Leaving the Flower Sect's fragrant environment filled with the sweet sounds of women, Lin Ming carried Zi Yan at breakneck speed without stopping. Only when they were about a hundred miles away from the Flower Sect's territory, atop a solitary, mist-shrouded mountain peak, did Lin Ming alight and stop with Zi Yan.
The mountain wind howled, fluttering the robes of the two.
Lin Ming turned around to face Zi Yan, his languidness and previous gentleness completely gone, replaced by an extremely rare seriousness and solemnity.
At this moment, Lin Ming stared intently at the exquisitely beautiful girl before him, who appeared young but possessed the strongest royal bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon.
"Zi Yan," Lin Ming's deep, clear voice broke the silence of the mountaintop, "Do you believe me?"
This seemingly random question made Zi Yan's heart tighten slightly.
She and Lin Ming met when they were both humble beginnings and went through countless adventures together, from the Outer Academy to the Inner Academy of the Jia Nan Academy, experiencing the conflicts of the Black Corner Region, and then to the wider world of the Middle Continent.
During this time, Lin Ming proved himself time and again with his wisdom and strength, and stood in front of her countless times when she needed him. An extraordinary trust and bond had already been established between them.
Seeing Lin Ming's unprecedentedly serious expression, Zi Yan's intelligent mind immediately understood that what Lin Ming was about to say must be about the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, which was enough to shake the entire Ancient Void Dragon Clan.
And why he initially asked her to temporarily conceal the information, and why he promised there would be a more reliable method.
For her, this was a matter of life and death, concerning the evolution of her bloodline.
Without any hesitation, Zi Yan raised her small face, her amethyst-like eyes filled with unwavering determination.
At this moment, Zi Yan nodded vigorously, her voice clear and firm. "Lin Ming, no matter what you want to do, no matter what you want to tell me, I will believe you! And I always will!"
Upon hearing this, the tense lines on Lin Ming's face softened, revealing a sincere smile filled with relief and warmth.
To have Zi Yan's unconditional trust filled him with a heavy sense of responsibility and warmth.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Ming decided to stop hiding things and get to the point. "Zi Yan, do you remember what we did in that Ancient Forest at the Ancient Ruins?"
"Were you ever curious about my methods of ruthlessly collecting all the precious medicinal herbs, and how I was able to effortlessly gather them, even the massive skeleton of your ancestor and the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix?"
Zi Yan blinked, recalling the scene at the time; it was indeed so.
The forest was incredibly rich in medicinal herbs. Lin Ming left almost nothing behind wherever he went, and no matter how much he collected, there was no sign that his storage items were full. He even collected the two mountain-sized skeletons without hesitation. At that time, she felt that Lin Ming's methods were mysterious and unpredictable, far exceeding ordinary Storage Ring.
Zi Yan nodded honestly, her curiosity deepening. "Hmm! Do you guys have Storage Ring with huge storage space?"
"Yes and no! Now, I'll clear things up for you." Lin Ming smiled slightly, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "Remember, whatever you feel later, don't resist it; completely relax your mind."
Although Zi Yan's doubts deepened, her trust in Lin Ming allowed her to agree without hesitation, and she nodded solemnly again. "Okay!"
Seeing that Zi Yan was ready, Lin Ming said no more. Then, with a thought, a gentle yet immense Soul Power quietly spread out, like the softest veil, gently enveloping Zi Yan.
This Soul Power is not aggressive; rather, it carries a sense of guidance and attraction.
Zi Yan felt the scenery before her eyes suddenly blur, as if she had lost weight for a moment. All the light and sound around her quickly receded and disappeared, plunging her into pure darkness.
This feeling is extremely strange; it's not the feeling of being squeezed through Space Passage, but rather more like a kind of "transfer."
The darkness lasted only a moment, and the next instant, the feeling of solid ground beneath my feet returned, and the scene before me suddenly brightened and became clear.
When Zi Yan saw her surroundings clearly, even with the composure of a member of the Ancient Void Dragon Imperial Clan, she couldn't help but gasp. Her purple eyes widened instantly, her mouth agape, and she was utterly shocked!
She was standing in a strange space that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
The sky wasn't azure, but a Chaos color, flowing with a gentle halo. There was no sun or moon, yet it shone with its own light. Beneath my feet lay solid, fertile earth, radiating abundant vitality.
What is most striking are the two enormous skeletons, as large as mountains, standing in the center of this space!
A body gleaming with golden light, its bones seemingly naturally etched with mysterious dragon Dragon Pattern, still exuded a chilling majesty and powerful Spatial Fluctuations even though it had long since lost its life force. It was the remains of her Ancient Void Dragon ancestor!
The other skeleton, a dark gold color, with rugged bones, exudes an Eight Desolations heat and domineering power that could burn the entire world. It is the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Skeleton that perished with it! The two skeletons still maintain the posture of their final confrontation before death, silently telling the story of the tragedy and magnificence of that Ancient Battle.
