The young dragon was entirely crimson, already growing to three or four meters in length. Although it appeared small and adorable, Shui Miao knew it was the offspring of a demon dragon from the Ocean of Rakshasa, and certainly not purely innocent.
Precisely because of this understanding, Shui Miao felt especially anxious around the young dragon.
At this moment, Shui Miao remained outwardly calm, dividing his focus. While sensing the young dragon’s thoughts, he hurried toward Wanghun Valley to find Bu Yi.
Along the way, Shui Miao gradually accessed all the young dragon’s memories.
Influenced by the Nuwa Stone’s aura, while still inside the dragon egg, it had already been able to hear sounds from outside, its intelligence equivalent to that of a ten-year-old child. Upon hatching and being sealed into Shui Miao’s Time Pagoda, it already possessed the mind of an adult. It had overheard Shui Miao’s conversations with Luo Tong, and had absorbed Shui Miao’s thoughts as well. However, the dragon had not completely submitted to Shui Miao, instead harboring suspicion and fear toward him. Precisely for this reason, it had said “thank you.”
Perceiving the dragon’s thoughts, Shui Miao’s mind flickered, instantly teleporting it out of the Time Pagoda and into his mental planet.
Shui Miao felt as though he were nurturing a potential rival, a huge threat, and thus had to act cautiously.
Humans are selfish by nature, and Shui Miao did not want to lose control over the young dragon.
Thus, on the way to Wanghun Valley, Shui Miao contemplated whether he should focus all his mental power into the dragon’s mind, erase all its past memories, and start anew. Yet he also questioned himself—if he did so, how would he differ from that thousand-year-old female ghost? Would controlling others in this way be fair?
Weighing back and forth, Shui Miao became increasingly conflicted and distressed.
He resented himself for being so merciful. Why not just kill the dragon immediately, ending all future troubles at once?
Yet each time he thought this, he recalled his own fate—how he did not want to become a second thousand-year-old ghost.
“Forget it. I’ll just leave it be for now. Let it know everything, and let it make its own choice.”
In the end, Shui Miao decided to act with integrity.
Even if it meant personally cultivating a rival, he would do so without regrets, no matter the cost.
Still dividing his focus, Shui Miao shared his thoughts with the young dragon while continuing toward Wanghun Valley.
Through communication and emotional connection, Shui Miao gradually came to regard the young dragon as a friend.
However, not long afterward, the dragon made a request—to come out and get some fresh air.
Shui Miao considered briefly before agreeing, reminding it to be careful.
At the moment the dragon was released, Shui Miao sensed its thoughts suddenly become more active. It was already thinking about whether to escape.
The dragon’s body was infused with a large amount of Nuwa Stone aura. Its blood could be used for forging artifacts, making it itself an invaluable treasure.
Shui Miao felt a bit worried—afraid that all his efforts would be in vain, losing a potential ally.
Yet he also felt calm, thinking to himself: If he didn’t even care about Bu Yi’s supreme artifact, why should he dwell over a small young dragon?
His thoughts were contradictory, but his nature was innate.
Ultimately, Shui Miao decided to let go, allowing the dragon complete freedom, watching it fly far away, as proof of his integrity, as proof of his willingness to grant freedom, returning the right of choice to it. Only this way could they truly connect hearts and become true friends.
“Quickly, escape!”
The further the dragon flew from Shui Miao, the stronger its desire to flee became.
Eventually, it completely let go of all restraint and fled deep into the Ocean of Rakshasa.
After a while, when the dragon could no longer sense Shui Miao at all, it dove headlong into the ocean, feeling a sudden sense of relief, like a fish in water or a dragon soaring freely.
“Haha! Finally free!”
The young dragon rejoiced, swimming freely through the Ocean of Rakshasa.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a splash echoed, and a giant sea monster rushed straight toward the dragon!
“Ahh!”
It was a pitch-black octopus-like creature, over a hundred meters long. The dragon sensed the hostility and immediately turned to flee. But not far ahead, a giant serpent, thousands of meters long, noticed it and began pursuing.
The dragon hadn’t enjoyed freedom for long before being chased by fierce sea monsters.
The monsters had sensed the unique aura on its body, and now pursued it relentlessly, determined to kill.
After fleeing for a while, the dragon was shocked to find a whole swarm of powerful monsters chasing behind, all wanting to devour it. It hastily burst out of the water, only to find the monsters transformed into black mist, continuing their pursuit. On the surface, it was again chased by flying fish monsters and aerial sea beasts.
So this was the outside world—so terrifying!
Only now did the dragon begin to regret leaving Shui Miao, desperately seeking his presence to beg for rescue.
Shui Miao flew swiftly, seeing the dragon had truly vanished without a trace. A slight sense of loss crept into his heart, but before long, the dragon was chased back by a swarm of sea monsters.
“Little bastard, this time I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
Shui Miao secretly resolved not to rush to its aid.
“Save me, Master, save me!”
The dragon cried out while fleeing back.
Shui Miao shook his head, a faint smile on his face. Instantly, he channeled his Soul Devouring Force into a spear and thrust it, killing the thousand-meter-long serpent. The other monsters, witnessing this, trembled in fear and scattered, keeping a safe distance from Shui Miao.
“Master, you’re amazing!”
Only now did the dragon realize how powerful Shui Miao truly was.
Shui Miao retracted his power without even glancing at the dragon. “You wanted to leave me, right? Then go, seek your freedom. In your heart, I’m just a bad person imprisoning you. Staying with me, I’ll only end up killing you sooner or later.”
