As the voice fell, a creature of unimaginable size slowly raised its head from the darkness below.
It lifted its head.
Its pale-red eyes were hundreds of times larger than a person!
And its body stretched farther than the eye could see!
Faintly visible beneath the darkness, its body was covered in purple-gold scales!
They gleamed with a faint chill, hard as steel!
"Senior, what... what is that thing?!"
Sky Fire Venerable was so frightened he could barely speak.
"Let's get out of here!"
The intense unease made Sky Fire Venerable's scalp tingle!
Xiao Xuan smiled faintly. "He's the one I came to find!"
"What?!"
Whoosh!
Xiao Xuan moved in a flash, darting downward!
"You came looking for me? Then do you have the Ancient Jade?"
The voice, powerful enough to make the entire space tremble, rang out again!
Xiao Xuan replied calmly.
"I didn't bring it this time."
"You didn't bring it?"
This time, the killing intent in that voice was accompanied by a hint of disappointment and resolve.
"If you don't have the Ancient Jade, then stay here and keep me company!"
"Whoosh!"
In an instant,
a dazzling purple-gold beam shot through the darkness, hurtling toward Xiao Xuan!
"Break!"
Facing the attack, Xiao Xuan remained unhurried.
He gathered his soul power into a Soul Hand Seal hundreds of zhang in size and slammed it down onto the purple-gold beam!
Boom!
The seal collided with the beam, unleashing an earth-shaking explosion!
A terrifying storm swept through the space!
Xiao Xuan and the mysterious creature were both blasted back hundreds of zhang by the dreadful shockwave.
"An Emperor Realm Soul without a physical body! And you even know a lost method of soul attack! You've truly surprised me, this emperor!"
In the dark void, the mysterious creature's voice rang out, brimming with astonishment!
From the sound of it, he seemed to know something about soul attacks as well!
"Senior Zhu Kun, I didn't come here to fight you to the death."
After that exchange,
both sides had gained a rough understanding of each other's strength.
With Xiao Xuan's current abilities, he naturally had little chance of defeating Zhu Kun.
But his soul attacks came one after another, impossible to guard against.
More importantly, he could enter the Heavenly Tomb whenever he wanted!
So he had nothing to fear.
"Who are you, and how do you know my name?"
Zhu Kun's enormous eyes fixed on Xiao Xuan, shock flickering in them!
He had been trapped here for thousands of years!
And almost no one knew he had come here. How could this person know?
Could it be...
that he was one of Tou She Ancient God's people?!
At that thought,
a monstrous killing intent burst forth!
Xiao Xuan sensed it too.
"Don't worry, Senior. I'm neither Tou She Ancient God nor one of his people. I came here to propose a deal."
"Why should I believe you?"
Zhu Kun gave a cold snort!
Xiao Xuan wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he smiled.
"Because of your disappearance, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan has split into the Four Great Dragon Islands of the east, west, south, and north, each ruling its own territory. Now, aside from East Dragon Island, which is still searching for you, the other three islands are plotting to seize the position of Dragon Emperor!"
"Those bastards!"
Zhu Kun cursed, staring at Xiao Xuan with eyes blazing. "What exactly are you after?!"
Xiao Xuan still didn't explain his purpose. Instead, he continued.
"Not long ago, while I was exploring the area above, I encountered a girl with purple hair who was skilled in spatial techniques. At the time, she was being hunted by a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast! If I hadn't come across her, I'm afraid..."
At that, brilliant light suddenly surged from Zhu Kun's body!
Then his immense form rapidly shrank, and in a mere instant, he had become a middle-aged man with a head of purple-gold hair.
A flame-shaped mark flickered on his forehead.
It was probably the seal Tou She Ancient God had placed on him.
Only when Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion saw daylight again would the seal be undone, allowing Zhu Kun to escape!
At that moment, Zhu Kun stared straight at Xiao Xuan with his golden eyes.
"You... You have my child's aura on you. That girl you met... she's my child!!"
Zhu Kun was visibly agitated!
Though many years had passed,
he could never forget that bond of blood, nor the aura etched into the deepest part of his memories!
He looked at Xiao Xuan anxiously.
Only when Xiao Xuan nodded did he hurriedly ask, "How is she now?"
Xiao Xuan then told Zhu Kun about Zi Yan's situation.
When Zhu Kun heard the story, tears welled up in his eyes.
"My child, I failed you. I failed you!"
Zhu Kun was filled with remorse.
After a long while,
he looked at Xiao Xuan. "What deal do you want to make with me?"
"So he really is the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. No wonder he's so terrifying!"
After they left the dark space, Sky Fire Venerable let out a long breath.
Just having the other man stand in front of him
had left Sky Fire Venerable struggling to breathe!
Yet Xiao Xuan had actually managed to discuss a partnership with him.
"By the way, Senior, I still haven't asked your name."
"Xiao Xuan."
"Xiao Xuan? That name sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere... Wait! X-Xiao Xuan? You're Xiao Xuan?"
Sky Fire Venerable stared at Xiao Xuan as if he'd seen a ghost, unable to believe it.
The name Xiao Xuan was legendary to him.
He was the only peerless powerhouse in a thousand years who had dared to oppose the Hun Clan!
Sky Fire Venerable had also heard that the Ancient Clan and the Xiao Clan were on good terms.
He just couldn't understand why, when the Hun Clan had ambushed the Xiao Clan back then,
the Ancient Clan hadn't stepped in to help!
Xiao Xuan didn't answer him.
Back at Jia Nan Academy,
Zi Yan was still in the academy's medicinal herb storehouse.
She held an Amethyst Spirit Fruit in her left hand and an Ice Spirit Snow Lotus in her right.
She took a bite from the left, then a bite from the right, eating happily.
Beside her, Su Qian wore a broad smile.
Elder Huo was smiling too, but his grin couldn't hide the heartache beneath it!
Su Qian kept reminding him,
"Old Man Huo, make your smile look more natural!"
"Su Qian, these are my most precious treasures! It's only been a few days, and that little girl has already eaten nearly all of them. Of course you don't care—they aren't yours!"
"That girl's as sly as a fox. If she hears you and lets that powerhouse find out, it won't just be us in trouble—the whole Jia Nan Academy will suffer!"
"Why hasn't the Dean come back yet?!"
Old Man Huo found himself longing for the Dean he'd never even met.
If he were here, maybe they wouldn't have to be so afraid of that mysterious powerhouse!
Su Qian poured cold water on him. "Don't get your hopes up. If the Dean were here, things probably wouldn't be any different!"
"Huh? Didn't you say the Dean was powerful?"
"That one is even more powerful!"
Elder Huo sighed.
That was just his luck!
As he finished speaking, the space in front of them twisted.
Xiao Xuan stepped out of it.
"Senior, you're back."
Xiao Xuan nodded. "Zi Yan, let's go."
"Mm-hmm." Zi Yan nodded, quickly gobbled up the herbs in her hands, grabbed another handful, and ran over to Xiao Xuan.
"Old man, I'm leaving!"
"Take care, and come by again sometime!" Su Qian said politely.
Zi Yan took him at his word. "Don't worry, I'll come by often."
Elder Huo staggered, feeling as if his heart might break from the pain!
Before you continue