The Wish of the Dragon

(AN: Thank you for my new pat reon: Rubra, Pornvasin Chaisugun, and last but not least, alvi rafid. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and with that said, peace out girls scout!)

"Don't let anyone enter." Issei said towards Zin and Naru while still carrying Ling'er in his arms.

"As you command." Both Zin and Naru responded while kneeling and then they both stood in front of the door guarding it.

"If you need anything then just tell me." The Little Demon Empress said.

"Um." Issei gave her a curt nod and then he went inside the room the Little Demon Empress provided for him.

Once inside, Issei put Ling'er down to the bed...

Bai'er is standing near Issei while she observes them both with a worried expression...

Once he put Ling'er down, Issei stroked her small head gently while he let out a little bit of <Light> element on his fingertips. Slowly, her once creased eyebrows smoothened out little by little until her expression turned peaceful... There's even a little smile adorning her face now.

"...He also possesses the <Light> element?" Jasmine said in utter amazement. Even Xun'er felt surprised by this sight...

Light profound energy is something that completely contradicts darkness profound energy. It is a kind of unique profound energy that is extremely holy and pure, a profound energy that has been adorned with the title 'sacred'...

It is not like the other forms of profound energy. Its existence is absolutely not for the purpose of destruction or slaughter. Rather, it was meant to create and to save, meant to cleanse the hearts and souls of all the living creatures in the universe. It was created for the purpose of purifying all kinds of impurity and sin.

Therefore, light profound energy has an extremely weak destructive and attack power, and it is not even equivalent to pure profound energy in that regard. Yet, it is the only thing that darkness profound energy fears as it is the greatest bane of darkness profound energy. At the same time, darkness profound energy counters it just as well as it counters darkness profound energy. So while darkness profound energy is terrified of it, it is also terrified of the corrosion wrought by darkness profound energy.

Although light laws are the easiest to control, cultivating it has the strictest requirements. One must have a sacred body or a sacred heart, free from contamination and corruption. Which has become impossible long ago for these things to appear in this world which grows dirtier and more flooded with desire by the day...

So seeing that Issei not only possesses the <Darkness> energy but also the <Light> energy within his body is very surprising for them... But soon they accepted it since they know about his true identity.

If it were anyone else then it would indeed be very surprising but since it's him they're talking about then it's quite normal instead...

[Hmph, I told you that you know nothing about him.] Lieyan's disdainful voice resounded inside the pearl. She's still inside the <GoB> but since the pearl and the <GoB> have the same host, they could communicate with each other freely.

[Tsk, go mind your own business!] Jasmine responded snappily. She's feeling annoyed knowing that Lieyan seems to know more about Issei compared to her...

Seeing that Ling'er has calmed down, Issei closed his eyes before he dived into Ling'er soul... Into her sealed soul part to be exact...

Jasmine and Xun'er who were watching him felt a little confused seeing that Issei suddenly closed his eyes but they decided not to bother him and just wait...

...

Issei is greeted with endless and eerie darkness that could've made anyone felt uncomfortable and suffocated... Issei is basically the only person in this world that could dive into another person's <Soul Essence> without any discomfort or repercussions.

After waiting for a moment, right in front of him appeared two figures at the same time.

On the left stood Su Ling'er. She was slender and elegant, all dressed in white silk. Her expression was one of melancholy and there was an eternal sadness written between her brows. On the right stood Su Ling'er once again but this was the young Ling'er. She was twelve years of age, her delicate features slowly budding into wonderful maturity.

Both of them are gazing at each other but the difference is the mature Ling'er looks so melancholic and sad while the small Ling'er looks more cheerful and happier.

"Big sis... Why do you look so sad? Did someone bully you? If so then, don't worry, I will tell big brother to beat up all the bullies!" The small Ling'er tried to cheer her other counterparts.

"...I'm not being bullied..." The mature Ling'er responded.

"Eh, really? Then why do you seem so sad?" The small Ling'er tilted her head in confusion.

The mature Ling'er softly spoke in a sad tone: "...I feel sad because I lost everyone who's important to me... I feel sad because I can't be with the man I love... I feel so lonely and cold in this endless darkness..."

She started to shed her tears the more she spoke which made the small Ling'er utterly dumbfounded. But soon she also shed tears of her own... She somehow also felt excruciating pain inside her heart when she saw this big sister in front of her cries...

She felt clueless but somehow she can also feel the sadness she currently feels...

But suddenly she felt her body is being lifted from the ground into a warm embrace.

"Don't cry, Ling'er... Big brother is here..." A warm and gentle voice resounded from behind her...

"*Sniff* *Sniff* B-Big brother...?" Small Ling'er turn around and sobbed lightly while she's still shedding some tears.

Issei then proceeded to gently wipe her tears with his hand...

"Um... It's me... Now don't cry anymore. If you cry too much then your face will look like a tabby cat and then Ling'er won't be pretty anymore... You don't want that to happen now, don't you?" Issei said softly with a warm smile.

"...*Sniff* En! Ling'er don't want to turn into a tabby cat... Ling'er will... Ling'er will grow and become beautiful just like big brother!" She sniffed lightly and said with a little pout.

"...Good good... Ling'er will surely become beautiful..." Issei smiled wryly after hearing her words... What 'beautiful just like big brother?'... He's a man alright...

It looks like he really needed to teach her some common sense about a boy and a girl soon...

"Big brother... Can you help this big sister? She seems so sad..." Small Ling'er pointed at the mature Ling'er when she finishes wiping her face.

"Um..." Issei nodded slightly at her words and then he looks at the mature Ling'er.

"...You don't need to be worried anymore... The tragedy you fear the most won't happen again... I will surely keep 'her' safe from any harm." Issei reassured the mature Ling'er.

