Deep within the earth's core.
Zhu Kun's enormous body slammed repeatedly against the spatial barrier, yet this space was exceedingly strange. It had no effect on Shen Luo or the Fire Fairy, but it could hold the Old Dragon Emperor captive.
"Damn you, Tou She Ancient God, you despicable wretch!" Zhu Kun raised his enormous dragon head, his face filled with fury.
Clearly, this Dou Di-level seal had been aimed squarely at him.
It seemed that before leaving the Dou Qi Continent, Tou She Ancient God had already laid a trap, merely waiting for Zhu Kun to come knocking.
If Zhu Kun had not coveted the opportunity to become a Dou Di, nothing would have happened. But if he relied on his strength as a late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng to force his way into Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, he would be kept there as the guardian of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion.
This so-called guardian was, in truth, nothing more than a watchdog.
Who knew how many years he had been imprisoned here?
The Fire Fairy hid in a corner, circulating her Dou Qi to heal her injuries while studying the colossal creature before her.
She had never expected that the Dou Qi Continent concealed a third late-stage nine-star Dou Sheng. Judging by the circumstances, this dragon might have lived even longer than Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan.
"Shen Luo, oh, Shen Luo, once you get out, whatever you do, don't come back."
A hint of resignation to death appeared on the Fire Fairy's face. Though her cultivation was far from weak, it was utterly inadequate before this Ancient Void Dragon.
Perhaps bored, Zhu Kun wanted to exchange a few words with the Fire Fairy, but she turned her head away and ignored him.
"Girl, I see your cultivation isn't bad. Just cultivate here. Once you become a nine-star Dou Sheng, you can spar with me."
Zhu Kun had spent far too long alone. His strength had already reached its peak, and further cultivation brought no improvement, so he usually spent most of his time sleeping.
Though the Fire Fairy barely acknowledged him, Zhu Kun did not mind in the slightest, chattering away like an incurable talker.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and a trace of sorrow entered his eyes.
He had remembered his daughter.
He did not even know whether she was still alive.
In Zhu Kun's era, he had been the strongest person on the Dou Qi Continent. There was nowhere under heaven he could not go, and even when he came to Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, he had thought nothing of it.
Thus, none of the Ancient Void Dragons knew where he had gone.
The more Zhu Kun thought about it, the more distressed he became. He began roaring and lashing the space seal with his tail, but no matter how he struggled, the space seal remained standing, keeping him firmly trapped within.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. His enormous body abruptly froze, and his furious agitation instantly subsided.
He sensed two people rapidly approaching the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. One was Shen Luo, who had left not long ago, while the other's... aura seemed somewhat familiar.
"It really is an Ancient Void Dragon. That brat didn't lie to me!"
Excitement appeared on Zhu Kun's face, and his enormous body trembled slightly.
But then his brow furrowed. Tou She Ancient God's seal was exceedingly peculiar. Perhaps it did not target him alone, but could trap all Ancient Void Dragons.
He had finally encountered a member of his own race. If she became trapped here too, wouldn't all his efforts be like drawing water with a bamboo basket?
At that thought, Zhu Kun no longer hesitated. He roared at the approaching Shen Luo, "Hey, brat, don't bring her in! Have her stay outside the seal. I have something to say to her!"
Shen Luo and Zi Yan naturally heard Zhu Kun's roar. Zi Yan's expression changed, her face paling as she clung tightly to Shen Luo's arm.
"Shen Luo, this person is too strong. I can't beat him. Once my cultivation rises, I'll help you get revenge, all right?"
Shen Luo smiled and led Zi Yan to a stop at the edge of the barrier.
"It's all right, Zi Yan. First, release your bloodline aura and your own aura."
Zi Yan's gaze pierced through the space as she stared at the colossal creature whose full length she could not see. She swallowed nervously, then opened her mouth slightly and roared at Zhu Kun in a show of bravado, releasing her bloodline aura without holding anything back.
When he first saw Zi Yan from afar, a look of uncertainty and astonishment had already appeared on Zhu Kun's face.
He had originally thought that an ordinary Ancient Void Dragon would probably fall to her knees and weep with her head bowed the moment she saw him, the Dragon Emperor. Thus, he had composed himself, displaying precisely the proper measure of a Dragon Emperor's majesty.
Though he had been trapped for endless years and was bored beyond measure, he still had to maintain the dignity due him before a junior.
But now, Zhu Kun finally sensed the bloodline aura released from Zi Yan's body, and his heart shook violently.
"This aura... she's my child!"
Zhu Kun's body began trembling uncontrollably. His two dragon claws, each thousands of feet across, clawed desperately at the spatial barrier.
"My child! She's actually my child!"
Zhu Kun wanted to rush to Zi Yan's side at once and take a good look at his daughter, but ripples flowed across the spatial barrier, and no matter how he struck it, it remained as solid as a fortress.
Seeing Zi Yan's small stature and little-girl appearance, Zhu Kun felt even more guilt and regret.
Zi Yan was his daughter and possessed the purest imperial bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragons. Even if she never cultivated and simply ate and drank normally, she could not possibly still be at the Dou Emperor level.
Her tiny body was clearly malnourished. Who knew how much hardship she had suffered out there?
Zi Yan now sensed Zhu Kun's aura as well, and her face was filled with confusion.
This great creature before her really was a member of her race. There was no mistaking that aura of a shared bloodline.
"You are...?"
Seeing a member of her own race for the first time, Zi Yan felt somewhat excited as well.
She had grown up without a father or mother and had often been bullied by other magical beasts in the Black-Corner Region as she fought for a mouthful of food.
When those magical beasts could not beat her, they would bring their elders over. If she had not been tough enough and possessed astonishing recovery abilities, she would have died who knew how many times.
"Child, you're my daughter! I'm your father!"
Zhu Kun pressed his dragon head tightly against the transparent spatial barrier, the muscles of his face becoming somewhat distorted under the pressure. Tears streamed continuously from his enormous dragon eyes.
At those words, Zi Yan shuddered, her pupils widening. She stumbled a step backward, then timidly huddled behind Shen Luo.
"No, that's impossible. My father abandoned me long ago. I'm an abandoned baby. I don't have a father."
If this Ancient Void Dragon before her had merely been a member of her race, she would have been wild with joy. But if this dragon was her father, Zi Yan could never accept it.
What father would abandon his own daughter without leaving her so much as a mouthful of food, leaving her to live or die on her own?
After other magical beasts injured her, Zi Yan would find a secluded place to lick her wounds. Countless times, she had thought of her parents. Why hadn't they wanted her?
What exactly had she done wrong to become an abandoned baby?
If they truly disliked her, they could at least have given her to someone else. At least she would have had something to eat.
Seeing Zi Yan's reaction, Zhu Kun grew frantic again.
His dragon head, thousands of feet across, repeatedly rammed the seal. Purple-gold blood seeped continuously from his wounds and flowed down the spatial barrier.
"My daughter, it was my fault back then! In my pursuit of the opportunity within the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion, I fell into Tou She Ancient God's trap, leaving you to wander alone outside and suffer every hardship!"
Afraid that his appearance would frighten Zi Yan, Zhu Kun shifted his form, immediately transforming into a middle-aged man brimming with majesty.
He pressed both hands against the spatial barrier, repeatedly explaining to Zi Yan what had happened back then, his voice filled with regret.
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