Chapter 929: Spring and Autumn Cicada, Offering Myself to You!

“Hmm? Little Creek broke through to third rank?”

Lu Changsheng knew at once it was his daughter, Lu Baixi, making the breakthrough.

He was a bit surprised.

He hadn’t expected his daughter to advance so soon.

With the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood and his own cultivation resources, she’d long reached the peak of second rank and could冲 at third rank anytime.

He just thought she would temper herself in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range for a while longer.

But a moment’s thought made it clear.

Against second-rank or even quasi–third-rank beasts, Lu Baixi had no problem.

But facing true third-rank Demon Kings, she wouldn’t be an opponent no matter what, so more training would have limited effect.

After tasting real combat, it was better to ride that momentum and break through directly.

Seeing his daughter break through, the system promptly sent a congratulatory red-envelope. Lu Changsheng was delighted.

He didn’t rush to draw a prize.

He kept helping Ao Long balance the riotous power in her body. Only when he’d spent thirty percent of his magic power did he stop.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Lu.”

Ao Long’s voice was soft and warm as she turned to him.

She wore a blue-violet dress that shimmered like water, as if woven from dragon-scale gauze. Tall and stately, her curves were a breathtaking study in grace and power.

Yet that regal, conqueror’s figure now looked soft and delicate, her voice low and gentle. The contrast stirred a fierce urge to take her.

After so long detoxifying and staying together, Ao Long no longer hid the affection in her eyes.

Earlier while chatting she’d asked if the name Wang Lin he’d used was an alias.

Thinking of how he’d slipped and given his real name before the Green Dragon King, Lu Changsheng didn’t hide it—he admitted his true name.

So Ao Long no longer called him Fellow Daoist Wang, but Fellow Daoist Lu.

“Fellow Daoist Ao, you’re too polite.”

Lu Changsheng smiled, his gaze clear and calm as he met hers without flinching.

He wasn’t about to push away her very obvious affection.

After all, faced with a woman perfect in looks, figure, talent and bloodline—a prime candidate for the mother of his children—why would Ancestor Lu refuse?

So after helping her heal, he gradually let conversation flow.

They chatted about the customs and stories of the Southern Desolation, and he asked about the Forbidden Sea and the Eastern Sea cultivation world.

They hadn’t done anything intimate, but a subtle, teasing tension already hung between them.

From experience, once the timing was right—or a good pretext appeared—their relationship could take the next step.

“Fellow Daoist Ao, get some rest. I’ll head back and rest as well.”

After a while of small talk, the thought of a rare draw tugged at him and he spoke gently.

Leaving the innermost palace, he nodded to the Green Dragon King standing guard outside. The King returned the nod but his face stayed dark.

In his eyes, how could this pretty boy be worthy of his master?

But his master liked him, and had even forbidden him to stand guard inside. He could only wait outside.

Lu Changsheng didn’t care about the Green Dragon King’s attitude.

If you’re courting another man’s lady, you can’t expect a smile from him.

Besides, with the Green Dragon King’s fierce, ugly mug, what difference did a smile make anyway?

“Master.”

The Turtle Immortal Patriarch was also waiting nearby. Seeing Lu Changsheng emerge, he followed like a servant.

Although he and Ao Long clearly had feelings for one another,

the palace’s deepest area was riddled with formation restrictions and danger.

Ao Long and the Green Dragon King both could threaten him, so he kept the Turtle Immortal Patriarch by his side at all times.

“System, draw!”

Back in his own quarters, Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and murmured in his heart.

He had little interest in normal draws now.

Months ago, when his children’s Foundation Establishment count broke twenty, he hadn’t even bothered to use it.

Only the rare draw still excited him.

“Please, anything but a cultivation method.”

Right now, spirit pets, spirit treasures, or fifth-rank rare wonders would all help him.

Only new methods weren’t much use—he had too many to practice already.

As he prayed, the golden light slowed, then stopped on the “Spirit Pet/Artifact” slot.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the spirit pet: Spring and Autumn Cicada!】

【Reward delivered to system space. Host may check anytime.】

“One of the top ten wondrous insects in the cultivation world—the Spring and Autumn Cicada?”

He had heard of its name.

Rumor said this strange insect commanded the power of time, able to reverse it and strip away years.

Once, a Nascent Soul True Lord tried to capture one and had a hundred years of lifespan stripped away.

Whether those records were true or not,

a cicada ranked among the top ten wondrous insects and hailed as one of the most mysterious spoke for itself.