"..." The Mature Ling'er doesn't say anything...

"...Do you feel regret? Meeting 'him'?" Issei asked her softly seeing that she doesn't respond to his words. And the 'him' he's talking about is obviously Yun Che.

"...No... Even though 'he' owes me an entire lifetime, I have no regrets..." She shook her head slowly after a brief silence.

"Are you sure? You truly don't feel regret meeting him?"

"...I... I don't know..." She continues to shook her head at Issei's question: "But... If there is such a thing as reincarnation, even if we will meet the same end, I will still be like a moth drawn to his flame…"

"...You may feel that way but how will the current Ling'er feel? Should she lose her current happy life just so you can meet the same man who made you like this?" Issei asked her: "Would you sacrifice your 'own' happiness just so you can fulfill your selfish desire? Ask yourself this... Will it be better if you replace the current Ling'er who still have everything? You're a ghost of the 'past' life..."

The mature Ling'er becomes at loss for words...

"The current Ling'er still have everything... While 'you' have lost everything... That's why you're trying to 'take over'. You're lying to yourself saying that Yun Che is everything you have left so you don't regret anything that happened so far while in fact, you're just afraid..."

"I understand that you feel afraid of being lonely, afraid of losing yourself and that is normal but... You're not alone anymore... Leave behind your past and move forward... Move forward to your newfound life... Your newfound freedom from the past that chained you here... Your life doesn't revolve around him." Issei walks closer to the mature Ling'er and gently stroked her head.

"...Freedom...?" She muttered softly... This place was very dark and very cold. She was really afraid, afraid to the point where she had several times wanted to just disappear completely... But at the same time, she's afraid to just disappear like that... If she disappears, would she forget about "him"?

In the beginning, "he" was so gentle but he became really terrifying, as though he had gone crazy. But, she still loved him and was infatuated with him… Every day, she would be staying in the small bamboo cottage, desperately praying for him to return alive, yet every day, she would be awoken by these nightmares, unable to stop the tears in her eyes…

Back then, she wondered how many times she had pleaded in tears for him to stop seeking revenge, yet he had never listened to her. Every day, like a crazed dog that had lost its heart, he headed out to bite the people he hated... When he returned, he will be riddled with injuries and when she's done taking care of his injuries... He would immediately vent his frustration on her body...

Perhaps... What Issei said was right... She was only deluding herself since he's the only person she has left in her life... He's the only person who "needed" her...

"When I died... I died in his embrace. He was desperately crying out loud while hugging onto me, crying in such a disheartening manner... But what's the point? When I already passed away... When the dark and cold darkness has already claimed me..." She keeps looking down but by the end of it, she raised her head with tears flooding her entire face.

Was it truly... love? Or was it something else? She doesn't know... She only knows that "he" is the only person left in her life... Her mother passed away... Her father is betrayed by his own family member... She's almost sold away by her own uncle...

If not for her father's sacrifice then her fate would've been unknown... Most likely, it would be more hellish compared to her past life...

"It's so cold... It's so lonely... Will it really be okay... Will it be okay for me to move forward... Am I truly free? I won't need to experience that terrifying darkness anymore?" the mature Su Ling'er's voice, trembling in the beginning, choked at the end. Each of her final words was accompanied by a single tear.

Her hand slowly crept on Issei's body while trembling ever so slightly... She needed someone to depend on, someone who would truly love her dearly...

"Um... I won't let you feel lonely anymore... I won't let anyone harm even a single hair of you... This I promise..." Issei said gently at her with determination.

He won't let anyone let or anything harm Ling'er in this life... He will protect her just like how big brother protect their little sister would... With all his might...

"En! What big brother said is right! Ling'er will also protect big sister!" Small Ling'er nodded along with fervor. She doesn't really understand what Issei said just now but she understands that this big sister felt lonely so she will be her friend, that way she won't feel lonely anymore!

"Ah... So warm..." Mature Ling'er let out a genuine peaceful smile for the first time... Her pair of slender arms finally circled around Issei with small Ling'er being in the middle.

That's right... In the past, she had always carried "him"… when he was covered in blood. However, he had not even hugged her warmly more than a few times. Other than enjoying her tireless care and her tears filled with concern, he was the one who roughly released his beastly desires onto her... This is the first time she felt true warmth from someone else...

She said in an indulgent manner: "We… We will always be together, right?"

"Ah... I promise." Issei said softly and small Ling'er also followed suit with a loud "En!"

And after flashing a content smile one last time, the mature Ling'er body becomes a particle of lights and it went inside the small Ling'er body...

Small Ling'er felt surprised by this but soon her body also turns into a particle of lights...

Issei then sensed that Ling'er soul is fully stabilized... What happened today in the market won't happen again...

Issei can't begin to imagine just what kind of despair the past Ling'er felt... If he wasn't there to protect her back then perhaps the tragedy will repeat itself...

For a child at the age of twelve to experience that kind of life... It's no wonder that she mistook the feeling called love for dependance... Yun Che is perhaps the only man who entered her life and as a result, he becomes her light... But at the same time, he's also the man who caused her untimely death...

The one who killed Ling'er in the 'past' is Yun Che enemies... That's why she doesn't want to tell him during her deathbed fearing that he would blame himself even further...

To be honest... He really wanted to kill Yun Che when he caught a glimpse of Ling'er past memories... What kind of man would treat a girl they love to such extent? He basically took advantage of Ling'er feelings towards him... Even if somehow it was unintentional, it still disgusts him...

Perhaps when he leaves this place, she will remember about Yun Che and if she still wants to be with Yun Che then he will support her... But no matter what happens, she will always be his little sister... And if by chance Yun Che made her cry then he will show no more mercy...

