Going Out to Train, Encountering Feng Qing'er

Looking at the girl before him, Tang Chen felt a warmth in his heart, and an unconscious smile appeared on his face.

"Huo'er, long time no see!"

As Tang Huo'er looked at him, her eyes stirred with emotion. All the longing in her heart condensed into a single whisper. "Brother Chen..."

She had not seen Tang Chen for a year. The moment she heard that he had emerged from seclusion, she rushed over in a panic, wanting only to see him.

She walked up to Tang Chen.

Compared to a year ago, Tang Chen had grown taller and more handsome. Confidence radiated from him inside and out, and his spirited appearance captivated her completely.

"After not seeing you for a year, Huo'er has grown up. You've become even prettier too."

Looking at the girl's face, even more beautiful than it had been a year ago, Tang Chen could not help but praise her.

"Brother Chen, you... you're sweet-talking again!"

Hearing Tang Chen's praise, a faint blush spread across Tang Huo'er's cheeks. She turned her face aside, utterly embarrassed.

"Cough, cough!" Watching the two flirt with each other, Tang Zhen could no longer bear it and coughed twice to remind them that he was still there.

"Ah! Father, why are you here?"

Tang Huo'er jumped at the sudden cough. She hurriedly looked over, only then realizing that her father was actually standing beside them.

Seeing the way her father looked at her, Tang Huo'er felt like she had been caught doing something bad behind her parents' backs. Her already rosy cheeks reddened even further.

"Y-you little girl!"

Seeing his precious daughter like this, Tang Zhen felt as though he could barely breathe.

His daughter's eyes were now filled with nothing but Tang Chen. She had not even noticed such a large person standing beside her.

"Oh, Father, I'm sorry. Please go first and let me speak with Brother Chen alone."

Tang Huo'er tugged at Tang Zhen's arm and shook it, staring at him with her big eyes as she spoke in a coquettish tone.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave!"

Tang Zhen was utterly unable to resist his daughter acting cute. Shaking his head, he left Tang Chen's small courtyard, though his departing figure seemed somewhat lonely.

Once Tang Zhen had left, Tang Huo'er grabbed Tang Chen's hand just as she had when they were children and invited, "Brother Chen, can you take a walk with me?"

"With pleasure." The two had always been close since childhood, so how could Tang Chen spoil her mood? He clasped her small hand in return and left the courtyard with her.

Deep within Burning Flame Valley, in a quiet bamboo grove,

"Grandfather, I'm here!"

This was where Tang Chen's grandfather, Old Ancestor Fire Cloud, cultivated in seclusion. Since Tang Chen was preparing to go out and train, he naturally had to come inform his grandfather.

"Come in."

A lazy, aged voice came from deep within the bamboo grove. The instant it sounded, the bamboo forest before Tang Chen parted, opening a path wide enough for one person to pass through.

Following the path, Tang Chen saw a pavilion at its end. Within it lay a thin old man with fiery red hair. His Dou Qi was completely restrained, making him seem like an ordinary person.

"Grandfather, it's quite cool here."

Tang Chen walked over, casually picked up the teapot beside him, poured himself a cup, and drank.

"You brat, you don't even know to pour your grandfather a cup." Old Ancestor Fire Cloud sat up and scolded him.

Though he reprimanded him aloud, he was immensely satisfied with this grandson of his, both with his talent and his temperament.

Over the years, he had fulfilled nearly every request Tang Chen made.

If Tang Chen had not been a transmigrator whose disposition had long since been set, this old man would probably have spoiled him into a useless young master who knew only how to enjoy himself.

"Grandfather, I came this time to tell you that I'm planning to go out and train for a while." Tang Chen poured the old man a cup of tea, putting on a flattering expression.

"Where are you going this time?" This was not Tang Chen's first time leaving the valley to train, so Old Ancestor Fire Cloud was not particularly surprised.

"The Northwest Continent." Tang Chen replied.

"The Northwest Continent? What are you going to such a barren place for?" Old Ancestor Fire Cloud frowned in confusion. Central Plains was so vast, yet Tang Chen wanted to go to such a remote region.

"I heard that Heavenly Flames may have appeared there, so I want to take a look and see whether I can obtain some opportunity."

