Kun Peng felt like Ling Tian had played him for a fool.
But the aura of the Dragon Clan Great Experts was drawing closer.
Kun Peng didn't have time to think about it.
As long as he wasn't being made into a mount, that was fine.
A page would do!
Kun Peng agreed at once. "I agree!"
"Excellent! A very wise choice."
Ling Tian nodded, his expression utterly sincere, though a flash of smug amusement flickered in his eyes.
Once Kun Peng agreed to become his page, what happened next wouldn't be up to Kun Peng anymore.
Wasn't a page just a subordinate?
If the master got tired, couldn't he have his subordinate carry him for a few steps?
Surely the master's little request couldn't be refused.
And if it couldn't be refused, how was that any different from being a mount?
Got him!
Ling Tian chuckled to himself, his eyes clear and innocent.
Kun Peng, however, had no idea...
From the moment he agreed to Ling Tian's request, he had never had a chance of escaping Ling Tian's grasp.
At that moment,
Kun Peng looked at Ling Tian anxiously.
"M-Master, those Dragon Clan Great Luo are almost here. How are we going to escape?"
At that,
Ling Tian let out a soft laugh.
"Don't panic. It's nothing!"
As he spoke,
Ling Tian pointed a finger, and a surge of pure spiritual energy flowed into Kun Peng's body.
In an instant, it healed most of Kun Peng's injuries.
Before the delighted Kun Peng could thank him,
Ling Tian pointed again, sending a surge of Immortal Power at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level into Kun Peng's body.
Then,
as Kun Peng stared in stunned silence,
Ling Tian plopped down on Kun Peng's back and said leisurely,
"You're almost healed, right?"
"Next, I'll give you Immortal Power at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level. Run with everything you've got."
Kun Peng: "..."
Kun Peng had never imagined Ling Tian would come up with such a way to escape.
"B-But we agreed I wouldn't be your mount."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Ling Tian rapped him hard on the head.
"Are you stupid? We're running for our lives! You're bringing this up at a time like this?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Get it?"
"If you don't want to die, get your ass in the air!"
"Fly south!"
Kun Peng: "..."
A deep sense of grievance welled up in Kun Peng's heart.
But this really wasn't the time to argue.
He could only swallow his grievances.
"Caw!"
With a piercing cry that shook the heavens,
Kun Peng beat his enormous wings, vast as clouds hanging from the sky, and shot upward.
Kun Peng cultivated the Law of Speed, and his flying speed was unrivaled among those of the same rank.
Combined with the Immortal Power at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level that Ling Tian supplied,
Kun Peng's speed immediately soared to a whole new level.
He broke through the encirclement before the Dragon Clan Great Luo could close in.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Only the furious roars of dragons echoed through the void.
Outside the Southern Ming Undying Volcano,
the once-deserted wasteland had grown bustling with activity.
The closer one got to the Southern Ming Undying Volcano, the livelier it became.
In the air,
Ling Tian lay comfortably on Kun Peng's back and couldn't help yawning.
"Mm, we're here already?"
"Having a mount like you, Little Kun Kun... Ahem... A page like you sure is nice."
Kun Peng's face darkened, and he grumbled,
"I told you I wouldn't be your mount. This was a special circumstance."
"Right, right, you're right. A special circumstance."
Ling Tian didn't argue at all. His voice was earnest.
But hearing Ling Tian say that only made Kun Peng feel worse.
After a long while,
Kun Peng finally set aside his grievances and looked around.
"So this is the legendary Southern Ming Undying Volcano. It truly lives up to its reputation."
After a pause,
Kun Peng continued,
"Master, hiding here at the Southern Ming Undying Volcano may make the Dragon Clan think twice, but it's not a long-term solution."
"The Phoenix Clan has been sealed away for years. If the Dragon Clan truly decides to kill the two of us, they won't care about the Phoenix Clan."
As he spoke,
a flash of sorrow and fury crossed Kun Peng's eyes.
That was the tragedy of a lone cultivator.
No matter how powerful one became, one still couldn't stand against a great force.
If Ling Tian hadn't shown up this time,
Kun Peng would likely have met his end.
And even if he had somehow escaped death,
he would still have to face the Dragon Clan's endless pursuit.
How tragic!
"I refuse to accept this!"
"Do lone cultivators truly have no future?"
"I, Kun Peng, will surely become a supreme Great Expert and look down upon Hong Huang!"
Kun Peng suddenly cried out in a low voice, his eyes brimming with defiance.
But just as Kun Peng was lost in his emotions,
a sudden pain struck his head.
Ling Tian's voice rang out...
"What are you yelling about? Shut your mouth!"
Kun Peng: "..."
Ling Tian immediately crushed Kun Peng's soaring spirits.
All that remained was a deep sense of grievance.
Who could have imagined that the renowned Demon Master of later generations would be so thoroughly under Ling Tian's thumb?
Meanwhile,
Ling Tian paid no attention to Kun Peng's mood and said,
"It's true that it's not safe outside the Southern Ming Undying Volcano. But we can go inside!"
Go inside the Southern Ming Undying Volcano?
Kun Peng froze, then gave Ling Tian a look that said, "Are you an idiot?"
"Master, don't you know the Phoenix Clan has been sealed away for years?"
"So many Great Experts haven't been able to break through the Phoenix Clan Grand Array."
"And the two of us are supposed to?"
"What makes you think we can?"
"Do you think you're the Phoenix Clan Crown Prince?"
"Ridiculous!"
Kun Peng rarely got the chance to mock Ling Tian, so he immediately launched into a tirade, completely missing the strange smile on Ling Tian's face.
If Kun Peng knew that Ling Tian himself had created the Phoenix Clan Grand Array, he would have been stunned speechless!
Ling Tian naturally didn't waste any more time explaining things to Kun Peng.
He could clearly sense the auras of numerous Dragon Clan Great Luo drawing closer.
Ling Tian promptly rapped Kun Peng hard on the head.
"Quit blabbering!"
"Listen up!"
"Once we enter the Southern Ming Undying Volcano, tell them you're the page newly taken on by Ling Tian, the Phoenix Clan Crown Prince."
"Then wait patiently inside for me to be born!"
"Got it?"
What are you even saying?
Hearing Ling Tian's words,
Kun Peng was completely dumbfounded.
What did he mean, the page of Ling Tian, the Phoenix Clan Crown Prince?
And what was this about waiting patiently for him to be born?
Did Ling Tian think he was the Phoenix Clan Crown Prince in Yuanfeng's womb?
What a joke!
Kun Peng's head was buzzing.
He was sure Ling Tian had gone mad.
But before Kun Peng could think any further,
he was utterly stunned by what he saw...
The Phoenix Clan Protection Array, which had been inactive for countless years, suddenly opened a portal.
A dense wave of spiritual energy flowed out from within.
"Caw!"
Kun Peng could even hear the cries of phoenixes coming from inside the portal.
What was going on?
Kun Peng instinctively looked at Ling Tian.
But before Kun Peng could say anything,
he felt a hard kick to his rear and immediately tumbled uncontrollably into the Southern Ming Undying Volcano.
Not long after,
when Yuanfeng saw Kun Peng standing before her with a dazed expression, her eyes were full of suspicion...
"You said..."
"My son subdued you before he was even born?"
Before you continue