Abyssal Fire Drake

"No, how could you even think of that!" An Yi raised an eyebrow, asking curiously.

"This kind of thing—how could you let someone else help with it!"

Shen Muxuan pinched the hem of her clothes with her small hands and whispered, "B-because... I can tell that Shifu seems to like you."

Last night, when An Yi was frozen, Mu Qingyi had looked utterly panicked, on the verge of tears.

In Shen Muxuan’s memory, Mu Qingyi had always been calm and composed, handling everything with unshakable poise. This was the first time she had ever seen her master in such a state.

"N-no way, right?"

An Yi had to admit—he was a little flustered.

Shen Muxuan grabbed his hand and said earnestly, "An Yi, can you promise me one thing?"

An Yi arched a brow. "What?"

"Can you marry Shifu?"

Shen Muxuan gazed at him with unfocused eyes, full of hope.

She wouldn’t live past a year.

If she could bring An Yi and her master together before she left this world, she could rest in peace.

An Yi gently pulled her into his arms and said softly, "Silly girl, you’re not going to die. I won’t let it happen."

Shen Muxuan smiled sweetly. "Mhm."

"But Muxuan, you keep trying to set me up with your master—aren’t you jealous at all?"

"Why would I be? This is normal in our sect."

"Oh... alright then."

"?"

At the entrance of Qingyuan Pavilion.

"You’re really going to the Tianluo Forest?"

Mu Qingyi looked at An Yi with concern.

An Yi chuckled. "Muxuan’s Yin Spirit Vein is too powerful. I have a way to suppress it, but I need an extremely Yang-aligned material."

"But those places are too dangerous."

Mu Qingyi’s eyes reddened slightly, a rare hint of vulnerability showing in her usually composed demeanor.

"Relax, you know how strong I am. It’s nothing."

An Yi’s expression darkened slightly. "But while I’m gone, I’ll need you to watch over Qingyuan Pavilion."

Mu Qingyi replied gently, "Don’t worry. I sent a message to the Tianxuan Sect a few days ago asking for help. They’ve already dispatched a few elders."

"That’s good." An Yi let out a sigh of relief.

After he had killed a group of infiltrators and intimidated the other sects, Qingyuan Pavilion had become much safer.

But there was no guarantee those people wouldn’t try again.

With the Tianxuan Sect’s support, he could leave with peace of mind.

Mu Qingyi sighed softly. "It’s a shame Elder Shangguan is no longer with us. If she were still alive, those cowards would never dare threaten Qingyuan Pavilion!"

Shangguan Qinghong, the Grand Elder of Qingyuan Pavilion, had been Mu Qingyi’s master’s mother and the former sect leader before the last. Her strength had been extraordinary.

At its peak, Qingyuan Pavilion had been a top-tier sect, rivaling even the Tianxuan Sect.

But after the incident with the Yuqi Sect, they suffered heavy losses, leaving the sect without a strong core of disciples and struggling to recover.

If not for that, Mu Qingyi—still so young at the time—would never have had to take up the mantle of sect leader.

A glint of killing intent flashed in An Yi’s eyes. "I’ll be back soon. And when I return, I’ll settle the score with those sects—one by one."

Mu Qingyi smiled faintly.

Then, her gaze lingered on him with a hint of resentment.

They had only just confirmed their relationship.

But these past few days, An Yi had been spending all his time with Shen Muxuan.

Understanding her silent complaint, An Yi stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her soft, fragrant hair. "Wait for me."

After An Yi left, Wu Susu, standing atop the mountain gate, gaped in shock.

The relationship between An Yi and Mu Qingyi was... complicated!

Her mind reeled.

She had always dismissed the rumors about the forced marriage as baseless gossip.

But now, it seemed the rumors were true!

Dragon’s Maw Valley.

Flames engulfed the world.

The ground had split open, revealing the scorching red magma below.

A suffocating wave of heat rolled across the land, turning everything within ten miles into a barren wasteland.

"This damned place... I hate it."

A man with an androgynous, almost effeminate appearance wiped sweat from his brow with a delicate flick of his wrist, frowning in distaste.

He turned to the hulking dark-skinned man beside him, eyes flashing with irritation. "Hei Geng, we’ve come to this hellhole again, and it still won’t come out!"

Hei Geng, his face as dark as charcoal, was built like a mountain—his muscles grotesquely exaggerated, each one sharply defined.

"Better to check often. A fire dragon this powerful is rare, Bi Jia."

He stared intently into the abyss of magma below, excitement burning in his eyes.

There was a seal here. If he could break it and release the fire dragon trapped within...

He had no doubt that with this beast under his control, unifying the immortal sects would be child’s play.

Bi Jia sighed. "Hard to believe it’s already been a hundred years in the immortal realm. I wonder how the mortal world is doing."

"With Chi Bing and Zi Gui there, nothing major should happen," Hei Geng said confidently.

Bi Jia scoffed. "Don’t forget—spiritual energy is nearly nonexistent in the mortal world. Without using their powers, their physical bodies aren’t much stronger than a Void Realm martial artist’s."

Hei Geng snorted. "They’ve always been hands-off. Over the past three hundred years, how many people has the boss sent to the mortal world? Coming and going like it’s nothing. Meanwhile, we’ve been stuck guarding this immortal realm the whole time."

Bi Jia mused, "Speaking of which, I heard the boss sent two brats here—to the immortal realm."

"Brats? Since when?" Hei Geng frowned.

"Two demons. Said they wanted to ‘experience foreign culture’ and asked us to look after them."

"Damn it! Do they think this is a daycare? We’re already neglected enough as it is, and now they want us to babysit?"

Furious, Hei Geng slammed his fist into the rock wall.

A massive crack split the stone—a feat that would terrify even a Void Realm peak expert.

Bi Jia shrugged. "That’s why I ignored it. Let them fend for themselves."

Hei Geng grunted. "By the way, do you know who those two demon brats are? The boss specifically mentioned them—must be important."

"How would I know? The boss is too far away to enforce anything. What’s he gonna do, scold me?"

With a flick of his wrist, Bi Jia swayed toward the abyss and said lazily, "Right now, our priority is releasing that fire dragon. How are the preparations?"

Hei Geng grinned. "That girl with the Yin Spirit Vein has already returned from the mortal world. We can start making moves to capture her!"

Deep in the abyss, the terrifying silhouette of a massive, dragon-like serpent flickered in and out of view within the molten lava.