Chapter 289: Hei Qing

Xiao Ming wasn't afraid of the Ice River Valley, Although it was one of the three valleys, its strength was the weakest among them.

The other two had Half-Saints or Dou Saints, but the strongest in the Ice River Valley, Venerable Bing He, was only a four-star Dou Venerate. Therefore, there was no need to worry too much.

If the Ice River Valley chose to retreat, all the better, but if they insisted on being aggressive, it was uncertain whether they would continue to exist beyond a year or two.

In contrast, Xiao Ming felt that he should be warier about the people of the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.

As one of the three major beast tribes, their experts far exceeded those of the Ice River Valley.

'Xian'er used the Dou Qi barrier before, blocking the sound transmission, so Yao Yun's identity should not have been spread. If Yao Yun did not tell anyone that he was with Bing Xun when he went out, then the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe should not be able to associate us with his disappearance for the time being,' Xiao Ming thought to himself after comforting Xiao Yi Xian.

'Forget it, I won't think much about it for now. Our main objective is to enter the Pill Tower.'

Thinking this, Xiao Ming put the sheepskin scroll that was still in his hand into his spatial ring and waved to Qing Lin and Zi Yan.

"Xiao Ming, do you need us for anything?" Zi Yan bounced over to Xiao Ming's side, followed by Qing Lin.

"You can have these three high-grade storage rings." Xiao Ming extended his hand and took out the storage rings that he had just acquired, passing them to the three of them.

High-Grade Storage Rings were still considered rare and uncommon in the North-Western Region. Besides the Star Ring, Xiao Ming had only obtained a Serene Sea Storage Ring from Han Feng, which he had given to his teacher, Elder Huo.

That's why Xiao Yi Xian and the others were still using Intermediate-Grade Storage Rings.

The three girls didn't refuse and accepted the storage rings.

As she took the High-Grade Storage Ring from Xiao Ming, Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help but glance at the fire-red ring already adorning her hand. Memories of the first time she met Xiao Ming flooded her mind, and she felt a surge of emotion in her chest.

Though the new ring was undoubtedly more valuable, the fire-red ring held a special place in her heart. It had been a gift from Xiao Ming, and since she had received it, her life had been forever changed.

With a tender smile, Xiao Yi Xian carefully slipped the new ring onto a different finger, not wanting to part with the fire-red ring.

After seeing them take the storage rings, Xiao Ming handed them the "Cloud Imprisonment Hand" that he had not yet stored away.

"This Cloud Imprisonment Hand is an Intermediate Di Dou Technique. It's not bad and doesn't require any attribute requirements. You can try cultivating it."

...

In the following days, Xiao Ming and his companions continued to use the spatial channels to travel towards the headquarters of the Pill Tower, and soon they arrived at the outskirts of Holy Pill City.

However, an unexpected event occurred in the last spatial channel that led directly to Holy Pill City.

Within the strange passage, which was bathed in a faint silver light, an eerie calmness contrasted with the storm raging outside. A ship several meters in size was hurtling through it at an astonishing speed.

Suddenly, in the midst of the endless space storm, a giant black dragon with an incredibly massive body and no end in sight emerged from the darkness. Its beastly eyes, sparkling with majestic purple pupils, stared intently at Xiao Ming's side where Zi Yan was standing.

The dragon charged straight towards the space channel, but as it drew closer, its body rapidly shrank until it transformed into a towering, muscular man radiating a faint silver aura.

Without hesitation, the man strode straight through the barrier of the space channel, revealing his incredible spatial proficiency.

After passing through, the man accurately landed on the flying space boat that was moving at high speed.

Xiao Ming frowned upon seeing the muscular figure stepping onto the space boat from outer space. He then cupped his hands and asked, "Senior, I wonder if you have any reason to block our path?"

Ignoring Xiao Ming's words, the man carefully examined Zi Yan by his side, his eyes filled with fanaticism, awe, and excitement.

Excited, the muscular man took a few steps forward, standing close enough that his height of nearly two meters and bulging muscles made him incredibly imposing. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that he possessed immense physical strength.

In response, Xiao Ming quickly pulled Zi Yan back a few steps while Xiao Yi Xian rushed to his side. Qing Lin even summoned her two puppets, including Yao Yun.

"Senior?" The reaction of Xiao Ming and the others caught the muscular man off guard. Immediately, his square and rugged face softened into a friendly smile, his large hands rubbing against each other with a sense of restlessness. His dragon-like eyes fixed on Zi Yan.

"I apologize for startling you, I am... no, my name is Hei Qing. I am a member of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. I have come here on the orders of the Third Elder to request the return of our royal bloodline to Ancient Dragon Island!"

Upon hearing Hei Qing's introduction, Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes but was not surprised.

He had already guessed Hei Qing's identity when he appeared. After all, they only had Zi Yan with them who could attract such a terrifyingly powerful expert.

'Hei Qing from the Eastern Dragon Island,' Xiao Ming muttered to himself.

Hei Qing did not know that Xiao Ming had guessed his origin from just his name. He wore a simple and friendly smile on his face and looked at Xiao Ming with an appreciative gaze. Xiao Ming's actions of protecting Zi Yan earlier had left a good impression on him.

'To have the strength of a Dou Ancestor at such a young age and still care for the Dragon Emperor, it seems like the new Dragon Emperor has made a good friend... However, this bloodline feels familiar... It seems to be the Xiao Clan. I never thought that the Xiao Clan, which had fallen into oblivion, could still produce such a talented individual. No wonder they were once the strongest of the Eight Ancient Clans... But unfortunately, their bloodline is now non-existent.' Hei Qing thought to himself.

When she was a solitary beast, Zi Yan had always longed to meet her own kind and had imagined being overcome with excitement when she finally did.

But now, as she looked upon the man before her, filled with anticipation, she clung onto Xiao Ming, her small face expressionless.

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke in a flat voice that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Well, I can sense that you are my kin. You say I am the Dragon Emperor? Then can you tell me why my father and mother abandoned me?"

Looking at the calm expression on Zi Yan's face and listening to her cold voice, even a towering figure like Hei Qing felt a lump in his throat, and his smiling face disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.

"This is a complicated matter, and I only have partial knowledge. We can only go back to Dragon Island and let Elder Zhu Li explain it to you. But I believe there must be some misunderstanding."

Xiao Ming was aware that there was a misunderstanding.

In reality, Zi Yan's father, Zhu Kun, had been calculated and forced to abandon her, rather than intentionally leave her behind.

Apart from Zhu Kun, no one knew the truth about this matter as clearly as Xiao Ming did, but he could not explain it because he couldn't reveal how he knew.

After hearing Hei Qing's explanation, Zi Yan was hesitant, despite her calm facade. She longed to learn more about her past, particularly any information concerning her parents.

Unable to make a decision, Zi Yan looked up at Xiao Ming.

Seeing this, Hei Qing understood the important role that Xiao Ming played in Zi Yan's heart. He gave Xiao Ming a significant glance, hoping he would help by speaking up.