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

"Uh, it's caution! Yes, caution! That's why I developed this habit, don't take it to heart!"

Su Baichen stood to the side, and upon hearing this, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his eyes darkened slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

Zi Yan also subconsciously looked at Su Baichen, a complex expression in her eyes, a mixture of gratitude and heartache.

"It's alright, it's alright." Jiang Mingyue quickly waved her hand, her smile gentle and tolerant, carrying the wisdom gained from experiencing life's vicissitudes.

"The reason he did this, in the end, is because he cares about you and wants to protect you. That sentiment is so precious. Besides..."

She looked at Su Baichen with genuine gratitude and appreciation in her eyes: "He risked using your blood to help my soul revive, out of consideration for Ziyan, allowing me to see the light of day again and reunite with my daughter. This is already an immense favor, and he took a considerable risk."

"I feel only gratitude in my heart. How could I be dissatisfied with his slight caution? If it weren't for the circumstances that forced me to recover some strength to deal with a possible crisis, I wouldn't have asked him to do so and add to his worries."

Jiang Mingyue's words are true.

The fact that a person can rise from humble beginnings and weather all the storms to reach where they are today speaks volumes about their deep-seated vigilance. This vigilance is less a flaw than a wisdom for survival.

Su Baichen's extreme cherishing and protection of those around him resonated deeply with Jiang Mingyue, who was also a mother and regarded Ziyan as her own life, and she felt admiration for her.

Chapter 297 Zi Yan Leaves!

Zi Yan nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red.

She understood that Su Baichen could have pretended not to know, kept his mother's remnant soul sealed in the gun, and kept himself safe. No one would have known that he had such an opportunity, and he wouldn't have had to take any risks.

But in the end, he still chose to save them, chose to trust them, and let the mother and daughter be together.

She will always remember this kindness.

“That makes sense…” Xiao Jin tilted her head and thought for a moment, then realized that Jiang Mingyue’s words made a lot of sense.

Its slight unease caused by being suspected dissipated considerably after the other party's understanding and insightful interpretation that 'Su Baichen cares about it.'

"Alright, since you're so sensible and are Ziyan's mother, I'll let it go." Xiao Jin shook his head, seemingly having made up his mind.

It made no unnecessary movements, but simply opened its mouth slightly, and a soft and pure golden halo rippled around its body. The light was not dazzling, but contained a powerful vitality and a peaceful aura.

Immediately afterwards, two particularly dazzling golden points of light, as if they were concentrated essences of the sun, slowly floated out of its mouth.

The light spots were only the size of a grain of rice, yet incredibly solid. Inside, a golden liquid seemed to slowly rotate, emanating a warm and refreshing aura, as well as a supreme and noble majesty originating from the very source of life.

This is not ordinary blood, nor even essence in the usual sense.

Its aura is so pure and refined that it far surpasses the ordinary—this is the primordial essence originating from the depths of the auspicious beast's heart meridian, just below the essence blood of its heart!

Each drop of essence requires a significant amount of the auspicious beast's vital energy and a long period of nurturing.

Two drops of blood, as brilliant as liquid gold, drifted silently to Su Baichen, who carefully caught them in a small, pre-prepared jade bottle. The bottle was instantly bathed in a warm golden glow.

"Here you go!" After doing all this, the light on Little Gold seemed to dim slightly. It yawned a little, and weariness washed over it again.

"Things' all done, I'm going back to catch up on some sleep... My pills might still be able to keep up..."

Before the words were even finished, it had already transformed into a slightly tired but still dazzling golden stream of light, and with a "whoosh," it disappeared into Su Baichen's brow, returning to the soul nurtured deep within his sea of ​​consciousness.

Jiang Mingyue witnessed the process of collecting the two drops of blood and felt the pure power within them, which even carried a trace of the auspicious beast's origin. Her eyes were filled with undisguised shock and emotion.

She thought that being able to borrow two drops of ordinary blood essence containing the aura of a mythical beast was already a stroke of luck, enough to greatly improve her starting point for resurrection.

Unexpectedly, this auspicious beast named Xiao Jin was so generous, directly gifting him with its primordial essence blood, second only to its heart's blood!

This is no longer a simple "borrowing," but a profound expression of affection and a gift.

The trust and goodwill represented by this gift far exceeded her expectations.

…………

In the days that followed, Su Baichen devoted almost all his time to nourishing his body and refining elixirs.

The body, taken from the Northern Dragon King, was meticulously refined by him and soaked day and night in various rare elixirs and the essence of auspicious beasts. Gradually, a layer of warm and restrained jade-colored luster flowed on its surface, and the immense power contained within had quietly climbed to a new level—comparable to the strength of a six-star Dou Sheng.

During this period, the Grand Elder of Donglong Island, Qingshan, personally visited once.

The old man, with a gentle face, handed a storage ring engraved with lifelike dragon patterns to Su Baichen. His tone was mild yet carried an undeniable weight: "Young friend Baichen, His Highness has been well taken care of by you these past few days. This is a small token of our clan's appreciation; please do not refuse it."

Su Baichen thanked him and accepted the ring. He casually probed the storage ring with his soul power. Even with his calm and composed nature, his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

Inside the storage ring, a dazzling light filled the air, almost blinding the eyes.

High-grade medicinal herbs were piled up in bundles, exuding a powerful spiritual energy; magic cores were arranged according to their grade, among which five ninth-grade magic cores floated up and down, emanating vast energy fluctuations; there were also many rare and exotic gold and stones, earth core jade marrow and other forging materials.

All of them, in all their variety, are so valuable that they are almost equivalent to his collection of treasures for most of his life.

Is this just a "small" thank-you gift?

Su Baichen sighed inwardly: "The foundation of the Ancient Dragon Clan is indeed unfathomable."

