443: I became

On Qingyang Peak.

The two rays of light, one red and one green, disappeared into an Immortal Cave on Qingyang Peak.

As their Realm slowly stabilized,

the two figures rose and pushed open the Immortal Cave door to emerge.

At this moment,

a Cultivator, not of the Zhou Family but dressed in Zhou Family Disciples' attire, had long been waiting there.

Seeing the two figures appear,

this Disciple, not of the main Family, went to greet them.

"Two Immortal Masters, this is Elder Li's congratulatory gift, entrusted to this Junior to deliver to you both."

As the person spoke,

two treasures, enveloped in light, appeared.

They flew towards the two.

"Elder Li..."

Zhou Dingyang's heart stirred.

Within the Clan now, a distinction had already been made.

Only Golden Core Immortal Masters could be referred to as Elders.

And an Elder surnamed Li... there was only one.

This particular Elder happened to be familiar with both of them.

Zhou Dingyang cupped his hands in thanks and gently took the treasure, enveloped in light, into his hand.

The light dissipated, revealing an indigo Third-Rank Dharma Robe.

Its style was simple and grand,

quite fitting for Zhou Dingyang's Aura.

On the other side,

hearing the Disciple's address,

Zhou Dingze paused slightly.

Then, he also took the glowing object into his hand.

After delivering the congratulatory gifts,

the Disciple, not of the main Family, cupped his hands and withdrew.

Zhou Dingyang looked at the ink brush in Zhou Dingze's hand with a smile.

It was of excellent quality.

"There's hope, keep it up!"

Zhou Dingyang patted Zhou Dingze's shoulder.

Then he left the place and flew towards the Zhou Family Main Hall.

Only Zhou Dingze remained, his expression somewhat complex.

Holding the ink brush in his hand, he shook his head.

This was merely a normal exchange of courtesies.

However, after so many years,

he already knew her temperament.

Zhou Dingze paused for a moment, then smiled.

He also headed towards the Zhou Family Main Hall.

Having achieved a Golden Core Breakthrough,

he naturally had to visit the Patriarch.

Although the Clan would certainly already know... several hours later,

two figures emerged from the Zhou Family Main Hall.

Zhou Dingze seemed a little lost.

He involuntarily looked towards the back mountain.

The back mountain, Linya Pavilion,

was Elder Li's residence.

Elder Li was mysterious and unfathomable.

Had she not intervened in the matter of Zhou Nangu,

it was likely that few in the Zhou Family would have known of the existence of such a Golden Core Immortal Master.

After the two Realms merged,

Li Shuwu had once visited Tiannan Pavilion.

However, at that time,

the remaining few powerhouses above the Golden Core Immortal Master Realm in Tiannan Pavilion, after Jin Yan's death,

had all perished in that great catastrophe.

From that day on,

Tiannan Pavilion was utterly destroyed.

Li Shuwu traveled throughout the Central Continent,

but she had no intention of re-establishing Tiannan Pavilion.

She merely erected several new memorial steles on Tiannan Peak.

Finally, she sighed deeply.

She turned and left, returning to the back mountain of Qingyang Peak.

She never reappeared.

Only Zhou Nanfeng and Xu Zhiyi occasionally went to visit her.

The others had never seen the mysterious Elder Li again.

"Alas~"

Zhou Dingyang caught up from behind.

He reached out his hand but couldn't bring himself to pat him.

Just now,

in the main hall,

Zhou Leyi had already told them Li Shuwu's origin.

Strictly speaking, they were truly the first to know Li Shuwu.

But it wasn't until today, upon their Golden Core Breakthrough,

that they learned the inside story.

They understood why Elder Heavenly Scorpion had personally intervened back then.

And after that,

the Clan had treated her somewhat specially.

It turned out that

the Li Qinglan they knew was actually the former Pavilion Master of Tiannan Pavilion, the Venerable One's foremost Disciple, a great Cultivator of the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

Zhou Dingyang sighed.

