Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

On his first hunt, he was covered in cuts and scratches from thorns; on his first encounter with other magical beasts, he was beaten to the point of near death.

What could she do? She could only drag her broken body back to the cold cave by instinct, curl up in a corner, and silently lick her wounds with her still clumsy tongue.

There was no comforting caress, no heart-wrenching sigh, only the silent response of the stone wall and the howling wind outside the cave.

“You…” Zi Yan raised her head, her purple eyes seeming to crack like thin ice, revealing a surging undercurrent beneath.

"Do you know where they are?"

Her voice was a little hoarse, and it no longer had its former liveliness.

Su Baichen looked at her, his gaze calm yet profound.

"Yes. I went to the cave where you were born before and found something deep in the crevice of the rocks."

He paused, then continued, "In addition to the blood you leave behind when you are injured... I have discovered that your bloodline power is very special, carrying a deliberately suppressed yet extremely ancient mark."

He took a step forward, raised his hand, and gently placed his fingertips on the top of Zi Yan's hair, rubbing it.

"Then I remembered a certain little girl. Every time she saw Ling'er rush into Cai Lin's arms, or when she saw other monster cubs being carried back to their nests by their parents, she couldn't hide the envy in her eyes... I thought, maybe I could try to find it by following that bloodline mark and the residual scent in the cave."

His tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.

"Unexpectedly, this trial actually led to a connection."

Zi Yan listened in a daze.

Su Baichen previously said that he couldn't find the territory of the Ancient Void Dragon, and that the maze in that vast void was beyond his ability to break.

But now... he says he has found her parents.

Even if some secret technique was used, what kind of existence is the Ancient Dragon of the Void that Su Baichen mentioned?

What kind of heaven-defying secret technique could cross the void, penetrate bloodline restrictions, and lock onto two specific individuals? What terrifying price would be required to achieve that?

She suddenly dared not think any further.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, aching and throbbing, and my eyes quickly welled up with tears.

"Su Baichen..." she murmured, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

The next instant, she lunged forward, hugged Su Baichen tightly around the waist, and buried her face deep into his plain white clothes.

"Waaaaah—!"

The grievances, loneliness, and longings that had been suppressed for countless years burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam, shattering all pretense of strength.

She cried without any regard for her image, her shoulders heaving violently, and her tears quickly soaked the fabric of Su Baichen's clothes.

"You're so good to me... I don't know how to thank you..."

"That secret technique... must have come at a great cost, right? Did it... damage your foundation? Or shorten your lifespan?"

She raised her tear-blurred face, sobbing, yet said with unusual seriousness, "How about... how about I become your woman too! Your kindness is too great, I can't repay it!"

Su Baichen's body stiffened slightly, then he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

This girl's thinking is so unpredictable it's almost unbelievable. He was just making up a plausible explanation based on what he'd said before.

She, on the other hand, imagined a scenario of "enormous sacrifice and immense gratitude," and the more she thought about it, the more real it seemed.

"Go away, go away, go stay somewhere else." He pretended to be disgusted and reached out to push her little head.

"You've smeared your snot and tears all over me, isn't that dirty?"

"No! I won't!" Zi Yan hugged him even tighter, clinging to him like an octopus.

"I'll be yours from now on! I'll marry you when I grow up! I mean it!"

Su Baichen was amused by her reckless attitude, so he simply grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her up like a kitten, looking her up and down, his gaze sweeping over her still tender and flat figure.

Then, he softly uttered two words:

"hehe."

Zi Yan's crying stopped abruptly.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, her face flushed instantly, even her ears turning a blush.

"What do you mean?!" She bared her teeth and brandished her claws, but being held up, she could only kick her legs in the air.

"I'm still young! I'll grow taller there! When I grow up, my figure will definitely be no worse than Sister Cailin's! My looks too! You won't regret raising me! You won't be fooled!"

She shouted with a straight face, her eyes and nose red, trying to act like she was in high demand, which was both ridiculous and pitiful.

A faint smile flickered in Su Baichen's eyes. He bent his finger and tapped her forehead lightly.

Boom-!

It was crisp and clear.

"what!"

Zi Yan covered her forehead, glared at him angrily, and said, "Why did you hit my head! What if I become stupid? If I really become stupid, you'll have to take care of me for the rest of your life!"

