Ninth Princess

Just as regret was setting in, thump! thump! The faint sound of a heartbeat began to resonate. Though quiet, it could still be vaguely heard. The Princess looked confused, tilting her head slightly as she listened to the corpse's chest.

"You two, take him back to the palace. I want to save him."

"Ah!" The two maids looked bewildered at the Princess's words. "Princess, is that appropriate?"

"There's nothing appropriate or inappropriate about it. Just do as I say."

"Yes, Princess."

The two maids dared not refuse further and helped Chen Tong walk towards the Dragon Palace.

Before long, a magnificent and luxurious palace structure appeared before them. If Chen Tong were awake, he would surely be astonished, for these colossal buildings were piled high with luminous pearls. Besides emitting a dreamlike glow, the myriad of marine life added a romantic touch of color here.

"You two, go distract the guards. Remember, if my father asks, absolutely do not say I brought anyone back. Understand?" Looking at the palace just ahead, the Princess whispered instructions to the two maids.

"Yes, Princess."

The two maids responded and left, while the Princess carefully brought Chen Tong into her own chambers. Just as she laid him on the bed, a deep voice echoed from outside the palace.

"Jiu'er! Hahaha, I heard you're back."

Hearing the voice, the Ninth Princess took a sharp breath, quickly covered Chen Tong with a blanket, and hurried out of the room. As she reached the palace entrance, she saw a majestic, tall figure walking towards her!

"Hahaha, Jiu'er, how was it? Was it fun outside!" the majestic man said dotingly to the Ninth Princess.

"Father, why... why are you here all of a sudden?" The Ninth Princess desperately tried to conceal her inner panic, her eyes unable to meet her father's gaze.

"You were clamoring to go out and play, and now you're suddenly back. Of course, Father has to see you first."

"Father, you're busy with official duties, you should go attend to them! I'm fine." The Ninth Princess said as she pushed the Dragon King out, then quickly closed the door.

"You... you little girl, at least let Father come in for a bit!" The Dragon King was pushed outside the door, looking helpless.

"Hoo~"

After a moment, feeling that her father had left, the Ninth Princess finally breathed a sigh of relief!

As the Dragon King's daughter, bringing an outsider back privately was a grave offense. But luckily, she hadn't been discovered. After calming her emotions, she walked towards the room.

"Your father left?" Chen Tong asked, sensing her come in.

"Ah... you... you're awake?" The Ninth Princess's beautiful eyes widened, as if appraising something incredible.

"The moment you put me on the bed, I woke up. You saved me, didn't you?"

Chen Tong opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a girl in a pink dress, appearing to be only sixteen. Her ethereal eyes were clear and captivating, her rosy-white cheeks like blooming snow, and her delicate lips made one want to bite them.

Chen Tong's mind momentarily short-circuited. He stared blankly as she approached the bed, a faint fragrance wafting towards him. Chen Tong couldn't help but swallow, having forgotten everything else.

"I only brought you back, and you miraculously recovered before I could even treat you, so it doesn't count as me saving you." The Ninth Princess continued to examine Chen Tong.

"Uh... that still counts as you saving me. If you hadn't brought me back, I might have been dismembered by fish by now. There would be no chance of survival."

"Pfft!!"

The Ninth Princess pursed her lips and smiled. "You do like to joke. With Golden Immortal cultivation, how could you die so easily? By the way, what's your name?"

"Chen Tong!"

"Chen Tong?" The Ninth Princess murmured, then grinned. "Then I'll call you Brother Chen from now on!"

"Whatever!" Chen Tong's mind moved, and a golden, radiant elixir appeared in his hand. The moment the elixir materialized, the room became incredibly warm.

"This... this is!" The Ninth Princess's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the elixir in Chen Tong's hand. "Could this be the legendary Nine-Revolving Golden Core?"

"As repayment for saving my life, I have nothing else to offer. I'll give you this Nine-Revolving Golden Core."

"What, you want to give it to me?" The Ninth Princess was shocked. This Nine-Revolving Golden Core was incredibly precious; even her father wasn't qualified to possess one, yet Brother Chen was willing to give it to her. Her small face flushed slightly, but she still refused. "No, this is too valuable. You should keep it."

Sighing, Chen Tong knew this would happen. He said helplessly, "Your Highness, we are strangers, yet you were willing to risk danger to bring me back here. How can this kindness be repaid by a single elixir? Please accept it, even if it's just as a memento."

The Ninth Princess pondered for a moment, then cautiously looked at Chen Tong. Seeing that he seemed sincere, she hesitated before nodding. "Alright, I'll accept it for now. If you ever need anything in the future, you can come find me anytime."

The Ninth Princess carefully put it away, treasuring it deeply in her Sea of Consciousness.

[Beep, congratulations to the host for triggering the hidden quest: Prevent Golden Cicada's Worldly Entry]

Chen Tong was stunned, then delighted. Finally, a quest had arrived. After calming his emotions, he looked at the Ninth Princess and said, "Our debts are settled. I should leave now."

The Ninth Princess was taken aback, then said reluctantly, "Brother Chen, are you leaving now?"

"Yes, I have many things to do, and besides, staying here isn't a long-term solution."

The Ninth Princess lowered her head and whispered, as if pleading for something embarrassing. "Then... can you take me with you?"

Chen Tong was surprised again. He looked at her deeply, then said, "Alright, hold on tight to me."

"Ah!!" The Ninth Princess blushed. "Brother Chen, you... you're so wicked."

Chen Tong: ...?

"What are you thinking?" Chen Tong rolled his eyes. "I told you to hold on tight because I need to use a secret technique. If you don't hold me, the technique won't be able to cover you."

"Oh, oh!" The Ninth Princess breathed a sigh of relief and, half-believingly, hugged Chen Tong tightly. Chen Tong's body trembled. Although he had prepared himself mentally, this damned gentle feeling was truly blood-boiling.

Then, with a thought, the two disappeared from the room. When they reappeared, they were already above the clouds.

"My father's Dragon Palace has divine law restrictions. I didn't expect you, Brother Chen, to be able to pass through them so easily."

Chen Tong sneered, "How could that laughable restriction possibly stop me?"

"Then where are we going now?"

The Ninth Princess was full of eager anticipation for what came next.

Chen Tong, however, was currently sensing the Golden Cicada's aura. His eyes then darkened, because on the Golden Cicada, there was another aura: Guanyin of the South Sea!

"Let's go! I'll take you to a fight."

"Ah!!"

Before the Ninth Princess could even react, Chen Tong had already grabbed her hand and flown off into the distance.

Above the South Sea, at the peak of the clouds, two white figures sat astride the clouds. One was a man, the other a woman. One was bald, the other had long hair. The only similarity was that a pure aura emanated from both of them.