The Ancestral Dragon Ship

On the Forbidden Sea, seven-colored divine light blazed. The colossal Divine Ship, as majestic as a small mountain, seemed like a true Ancestral Dragon sailing across the golden sea, drawing closer and closer.

It was indeed a Divine Ship shaped like a giant Ancestral Dragon, shrouded in mist and radiance that illuminated the entire Forbidden Sea. The thousand-li sea churned violently, but the Divine Ship sailed steadily without a tremor.

Closer and closer. The legendary Ancestral Dragon Ship finally reached the shore. A bridge of seven-colored divine light extended from the ship to the land.

At the same time, an ancient, timeless aura seemed to surge from the distant past across the shore, stirring an indescribable emotion in Xiao Chen's heart.

Last time, though the Divine Ship had been summoned, neither Xiao Chen nor Keke had the chance to board. Now, the little creature rushed forward impatiently, and Xiao Chen followed with a smile.

The Ancestral Dragon Ship flowed with brilliant light, as if entering a dreamlike world. It drew power from the golden sea, making the ship—vast as a mountain—radiate dense spiritual energy and an aura of peace.

A dragon roar shook the nine heavens. The Divine Ship slowly left the shore and sailed into the depths of the sea.

"Well done," Xiao Chen said with a smile, ruffling Keke's hair, sparing no praise. "You're almost as good as a young Ancestral Dragon." The little creature had become increasingly unfathomable to him.

The little one, having regained its lively nature, puffed out its chest proudly, then took a big, delicious bite of the Heavenly Fruit in its arms, its mouth full of fragrance and a look of blissful satisfaction.

"Ya ya…"

Suddenly, Keke pointed with surprise toward the shore behind Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen quickly turned to look. What was that? His pupils contracted sharply. He saw a figure darting through the coconut grove on the golden beach, vanishing in an instant.

That figure's build was exactly like his own. And in the moment the person turned his head, Xiao Chen felt as if struck by lightning… He seemed to see himself. Yes, that person's face was identical to his.

How could this be? Even the expression was eerily similar. It must be the person he had been wary of, the one he had never encountered on Dragon Island, now glimpsed only as they departed.

The snow-white little beast scratched its head in confusion, rubbed its eyes, and muttered softly, as if thinking it had misseen.

Xiao Chen was not overly worried. He planned to thoroughly uncover this person when he returned to Dragon Island after visiting the Eternal Continent.

"He can't fool your feelings. You should be familiar with my soul fluctuations by now."

Hearing this, the little one nodded and sat down on the deck, happily resuming its meal of Heavenly Fruit.

The cabins of the Ancestral Dragon Ship were sealed by a mysterious power, impossible to enter. They could only stay on deck. The restless Keke climbed up and down, nearly falling into the Forbidden Sea several times, giving Xiao Chen quite a fright.

Keke was nearly faint with bliss, rolling back and forth among a pile of spiritual essences.

These were the treasures Xiao Chen had stored for it: forty-nine divinely transformed acupoints, each like a separate spatial pocket that could seal any object.

The Demon Sect Founder, Chiyou, had descended into the underworld and retrieved over a dozen Purple-Vein Shadowwood Fruits, which Xiao Chen had kept for years. There was also the bundle of spiritual essences that the Little Defiant Dragon had sent for Keke from the Southern Wastes.

Xiao Chen himself began a new round of cultivation. Though Keke had divided many of the spiritual essences from the Shushan Immortal Island on Dragon Island, a few rare ones remained. Now, he was refining another Heavenly Fruit.

The empty Forbidden Sea was utterly still, devoid of any life. For the next ten-odd days, Xiao Chen sat in meditation, cultivating. The Heavenly Fruit, as a king-grade spiritual essence on par with the Shadowwood Fruit, surrounded his body with a milky-white glow, as if divine liquid flowed through his veins.

When Xiao Chen opened his eyes again, he found that four more acupoints had been divinely transformed, all thanks to that one Heavenly Fruit.

