One of my fairy-like friends

Later, as her strength increased, naturally there were forces willing to nurture and protect her.

This is a transaction, exchanging the other party's protection once they have grown stronger.

Yaochi was probably the place that took the best care of Qingzi. Qingzi was also very devoted to Yaochi, and even descended to Yaochi to spread her teachings.

However, Yaochi was indeed quite good to Qingzi. Mingyan remembered Ning Mengru saying that Empress Qingzi did indeed possess the "Western Emperor Scripture." As a result, Yaochi did not hunt her down because she was an outsider, but instead protected her. He guessed that Yaochi had probably invited Empress Qingzi to join them, but the empress probably refused.

Yaochi didn't say anything. Judging from the Empress's subsequent behavior, Yaochi not only didn't hold it against her, but even gave the Empress a lot of help.

Compared to the Empress, he was actually much better off. He had formed a bond with Huang Feiyan when his cultivation was still low, and later he even went to the Fenglingyueying Holy Land, where the Huang family and the Fenglingyueying Holy Land, two super powers, stood behind him.

"What is the Empress's name?" Mingyan asked. "Such a person should be remembered for all time, right?"

"The Empress's name? I don't know that. The Empress seems to have had many aliases, but the most widely circulated saying seems to be that her surname is Ji." Huang Junyi said, "Those people who were her contemporaries have all passed away. Although there was a Human King at that time, he was defeated after a great battle with the Empress and died of depression not long after... There are no more people in this world who were her contemporaries."

Upon hearing this, Mingyan sighed slightly.

He possesses the Human King Physique. If he can cultivate to perfection, his lifespan could reach over nine thousand years. At that time, apart from his sister Wang Qingchu and the Empress, there would be no one else in the world who lived before.

Is a long life really a good thing?

"Hmm...? Fei Yan seems to be waking up. You can go out now." Huang Junyi moved her eyes and said to Ming Yan, "Remember, don't let Fei Yan know I'm here for now, understand?"

"...I don't think it's a big deal if Feiyan finds out, right? It's a pleasant surprise..." Mingyan hesitated.

"You're not allowed to tell," Huang Junyi said coquettishly. "You're not allowed to tell Feiyan without my permission."

"Alright then." Ming Yan nodded helplessly and left the room. Just as he was about to go back, he noticed that Huang Feiyan had opened her eyes. She looked at him, somewhat puzzled, "Hmm? Where did you go just now?"

Huang Feiyan's divine sense was already quite sensitive. She was immersed in cultivation, but she was also quite sensitive to subtle changes in the outside world. She didn't even notice Ming Yan's departure.

"...I went out to take a look." Mingyan said as he walked over and sat down in his previous seat.

"Where are we?" Huang Feiyan asked without giving it much thought.

"We're almost at the teleportation array." Ming Yan breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at Feng Shiyi, who was still fast asleep beside him. He felt a pang of regret; if she truly refused to leave, and Bai Ze chose to avoid them...

Are we really going to take her with us?

Feng Shiyi's long eyelashes trembled slightly. After a while, she woke up, raised her hand to rub her eyes, yawned, opened her eyes and saw Ming Yan. She stared at Ming Yan for a while, then closed her eyes again, hugged Ming Yan's arm, and continued to sleep.

"..." She really can sleep a lot, but apart from her physical body, she is not much different from ordinary people. Unlike them, who can directly replenish their energy through spiritual energy, cultivation itself is also a form of rest, so they do not need to sleep.

Huang Feiyan moved closer, her slender arm resting on Mingyan's other arm. She was about to say something when she suddenly stopped, looking at Mingyan with a slightly strange expression. "You... why do you smell like my second aunt?"

Mingyan's heart raced. He thought he could tell Huang Feiyan about this, but Huang Junyi had told him to keep it a secret. He couldn't tell her.

Although Mingyan's mind was in turmoil, he maintained a good facade. He was taken aback. "Hmm? You mean the taste of the fairy sister?"

“Yeah…” Huang Feiyan leaned closer to Ming Yan and sniffed carefully. “Huh? It seems like it’s gone? Is it just my imagination?”

Ming Yan calmly stopped running the Wind Spirit Scripture, as he had just used it to erase most of the scent from his body.

"I knew it was impossible," Mingyan said, puzzled. "My sister didn't come."

Huang Feiyan glanced subconsciously at the sealed door, her eyes filled with suspicion. But then she realized she was overthinking it. Why would Mingyan lie to her? Her second aunt might lie to her, but Mingyan wouldn't. So Huang Feiyan quickly put her mind at ease.

"...Mingyan, don't you think it's a little... a little strange that you call me 'Second Aunt' and 'Sister'?" Huang Feiyan put it more tactfully, hoping that Mingyan would change his way of addressing her.

She hadn't realized her feelings for Mingyan before, and she called him "sister" as she pleased. It was fine as long as she called him "sister" and Mingyan called him "Mingyan." It seemed that her second aunt had a good personal relationship with Mingyan.

