In Danyang City, at Liu Manor, Qila'angsi received Gulanxiu's message and immediately tore through the World Ring, emerging into the outside world.
Although Qila'angsi had deliberately kept his aura in check, Liu Qingyuan, who was resting, still sensed him!
After all, this was Liu Manor, and Qila'angsi was simply too close to Liu Qingyuan.
Liu Qingyuan had been getting intimate with his wife, Shui Rou, when he abruptly stopped. At Shui Rou's puzzled look, he got dressed in less than a second and hurried to the courtyard where Qila'angsi was.
But when he saw Qila'angsi's enormous form, a trace of fear flashed in Liu Qingyuan's eyes. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "It's you!?"
He knew that figure all too well. It had appeared in his dreams countless times over the years. A thousand years ago, when the Blood Spirit Grassland invaded, he had been young and spirited, killing three Wild Beasts at the Comprehension Level one after another in battle.
But then, with a casual swipe, the Golden Armor Dragon before him had left him gravely wounded and on the brink of death. Over the years, he had tried countless remedies, but none could heal the damage to his Core Nucleus!
Now that this terrifying Wild Beast had appeared before him once again, how could he not feel both fear and hatred?
But a moment later, he understood. This was Danyang City! The city was full of experts: more than a hundred at the Domain Level alone, and two at the World Level. If the Golden Armor Dragon dared attack recklessly, it would surely die here! Besides, it hadn't attacked him the moment they met, which meant it must have something to say.
"You survived a casual blow from me, even with your Core Nucleus injured. That's quite a remarkable feat!" Qila'angsi marveled.
Liu Qingyuan said gravely, "What are you doing? Let me make this clear! This is Danyang City! If you dare attack, the experts here will kill you. If you leave now, I can pretend I never saw you!"
Liu Qingyuan had good reason to be cautious. All he had to do was send a signal, and the experts of Danyang City would certainly kill the Golden Armor Dragon. But in the time it took them to arrive, Qila'angsi could attack several times. Liu Qingyuan hadn't been a match for him even at full strength, let alone now, with his body half-crippled.
At that moment, Liu Qingyuan lamented that he hadn't yet made arrangements for his family. If he were alone, he would have fought Qila'angsi to the death long ago. He was dying anyway; taking his enemy down with him would have been a blessing.
Qila'angsi said with a smile, "Don't panic! And don't be afraid! I'm here on a good errand. Before my master left, he entrusted me with this thing and told me it could heal your injuries!" As he spoke, he tossed over the wooden box containing the Life Fruit.
Liu Qingyuan took the box in confusion and asked, "Your master?" Then he suddenly remembered the previous tenant of the courtyard and ventured, "Brother Jia?"
Qila'angsi nodded. "That's right! I don't know what kind of luck you had to befriend someone as extraordinary as my master. He knew you were injured, so he specifically sent me to bring you this to heal you!"
Liu Qingyuan had already opened the box. A sweet fragrance wafted out at once. Just breathing it in made him feel much better; he knew it was a rare treasure of heaven and earth. No longer caring about appearances, he grabbed the fruit, shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.
As soon as the Life Fruit went down, Liu Qingyuan felt a cool, vital energy continuously repairing his Core Nucleus. In mere moments, the crack that had plagued him for a thousand years was completely healed.
Liu Qingyuan's eyes filled with tears. No one knew how much pressure he had borne over the past thousand years. His two sons had been schemed against and killed; he himself had been gravely wounded and barely clinging to life. He had also struggled to protect his young son and daughter. The crushing pressure had left him gasping for breath.
Now, everything was all right. He had returned to his peak once more. With the strength of a sixth-stage Domain cultivator, he could reclaim everything he had lost over the years.
After a while, he finally remembered there was still a dragon here. He hurriedly said, "Brother Dragon, sorry for the trouble! I got a little carried away. Where is Brother Jia now? Why didn't he come himself?"
Qila'angsi said, "Just call me Qila'angsi. My master is cultivating in the Ancient God Ruins and can't return for now. He told me to stay here until he comes back. Is that all right?"
Liu Qingyuan nodded quickly. "Of course. You can stay as long as you like, Lord Qila'angsi. But you can't show yourself outside. Lord Zhalisi of the Blood Spirit Grassland suddenly died for some reason, and the City Lord of Danyang has launched a campaign against the Blood Spirit Grassland. The Wild Beasts there are fighting Danyang City. If someone discovers you, Lord Qila'angsi, it could cause trouble!"
Indeed, Danyang City was already at war with the Blood Spirit Grassland. The conflict had started because Zhalisi had suddenly died, leaving the Wild Beasts without a leader and allowing word of it to get out.
As the World City closest to the Blood Spirit Grassland, Danyang City hadn't always been so small!
Before Zhalisi rose to power, the Blood Spirit Grassland had all belonged to Danyang World. The area occupied by the grassland had originally been part of Domain City, which lay beneath Danyang World.
But ten thousand years ago, the Golden Armor Dragon Zhalisi suddenly rose to power and led his clan, along with several other Wild Beasts, in an expansion outward.
The nearby Domain Cities were caught in the fighting and were gradually destroyed over the following several thousand years.
A thousand years ago, those Wild Beasts even broke through Danyang City's defenses, stormed inside, and began slaughtering its people.
The Golden Armor Dragon Zhalisi had even fought the City Lord and his wife one against two, keeping them both on the back foot.
If the Immortal Divine Temple hadn't intervened, Danyang City might have fallen too.
Since then, Danyang City had become the front line. Beyond its gates lay the Blood Spirit Grassland, and both sides wanted to wipe out the other. With Zhalisi dead, the City Lord of Danyang had seized his chance and launched a decisive attack. The two sides were still fighting.
In these circumstances, it really wasn't suitable for Qila'angsi to show himself at Liu Manor.
Qila'angsi snorted. "Hmph! So you're still afraid I'll cause you trouble! Don't worry. I'll stay in the World Ring. Just prepare good food and wine for me every day, and don't bother me unless you need me to step in. My master told me to protect your family during this time."
Without waiting for Liu Qingyuan to say anything, he slipped into the World Ring.
Liu Qingyuan cupped his hands toward the World Ring where Qila'angsi had gone, then turned and left.
Once he had walked out of the courtyard, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Liu Qingyuan's mouth. In a voice only he could hear, he murmured, "My Brother Jia really is mysterious! He actually managed to make such a powerful Wild Beast serve him. He's definitely not just an ordinary Cloud Soaring Level cultivator devoted to solitary cultivation. Still, it's a good thing he hasn't schemed against the Liu Family. He's even saved Jiang'er and me twice. If I get the chance, I'll have to repay him properly!"
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