533: Chapter 533 is under revision.

"Honestly, it's been quite boring without him around."

"I can tell. You never used to drink before."

"Drink up, drink up! Let's let loose for a day. We'll gather again when he finishes his seclusion and show him how much we've grown."

Li Xuan spent the day drinking with Chu Wujiu, but when he returned to the Li Family, he suddenly came to a halt.

Massive Domain Runes spread out from the distance, complex patterns layering upon each other like an invisible net, enveloping most of the Li Family estate.

Spiritual light flowed slowly between the runes, quiet and oppressive.

He looked up.

In mid-air, countless golden Sword Seals bloomed, densely packed, sealing off the horizon in a semi-circular formation.

Further away, a massive blue floral cocoon hung suspended.

The petals were tightly wrapped, layer upon layer, with faint patterns appearing and disappearing on the surface, as if something inside was slowly pulsating.

Right above the floral cocoon, a giant sword was descending at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The tip of the sword was only a few dozen feet from the bud.

Yet those few dozen feet seemed as though they would never end.

Li Xuan stood at the edge of the Domain, watching for a long time.

"When the sword falls," he whispered, "will that be the day of his emergence?"

No one answered.

He withdrew his gaze and glanced again at the quietly flowing patterns beneath his feet.

They hadn't been there when he left.

Such a massive display, yet it hadn't triggered the Li Family's Sword Array.

"Truly terrifying, Lady Goddess," Li Xuan murmured.

Li Qingluan was also in seclusion.

Inside the floral cocoon, a new version of her was undergoing Rebirth.

At the same time.

Within the True Dragon Realm, an independent world of the Qin Family.

Long Yue stood at the edge of the Martial Field, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the two figures sparring in the center.

Though called two people, it was actually one person and one Dragon.

A Dragon Attendant had manifested her Heaven and Earth Law. A draconic phantom coiled in mid-air, its scales cold and stern, as a heavy draconic pressure bore down, making even the air feel stagnant.

Across from her,

Dragon Gauze's small figure stood in the center of the field. Her green robes were soaked with sweat, hair clung to her temples, her breathing was ragged, and her knees were trembling.

She was still holding on.

The Dragon Attendant's draconic phantom struck down with a claw.

Although Dragon Gauze raised her arms to block, she was still sent flying, rolling twice on the ground before coming to a stop.

She scrambled up, patted the dust off her clothes, and returned to her original position.

Long Yue watched this scene, her thoughts suddenly drifting away.

She remembered how Dragon Gauze looked when she had come to find her.

The child stood at the door, face tilted up, her golden eyes devoid of tears, showing only an indifference that didn't belong to this world.

"I want to learn the Heaven and Earth Law," she said.

Long Yue knelt down and looked her in the eye. "The Heaven and Earth Law is still too far beyond you. It's impossible for you to learn it now."

Dragon Gauze shook her head stubbornly. "Others can do it, so can I."

As she spoke, she spread her hands, mimicking a bird in flight.

"That day, a bird wreathed in fire manifested its Heaven and Earth Law and achieved Fusion with someone else."

"I want to become like that with him too."

That "him" was Qin Wangchuan.

She wanted to achieve Fusion with Qin Wangchuan.

Not just like they were now.

But to have even their Heaven and Earth Laws blend together.

Long Yue naturally couldn't agree, so she tried to patiently dissuade her.

But—

"No."

Dragon Gauze interrupted her. Her voice wasn't loud, but there was no room for negotiation.

Those golden eyes stared straight at Long Yue—not with stubbornness, but with certainty.

"He was injured again that day." Dragon Gauze lowered her eyes, her voice soft. "The gash on his back was so big, and the blood wouldn't stop flowing. I felt all of it."

She clenched her small hands.

"I want to become strong, very, very strong. That way, when he bleeds again, I can block it for him."

"Nothing will be able to break through me anymore, and nothing will be able to hurt him."

Long Yue had certainly heard about that battle.

What caused the injury was the heaven-opening battle halberd; it was impossible to block.

She tried to persuade her again and again.

But Dragon Gauze just looked at her. Her golden eyes showed no wavering, nor any sense of grievance.

She wasn't waiting for comfort; she was waiting for consent.

Long Yue, after all, was not Qin Wangchuan.

She couldn't sway this girl whose whole world revolved around him.

Ultimately, Long Yue agreed.

Her thoughts returned to the present.

In the field, the Dragon Attendant's draconic phantom struck down with another claw.

This time, Dragon Gauze didn't even have time to block. She was slammed face-down onto the ground and didn't get up for a long while.

The Dragon Attendant stopped her hand, the draconic phantom hovering motionless in the air. She looked at Long Yue with a hesitant, questioning gaze.

Should we continue?

Long Yue's expression remained unchanged as she said coldly, "Continue."

Thanks to her Ancestral Dragon Physique, Dragon Gauze's defense was staggering, and her recovery speed was incredibly fast.

In the mornings, Long Yue would teach her the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Law; in the afternoons, the Dragon Attendant would spar with her, which mostly meant she took a beating; and in the evenings, she would recover from her injuries.

Such days continued, one after another, for a long time.

It wasn't that Long Yue didn't feel for her.

Every time she saw Dragon Gauze lying on the ground, unable to get up for the longest time, she would have a momentary urge to call it off.

But she didn't.

Being strict wasn't a bad thing.

It was better to be injured at home than to be defeated and die outside.

Besides, every time that child pulled herself up, the light in her eyes never faded.

Finally, on a certain afternoon.

Dragon Gauze was once again sent flying by the Dragon Attendant's draconic phantom, slamming heavily onto the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

She lay there, motionless.

The Dragon Attendant stopped and waited in mid-air for a while. Seeing that she still didn't get up, she retracted the Heaven and Earth Law, landed back on the ground, and turned to look at Long Yue.

Just as Long Yue was about to speak—Dragon Gauze's body suddenly floated up.

She hadn't climbed up on her own; she was being lifted by some power.

Golden light radiated from within her, enveloping her entire body and slowly lifting her into the air.

The light grew more intense and brighter, as if something inside her was awakening.

The Dragon Attendant took a step back, her eyes wide with shock.

Long Yue looked up, her expression one of gratification.

It was done.