The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

He looked down at the largest stone in his hand and pondered for a while. This kind of stone is good for the physical body.

He had just absorbed a small piece and could feel the muscle tissue under his skin getting slightly warm, as if it were being nourished by something.

He crushed the stone, the size of a baby's head, and pure energy surged from the broken pieces, flowing into his body.

A warm sensation seeped from the skin into the muscles, from the muscles into the bones, and from the bones into the bone marrow.

It wasn't pain, but an indescribable feeling—like parched land finally receiving rain, every cell greedily absorbing it. He closed his eyes, sensing the subtle changes within his body.

His cultivation level had loosened. The door, which hadn't moved for millennia, finally developed a crack.

Chen Hao opened his eyes and looked at the remaining stones in his hand. His cultivation hadn't improved for far too long. It wasn't that he hadn't tried hard enough; it was that this world could no longer accommodate a higher realm.

He was like a whale trapped in shallow water, struggling but unable to swim into the deep sea.

But now, these stones, these non-spiritual forces surging up from the depths of the earth, might help him open a new door.

He looked up at the darkness below. If he could find a method for physical cultivation, perhaps he could venture deeper. Then, perhaps he could discover what secrets were hidden below.

Demons are born with the ability to cultivate their physical bodies. Humans also have methods for cultivating their physical bodies, but Chen Hao's time to do so in ancient times was very short.

He was exceptionally gifted and reached the pinnacle of the Returning to Emptiness realm in just over two hundred years. He did not have the opportunity to cultivate a physical body, nor did he possess any methods that involved a physical body.

"Then I'll call you Flame Spirit Stone."

Chen Hao casually summoned the Flame Spirit Stone into his hand and stored it in his Qiankun Bag. Without further hesitation, he turned around and flew towards the top of the lava.

The ascent was much faster. Without the obstruction of those creatures and without the drain on his divine sense, Chen Hao was like a shooting star flying backwards, rushing from the depths of the magma to the ground.

The dragon was still huddled on the platform of the rock wall, coiled up with its head buried in its body. Hearing the noise, it suddenly raised its head and saw Chen Hao flying out of the lava, its eyes lighting up instantly.

It came closer, stretched its head in front of Chen Hao, and tried to lick his hand. Before its tongue could even touch it, Chen Hao dodged away in disgust.

It didn't give up and came closer again. This time it didn't dare to lick him, but just rubbed its head against his arm, like a big dog trying to please its owner.

Chen Hao, seeing its expression, understood perfectly: "Alright. If you like it here, stay here. You don't need to come up with me. But you're not allowed to leave at will in the future."

The dragon narrowed its pupils slightly, nodded happily, and obediently coiled back up. It really didn't want to go up. Although it was hot here, there was a comfortable aura here, and cultivating here was more than ten times faster than up there.

Chen Hao turned around and flew towards the cave entrance.

hole.

Chen Siyao paced back and forth in the cave, walking countless circles until her shoes were covered in a layer of dust. Yuehen lay at her feet, turning his head left and right in sync with her rhythm, his neck almost aching from all the twisting.

"Yaoyao, can you please not go?" Yang Wanqing sat on a rock, resting her chin on her hand. "I'm so dizzy."

"How long has my brother been down there?" Chen Siyao stopped in her tracks.

Cai Jingwen checked her phone: "It's been over two hours."

"More than two hours!" Chen Siyao started walking again. "More than two hours down there, why haven't they come back up yet? Did something happen?"

Li Li comforted her, "Your brother is so capable, what could possibly happen to him?"

"But it's so hot down there..." Chen Siyao bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the peach wood sword.

Cai Jingwen stood up, walked to her side, and gently took her hand: "Don't worry. Your brother said to wait for him, and he will definitely come back."

Chen Siyao looked at her, took a deep breath, and nodded.

Moonmark stood up from the ground, its ears perked up, staring in the direction of the cave entrance. Its tail slowly, very slowly rose, and then began to wag.

Chen Siyao didn't notice. Yuehen took two steps forward, then turned back to look at her and called out.

"Moonlight, what's wrong?" Yang Wanqing asked.

MoonScar stopped barking and ran straight towards the cave entrance.

Chen Siyao suddenly turned her head.

Chen Hao flew out of the cave entrance, his clothes fluttering, and landed steadily in the center of the cave.

His clothes were intact, his hair was perfectly styled, and his expression remained calm—but Chen Siyao noticed that his eyes were brighter than before.

"Brother!" She ran over, hugged him tightly, and buried her face in his chest.

Chen Hao was stunned. Chen Siyao rarely hugged him like this. She was always carefree and cheerful, never showing any fear even when she was scared. But now, he could feel her body trembling.

"Brother, why did it take you so long to come out?" Her voice was muffled, tinged with a sob. "Do you know how worried I was? More than two hours! It was so hot down there! And those strange creatures! I thought you..."

She couldn't continue.

Chen Hao was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

"Something came up," he said softly but steadily. "It's nothing."

Chen Siyao lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes red, and looked him up and down: "You're not hurt?"

"no."

"real?"

"real."

She then released her grip, took a step back, sniffed, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Moonhen ran over and circled Chen Hao's feet several times, sniffing them repeatedly. Only after confirming that he was alright did it stop, tilting its head up to look at him, its tail wagging like a small fan.

Cai Jingwen walked over, looked at Chen Hao, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only said softly, "It's good that you're back."

Yang Wanqing craned her neck to look behind Chen Hao, asking, "Brother Chen Hao, where's Jiaolong?"

"It can cultivate faster down there, so it doesn't come up."

Yang Wanqing's expression shifted from anticipation to disappointment, then from disappointment to regret: "Ah? I was even thinking of riding a dragon."

The girls all looked at her at the same time. When they saw the dragon in the underground river, she was the one who screamed the loudest, hiding at the back and not daring to touch it. Now, she actually wants to ride it?

Chen Siyao couldn't help but laugh: "Weren't you terrified before?"

Yang Wanqing said confidently, "That was before! Didn't I become unafraid afterward? Besides, that dragon was so docile, like a big dog. Riding it would definitely be very impressive."

The live stream chat was filled with laughter:

【I am Qin Shi Huang】: Are you serious about the late Qing Dynasty? Those were dragons, not horses.

[The snacks are delicious]: She was the one who shouted the loudest before, and now she's the one who wants to ride a dragon. You can't guess what a woman is thinking.

[Feel the Burning]: Late Qing Dynasty: It's just a dragon, what's there to be afraid of? Even the gods said it's okay to ride.

【Youyou】: Flood Dragon: I am at least a quasi-true dragon about to take human form, and you are treating me like a horse?

Chen Siyao smiled and shook her head, then turned to Chen Hao: "Brother, there's nothing much to see here, shall we go?"

Chen Hao nodded: "Let's go."