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Just as Zi Yan appeared, the pressure around Qian Renhan vanished entirely. The massive purple-gold light pillar hovering above them abruptly stopped, becoming completely still and releasing no residual energy.
A Nine-Star Dou Sheng at the peak of their power possessed an almost terrifying level of control over their Dou Qi!
The mysterious man stared blankly at the small figure of Zi Yan standing protectively in front of Qian Renhan. He sensed an intensely familiar scent of blood—one that shared the same origin and lineage as his own. In this world, only the child he had once fathered could possess such blood.
Under the mysterious man's control, the purple-gold light pillar flew toward the magma above. He now saw Zi Yan's appearance clearly. His golden eyes, which moments ago radiated ferocity and dominance, softened in an instant. A heart that had been silent for countless years suddenly began to beat violently. His gaze was fixed firmly on Zi Yan.
The mysterious man called out again, "Child."
"Who are you calling your child?!" Zi Yan glared at the colossal being. Though the familiar aura stirred a sense of warmth within her, her eyes welled up with tears for reasons she couldn't explain. Still, she shouted defiantly.
The mysterious man breathed out a sphere of dragon flame, illuminating the ancient emperor's domain. His eyes swept over her youthful face, and a complex smile appeared on his lips. He said softly, "You resemble her. You look just like your mother did when she was a young girl."
"You've seen my mother?" Zi Yan's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. She looked at the man in disbelief. When her gaze met his golden eyes, a strange feeling rose deep within her once more.
Qian Renhan, upon hearing this, also felt a twinge of doubt. Weren't magical beasts on the Dou Qi Continent able to freely shape their humanoid forms?
Zi Yan had never seen her mother and had used the Transformation Grass to assume a human form, which ruled out the possibility of her face being modeled after her mother's.
Suddenly, a bright light burst from the mysterious creature's giant eyes. Its enormous body rapidly shrank. In a flash, it transformed into a middle-aged man with flowing purple-gold hair. He looked up, his dignified golden eyes now filled with fatherly affection. "Child, I'm your father. Will you come closer and let me take a good look at you?"
Upon hearing those words, tears streamed down Zi Yan's cheeks, but her eyes remained cold. "You're not my father! I have no father or mother. I'm an orphan!"
Qian Renhan had nothing to say about this scene. Regaining a bit of Dou Qi, he immediately pulled out a recovery pill from his spatial ring—a pill he had acquired from an Ancient Clan Dou Zun—and swallowed it to restore his energy.
"It's my fault, all my fault! I shouldn't have been so greedy for the Ancient Emperor's domain. It was that damned Tuoshe Ancient Emperor! He tricked me and trapped me here for so long!"
Seeing the tears in Zi Yan's eyes, Zhukun panicked completely. Flustered, he tried to move forward, but the domain of the Ancient Emperor restrained him. "Child, don't cry! Please don't cry—it's all my fault! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it! If you don't believe me, I'll swear it—anything!"
Zi Yan simply wiped her tears with both hands, unable to find the words to respond.
Zhukun's expression grew increasingly complex. He turned his gaze toward the three presences hidden in the magma and said coldly, "Since you're here, why don't you show yourselves? Enjoying the show, are you?"
At those words, Gu Yuan stepped out from the magma. Gu Xun'er wore a conflicted expression, like a little girl who'd been kidnapped and couldn't escape. As she emerged, Gu Wu's body trembled constantly, his eyes filled with fear.
Gu Yuan, who knew he held no enmity with this terrifying being, suppressed the joy of discovering the Ancient Emperor's domain and cupped his fists respectfully. "I am Gu Yuan, Patriarch of the Gu Clan. May I ask your name, esteemed one?"
"Gu Clan? Hah! Back in the day, your clan wasn't considered a major power," Zhukun's thunderous voice boomed, shaking the magma sea and sending columns of molten rock soaring.
Gu Yuan was stunned. From those words, it seemed this being had existed for an unimaginably long time—perhaps even before the Soul and Gu Clans had risen to prominence tens of thousands of years ago.