“Master, please don’t say that! I was wrong, I’ll never do it again!”
The dragon circled around Shui Miao. Suddenly, it realized how terrifying the outside world was—only by Shui Miao’s side was it truly safe. It had been so wrong before.
“I’m not your master. I only took you in because you carried the Nuwa Stone’s aura, thinking you were a rare talent worth nurturing. But now I’ve realized—I was only cultivating a potential rival. I won’t shelter you anymore. Stop circling me.”
Shui Miao increased his speed.
“Great Immortal, I swear to follow you to the end! Please accept me, let me devour this little dragon, and I will follow you faithfully for life!”
“I, I also wish to follow you, Great Immortal! Your power is boundless, your abilities vast! Please accept me as your disciple!”
“Yes, Great Immortal! This little dragon doesn’t know gratitude. Don’t protect it anymore—let us devour it!”
…
Seeing Shui Miao’s words, the sea monsters felt a glimmer of hope and transformed into human forms, clamoring all at once.
This only made the young dragon cling even more tightly to Shui Miao’s leg.
“Master, I swear—I’ll never do it again! Please give me another chance!”
“You say you won’t do it again, as if I enjoy controlling you? As if I’ve ever truly gained anything from you? I have no such leisure to manage you. I only obtained a Nuwa Stone whose aura you’ve nearly drained. And this Nuwa Stone wasn’t originally yours to begin with—it was stolen from someone else by your dragon clan, wasn’t it? If it’s something everyone fights over, why shouldn’t I take it? Why should I bear the burden of taking care of you, doing something that costs me effort without reward?”
“Hmm…”
The young dragon was stunned by Shui Miao’s words, finally understanding its true position.
Indeed, the Nuwa Stone wasn’t anyone’s fixed property—it belonged to whoever had the strength to seize it. Shui Miao had obtained it through fate’s design and owed nothing to the dragon clan.
As they neared Rakshasa Continent and the danger seemed to fade, the proud young dragon decided to stop begging Shui Miao and instead strive independently on the continent.
But the dragon was mistaken. Rakshasa Continent also held dangers, no less than the Ocean of Rakshasa.
When it saw white apes emerging from the ground and ferocious monsters charging from all directions toward Shui Miao, the dragon once again lowered its head in defeat, meekly trailing behind Shui Miao like a little dog.
Flying swiftly, Shui Miao finally reached Wanghun Valley.
However, he was disappointed to find it completely empty—the Mengmo Clan and the dwarf Bu Yi had all vanished!
It seemed their fated connection had ended.
Shui Miao’s mind flickered, immediately turning to leave. He decided to first return to the mortal realm, then head to the Immortal Realm to kill Chang Zhen for his father’s vengeance.
After several days of flight, Shui Miao returned to Dragon Island.
Unconsciously, during these days, the young dragon had grown significantly, now already seven or eight meters long.
Shui Miao paused at Dragon Island. Due to severe spiritual energy depletion, he had to consider teleporting out either the ghost generals or the ant beast from his Soul Pearl to alleviate his energy pressure.
After much deliberation, considering the unknown dangers of the Immortal Realm and the potential threat to others’ lives, Shui Miao ultimately decided to teleport everyone out first, letting them settle here. Dragon Island existed between the Netherworld and Rakshasa Realm, with superior conditions. The sea monsters weren’t too strong, and they could handle them. The evil dragons had already been eliminated, and the Netherworld likely wouldn’t send ships here anymore—this was an ideal place for everyone to rest and recover.
Moreover, Shui Miao wanted to make this his base, his stronghold.
Thus, he teleported out Bai Feng and the others, sharing his thoughts.
The island was picturesque, rich in spiritual energy—perfect for ghosts to settle. Bai Feng and the others were delighted to stay. Zhuge Suanpan, Sima Zongheng, and many ghost generals naturally had no objections either. This place was much safer than Rakshasa Continent, at least without the disturbance of the Rakshasa Empire’s army.
To avoid worrying others, Shui Miao didn’t mention his plan to go to the Immortal Realm for revenge, only saying he was returning to the mortal realm for a visit.
Reflecting further, Shui Miao handed the Soul Pearl to Bai Feng and set off toward the Immortal Realm unarmed.
Yet before leaving, for everyone’s safety, Shui Miao also killed several sea monsters near Dragon Island, eliminating threats to them. After making all preparations, Shui Miao left Dragon Island. As he approached the Netherworld’s dock, he paused, looking at the young dragon that had followed him all these days. “You’ve followed me for so many days, and I can tell your sincerity. How about this—I’ll formally accept you as my disciple?”
“Ah! That’s great! Disciple greets Master!”
The young dragon immediately knelt to pay respects to Shui Miao. During these days, it had witnessed Shui Miao’s righteousness, clear sense of justice, boundless power, and lofty aspirations. Such a high-level cultivator was someone it vowed to follow for life.
“You don’t have a name yet. How about Huide? I hope you not only possess wisdom but also virtue. Only then can you truly revive the dragon clan in the future.” Shui Miao helped the dragon up, channeling immortal energy into it, refining its body, and enabling it to transform into human form.
“Haha! Great, great! I can finally take human form! Thank you, Master! Thank you for your great kindness!”
The young dragon Huide was overjoyed, deeply grateful to Shui Miao.
However, he didn’t know that Shui Miao’s true intentions in bringing him to the Immortal Realm were far from pure.
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