The Chaotic Flower Sea

Three days had passed since that chaotic night. Undercurrents still surged through Heavenly Emperor City. Opinions on what had happened were divided. Though the great families were powerful, they could not seal the mouths of the people.

The Hai family had undoubtedly been disgraced. Three demigods slain—a grievous loss. Half their mansion had been leveled, their honor ground into dust.

The Tiger family's strength was plain for all to see. Though their seat lay in the distant Central Plains, every major power in the Southern Wastes had to tread carefully around them. Apart from the Undying Sect and the Dugu clan, few families could match their might.

Yet in this incident, the Tiger family had gained no advantage either. Their millennia-old prestige had been dealt a blow.

The storm raged. News spread swiftly across the Southern Wastes. The people talked endlessly. Even the great families could not suppress the negative stories; to seal them away was impossible.

Xiao Chen's final, sweeping rampage was certainly the focus of discussion, but more attention was drawn to the snow-white beast. Heavenly phenomena had descended—a display worthy of a half-ancestor—stirring up an enormous commotion. Many predicted that the next decades in the World of Immortality would be plunged into chaos.

The little beast's origins were far too extraordinary!

When the Buddha and Laozi had been slain in their past lives, such phenomena had also appeared, ushering in a century of calamity. This time, perhaps a door to an even greater catastrophe would be opened.

Rumors spread across the Southern Wastes.

But those who truly understood the hidden truth—old monsters like the Tiger family's ancestor and the ancient relics of the Southern Wastes—merely shook their heads in silence.

While the entire Southern Wastes seethed, no one knew where Xiao Chen had gone. In Heavenly Emperor City, none knew his final destination.

Blooming flowers, the fragrance of grass, the scent of soil—all blended together, making everything feel vivid and real.

Tears streamed down his face.

Xiao Chen stared ahead, seeing the white-haired elders, seeing that familiar, graceful figure. He could not believe it was real.

Had he truly shattered the void and returned home?

When he focused his mind and stepped forward, everything vanished.

The sky was still azure, the flowers still fragrant, the surrounding scenery unchanged. It truly resembled his homeland.

But the white-haired parents and that slender shadow were gone. The village had long since disappeared.

"In the end, it was just a dream..." Xiao Chen sighed, gazing at the sky. "Why was it so real just now?"

He walked forward. This was a vast plain of flowers, stretching endlessly, filled with rare herbs and strange plants of every color. The land was steeped in spiritual essence.

Many small animals, unafraid of humans, watched him curiously: snow-white long-eared rabbits, five-colored spotted deer. They scampered around him.

A hazy spiritual mist, like thin smoke, wound through the hundred flowers and precious grasses. Under the sunlight, it shimmered like rainbow clouds.

"What place is this?" Xiao Chen was filled with doubt. It was like a pure land detached from the mundane world. Even the small animals were unafraid of humans—truly astonishing.

This was what a true immortal realm must be like: spiritual energy drifting, beauty like a painting.

Xiao Chen soared into the air, trying to see everything from above. The moment he rushed into the sky, he felt as if three suns had appeared. On all sides, blazing suns hung. He lost his sense of direction.

Chaos and confusion.

This was no ordinary place. It held a mysterious power that could make one lose all orientation. Xiao Chen felt the sky turn brilliant and multicolored. Flowers and trees appeared all around him.

He was utterly stunned. Plants suspended in the air, just like those on the ground, wreathed in traces of spiritual essence.

Could a great illusion formation cover this entire place?

Xiao Chen did not act rashly. He slowly descended to the fragrant grass.

When he looked up again, only a single soft red sun hung in the sky. Everything he had seen moments ago had vanished.

This was no simple place, Xiao Chen mused. He chose a direction and strode forward.

But after walking for over an hour, he found himself back at his starting point, where the marks of his earlier collapse still lay.

"What kind of place have I come to?" Xiao Chen frowned.