He had also seen information on the Spring and Autumn Cicada in the Divine Creation Refinement Art.

Within that art was a supreme treasure called the Time and Years Blade.

Its main material was a fifth-rank Spring and Autumn Cicada!

He opened the system space.

【Spirit Pet: Spring and Autumn Cicada】

【Grade: High-tier True Spirit】

【Note: A spirit insect born in the River of Time. Currently early fourth rank. Possesses the ability to tug on time and affect the flow of years.】

“High-tier True Spirit!”

Seeing the grade gave him a rough measure of its combat value.

Among his current spirit pets, the highest grade was the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass he’d obtained earlier.

Its combat utility was beyond doubt.

The Turtle Immortal Patriarch, a pure-blood True Spirit descendant, had terrifying methods,

yet his bloodline was between mid-tier and high-tier.

So this Spring and Autumn Cicada ranked half a tier higher than even the Turtle Immortal Patriarch!

“I wonder exactly what this Spring and Autumn Cicada can do.”

Since this was the Green Dragon King’s palace, he raised a barrier with a thought, then drew the Spring and Autumn Cicada from system space.

In an instant a palm-sized cicada appeared, body crystal-clear, wings broad and overlaid with the concentric pattern of tree rings.

Its eyes gleamed, faceted like countless hexagonal crystals, deep as ink.

A faint mist coiled around it, time flowing across its body—spring’s fragrance, summer’s heat, autumn’s chill, winter’s hush, all refracted in turn.

“Hiss… what a Spring and Autumn Cicada! No wonder it’s one of the top ten wondrous insects, even recorded in the Divine Creation Refinement Art as a material for a Celestial Treasure!”

The moment he summoned it, understanding clicked into place.

Unlike beasts or spirit plants like the Golden-Winged Roc, the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, or the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass,

the Spring and Autumn Cicada had no direct offensive means.

It had only one ability: command the power of time.

And with that alone, its impact far outstripped the Golden-Winged Roc, the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, and the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass.

For instance, it could strip away another’s years—lifespan itself.

In the cultivation world, lifespan’s importance couldn’t be overstated.

When your allotted years ran dry, your end arrived.

Though this one was only early fourth rank,

a single cry could turn a hale and vigorous Core Formation cultivator into a shriveled elder, dying as his years ran out.

Even against Nascent Soul cultivators, it could peel off a hundred years at a time!

Not every Nascent Soul cultivator was as young as Lu Changsheng.

Hunyuan Sect’s old ancestor, True Lord Hunyuan, had less than a century left.

If he ran into this cicada, one exchange and his lifespan would be gone—he’d perish on the spot.

Worst of all, this power of time ignored most artifacts, divine abilities and defenses.

No matter your talent or techniques, before the Spring and Autumn Cicada you could only watch your years drain away.

“Isn’t this basically an old-man eraser?”

Against cultivators with little life left, Lu Changsheng would be invincible.

Even late-stage Nascent Soul or great True Lords who came for trouble could be dealt with—at a price, the cicada could shear off their years.

Beyond lifespan theft, it could also accelerate the deterioration of an opponent’s injuries in battle.

That effect was huge in a duel.

This time power could affect not just cultivators, but formations and artifacts too!

Formations and artifacts required spiritual power to run.

Under the pressure of time, if they didn’t have a continuous influx of power to nourish them, damage would appear.

Beyond stealing years, the Spring and Autumn Cicada could also reverse time.

If he was grievously injured, it could reverse him to a prior state, granting a second wind.

If his artifact was damaged, it could roll time back to repair it.

If someone launched a sudden attack, it could cast a layer of time force to slow the strike and buy him breathing room.

In short, its ability was outrageously heaven-defying, useful in countless situations.

“Stir the River of Time and form a timeflow barrier…”

In his view, the greatest use right now was leveraging that power to tug the River of Time and form a Timeflow Barrier.

Time inside the barrier would flow differently from the outside.

Decades within could equal only a few years outside.

For him, that meant everything.

With wives, children, and family matters piling up, he barely had time to sit down and cultivate.

Right now he needed to deepen his grasp of the power of the void, condense a Nascent Soul Domain, and master the divine abilities in the Yin-Yang Creation Sutra.

He also had three techniques to train: the True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons, the God-Devouring Technique, and the True Spirit Nine Transformations.

If he wanted them all in hand, it would take decades.

With the cicada, he might not master them all at once, but he could train without holding up real-life affairs.

He also thought of other uses for the barrier.

For example, continuing the family line had become difficult.

