Crisis Under the Night, King of Ten Thousand Years of Earth

"That girl is quite persistent, then."

Liu Erlong smiled; she admired girls who refused to admit defeat.

"Let her come. I'm not afraid of her."

Mo Li said with considerable confidence.

His Nine Nether Fire was the perfect nemesis for Dugu Yan's toxins. Once he broke through to the Great Spirit Master realm, his strength would undoubtedly see a rapid, soaring increase.

Adding a spirit ring over two thousand five hundred years old on top of that, dealing with a little girl like Dugu Yan would be a breeze.

"Sister Erlong, do you think I should stay at the academy after I graduate?" Mo Li asked curiously.

"Get lost. Don't even think about it."

Liu Erlong replied without a hint of politeness.

"Why?"

Mo Li was quite surprised; Sister Erlong hadn't held such an attitude before.

Hearing this, Liu Erlong fell silent for a long time. Firelight danced in her eyes as she sighed and smiled at Mo Li.

"A fledgling eagle must eventually spread its wings and fly high. You will leave me one day; I've actually been mentally prepared for that for a long time."

"I just didn't expect it to come so soon."

The moonlight grew thicker, and the darkness in the forest seemed to be dispelled. The firewood crackled and popped as it was consumed by the flames.

The two sat facing each other around the campfire. At this moment, Liu Erlong reached out and beckoned Mo Li to sit by her side.

"What's wrong, Sister Erlong?"

Mo Li couldn't fathom what Liu Erlong was thinking, but he sat down beside her nonetheless.

Liu Erlong's eyes crinkled with a smile as she reached out and took his right hand. Before Mo Li could react further, her slightly cool palm gripped his hand tightly.

Mo Li turned his head to meet Liu Erlong's slightly reddened eyes. He did not hesitate and tightened his own right hand in return.

Feeling Mo Li's movement, Liu Erlong paused for a moment, squeezed his hand again, and said softly:

"Do you know how you got your name?"

Mo Li looked up. Under the firelight, Liu Erlong's originally cold and exquisite face had become incredibly gentle.

Mo Li shook his head; he truly didn't know.

Liu Erlong didn't explain immediately. She stared at his face as if trying to discern some memory, then smiled.

"I found you outside Heaven Dou City back then. You had been placed on a patch of grass, and I found you by following your crying."

Even though Liu Erlong had an exceptionally fiery temper and a very gloomy mood at the time for certain reasons, seeing Mo Li still in his swaddling clothes, she had subconsciously reached out to scoop him up.

She looked around, but there was no one in sight. She couldn't fathom what kind of parents could be so heartless as to abandon their own child.

With no other choice, she brought Mo Li back to her residence.

"But I wasn't married. Carrying a child who was still nursing was not only inconvenient but also improper. My father was also strongly opposed to it."

Seeming to recall something amusing, Liu Erlong chuckled softly.

"After some consideration, I eventually intended to send you to an orphanage I was sponsoring."

"And then what happened?"

Mo Li was stunned. The fact that he was sitting here now meant that Liu Erlong had clearly taken him back.

Liu Erlong glanced at him with a smile and continued her story.

At the time, she had finished arranging everything for Mo Li at the orphanage and was about to turn and leave, when her gaze suddenly fell upon Mo Li, who was fast asleep.

Her heart softened, and she couldn't help but reach out to lightly touch his cheek.

The moment her fingertip touched his cheek, Mo Li happened to wake up. He reached out his tiny hand, gripped her finger tightly, and began to wail.

In that instant, Liu Erlong said, her heart felt as if it had been struck hard. A massive wave of sorrow surged within her, and she burst into tears right there—not just for the abandoned Mo Li, but for herself, who had been constantly cast aside.

She suddenly found she couldn't bear to let him go.

After returning from the orphanage, she defied her father's objections and resolutely brought Mo Li with her, raising him to this day.

"After I came back from there, I named you 'Mo Li' (Don't Leave). I thought, since you were so clingy to me when you were little, I didn't want you to leave me when you grew up."

Liu Erlong's tone held a hint of playfulness; it seemed that the little secret hidden within the name she had given Mo Li brought her great satisfaction.

Mo Li's heart stirred, and a sudden dampness welled up in his eyes.

Mo Li, Mo Li.

Did his name really hold such a meaning?

He could feel the depth of Liu Erlong's feelings for him.

Although Sister Erlong's exterior was cold and she always wore an "all strangers keep away" expression, after spending so much time together, Mo Li knew that, by nature, Liu Erlong should have been lively and forthright.

She shouldn't be in this current state of melancholy.

"Sister Erlong, rest assured. No matter where I go in the future, you will always be the most important person to me."

Mo Li looked into Liu Erlong's eyes and said earnestly.

"Li'er, you've grown up."

Gazing at Mo Li's youthful yet resolute face, Liu Erlong felt a sudden, fleeting illusion.

There was an indescribable feeling—was it gratification? Or something else? She did not want to dwell on it; she only wished to indulge in this fleeting moment of warmth.

Under this tender atmosphere, time slipped away quietly.

"Snap!"

A faint sound echoed, and Liu Erlong immediately released Mo Li's hand, springing to her feet and shifting into a combat stance.

The two exchanged a glance—there was an enemy!

They were currently in the core area of the Sunset Forest; even the appearance of a ten-thousand-year spirit beast would be perfectly normal.

Mo Li proactively activated Peering at Heaven and Earth, and the surrounding darkness receded from his vision like a receding tide.

It was then that he saw the appearance of the intruder. It didn't matter at first, but once he saw clearly, he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration.

It was an incredibly massive scorpion, pale blue all over, with a powerful aura of slaughter radiating from its joints. Its pale body hugged the ground as it skittered forward at high speed.

A tail composed of nine segments of tail bone was raised high, tipped with a fiery red stinger.

It was none other than the Earth King!

Liu Erlong, who had stepped in front of Mo Li, stared coldly at the spot in the darkness where the sound had originated.

"Sister Erlong, it's an Earth King."

"Hm? You saw it too?"

Liu Erlong didn't turn her head, asking with a hint of confusion.

Just as Mo Li was about to answer, a sharp screech pierced the air, and a massive figure emerged into the firelight, casting a vast shadow over the two of them.

"It really is an Earth King."

After seeing the creature clearly, Liu Erlong turned her gaze to the Earth King's tail.

From its pale blue coloration, Liu Erlong could already tell that this Earth King's cultivation had actually exceeded ten thousand years!

The tail bone of an Earth King grows by one segment every five hundred years, and the one before them had over a dozen segments.

Its cultivation was likely approaching fifteen thousand years.

Mo Li also estimated the approximate age, his brows furrowing slightly. The Earth King before them was undoubtedly far more powerful than the five-thousand-year-old one from the original story.