CHAPTER 167: JUN LAOYE'S IDOL, THE MOONSHADOW ARMOR EMERGES

"Yeah? What's the matter? Have you forgotten we just returned from Lord Green Emperor's secret realm? I came out of there, so what's the problem?"

"I... good heavens!" Jun Laoye's eyes widened, shining brighter than before as he stared at Wind Dragon. "You're actually a beast from the same era as Lord Green Emperor! The Green Emperor who opened the passage to the Outside, the Green Emperor who ushered in a whole new age!"

"What's so surprising about that?" Wind Dragon tried to sound casual, but the lift at the corner of his mouth betrayed his joy. Amused by Jun Laoye's exaggerated reaction, Wind Dragon let slip a little more, clearly fishing for praise."I used to be one of the beast chieftains under the Sixth Ancestral Avatar, Lord Beast King. Haven't I mentioned that before?"

"Beast chieftain? Senior Wind Dragon, you actually held such a high position?" Jun Laoye readjusted his hold on Nantian Yijian, jogging to keep pace as he peppered Wind Dragon with questions. "Did Lord Green Emperor really split the heavens and open the passage to the Outside with a single palm strike? Senior Wind Dragon, do you know? Among all the legendary emperors, he's the one I admire the most.

"When I was young, the book I loved most in our clan's library was The Green Emperor's Heaven-Cleaving Chronicles. I never dreamed I'd meet someone from his era, and from the same faction at that!

"Senior Wind Dragon, was Lord Green Emperor really that strong back then?" Jun Laoye pressed on, eyes wide with anticipation. "Did he truly beat ten thousand young geniuses? Did any of them make it back alive?

"Senior Wind Dragon, did you know? The Jun Clan has pursued the Heavenly Dao since thirty thousand years ago. We even took part in the Central Continent's Dao Discussion. Later on, the formidable elders of our clan chose to ascend to seek traces of the Heavenly Dao in the Outside.

"It's true that Lord Green Emperor personally opened the passage," Wind Dragon admitted. "But the act of 'splitting the heavens' wasn't his alone. It took the combined strength of all the continent's genius youths and their clans.

"That so-called Dao Discussion was actually a council on how to split open the heavens and decide which clan would strike the final blow. It was then that Lord Green Emperor suddenly appeared, and without any family backing, he swept aside every young genius present."

"I see... and then? What happened afterward?" Jun Laoye leaned closer, eyes glittering. "Did they return from the Outside? What became of the continent and the Outside?"

"Well... uh..." Wind Dragon scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I just woke from a long slumber, so my memory is still hazy. I'll tell you once I recall the details.

"Wan'er, we've arrived. Let's head inside. Don't keep Little Lu waiting for too long."

"Hey, hey, hey, Senior Wind Dragon, why did you stop?" Jun Laoye hurried after him, waving his hands. "Don't stop, keep talking! What happened to them afterward?"

Nantian Wan'er glanced at him and chuckled softly. "Brother Jun, I'd suggest you stop pressing Lord Wind Dragon. Back then, he was still very weak and didn't take part in that operation. After Lord Green Emperor departed, he was forced into a deep slumber.

"He wouldn't know what happened afterward. How could he answer you?"

"Wan'er... When did you learn to be as mischievous as Little Lu? My cultivation has already fallen this far, and now you're still exposing my past?" Wind Dragon ruffled Nantian Wan'er's head, his voice carrying a faint, lingering softness. "Come on, come on, let's go. If we don't, I'll get angry."

"Hahaha, so that's how it is. Still, Senior Wind Dragon, to have trained under Lord Green Emperor at all is already remarkable," Jun Laoye said with a laugh, letting Nantian Wan'er guide him forward while he carried Nantian Yijian and kept pace.

The group made their way into the central stone pillar, only to see Lu Chen with his three avatars.

The three avatars circled Lu Chen, palms turned inward, forming a Triad Formation that continuously channeled the spirit qi of heaven and earth into him.[1]

"This is... could it be... the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon?" Wind Dragon's gaze locked onto the fragmented manual in Lu Chen's hands. The text on its cover had long since faded, but he could still make out the words. "That dragon's body, those eyes... it has to be..."

"Senior Wind Dragon? What's wrong? What's with those eyes?" Jun Laoye gently set Nantian Yijian down and looked at him. "But it's strange... Little Lu has been cultivating far longer than usual this time. We've been making such a ruckus right beside him, yet he hasn't even come out to check."