But things are different now. If nothing unexpected happens, Mingyan and she will become Daoist partners. At that time, Huang Junyi will also be Mingyan's second aunt. Although the Huang family's birthing method is very special, and their relationship is rather delicate—strictly speaking, more like sisters—according to the Huang family's rules, they do indeed have a nominal seniority...

Therefore, Mingyan should also call her Second Aunt.

Otherwise, when the two of them get married, she'll call him "Second Aunt" and Mingyan will call her "Sister," making it seem like she's a generation below Mingyan, like his niece or grandniece—it'll be so weird.

“You have to tell this to your sister. It’s no use telling me…” Mingyan was also a little helpless. He was forced to call her “sister” by Huang Junyi. Although she did look not much older than him, she was indeed Feiyan’s elder. Given his friendship with Feiyan, calling her “sister” was really inappropriate.

Huang Feiyan sighed inwardly. That's why she felt that her second aunt had some feelings for Mingyan...

She treats Mingyan too specially...

Huang Feiyan thought for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "You and your second aunt didn't do anything intimate, did you?"

"what?"

"You mean... cough cough... kissing or something... holding hands or something?" Huang Feiyan blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. She felt crazy for asking Mingyan this question.

“…?” Ming Yan looked at Huang Feiyan, his eyes holding a subtle expression.

Huang Feiyan quickly said, "Just pretend I didn't say anything, you didn't hear it, you don't need to answer."

How embarrassing! She actually suspected that Mingyan and her second aunt had something going on, and even asked about it. Huang Feiyan really wanted to find a crack in the ground and never come out again.

Chapter 41 is very important to us 16/30

Although Mingyan and Huang Junyi do seem to have some... to be precise, a little... very little... intimate contact, such as holding hands, they haven't kissed yet.

Of course, Mingyan's subtle expression was because Huang Feiyan had guessed it, not because he thought Huang Feiyan was overthinking things...

To be honest, I feel a little guilty.

But Mingyan thought about it and realized he didn't seem to have anything to feel guilty about...

Didn't my older sister and senior sister both say that as long as the relationship is close enough, these things don't seem to matter much?

With this thought, Mingyan felt at ease again.

Huang Feiyan secretly glanced at Ming Yan and saw that his expression was normal. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he didn't take it to heart.

Huang Feiyan was unaware that Huang Junyi had come with them. Not long after, they arrived near the new teleportation array.

Before they even got close, Mingyan, Huang Feiyan, and Feng Shiyi left from under the carriage, while Huang Junyi remained inside.

This is a small, bustling town in the eastern part of the Southern Continent. Its prosperity may be temporary, perhaps due to the reopening of the teleportation array.

Mingyan's identity token is still valid in Nanzhou. It used to work with teleportation portals, and now it works with teleportation arrays, which is still quite convenient.

Moreover, upon arriving in the Southern Continent, there were significantly more demons. Ming Yan had previously barely seen any demons in the teleportation array, but upon arriving in the Southern Continent, he was already seeing quite a few demons.

Demons are relatively easy to identify because even after transforming into humans, they retain some physical characteristics...

Demons generally look down on humans, but they need to take human form to cultivate the current cultivation system. However, they are unwilling to be completely like humans, so they leave behind some physical characteristics to represent their difference from humans.

Of course, the truly outstanding races among the demons disdain doing so. When they transform into human form, they leave no physical characteristics because they do not need to use such a method to indicate their difference from humans.

Mingyan did not see any unique physical characteristics on Yu Mudan, except for her pink eyes, which were quite special. However, humans also have other pupils, so this cannot be considered a racial characteristic.

Mingyan, Huang Feiyan, and Feng Shiyi went up to register. Feng Shiyi's waist token was more effective than Mingyan's and Huang Feiyan's. When the elder in charge saw the words "Bai Ze", his expression changed slightly. He immediately bent down and solemnly handed the waist token back to Feng Shiyi.

The three of them entered the teleportation array, and Mingyan quickly noticed that someone was observing them.

He frowned and transmitted his voice to Huang Feiyan, "Someone is following us again."

“Hmm, I wonder who it is…” Huang Feiyan had clearly noticed it as well. “We’re here at the teleportation array, so we can’t escape their eyes and ears. After all, we’re going in a certain direction unless I can find another route.”

Mingyan isn't too worried now. The fairy sister is always by their side, and he possesses an Emperor-level artifact. A half-step Human Realm cultivator wielding an Emperor-level artifact would make even Human Realm cultivators retreat in fear...

Even if all else fails, the fairy sister with the imperial weapon will definitely be able to stall for time until Master arrives. At that time, a saint wielding an imperial weapon can basically do whatever he wants in this world, except for his sister Wang Qingchu and the Empress.

"Forget it, let's ignore them," Mingyan said. "Let's take the shortest route and not waste time because of them."

