Chapter 484: Departure

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have coveted the Ancient God Mansion. It's all the fault of that scoundrel Tou She Ancient God! He tricked me and kept me trapped for so long."

Seeing the tears in Zi Yan's eyes, Zhu Kun became nervous and awkwardly tried to approach her.

"Child, don't cry, please don't cry. It's all my fault. Whatever you ask me to do from now on, I'll listen to you. If you don't believe me, I swear, okay?"

But Zi Yan sniffed gently and pulled away from his hands, moving directly to Xiao Ming's side. She linked her arm with Xiao Ming's, without even sparing him a glance.

Watching this scene, Zhu Kun felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His gaze towards Xiao Ming immediately turned fierce.

'There's no need to be so hostile. I just helped you.'

Xiao Ming felt a little helpless. But he could understand. If his daughter was closer to another man than to him, he would also feel uncomfortable.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Ming gently stroked Zi Yan's silky purple hair under Zhu Kun's fierce gaze and said, "I believe you have already made up your mind on this matter. Follow your heart and make the choice that feels right to you. No matter what, I will support you."

"Hmm!"

Zi Yan nodded firmly. Her eyes had subtly changed as she glanced at Zhu Kun, whose expression had turned bitter.

"Xiao Ming and I came here to enter the bronze door. Can you open it?"

Seeing Zi Yan so close to Xiao Ming, Zhu Kun's heart was filled with mixed emotions, but if Zi Yan was willing to talk to him, he couldn't care about any other thing.

"No, behind this bronze door is the Ancient God Mansion. Without the ancient jade he left behind, no one can open it."

"Back then, your father relied on his strength and tried to break through by force, only to be trapped here by that old scoundrel. So your father has been waiting for someone with the ancient jade to come."

Zi Yan frowned, disappointment etched into her face.

"So we need the ancient jade so that you can regain your freedom and open the bronze door. Doesn't that mean we came here for nothing?"

Perhaps Zi Yan had gotten used to Zhu Kun addressing himself as her father, as she didn't seem to have much of a resistance to it at all now.

Seeing her disappointment made Zhu Kun feel guilty, but he had no solution. If he had, he wouldn't have been trapped here for thousands of years.

"What does Senior Zhu Kun want in the Ancient God Mansion?" Xiao Ming took over the conversation and asked slowly.

Zhu Kun stared at Xiao Ming, who seemed to have 'stolen' his daughter, with an unfriendly expression. He was about to say something when he was silenced by a glare from Zi Yan, and he could only grudgingly answer. "Tou She Ancient God was the last Dou God, and there's a chance to become one in there."

Although Zhu Kun mentioned the opportunity to become a Dou God, he was still withholding some information.

In the end, Zhu Kun didn't have much trust in Xiao Ming. If it weren't for Zi Yan, he would have been considered kind-hearted for not trying to kill Xiao Ming upon their first encounter.

So, how could he possibly reveal all the information within the Ancient God Mansion?

As for the opportunity to become a Dou God, there was no need to keep it a secret. Whether Xiao Ming revealed it or not, without the ancient jade, there was no way to open the mansion. As long as someone came with the ancient jade, he could also break free.

Zhu Kun was calculating, but he did not know that Xiao Ming understood the secrets of the Ancient God Mansion better than he did.

Therefore, Xiao Ming imperceptibly narrowed his eyes.

In the original timeline, Zhu Kun knew that within the Tou She Ancient God Mansion, the opportunities to become a Dou God were the Di Tier Embryonic Pill and the Origin Qi within the statue of the Tou She Ancient God.

In the end, he only revealed the statue's secret when Hun Tiandi began refining the continent.

The allure of becoming a Dou God was tremendous, appealing to every cultivator's basic desire. There was little else to be said.

Xiao Ming also didn't plan to reveal the Origin Qi he had obtained from the simulation and give it to Zhu Kun.

Firstly, there was still room for maneuvering on the Hun Clan issue.

Second, his strength was increasing rapidly, and he had the ability to protect himself; there was no need to cling to someone else.

Third, he had several partners, and knowing how protective Zhu Kun was of his daughter, he would surely teach him a lesson. Xiao Ming had no intention of being taught a lesson, even if it was by his future father-in-law.

However, this approach meant that Zi Yan could not be reunited with her father immediately, and Xiao Ming could only apologize inwardly.

Of course, Zi Yan was not aware of these thoughts. So, after a brief silence, she coldly said, "In the future, I will collect the ancient jade to set you free!"

Zhu Kun burst into joyful laughter upon hearing this. It seemed that Zi Yan had accepted him to some extent.

Then Zhu Kun asked Zi Yan about the current situation of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe.

He was furious when he heard about the split within the tribe, but Zi Yan reassured him that she had reunited the tribe under her rule.

As the conversation wore on, Zi Yan grew impatient with the questioning and pulled Xiao Ming, wanting to leave.

It was then that Xiao Ming heard Zhu Kun's voice in his ear.

"Kid, remember to take good care of Zi Yan. If you dare to mistreat her, wait until I get out of here and you'll see how I deal with you."

During the earlier conversation with Zi Yan, Zhu Kun had learned that Xiao Ming took good care of her. Although he wasn't entirely happy about his daughter being taken away like this, he had no choice but to trust Xiao Ming to look after her.

Xiao Ming turned to him, seeing the fierce expression on Zhu Kun's face.

"Of course, I would do that even if you didn't tell me."

"As for the information about the ancient jade, I know a bit. Originally, there were three pieces, but due to a great battle, they were divided into eight. Each Ancient Clan now holds one piece of the ancient jade.

I actually have one of those pieces, but I didn't bring it with me this time. I'll find a way to collect the remaining pieces and restore your freedom soon.

As his words fell, Xiao Ming took Zi Yan's hand and stepped forward, leaving a trail of afterimages as they flew back to where they came from.

Hearing Xiao Ming's words, Zhu Kun turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Soon, a sense of contentment washed over him, and his stern and fierce expression gradually softened.

He watched as Xiao Ming and Zi Yan's figures passed through the spatial layer without any hindrance, disappearing completely into the dark void.

Staring at the empty space, Zhu Kun's eyes showed a trace of disgust. It was this seemingly fragile spatial layer that had trapped him in this dark void. All he could do was wait in endless loneliness, guarding the Ancient God Mansion and awaiting the arrival of the Ancient God's successor, the one who would bring the ancient jade.

...

On the other side, Xiao Ming and Zi Yan emerged from the spatial layer, immediately surrounded by two immensely powerful auras. However, these auras were 'powerful' to others, not to them.

Following the direction of the auras, they spotted two white lizard people.

When they saw that the two of them had emerged alive, the lizard people exchanged surprised glances.

Xiao Ming and Zi Yan exchanged glances and dashed upwards, ignoring these creatures.

Boom!

In the lowest level of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, within the passage leading to the magma world, magma suddenly surged out. Subsequently, two figures shot out in the midst of the expectant gazes of Elder Su Qian and the others.