“So where are we going, Princess Xue?” Zaitian said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“It’s somewhere special.
But it’ll only be for the two of us.
No one else.”
I said it with a small, secret smile—the kind that invited him to wonder but refused to explain.
Zaitian gave me a weird look, which I casually shrugged off.
“Okay,” he said calmly.
Better.
I happily brought out Lumen, who rapidly expanded to her full size.
I gave her a deep look.
She understood immediately.
“Climb on, Young Master.
We don’t have all day,” I said to Zaitian, who was still standing there, staring at the whole thing.
He stomped his feet before landing on Lumen’s back.
“Zaitian, please take care of Her Highness,” Lian suddenly said.
Between the two of us, who will be taking care of whom?
“Let’s go, Lumen.”
I held onto one of her horns while Zaitian stayed behind me.
Lumen immediately took off, heading north.
“So where are you taking me, Princess?” Zaitian asked, curiosity hidden beneath his calm voice.
“Somewhere.”
I made my voice mysterious.
He gave me another strange look.
I smiled.
“Have you heard of the Great Desolation Era?”
“Hmm.”
His response was as short as ever.
I ignored it.
“What do you think about our two families joining hands and withstanding the coming storm together?”
“I don’t think that’s my decision to make,” Zaitian said plainly.
His answer annoyed me a little.
“But if you become the Son of God of your clan, I believe you’ll have the right to make that decision.”
“You have so much faith that I’ll become the Son of God of my clan.”
There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
“Or don’t you want to be?”
He remained silent.
“And I will come on the day of the tournament,” I added calmly.
“So don’t embarrass me.”
The environment became quiet.
For the next two hours, we flew at full speed on Lumen’s back.
We had long since left the territory of the Long Clan.
I glanced backward at Zaitian.
He really trusts me.
He doesn’t even seem to care where I’m taking him.
A strange feeling surfaced in my heart.
I quickly ignored it.
Eventually, we arrived at a vast forest.
The moment we descended, Zaitian looked around in astonishment.
The forest was enormous.
Immortal herbs grew everywhere, ancient trees towered into the sky, and a serene spiritual aura filled the entire region.
It looked like a paradise.
“Where are we, Princess?” Zaitian asked, still looking around.
I smiled proudly.
“This vast forest you’re looking at is mine”.
I didn’t even try to hide the pride in my voice.
The way he looked at me changed.
Shock.
“You’re not joking, right?”
“Believing it is your choice.
Not mine.”
I said it with a quiet, unbothered smile—the smile of someone who had nothing left to prove.
Then—
BOOM!
Something like a meteor crashed into a distant part of the forest.
The ground trembled.
My expression immediately darkened.
Three cultivators followed the falling object.
“They dare…”
A flicker of anger crossed my face.
“Princess.
Let’s go check it out,” Zaitian said.
I wasn’t pleased.
I brought him here to show off, and now this is happening.
I nodded.
We hurried toward the area on Lumen’s back.
The closer we got, the more my mood worsened.
The sound of fighting echoed through the forest.
Someone was destroying my territory.
I’m going to make them regret every action they’ve taken.
We eventually arrived.
Three cultivators were besieging a female cultivator.
A mask covered one side of her face, while blood stained parts of her clothes, and her clothe has the Shu family Crest.
“Why don’t we observe what’s happening?” Zaitian said.
“Why would I?
It’s not like I’ll be bothered if any of them dies.”
I was still angry.
“The longer they fight, the more of your forest will be destroyed,” he said calmly.
I glanced at him.
He had a point.
The cultivators below hadn’t even noticed us.
That changed when Lumen hovered above them and released her aura.
The oppressive presence of a Spirit Severing cultivator spread across the forest.
The three cultivators immediately stopped fighting and looked upward.
One of them stepped forward.
“This is the affair of the Hexagram Divination Sect.
No outsiders are allowed to interfere.”
His tone was cautious, but the arrogance on his face was obvious.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Your affairs don’t concern me.”
I glanced around at the damaged trees.
“But you’re destroying my precious forest.”
“This sect they’re talking about—is it powerful?” Zaitian suddenly asked.
“Yeah.
But they can’t compare to our families.”
I remained annoyed.
The injured female cultivator suddenly looked toward us.
“Esteemed Daoist, please help me.
I’m being framed here.”
She sounded desperate.
“So you know how to beg, Miss Shu?”
One of the cultivators sneered.
His eyes moved over her body with undisguised lust.
My expression changed.
I immediately favored the woman.
Just because of that single act.
Zaitian noticed.
He turned toward me.
“Do you have a spare sword?”
His voice was colder than before.
I brought out a mid-Earth-grade sword and handed it to him.
The three cultivators noticed the exchange.
The oldest one, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward.
“Since you didn’t accept the token offered to you, my sword has no eyes.”
His killing intent erupted.
He charged toward us.
I sensed his cultivation.
Third stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.
The other two were in the fifth and seventh stages of the Core Formation Realm.
Zaitian and I jumped down from Lumen’s back.
“I’ll take two,” Zaitian said.
He volunteered before I could even say anything.
All in the name of training himself.
I smiled slightly.
“Fine.”
I took the strongest one.
But I didn’t go all out.
I only stalled him while keeping my attention on Zaitian.
He needed the experience.
The battle between the three soon became intense.
Zaitian moved his sword, constantly adapting to the two opponents.
I watched him carefully.
His movements weren’t perfect.
But he was improving.
What annoyed me was the damsel we’d come to save.
She was gone.
I looked around.
She had already run away.
My eyebrow twitched.
“Lumen.”
I sent the command directly through our connection.
Go find her.
Lumen immediately chased after her.
“I’m going to teach her a lesson later,” I muttered while battling the cultivator half-heartedly.