All he could do was keep working at it, diligently.

That kind of effort could also be made inside the Timeflow Barrier.

He’d always believed effort pays off—where there’s a will, there’s a way.

His current realm and physique made childbearing difficult, but not impossible.

If one month didn’t work, then two.

If two didn’t, then three—or six.

If needed, he’d put in years.

He refused to believe it wouldn’t take.

With his Chaos Body and a fourth-rank physique with the Kidney Divine Treasure opened, he could work for years without flagging.

Even decades of effort wouldn’t drain him much.

The only question was whether the mother of his children could handle it.

“It’s a pity True Spirit bloodlines and cultivators have such a hard time getting pregnant…”

He glanced toward the depths of the palace, thinking Ao Long was the perfect candidate.

After these days together, he knew her physical body far outstripped his.

If they dual cultivated, he could hold nothing back and enjoy himself thoroughly.

The problem was that Nascent Soul cultivators were notoriously hard to conceive with, True Spirit bloodlines even more so.

They would need natural treasures and rare wonders to assist.

Otherwise, it was down to luck despite effort.

Thinking of how they were only flirting so far, he shook his head.

Still, Lu Baixi’s breakthrough made him feel his family didn’t have enough children walking the demon path with True Spirit bloodlines.

If he could have more children with such bloodlines, it would diversify and strengthen the family.

“Hard indeed…”

He knew such things couldn’t be forced, so he let it be. Then he looked at the cicada again.

The Spring and Autumn Cicada was perfect in every way,

save for its low intelligence—below that of ordinary fourth-rank Demon Kings—and its inability to take human form.

He held out his palm.

The cicada fluttered its ring-patterned wings and settled on his hand.

“Show me your power over time and years.”

He spoke to the cicada.

It trilled lightly as mist flowed around it, half its body verdant with life, the other half withered and gray, reeking of death.

Lu Changsheng immediately sensed the power of time.

Under normal circumstances, it could strip sixty years from him.

If it paid a price, it could take about two hundred.

Any more would harm it badly and require long recuperation.

“I may have only second-layer Nascent Soul cultivation, but I’ve condensed the Yin-Yang Myriad Laws Nascent Soul, possess the Chaos Body, and a mid–fourth-rank physique.”

“So against early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, the cicada could easily strip away over a hundred years.”

He muttered, coming to a rough estimate of its power.

For early-stage Nascent Soul, it could easily take a hundred years and at most around four hundred.

For mid-stage, roughly like his current state, sixty to seventy years, at most two hundred.

For late-stage, maybe only twenty to thirty years.

Even if it went all out, maybe seventy or eighty at most.

“Unless it advances further or pays a heavy price—killing a thousand to wound itself eight hundred—its effect on late-stage Nascent Soul is limited.”

Whatever it was, it was still only an early fourth-rank cicada.

That it could threaten late-stage Nascent Soul at all was astounding.

Still, lifespan was precious.

In most cases, losing mere decades would be enough to cow a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

“But against demonkind, this power seems a bit chicken-rib…”

Human Nascent Soul cultivators lived about a thousand years.

Even at that realm with plenty of ways to extend life, they’d be at a disadvantage against this cicada.

Demonkind was different—most outlived humans by far.

The Turtle Immortal Patriarch’s turtle lineage lived over ten times a human Nascent Soul’s span.

Against such beings, the cicada’s time power barely mattered.

But another case came to mind.

The Beast God Mountain’s beast kings, accelerated and nurtured by secret arts.

If those met the cicada, that would be another story.

“All things counter each other—nothing is truly invincible.”

He smiled, knowing the Spring and Autumn Cicada restrained those with little life left.

Going after long-lived beings like the Turtle Immortal was just asking for trouble—weak against strong.

He then had it form a Timeflow Barrier to test the effect.

“Buzzz—”

The cicada spread its wings, tugging the unseen River of Time. A curtain like turning year-rings formed and slowly wrapped around him.

He let the power wash over half his body, feeling it carefully.

Two-to-one.

Three-to-one.

Four-to-one.

“It’s already consuming too much at just four-to-one?”

He frowned, surprised at the cost.

Then he understood.

His Chaos Body and Yin-Yang Myriad Laws Nascent Soul gave him strong resistance to time stealing, so the barrier’s effect on him would be the same.

A steady three-to-one or four-to-one against him was already remarkable.

“Looks like this barrier is best for Foundation and Core Formation cultivators.”

He mused that he could leave the cicada at the Lu Family and build a time room.