He cupped his fists again. "My friend, this young one nearly killed my daughter and has slain several Dou Zun experts from my Gu Clan. I ask that you do not interfere as I seek justice."
Zhukun looked at Zi Yan. He needed to confirm her wishes. After all, he was trapped here and would need someone to escort Zi Yan to the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan to grow. The flow of time in the Ancient Emperor's domain was different. He still had plenty of lifespan left, and he knew many secrets of this place—enough to strike a bargain.
He had wanted to help Zi Yan awaken her true power, but the pills in his spatial ring were all ninth-grade. His resources were too advanced for her current strength—she was still only at the peak of Dou Wang and couldn't handle them.
Zi Yan sniffled, her delicate nose twitching slightly. Her reddened eyes stared at Zhukun, her voice carrying a nasal tone as she asked, "Did you really mean it when you said you'd do anything I say?"
"Of course," Zhukun paused only for a second before replying without hesitation.
Zi Yan pointed at the three members of the Gu Clan and said, "Then can we kill them? They just said they wanted to capture me and turn me into a mount. If it weren't for Senior protecting me, I would've already been taken away."
"What?!"
A deafening dragon roar shook the entire Ancient Emperor's domain. Zhukun instantly erupted in rage, his face exuding an overwhelming and savage aura. Gu Wu's ears immediately began to bleed. Zi Yan and Qian Renhan were unharmed, while Gu Xun'er was shielded by Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan's heart almost collapsed. When did I ever say that?!
Although… if he had discovered her identity earlier, he might have indeed considered doing it.
In a flash of golden light, Zhukun once again transformed into his true form—an enormous ten-thousand-zhang-long dragon. With a wide-open maw, he unleashed a blindingly brilliant pillar of purple-gold light. The sheer power of this attack was far greater than the one he had used earlier against Qian Renhan.
Only in their true forms could magical beasts unleash their full power. With the advantage of their massive bodies, they could overpower humans of the same tier. Unfortunately, Zhukun was trapped in the Ancient Emperor's domain and couldn't leave to fight physically—he could only rely on Dou Qi attacks.
"Xun'er!"
Gu Yuan rushed in front of Gu Xun'er, shielding her from the devastating pillar of light. His sleeve was instantly torn to shreds, and the shockwave split the magma sea behind them in two. Gu Wu was directly obliterated by the blast and fell into the magma.
Clenching his teeth, Gu Yuan muttered, "Could this guy be the long-lost Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan? His strength even surpasses Xiao Xuan, who fell just short of becoming a Half-Emperor!"
Having taken a direct hit from Zhukun, Gu Yuan wasted no time. Grabbing Gu Xun'er, he tore open space and fled back to the Gu Clan. When it came to fighting, he wasn't afraid of Zhukun, even if he couldn't win. But Xun'er was in real danger—she was the future of the Gu Clan, the genius with the closest bloodline to the Dou Di in a thousand years.
"Hmph, they ran pretty fast," Zhukun snorted coldly. He reverted back to his human form. His icy gaze turned back to Zi Yan, but quickly softened into one of fatherly affection. "Child," he said gently, "how did Father do?"
Zi Yan didn't hold back. "You didn't kill all of them. Bad rating."
Hearing this, Zhukun's face fell, a dejected expression taking over. His gaze shifted to Qian Renhan, who was sitting cross-legged and had changed into a black outfit while restoring his Dou Qi.
"Little friend," Zhukun said sincerely, "thank you for protecting my daughter. If you don't mind, would you be willing to call me Uncle Zhukun?"
Qian Renhan's brow twitched slightly. But considering that Zhukun had saved him, he rose and cupped his fists respectfully. "Senior Zhukun."
Zhukun's expression stiffened slightly. He hadn't expected a mere seven-turn Dou Zun human to reject his suggestion so directly. But thinking about it, it made sense. This young man had dared to offend a clan with a Nine-Star Dou Sheng—he wasn't the type to conform. Catching a glimpse of Zi Yan's now calmer expression, a trace of joy returned to Zhukun's heart.
(End of Chapter)