Beside him, Keke never found the days dull. As long as a familiar loved one was nearby and there were enough spiritual essences to enjoy, it considered itself the happiest creature in the world.

Its little belly had grown noticeably round, bringing it both joy and discomfort.

Seeing Xiao Chen awake, it raised a Purple-Vein Shadowwood Fruit, offering it to him.

"I don't need it. This is for you," Xiao Chen said. He thought of something and pulled a Purple-Vein Shadowwood tree—like a carving of violet diamond—from one of his divinely transformed acupoints. On it hung a single fruit, markedly different from Keke's: it grew from the root, not the branch.

Light rippled, crystalline and fragrant.

This was something Xiao Chen had found himself, from the half-mountain that Kong Xuan had cut off in the Heaven-Earth Furnace.

The snow-white little beast immediately gestured excitedly, explaining that this was a king-grade Purple-Vein Shadowwood Fruit, one worth several ordinary ones.

"Since it's so special, I'll seal it away for you first."

The little beast shook its head firmly and pushed a pile of Shadowwood Fruits in front of him, insisting he eat a few. In the end, Xiao Chen refined two Purple-Vein Shadowwood Fruits and stored the rest for it again. This added eight more divinely transformed acupoints. The life essence within his body had reached a terrifying level, and his divine meridian network further improved, gradually forming a complete internal cycle.

Though his cultivation level did not advance, Xiao Chen did not consider this a waste. With so many spiritual essences divinizing so many acupoints, there would come a day when the accumulated power would erupt.

Perhaps that day was not far off. The Nirvana realm was the most critical threshold in a practitioner's life—a qualitative transformation, an unimaginable sublimation.

Maybe the harvest from long accumulation would fully manifest at the Nirvana realm.

Suddenly, a piercing, blood-curdling howl rose from the dead-silent Forbidden Sea. The sound was so tragic and desperate that it stirred a feeling of utter hopelessness.

Xiao Chen and Keke were startled. They looked toward the bow of the Ancestral Dragon Ship and saw a massive black skull floating toward them, cutting through the golden sea—the King Ship!

Neither Xiao Chen nor Keke were unfamiliar with it. It truly seemed carved from a giant skull, sinister and terrifying, surrounded by roiling black baleful energy.

It charged to within a hundred zhang of the Ancestral Dragon Ship, and the two vessels faced off, motionless on the golden sea. Fearsome energy surged between them.

Thus they remained in utter silence for three full hours before they slowly passed each other. At the same time, an earth-shaking dragon roar and a ghost's shrill wail erupted together, stirring the Forbidden Sea into violent chaos, raising thousand-fold waves.

After the Ancestral Dragon Ship left the Forbidden Sea, Xiao Chen did not want to delay any longer. He soared into the sky with Keke, using the Eight-Aspect Ultimate Speed to fly north toward the Eternal Continent.

Oceans rolled back, islands receded at lightning speed. Xiao Chen cut through the sky and arrived at the long-familiar Southern Wastes that very day.

The boundless Southern Wastes stretched endlessly, covered in ancient forests, lush and deep, as if remnants of the primordial age.

Crossing countless wild mountain ranges and flying over innumerable ancient forests, Xiao Chen finally reached Heavenly Emperor City at dusk.

This towering, majestic city had stood for untold millennia, exuding an ancient, weathered aura that greeted him from afar.

Returning here, Xiao Chen felt a myriad of emotions. So many events had taken place in this city, still fresh in his memory. He strode into the city, not intending to linger—only to pass through as a traveler. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to return.

Walking through the crowded marketplace and into the wide streets, Xiao Chen suddenly saw a familiar figure—Dugu Jianmo.

Under the setting sun, Dugu Jianmo walked side by side with a graceful woman, their shadows stretched long by the dying light. Ahead of them, a tiny figure toddled along.

It looked like a family of three out for a stroll after dinner—a heartwarming scene. Xiao Chen almost hated to disturb them.

Dugu Jianmo had actually married and had a child? Could such a thing happen to a man who had lived only for the sword?