"Support you?" Su Baichen raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid you'll eat me out of house and home."

He released her hand, and Zi Yan landed lightly.

Eyes facing each other.

Zi Yan suddenly realized that the heavy sadness and disappointment that had been weighing on her heart had quietly dissipated most of it during her playful and seemingly disdainful but actually tolerant interaction with Su Baichen.

My heart still ached, but it was no longer cold and desperate. Instead, a strange warmth welled up inside me, along with a touch of... nervous trepidation, like the feeling of being close to home.

Su Baichen looked into her gradually clearing eyes and knew that she had recovered.

"Let's go." He turned around, his sleeves fluttering in the morning breeze.

Zi Yan was stunned: "...Now?"

"Otherwise what?" Su Baichen didn't turn around; his voice carried on the wind.

"You don't want to see them anymore?"

Zi Yan bit her lower lip hard.

miss you.

How could I not want to?

That was the answer she had been searching for since she could remember, the deepest longing in her heart during countless cold nights when she huddled up in fear.

But when the moment actually arrived, she felt a pang of fear. She feared encountering indifference, helplessness, and yet another reason for abandonment.

She took a deep breath, forcefully wiped away the tears on her face, and fiercely suppressed those chaotic thoughts back into her heart.

Then, she jogged a few steps and caught up with the white figure.

"Wait for me!"

Chapter 231 Meeting Zhukun

Zi Yan stared at the familiar Heavenly Flame Refining Tower before her, her purple eyes filled with confusion and a hint of annoyance at being mocked.

"Su Baichen, why did you bring me here?" She tugged at Su Baichen's sleeve.

"Didn't you say you were looking for my parents? I've been to the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower eight hundred times! How could they possibly—"

Before he could finish speaking, he received a light tap on the forehead.

"Ouch!" Zi Yan covered her head and jumped away, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"You hit my head again! Everyone says it'll make you stupid!"

Su Baichen withdrew his finger and glanced at her helplessly: "Stop talking nonsense and stay close."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve, and the space in front of him rippled like the surface of water, then tore open a dark rift.

Before Zi Yan could react, he had already grabbed her wrist and stepped inside.

The world spun around.

Zi Yan felt a blur before her eyes, and the scenery around her instantly switched from the familiar Canaan Academy.

A scorching heat rushed towards her. Looking down, she saw that beneath her feet was churning, boiling, crimson magma, with scorching bubbles constantly bursting and sending up waves of fire several meters high.

"Where...where is this?" She instinctively grabbed Su Baichen's arm.

"Directly below the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower." Su Baichen's voice was calm and even, but his eyes scanned his surroundings warily.

"The lair where the Heartflame perished back then. Also... the last clue to your parents."

Zi Yan was stunned. She opened her mouth to refute, but then swallowed her words back.

"Stay close to me, don't stray more than three steps away," Su Baichen instructed, a pale blue light shield rising around him, enveloping the two of them, before he plunged into the depths of the magma.

The scorching air whistled past my ears, and strange life waves faintly emanated from the depths of the magma.

Just as they were about to sink into the surface of the magma, two crimson figures suddenly burst through the magma and shot into the sky!

They were two half-human, half-lizard monsters, their bodies covered in fiery red scales, holding spears made of molten lava, their eyes like burning embers.

"Anyone who trespasses on our clan's forbidden territory shall die!" The hoarse roar echoed through the magma world.

Su Baichen didn't even lift his eyelids, casually waving his right hand.

"Snapped!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and before the two fire lizardmen could even defend themselves, their bodies exploded into a shower of sparks in mid-air, merging into the rolling lava below.

Zi Yan's pupils contracted slightly—she hadn't even seen how Su Baichen made his move.

"Go!" Su Baichen's speed increased dramatically, and he transformed into a streak of light, shooting into the magma.

Zi Yan then noticed that his expression was more serious than before, as if he was wary of something.

These lizardmen are just gatekeepers; the real trouble lies with those two old monsters in their tribe… We need to reach our destination before they notice.

Zi Yan vaguely heard Su Baichen muttering to himself, but before she could ask him any questions, she saw him raise his hand and summon the Heavenly Profound Pearl.

"Come in and take cover."

Before she finished speaking, Zi Yan felt a lightness all over her body, and the scene before her eyes suddenly changed. She was now in a courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.