He calmed himself and focused his mind to sense his surroundings. At that moment, a faint, multicolored light bloomed from within his body. The Seven-Colored Sacred Tree gently swayed inside him.

The sacred tree had not left his body. But it had long since lost contact with the nine divinely transformed acupoints. Its sacred power could no longer be borrowed by Xiao Chen.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Chen guided the sacred tree to emerge. The precious tree appeared in his hand, trembling. The surrounding spiritual essence was shaken apart, as if parting a veil of mist. Xiao Chen's vision suddenly cleared. He regained his sense of direction.

He did not hesitate. Holding the sacred tree, he flew forward at low altitude.

He flew for a full five hundred li before seeing a forest ahead. He was finally about to leave the sea of flowers.

At the edge of the flower sea, a low stone mountain stood, engraved with several large ancient characters: Chaotic Flower Sea.

The strokes were like hooks of iron and sweeps of silver, vigorous and powerful. Xiao Chen recognized them only after a moment's thought—the script was very ancient.

"So this pure land behind me is called the Chaotic Flower Sea. Fitting enough."

Ahead, the lush forest did not seem wild or desolate. On the contrary, it was tranquil and peaceful.

"Did you come out of the Chaotic Flower Sea?" A slightly gentle, somewhat puzzled voice, as beautiful as a zither, sounded nearby.

Xiao Chen turned to look. A young girl stood among the flowering trees, as ethereal as an orchid in a secluded valley.

The eyes were the windows to the soul. Her pupils were as clear as autumn water, long eyelashes fluttering, giving her an innocent and naive appearance. Her nose was delicate, her lips moist and lustrous, her white teeth gleaming like pearls.

Her body was as light and supple as a willow branch—perfect, without flaw. Her ink-black hair shone and cascaded naturally to her waist. She wore a white robe, beautiful as a celestial maiden stepping out of a painting.

She was exquisite and lovely to the extreme, her bearing transcendent. She watched Xiao Chen with curiosity, her large eyes blinking, brimming with a pure, spirited light.

Like a gentle breeze brushing past.

The transcendent young girl was truly breathtaking, like a pure white immortal blossom on a misty and ethereal sacred mountain. She was utterly distinctive.

"Uncle, why aren't you talking?" Her voice, like heavenly music, carried a hint of confusion.

Uncle? Xiao Chen was taken aback. He touched his own snow-white hair, realized the reason, and fell silent.

"Uncle, you've already left the Chaotic Flower Sea. This is no longer an illusion." The girl reached into the bamboo basket on her arm and took out a jade bottle. "Uncle, have some Clarity Water. It will help you shake off the illusion quickly." With that, she raised her slender wrist and tossed it over carefully. She seemed a bit wary, not wanting to get too close.

Xiao Chen picked up the jade bottle and uncorked it. A refreshing fragrance immediately hit him. He drank deeply. After three days without food or water following his great grief, he was truly thirsty. When he finished, his whole body felt comfortable, every pore seeming to open. He realized the Clarity Water was no ordinary thing—it had dispelled his fatigue.

"Uncle, you really can drink," the young girl said, a shallow smile lighting up her face. It made one feel like a spring breeze. Her smile was incredibly infectious, like a clear spring in the desert, an oasis in the Gobi—bright and refreshing.

Xiao Chen returned the jade bottle to her, his tone very calm. "Am I really that old? I'm not much older than you."

The ethereal young girl nodded seriously, then shook her head. "Young uncle."

Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. This transcendent girl was truly special. But she was very easy to like.

After experiencing all the dangers in Heavenly Emperor City, seeing such a spirited girl was like watching a clear spring of life flow across sun-scorched earth.

"What place is this?"

"This is paradise!" The girl flashed a mischievous smile, two small dimples appearing on her cheeks, making her look playful and adorable.

"And you?"

"I'm the angel in paradise, of course."

Meeting such a playful girl, Xiao Chen couldn't help but smile a little. "Tell me quickly. This is very important to me."