What astonished Zi Yan even more was that, radiating outwards from these two skeletons, was a boundless and thriving Herb Garden!
Countless rare and precious medicinal herbs, considered priceless treasures in the outside world, grow here as lushly as ordinary weeds, their age terrifyingly ancient. Crimson Flame Spirit Leaf, Snow Bone Ginseng, Soul Infant Fruit, Dragon Blood Ganoderma... these are the very precious medicinal materials that Lin Ming had plundered from the Ancient Forest!
They seem to grow better here, their medicinal and Spirit Qi so concentrated it's almost impossible to dissolve, forming a misty sea of Spirit Qi.
"Where... where am I...?"
Zi Yan's voice trembled slightly. She finally understood why Lin Ming was able to so easily carry that massive amount of medicinal herbs and the two enormous objects.
With such a seemingly boundless space, doing all this is naturally a piece of cake!
"Welcome to my world, Zi Yan." A gentle voice sounded beside me.
Zi Yan turned her head sharply and saw a slightly illusory figure, formed from pure Soul Power, standing beside her with a Lin Ming.
This is a portion of Lin Ming's soul consciousness that he separated so that he could communicate with her here.
Looking at Zi Yan's utterly shocked expression, Lin Ming, in his Soul Body, smiled slightly, his tone calm yet filled with utmost solemnity:
"Zi Yan, this is my biggest secret, a world that naturally formed within me by chance— Inner World. Besides me, you are the first and currently the only person who knows of its existence."
"The world inside...?" Zi Yan murmured, repeating the word over and over, her heart filled with shock like a raging storm.
The Ancient Void Dragon Clan of the Void were born with a natural affinity for space, possessing a perception and mastery of it far surpassing that of other races. But it was precisely because of this that she understood all too well how heaven-defying and incredible it was to create and stabilize such a vast, independent world within her body, capable of containing living beings and even bearing the oppressive power of two ancient supreme skeletons!
This was completely beyond her understanding of Space Power; it was nothing short of a miracle!
After the initial shock, an indescribable warm current, mixed with immense joy and emotion, instantly surged through Zi Yan's entire body.
Such a shocking secret, such a crucial Trump Card, Lin Ming told her without reservation, emphasizing that she was the "first" and "only" to know it!
This unconditional trust stirred her heart more than any precious gift. It meant that in Lin Ming's heart, her place was unique and irreplaceable.
Looking into Lin Ming's Soul Body eyes, a thin layer of mist welled up in her purple eyes. She gave a heavy "hmm" and nodded vigorously. A thousand words were condensed into this simple gesture, and everything was understood without being said.
Once Zi Yan's emotions had calmed down a bit, Soul Body Lin Ming's expression turned serious again, and he got to the most important topic of the day.
"Zi Yan, I'm letting you know about the Inner World for two reasons: first, because I trust you, and second, to lay the groundwork for dealing with the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit later."
Upon hearing the words "Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit," Zi Yan immediately focused her attention; she knew the crucial moment was approaching.
Lin Ming looked into her eyes and slowly said, his tone tinged with caution and probing, "Before telling you my plan, I want to tell you something else... I might know where your father is."
"Father?"
These two words struck Zi Yan like thunderclaps, catching her completely off guard. She was frozen in place, her expression instantly turning blank.
The word "father" was too unfamiliar to her, so distant that it seemed to exist only in legends.
Since she could remember, she had struggled to survive alone in unfamiliar forests, competing with various Magical Beasts for food, and tenaciously living on thanks to the powerful physical attributes granted by her Dragon Clan Bloodline. She didn't know who her parents were or where she came from; that deep-seated loneliness was the most profound mark of her childhood.
It wasn't until later, when she accidentally ate an immature Form-Shifting Grass and turned into the Little Girl she is now, that she was discovered by Su Qian, the Great Elder of the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy, who was traveling outside.
Su Qian was kind-hearted and realized that she was no ordinary Magical Beasts, so he took her back to the Jia Nan Academy and gave her a relatively stable "home", allowing her to experience the care of an elder for the first time.
Later, she met Lin Ming, who was studying at the Jia Nan Academy. His appearance was like a ray of light, illuminating her originally dark world, showing her a wider world, and giving her true companionship and protection.
Now, Lin Ming suddenly brought up "father," a figure she had subconsciously longed for but resented because of being "abandoned." Zi Yan was momentarily confused and at a loss.
She too had longed for a father's love and imagined what her father would look like, but each time she imagined it, she was met with even deeper resentment and confusion.
Why? Why were you left alone in the dangerous forest when she was so young and had no memories? If it weren't for good luck, she might have become food for other Magical Beasts long ago!
She could not forgive this "abandonment".