“And now is not possible?” Xiao Chen allowed a faint smile to cross his face.
Liu Ruyan laughed, a sound like wind chimes touched by a mischievous breeze. “Oh, so you’re not as proper as you pretend. I thought you were only a cold-blooded warrior, decisive and unmoved by the world.” She was a woman whose beauty was steeped in seduction, her delicate features radiating an exotic allure that stirred even Xiao Chen’s iron resolve, if only for a moment.
She departed with a hundred graces, her steps light and sinuous—long jade legs, lush curves, a willowy waist, a silhouette of pure temptation. It was a figure that promised pleasure and danger in equal measure. The raw, seductive energy she carried overshadowed even her natural beauty. Though her face could not rival Zhao Lin’er or Yan Qingcheng, her power to enchant had already surpassed them both.
Xiao Chen gazed at his own reflection in the stream—tall, composed—and calmed himself. His alliance with Liu Ruyan was one of convenience, a thin thread of mutual benefit. It had more form than substance.
The news that Xiao Chen had shattered three alliances in a single night sent shockwaves through the gathered cultivators. His ruthless efficiency made one thing clear: this youth who belonged to no alliance was not to be provoked. His name was now etched into the minds of all, a constant subject of heated discussion.
Many knew that when Yan Qingcheng, Kailuo, and Wang Tong returned, the tides would rise. They would not let the matter rest. A great battle loomed, and many awaited it eagerly—a clash of titans that would surely come.
Xiao Chen had become a figure of storm and legend on Dragon Island. Alliances watched him closely, and many young cultivators, both men and women, turned their gazes toward him.
He knew he was the talk of the camps. For two days he had moved among the alliances, observing the shifting currents. After sharing a final feast of roasted meat with Yizhen and Yichi, he left.
Yan Qingcheng and her companions would soon return. Xiao Chen decided to vanish for a while, to seize the time and cultivate—let them rage and scheme without him.
In the Silent Forest, he found three skeletons, then made his way to the Bone Sea. He had hoped to speak with Liu Mu, but the young man had already departed.
The earlier cultivators who had ventured deep into the island had also disappeared without a trace. With the flood of newcomers from the outer shores, this place was no longer a quiet retreat.
The figures near the divine stele in the Bone Sea were all latecomers.
Among a pile of tyrannosaur bones near the stele, Xiao Chen found Keke, sound asleep. He scooped the little creature up.
“Ya-ya-ya!” Keke woke in a huff, waving its tiny paws in protest, its mouth full of indignant sounds.
“Keke, how about I take you somewhere with delicious food?” Xiao Chen dangled the bait. This snow-white, fluffy little beast—half tiger cub, half lion—was too extraordinary to leave behind. He wanted it by his side at any cost.
It was not by choice. The little creature showed no sign of following him; it had only stayed out of curiosity. Xiao Chen had to keep it constantly intrigued.
At the mention of good food, Keke’s bright eyes sparkled like stars. Its long lashes fluttered, and it couldn’t help but swallow audibly.
Xiao Chen almost laughed. This little beast was endlessly amusing.
But then Keke drooped its head, patting its round belly in distress. It had devoured so much Life Nectar earlier that its tiny body had not yet digested it all. It could not enjoy any more delicacies.
“I can help you with that. But it will take some time.”
Keke’s eyes lit up again. It babbled, “Ya-ya” as if questioning whether Xiao Chen truly had the skill.
“Trust me. I’ll solve your problem. But I’ll need your treasure tree.” Xiao Chen pointed at the small, sacred tree that Keke wore like a hat.
Keke plucked the tree off without a second thought and tossed it to Xiao Chen, as if it were nothing. The sacred little tree, if it had awareness, would have wept—the little beast clearly did not value it.
“It won’t do here. We need a quiet, undisturbed place. And I need time to think.”
So Xiao Chen and his companions set out. Even as Keke kept glancing back at the stele, it finally left.
Deep within the island, dragon roars echoed occasionally. Xiao Chen wanted to test his luck, to see if he could find a few dragon eggs.
As they traveled through the Silent Forest, Xiao Chen grew curious. The trees here were lush and green, yet the forest was utterly silent—not a single bird. Was it because of its proximity to the deadly Bone Sea?
The ancient trees here required more than ten men to encircle them, their age surely exceeding several millennia. They rivaled the trees in the Valley of the Treefolk, yet there was no sign of any treefolk—none had successfully awakened here.
This time, Xiao Chen did not head north toward the many alliances. Instead, he plunged eastward into the Silent Forest.
After traveling several dozen li, they finally emerged from that dead-quiet expanse.
Outside, the world was alive. A stream babbled over stones, flowers bloomed with rich fragrance, birds sang, and beasts roared in the distance. The world felt vital and breathing.
Though dragon cries occasionally shook the mountains, Xiao Chen and his companions advanced more than ten li without pinpointing their source. They encountered many terrifying beasts—primordial anomalies that Xiao Chen suspected could rival the evil dragons themselves.
Soon, he found a river. Following it east, the banks grew thick with bamboo, and other trees gradually thinned.
After another few li, they were surrounded by vast bamboo groves. In this region, savage beasts were fewer, replaced by gentle herbivores.
Green bamboo, an emerald river, low shrubs, crisp bird calls, and deer that did not flee at the sight of man—this corner of Dragon Island was a rare pocket of peace and harmony.
Ahead, a herd of more than twenty wild elephants was drinking at the riverbank. Their white tusks shone with a faint, crystalline luster, and their strong bodies lined up like a wall of living stone.
But then the herd stirred. Something spooked them. They trumpeted in alarm and fled.
Xiao Chen felt it too—a wave of stench rolled toward him. A foul wind swept through the bamboo grove ahead. The stalks parted unnaturally, opening a path as if by some dark will.
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