By the time the crimson hues of the setting sun had fully surrendered to the deepening indigo of evening, Mu Chen and Xiaoyu finally reached the familiar gates of the Mu Clan Manor.
Inside the northward courtyard, the windows of the main house glowed with a warm, inviting amber light.
As they stepped across the threshold, the aroma of a home-cooked feast greeted them, thick and savory enough to make even a cultivator's stomach growl in anticipation. Liu Yan was just finishing setting the table, her movements graceful despite the simple domesticity of the task.
"You two are just in time," she said, looking up with a gentle, knowing smile that suggested she was well aware of the afternoon's excitement. "Wash your hands and sit down. Dinner is ready."
Mu Chen and Xiaoyu didn't need to be told twice. After a quick hand wash, they took their places at the heavy wooden dining table. The spread was generous: steamed spirit-grain rice, braised river fish glistening in a rich soy-reduction, and sautéed greens harvested from the manor's own garden.
During the meal, the quiet clinking of porcelain was soon drowned out by Xiaoyu's animated retelling of the events at the mountain road. She was a natural storyteller, her hands flying through the air to mimic the way Mu Long had been sent tumbling into the dirt.
"He really deserved that beating!" Xiaoyu declared, though her words were slightly muffled by the large helping of rice and fish she had just shovelled into her mouth. She swallowed quickly, her eyes sparkling with fierce pride. "How did he even dare to challenge Brother Mu Chen? He's lucky Brother didn't turn him into a meat patty."
The sight of the "Little Witch" of the Mu Clan speaking with her mouth full, yet looking so utterly indignant on her brother's behalf, made the entire table erupt into laughter. Mu Xiao, sitting at the head of the table, chuckled and reached out to pat his daughter's head.
"That's right," Mu Xiao said, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "How dare they try to bully our cute Xiaoyu? They clearly haven't learned their lesson yet."
...
Once the dishes had been cleared and a pot of digestive tea was steaming on the table, Mu Chen leaned back in his chair, his expression uncharacteristically serious. He looked at his parents, his gaze steady.
"Father, Mother," he began, his voice calm but resolute. "I want to travel. I want to see the outside world."
According to Xiao Diao, the world was a vast, chaotic tapestry far larger than the Sky Continent. There were ancient secrets waiting to be unearthed, Demons, Divine Artifacts, and Heavenly Seals. Diao had spoken of distant continents where true Dragons soared, where the cry of a Phoenix could ignite the horizon, and where Elves, Giants, and other ancient races carved out their own legends.
And all of this really piqued Mu Chen's curiosity.
Contrary to his expectations, his parents didn't show a flicker of hesitation. There was no motherly fretfulness, no paternal questioning of his motives, and no attempts to guilt him into staying. Instead, a look of genuine happiness spread across Mu Xiao's face.
"Of course," Mu Xiao said, nodding vigorously. "You are sixteen now. You've outgrown this small town. You should absolutely travel and see the true breadth of the world."
Liu Yan reached across the table, squeezing Mu Chen's hand. "Yes, your father is right. You should not be limited to this small clan or this tiny dynasty. A dragon belongs in the sea, not a puddle."
Mu Chen stared at them, blinking in surprise. He felt a strange sense of bewilderment. Was it just him, or did they seem a little too eager to see him off? He had prepared a dozen different arguments to convince them, yet they were practically handing him his boots.
Usually, parents would make excuses, or at least ask why he wanted to go, but they were acting as if he'd just announced he was going to the market to buy bread.
The truth was, Mu Xiao and Liu Yan were genuinely thrilled. They weren't worried about his safety—they knew better than anyone that their son was an anomaly that the world's common sense couldn't touch.
To them, seeing him live a lazy, stagnant life in Feather City felt like a waste of his potential. They wanted him to see the mountains, watch the grand sceneries of the world, and experience life to the fullest. They had actually been looking for a way to nudge him out of the nest, but since he had brought it up himself, they were overjoyed.
However, the mood was suddenly broken by a sharp gasp. "I will also go with you, Brother Mu Chen!" Xiaoyu cried out, her eyes wide and pleading.
Mu Xiao and Liu Yan were about to interject, but Mu Chen spoke first. He looked at his sister, his expression softening.
"Little girl," Mu Chen said, "if you come along with me, then who will take care of our parents while I'm away? Someone needs to stay behind and make sure Father doesn't accidentally burn the house down with his 'diligence'."
Xiaoyu's mouth snapped shut. She looked at Mu Xiao, then at Liu Yan, her resolve wavering. "This..."
Mu Chen reached out and ruffled her hair, his touch affectionate. "Stay here for now. Cultivate hard. I'm not going away forever, Xiaoyu."
Xiaoyu's eyes grew watery, her lower lip trembling slightly, but she took a deep breath and nodded. She pulled away from his hand and held up a small, clenched fist, her voice thick with determination. "Fine! But Brother, next time you come back, I promise I'll be stronger than you! Don't expect me to be same little girl!"
Mu Chen couldn't help but smile. He leaned forward and gave her cheek a playful pinch. "That's my little Xiaoyu. I'll hold you to that."
His parents smiled at the scene, feeling immensely lucky to have such a sweet, bonded family.
...
