In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.

In the valley where Lu Qing was in seclusion, a head suddenly emerged from the deep pool, gazing toward the cave.

It was the White Flood Dragon.

The wounds on its head had long since healed, and the aura it gave off was much stronger than before. Clearly, after all these years spent at the heart of the formation Lu Qing had modified, it had benefited greatly, and its cultivation had risen significantly.

Looking toward the cave, the White Flood Dragon’s eyes flickered with anticipation.

By its reckoning, today was the day Xiaoli came out to play. It had ended its cultivation early just to wait here.

Sure enough, the stone door of the cave soon swung open, and a black figure shot out.

“Xiaoli!”

The White Flood Dragon’s eyes shone with delight as it sent out a soul transmission.

“Xiao Bai, have you missed me these past six months?”

Xiaoli flipped in midair and landed firmly on a boulder before the pool.

“Yes, I’ve been waiting here all morning!”

The White Flood Dragon nodded its massive head, sending ripples across the water. It then looked behind Xiaoli but saw no one else, so it asked curiously, “Where’s Brother Wuxing?”

“You mean that stinky snake? It’s always pestering you, and I find it annoying. I told Ah Qing, so now it’s grounded and not allowed to come out.”

Xiaoli flicked its paw dismissively.

“I see. That’s good.”

The White Flood Dragon let out a breath of relief.

Though its cultivation was higher than Wuxing’s, the snake’s fervent gaze had always been too much to bear. And since Wuxing was that great one’s spirit pet, the jiao had never dared to act rashly.

Now that it knew Wuxing was grounded, it finally felt at ease.

Relaxing, it gave its tail a flick. In the next instant, over a dozen palm-sized, multicolored spirit fish leapt from the water and floated before Xiaoli.

“Xiaoli, I caught these spirit fish for you. Do you think they’re tasty?”

“Thank you, Xiao Bai!”

Xiaoli’s eyes lit up. With a wave of its paw, it snatched one up and chomped down eagerly.

This was what Xiaoli liked best about Xiao Bai—every time it came, Xiao Bai would bring spirit fish from the deep waters below.

“How do they taste? These spirit fish live at great depths. They’re usually hard to catch.”

The White Flood Dragon looked at it with a hint of pride.

“Mm, delicious. I used to eat spirit fish often, but later Ah Qing got busy with cultivation and rarely had time to fish for me anymore.”

As Xiaoli ate, it sighed softly. “I still miss the days back home, when Ah Qing would take me and Xiaoyan fishing by the river.”

The Tianyuan Great World was grand, but in Xiaoli’s heart, nothing could compare to the joy of those old days in the home world.

“You mean… you can’t go back?”

The White Flood Dragon tilted its head curiously.

“It’s not that we can’t, but we have to wait until Ah Qing makes his breakthrough. Otherwise, the journey home would still be too dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

The White Flood Dragon was stunned. With that great one’s unfathomable strength, even returning home carried danger? Just what kind of terrifying place was Xiaoli’s home world?

“Anyway, Ah Qing said once his seclusion ends, we should be able to go home. Then I can finally see Xiaoyan again!”

As Xiaoli spoke, its eyes gleamed with expectation.

It had been far too long since it had seen Xiaoyan, and it missed her dearly.

“You’ll be leaving once that great one finishes seclusion?”

The White Flood Dragon’s heart dimmed.

Over the years, it had finally made a true friend, only to learn that soon it would be gone.

Still, seeing Xiaoli’s eager expression, it couldn’t bring itself to say anything.

In the following hours, Xiaoli ate spirit fish while chattering away, and the White Flood Dragon mostly listened.

Its life had been dull—born in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, hiding in the pool after its father’s death, rarely seeing the outside world. Its experiences were little more than a blank page.

But Xiaoli was different. After awakening, it had followed Lu Qing, experiencing colorful adventures in the home world, crossing endless starry skies, and arriving in the Tianyuan Great World.

Even the smallest of its stories left the White Flood Dragon marveling, eyes shining with admiration.

If anyone else had seen the sight, they would have been dumbfounded.

A White Flood Dragon with a head the size of a hill gazing with adoration at a tiny black-furred lynx, its fur like burning flame, who sat on a rock, chewing fish and talking away—it was a bizarre picture indeed.

Eventually, Xiaoli finished off the last fish. It burped, dusted off its paws, and stood.

“Alright, I have to go cultivate. Xiao Bai, see you in six months.”

“You’re leaving already?”

The White Flood Dragon snapped out of its trance, staring at it with reluctance.

“Mm. I’ve been out long enough. Ah Qing’s growing stronger every day. If I don’t work harder, I’ll fall even further behind.”

The jiao, though unwilling, nodded. “Then hurry back. Cultivation comes first.”

