I was born a god, the son of the Demon Lord.

Xu Nanyi's eyes reddened, her six-year-old face filled with heartache.

Shen Jiuyuan was secretly delighted. With this move, how many fathers in the world could be as magnanimous as him!

"good!"

Xu Nanyi clapped her hands, "To protect the trust between us, father and daughter, I'll add two more chains. This will be beneficial to the safety of both of us!"

Shen Jiuyuan: "..." Is this how you repay your father?

Which bastard taught this child like that?!

He watched as Xu Nanyi deftly produced two new chains, one to lock his ankle and the other around his waist, her movements as swift as tying up a rice dumpling.

Shen Xizhou squatted down beside her and counted, "One, two, three, four... Is that enough, sister? Want another one?"

"Hmm... that's enough for now. We'll keep the rest as a backup, so we can replenish what's left if he breaks free!"

Shen Jiuyuan maintained his smiling expression, his teeth grinding together.

-

The following days were arguably the most humiliating time in Shen Jiuyuan's twelve-year life.

In order to survive, he used up all the good temper he had ever had.

Xu Nanyi asked him if he was hungry, and he said no. She asked him if he was cold, and he said no. She asked him if the chain hurt, and he said no.

The six-year-old girl sat cross-legged in front of him, observing him intently for a long time, and finally concluded: "Daddy, you are so strong."

Shen Jiuyuan smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling, while in his mind he cursed the other man's ancestors for eighteen generations... Oh well, the other man called him "father," so he couldn't bring himself to curse him.

He gradually shortened the distance between himself and them, just like raising a cat.

On the fourth day, Xu Nanyi allowed him to stay within three steps of her. On the fifth day, Shen Xizhou began to offer him water.

On the sixth day, Xu Nanyi was already sitting on his head.

The little ancestor got tired of walking and looked around. There was nothing there but himself, a ready-made "seat" tied to the spot, unable to run away.

Xu Nanyi transformed into her own phoenix prototype and climbed up without any psychological burden.

Shen Xizhou followed suit, perching on his left shoulder, the little dragon's tail wrapped around his arm, and even yawning.

Shen Jiuyuan maintained his smile, his neck and shoulders bulging with veins. He felt like he wasn't being a father, but a donkey.

Well, at least there's something alive within a ten-meter radius. This is the first time in six years since he entered the Demon Cave that he's had something breathing nearby, and it's not trying to bite him.

This feeling is strange.

It's not bad, but it's not good either.

The demons who passed by, seeing him with a fluffy head and a little creature perched on his shoulder, all burst into laughter in front of him.

Of course, their smiles lasted for about a second before Shen Jiuyuan's scythe severed their throats.

As for your question about why Shen Jiuyuan could still fight even though his cultivation was sealed,...

That's because the Phoenix Lock that Xu Nanyi modified is very intelligent. It automatically unlocks when the opponent needs to fight, and immediately locks back when the opponent no longer needs to fight.

This was the first time Xu Nanyi had seen the cultivation laws of the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.

It devours the flesh and blood of its own kind, erodes their cultivation, and refines their souls.

After killing the demon, Shen Jiuyuan squatted down and tore its flesh, soul, and cultivation into pieces, swallowing them whole.

He's been doing this for the past six years: if he doesn't absorb others to become stronger, others will absorb him.

Xu Nanyi and Shen Xizhou vomited on the spot.

Shen Jiuyuan didn't even turn his head. He wiped the blood from his mouth onto his sleeve, picked up the two gagging children, and continued on his way.

"Let's go. The core area is ahead; that's the only exit."

However, when he later devoured the demons, he began to walk a few steps further away.

Later, they went even further.

Once, Xu Nanyi couldn't resist peeking and saw him squatting in a corner, roasting a piece of meat that was still bloody on a rock with demonic fire. He turned it over a few times and waited for the burnt smell to dissipate before stuffing it into his mouth.

Roasted meat will result in the loss of most of your cultivation level.