As if sensing him, though still far away, Dugu Jianmo suddenly turned his head. The moment he saw Xiao Chen, his expression froze, then twin beams of divine light shot from his eyes.

"You're alive… Heaven has eyes after all," he said, still as sparing with words as ever—after a long silence, only this one sentence.

The woman beside him also turned, and Xiao Chen was momentarily stunned. It was… Ah Bing, Ah Shui's sister. The beauty from the Western Frontier now bore the unique charm of a young wife.

Xiao Chen smiled, strode forward, and said, "Four years. It seems many stories have unfolded."

Dugu Jianmo had changed. Though still taciturn, he was no longer as cold as before, especially when he looked at his daughter—a warmth showed in his brow.

Meeting an old friend so unexpectedly, Ah Bing was a little shy at first, but soon calmed down. She was clearly a happy little woman now.

The toddling child behind them, a two- or three-year-old, was as delicate as fine porcelain, with large, sparkling eyes. Looking up at Xiao Chen, she called out in a lisping voice, "Uncle… hello, uncle…"

"What's your name?" Xiao Chen crouched down.

"I'm Shanshan… Dugu Shanshan… the prettiest Shanshan," she said, still not very articulate but completely unafraid of strangers. She reached out her tiny hand to touch Xiao Chen's cheek.

A trace of tenderness flickered in Dugu Jianmo's eyes as he took his daughter's hand to steady her. Ah Bing lovingly knelt behind her to protect her.

Looking at this warm little family, Xiao Chen was deeply moved. The cold, aloof man who once swept the Southern Wastes with an iron sword had become such a good husband and father. What a tremendous change.

"Uncle… uncle, hold me…" The exquisite little Shanshan laughed happily, reaching out her arms, interrupting Xiao Chen's brief reverie.

"Come, let uncle hold you," Xiao Chen said, picking her up.

Dugu Jianmo spoke: "Let's go. Tonight, we drink until we're drunk."

At that moment, Keke, who had been sleeping soundly, poked its head out from the bundle on Xiao Chen's back. Dugu Jianmo and Ah Bing were both startled—they knew full well how extraordinary this little creature was.

"Hold… hold…" Little Shanshan reached toward Keke.

Dugu Manor was no longer the deathly still place it had once been. Now it was full of life, with flowers and plants planted in the courtyard, clear water flowing in the moat under the stone bridge, and colorful fish swimming in the pond.

A bright moon hung high, casting pure light over the courtyard. Xiao Chen and Dugu Jianmo drank under the moonlight, the stone table already lined with empty jars.

"Dugu Jianmo, can your hand still hold the sword?"

"Yes. More powerfully than before, because I have gained a new responsibility."

Beside them, Ah Bing's face lit up with happiness. At this moment, she was just a little woman, no longer the wandering female cultivator of old.

"I want to… practice the sword with Father," Shanshan said, her words still indistinct but her little face earnest.

Hearing this, Ah Bing's expression dimmed slightly. Dugu Jianmo gently stroked Shanshan's head. "One day, my daughter will become the greatest swordswoman under heaven."

"Mm… Shanshan is the prettiest and strongest," the little girl nodded seriously.

Dugu Jianmo let out a soft sigh.

Xiao Chen was a little surprised.

"Do you remember Liu Ruyan?" Dugu Jianmo asked.

"Of course."

"She was my sister."

"This…" Xiao Chen was astonished.

"I only found out recently. Outsiders always wondered why our Dugu family never produced any girls and had so few members. They didn't know that girls—and those of lesser talent—could not set foot in the Dugu manor. Only those acknowledged as true successors could enter this old castle to cultivate our ancestral Heavenly Sword. I don't want my daughter to leave me. Soon, I plan to leave the manor with my wife and child, to give up being the Dugu successor."

"Shanshan will stay with Father," the little girl said sweetly, reaching out her hands.

Tenderness filled Dugu Jianmo's eyes as he lifted her onto his lap.

Was this the same cold, emotionless Dugu Jianmo? Xiao Chen saw that he had truly changed—his heart was no longer hard; it had even softened.

