killing these people, nor did he bear any burden in his heart.

Perhaps it was simply because he had once been human...

Yet now he had used his own sharp claws and fangs to end one fresh, living life after another.

Perhaps there would be even more in the future.

Wu Tian's eyes drooped slightly. In this Forbidden Area, no one would casually disturb him, and no one would threaten his safety. He could enjoy a rare moment of rest.

"White Dragon~"

He suddenly heard someone calling him. It felt hazy, as if he were dreaming. Was it that senior?

He slowly opened his eyes, but saw nothing. Before him were still the hot spring and the mountain forest, utterly tranquil.

Yet at that moment, ripples of light seemed to shimmer above the hot spring, like a waterfall cascading down before being parted in the middle by someone.

Then a fair, tender hand emerged...

Wu Tian froze. At last, he caught the familiar scent.

As that hand appeared, a corner of pale-blue clothing flashed by. Then a pretty young girl stepped out just like that.

Her hair was styled in twin loops with immortal sideburns, her jet-black hair falling straight to her waist. She wore a pale-blue horse-face skirt, with a wide, long sash tied around her slender waist, making it look even more delicate and dainty.

On her upper body, she wore a cross-collared brocade jacket, setting off her already fair and fine-featured little face and making her look even more charming.

"White Dragon..."

The little girl called out, a smile on her face. It seemed to brighten even the tranquil lakes and mountains by several shades.

Before her voice had even faded, she broke into a trot, her skirt hem fluttering like an azure lake, her movements betraying her eagerness.

"White Dragon!!"

Wu Tian came back to himself from his daze. As he watched the lovely girl appear in the distance and run toward him, his originally weary heart felt as though it had been filled with something.

The person before his eyes was none other than Chili Mu, who had been gone for more than a year.

"Woof woof woof~"

He suddenly sprang up and barked excitedly, charging straight toward her.

With a splash, girl and dog collided head-on.

Wu Tian was much bigger than he had been over a year ago. How could the little girl possibly hold him now? The two of them tumbled straight into the hot spring.

"Hahaha, White Dragon."

"Woof woof woof~"

In the water, Chili Mu wrapped her arms around Wu Tian's neck and laughed like silver bells. "Heeheehee, that tickles a little..."

As they frolicked, the tranquil hot spring churned up splashes. Droplets fell onto the little girl's fair, lovely face, while Wu Tian's snow-white fur was thoroughly soaked.

Even the blood on his fur spread through the water.

"White Dragon, I've missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

"Woof woof woof~"

"Haha, I knew you missed me too."

With the little girl hugging him around the neck, Wu Tian was overjoyed.

After awakening in this life, the first person he had seen was Chili Mu. Back then, he had been nothing more than an ordinary puppy, while Chili Mu had been a pitiful little girl who had lost both her parents.

Every night, the little girl would clean his fur and hold him as they fell asleep. During those days when he had just arrived and felt somewhat lost, it was Chili Mu who had given him the feeling of having a household.

Even his ability to ascend Skull Mountain had been because of Chili Mu.

His receiving that senior's decree had also been because of Chili Mu.

The bond between them had long since become inseparable.

After playing in the spring for a while, Chili Mu brought Wu Tian to the water's edge. The instant she stepped ashore, crimson radiance appeared around her, burning like flames and brilliant as the evening clouds.

The rosy light appeared for only a few breaths, yet her soaked clothing and skirt, her dripping hair, and the water droplets on her skin all vanished within it.

Not a drop of water remained on her body. She was still that radiant young girl.

"Good boy, White Dragon. Don't move."

The little girl had Wu Tian lie beside her and used the hot-spring water to wash his snow-white, lustrous fur, carefully cleaning away every trace of blood and dust.

Wu Tian pressed tightly against her, as if he had returned to the days of a year ago. The oppression and weariness left by killing gradually faded beneath the little girl's gentle touch.

"White Dragon, are you all right? Did anyone bully you?"

"There was so much blood on you. You weren't injured, were you?"

As she gently and meticulously washed his fur, Chili Mu slowly said, "After my master brought me up the mountain, I entered her Cave Mansion to cultivate."

"My master treated me very well. She taught me to read and write, passed on cultivation methods to me, prepared clothes for me, and combed my hair. She was just like a mother..."

"It's just that after a long time, the Cave Mansion gets a little stuffy."

"My master won't let me go outside."

"She said I have to wait until my cauldron-casting reaches perfection before I can descend the mountain."

"But it's so difficult. I only reached perfection in Qi Nurturing, Form Condensing the day before yesterday, and I still don't know how to open the Mysterious Pass."

"Just now, my master told me to go out and meet an old acquaintance."

"Heehee, I really didn't expect it to be you."

"White Dragon, I'm so happy..."

Wu Tian listened to the little girl's endless chatter as she recounted everything that had happened over the past year or more, one matter after another, sparing no detail.

He listened as she spoke of her happiness and her troubles...

Yet whenever she spoke of these things, a smile remained on her face. It seemed that senior truly treated her very well.

Wu Tian felt somewhat reassured. But just then, he suddenly sensed the originally tranquil essence of heaven and earth from every direction surging over like raging waves, madly converging here.

Endless Fire Element Essence surged like waves blotting out the sky and sun, and like a roaring blaze sweeping away everything. Brilliant, dazzling, and scorching, it covered the entire sky above the canyon in an instant.

Clang!

Wu Tian seemed to hear a clear sword cry. Mixed into it was what sounded like the furious roar of a flood dragon, making him shudder faintly.

He instinctively turned his head toward Chili Mu.

He saw crimson radiance shoot into the sky above Chili Mu's head. Amid the boiling essence of heaven and earth and the resplendent glow of the clouds, an ancient sword slowly emerged from her crown.

Her body was like a scabbard, while the ancient sword was being drawn inch by inch.

When the ancient sword was completely unsheathed, its blade hummed, as though a flood dragon were coiling and roaring upon it.

In an instant, winds and clouds stirred for ten miles, fiery clouds obscured the sky, Sword Light tore open the firmament, and the furious roar of a flood dragon resounded in all directions.

While chatting idly, Chili Mu had broken through the Mysterious Pass in a single day.