Xu Nanyi took out a small handful of salt from her sleeve. It was a snack seasoning that Shen Jing had given her. She walked over, placed it at his feet, and then turned and ran away.

Shen Jiuyuan looked down at the salt, his expression unchanged.

The next time I grilled meat, I used a pinch less salt.

The passageway grew narrower and narrower, and the concentration of demonic energy in the air increased until, at a certain moment, all the demonic energy was replaced by an overwhelming chill.

The blizzard inside the Demon Cave is extremely cold, freezing all demonic and spiritual energy into nothingness; even a Nascent Soul cultivator would shiver standing inside.

Xu Nanyi's two little tiger teeth were fighting and making a clanging sound.

Shen Xizhou's entire dragon shrunk into a ball, the tip of its tail turning white from the cold.

For the first few days, they gritted their teeth and walked for a while, but the blizzard intensified and even their vision was swallowed up. Shen Jiuyuan kicked open the entrance to an ice cave and stuffed the two frozen little ones inside.

"Let's hide first."

Xu Nanyi huddled inside the cave, watching Shen Jiuyuan set up an array outside the cave entrance.

The twelve-year-old boy stood in the wind and snow, his robes fluttering in the wind, his bare fingers frozen blue-purple, yet he painstakingly carved the barrier's patterns into the ice wall.

The demonic energy was almost completely devoured by this frigid region, so he could only use the most rudimentary method: blood as ink and bones as a pen.

The moment the barrier was formed, the wind and snow were kept out.

The cave became quiet.

Xu Nanyi started a fire. Her true form is that of a fire phoenix, and even though she is still a cub, her fluffy feathers are warm enough.

Shen Xizhou immediately pressed herself against him. The little dragon curled up into a circle, resting its head under her wings, its tail wrapped around her claws, panting heavily.

The campfire crackled and popped.

The fatigue from days of travel, coupled with a rare sense of security, made the two cubs' eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

Shen Xizhou fell asleep first, his breathing deep and even, while Xiaolong's belly rose and fell.

Xu Nanyi held on for a while, then her head slowly drooped down, and finally the whole chick slumped onto Shen Xizhou, its claws still clutching the string of cute bells.

Shen Jiuyuan sat on the other side of the cave, leaning against the ice wall, watching this scene.

He really couldn't understand how these two little ones could fall asleep so easily, without any defenses, breathing steadily and relaxed, as if they were certain that he wouldn't make a move.

On what grounds?

Shen Jiuyuan stared at the campfire for a while, then, feeling bored, picked up a stick and poked at the fire.

Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore.

He closed his eyes, intending to rest for a while, when suddenly his blood became scalding hot. A fire burst forth from his bone marrow, spreading along his meridians to his limbs and bones. Every inch of his blood vessels was swelling, churning, and roaring.

Shen Jiuyuan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking to a vertical line.

His fingers plunged into the ice wall behind him, his nails broke, and blood flowed down the rock face. He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Oh no, how many days has it been? Three days? Four days?

Because of the blizzard, there wasn't a single monster to be seen outside, and he hadn't devoured any of his kind for several days.

The malevolent energy within the flesh and blood of the demonic beasts in the Demon Cave is highly addictive. Once the supply is cut off, the accumulated violence within them will backfire and tear apart their reason.

That's why the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons doesn't have a "peaceful coexistence" option.

Shen Jiuyuan lowered his head and bit his forearm. The taste of blood rushed into his mouth, briefly extinguishing the burning sensation.

He opened his mouth, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two small, warm, living things curled up together across the campfire.

The instinct to devour surged into his mind. Compared to those filthy creatures of the same kind, the aura of these two cubs was as pure as a mountain spring. One sip was enough for him to suppress all the evil energy within his body.

Shen Jiuyuan's fingers drew a deep mark on the ground, and the gold in his eyes was gradually eroded by scarlet.

The chubby little chick rolled over, buried its head under the little dragon's belly, and mumbled, "Daddy...don't go far..."

Shen Jiuyuan froze, closed his eyes, and dashed out of the cave, disappearing into the white snowstorm.