I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The next morning, when Ji Tian went to check out, the hotel owner looked at the room, which had only been there one night but looked like it had been through a small war, and her expression was quite subtle.

The sheets were crumpled like crumpled draft paper, the quilt was rolled up in a ball in the corner of the bed, and the pillow had fallen to the floor at some point, with a few strands of long, silvery-white hair stuck to it.

There were six empty plates and three cups on the table. The cake crumbs on the plates had solidified into hard lumps, and the bottom of the cups still held unfinished iced tea.

The proprietress couldn't help but ask, "Did you...have a party last night?"

Ji Tian maintained his expressionless face. "No, my apprentice's meals are more lively."

Lilith stood behind him, pulling her hood down low, as if she wanted to hide her whole face inside the cloak. Her fingers twisted in her pockets, and the tips of her ears were as red as boiled shrimp.

She woke up hungry in the middle of the night last night and got up in the dark to eat a small cake, only to be startled by her master who was still meditating.

Ji Tian spoke again, "Deposit."

The proprietress glanced at him, then at Lilith, sighed, and took out a few silver coins from the drawer and handed them over.

"Next time you come to stay, just let me know in advance and I'll prepare a larger room for you."

"it is good."

Ji Tian took the silver coin, casually handed it to his apprentice, and turned to leave.

As he stepped out of the inn, he suddenly stopped and glanced at Lilith, who was still counting her silver coins behind him.

"Close your eyes."

Lilith looked up, bewildered. "Huh? Why are you closing your eyes?"

Ji Tian didn't explain, but reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Master? You need to—wait, wait a minute—"

A flower in front of you.

The surrounding street scene seemed to be crushed by an invisible hand, turning into countless blurry lights and shadows that rushed past her.

The sounds of the wind, voices, and horns from the distant city walls were all stretched and distorted in that instant, turning into a deep hum.

Lilith felt her stomach being thrown to her left shoulder and then thrown back to its original position.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, and only one thought remained in her mind:

Here it comes again, here it comes again, here it comes again—

Then, everything returned to calm.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on her face.

The stone path beneath our feet had turned into soft, decaying leaf litter, and the air was filled with the smell of pine resin and decay.

Lilith opened her eyes.

Towering ancient trees, entwined with vines, and the distant calls of unknown birds.

Xiling Mountains.

Her voice was a little unsteady. She seemed fine, but she had actually been gone for a while. "...Master, could you give me a heads-up before you use this trick next time? Like 'Prepare to travel through time' or 'Three, two, one'? So I can be mentally prepared and calm my heart."

"it is good."

"You said the same thing last time."

"This time it's for real."

Lilith took a deep breath, swallowed the mouthful of acid that welled up inside her, and looked down at her feet. She was still standing on the ground; thankfully, she hadn't been thrown off.

She patted the fallen leaves off her cloak and jogged after him.

"Master, where are we going today?"

"Deep in the Xiling Mountains."

"Didn't we go there yesterday?"

"Yesterday we only stayed on the outer perimeter, today we're moving inwards."

……

After walking for about an hour, Ji Tian suddenly stopped.

Lilith nearly bumped into his back and slammed on the brakes.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a sound."

Ji Tian listened intently, his divine sense spreading forward like a tide, extending along the mountainside, passing through layers of tree canopies, rocks, and soil, probing deeper into the landscape.

The wind blew in from the ridge, carrying a scent that didn't belong to this forest. It was a more pungent and sharper smell, like sulfur mixed with rust, and a faint hint of blood.

"Demons."

Lilith's expression instantly tensed up. She shrank back slightly, her fingers gripping the cloak's ties tightly until her knuckles turned white.

"Demons... Demons? Not monsters?"

"Um."

Are you sure?

"My divine sense is not wrong. About three hundred steps ahead, in a mountain hollow, there are twelve demonic auras."

Ji Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, his divine sense like an invisible needle piercing into that aura, probing it one by one.

"The strongest one is around the Foundation Establishment stage, which you would call a high-level mage. The rest are all at the Qi Refining stage, not worth mentioning."

Lilith paused for a moment, "A high-level mage? That's—"

"You're stronger than me, but you're nothing but an ant in my eyes."

He paused, then added, "And they don't seem to be after you."

How did you know?

"Their aura is steady, their formation is orderly; it doesn't seem like a search. It's more like they're... looking for something."

Ji Tian's divine sense captured the faint fragments of conversation in that mountain valley. The words "dragon bone," "dragon might," and "three hundred miles to the east" appeared repeatedly in the language of the demon race, like a pack of hunting dogs following a certain scent.

Ji Tian confirmed, "They are looking for the dragon."

Lilith suddenly felt that the mountain had become terrifying. "Are there dragons in this mountain?"

"I don't know, but they're looking."

Ji Tian was silent for a moment, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "Dragon...they're looking for Dragon. We'll follow them. We'll leave once they find it."

"And then what? Fight them?"

"It depends. If they find a live dragon, let them scout ahead. If they find dragon ruins, see what's inside."

Lilith stared at him for three seconds to make sure he wasn't joking.

"Master, you're a human, leading a princess from a former demon dynasty to track down a small demon squad in search of a dragon... Do you see anything wrong with this plan?"

"no."

"Think about it again."

"No need to think about it."

Lilith sighed, realizing that her master was indeed acting strangely. "Alright, so how are we supposed to follow her? Just walk in like this?"

"Otherwise what?"

"At least keep your distance! What if they turn around and see you?"

"They can't see it."

"Are you so sure?"

"I used a concealment technique. Within a radius of a hundred feet, as long as I don't want them to find me, they won't be able to."

Lilith opened her mouth, wanting to say, "Then why didn't you use it sooner?", but swallowed the words back.

She crouched behind an old pine tree, wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, leaving only her eyes showing.

"Then Master, please lead the way, and I'll follow behind you."

Ji Tian nodded and turned to walk towards the ravine. Lilith followed behind him, stepping carefully on the gravel, afraid of breaking a branch.

After walking a few dozen steps, she suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "Master, you just said they were looking for a dragon, but why are you looking for a dragon?"

Ji Tian didn't turn around; his voice drifted from the dense forest ahead, as calm as ever:

"I'd like to exchange parenting experiences with Long."

"Oh, so it's an exchange... Huh?!"