As if guessing Xiao Chen's thoughts, Dugu Jianmo said, "My heart has indeed softened, but my strength has only grown. For the sake of my wife and daughter, I will leave Dugu Manor. Perhaps on the path of cultivation, I will go even further."

That night, Dugu Jianmo talked a great deal. He was already drunk. He kept reminiscing about his childhood, thinking of the mother he had never known, who had long since passed away.

"I don't want my children to walk the same lonely path I did."

"I want them to grow up with both parents, to have a warm home instead of a loveless, dark childhood. I don't want them to have only a cold sword."

"I want them to grow up happy."

Ah Bing helped Dugu Jianmo away. Xiao Chen sat alone under the moonlight. He felt the power of time—it could change a person so profoundly.

"It's late, Xiao Chen. Don't sit in the courtyard any longer," Ah Bing said, returning.

"It's fine. I want to be alone for a while. You know I came to the World of Immortality to find someone. Time is tight. I may have to leave in the middle of the night, so I won't say goodbye to Dugu Jianmo. I wish you happiness."

"That girl Qingqing must be wonderful. Please don't miss your chance. As for Ruoshui… since she's gone, don't blame yourself."

Ah Bing went to look after Shanshan.

Xiao Chen was silent. Blame himself? He had already forgotten everything that had happened—he couldn't even recall a warm past.

At this moment, his heart was only empty. He sat alone under the moon, dazed.

In the later hours, the moonlight was like water, gently rippling across the courtyard.

Xiao Chen rose and pushed open the manor gate. He walked through the cold streets, his long shadow stretched behind him in the moonlight, and strode purposefully toward the city gate.

The bright snow-white moon lit the earth, yet why did his heart feel so hollow? Xiao Chen felt a vast emptiness within.

Shua.

A white light flashed through his heart, and a corner of the distant memory—one that had been severed—was uncovered. A gentle figure emerged… it was Ruoshui.

Warm scenes, moving scenes, scenes of parting and sorrow… flickered past. Xiao Chen watched these 'memories' calmly, as if watching someone else's joys and tragedies. Strangely, he felt detached. His own calmness frightened him.

In those images, Ruoshui was using her life essence to extend his life. Why… could he recall this so coldly?

"If one day we end in silence, I will leave alone and start anew… find someone who loves me and marry him," Ruoshui's voice echoed clearly in his ears.

Soon, he saw the words left behind in that hut at the back of Mount Emei: "Start anew…"

In an instant, he understood. Was this why he had cut away those memories in disappointment?

Xiao Chen was stunned. How could he be so cold and heartless? Having recalled those fragments, he realized he truly was detached. Why? Even if there were ten thousand reasons, he should not have severed Ruoshui from the depths of his own memory.

Yet, even as he reproached himself, he was horrified to find that his damnable rationality still whispered that what he had done was not wrong.

At this moment, Xiao Chen felt a profound fear. His emotions and his heart had diverged. How could such a terrible thing have happened? He felt as though something terrible had occurred within him. Otherwise, how could he be like this? The old Xiao Chen was not like this.

Once, the cold and emotionless Dugu Jianmo had become warmhearted, while Xiao Chen, who had once struggled tirelessly to reach the girl from the Mortal World, had become detached.

Why?

Could it be that deep within the cold, emotionless Dugu Jianmo lay a hidden softness, while the man who had fought so hard for his parents and for the girl he loved was, at his core, cold and heartless?

Walking through the wild forests outside the city, the moonlight turned the woodland silver-white, but Xiao Chen felt an icy chill throughout his body.

"It's all because… you are an incomplete soul."

At that moment, the voice of the Golden Divine Halberd within him suddenly spoke.

Then, the Dark-Iron Seal also transmitted a mental fluctuation: "Part of your soul is still sealed by the Twenty-Four War Swords within the stone statue in the deepest part of the Ancient God Wasteland."

"To hell with all this…" Xiao Chen roared and flew rapidly northwest.