To dispel his grandfather's doubts, Tang Chen explained his purpose for heading to the Northwest Continent.

"You brat, you came all this way because you want another life-saving measure, don't you?" Old Ancestor Fire Cloud nodded upon hearing this, then abruptly changed the subject and exposed Tang Chen's true purpose for coming.

Old Ancestor Fire Cloud had spent more than a decade with Tang Chen. Tang Chen acted this way every time he went out to train, and he had long since figured out his little scheme.

Yet every time, he had thought Tang Chen had come to keep him company and ease his boredom.

"As expected of Grandfather. Nothing can be hidden from you." Tang Chen flattered him, then put on the expression of someone begging for a reward.

"Take them, take them. Stop bothering me while I sleep."

With a wave of his hand, three items flew out from his sleeve. Afterward, he stretched lazily and lay back down.

Tang Chen recognized all three items. One was a Space Jade Slip for calling for help. As long as he crushed it, Old Ancestor Fire Cloud could reach him no matter how far away he was.

The second was a life-saving trump card that Old Ancestor Fire Cloud had specially refined for Tang Chen.

All he needed to do was inject Dou Qi into it, and it would form a flaming barrier. Even a Dou Saint could not break through its defense.

The third was an offensive trump card containing the full-force strike of a 2-Star Dou Saint.

Old Ancestor Fire Cloud's hidden injuries had somehow been cured, so he had long ago broken through to become a 2-Star Dou Saint, his strength growing even greater.

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Tang Chen put all of them into his Storage Ring. Several more such trump cards were already lying inside it, all given to him during his previous trips out for training.

The more life-saving trump cards he had, the better.

"I'm off, Grandfather!" Having achieved his goal, Tang Chen did not linger and turned to leave.

"Get lost, get lost, you brat." Old Ancestor Fire Cloud waved him away in disdain with his back turned to Tang Chen.

Only after Tang Chen had left the bamboo grove did Old Ancestor Fire Cloud sit up. Looking in the direction Tang Chen had gone, his eyes were filled with complicated emotions, his lips seeming to murmur something.

Tang Chen knew nothing of this. What he needed to do now was hurry to the Northwest Continent.

Based on the ages of Tang Huo'er and the Cao Family Enchantress, Tang Chen roughly estimated that he was two years older than Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan should be around fourteen years old now.

That meant the plot of Battle Through the Heavens was about to begin, and Soul Heavenly Emperor's plan to destroy the Central Plains had entered its countdown.

The Central Plains included Burning Flame Valley. Burning Flame Valley was Tang Chen's home, and everyone here treated him well. He would never allow them to be harmed.

Waiting for Xiao Yan to become an emperor would take too long. Tang Chen had Source Qi, so he could become an emperor before either of those two. He did not like entrusting his fate to others; he preferred to seize it himself.

It was not only to protect Burning Flame Valley, but also to uncover the truth of his own origins.

After informing Tang Zhen, Tang Chen left Burning Flame Valley's Scorching Volcano Mountain Range and headed for the nearest spatial wormhole leading to the Northwest Continent.

After traveling for some time, Tang Chen finally arrived at the nearest spatial wormhole leading to the Northwest Continent.

"The spatial wormhole in the city ahead should lead to the Northwest Continent." Tang Chen checked the map and confirmed it.

"It's you!" Just as Tang Chen was about to enter the city, a somewhat familiar voice rang out beside him.

Turning around, he saw a girl standing not far away, glaring at him angrily.

She had an exquisite oval face and skin as fair as jade. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, while her violet-brown eyes were cold and sharp, and her ears were slightly pointed.

Tall and graceful, she wore a seven-colored dress embroidered with phoenix patterns. Her demeanor was cold, aloof, and proud, naturally carrying an air of nobility and sacred purity.

Seeing who it was, Tang Chen curled his lips and spoke with disdain. "Feng Qing'er, I never expected to run into you here. What bad luck."

Though they had not met for several years, Tang Chen still recognized her at once. She was the woman with the toughest mouth in Battle Through the Heavens.

Feng Qing'er.

Seeing an enemy she had not met in a long time, Feng Qing'er clenched her jade-like fists, her teeth grinding audibly as she said word by word,

"What a small world, Daddy!"