"Oh… all right. This is the Pure Land—a place where some old grandpas and grandmas live in seclusion. Uncle, how did you find your way here?" The girl blinked her big eyes with a slightly confused expression, her long lashes trembling. She wrinkled her perky nose, looking very lively and cute.

"I don't know how I broke into this place myself. Is it far from Heavenly Emperor City in the Southern Wastes?"

"Far, so far!" The girl looked at Xiao Chen in surprise. "The Southern Wastes are a full fifty thousand li from here. Uncle, how did you travel so far?"

Xiao Chen rubbed his temples. An indescribable weariness washed over him. Though the Clarity Water had just dispelled his fatigue, he felt tired again. He knew it was partly physical pain but mostly came from his heart.

"Uncle, come to our village first. You don't look well."

"Thank you."

Xiao Chen silently followed the white-robed girl through the beautiful forest, where spiritual energy rippled.

"Uncle, do you have something on your mind? If you don't watch where you're going, you'll run into a tree."

Her reminder made him instinctively dodge—but she started giggling. "Uncle, you're so funny. I was kidding. Why didn't you watch where you were going yourself?"

"Uncle is very tired."

"Young uncle, perk up! Don't be so gloomy, okay? Look how beautiful this forest is. Grandpa says every ancient tree here has awakened its spirit, and there's even a sacred root planted by Ancestral God Fuxi himself. If you find it, it can wash away all your worries and grant any wish."

Along the way, the girl sang and laughed, skipping lightly about. Even when she met a fawn, she greeted it kindly. Besides all kinds of medicinal herbs, her bamboo basket was filled with wildflowers of every color.

"Uncle, I rarely meet someone I don't know. Tell me about the interesting things out there." The girl was very lively, like an elf, always cheerful and full of vitality.

"Uncle, why aren't you talking?"

"Thump." Xiao Chen's vision went dark, and he collapsed into the flowering bushes.

"Ah! Uncle, what's wrong?" The girl nimbly skirted a few ancient trees, ran over quickly, and helped him up. She said in surprise, "The young uncle's life energy is very weak… he seems to be dying."

Her slender fingers moved lightly. A spray of crystalline light scattered down, enveloping Xiao Chen. Then she hummed an unknown song in her heavenly voice and walked forward lightly. Xiao Chen, shrouded in crystalline light, floated up and followed behind her.

After traveling about ten li, the beautiful forest gradually thinned. A fresh little village appeared ahead. Spiritual energy drifted there, with traces of rainbow light. It truly seemed like a celestial realm.

Pavilions and towers, small bridges over flowing water, fragrant flowers and grasses—the scenery was exquisite beyond compare.

The village seemed to have only a few dozen households, all small wooden cottages like giant mushrooms, covered with divine vines and emerald leaves. Bright flowers swayed, sprinkling specks of divine radiance.

The girl ran to a yard with two such cottages, pushed open the bamboo fence gate, and called out cheerfully, "Grandpa, I'm home!"

"Qingqing is back," an old man with a childlike face and white hair said, pushing open the wooden door and walking into the yard.

"Mm. Grandpa, I picked up an uncle."

The reason Xiao Chen had lost consciousness was that his life essence had drained too severely. Many organs in his body had aged dangerously. Though it had not yet shown on the outside, his qi and blood were clearly very weak. This collapse kept him unconscious for over half a month. In a haze, he heard an old man speaking:

"If not for that precious tree hiding inside his body, he might have been in real danger. Also, he has nine very strange acupoints within him, providing threads of life energy. Otherwise, with the remaining lifespan he has, it would be hard to keep all his organs functioning normally."

"Poor young uncle."

Another half month passed before Xiao Chen gradually showed signs of waking.

By then, a month had passed since that night of shocking change. Heavenly Emperor City had just begun to settle when another piece of news spread: the Hai family and the Tiger family would be joined by marriage. Though the two families had not yet made an official announcement, rumors were already flying outside. Hai Yunxue, one of the Twin Pearls of the Southern Wastes, would be betrothed to the seventh son of the Tiger family patriarch, with the wedding to take place within the year.