He waved his hands in front of Wind Dragon. "Senior Wind Dragon... are you even listening to me?"

However, Wind Dragon had already slipped his consciousness into the small world, cutting himself off from everything outside.

"What's wrong with Senior Wind Dragon? He looks like he can't hear anything."

"He's probably lost in thought. Let's wait a while," Nantian Wan'er replied, sitting down beside Jun Laoye. At the same time, she sent part of her consciousness into the small world.

***

Once inside the core region of the small world, she saw the gates on both sides of the Eternal Twilight Imperial City already half-open. Threads of spirit qi streamed from the Heavenly Pool, were converted at the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, then flowed into the Tower of Time.

Under the divine tree, Feng Tiancheng was commanding a group of beast leaders. Nantian Wan'er slowly approached and spotted Wind Dragon's clone standing before Feng Tiancheng, deep in conversation. "Lord Wind Dragon, what are you all doing here?"

Both the elemental beast chieftains and bloodline beast leaders stood behind Feng Tiancheng. All of them had taken human form, watching Wind Dragon's clone intently as he reported what was happening outside.

Lu Chen was in seclusion, unable to extend his divine sense, and most others could not observe the outside world either. Helpless, they had gathered beneath the divine tree, relying on the spirit qi transmitted from the Heavenly Pool to sense Lu Chen's condition.

Nantian Wan'er bowed respectfully and said, "Grandpa Feng, esteemed leaders and chieftains, greetings. May I ask why you have all gathered here?"

"So you're Nantian Wan'er? I've heard of your deeds. It's impressive that you carry the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline."

She bowed with a proper junior's salute. "Yes, Grandpa Feng, I am Nantian Wan'er. I pay my respects to you."

Feng Tiancheng's face lit up. "Good, good!"

Seeing her salute, he stepped forward to help her up. He then reached behind and took out a piece of female armor, placing it in her hands. "Take this as my welcome gift to you."

Nantian Wan'er shook her head as she looked at the armor. "Oh no... I can't take it. This is far too valuable, and this is only our first meeting. Grandpa Feng, please keep it."

Wind Dragon said, "Wan'er, just accept it. You and Little Lu are already... close. Isn't his grandpa yours as well? We're all family. There is no need for formality."

Nantian Wan'er blushed, tossing the armor aside and waving her hands frantically. "No, no! Lu-gege and I are only ordinary friends. It's just... an accident that brought us together."

"I never said anything else. Hahaha. Wan'er, are you overthinking... or have you always thought that way?" Main Wind Dragon glanced at the armor she had thrown, curling his tail around it to wrap it back onto her. "It fits perfectly... but this armor looks familiar. Could it be..."[2]

Suddenly sensing something off, he turned to see all the beast leaders and chieftains step two zhang back.

"What's going on? Why are you backing away?"

Wind Dragon hurried forward, only for them to retreat even farther. "What are you doing? Am I really that frightening? I only said the armor looks like Matriarch Seventh's. What's wrong with that?"

The chieftains and leaders continued avoiding him as though he carried a plague. "Wait... why did I even say Matriarch Seventh? Could it really be hers?"

His face stiffened. "You all knew, didn't you?"

"Boss, you knew too, didn't you?" Wind Dragon shouted at Flame Demon, who stood farthest away. "Why didn't you warn me? I just broke a taboo! I'm doomed!"

"Great Lord Seventh, I didn't mean to mention the Matriarch Seventh..." Clone Wind Dragon clone hovered above, trembling as he faced Feng Tiancheng. "It just slipped out... please forgive me this one time..."

"Hmph. For Wan'er's sake, I won't pursue it," Feng Tiancheng said, his expression softening as he turned to her. "Wan'er, try the armor on. Do you like it?"

"Grandpa Feng, who is this Matriarch Seventh you're all talking about? Was she the owner of this armor? If it's that important, I absolutely cannot accept it."

Nantian Wan'er tried to remove the armor, but no matter how hard she pulled, it would not come off.

"I am ranked seventh among the avatars. Who do you think Matriarch Seventh is?" Feng Tiancheng patted her shoulder and let out a hearty laugh. "But that was long ago. The Moonshadow Armor now belongs to you. It suits you well. May you live up to its prestige."

1. In a xianxia context, a Triad Formation is a formation based on the harmony or interaction of Heaven, Earth, and Man, often used for combat, trapping, or magical purposes. ☜

2. Main Wind Dragon refers to the Wind Dragon's main body, while Clone Wind Dragon refers to the duplicate he created. ☜