Then the family’s disciples could cultivate within and enjoy dozens of times the flow difference.

True, lifespan would pass according to the barrier’s flow.

But for secluded cultivation, that didn’t matter.

He could almost see it—his kids stepping in at first-layer Foundation, stepping out at third layer, even sixth.

“Good. It may be limited for me, but it’s a huge boon for Ping’an, Wangshu, Sister Miaoge and the rest!”

Pleased, he decided that once he returned he’d build the time room on Bihu Mountain.

“Besides the River of Time, is there anything else that helps you grow?”

He asked the cicada.

From the system he knew this wondrous insect needed no feeding.

It could drink straight from the River of Time to sustain and grow.

Time flowed like water and the River was at everyone’s side.

All beings lived within it.

So as time passed, the cicada would grow on its own.

But growth that came only by the slow drip of time was exactly what he hated most.

“Buzzz.” After a moment’s thought, the cicada indicated that heavenly materials containing the power of time could accelerate its growth.

He knew such things were mostly fourth rank and rare.

But with his status now, if he cared to try, he could likely gather a few.

“Alright.” He filed it away for the cicada’s sake.

Thinking of the draw from twenty children reaching Foundation Establishment, he murmured, “System, draw!”

【Ding. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained Second-Rank Poison-Making Art!】

【Reward delivered to system space. Host may check anytime.】

“Oh?”

He lifted a brow, a hint of joy on his face.

Normal draws didn’t mean much to him now.

Only the “Arts” category still had use.

“Convert it to formations experience.”

He didn’t hesitate. Sitting cross-legged, he immersed himself in formations.

With his peerless wits and insight he would comprehend them to fourth rank.

Once the Heavenly Sword Sect finished relocating, he’d rebuild Yangming Mountain and lay grand arrays.

If his skill was lacking, even with fourth-rank array masters from the Zhenhai Seven Sects helping, flaws might remain.

Besides, his spirit-soul was already at the eighth layer of Nascent Soul.

To fully wield late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul through a grand array, he had to reach fourth-rank formations!

In an instant, countless insights poured into his mind.

After a long while he opened his eyes.

His formations had reached fourth rank.

Like with cultivation, divination, and artifact refining, third to fourth rank was a threshold.

Once crossed, the world felt wide open; formations vast and profound.

It even inspired his Talisman Art and progress in the Nine-Nine Profound Talisman Sutra.

After a brief contemplation, he closed his eyes again to rest and adjust his magic power.

Later he still had to help Ao Long balance her raging force.

Though such a heaven-born insect was best kept hidden,

to fully resolve her problem would take at least a year or two.

If he used the cicada to anchor a Timeflow Barrier, it would save a lot of time.

Besides, he’d already shown many methods before Ao Long and the Green Dragon King.

One more Spring and Autumn Cicada wouldn’t change much.

“Miss Ao, I got a message and will have matters to handle later, so I plan to speed things up.”

“This is a wondrous insect I obtained years ago. It can form a barrier where time flows differently from the outside world.”

Returning to the deepest palace, Lu Changsheng spoke solemnly.

“Different from the outside?”

Ao Long’s golden eyes like molten sunlight fell on the cicada in his hand, surprise flickering there.

There were pocket realms with different flows of time in the cultivation world,

but a mere cicada forming a barrier to twist time? That was insane.

Suddenly something seemed to click and she nodded slightly, her voice gentle. “Then I must trouble you, Fellow Daoist Lu.”

“Buzzz—”

The cicada cried and spread its wings, tugging on the River of Time. A curtain like age-rings unfolded, gradually wrapping Lu Changsheng and Ao Long.

Alone, the barrier had given him about three-to-one, even four-to-one.

Affecting two at once, it managed a bit over two-to-one.

“Fellow Daoist Lu… is this the famed Spring and Autumn Cicada?”

With Azure Dragon blood and a background in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, she had heard the name before.

But only in records.

She hadn’t expected to see one on his hand, and shock rippled through her heart.

A cicada that commanded time—most cultivators couldn’t even approach,

not without having their years stripped before they got close.

“Yes. The Spring and Autumn Cicada.”

He smiled and moved to the massive bed of Sea-Marrow Jade, placing both hands at her back as he ran the Yin-Yang Creation Sutra.

Ao Long dipped her head with no further questions, though inside waves crashed.

The Spring and Autumn Cicada.

It was truly that legendary cicada.

He not only had the Turtle Immortal Patriarch, a mid–fourth-rank Demon King as a servant, but even such a cicada.