He smiled softly before he leaves Ling'er soul space...

...

Issei opened his eyes and smiled softly at the sleeping Ling'er... Her current expression is very peaceful.

It seems that she won't be burdened with her past life anymore...

Issei then felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Bai'er worried face.

"Don't worry... She's completely fine now." Issei comforted Bai'er gently.

Bai'er who heard Issei's words smiled thinly and nodded happily...

"Let's let her rest for now, okay?" Issei made a hushing gesture towards Bai'er.

Bai'er copied his gesture and then Issei took her hand and they both left the room...

When Ling'er woke up, she seems more cheerful than before but at the same time, she also seems more clingy towards Issei now...

The old Ling'er is clingy towards him but the current Ling'er even more so... She often sits on Issei's lap whenever she had the chance.

Even when she eats, she often asks Issei to feed her.

There's this invisible bright glow on her face whenever she looks at Issei nowadays but Issei never took notice of it and only think that it's little sister wanted to be spoilt by her elder brother...

Although Ling'er seems clingy but she doesn't seem to forget about Bai'er either. Whenever she sat on Issei's lap, she would invite Bai'er to sit on the other side...

This, in turn, made a certain little princess keeps calling Issei with the word "Lolicon!" more often... Not that he cares in the first place... He meant, what's wrong with an elder brother being close to their little sisters?

It looks like Issei's 'siscon' personality started to emerge once again...

Issei also went back and forth from the <Illusory Demon Realm> and the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace>.

Recently, princess Cang Yue officially joined the palace much to his surprise.

He never thought that Cang Yue would leave her kingdom behind and choose to join the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace> instead... But since it's her freedom of what she wanted to do, he doesn't really pry much into it.

Although... All the girls from the palace knew just why this princess Cang Yue suddenly joined... Even a fool could tell from the way she keeps gazing at their sect elder direction...

They can only sigh to themselves since Cang Yue seems to fit the criteria of joining their palace so they can't really refuse her...

Cang Yue becomes very happy when she's allowed to join the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace>. This way she can become closer to a certain someone...

But, with all that said, Cang Yue is also quite diligent in her cultivation.

And with Issei's help, her cultivation rose above Yun Che cultivation in no time. In but a week, she achieves breakthrough from Spirit realm into the Earth realm in one fell swoop.

It's not that her talent is bad but her previous environment is holding her back... The <New Moon Profound Palace> is not a bad place but compared to the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace>, coupled with Issei's guidance they are just not on the same level...

Esdeath's group is left behind by him to watch over the palace when he's away... And nowadays, they keep getting uninvited "visitor"...

...

"Again?" Issei said in boredom.

Issei is in his room at the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace> receiving reports from Esdeath's group. He's currently leaning in front of the window looking outside where the girls from the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace> is currently training.

"Yes, master... The amount of 'rats' we discover nowadays is kept increasing." Esdeath answered in a kneeling position. At her side, there are Altair and Sirius as well.

"Did you find anything from them?" Issei asked.

"Of course, master... With a little bit of 'persuasion', they confessed everything." Esdeath flashed an evil grin for a brief moment. Altair smirked slightly while Sirius stays expressionless.

They were there when Esdeath "persuade" those "rats" after all...

"Hmm, what did they say?" Issei said faintly.

He doesn't really care what method Esdeath used to extract the information as long as it's not used on the innocents.

During the Little Demon Empress "house cleaning", Issei told her to spare those who know nothing about the coup. With a little bit of his help, nobody knows that there's a survivor of the Duke Huai Palace... The public thought that there are no more Duke Huai's descendants left but in reality, there is...

"Like usual, it appears that they're from the other sects wanting to spy upon the palace but, at least more than half of them is from the <Mighty Heavenly Sword Region> and the <Sun Moon Divine Hall>."

"Oh?" Now this information got Issei's interest: "This is the first time for someone from the <Four Great Sacred Grounds> to send someone to investigate the palace... What do they want?"

"Responding to master... It seems that... For the <Might Heavenly Sword Region> side, they wanted to investigate about you while the <Sun Moon Divine Hall> wants to dig some information about the girls." Altair responded in place of Esdeath this time.

"They want to investigate me?" Issei raised his eyebrows since as far as he could remember, he was quite low key the whole time...

Not one of them found out about his strength nor cultivation realm... And even if they find out about his cultivation realm then it shouldn't attract that much attention considering he's just a peak level throne for people in this world.

Throne level cultivator is quite rare around here but for the <Four Great Sacred Ground> then they should be quite common... So it must be something else... But what is it...?

And not to mention, he never really came into direct contact with someone from the <Mighty Heavenly Sword Region>...

As for the <Sun Moon Divine Hall>... Their reason must have the same intention as the other sects who coveted the girls' beauty so he doesn't really think much about it...

Issei doesn't put the incident with Xuanyuan Yufeng into account since it's just a waste of time to remember that kind of incident.

But... He might as well investigate a little bit: "Naru."

"At your command." Naru appeared beside Esdeath's group.

"Go investigate the <Sun Moon Divine Hall> and <Mighty Heavenly Sword Region>." Issei said simply.

"As you wish!" Then Naru went to a secluded area before she transformed into her Dragon form. She then flew towards her destination...

For an infiltrating mission, then Naru is the best of the best amongst them all.

The <Sun Moon Divine Hall> was one of the <Four Great Sacred Grounds>. Their overall strength and number of experts are weaker than the <Absolute Monarch Sanctuary> and <Supreme Ocean Palace>. Their leader is named "Heavenly Monarch". Their core strength excluding the Heavenly Monarch who is in the peak level of sovereign profound realm, are the five 'Sun Moon Divine Envoys' which consist of two level 10 and three level 9 monarchs.

