The ocean surface churned mightily, the massive, reef-like boulder seemingly on the verge of being swallowed by the waves at any moment.

"Hah!"

Suddenly, the void rippled, and a golden, radiant dragon head ascended from the stone's surface. Then, it abruptly opened its enormous maw, from which Nie Kong and the Ghostly Soul Eagle King strode forth.

A flash of crimson light, and Tai Yan darted out from Nie Kong’s chest, clapping her tiny hands with delight. "Brother, I finally don't have to hide anymore... Ah!"

Before she could finish speaking, Tai Yan shrieked and dove back into Nie Kong’s embrace, for in the time she spoke, Nie Kong had suddenly shot into the high skies and gracefully landed upon the back of the closely following Ghostly Soul Eagle King.

"Brother, you're so mean, scaring me again."

Tai Yan's indignant voice echoed.

Nie Kong couldn't help but laugh heartily at the sound of her words. The Ghostly Soul Eagle King, however, let out a piercing, high-pitched cry. With a single beat of its wings, it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, instantly traversing a hundred meters of void.

Moments after the figures of the man and the eagle vanished into the horizon, a flat, massive serpent's head surfaced on the sea hundreds of meters from the great stone. Its icy gaze fixed intently on the shrinking black dot high above. A sibilant hiss escaped its mouth before its head submerged instantly back into the seawater.

The wind whistled past his ears, and the waves churned beneath him.

Traveling across this stretch of sea once again, Nie Kong’s state of mind was vastly different.

More than two months ago, Nie Kong and Long Xuechan had steered the Ghostly Soul Eagle King along this route, companionship close at hand. Back then, he had desperately wished he too could sprout a pair of wings to rush to Dragon Island immediately. The primary reason was the sheer presence emanating from Long Xuechan in every glance, every smile, every word—it caused him extreme discomfort.

At that time, he only thought of reaching Dragon Island sooner to find release.

But now, even if Long Xuechan were still by his side, Nie Kong would no longer need to trouble himself with such anxieties. If he wished, he could embrace that unparalleled beauty anytime, even anywhere, whispering tender affections and indulging in spirited passion, and Long Xuechan would undoubtedly meet him with equal fervor, granting him supreme bliss.

The revelation of his relationship with Long Xuechan was only one reason for Nie Kong's uplifted spirits.

There was another: the child growing within Long Meixian’s belly. After verifying it personally through a calculated ruse that day, the joy in Nie Kong's heart was beyond words. His only regret was that after all this time, his relationship with Long Meixian remained so stiff, without any sign of thawing.

It was fortunate, however, that the gestation period for the Dragon Spirit race women was exceedingly long. Less than three months had passed; Nie Kong still had ample time to mend things with Long Meixian. Furthermore, before leaving Dragon Island, Nie Kong had asked Long Xuechan to intercede when the time was right. Since the sisters shared a deep bond, he anticipated a positive outcome.

Of course, if there were no progress whatsoever, Nie Kong might have no choice but to periodically employ the Dragon Companion Love Seal to motivate things a bit. The seed already taking root in Long Meixian's womb was Nie Kong’s first child on the Celestial Spirit Continent; he absolutely would not tolerate any mishap.

"Nie Kong, where are we headed now?"

Qing Yue emerged from the Beast Talisman, her little eyes darting around. In truth, after she reconstituted her true form and recovered her strength, Nie Kong had intended to release her from that Beast Sect talisman. This had been a condition he promised when Qing Yue first departed the Spirit Sealing Stele in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range.

What surprised Nie Kong, though, was that the little thing was quite reluctant. Her reason: hiding within the talisman allowed her to completely mask her aura, enabling her to accompany Nie Kong into and out of various places and occasions to broaden her horizons. Without the talisman's concealment, even hiding on Nie Kong’s person would allow those Heavenly Spirit experts to sense her.

Nie Kong was torn between laughter and tears at Qing Yue's reasoning, but since she insisted, he let her have her way. He figured she would change her mind once she had her fill of fun.

"Brother, are we going back to Spirit Royal City?" Tai Yan's voice drifted from Nie Kong's chest. This young girl suffered terribly from acrophobia and refused to show her head. Unless seen firsthand, no one would believe that Tai Yan, who contained terrifying power within her, harbored such a weakness.

"No, we are... going home!" A smile played on Nie Kong's lips.

"Home?" Tai Yan sounded puzzled.

"Grandma knows! Isn't it the Yin Ruins? After two or three years, your fiancée has probably taken over the Wood Sect by now. Hehe, little one, you're in luck again. When we get back, your Aunt Qing, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, and the others will probably be arranging weddings for you. Tsk, tsk, marrying a Wood Sect master as a wife, just thinking about conquering that achievement, Nie Kong, am I right?"

Qing Yue spoke with an aged air, her tone laced with mockery.

Nie Kong couldn't help but flick her forehead. "I'm not talking about going back to that home in the Yin Ruins; I mean the family home in Jiyang City of the Great Achievement Empire!"

Still, what Qing Yue said wasn't entirely wrong. If he truly returned to the Yin Ruins, that wedding would likely be hard to escape.

The thought of that little girl, Mu Qingying, caused Nie Kong a wave of headache. Yet, no matter how much his head ached, he knew he had to return there eventually. Moreover, he had devised a potential solution for the trouble involving the Wood Ancestor and needed to choose a time to return and try it out.

The Wood Ancestor had been wounded by Grand Sovereign Lingzun’s "Dark Blood Spirit Worms." Now, Grand Sovereign Lingzun’s avatar—or rather, the entity that hadn't yet been transformed into an avatar—was right beside him. Aided by the medicinal power of her "Look-Back Grass," it might be possible to extract the three Dark Blood Spirit Worms.

Fortunately, the Wood Ancestor was in deep slumber and could sustain herself for a long time, so Nie Kong wasn't pressed for time; he had more crucial matters to attend to now.

"The Nie Family in Jiyang City!"

Qing Yue rubbed her forehead and pouted, looking somewhat disdainful.

Although the Nie Family of Jiyang City was one of the five great clans of the Great Achievement Empire and reasonably powerful, over the years, as she followed Nie Kong on his travels, she had encountered countless formidable figures in places like Spirit Royal City, the Yin Ruins, the Fallen Abyss, the Sea God Palace, the Flower Butterfly Secret Realm, and Dragon Island. She had even met ancient Star Gods from the 'Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm' and Grand Sovereign Lingzun from the Netherworld. It was natural for her not to hold the Jiyang Nie Family in high regard.

Upon hearing this, however, Tai Yan laughed joyfully. "That’s where Brother and Sister Hua Mei used to live. I really want to see it too."

"Yes, it has been a long time since we went back."

Nie Kong felt a wave of emotion too. Although in his memories of the preceding eighteen years, he was mostly sickly, Jiyang City held countless memories for him. Furthermore, it was in that home that he and Hua Mei depended on each other for three full years, and after his soul possessed the body, he had developed feelings of love for that beautiful and kind woman.

Having been away for so many years, he wondered if that courtyard, those people, still remained.

Fifth Elder Nie Xingyun, Lian Tianxin, Mu Xiaoling...

Familiar figures flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, but just then, a sudden, ominous premonition violently yanked Nie Kong back from his memories...

... ...RO