On another matter.
Lu Yuan would eventually return to the Dark Continent. The Dark Continent also had a Child of Destiny.
Because of the different environment, the Child of Destiny of the Dark Continent was far more terrifying and troublesome than those on the Tianxiao Continent, and their whereabouts were even harder to determine.
By then, Su Qingyao's usefulness would not be limited to the Tianxiao Continent. With her looks, she could make an impact even on the Dark Continent.
However, before deciding whether to take Su Qingyao as his maid, he still needed to test her.
One of the criteria was to see how much she could attract the Child of Destiny.
As for Su Qingyao's ambition, Lu Yuan did not care in the slightest. In fact, he was even afraid that she lacked ambition.
Who in this world had no ambitions?
Those without ambition would never go far.
Not long after.
The news that Su Qingyao, Empress of the First Central Empire, had been forcibly taken as someone's maid quickly spread throughout the entire Tianxiao Continent.
It left countless people stunned.
At the same time, it enraged countless others.
"Too damn beastly! What's Lu Yuan's background? He actually dared to force Empress Qingyao to warm his bed. He's an absolute beast—everyone should kill him!"
"Damn it, I can't take this! Brothers, who's coming with me to the Central Domain to teach this Lu Yuan a lesson?"
"Wuwu, my goddess... My dream is shattered."
"What are the experts of the First Central Empire doing? How could they allow something like this to happen? If it were me, I'd protect Empress Qingyao even at the cost of my life."
"Heh, I thought Empress Qingyao was so pure and untainted. Turns out she's nothing special. In the face of absolute power, even Empress Qingyao has to bow her head."
"Su Qingyao, you shameless woman! After I devoted myself to you, you actually became another man's bed-warming maid!"
For a time, this matter became the hottest topic in every street and alley of the Tianxiao Continent.
Jun Family · Floating Divine Island.
"This is impossible. How could the Divine Son not know what kind of person Su Qingyao is? She must have some hidden difficulty and been forced to submit to Lu Yuan."
"Damn Lu Yuan! The Divine Son hadn't even gone looking for trouble with you, yet you dared touch the woman the Divine Son had claimed. You're courting death."
Jun Xiaoyao's hair whipped wildly as he flew into a rage.
Primordial Sacred Land · First Saint Son Mountain.
First Saint Son Ji Taiyi angrily hurled a silver spear, blasting apart five or six mountain peaks.
"Lu Yuan? Whoever you are, daring to touch the woman I admire means you're seeking death. Whether you flee to the Nine Heavens or descend to the Netherworld, this Saint Son will kill you!"
Nine Killers Palace · Ninth Hidden Realm.
The Blood Moon faintly emerged in the sky. Atop a blood-red mountain, an eerie young man in a blood-colored robe opened his blood-red eyes. Boundless blood light erupted from them. In the next moment, the eerie young man vanished from the spot, leaving only his chilling voice echoing across the mountain.
"Su Qingyao is the cauldron I claimed. Whoever dares touch her will have their entire clan exterminated!"
As news of Su Qingyao being taken as Lu Yuan's maid spread farther and farther, more and more great figures were alarmed.
The moment countless Peerless Prodigies learned of the news, they emerged from seclusion and rushed to the First Central Empire, hoping to kill Lu Yuan, rescue the beauty, and then win her heart.
Deep in a shady woodland, a breeze brushed past, making the trees rustle.
This was the forbidden rear mountain of some faction.
Lu Yuan walked through the forbidden ground as if no one else were there.
Only when a moss-covered stone tablet appeared before him did Lu Yuan stop.
Demon Suppressing Prison?
Seeing the words on the stone tablet, Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes. Ahead was a cave faintly glowing red. If he quieted his mind, he could even hear deep beast roars.
"A fierce beast sealed here. Is this fate? It actually guided me here."
He had still been strolling through the First Imperial City, but somehow, as he walked, he had left the city. Then, guided by some unseen force, he had arrived here.
After standing there and pondering for a while, Lu Yuan followed the guidance into the cave.