The <Mighty Heavenly Sword Region>, their members are revered as deities and even though their overall strong experts are fewer than the other three sacred grounds due to fact that their general number of monarchs are lesser their overall strength could be considered on equal to the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary as they have four level 10 monarchs which are the Sword Master and the Three Sword Attendants which they are proud of.

In a way, they're basically just like the previous <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace> if they're compared to the other major sects...

The <Supreme Ocean Palace>, they are located one thousand five hundred kilometers south of the southern edge of the continent, above the Southern Ocean. This Sacred Ground is guarding the <Moon Slaughter Devil Nest>.

The overall strength of the <Supreme Ocean Palace> is second only to <Absolute Monarch Sanctuary> with Fourty seven elders with the strongest Great Elder Mo Chenfeng with a cultivation level of 8th rank monarch together with their pillars excluding The Sovereign of the Seas were the Seven Venerable Ones which consist of two level 10th and five level 9th monarchs, their power and influence is only second to their ruler the Sovereign of the Seas who are in the peak of level 10th monarch.

As for the <Absolute Monarch Sanctuary>, out of the four, they are ranked first, with one hundred sixty-six monarchs. Their leader is named 'Saint Emperor'. Their core strength, excluding the Saint Emperor where the 'Twelve Spiritual Masters' which consist of three level 10th monarchs, five level 9th and four late level 8th monarchs.

These are the pieces of information Issei has about the <Four Great Sacred Grounds>.

Supposedly, in the past, they are called the <Five Great Sacred Grounds> instead of the <Four Great Sacred Grounds>. But Issei doesn't find out more info about it since the history of these so-called Sacred Grounds is of no interest to him...

Even though Naru is also at the peak sovereign level, she can still handle another peak level monarch or two and even perhaps three but that's only because she's just "newborn"...

It's only been around a few weeks since her last transformation after all...

And if by chance she got besieged by the <Sun Moon Divine Hall> then with her set of skills, she could easily escape from it without getting a single scratch. Not only that, but she also possesses Issei's protective charm in case things go awry.

So she's not in any danger at all even if the place she's about to infiltrate is one of the <Four Great Sacred Grounds>.

"Master, this may be a stupid question but... What will you do once you found out that their true intention is not to your liking?" Esdeath asked expectantly. She had a faint bloodthirsty expression on her face waiting for her Master's response.

"Isn't it obvious? Xiao sect." Issei answered without care. What he meant by "Xiao sect" is obvious... Total destruction.

They never really found the <Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace> exact location so far thanks to Esdeath's group and the profound beasts around the area prevention.

"Then please let us take care of it in when the time comes." Esdeath said with an expectant grin on her face.

Altair and Sirius also showed the same gaze albeit their intention is a little different from Esdeath's.

"Ah... I'll be counting on all of you when the time comes." Issei nodded at her words.

"We won't disappoint you!" The three of them answered at the same time.

"Um... Oh right, are there any changes in our two 'visitor'?" Issei asked them about the two observant that often visited the palace.

Just in case, Issei put a bounded illusory field to prevent them from seeing the palace. In their eyes, it would be the same old Frozen Cloud but in reality, it's not...

"None whatsoever... All they did is observe and doesn't seem to have any intention of doing anything else." Esdeath reported.

"I see..." Issei faintly nodded.

"But it seems that one of them is ill, master." Altair suddenly said.

"Hm... I can tell. The cause is poison... It's not as potent as Jasmine's poison but it's still quite deadly if not treated properly. And judging from her weak lifeforce, it seems that the poison has been affecting her for quite some time now..." Issei said while his eyes are looking at the sky.

"Then... Will you do something about it, master?" Altair asked.

"...We'll see." Issei doesn't really mind helping them but he won't take the initiative for now until he knows just what they want. He may be able to see that they don't seem to have any ill intention but human nature is something that can change in just a snap of a finger...

One moment they might seem good but in the next second, they can turn evil... That's how fickle human is and he knows about this since he was a human himself once.

But that doesn't mean he's an exception to this rule since he can be evil himself if the situation calls for it...

When they're still conversing with each other, Zin arrived with her report.

"Zin has returned, Master." She joined Esdeath's rank to report her investigation.

"Um, welcome back." Issei welcomed her return: "What do you find about the <Divine Phoenix Empire>... And supposedly the girl who's called 'Princess Snow'."

"Reporting to master..." Zin then proceeded to relay her investigation.

She was sent by Issei to investigate the <Divine Phoenix Empire> and since it's just basic information gathering, he doesn't need Naru for it and can send Zin instead.

He also wanted to train Zin and Naru interaction with humans more. They're too stiff at times... Although, considering their real identity then it's quite normal, not that he finds it obnoxious or anything like that but it's better to have them blend in more perfectly.

Even their interaction with Bai'er and Ling'er is quite awkward... So he thought he might as well have them interact with the humans more...

The <Divine Phoenix Empire> is one of the seven major nations on the Profound Sky Continent. It is the most powerful nation due to its Divine Phoenix bloodline which they received from the 'Divine Phoenix God' which was soul fragment left by the Phoenix, a primordial divine beast, to pass on its legacy. The empire is closely intertwined with the Divine Phoenix Sect. The royal family also leads the sect. The imperial capital is Divine Phoenix City.

The Divine Phoenix Empire used to be called the Grand Asura Kingdom but after the Divine Phoenix Sect rose to power and provided support for the new Imperial Family, even the name of the empire had been changed to Divine Phoenix Empire.

The <Divine Phoenix Sect> is the biggest and most powerful sect within the Profound Sky Continent, their power is slightly inferior compared to the Four Great Sacred Grounds. They are the Divine Phoenix Empire's protector sect.

