In the next moment, all the overwhelming noble aura around Zi Yan instantly melted away. She smiled brightly, cheerfully, looking directly at Shen Yi, and then cast a warm glance at his parents. She spoke with a happy, infectious, and cheerful smile:
"Uncle, Aunt, I am genuinely happy that you are finally here. Welcome to Eastern Dragon Island. Please, come with me."
After speaking, she instantly appeared beside Shen Yue, gently holding her arm, and flew directly toward the royal residence below, leaving behind Shen Han and Shen Yi, who were watching their backs with speechless, shared amusement.
"It looks like your personal choices perfectly match mine after all," Shen Han commented, looking at his son meaningfully. Shen Yi fell silent for a short moment, then simply nodded with a little, slightly embarrassed smile.
Then, both of them swiftly flew toward the royal residence to join the others.
…
After a Few Days,
Shen Yi stood high above the sheer cliff face, his gaze sweeping slowly over the vast, shimmering expanse of the Eastern Dragon Island below. The air was cool and crisp, carrying the faint, ancient scent of dragon scales and sea-salt. Zi Yan approached, her royal purple-gold robe rustling softly in the high-altitude breeze, and paused silently by his side.
"Are you truly going to leave my Uncle and Aunt here?" she asked, looking out over the silent, sweeping scenery before them.
Shen Yi glanced at her, a tranquil calm in his eyes, and gave a steady nod. "They will remain safely here. Eastern Dragon Island is the one and only place on this continent the Soul Clan would never risk attacking directly. I must face the last hurdle now, and when I finally do, the Soul Clan will not just notice… they will feel the colossal shift in the world's power."
A flash of profound surprise lit Zi Yan's eyes. The word "Supreme" hung heavy and unspoken in the air. After realizing it, she fell into a thoughtful silence, contemplating the sheer enormity of his ultimate goal.
Shen Yi turned his full attention to her, his expression now serious and focused. "Are you absolutely certain you can deal with the upcoming invasion entirely on your own? Soon, the other three Dragon Kings will collude and attack this Eastern Island in overwhelming force, and their sole intention will be to claim your life."
Zi Yan offered a bright, confident smile and a mischievous wink. "Don't you worry about me. Though I am still only a low-level Dou Saint right now, my newly awakened Royal Dragon Bloodline is more than enough to suppress them all without fail."
Shen Yi nodded, his concern easing only slightly, but still present. He looked deeply toward the north... the Central Continent, the clear center of all coming conflict. "Be careful. The token entrusted to you is far more than a mere keepsake. Use it if you ever feel truly unsure or in immediate danger."
Zi Yan nodded once, the light smile on her face softening with genuine understanding. The space beside her began to distort and subtly ripple. The void around Shen Yi's figure quietly diluted, and then he simply vanished completely, leaving no trace behind but the wind flowing past, causing her luxurious royal robe to billow softly. The light smile remained on her lips, a blend of queenly pride and dangerous anticipation.
On the Other Side of the Central Continent
A short while later, Shen Yi reappeared high above a vast, seemingly endless emerald mountain range. He instantly and completely condensed his terrifying Dou Saint aura, making himself appear as nothing more than an ordinary young traveler in a simple black robe.
Below his feet lay a familiar, spectacular fortress radiating a vibrant, star-like Dou Qi... the legendary Falling Star Pavilion, universally recognized as one of the Central Continent's most powerful forces. He remembered the original timeline: this fortress was the pre-determined, vital sanctuary where Xiao Yan was supposed to arrive after the events in the Heavenly Mountain Range, accompanied by his resurrected master, Yao Chen.
A profound, chilling silence settled on his expression. He had arrived weeks, perhaps months, too late, but the devastating events that followed demanded absolute certainty.
He descended silently, landing gently in the pavilion's northern courtyard. His massive soul senses instantly encompassed the entire realm, effortlessly bypassing all inner defenses and wards. His attention was immediately drawn to a grand reception hall where several powerful figures were quietly gathered.
Space itself subtly rippled and folded as Shen Yi stepped out of the void channel above the Sky Star Mountain Range. His prodigious aura did not need to flare... a Dou Saint of his peerless level had no need to show off anything... yet the surrounding world reacted anyway. The swirling, starlit qi of the land instinctively curled around him, as though the very mountain recognized the arrival of a supreme sovereign.
He suppressed his presence into a gentle, controlled whisper of power, careful not to startle the Pavilion's unsuspecting disciples into believing a disaster was descending upon them. Even tightly restrained, his mere footsteps on the stone floor visibly distorted the ambient air like the rising heat shimmering over desert stone.
He walked calmly into the Falling Star Pavilion's inner court. Disciples passing by were struck by an instinctive, inexplicable urge to bow their heads, even though not one of them consciously recognized the passing man. Several froze mid-movement, immobilized by the profound sense that something impossibly ancient and powerful had just walked past them, perfectly disguised in the familiar shape of a youth.
Inside the main hall, Pavilion Head Feng Xian sat reviewing a stack of recent reports. The very moment Shen Yi crossed the threshold, the old man's wind-attribute Dou Qi surged involuntarily, reacting to a pressure he hadn't felt since the most chaotic ancient sect wars of legend. The paper reports fluttered violently on the desk, and the oil lamps around the room flickered erratically.
Feng Xian immediately rose to his feet, his old eyes instantly guarded and wary.
"Senior…!" He quickly checked himself, studying Shen Yi more closely. The young man's calm face simply did not match the overwhelming aura he felt, and that difference alone made the Elder far more cautious.
"May I inquire as to your purpose here at my Pavilion?"
Shen Yi smiled politely, a subtle curve of his lips, and spoke. "There is no need for such formalities, Pavilion Master Feng. I have simply come seeking information… about an old, dear friend of yours."
...
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