I Came to the Yellow River, and I'll Climb the Azure Cloud Ladder! (Bonus Chapter 23 for Alliance Leader Langlang!)

The western entrance to the Platform of the World.

A young man and woman, both dressed in finery, walked in.

The woman in front looked dignified and noble, with phoenix eyes, slender willow-leaf brows, an oval face, and a tall, graceful figure.

The boy behind her was a little under half a head shorter. He had a clean, bright air about him and handsome, refined features. Though he still looked young, it was clear that in a few years, he would become a rare and strikingly beautiful young man.

As they walked, he grumbled, "I told you I didn't want to come, but you just had to drag me here to watch. What's so interesting about it? You're interrupting my cultivation..."

The woman in front tugged him along. "Hurry up!"

"Hey, don't pull my hand." The boy grew a little bashful and lowered his voice, hurriedly saying, "There are so many people here."

The woman in front suddenly turned around and fixed him with a stare.

The boy instinctively shrank back, but her grip on his hand was firm, and he couldn't pull away.

The beautiful woman raised a slender, lustrous index finger to her lips. "Shh!"

Then she moved her finger and pointed toward the towering Supreme Dharma Appearance beside the Pillars of the Six Directions.

The figure wore a scarlet dragon robe with elaborate patterns—the very robe worn by the Chu Emperor.

She was telling the boy that the Son of Heaven of Chu was present, so he should stop chattering.

Then she continued tugging him forward, pushing into the Chu Kingdom's section of the audience.

The boy trailed behind her, thoroughly unwilling, head bowed and eyes lowered, as if he wished the whole world didn't know him.

But suddenly, a Flame Sparrow cried out.

That familiar sound...