Chapter 134: Asleep for a Hundred Years

“How have I deceived you? If I truly meant to deceive you, I would not have explained everything so plainly. Little Gold does indeed look exactly like a qilin beast, and its innate divine abilities are far beyond what an ordinary Lightning Beast could possess. Even if it is not a qilin beast, it is certainly no weaker than one. It is only at the advanced Core Formation stage, a minor level below me, yet its combat strength already surpasses mine by a wide margin. Have you ever seen a Lightning Beast like that?”

Su Ye glared at him.

“Is it really that powerful?” the little lion asked hesitantly. Though he had known Su Ye for only three months, he somehow felt that, given Su Ye’s pride, he would never praise that qilin beast so highly unless it truly was extraordinary.

“Of course!” Su Ye replied with absolute certainty.

“If it is truly so powerful, how did it acknowledge your junior sister as its master? From what I know of qilin beasts, anyone they accept as their master must be even more exceptional than they are.”

The little lion was still skeptical.

“Heh. No matter how powerful Little Gold is, my junior sister is fully qualified to become its master. You think my combat strength is decent, don’t you? If my junior sister and I were at the same cultivation level, I doubt I could withstand even three moves from her.”

As Su Ye spoke of Ji Mo, his eyes softened unconsciously.

The little lion was speechless.

In a side hall of a crystal palace so clear and radiant that it seemed carved from pure light, a multicolored ice coffin stood in silence. Within it slept a beautiful, serene young woman in a yellow robe. She appeared to be around twenty years old. Her skin was white as snow, her features as exquisite as a painting, and her small, petal-shaped lips curved faintly upward, as though she were lost in a beautiful dream.

“Little Ji Mo, are you awake yet?”

A buzzing, muttering voice suddenly rang out beyond the silent hall. A handsome qilin beast covered in golden fur entered with the voice, standing roughly half a meter tall. This was none other than Little Gold. The girl sleeping within the multicolored ice coffin was, naturally, Ji Mo. Accompanying Little Gold was a handsome middle-aged man dressed in silver robes.

“Little Gold, when are you going to get rid of that reckless habit of yours? What if you frighten Little Ji Mo?”

The silver-robed man walked to the side of the multicolored ice coffin and glanced at the girl, who looked as though she were enjoying a sweet dream. He could not help glaring at Little Gold and reprimanding him.

“I say, Little White. As a dragon, you ought to be domineering beyond compare. Yet look at you—so petty and fussy, fussing over every little thing all day long. It would be better if you startled Little Ji Mo and woke her sooner. She has been asleep for a full hundred and ten years.”

Little Gold shrank until he was no larger than a fist, then leaped onto the edge of the multicolored ice coffin and sat there cross-legged, casting the silver-robed man a disdainful glance.

This handsome, silver-robed middle-aged man was none other than the spirit of Ji Mo’s White Jade Flood Dragon Whip, which had taken human form. After more than a century in the crystal palace, and with Ao Feng’s help, the spirit of the white flood dragon whip had recovered most of its consciousness and could now assume a human form.

“Little Gold, White Dragon, you’re both back.”

As the two beasts bickered, another voice sounded from outside the hall.

“Oh, that boy Su Ye is back.”

Little Gold and White Dragon simultaneously turned toward the entrance. Sure enough, Su Ye strode inside, followed by a lion covered in fiery red fur.

“Eh? A mutated Blazing Cloud Lion? Su Ye, is this the new beast companion you’ve taken in? Not bad!”

Little Gold’s gaze fell upon the fiery-red lion, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

“You’re his beast companion! Your whole family are his beast companions!”

The little lion instantly bristled when the fist-sized beast mistook him for Su Ye’s companion. Without caring where he was, he immediately began hurling abuse.

“Oh? Quite the temper. Looks like you need to be taught a lesson!”

Little Gold shot him a glance. His fist-sized body darted forward with a whoosh, striking the little lion like a bolt of lightning.

The little lion flew into a rage. He swung up a paw and brought it down, intending to give Little Gold a painful lesson. But before his paw could even rise fully, his body had already been sent flying.

With a crash, he slammed hard into the crystal wall behind him, rebounded high into the air, then fell to the floor with another heavy thud. His vision spun, his ears rang incessantly, and his head swam with dizziness. Little Gold, meanwhile, seemed completely unharmed. With another whoosh, he sprang back to the edge of the multicolored ice coffin and sat down.

“You… You’re the qilin beast Su Ye mentioned?”

The instant the little lion collided with Little Gold, he felt an overwhelming suppression emanating from their bloodlines. Instinctive fear rose within him. After witnessing the strength Little Gold had displayed, he immediately connected it to Su Ye’s earlier words. Once the ringing in his ears had subsided somewhat, he hurriedly climbed to his feet and stared at Little Gold in shock.

“What is a qilin beast supposed to be? Why would I be one?”

Little Gold glanced at him, his tone filled with disdain.

The little lion was both astonished and terrified, but he no longer dared to ask anything more. He had always been extraordinarily proud, yet in the face of Little Gold’s terrifying strength and the instinctive suppression from their bloodlines, that pride was forced deep within him.

“How was that, little lion? I didn’t lie to you, did I?”

Seeing that Little Gold had thoroughly subdued the little lion, Su Ye walked over with a smile and patted him on the head, teasing him.

The little lion glared at him angrily, darted several steps to the side to avoid his hand, and crouched there in a foul mood.

“Is my junior sister still not awake?”

Su Ye shook his head with a faint smile, withdrew his gaze, and walked over to the multicolored ice coffin. He looked at Ji Mo inside and asked the question.

Little Gold and White Dragon both shook their heads. The three of them fell silent at once.

Ji Mo had been asleep for a hundred and ten years.

When she entered the Blue Moon Divine Palace all those years ago, her vitality had already been extinguished and her breath entirely gone. The energy within both her body and soul had been completely exhausted, and the flame of her life had been utterly snuffed out.

Later, Ao Feng had employed a great divine art, using the power of the Five Elements to protect a wisp of her true spirit from perishing. He had also dispelled the demonic force of the Burning Flame within the Soul-Burning Meteor Sword and brought out the divine palace’s treasured Five Elements Spirit Coffin to nourish her body.

Yet in the blink of an eye, a hundred and ten years had passed. Ji Mo remained as still as someone asleep, without the slightest sign of movement.

Su Ye watched her for a while. Seeing that everyone’s spirits had fallen, he changed the subject.

“Where is Senior Ao Feng? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“We don’t know where that old fellow has run off to. We didn’t see so much as his shadow when we returned.”

Little Gold curled his lips. Within the crystal palace, he alone was bold and unruly enough to call Ao Feng “that old fellow” at every opportunity. Strangely enough, Ao Feng never seemed to take offense at his lack of manners.

“Little Gold, are you gossiping about me again?”

The moment Little Gold finished speaking, Ao Feng’s voice rang out. As the voice faded, an elderly man in a green robe appeared before them. His features were refined and his bearing otherworldly. He was none other than Ao Feng, the divine beast guarding the Blue Moon Divine Palace.

“Senior Ao Feng!”

Upon seeing him, Su Ye and White Dragon immediately rose and bowed.

The instant the little lion saw Ao Feng, astonishment and dread seized his heart. He wanted to step forward and pay his respects, but he was so overwhelmed that his body stiffened. He could only lie motionless in the corner, unable to move.

Only Little Gold remained seated boldly atop the multicolored ice coffin, not stirring in the slightest.

To be continued…