This foundation was beyond anything she’d associated with a mere Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Is he a great Nascent Soul True Lord who seized a body to cultivate anew?”

“Did he jump from Core Formation to Nascent Soul in a few short years with the cicada’s help?”

She guessed in her heart.

From the Green Dragon King’s account she had already suspected he’d seized a body to cultivate anew.

Now she felt it wasn’t that simple.

At least a great Nascent Soul True Lord starting over—or even a Spirit Transformation True Venerable reincarnated.

Otherwise, how to explain it?

“I must marry him into my house. With him as my virtuous spouse, my future will benefit immensely!”

Her heart thumped. Whether he was a great True Lord restarting or a True Venerable reborn, she wasn’t letting go.

In fact, the more extraordinary he was, the more she wanted him home.

He was handsome and exactly her type, and so capable. How could she pass him by?

As for his background, secrets, and possible trouble—she didn’t care.

She was a pure-blood of the Azure Dragon Clan, overlords of the Eastern Sea!

Not the very first sequence, but still direct lineage.

With the gains from this journey and furthering her bloodline, once back at the Dragon Palace she would draw the Dragon Lord’s eye and have hope at fifth rank.

With that, she had no need to worry about his origins.

So long as he was willing to marry into her household and support her, she could even help him resolve karmic entanglements in the future.

Her heart itched. She wanted to claim him now and take him back to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.

Immortal City of Damengze.

More than two years had passed since the Lord of Dameng City, Yangming True Lord, single-handedly captured six Nascent Soul cultivators and turned the tide of the Liang-Yue war.

After so long fermenting, his name had spread through the Southern Desolation and the Northern Region, remembered by every major power and True Lord.

That fame drew attention—some schemed in the dark, others came to pay respects.

But since the war’s end, he had vanished, shut in seclusion and declining all visitors.

Everyone who came was turned away.

Even Nascent Soul True Lords visiting Immortal City of Damengze were refused, meeting only the City Lord’s Wife, Li Muwan.

Now, in the reception hall of the City Lord’s Mansion—

“Since your lord refuses guests, I won’t impose.”

A man in a gray robe from the Yan Yang Kingdom, Bai Yuanqing, spoke coolly.

He had rushed over upon hearing of Yangming True Lord, never expecting to be refused.

He suspected the Lord’s refusal to see anyone meant he’d been heavily injured in the war and was not in good shape.

Otherwise, after hearing his pedigree, the Lord would have come out.

“My husband truly cannot receive guests right now. Please forgive us, True Lord. If you have matters, I will relay them.”

Hong Lian, with a Nascent Soul spirit-soul, saw Bai Yuanqing was no ordinary cultivator but a mid-stage powerhouse, and was especially polite.

Especially after he revealed he hailed from the Central Domain.

“No need. I only came to pay my respects upon hearing his name.”

Bai Yuanqing waved and turned into a rainbow light that left the mansion.

He had come to gauge Yangming True Lord’s background and his stance toward orthodox and demonic paths.

If the Lord showed goodwill and leaned toward the Mystic Gates, he might even mention Ro Fuzish and help smooth things over.

Now he had no such intention.

“Safe travels, True Lord.” Hong Lian saw his displeasure and bowed.

Under normal circumstances, she would have notified Lu Changsheng for a mid-stage True Lord’s visit.

But Lu Changsheng had gone to the Starry Sea.

She wouldn’t activate an emergency message to summon him back just for Bai Yuanqing.

“Looks like this Yangming True Lord isn’t as strong as the rumors. He must have been badly wounded attacking Beast God Mountain, or used a forbidden art, leaving him in decline.”

Leaving the mansion, Bai Yuanqing mused.

Rumors said Yangming True Lord was terrifying, capturing six True Lords and breaking Beast God Mountain in short order.

But according to his own information, the Blood Sea Sect had been involved behind the war.

So when the Lord toppled Beast God Mountain, he likely faced a Blood Sea Sect True Lord.

He might have won, but certainly not easily—he must have been gravely injured.

Otherwise, why vanish right after victory, shutting the doors and refusing guests?

He simply feared having his weakness exposed.

Especially since, from Yan Yang Sect’s patriarch, he knew Yangming True Lord was close to Qingluan True Lord.

Qingluan True Lord had been hunted by many powers and her life or death was unknown, yet this Lord hadn’t moved—clearly odd.

“If so, should he meet Ro Fuzish, he’ll be in big trouble.”