Disciples of the sect wear flame-like red clothes with an emblem of a phoenix with its wings spread out embroidered on the chest. The sect hold's its Phoenix bloodline as sacred and prevents any disciple from leaking to bloodline outside of the sect.

As for "Princess Snow", her real name is Feng Xue'er. She is the only princess of the Divine Phoenix Empire.

It is said that her beauty is high enough for her to be deemed as the Number One beauty of the Profound Sky Continent.

She was always kept away from everyone else for her entire life by her father, to the point that not even her own brothers were allowed to see her. She was not even allowed outside even with protection, which made her inexperienced with worldly and personal matters.

As her father is so protective of her she has her very own place outside of Divine Phoenix City that only a few people can enter, called the <Phoenix Perching Valley>.

One time when she was thirteen she was seen gazing at the snow that fell in the Divine Phoenix Empire and was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the Profound Sky Continent.

"I see..." Issei nodded to himself hearing Zin's report: "Have you seen her directly?"

"I'm sorry, Master... But the place where she is located is heavily guarded and unless I force myself in then it will too risky for me to come into contact with her." Zin said regrettably.

She's not really suitable for infiltrating mission after all...

It could be said that she's more of a warrior type while Naru is the assassin type.

"It's fine, I don't blame you." Issei comforted her.

"Well, I guess I will go pay her a visit on my own. I promised Xiaotao that I will help her find the other <Phoenix> successor after all."

[Thank you for your benevolence, master...] Xiaotao with heartfelt gratitude.

[Bah! As expected of the smelly Phoenix... To think that her soul residues had a fallout with each other and I'm sure that this Princess Snow or whatever is nothing special either... The Little Demon Empress is obviously more powerful!] Lieyan said in a boastful tone.

[Cheh... He will only attract another annoying butterfly...] Jasmine annoyed voice followed up right after Lieyan's.

Xun'er sighed wryly seeing her daughter being jealous once again... It looks like she needed to have a little talk with her daughter soon...

"Take me there, Zin." Issei turned his attention towards Zin.

"Yes, master." Zin responded.

"I leave this place to you girls. Remember to use the protective charm I gave you if the situation calls for it." Issei reminded Esdeath's group.

"Leave it to us, master!" The three of them answered. They felt warm that their master is worried about them...

Issei could just read Zin's memories and then create a spatial opening but he thought that he might as well sightsee along with Bai'er.

Bai'er once again pops out from the <GoB> into Issei's arms where she instantly snuggled her head comfortably.

Ling'er is currently in closed-door cultivation back in her home. It looks like she wanted to increase her cultivation when she got back from her little trip with Issei at the <Illusory Demon Realm>.

Zin transformed into his Dragon form while Issei and Bai'er sit on her back before the three of them fly towards their destination.

But... Along the way, for some reason... A certain little princess decided to pop out as well and sat beside Issei while looking away from him... If one looks closely then they will see that her face is completely flushed up to her ears...

Issei at first raised his eyebrows at this but soon he just smiled thinly... Shortly after, Xun'er also comes out from the pearl and positioned herself behind Issei.

She extended her hand towards his back before she starts massaging him much to Issei's surprise. When he turned his head towards her direction, she only flashed a mischevious smile.

Issei sighed to himself before letting her do what she wants... He has a feeling that it will be useless trying to stop her.

Esdeath who saw Issei's departure created a bunch of low tier ice spirits. Altair and Sirius also did the same...

When they're done creating the ice spirits, they send them all to act as a sentry. This way, they won't have to be worried about anyone bypassing their "sight".

Esdeath's group then leave Issei's room...

But not long before they left Issei's place, there's a knock on his door.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Elder Ise... Are you there?" Cang Yue's soft voice resounded from outside the room.

She called for a second time but all she got is a silent treatment meaning that he's not in his room...

Cang Yue felt disappointed since this is not the first time it happened... Nowadays, Issei often went out of the sect but he should be back soon enough.

Cang Yue suddenly heard other footsteps from behind her only to see Xia Qingyue and Chu Yuechan walking towards her direction.

"Ah? Senior sister, senior master...?" Cang Yue gasped lightly seeing them both here.

Xia Qingyue and Chu Yuechan stopped in their track before they look at each other for a brief second.

Xia Qingyue then paid her respect as well while Chu Yuechan nodded softly.

"Is he not here?" Chu Yuechan asked Cang Yue.

"E-Eh? Ah, yes, it seems that he's not here..." Cang Yue hastily said.

Hearing her answer, both Qingyue and Yuechan felt disappointed... They then turned around and left.

But to their surprise, there's another group of girls coming towards their direction. They also greeted Chu Yuechan and Xia Qingyue when they saw them.

"He's not here..." Chu Yuechan said tiredly. She knows fully well just why they came here... Even her own sister is amongst them...

And just like them, the girls also becomes visibly disappointed... They then dispersed accordingly...

Cang Yue is left behind feeling awkward seeing that there are so many of her senior sisters wanting to visit Issei...

...

"Oh right, Master... It seems that there will be a tournament taking place at Divine Phoenix Empire called the <Seven Nation Ranking Tournament> soon." Zin said towards Issei during their trip.

This tournament is one of the biggest events in the Profound Sky Continent. In addition to the ten representatives, each nation can bring a thousand people to accompany them. The emperors of each nation would put down their national affairs and personally accompany them to view the tournament. Other people not invited would travel to Divine Phoenix City anyway in order to obtain an entry pass to view the tournament and support their own nation's practitioners.

