Chen Xiao lacked the Void Ancient Dragon bloodline, so he couldn't sense the stirrings within their bloodline.
Therefore, though he was somewhat surprised by the scene before him, he was the first to regain his composure.
At the same time, a beam of white-hot fire shot out from his fingertips.
The dazzling flames illuminated the space, which seemed to have been shrouded in darkness for ten thousand years. However, compared to the fiery light, the colossal entity in the sky was even more eye-catching.
"So this is the true form of the Old Dragon Emperor..."
Upon seeing the scene in the sky, Chen Xiao's heart was filled with shock.
It was an unimaginably massive dragon, coiled in the dark void, its body utterly still.
Chen Xiao's gaze followed its body, but when his vision was blocked by the darkness at the end of its form, he still couldn't glimpse the dragon's full appearance!
The dragon was entirely purple-gold, its body covered in icy scales, exuding a sense of ancient strength, as unyielding as steel.
Its pair of purple-gold eyes, each tens of zhang in size, were like suns hanging high, emitting a brilliant majesty.
As Chen Xiao watched, the groggy confusion in those giant eyes gradually faded, and they began to tremble slightly. An almost unbelievable excitement became increasingly evident, and even its massive body started to twitch as if spasming.
Instantly, the 'sky' shook, giving people a genuine sense of impending doom.
"Thump!"
Beside Zi Yan, Grand Elder Qingshan immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face. The familiar pressure that descended left him utterly incapable of resistance.
At this moment, he could be one hundred percent certain that this was the Old Dragon Emperor that Dragon Island had been searching for for thousands of years!
"Wuwu... Your Majesty Dragon Emperor!"
"I've finally found you! Your Majesty Dragon Emperor!"
If Grand Elder Qingshan had still been somewhat restrained when he first learned of the Old Dragon Emperor's existence at Qifeng Mountain, then at this moment, his emotions had completely erupted.
The dignified Dou Sheng expert, Grand Elder of Eastern Dragon Island, was now weeping, snot and tears flowing, like a three-year-old child. The entire space was filled only with his cries.
However, in a rather cruel twist, the colossal dragon coiled in the sky completely ignored his wails. Its eyes had already automatically filtered out Chen Xiao and Grand Elder Qingshan, leaving only Zi Yan, whose eyes were red as she glared at the sky.
"Child... my child..."
The dragon's gaze was fixed on the tiny figure on the plaza, as insignificant as dust. From Zi Yan, it sensed an extremely familiar scent of blood, a bloodline tremor unlike anything it had ever felt.
Memories buried deep within its mind began to resurface. This same-source bloodline, this unique bloodline in the world, could only belong to its only child from back then.
Upon confirming this fact, a hoarse voice immediately echoed through the space, like the whispers of heaven and earth, filled with pure paternal affection.
"Child..."
The dragon's massive eyes instantly softened, and the heart that had been dormant for countless years began to beat violently, resonating through heaven and earth like war drums. Its gaze was fixed intently on Zi Yan, and it kept calling out her name softly.
Against this backdrop, Grand Elder Qingshan's sobs provided a counterpoint.
As for Zi Yan, although she had mentally prepared herself, upon truly seeing the Old Dragon Emperor and feeling an unprecedented familial bond, tears began to flow uncontrollably, silently conveying the grievances in her heart.
Chen Xiao had never seen Zi Yan cry. In his memory, apart from a slight pout when Hei Qing brought her back to Dragon Island, Zi Yan had always been associated with laughter and joy.
Therefore, seeing Zi Yan like this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of distress.
Hesitating for a moment, Chen Xiao no longer held back. Braving the risk of being incinerated by a breath from the colossal dragon above, he stepped forward, took Zi Yan's hand, pulled her into his embrace, and gently stroked her back to comfort her.
At this moment, Chen Xiao felt an intensely terrifying gaze lock onto him, causing his entire body to stiffen. The flow of blood within him seemed to slow, as if a single thought from the other party would cause him to instantly perish.
Fortunately, with Zi Yan present, this terrifying killing intent ultimately did not descend.
Accompanied by Grand Elder Qingshan's whimpers, Zi Yan's tears soaked Chen Xiao's shoulder.
After pouring out all the grievances in her heart, Zi Yan immediately felt much better.
She pushed herself up, propping herself against Chen Xiao's chest. Noticing his tense body and glancing at the wet patch spreading on his shoulder, she couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Tears still clung to her long eyelashes, making her look like a calico cat.
Chen Xiao rolled his eyes at her, but his gaze moved past Zi Yan's shoulder to a middle-aged man behind her with a head full of purple-gold hair.