He retracted his outstretched hand.

He said nothing.

The path of love was difficult.

Especially when facing such a great Cultivator who had witnessed the rise and fall of a Domain for so long.

The years they had experienced were probably just a fraction of hers.

How could they truly end up together?

Zhou Dingyang sighed in his heart for his younger brother.

Sometimes, the truth hurts the most.

Zhou Dingze sat by the Cangyuan River for several days.

Finally, he firmed up his resolve.

Love, he thought,

was merely his own business.

What did it have to do with anyone or anything else?

...Five years later.

Between the vast Tianning Peaks,

the mighty Cangyuan River flowed slowly.

The Cangyuan River traversed the Azure Dragon Domain from north to south,

passing through the central Tianning Peaks.

On this day,

south of the Azure Dragon Domain,

in the lower reaches of the Cangyuan River,

a five-colored light shone forth from the riverbed,

painting the clouds in the sky into auspicious five-colored clouds.

"What is that?"

In the lower reaches, on both banks of the Cangyuan River,

Yao Beast tribes living nearby were startled by the light.

One after another, massive figures looked towards the center of the light.

At this moment,

a formidable Aura suddenly erupted.

"Caw, caw!"

"Old Scorpion, I've succeeded!"

A somewhat arrogant voice emanated from the bottom of the Cangyuan River.

Upon hearing this voice,

some great Yao Beasts who had intended to investigate halted their steps.

Memories arose from the depths of their hearts.

That was several years ago.

A Golden Core Demon King had appeared,

driving away the Yao Beasts in the lower reaches of the Cangyuan River.

He had settled there.

But later, there was no news of him.

They hadn't expected him to still be here.

Judging by this Aura,

"It seems this area is about to gain another Dragon Emperor level powerhouse..."

A knowledgeable, ancient great Yao Beast sighed with emotion.

In this Azure Dragon Domain,

only Dragon Emperor level powerhouses were truly the protagonists.

Boom!

An incomparably massive Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion burst out of the water.

Its immense Aura shot straight into the sky.

Bang, bang!

The Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion laughed wildly and arrogantly.

Its two large pincers clanged loudly.

Heavenly Scorpion was smug in his heart.

He, the most powerful king of the Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion tribe in terms of innate talent,

had consecutively crossed two hurdles, directly entering the Nascent Soul Realm, achieving the body of a Dragon Emperor.

Although, to this day, he was the only Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion of his kind,

that didn't prevent him from considering his talent to be extraordinary.

"Caw, caw, caw..."

As Heavenly Scorpion's Aura was rampant,

a faint snort seemed to come from a distant place high in the Nine Heavens,

falling into the mind of the arrogant and unrestrained massive Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion.

"Caw~"

Heavenly Scorpion's heart trembled.

His arrogant caw carried a tremor.

Then, he gently waved his two huge, hard pincers.

He gave a sheepish smile.

He reined in his Aura and then shot through the air towards the center of the Azure Dragon Domain.

On this day,

Heavenly Scorpion, who had obtained many Dragon Emperor's legacies, finally thoroughly digested what he had gained.

He stepped into the Dragon Emperor Realm in one fell swoop,

becoming the Zhou Family's third Nascent Soul-level powerhouse.

"Why did he leave?"

In the lower reaches of the Cangyuan River,

some great Yao Beasts were filled with doubt and uncertainty.

This newly advanced Dragon Emperor had actually left without a word?

It was truly illogical.

All the Yao Beasts found it incomprehensible.

It wasn't until more than a month later,

when news arrived,

that these great Yao Beasts learned.

That Heavenly Scorpion Yao Beast was actually an Elder of the Heavenly Condensation Realm.

"Such a grand figure, actually coming to compete for territory with us..."

In the lower reaches of the Cangyuan River,

a golden koi, dozens of feet in size, that had been startled away by the Five-Colored Heavenly Scorpion, felt both lingering fear and resentment in its heart.

For a time, a mix of emotions churned within it.