Generally speaking, the Divine Phoenix Empire's strength could dominate the other six together. Five nations in the middle were relatively close to each other in terms of profound strength while Blue Wind Empire's strength was pitifully low. Every tournament, the participants from Blue Wind Empire would suffer crushing defeat and humiliation to the point that the Four Major Sects no longer sent any representatives and it was up to the Blue Wind Imperial Family to send their own people.

The tournament usually had one versus one battle held in a round-robin format. Because the tournament coincided with the opening of the <Primordial Profound Ark>, the schedule and format for the upcoming tournament were adjusted.

Zin thought that she might as well report this little news to her King just in case he's feeling interested in it... Although the chance for that is extremely low...

"I'm not interested." Issei said simply just like Zin expected.

After a couple of days of journey, they finally arrived at the grounds of the Divine Phoenix City.

They could arrive a lot sooner even with Zin flying speed alone but since Issei wanted to let Bai'er have fun, he told Zin to take it easy...

The air of the Divine Phoenix City evidently carried a trace of searing heat. It was not because the air here was warmer than Blue Wind Imperial City, rather, there was an extremely huge number of profound practitioners who trained in fire attribute profound arts, especially with the Divine Phoenix Sect as the head, in Phoenix City where the core grounds of the Divine Phoenix Sect. And it's also because it was within Divine Phoenix City, which allowed the air here to be filled with an excessive amount of flaming aura.

The size of Divine Phoenix City was enough to be twenty times larger than Blue Wind Imperial City. Even if that was the case, the level of density of people was still exceptionally shocking at the borders of the city. Countless of profound practitioners, wearing various types of clothes, were moving about. Among them, most appeared in groups, and seemingly everyone was emitting out an extremely dense and heavy profound aura… From these people, just by casually picking any one of them out, he or she would be at the level of a Sect Master in Blue Wind Nation.

Evidently, a lot of them had come here in advance to register for the upcoming Seven Nation Ranking Tournament.

Nobody could see Issei's party since he spread out an invisible barrier preventing anyone to spot them. If they indeed could see them then they probably would've become frozen silly because of Zin sight alone...

A normal <Zinogre> is already rare enough but for a species such as the <Stygian Zinogre> is unheard of in this lower realm... Perhaps there are some records about them but nobody should be able to recognize her considering the last appearance of her kind...

And if they sensed her cultivation realm then perhaps Issei and the girls would instantly attract everyone's attention... A peak level monarch is not common even in this place that could be considered a behemoth if it's compared to the Blue Wind Nation.

The highest cultivator here is only at the 9th level Monarch after all... And he's basically an Ancestor level old monster already...

Issei then looks at the sky... In the sky above Divine Phoenix City, there would occasionally be boat-shaped flying objects flying past at extreme speed. These flying objects were separated into highs and lows, or big and small. The shortest one was merely a few meters long, while the longest one could even reach sixty meters.

Issei has read about them a little, it seems that they are called the <Profound Ark>.

An extremely luxurious type of flying tool, and had many advantages which could not be compared by many flying profound beasts. However, the price to craft one was extremely expensive, and it's sources of energy are profound stones and profound crystals which is even more costly...

The consumption amount of profound stones and profound crystals flying a profound ark of regular size for two hours, when converted into profound coins, would entirely be a humongous figure that could dumbfound normal people.

Of course, Issei is anything but normal... He can easily provide fuel for millions of Profound Arks at once if he wanted to...

His riches that he obtained from this realm alone already surpasses all of the Four Great Sacred Grounds and all sect combined...

Hence, the number of people who possessed a profound ark was extremely small, and the number of people who could bear to use one, was even smaller…

In Blue Wind Nation, the ones who possessed profound arks were most probably only the imperial family and the Four Major Sects. However, he had never seen them use one before.

However, in this Divine Phoenix City, profound arks filled up the entire sky. Thus, it was evident to see the strength of their national power.

Looking past these profound arks, in the faraway sky, Issei sees a gigantic shadow... As though it was a giant black cloud floating shakily above the blue skies, it obscured a large extent of the brilliant rays of light that were shining down. With its shape and the posture it was adopting to float in the air, it looked just like an odd-shaped profound ark.

"Oh? Is that the <Primordial Profound Ark> you told me, Zin?" Issei said with arched eyebrows.

"Yes, Master. That is indeed the <Primordial Profound Ark> I told you before." Zin confirmed Issei's words.

The <Primordial Profound Ark> is a mysterious Profound Ark, the complete history of which is still currently unknown.

The height which that profound ark is at… It is roughly sixty thousand meters above the ground. And with such height, the black shadows that could be seen from one's line of sight could still be said to be huge. Its actual size could thus be imagined.

However, not many people from the crowd were stopping to raise their heads and view it. After all, this mysterious and unfathomable Primordial Profound Ark had already appeared a few months ago.

"Jasmine, Xun'er, have you seen anything like this ark? Is it common in the upper realm?" Issei inquired both Jasmine and Xun'er.

He thought that this ark is similar to some of the divine artifacts he has seen such as the <Sky Island> from the <Evenicle> world.

Of course, if it's compared to <Hanging Garden of Babylon> then it still falls short... But it's quite powerful to say nonetheless...

If possible, he wanted to take this Primordial Ark away and fuse it with Babylon.

He can sense a very faint divine energy oozing out from this Ark so he assumed that this Ark must've been created by some God of this world.

"That indeed should be a profound ark. I have seen many profound arks of this size, however, the feeling this profound ark brings me… is really strange." Jasmine said musingly.

"Um... I share the same thought as my daughter." Even Xun'er also shares the same thought as Jasmine.

"Strange? Why?" Issei asked her.