The following morning, the sun had barely crested the horizon when Mu Chen stood at the gates of the manor. His departure was quiet, as per his request. His mother, however, had spent the entire night in the kitchen. She presented him with a mountain of food—preserved meats, specially prepared buns, and jugs of spirit-wine—enough to sustain him for months. She knew he loved her cooking more than anything else in the world.
Mu Chen, without a hint of irony, swept the entire mountain of food into the Origin Stone. Deep within the artifact, the spirit of the stone, Shi, watched the torrent of roasted ducks and steamed buns rain down into the divine space. Shi sat in the void, staring at a floating chicken leg, and began to seriously doubt its own existence and purpose as a Rank Second Ancient Divine Artifact. Was it a pillar of the universe, or a celestial kitchen?
Once he was clear of the city gates, Mu Chen called out to the shadow within the stone. "Alright, Diao. Tell me, which direction should we head?"
There was a long, awkward silence from within the Origin Stone. Finally, Diao's voice drifted out, sounding uncharacteristically embarrassed. Mu Chen could almost imagine the creature's face turning red.
"To be honest... I don't know much about the Sky Continent," Diao admitted, his voice a mumble. "I'm from the Beast Continent. I was chased across half the world by my enemies because of this Origin Stone, and I only ended up in this region by chance. Besides, I've been living as a remnant soul trapped inside this thing for a thousand years. Things change, kid!"
Mu Chen let out a snort, his voice teasing. "So you are a thousand-year-old lost tourist. What's the use of having you around, exactly?"
Diao bristled, but he didn't argue.
Mu Chen also knew Xiao Diao was not lying, things change with time.
A few moments later, Xiao Diao emerged from the stone, floating beside Mu Chen like a little creature.
And then he spoke again but this time his tone became uncharacteristically humble. "Mu Chen... I actually wanted to ask you something. Now that you're leaving, can you help me find a way to rebuild my body? Or maybe find a Resurrection Pill if we come across one? I can't stay a ghost forever."
Mu Chen tapped his chin thoughtfully and chuckled. "I thought you were too proud to ask me for a favor, Xiao Diao."
Diao fell silent. He really didn't want to ask, but his situation was dire. He needed to return to his clan to see if his family was even still alive. He needed to find the enemies who had ambushed him and pay them back thousandfold. To do that, he needed more than just a flickering soul.
"Well," Mu Chen said, his tone casual. "Since you asked so nicely..."
Mu Chen simply snapped his fingers.
The world seemed to stop for a fraction of a second. Xiao Diao, once a remnant soul, found himself restored—his soul complete, his body fully reformed, identical to his original form.
A purplish-black light shot into the sky, so bright it rivaled the morning sun. It enveloped the heavens in a chaotic glow, and an incredibly dense, ferocious aura pervaded the world, causing the local wildlife for miles to collapse in terror.
ROAR!
A colossal creature, a hundred zhang in size, manifested between heaven and earth. Its body was a deep purplish black, covered in scales that hummed with dark energy. A pair of massive bat-like wings unfurled, blotting out the sun, and mysterious runes shimmered like bioluminescent fire along its powerful arms. Its sharp claws glinted with a cold light that seemed capable of tearing apart the body of a True Dragon.
This was the true body of the Heavenly Demon Mink, a peerless ferocious beast.
Mu Chen looked up at the gargantuan creature, shielding his eyes from the glare. He sized it up from head to toe before speaking. "Not bad. But don't be so dramatic. You're attracting too much attention. Get small."
Diao, who was currently basking in the sensation of his restored limbs, flexing his wings and feeling the surge of power through his new veins, froze. He had been a ghost for a millennium, and he had been ready to let out a roar that would level the surrounding forest just to celebrate his freedom.
Mu Chen's voice, however, acted like a bucket of cold water.
"Damn kid!" Diao's voice boomed from the massive creature, but the light quickly began to shrink. "You can't even let me be happy for a single moment, can you?"
The light condensed until a small, purplish-black mink appeared, floating in the air. It looked like a cross between a squirrel and a bat, with mischievous eyes and a long, bushy tail. It landed softly on Mu Chen's shoulder, settling into the crook of his neck.
"My cultivation... it's at the peak of the Golden Core Realm," Diao murmured, his voice full of wonder as he checked his internal state.
"You only asked for a body," Mu Chen reminded him.
Diao's mouth twitched. He wanted to complain that can't you be a bit more humble and would have restored my cultivation too at my peak without asking.
"Doesn't matter. I'm just a step away from my peak now. I'll handle the rest of the cultivation myself. You've... you've already helped me more than enough."
Diao settled his weight on Mu Chen's shoulder and spread his newly restored divine sense. His eyes sharpened. A few miles ahead, a group was locked in battle, moving freely through the air without spiritual tools. Judging by their aura, they were at the Golden Core stage.
Xiao Diao looked ahead and said, "A group is fighting ahead. We can go and ask them about the surroundings."
"Mn," Mu Chen nodded and he took a step forward. As his foot touched the ground. The earth beneath him became perfectly frictionless. Instead of walking, he began to glide across the terrain like a skater on ice, moving at a blurring speed while keeping his hands casually tucked in his pockets.
Diao, clinging to Mu Chen's collar as the wind whipped past them, stared at the ground in fascination. "Mu Chen... this is actually more fun than flying. Seriously, is there anything in this world you can't do?"
Mu Chen didn't even hesitate. "No."
His reply didn't have any arrogance, it was just a simple fact.