“It’s a shame you don’t know Transformation. If you could shrink yourself, you could come cultivate with me in the cave.”

Xiaoli waved a paw and flew back into the cave, the stone door closing behind it.

The White Flood Dragon was left alone, staring blankly at the sealed door.

After a long while, it murmured to itself, “Transformation, huh…”

Then it sank back into the pool, returning to its underwater cavern.

…

“Big Sis Xiaoli, what did you talk about with Xiao Bai? You two were at it for so long!”

As soon as Xiaoli stepped back inside, Wuxing sidled up grinning.

“None of your business. Stay away from me!”

Xiaoli glared.

“I told you already, stinky snake—Xiao Bai doesn’t like you. If you keep pestering it, I’ll tell Ah Qing to shove you into the Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag for decades again!”

“No! Big Sis! I don’t want to go back into that bag!”

Wuxing paled and dropped to the ground in panic.

Most of its years in the Tianyuan Great World had been spent inside that bag, and it had grown sick of it. Worse, the more time it spent confined, the further it fell behind Xiaoli.

Another few decades like that, and Xiaoli might reach Golden Core ninth transformation while it was still crawling at the third.

“I’ll behave! I won’t bother Xiao Bai again!”

Xiaoli flexed its claws threateningly.

“See that you don’t. Xiao Bai’s my friend now. If I ever find you bullying it, I won’t forgive you!”

“Yes, Big Sis. I promise. I won’t disturb Xiao Bai again.”

Though he felt an odd pull toward Xiao Bai, Wuxing knew Xiaoli’s threats carried far more weight.

“Good. Now stop annoying me. Go cultivate! After all this time, I’m already working on the third transformation of the Nine Transformations of the True Dragon, and you’ve only just mastered the first. Your speed is pathetic. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have shared it with you!”

Xiaoli berated without mercy.

Wuxing lowered its head, not daring to answer.

It remembered when they had both endured the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation together back home, stepping into the Golden Core Realm on the same day.

But ever since arriving in the Tianyuan Great World, Xiaoli’s cultivation had far outstripped its own. She had already reached Golden Core fifth transformation, while it lingered at the third.

Wuxing recalled how, during their tribulation, it had endured only seven bolts of heavenly lightning, while Xiaoli had survived the full nine.

Perhaps if it had fought harder back then, the gap would not be so wide. But at the time, another bolt would likely have meant death, body and soul destroyed.

With no words left, it slunk away.

Xiaoli settled down, beginning her cultivation once more.

She truly did miss Xiaoyan. She wanted to grow stronger, so when they finally returned, Xiaoyan would be astonished by her progress.

The thought filled her with motivation, her will to cultivate burning even brighter.

She never knew that, far away at the edge of the starry skies, in their revival-stage home world, Xiaoyan was locked in a deadly battle.

Boom!

A thunderous blast split the mountains. Black demonic qi and sharp sword qi clashed, shredding the forest below.

“Hahaha! Fairy Lu, your sword dao may be sharp, but your cultivation is still too shallow. You can’t defeat me yet!”

A tall figure wrapped in demonic qi laughed from above.

“To think an old demon of the ancient era of cultivation survived the age of spiritual energy depletion and lingered until now, even seizing the body of a Guiyuan Sect disciple. If you hadn’t slipped up, we never would have found you.”

Opposite him, Xiaoyan stood in blue robes, long sword in hand, cold as frost—a true sword fairy descended from the heavens.

“Hahaha! So you discovered me after all. As expected of the younger sister of the world’s number one. Even in my era, your talent would have stood above all others.”

He sighed with genuine admiration.

“It’s a pity. You’ve not cultivated long enough. Give you a few more decades, and even I would fall beneath your sword.”

“You don’t have decades. I’ll cut you down now!”

Xiaoyan’s brows arched. Her sword erupted into a storm of sword qi that rained down.

But the demon only spread out endless waves of black mist, forming a dense cloud that swallowed her strikes whole.

Her blades vanished into it without effect.

“Fairy Lu, it’s useless. No matter how many times you try, your current strength cannot break my Ten Thousand Demons Smoke Veil.”

He sneered calmly.

Xiaoyan’s face remained expressionless, but her heart was heavy.

She hadn’t yet unleashed her trump cards, but it was clear—an ancient fiend with endless cards of his own would not be easily slain.

And she could sense two more powerful demonic auras rushing toward them.

If they gathered here, she would be trapped.

Without hesitation, she shot the demon a final cold glance before vanishing into a streak of sword light across the sky.

The demon did not pursue, simply watching her disappear.

Moments later, two other demonized figures arrived.

“Master, where is Lu Xiaoyan?”

“She’s gone.”

The mist receded, revealing a handsome yet wicked face beneath.

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