This sensational news once again stirred the undercurrents of Heavenly Emperor City. Many could see the Tiger family's growing strength, extending their reach from the distant Central Plains into the Southern Wastes. Were they truly expanding their influence, or testing the dragons of the Southern Wastes? No one knew.

For a month, Xiao Chen had drifted in and out of consciousness. Finally, he was about to wake. On this day, from beyond the celestial village came the sound of dragon roars, rolling like thunder, shattering the peace and stillness.

But the old people living here showed no anger. They remained as calm as an ancient well. Those who were reading continued reading; those walking their birds continued walking; those cultivating continued cultivating.

The girl who had brought Xiao Chen back pushed open the fence gate happily and ran out of the village.

In the distance, a black dragon, a full two meters long, flashed with dark light like a black cloud, charging over rapidly. It had an Ancestral Dragon head, a lion-tiger body, and an Ancestral Dragon tail. Its entire body was clad in dark, forest-like armor—indescribably martial.

"Xiao Hei, why did you take so long to come?" Qingqing stroked the black dragon's head and climbed onto its back happily.

Strangely, this proud king of the true dragon race, who never allowed anyone to ride it, did not grow angry. Instead, it carried the girl up into the treetops, stepping on branches as if flying, leaving trails of afterimages above the forest.

A chubby little boy in the distance was sweating profusely as he ran, waving at the black dragon, which was skimming over the treetops.

"Little Fatty, how could you keep Xiao Hei locked up for so long and not let it come see me?"

"We only just survived a life-and-death ordeal," the little fatty panted heavily in the forest.

"We went to the Sacred Mountain. I've now merged five beast souls! Xiao Hei even captured a wisp of dragon qi and an ancient beast king soul." The little fatty's excitement was undisguised.

The young girl Qingqing's mouth fell open. "You went to the ancient altar on the Sacred Mountain? Those are true ancient beast souls! Little Fatty, you're amazing—five souls merged!"

"Luck, hehe. Didn't you see? Xiao Hei grew from a meter and a half to two meters. This time, his harvest was greater than mine."

"Mm, that's right. He was only a little over a meter when he followed you from Dragon Island. He's grown so much in a year and more," the girl nodded. Then she said, "Oh, Little Fatty, I picked up a strange uncle."

"Picked… up?" The little fatty's face showed surprise. "What kind of person can break into the Pure Land?"

"He seems to have come through the Chaotic Flower Sea."

"What? Someone actually powerful enough to cross that terrible place?"

"Hehe, come see. The young uncle is very handsome."

When they entered the small wooden cottage, the little fatty immediately cried out in shock: "Xiao Chen… how is it him?"

"Eh? You know poor uncle?"

"Of course! We're bonded by life and death. If not for him, my whole clan would have died at the hands of the devil."

At that moment, Xiao Chen was also on the verge of waking. He opened his eyes groggily and saw a familiar face—a chubby little boy grinning at him.

"Niu… Ren?"

"It's me! Xiao Chen, what happened? Who the hell hurt you like this? Tell me, and I'll wipe them out!"

Qingqing tugged at Niu Ren's sleeve and transmitted her voice: "He's lost a lot of life essence."

"No problem! What's there to be afraid of? If we go to that mysterious Sacred Mountain, we might even be able to sacrifice and get an ancestral god soul. Then his vitality will be so abundant he won't be able to use it up in several lifetimes!" Niu Ren saw Xiao Chen's weakness and patted his chest vigorously to comfort him.

A cough came from outside. Qingqing's grandfather walked in, patted Niu Ren's round, chubby face like he was coaxing a child, and said with a smile, "Childish talk, blown away by the wind. Little one, don't talk nonsense when you don't understand. Angering the ancient beast souls of the Sacred Mountain would be bad."