Bai Yuanqing knew a bit about the Lord of Luofu Mountain.

That one may have reached sixth-layer Nascent Soul and was gathering resources for late stage.

Per the Yan Yang Sect patriarch, Ro Fuzish had once hunted Qingluan True Lord from the Northern Region into the Central Domain, indirectly crossing Yangming True Lord.

Now that the Lord had risen and showcased astonishing power, his great fortune would make Ro Fuzish unwilling to let him be.

With Yangming True Lord refusing all guests, many powers and high-level cultivators drew the same conclusion as Bai Yuanqing.

They thought he wasn’t as powerful as claimed, likely badly injured and in poor condition.

Even so, they only speculated in secret, not daring to probe too far.

After all, he was still a mid-stage True Lord with the record of capturing six Nascent Soul cultivators.

Not someone they could afford to offend.

“Yangming True Lord remains in seclusion and refuses guests—likely heavily injured.”

A cultivator visiting the city crushed a Message Talisman, sending word to Luofu Mountain.

At the same time, a hundred miles from Immortal City of Damengze, the void rippled.

A girl of twelve or thirteen stepped from the Great Void, youthful yet exquisite, in a snow-white dress with snow-white hair and a pure silver horn in the center of her brow.

“So this is Yangming True Lord’s Immortal City of Damengze?”

Bai Zhaozhao looked ahead. A mere third-rank spirit vein and third-rank grand array wrapped the city, and she frowned slightly.

She’d known the city’s situation.

But seeing the famed Lord living in such a place left her a little disappointed.

Place matters in cultivation.

The “land” in the phrase “wealth, partner, method, land” referred to spirit-vein dojos.

Often a cultivator’s land revealed much about them.

Damengze was decent—its fortune surpassed many third-rank cities and reached fourth rank, with a wisp of heavenly secret coiling above.

But it was still a third-rank city. Hardly worthy of a True Lord’s eyes.

It dragged down her first impression of Yangming True Lord.

Thinking of the Golden-Winged Roc and White Snake bloodline she’d seen in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, Bai Zhaozhao let her aura flow, hid the horn on her brow, and released a Core Formation pressure before entering the city.

Soon she arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion to pay respects, only to learn the Lord declined visitors.

She then released a Nascent Soul aura, bringing Hong Lian to receive her, but the answer remained no.

“When will Yangming True Lord emerge?” Bai Zhaozhao asked.

She hadn’t come only to pay respects—she also wanted news of the White Snake bloodline.

“As little as a year or two, as much as ten.”

Hong Lian studied the girl. Her aura was deep and ethereal, even Hong Lian couldn’t see through it—clearly no ordinary figure.

“Up to ten years…” Bai Zhaozhao frowned.

She could wait a year or two.

But three to five, even ten, was too long. She still had to seek great-fortune bearers and the anomaly her patriarch had mentioned.

“I have important business with him. When Yangming True Lord emerges, please inform me.”

With a soft glow on her flawless face, she handed over a Jade Talisman, then left the mansion.

She didn’t leave the city,

but performed divinations to see when he might emerge.

As before, the Lord’s heavenly secret was obscured. He likely carried a treasure of secrets or had a Divination Grandmaster shielding him—she couldn’t see through it.

But she did see a faint aura of calamity around the city—a hint of coming trouble.

At that time, Yangming True Lord might appear.

So Bai Zhaozhao settled in the city to wait.

Time flew. In a blink, half a year passed.

Forbidden Sea, Green Dragon Island, the deepest palace.

Lu Changsheng and Ao Long sat cross-legged on the great Sea-Marrow Jade bed, with him helping her balance and command the raging force within.

At last Ao Long felt the surging Azure Dragon power completely under her control. Cold and exquisite as frost and moonlight, her face brimmed with joy.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, you detoxified me and helped me master my bloodline. I don’t know how to repay you.”

Her golden eyes like molten sun looked at him as she leaned in, no longer hiding the heat in them.

“Fellow Daoist Ao, you’re too polite. Back then the Green Dragon King helped me—”

He smiled, her tall graceful figure so close he could breathe in her fragrance.

Somehow, their hands had laced together.

Before he could finish, she suddenly smiled and said, “I remember a saying among your human race—when there’s no way to repay a kindness, you offer yourself instead.”

“Your kindness is beyond repaying. So how about this—marry me and let me be the one you belong to?”

She kept that slight forward lean—leaning closer still.

As she spoke, her dark red lips, tasting faintly of ice and light, were almost brushing Lu Changsheng’s face.