"Profound Arks had undergone changes in the course of a hundred million years of history, right now, they had long been becoming uniform and perfect constructs. For example, in order to reduce the consumption of profound stones, profound crystals, and even divine stones and divine crystals, the front part of the Profound Arks are all sharp and long, the entire bodyline is especially smooth. This way, it can greatly reduce the amount of resistive forces during flight. However, this Profound Ark actually adopts the exact opposite of this concept, and looks more like a product in the Ancient Era… The strangest thing is, when such a huge profound ark floats in the high skies, a large amount of energy is consumed every second. However, I completely cannot sense any trace of energy flow up above! This should be something completely impossible!" Jasmine explained.

"You know anything about it, Ise?" Xun'er asked him.

"Hmm... For one, this Ark is very ancient considering how faint the divine energy it currently emits that even you two couldn't sense it is another proof of it... It's most likely created by some God." Issei said his guess.

"...I see... If so that makes sense..." Jasmine nodded to herself.

If this Ark is created by a True God in the past then it's no wonder...

"The amount of energy this kind of artifact needed should be quite large and it's just not some random energy either, but I can sense different laws within its interior as well... If I'm not mistaken then it should be very similar to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm laws." Issei concluded his guess.

"What!?" Now this information takes Jasmine and Xun'er by surprise. But soon they become a little ecstatic.

If this Ark is created by the Heretic God then there will be a chance for another <Seed> residing inside it!

"As I just said, it's only a guess... I'm not completely sure yet." Issei reminded them.

"It doesn't matter! As long as there's a tiny chance of what you said is true then we must investigate it!" Jasmine said feeling visibly excited.

"Jasmine dear... Don't rush Ise now." Xun'er berated her daughter lightly.

"But mother... There might be another <Seed> within it and even if there isn't, it's still worth investigating considering that it might be created by the Heretic God!" Jasmine spoke advisingly towards Xun'er.

"I know, dear. But we can't force Ise if he doesn't want to." Xun'er said softly.

"Well... I'm also interested but we will investigate it later when my business here is done." Issei said calmly.

"...Bai'er? What's wrong?" Issei noticed that Bai'er seems to be in a daze while looking at the <Primordial Profound Ark>.

Even when he called her a couple of times, her gaze is still stuck at the Ark...

Now this made Issei frown... Just what is it that makes Bai'er seems so transfixed with the Ark?

But thankfully Bai'er is roused from her stupor soon enough.

Then Issei told Zin to take him towards the Princess Snow location...

...

<Phoenix Perching Valley> where she's usually located most of the time, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the remaining south side, was the three thousand meter Absolute Phoenix Cliff.

This place seemed to gather all the spiritual energy from the whole of Divine Phoenix Mountain and at one glance, it was all a pure clean green, unlike other places which were dried and wilted crimson. Even the wind seems exceptionally clean and gentle. In the middle of Phoenix Perching Valley was a calm and clear lake.

The entire Divine Phoenix Mountain Region was scorching hot except for this place, which was quiet and clear.

With Issei's help, they can easily bypass the guards and entered the valley.

When they are taking the view of the beautiful scenery surrounding this valley... a sound of a girl's humming voice came over to his ears, this voice was young and tender, a sound so ethereal that it seemed to not be from this world.

Anyone who heard this voice would feel an uncontrollable shudder came over their soul, as well as a kind of crazy, insuppressible longing… a longing to know the owner of this voice, to know what kind of girl could let out such a pure, ethereal voice.

He turned his head to look down at the girl who was standing under them.

It was a girl that seemed to have walked out of the fairy realm.

The girl wore a luxurious red garment, embroidered on top was a flying phoenix. Her phoenix robe was very gorgeous and surely one of a kind...

No matter the red or the golden color, both glistened brightly, as though every thread and every decoration was made of the world's most expensive material. However, this phoenix robe was like cosmetics on jade, overshadowed by her snowy creamy skin.

Her silky long black hair and her beautiful light-blue eyes... they seemed to billow like blue ripples, condensed inside her dreamy, illusory pupils, becoming an illusory, poetic, fairy-like dream.

She looked to only be around sixteen, in terms of appearance, she couldn't compare with Xia Qingyue, but in terms of how delicate and perfect her complexion was, even Xia Qingyue, number one fairy of Blue Wind, was inferior.

Of course, that is if we're talking about Qingyue from the past... Right now, the current Qingyue is still ahead of this Princess Snow.

If Issei was an ordinary man, perhaps his heart would be lost in the reverie by her beauty alone, but he wasn't an ordinary man... He has seen myriads of beauty across the multiverse and no matter how beautiful they are, to him, his wives are number one in his heart.

To him now, outside appearances are just a bag of skin and it would need more than beauty alone to attract his attention... But he has to admit that this Princess Snow soul is quite pure.

Probably because she has been living a secluded life for her entire life...

Jasmine sneaked a glance towards Issei's direction since even she feels that this Princess Snow is very beautiful, she's feeling nervous thinking that Issei might've been smitten by her beauty... But after seeing the same calm expression he usually has, she secretly sighed in relief...

Too bad that there's someone who noticed this act of hers and it's none other than her own mother who flashed a teasing grin. Jasmine's face instantly turns red and she immediately enters the pearl once again to hide her embarrassment...

Xun'er giggled lightly before she excuses herself and joins her daughter to went inside the pearl as well.

Issei is a little confused by their antics but he chooses to ignore it.

"XIaotao, is she the one?" Issei asked Xiaotao for confirmation if she's the true inheritor of the other Phoenix.

He can sense that by far, this Princess Snow possesses the purest Phoenix bloodline. You could say that compared to her clan member that Issei saw along the way, she stands out the most...

If her other clan member is like a firefly then she's like the sun itself.