Huang Feiyan was somewhat surprised to hear this. Didn't Mingyan previously think that revealing their whereabouts was not a good thing? Why did he suddenly change his mind, as if he had gained confidence?

Huang Feiyan knew that Ming Yan was not the kind of person to act recklessly. He had saved her more than once. Since he had made this decision, Huang Feiyan nodded and said nothing.

Feng Shiyi naturally wouldn't say anything. She just tugged at Mingyan's sleeve and obediently followed behind him, behaving very well.

"Speaking of which, there's a forbidden zone for life nearby," Huang Feiyan said. "Did you know about it?"

“I learned about it before I came; it’s a wasteland,” Mingyan nodded.

“These forbidden zones are places where living people become ordinary, but ghosts can roam freely. They were once battlefields between heroes and invaders from other realms during the dark and turbulent era. Many say that the legacies and weapons of those heroes remain there…” Huang Feiyan sighed softly. “Many members of the Huang family also died in these places.”

The Phoenix Clan has been established for a very long time. It was founded by the last Phoenix of the Phoenix God Clan who had reached the pinnacle of power. Over this long period of time, it has experienced several periods of darkness and turmoil.

The Huang family is not the kind of family that only hides behind others. Every time there is a dark upheaval, the Huang family will fight, and the price will be very high.

During those days, the Huang family also lost many sacred artifacts, great sacred artifacts, and human king artifacts. Although these weapons were far inferior to the ultimate weapons, they were still extremely powerful and represented the foundation of a family.

“The Huang family once had a human king who died in this forbidden land,” Huang Feiyan said. “A piece of imperial feather passed down from the Huang family has also been lost.”

“Di Yu?” Ming Yan looked at Huang Feiyan.

“Yes, that is a feather left behind by the Phoenix Clan’s ancestor, the phoenix who entered the Extreme Dao Realm. When a woman of the Phoenix Clan holds this feather, the phoenix blood in her body will be activated and burned, which can increase the strength of our Phoenix Clan women.” Huang Feiyan nodded and said, “But it was lost in the forbidden zone. Apart from the Great Emperor, who can enter the forbidden zone? Unless our Phoenix Clan produces an Extreme Dao Great Emperor, or a Great Emperor who has a good relationship with us... and someone like you, who, after achieving great success, can even be said to have taken a half step into the Extreme Dao Realm.”

Huang Feiyan looked at Ming Yan with a peculiar gaze, "You probably don't know what you mean to the Huang family..."

The Huang family's treatment of him was more of an investment, but that didn't affect anything; Mingyan didn't think they wanted to take advantage of him.

This kind of thing is inherently fair. The Huang family protected him and nurtured him, and he repaid the Huang family after he grew up. This was originally a good relationship, and to call it exploitation is too harsh.

"Don't think about it if you don't understand. Just know that you are very important to us." Huang Feiyan smiled brightly when she saw Ming Yan looking thoughtful.

Mingyan looked at Huang Feiyan and noticed her eyes.

Like Huang Junyi, it also had a certain red glow, like firelight, burning fiercely.

The fire in her eyes was even stronger than the fire in Huang Junyi's eyes. Was this just his imagination? He had seen it twice already.

Huang Junyi has it, Huang Feiyan has it too, are all the women of the Huang family like this?

Chapter Forty-Two: Tongtian City

The forbidden area of ​​the Southern Continent is called the Kuiling Wasteland. It is said that this place was once a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, and the most powerful holy land in the Southern Continent was located here.

However, that holy land was later erased from history by invaders from other realms. This place became the main battlefield, and the battle raged until the spiritual energy was exhausted and the laws of the Dao completely collapsed, with no possibility of repair, and it eventually became a forbidden zone for life.

I heard that when it was a battlefield, it left countless scars. Later, those pits and holes were filled with corpses, and it was restored to a flat wasteland. If you step into it, who knows if there are corpses under your feet?

This wasteland is barren, and even standing outside, one can vaguely sense the shattering of the laws governing it.

Mingyan inquired about the location of the nearby teleportation array, which wasn't far from the forbidden zone of life, so Huang Feiyan decided to take a look along the way.

They stopped outside the Wasteland of Despair and gazed into it.

Beyond the forbidden zone of life lies a long stretch of stone tablets, which are linked to a massive array that encloses the forbidden zone, prohibiting entry.

In places where laws are broken, cultivators are not only unable to use their Dao techniques, but they are also greatly affected after leaving. Therefore, forbidden zones of life are off-limits.

Of course, this formation is not very restrictive; it is simply to prevent cultivators from accidentally entering. If one's cultivation level is high enough, one can force their way in, but one should bear the consequences.

Huang Feiyan sighed softly, "We did not bring back the remains of that ancestor. The ancestor was only a human king. After hundreds of thousands of years, his body has probably been completely destroyed and no trace of him can be found anymore."