Without needing to think, Chen Xiao could guess that this middle-aged man was the manifestation of the Old Dragon Emperor's consciousness.
At this moment, the Old Dragon Emperor's golden eyes, filled with intense pressure, were staring intently at Chen Xiao. His expression was extremely displeased, a terrifying scowl on his face, as if he harbored immense animosity towards Chen Xiao.
Zi Yan sensed that Chen Xiao's gaze was off and stopped, turning to look.
In that instant, the Old Dragon Emperor's expression did a complete 180-degree turn. The gloom vanished entirely, replaced by a fawning, ingratiating smile.
The speed of his expression change was astonishing, leaving even Chen Xiao dumbfounded.
"Child... I... you..."
The Old Dragon Emperor had countless words he wanted to say, but as the thousands of words surged to his lips, they were swallowed back upon meeting Zi Yan's gaze. His tongue seemed to tie itself in knots, and he could only stand there, anxiously rubbing his hands like a fly.
Zi Yan glanced at him, her lips turning up slightly.
Father and daughter, one unwilling to speak, the other unsure of where to begin.
For a moment, the atmosphere around them became as stiff as a stone, making even Chen Xiao feel uncomfortable all over.
This awkward silence wouldn't do. Chen Xiao sighed softly, walked to the side, and helped Grand Elder Qingshan up. He then looked at the Old Dragon Emperor, who had started glaring at him the moment Zi Yan's gaze shifted away.
"Uncle, you and Zi Yan have just met. Why don't you both calm your emotions first, and let Grand Elder keep you company?"
"Zi Yan... Child, is that your name?"
The old Dragon Emperor neither agreed nor objected, merely turning his gaze towards Zi Yan.
He saw that Zi Yan was very compliant with Chen Xiao's words, not even glancing at him again, nor answering his obvious question. She pulled Chen Xiao and walked to a spot far away, sitting down right next to him, her closeness undisguised.
Seeing this, the old Dragon Emperor's eyes widened, and he turned his darkened face towards Grand Elder Qing Shan.
"Who is that kid? He's not one of our Ancient Dragon clan, is he? Why is he so close to Zi Yan?"
Facing the old Dragon Emperor's inquiry, Grand Elder Qing Shan did not dare to hide anything, and immediately recounted the entire story.
"Your Majesty Dragon Emperor, his name is Chen Xiao, and he is a pure human, without a trace of Magical Beast blood in him."
"Zi Yan went missing with Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor back then. Later, she ended up in the deep mountains behind Jia Nan Academy and accidentally consumed an immature Transformation Grass. From then on, she could only maintain the appearance of a little girl. Fortunately, she was discovered by Su Qian of Jia Nan Academy, who brought her back to the Inner Academy."
"Zi Yan and Chen Xiao met in the Inner Academy. They were very close, cultivating together in the Inner Academy, venturing out together, and later even founded the Purple Firmament Pavilion using their names."
"During this time, Chen Xiao found a Transformation Pill for Zi Yan, resolving her physical issues. Later, Chen Xiao obtained the corpse of a Heavenly Demon Phoenix. From Zi Yan's resistant reaction, he deduced that she might be a member of our Void Ancient Dragon clan. After arriving in Central State, he tried every means to contact our affiliated races, thus establishing contact with Dragon Island and allowing Zi Yan to return to Dragon Island."
"Zi Yan is very dependent on Chen Xiao. The moment she broke through to Dou Zun, she returned to Central State to find him. This time, it was also because Chen Xiao discovered the special nature of this lava world. Following the clues, we were able to find Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor."
"Furthermore, Chen Xiao also found information about the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit and told Zi Yan and me without reservation."
Grand Elder Qing Shan had already known all these past events when he came out of seclusion.
Thanks to this, he had been so amiable when he saw Chen Xiao.
Coupled with Chen Xiao's help in finding the old Dragon Emperor and the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, which had yet to be confirmed, all these things added up to an immense debt of gratitude.
Therefore, when he sensed the old Dragon Emperor's subtle attitude towards Chen Xiao, Grand Elder Qing Shan became anxious and immediately seized the opportunity, his words conveying only one meaning.
Chen Xiao was absolutely one of them!
After listening to Grand Elder Qing Shan's account, the old Dragon Emperor was stunned, and the hostility he felt towards Chen Xiao instantly turned into gratitude.
However, when his gaze swept to the distance and saw the two figures leaning closely together, his brow twitched uncontrollably.