"Yes, master... She's indeed the one." Xiaotao comes out from the <GoB> and confirmed Issei's guess. She can sense the other half of the Phoenix inheritance inside this girl's body.

"Zin." Issei called.

"Yes." Without the need for Issei to say anything, Zin swoops down to the ground.

Feng Xue'er who was on the ground nearby becomes startled seeing a giant shadow flew past her.

When she turned around, she saw a giant profound beast that she has never seen before... The profound beast looks quite intimidating yet also beautiful at the same time...

But what attracts her attention the most is the woman who has scarlet-red hair and a beautiful pair of crimson eyes representing a ruby.

She could sense a familiar presence that she always felt in the past... A presence of the Phoenix God her clan worshiped.

Xiaotao floated right in front of her and started observing Feng Xue'er more closely...

After a brief moment, Xiaotao nodded to herself: "...Very good seedling indeed... I can see why the other Phoenix soul residue chooses you as her complete inheritor."

"...Who are you, beautiful elder sister?" Feng Xue'er slightly perked her flowerlike lips and spoke as though she was uncertain: "Why do you seem so familiar? Are you someone from the clan?"

Her eyes were clear, and as bright as early morning. She doesn't have a little bit of suspicion that Xiaotao might be someone evil at all... She had always been this pure, and never had contact with any sin, nor had to be on guard at all

But, if Xiaotao was a man then she would probably be more wary of her...

She still doesn't see Issei yet since Xiaotao blocked her sight.

Xiaotao doesn't say anything before she closed her eyes, and soon, both of them are enshrouded in a small barrier... It looks like Xiaotao has started her trial...

Issei decided to just wait for them while he lets Bai'er plays.

...

After a while, the barrier that was covering Xiaotao and Feng Xue'er disappeared revealing the two of them but there's something different with Feng Xue'er...

Her aura seems to have increased by a large margin. The phoenix symbol on her forehead also grows brighter.

Feng Xue'er felt stupefied when she knows about Xiaotao's real identity... The other phoenix soul residue has told her about Xiaotao before and the former thought that she already killed her.

Then, sometime later she became lucid and regretted what she did to the other Phoenix Soul and before its death, she left her entire being for Feng Xue'er.

Xiaotao who heard this went silent before she exhaled disappointedly... It looks like they're not fated after all...

She was thinking to have her Master do the same to the other phoenix soul residue. So that way, it could hasten her Master recovery rate and her Master would gain another servant.

She truly never felt hatred towards the other Phoenix...

"I purposefully put a seal on your cultivation since you need to get used to it first and your current temperament and worldly affair experience is too shallow... If it fully awakens now, you will reach the <Divine Origin Realm> right away and that's not something the current you could handle." Xiaotao said towards Xue'er.

If Xue'er reach the <Divine Origin Realm> now, she would ascend to the upper realm. And with her current situation, Xue'er would become a delicious piece of cake for anyone from up there.

The danger in the upper realm compared to this lower realm is vastly different... It's like heaven and earth difference.

"Xue'er understands..." Feng Xue'er obediently nodded her delicate head.

"Don't let anyone know about it for now... It's best if you keep it a secret." Xiaotao advised.

"...Even from my royal father?" Xue'er timidly inquired. She never kept a secret from her royal father before... So it's making her nervous.

"Yes. Not even your royal father is allowed to know." Xiaotao nodded gravely.

She doesn't want the same thing with the other phoenix happen again... It's better if Xue'er stays innocent during her whole life.

If her royal father or anyone else knows that she has the full inheritance of the Phoenix legacy, who knows what they will do...

Perhaps they would make her a tool for their desire... And as for the other sect, they would want to obtain her for their own.

Her beauty alone already attracted a lot of attention. Needless to say what will happen if they know about this... There will be war...

Sure she could just threaten them but she wanted to train Xun'er starting now.

Xue'er nodded once again when she heard how grave Xiaotao's voice is.

"Don't worry... I will help you with your training during this time." Xiaotao reassured her.

"Thank you, Lord Phoenix God!" Xue'er bowed deeply at Xiaotao.

"Don't call me Lord Phoenix God... I'm not the Phoenix you once know. My current name is Xiaotao... I am but a humble servant of my Master." Xiaotao said softly which made Xue'er felt taken aback.

"Ah?!" Lord Phoenix God is a servant of someone?! Xue'er is so shocked that she gasped in surprise.

Xiaotao who saw Xue'er shocked expression has a faint smile on her face.

"No need to be so surprised... The current me exist because of Master benevolence... If not for him then I won't be here and I would've followed the other Phoenix soul residue fate." She said softly.

Xiaotao then turned around to look at Issei's direction. Xue'er also followed her gaze but what she sees makes her beautiful eyes stared wide open...

Issei was sitting in front of the lake with a gentle smile on his face while observing Bai'er who's playing at the lake. Even Bai'er has a happy smile on her face while splashing the water around...

Zin is situated behind Issei, she's still in her Dragon form encircling Issei with her body. Once in a while, she would nudge Issei with her head just like in the past... It seems that when she's in her Dragon form, Zin tends to act more spoiled towards him. Not that Issei mind in the first place...

This sight of them together looks just like an artistic picture.

"...So pretty..." Xue'er muttered dreamily. She loves the white color the most... Seeing Issei and Bai'er peerless white hair made her entranced.

Xiaotao flashed a prideful smile before she walks towards Issei's direction.

"Master, it's done." She said gently once she arrived behind him.

"Um..." Issei nodded slightly.

"Master, I have a request... I wanted to stay with her for some time." Xiaotao asks for Issei's permission.

"Sure." Issei readily agreed to her request.

"Xiaotao thanks Master... Xue'er, come greet my Master." Xiaotao thanked Issei and then she called Xue'er.