Nine-Clawed Azure Dragon

In that childish voice, Lei Xiao sensed not the slightest malice. At the same time, he felt an invisible force enveloping both him and Yun Xiao.

The force surrounding them was not strong; with only a little effort, they could break free.

But he did not do so.

My current state will not last much longer. I may not be able to rush out of the Wind Abyss. I might as well take a gamble.

"Big Sister, don't resist."

"Alright."

The next instant, an invisible force drew their bodies toward the black cauldron. Strangely enough, the surrounding innate gale winds and spatial fragments actually took the initiative to avoid them.

Very quickly, the two became twin streaks of light and were swallowed by the black cauldron.

Darkness suddenly filled his vision. Lei Xiao felt his body sink sharply, as though he had passed through a layer of viscous water. A sensation of weightlessness followed, and he instinctively shielded Yun Xiao as the two of them tumbled onto a patch of soft grass.

"This is..." Yun Xiao slowly rose to her feet, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

Lei Xiao raised his head as well, utterly stunned by the sight before him. Inside this black cauldron was actually a small world brimming with life.

Moreover, the innate spiritual qi in this small world was far denser than outside. Compared to King of the East's Purple Abode Island, it was even better.

Lei Xiao spread out his divine sense and quickly discovered the reason. Within this small world, he actually saw twelve low-grade innate spiritual roots, three mid-grade innate spiritual roots, and one high-grade innate spiritual root.

"Lei Xiao, this innate spiritual treasure most likely has an owner."

At that moment, Yun Xiao spoke with a grave expression.

There was nothing unusual about an innate spiritual treasure containing a small world, but having so many innate spiritual roots within that small world was abnormal.

These innate spiritual roots had clearly been transplanted into this small world by someone.

Lei Xiao nodded. "I heard a voice earlier. It was most likely the owner of this innate spiritual treasure. It saved us, so it should bear us no ill will."

Hearing this, Yun Xiao's tense, delicate body relaxed slightly, though the gravity between her brows did not entirely fade.

"This junior, Lei Xiao—Yun Xiao—are personal disciples of Tongtian of the Three Pure Ones. Many thanks to Senior for coming to our rescue." Lei Xiao and Yun Xiao bowed toward the empty air.

"Who is Tongtian? Is he very powerful? Is he stronger than my father?"

The childish voice rang out again, carrying both innocence and pride.

As soon as the words fell, the canopy of that high-grade innate spiritual root trembled lightly. A streak of light flew out from the dense purple-gold leaves and landed before them.

The radiance dispersed, revealing a tiny figure.

She was a little girl of around six or seven, dressed in a pale blue gauze skirt embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns along the hem. A silver-white ribbon was tied around her waist, with a pearl the size of a dragon's eye hanging from its end.

Her eyes were the most striking feature. They were as deep blue as the sea, their pupils vertical, with faint golden light flowing within.

Her skin was so fair it was nearly transparent, the tiny blood vessels beneath it faintly visible. Her entire body was like a finely sculpted porcelain doll, exquisite enough to seem unreal.

The little girl floated in midair, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she curiously studied Lei Xiao and Yun Xiao with those dark, round eyes. Between her brows was a faint golden dragon-shaped mark, emanating an ancient and sacred aura.

Lei Xiao and Yun Xiao exchanged a glance. Yun Xiao stepped forward and gently asked, "Little sister, who is your father?"

"I'm not telling you." The little girl looked at Yun Xiao warily and took a step back.

Yun Xiao: "..."

Lei Xiao could not help laughing softly. He crouched down so that he was level with the little girl's gaze. He noticed that although her face was full of vigilance, her dark, round eyes had been secretly observing him all along.

"Little sister, are you here alone? Were you the one who saved us just now?" Lei Xiao asked in a gentler voice.

"It was me."

The little girl nodded and slowly walked toward Lei Xiao. As she walked, she said, "You have an aura that feels familiar to me."

She stopped before Lei Xiao and raised her little head. A trace of confusion flashed through her blue vertical pupils as she stretched out a soft, pale finger and lightly poked the center of Lei Xiao's brow.

"Lei Xiao, be careful—"

Yun Xiao's expression changed when she saw what the little girl was doing. She was about to step forward, but Lei Xiao raised a hand to stop her.

He could clearly sense that the little girl bore him no malice whatsoever.

At the little girl's touch, a lightning mark emerged between his brows.

"This is..."

Lei Xiao was astonished. This was the first time the lightning mark had manifested because of someone else.

But Lei Xiao soon understood why.

Earlier, when he had helped Bi Xiao obtain the Dragon-Phoenix Flute, he had refined the lightning origin of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal dragon in the illusory realm.

Perhaps because his cultivation was too low, he had not truly refined that lightning origin completely, leaving behind a trace of it. The little girl had connected with that trace of lightning origin.

When the little girl's finger touched the lightning mark on Lei Xiao's brow, that trace of lightning origin, tempered by Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, actually seemed to have found a relative it had been separated from for countless years. It flew uncontrollably out of his body, transforming into a faint wisp of pale purple lightning that entered the little girl's brow through her fingertip.

In an instant, the pale golden dragon-shaped mark between the little girl's brows flared brightly, erupting with dazzling radiance. Threads of purple lightning patterns also appeared within her originally azure vertical pupils.

"Ah—"

The little girl cried out in pain. Her tiny body suddenly arched, as though gripped by an invisible hand, trembling violently in midair.

Her azure vertical pupils abruptly dilated. The golden light within them intertwined with the purple lightning that had just entered, forming an eerie yet resplendent brilliance.

The pale golden dragon-shaped mark on her brow was now like a red-hot branding iron, giving off a scorching glow. Golden patterns spread out from the mark, crawling like spiderwebs across her entire fair little face.

"Lei Xiao, what is going on?" Yun Xiao's face changed drastically. She stepped to Lei Xiao's side, vast magical power already gathering in her hand.

"I don't know either—"

Before Lei Xiao could finish speaking, a terrifying pressure erupted from the little girl's body.

That pressure was like ancient mountains collapsing, like the entire firmament overturning and crashing down. With the force of mountains toppling and seas overturning, it crushed outward in every direction.

Roar—!!!

An earth-shaking dragon's roar suddenly exploded through this small world!

The sound carried endless majesty and ancient desolation, as though it had crossed the ages, shaking both Lei Xiao and Yun Xiao's souls into chaos.

Immediately afterward, countless streaks of intertwined purple and golden light surged and expanded wildly around the little girl's body.

A terrifying phantom so enormous that words could not describe it slowly condensed behind the little girl.

It was a Nine-Clawed Azure Dragon!