Taking a deep breath, the old Dragon Emperor suppressed the urge to beat Chen Xiao to a pulp and withdrew his gaze with some annoyance.
"Dragon Island, have there been any major issues over the years?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Shan fell silent.
After a long while, he replied with his head lowered, "Your Majesty Dragon Emperor, our clan is no longer what it once was!"
"When you first left Dragon Island, your might was still present, and there were no problems within the clan. But after being unable to contact you for hundreds or thousands of years, some ambitious individuals within the clan began to stir. They said that you might have perished, and that Dragon Island could not be without a master for a single day. They incited many clan members and coveted the position of Dragon Emperor."
"At that time, the Grand Elders suppressed them once, but they also understood that without you, such things would inevitably happen again and again. Thus, they gradually entered the void space to search for you."
"Who would have thought that as soon as the Grand Elders left, some people became restless again? The conflicts escalated, and many Elders in the clan died in infighting. Some Elders, disheartened, also went into the void space to search for Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor. As of now, Dragon Island has been divided into four. Apart from our Eastern Dragon Island, the other three Dragon Islands each have a rebellious dragon proclaiming themselves Dragon King. Our Eastern Dragon Island is the weakest and in a precarious situation!"
"Boom!"
A terrifying aura suddenly erupted in the strange space, causing the entire space to seem to shake for a moment.
Chen Xiao and Zi Yan looked back and saw the old Dragon Emperor with a grim expression and emanating killing intent.
"He must have heard about the situation on Dragon Island from the Grand Elder. Don't worry about him. Finding him this time will naturally resolve the problems on Dragon Island."
Zi Yan glanced and then withdrew her gaze. After a brief period of awkwardness, she had calmed down.
After all, she had prepared herself mentally before coming.
Ignoring the old Dragon Emperor's fury, Zi Yan leaned on Chen Xiao's shoulder and said softly, "Chen Xiao, do you think I should acknowledge him? Back in the deep mountains, if my luck had been any worse, I would likely have become food for other Magical Beasts long ago. If it weren't for Old Man Su, I probably wouldn't have survived even after transforming."
As soon as Zi Yan finished speaking, Chen Xiao felt the space suddenly become so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
In the distance behind them, a pleading gaze was fixed on the back of his head. Without even thinking, he knew whose gaze it was.
Sensing this gaze, Chen Xiao couldn't help but curl his lips.
Just now, he acted as if he owed you a hundred lives, and now you know to ask me to put in a good word?
Muttering a few words in his heart, Chen Xiao turned his head to look at Zi Yan.
"Acknowledge him. What parents in the world don't dote on their children? If he didn't care about you, he could have just let you stay on Dragon Island and left alone back then. You've seen this space, the Ancient Emperor Cave, created by the legendary Emperor Dou. That's why he's been trapped here for thousands of years. I imagine he put in a lot of effort to prevent you from being trapped here."
Chen Xiao knew very well that before they came, Zi Yan had already made up her mind.
When she saw the old Dragon Emperor earlier, his fawning and flustered demeanor was direct proof of how much he valued her.
Zi Yan cried, it was just to vent her past grievances.
Once vented, she no longer resented the old Dragon Emperor as much.
After all, blood was thicker than water between them.
Therefore, Chen Xiao didn't need to be ambiguous; he directly affirmed the decision in her heart.
After saying this, Chen Xiao felt that the gaze fixed on him instantly became infinitely more affectionate, making him feel light and airy, as if bathed in warm sunshine.
Zi Yan nodded silently, no longer hesitating. She pulled Chen Xiao and walked towards the old Dragon Emperor and Qing Shan.
Seeing them approach, the old Dragon Emperor immediately stopped his conversation with Grand Elder Qing Shan. He first gave Chen Xiao a grateful glance, deliberately ignoring their clasped hands.
Then, the old Dragon Emperor forced out what he thought was his most affectionate smile and faced Zi Yan.
"Child, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been greedy for this Ancient Emperor Cave back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been tricked by that scoundrel Tuoshe Ancient Emperor and trapped for thousands of years. Child, can you forgive me? As long as you're willing to acknowledge me, I'll do whatever you ask from now on. Whatever you want, I'll personally… have it brought to you!"
The old Dragon Emperor was quite shrewd. Although he had overheard Zi Yan's attitude, he also knew that Zi Yan was still feeling apprehensive at the moment. Thus, he proactively apologized and adopted a very humble stance.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Zi Yan, who had already made up her mind, did not press the issue further and immediately relented.
She snorted, casting a sideways glance at her own father.
"We'll talk about it after you get out first."
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com