Keke, sound asleep, was startled awake. It scratched its head in confusion, then fell back into a drowsy sleep.

Though it was tens of thousands of li to the Pure Land of the Forest and Barbarian tribes, that distance meant nothing to the Eight-Aspect Ultimate Speed.

Before dawn, Xiao Chen arrived at the familiar Pure Land.

It was like a divine garden—fragrant flowers, spirit trees swaying with emerald light, small wooden houses scattered naturally and harmoniously. Spiritual energy swirled everywhere.

"It's you," Old Turtle said, pushing open his door and seeing Xiao Chen.

"Old master, I've come to ask for help—to save Qingqing. Please invite the elder of elders in your house."

"What happened to Qingqing?"

"It's a long story…" As Xiao Chen explained, a group of elders gathered around. Qingqing's grandfather, Old Man Ye, pressed to the front.

"I see… then quickly invite Patriarch Xuanwu. This time, we'll all go to the Mortal World together."

"What? All of you?" Xiao Chen was a little stunned.

"If Qingqing is in trouble, how can we not go? Besides, we'd like to see what the Mortal World is like. After all, we can shatter the void and return anytime."

That was true. It was difficult to enter the Mortal World from here, but with the power of the Deathless Longevity realm, one could return from the Mortal World to the World of Immortality at any time.

No one would have expected Patriarch Xuanwu to be living in seclusion in the Pure Land. He was a very kind old man, unremarkable in appearance, like an ordinary village grandfather—simple and approachable.

He chuckled. "The Mortal World… how I miss it. I came from there myself. Since I have the chance to return, I must go and save Qingqing, and take a good look around."

"Excellent, senior. I'll take my leave for now. I must go invite others. I will return here to welcome you."

Xiao Chen soared into the sky, flying straight toward the clouds, beyond the heavens. The Demon had once imprinted a path into his heart—the exact route to find that heavenly divine island.

Dim starlight shone. Xiao Chen flew against the heavens for countless thousands of li. Ahead, a divine island floated silently. From a distance, it seemed full of life, no longer as desolate as it had been when he first visited.

At that moment, two beautiful figures shot out from the island—a pair of eleven- or twelve-year-old little lolitas, their skin like pink jade.

"Ah! It's really… Am I seeing things? Handsome big brother is here!"

"It's you two…"

"It's us! How surprising, Brother Xiao Chen, you're alive! You… weren't you turned to stone?"

"Is the Demon Sect Founder here?"

"He is."

The two little girls, in flowing immortal robes, their faces like jade, pink and adorable, with faint dimples when they smiled. Their big eyes sparkled with clever light as they stared grinning at Keke, who was sleeping soundly. Their gazes looked like they wanted to snatch Keke away in one go.

"Hehe, I'm the cleverest little fairy, Linglong!"

"Hehe, I'm the prettiest little demoness, Tutu!"

They seemed to have discovered a new continent, both rushing toward the little beast that was just waking up groggily, introducing themselves before charging together.

Xiao Chen did not want to waste time. He quickly rushed into the divine island, leaving them behind.

"I didn't expect you to escape," the Demon Sect Founder said, floating silently above the divine island, gazing at Xiao Chen as he drew near.

"I've been free for over a year. I've come specifically to ask for help."

"What is it?"

"Ya ya ya ya…" Keke, just awakened, used its unique language to explain on his behalf.

Xiao Chen realized the little beast was very clever. Perhaps only through gratitude could Chiyou be persuaded to act.

"I see… let me think about it," Chiyou said, falling into contemplation.

Xiao Chen waited quietly. If Chiyou refused, what would he do? He began to strategize.

Just then, Chiyou spoke: "I will certainly go to the Mortal World, have no worry about that. I intend to personally rescue an old friend of mine who has been sealed there. I am considering whether we might plan something—if we are going to make trouble, let's turn heaven and earth upside down. Perhaps we can drag in all the Half-Ancestors who broke through from the Mortal World. This time, we can take the chance to strike against the Cultivation World."