Crimson Phoenix

Lan Caiyou usually had a lazy and casual demeanor, always surrounded by a faint sense of drowsiness.

Her Thousand-Specter Dream Butterfly bloodline and dream-realm divine abilities inherently required her to often cultivate in a half-asleep state.

Her beautiful eyes were usually half-squinted, carrying a lazy sleepiness.

She also wanted to cry, wanted to throw herself forward regardless of everything to confirm it, but her long-standing habits and the current scene made her suppress that urge desperately, only unconsciously gripping the fuzz on the butterfly's back with both hands.

The indifference between Bai Zeming's brows completely faded away, his eyes full of shock and wild joy. His fingertips trembled slightly; he wanted to say something, but did not know where to start.

The biting cold aura around Ye Canglan instantly dissipated. His hands hanging by his sides were tightly clenched, restraining the urge to step forward.

Only Chi Huang was completely different.

She was the last to arrive. As soon as her figure stabilized, her gaze accurately locked onto Gu Changyuan.

The moment she saw clearly who it was, all restraint and calmness vanished into thin air. A crisp and excited shout echoed through the sky:

"Boss!"

Chi Huang's eyes, always full of battle intent, were terrifyingly bright at this moment, containing only pure, almost instinctive closeness and reliance.

She didn't hesitate at all, nor was she shocked into silence or forcefully restraining herself like the others. In an instant, she crossed the final distance of over ten zhang and crashed straight and solidly into Gu Changyuan's embrace.

Her arms tightly wrapped around Gu Changyuan's waist, and her head unceremoniously rubbed hard against his chest, letting out a satisfied whimper akin to a small beast.

The crimson wolf tail behind her wagged furiously, like a high-speed spinning fan blade, whipping the air until it whistled.

Gu Changyuan was knocked into a slight sway, but then steadily caught this enthusiastic red cannonball.

Looking at his seventh disciple in his arms, rubbing against him like a large dog and making no secret of her excitement, his eyes were filled with helpless and doting laughter.

He raised his hand and naturally, stroke by stroke, rubbed Chi Huang's fiery red and smooth long hair with unparalleled familiarity.

Among all the disciples, Chi Huang was indeed the most pure and straightforward one.

In her world, it seemed only two things could truly pique her interest:

Battle, and her Boss (Gu Changyuan).

Back when Gu Changyuan first met Chi Huang in the Demon Realm, she was merely a small wolf demon at the Golden Core stage, yet she was already an absolute battle maniac, fearing nothing in heaven or earth.

Relying on a surge of ferocity and innate combat intuition, she dared to provoke Nascent Soul stage demons.

The result, naturally, was being ganged up on by a group of enraged Nascent Soul great demons, leaving her heavily injured and near death.

Gu Changyuan happened to pass by and casually saved her.

It was also then that Gu Changyuan told her for the first time that the path of cultivation went far beyond the Nascent Soul realm; there were Soul Formation, Void Refinement, Tribulation Crossing, as well as a broader world and stronger power.

Chi Huang was ignorant at the time, but stubbornly believed that power was everything, still going her own way and refusing to be disciplined.

Gu Changyuan often said, Challenging unknown opponents before your strength can fully match theirs is not bravery, but recklessness.

But the Chi Huang of that time had an untamed and rebellious nature. How could she listen to this? Naturally, she was unwilling to submit to Gu Changyuan's discipline.

Gu Changyuan did not say much, directly using the most brutal and effective method—beating her into submission.

Every day, Gu Changyuan would use only the close-quarters combat skills she was most proud of to beat her until she had no power to fight back.

Then, while she lay on the ground doubting her life, he would give precise guidance, telling her what she did wrong and where she could improve.

Initially, Chi Huang naturally refused to accept it, fighting after every defeat and being defeated after every fight.

During this time, she also challenged other senior brothers and sisters who had already joined the sect.

But she just had an unyielding ruthlessness, and coupled with the fact that Gu Changyuan's guidance truly made her feel her progress.

Gradually, she began to learn from the pure beatings, starting to think and attempting to use the techniques Gu Changyuan taught her.

Since who knows when, she stopped calling Gu Changyuan "Hey" or "That guy," and awkwardly began calling him "Boss" with a hint of admiration.

She also slowly integrated into this small group. Although she was still obsessed with battle and challenging her fellow disciples was commonplace, she began to enjoy the feeling of having opponents, companions, her Boss's guidance, and constantly growing stronger.

Her personality also shifted from her initial reclusive, violent self who cared about nothing but fighting, gradually becoming cheerful, understanding teamwork, and developing a deep, almost familial reliance on Gu Changyuan and her fellow disciples.

Of course, the essence of being a battle maniac never changed.

Chi Huang's straightforward actions instantly neutralized the forbearance and sorrow in the hearts of the other four disciples, and the heavy yet excited atmosphere in the air became much lighter.

Tushan Youyao and the other three watched Chi Huang's uninhibited appearance and shook their heads helplessly, yet their eyes were full of doting.

Among all the disciples, Chi Huang was considered the least scheming one. She said whatever she wanted and did whatever she wanted, hiding no selfish motives and playing no mind games, with only battle in her heart.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this purity that she received the most care and favoritism from her senior brothers and sisters.

Having rubbed enough in Gu Changyuan's embrace and absorbed enough of her Boss's aura, Chi Huang lifted her head in satisfaction.

She immediately let go, skipped over to Tushan Youyao's side, and grinned at Tushan Youyao:

"Eldest Senior Sister, do you want to come absorb some of Boss's aura too? It's super effective! I feel like my cultivation speed could increase by thirty percent!"

Tushan Youyao looked at her innocent appearance, helplessly but gently reaching out to lightly tap her on the head.

"Nonsense."

She turned her gaze back to Gu Changyuan, took a deep breath, and a heartfelt, radiant smile with unshed tears bloomed on her stunningly beautiful face, enough to eclipse the heavens and the earth.

"Master, welcome back."

A simple few words, yet they contained thousands of unspoken ones, expressing a thousand years of waiting and anticipation.

Gu Changyuan looked at this group of demon disciples before him, each with a different personality but all holding deep reverence and affection for him, and a warm current surged in his heart. He nodded slightly, his voice gentle yet firm:

"Yes, I'm back. You've all worked hard these past years."

Lu Jiuyi coughed lightly at the right moment. He gestured downwards with his eyes and gently reminded:

"Master, should we move inside the hall to catch up?

If we keep chatting up here in the sky, I'm afraid the disciples down below will have enough gossip to talk about for the next few months."

His words reminded everyone. They all looked down.

They saw that everywhere in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion—whether the plazas, corridors, cultivation platforms, or the windows and balconies of the various pavilions—was densely packed with Heavenly Demon Pavilion disciples craning their necks to watch.

Their faces carried curiosity, excitement, and thrill.

Gu Changyuan looked at the vigorous junior disciples of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion below with bright eyes, feeling gratified in his heart as well.

He nodded and said loudly:

"Alright, let's go inside first."

With that, he took the lead and flew toward the top floor of the central spire.

This place was the residence specifically reserved for Gu Changyuan by the ten Demon Ancestors of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, remaining perfectly intact for a thousand years.

Inside the residence, rooms were scattered about. Among them was a spacious and brightly lit great hall, large enough to accommodate everyone.