Because Yan Mingqiu had lost his memories, Fang Huai came to Yunling Peak every day to fill him in on past events, introduce him to acquaintances, and guide him through joint cultivation sessions to help him recover his magical powers.
Pointing to a patch of open ground in the distance, Fang Huai said, “Look over there, that’s right where you took in that little rascal as your personal disciple. On that day, Yunling Peak set off fireworks the entire night, and you declared that the entire realm should celebrate.”
“Look at this fish pond. It originally housed a century-old golden dragonfish, but when that little rascal broke through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, you were so ecstatic that you immediately slaughtered the fish to celebrate his breakthrough.”
“Look at that cliffside over there. There used to be no pavilion, but simply because the little rascal casually remarked that the scenery at that spot on Yunling Peak was the finest, you had a dedicated pavilion built for him so he could sip tea while enjoying the view.”
“Now look over here… and there… and right over there…”
Fang Huai’s chatter showed no signs of stopping.
Yan Mingqiu felt a touch of embarrassment regarding his past brainless pampering. “Since I doted on him so much, why would he commit patricide and try to destroy his master?”
“Who knows? I’ve always maintained that the nature of demons is hard to change. When their rutting seasons strike, where is there any room for reason? That’s why I’ve always advocated against taking demonic entities as disciples. You simply refused to listen to me and insisted on keeping such a dangerous figure by your side.”
‘Rutting… season? So the person in last night’s dream was Hanzhou, and last night’s dream was actually my memory of what happened right before I died?… To die under circumstances like that—no wonder the memory is so deeply etched,’ Yan Mingqiu inwardly lambasted himself.
With a complex expression, Fang Huai gazed at Yan Mingqiu. “You possess the cultivation of the peak Foundation Establishment wait, peak Nascent Soul stage, while that little rascal was merely at mid-Foundation Establishment. How on earth did you fall into his hands? Could it be that the brat drugged you? You know, back then when Master Sect Master discovered your lifelight was flickering weakly, he dragged me along to search for you. When the Sect Master and I finally located the two of you, you were still entwined… entwined… together. I was ready to beat that little rascal to death on the spot right then and there, but I never expected him to possess a life-saving magical artifact that allowed him to tunnel into the earth and escape directly.”
The more Fang Huai spoke, the greater his fury grew. Drawing his long sword, he slashed downward, cutting a nearby giant tree cleanly in half as it came crashing down with a thunderous roar.
Yan Mingqiu pictured the scene in his mind and turned pale. “Um… I don’t remember.”
Fang Huai sheathed his spiritual sword. “No matter. Once we capture Hanzhou and subject him to severe interrogation, we’ll find out the truth.”
Meanwhile, bound tightly with a Spirit-Binding Cable the entire journey, Hanzhou was escorted straight to his grandfather’s estate in the North Sea.
Dragon King Long San of the North Sea was utterly heartbroken. The moment they met, he immediately unknotted the binding cable. “Oh dear, my precious boy, you’ve suffered so much along the way! Come here, let Grandfather give you a hug.”
Hanzhou’s father, Han Ba, dared not reveal the unvarnished truth to Long San, claiming only that Hanzhou had provoked trouble and drawn the pursuit of powerful enemies, necessitating a temporary refuge in the North Sea. He even explicitly instructed that Hanzhou must be kept strictly confined and forbidden from leaving.
Long San outwardly agreed, though inwardly he scoffed at the caution.
“What catastrophic trouble could possibly matter? My North Sea possesses treasures in abundance—there is nothing in this world that cannot be resolved with treasure. If there is, it simply means we haven’t offered enough treasures! Come, Grandfather will take you down to the vault to pick out whatever you like go ahead and select a hundred boxes of them right now. Who did you offend? Take Grandfather to meet them, and I’ll settle the score for you.” Vowing vengeance, Long San prepared to march straight to the treasury.
Hanzhou hurried forward to support him, instinctively mimicking the behaviors etched in his memories as he wheedled coquettishly, “Grandfather~ You’re the best! Father always blows everything completely out of proportion. Back when I made minor mistakes as a child, he’d exaggerate them to the heavens and give me a severe beating every single time. You’re the only one who truly cares about me, Grandfather.”
Long San patted the hand holding his arm. “You’re the only family Grandfather has left in this world. Your grandmother and your mother left us far too early, so I’ve poured all the love meant for them into you. You’re Grandfather’s dearest treasure.”
Tears welling in his eyes, Hanzhou choked out, “Grandfather, you’re too good to me. It’s your grandson who is unfilial, always causing trouble. But now that I’ve grown up, I must learn how to handle matters independently after all, I’ll need to inherit the throne one day. Grandfather shouldn’t tag along; let me grow up on my own. As you said yourself, with a hundred boxes of treasure, there’s no problem that can’t be solved.”
Moved by the words, Long San sighed with emotion. “My precious boy is finally growing up. Very well, have it your way. Besides, you still carry the three Escape Beads your mother left you; remember that each bead can only be used once to traverse ten thousand miles in an instant. If you ever run into danger, make sure to use them.”
“Understood, Grandfather, I’ll keep that in mind.” Hanzhou beamed brightly.
Packing all one hundred boxes of treasure directly into his Sumeru ring, Hanzhou set off alone toward Qingyuan Mountain, the domain of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Horned dragons possessed a natural gift for flight, though they could only soar in their true dragon forms; flight remained impossible while transformed into human shape.
Employing the method preserved within his memories, Hanzhou manifested his true form—a sleek, jet-black horned dragon covered in shimmering, tightly overlapping scales. These scales were simultaneously impervious to damage and completely flexible, appearing capable of withstanding any blade or tempest known to the world.
To avoid detection, he climbed to high altitudes, concealing himself deep within the cloud cover. Traveling at blistering speed, he reached the skies above Qingyuan Mountain in less than half a day.
Looking down from high above, the entire Qingyuan Mountain range displayed rolling layers of emerald peaks dotted with countless cascading waterfalls, resembling an earthly paradise brimming with extraordinarily dense spiritual energy.
Blundering straight down from the sky was obviously out of the question, as doing so would trigger the defensive barriers and bounce him forcefully back.
Reaching down to touch his waist, Hanzhou found the spot where his identity jade talisman should have hung completely empty.
Recalling fragments of that blurred memory, he realized he had fled naked, leaving him with only the three Escape Beads residing within his divine consciousness one of which he had already expended earlier, leaving two remaining.
Bolstered by possessing high-tier escape artifacts, Hanzhou grew emboldened, flying down toward the sole pathway leading up the mountain. Heavy streams of patrolling disciples traversed this route continuously. Armed with an inexhaustible arsenal of magical and spiritual tools, ambushing an unsuspecting target and pilfering an identity talisman proved a trivial task.
With the aid of his cheats, Hanzhou successfully swiped a jade talisman, swallowed a Changing Pill to instantly morph into the victim’s appearance, and swaggered directly through the mountain gates.
Navigating the familiar paths with practiced ease, he soon arrived at Yunling Peak. In the past, this domain housed exclusively himself and Yan Mingqiu; currently, it appeared entirely uninhabited, lacking even the faintest rustle of human activity.
Just as Hanzhou stood transfixed by the familiar scenery, reliving the memories of the events that had transpired here during the original owner’s lifetime, a voice suddenly called out to him.
“Hey you, the Canglang Immortal sent you, right? I have a task for you.”
Turning around, Hanzhou found himself staring directly at Yan Mingqiu the exact Yan Mingqiu from the original owner’s memories.