There were no guards outside the cave. Murals were carved into the walls on both sides.
The murals depicted a fierce beast descending from the heavens and wreaking havoc across the Tianxiao Continent, slaughtering cities and destroying nations. Just as the Tianxiao Continent neared destruction, a powerful figure emerged from nowhere, defeated the beast, and sealed it here.
Looking at the appearance of the fierce beast in the murals, a trace of surprise appeared in Lu Yuan's eyes.
"What does this look like? Is it a Taotie?"
The Taotie was one of the four great ancient fierce beasts, as renowned as the Four Divine Beasts.
According to legend, the Taotie could swallow the heavens and devour the earth. As long as it consumed all things, it could grow infinitely stronger.
Most importantly, the Taotie was extremely savage, born to destroy heaven and earth.
It was said that when heaven and earth had first opened and Tribulation Qi had run rampant, the four great fierce beasts had emerged from the Tribulation Qi.
"If it really is a Taotie, I think I might soon have a mount." Lu Yuan's eyes lit up slightly.
The cave was extremely deep. Lu Yuan walked for a thousand meters before reaching the end. Before him lay a bottomless pit resembling the Chaos Demon Abyss.
Standing at the edge of the cave, Lu Yuan looked down and saw a fierce beast the size of a small mountain crouching roughly a million meters below. A massive bronze sword had been driven into each of its four limbs and its head.
Even so, the fierce beast continued to radiate waves of heart-palpitating power. It was impossible to imagine how powerful it had been at its peak.
Lu Yuan took one step forward.
Hum~
Array inscriptions appeared, blocking Lu Yuan.
"What a refined grand formation."
Feeling the formation before him, Lu Yuan could not help praising it. The formation was enormous, using four mountain ranges as its foundation and continuously drawing power from the earth. That was why its might had not diminished in the slightest over millions of years.
Moreover, the formation was connected as a whole; disturbing one part affected everything. To break it, one would have to uproot all four mountain ranges.
Yet accomplishing that was impossible even for someone in the Emperor Realm.
But that applied only to ordinary people in the Emperor Realm. Lu Yuan was far from ordinary.
Mobilizing the qi and blood within his body, Lu Yuan tore with all his strength, ripping open a gap in the formation.
At the same time.
In the Martial Sect Ancestral Hall, the worshipped statue of the Martial Ancestor split down the middle with a bang.
Before the statue, a Purple-Robed Elder who had been sitting cross-legged in quiet cultivation abruptly opened his eyes, shock filling them.
"What happened? Why did the Martial Ancestor's statue shatter?"
The elder frowned in thought. He was currently the most senior and strongest foundation of the Martial Sect.
Yet even he did not know why the statue had shattered.
Suddenly, the Purple-Robed Elder's body trembled. He thought of a legend from the founding days of the Martial Sect.
According to the legend, in the Primordial Era, humanity had been ignorant while the hundred races competed for supremacy. Then, one day, a powerful fierce beast descended from the heavens. It devoured all things, its body rivaling a giant mountain. When it stood upright, its eyes were like the sun and moon, blotting out the sky and covering the earth.
Just as the Tianxiao Continent was about to be devoured and destroyed by the beast, a powerful expert rose among humanity. His name was unknown, but he was incomparably powerful. In the end, he successfully defeated the beast and sealed it away.
Later, that expert founded the Martial Sect, and the people revered him as the Martial Ancestor.
The legend was far too ancient. Yet because it concerned the Martial Sect's glorious past, it had barely survived to the present day. Even so, only some of the older people knew of it.
"Could this legend be true? The Martial Ancestor's statue has shattered. Could the fierce beast's seal have been broken?"
At that thought, the Purple-Robed Elder immediately rose in alarm. He swiftly sent word to the Martial Sect's higher-ups, then searched frantically through the ancient Scripture Library. At last, he found the location where the fierce beast had been sealed.
Without the slightest hesitation, more than half of the Martial Sect's experts immediately rushed toward the sealing ground.