These materials arrived at just the right time, and several of them were perfect for further stabilizing and strengthening that Battle Saint's body, so he immediately put them to use.

After a few quiet days, Zi Yan arrived.

She stood at the courtyard gate, but instead of running in excitedly as usual, she pursed her lips and looked at Su Baichen, who was concentrating on controlling the fire.

Su Baichen sensed something, extinguished the flame in his palm, and turned to look at her: "Are you leaving?"

"Mmm." Zi Yan nodded, her voice a little muffled.

"My mother and the elders have decided that I should go back... to inherit the Dragon Emperor's throne, receive the ancient dragon's legacy, and also to reorganize those divided clans."

She kicked at a non-existent pebble at her feet, clearly unwilling.

"I don't want to leave."

Su Baichen walked up to her, his tone calm and gentle: "This is your responsibility, and it's your path. It's time to go back."

As he spoke, he took out a seemingly ordinary storage ring that actually contained complex spatial runes and placed it in Zi Yan's hand.

"Inside is the fully refined body of the Northern Dragon King, as well as all the elixirs prepared for Aunt's resurrection."

"I also put in an array plate. As long as I find a place with abundant battle qi and activate it, the array will set up and operate on its own."

"At that time, have your aunt take the pill at the center of the formation and let it integrate into her body. I have recorded all the relevant details and precautions in the jade slip."

After giving detailed instructions, he raised his hand and gently stroked Zi Yan's soft purple hair, just as he usually comforted that gluttonous and temperamental little girl: "After you go back, cultivate diligently and secure your position as the Dragon Emperor."

“In the future, perhaps I, a mere Battle Saint, will actually have to rely on you, Your Majesty the Ancient Dragon Empress of the Void.”

Zi Yan gripped the storage ring tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

She suddenly raised her head, as if making a firm decision, and swiftly forced out a ball of energy from her body, shimmering with a noble purple-gold luster. Its aura was profound, faintly resembling the roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix: "Here, this is the primordial dragon and phoenix power I refined within my body. Although it's only a wisp, it should be very beneficial to you..."

Su Baichen was slightly taken aback. Just as he was about to reach out and take it, he saw Zi Yan suddenly lean forward. Her soft breath quickly brushed against his cheek, leaving a touch as light as a feather but with a burning heat.

“You—” Su Baichen was taken aback.

"I will become stronger soon! Then I will come back to find you!" Zi Yan's cheeks were as red as the sunset. Before she finished speaking, she transformed into a streak of purple-gold light and soared into the sky as if fleeing, disappearing into the end of the sea of ​​clouds in an instant.

The courtyard returned to silence.

Su Baichen subconsciously raised his hand and touched the spot that had just been "attacked," then shook his head and chuckled, a hint of helplessness and gentle emotion rippling in his eyes.

"This girl... has really grown up."

He looked down at the ball of purple-gold light in his hand, which floated quietly and exuded a powerful and mysterious energy, with phantom images of dragons and phoenixes slowly swirling and moving within it.

This "gift of gratitude" and "farewell" was truly unexpected, yet weighed heavily on my heart.

Chapter 298 Wife and Daughter Arrive!

Zi Yan is gone!

Qingshan left with Ziyan and Jiang Mingyue!

In the days that followed, Zi Yan, who was no longer causing trouble, settled into a quiet life.

Having just refined the power of the dragon and phoenix, Su Baichen's battle aura, at the late stage of the four-star Dou Sheng level, was faintly visible around him, and he was vaguely touching the threshold of the five-star Dou Sheng level.

He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the vast and powerful energy flowing through his meridians, like a surging river.

As soon as he opened the door, a small figure rushed into his arms like the wind.

"Daddy!"

Su Baichen subconsciously opened his arms and looked down.

His daughter, Su Ling'er, was looking up at him with her little face full of joy. Her two little hands were tightly wrapped around his waist, and her little head was rubbing against him like a spoiled kitten.

"Ling'er?" Su Baichen was both surprised and delighted. He squatted down and pinched his daughter's pink cheeks.

"Why are you here? Where's your mother? Is she here too?"

"Mother's here too! She's right behind us!" Su Ling'er giggled, turning her head to point behind her.

Su Baichen followed his daughter's finger and looked in the direction she was pointing. He was stunned by what he saw.

In the courtyard, two figures stood side by side.

On the left is Cai Lin, still wearing a long purple-red dress, her figure graceful, her face cold and beautiful, her light purple eyes filled with her usual pride and composure.

What surprised Su Baichen was the woman beside Cai Lin—Xuan Yi.

She wore an elegant light blue dress, exuding a gentle and serene temperament, which contrasted sharply with Cai Lin's flamboyant and bright appearance.

She stood there quietly, looking at Su Baichen with gentle eyes and a faint smile on her lips.

What surprised Su Baichen the most was that there was no tension between the two women; on the contrary, they seemed unusually harmonious.

Cai Lin even turned slightly to the side, allowing Xuan Yi to stand a little forward, their posture revealing a certain tacit understanding.

"You guys..." Su Baichen opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Xuan Yi smiled, pursing her lips, and remained silent. Cai Lin raised an eyebrow, her tone indifferent: "Tch, you think we'd argue like children?"

Su Baichen was speechless for a moment.

Little Ling'er in his arms covered her mouth and giggled, her little shoulders trembling.

“Xuanyi and I have already discussed it, so you don’t need to worry about it,” Cailin continued, her voice carrying her usual unquestionable composure.

"We don't care how many women you have outside, but if you want to bring them home, you have to ask for our opinion first."

Su Baichen nodded, a warm feeling welling up inside him, yet also a little apprehensive. He cautiously asked, "Then you two..."

"Your Majesty in black robes, I will assist you." Cai Lin waved her hand, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.