The Demon King is back, leading adorable kids on an adventure around the world!

When Luo Tian sheathed his sword, the light of the Xuanyuan Sword shone brightly on the sea surface for a moment before completely extinguishing.

He sheathed it again, turned and walked ahead, stepping into the air as he headed back.

The others followed behind him, no one spoke, only the sound of the wind on the sea and the soft flapping of wings could be heard.

It was already evening when they returned to the Battle God Sect. The sun hung obliquely on the sea, casting a warm glow on the outline of the entire immortal island.

Luo Tian did not return to the council hall, but went directly to the detached courtyard. He stood by the well, scooped up a handful of water to wash his hands, and the water droplets fell through his fingers, splashing several dark marks on the stone slab.

He looked down at the water stains slowly seeping into the texture of the stone for a while, then sat down on the stone bench.

The courtyard was quiet. Xiao Niannian walked in from the back, stood next to Luo Tian for a while, and then sat down.

Sitting at the other end of the stone bench, with both hands supporting the edge of the bench, his legs dangling in mid-air without touching the ground.

Her gaze shifted from the water stains on the ground to Luo Tian's profile, then looked away.

"Dad, is there really something wrong with that lotus?" she asked.

Luo Tian looked down at his palm, where there were shallow marks left by the sword hilt.

"Whether there's a problem or not is still uncertain. But since he brought it up in that kind of setting, it means it's not a trivial matter."

Niannian was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can I still keep it?"

"Keep it," Luo Tian said. "We can't touch it now, and we shouldn't touch it."

You've used it to cultivate, and it's several times faster than before. Don't lose this benefit; we'll deal with it later when we encounter problems.

"What if it really runs into problems later?"

Luo Tian glanced at her: "I'll figure something out."

He spoke briefly and in a flat tone, but Nian Nian caught the unspoken part at the end of his sentence. She didn't press him for details and simply nodded.

The others entered the courtyard one after another. Ye Qianxue and Li Mengmeng walked in front and sat down on the other side of the stone table.

Ye Qianxue placed the Ice Soul Sword on the table without sheathing it. The sword still carried a layer of lingering cold air, causing the leaves at the tip of a nearby short grass to curl slightly.

Li Mengmeng didn't sit down. Instead, she leaned against the well platform, looked up at the sky for a while, then lowered her gaze to Niannian before looking away.

After Xiaoxiao and Luo Nannan came in, they sat on the steps under the corridor, with Xiaoxiao's hands resting on her knees.

Luo Nannan sat next to her, her golden pupils reflecting the dim light of the lamp in the courtyard.

Luo Qiqi and Luo Qianqian walked together. Luo Qiqi went into the yard and first went to find the box where the ants were kept.

She squatted down, lifted the lid, and took a look. The ants were still moving, so she closed the lid again.

Luo Qianqian stood beside her, her hands tucked into her sleeves.

The Venerable Drywood was the last to enter and found a place to sit in the shadows under the eaves.

After he sat down, his gaze lingered on Luo Tian for a moment before shifting away.

"The spiritual energy revival has begun."

Luo Tian spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft.

"After that battle on the sea, the seal was completely shattered, and the spiritual energy of the earth will slowly recover."

Changes can occur in various places in as little as a few months or as long as a year.

Some people have been able to cultivate, some spiritual beings have begun to grow, and some things are awakening from underground.

Ye Qianxue asked, "So what will we be doing during this time?"

"Once the spiritual energy has recovered to a certain extent, once the cultivation world reacts, and once Niannian has completely stabilized the foundation of the Nine-Leaf Lotus."

He paused, then gently tapped his finger on the edge of the stone table:

"Before that, everyone should cultivate and prepare accordingly."

Qianxue and Mengmeng continued to keep an eye on the Zhantian Sect. The outer disciples could now begin to learn about spiritual herbs and basic spiritual energy tempering.

Xiaoxiao and Qianqian were in charge of monitoring the direction of the spiritual veins on the island. Qiqi, having nothing else to do, would just recite along.

"And me?" Luo Nannan looked up from under the eaves.

"Keep an eye on Niannian and watch out for any unusual movements of the lotus on her body."

Luo Tian said, "Your ability to sense spiritual energy fluctuations is stronger than others. As long as the lotus changes, no matter what the change is, tell me immediately."

Luo Nannan neither nodded nor agreed, but she glanced at Niannian and did not look away.

Dinner that evening was eaten in the villa. The table was small, and people sat around it. The sound of bowls and chopsticks clinking together drifted in the twilight, but no one broke.

Niannian's actions of picking up food seemed the same as usual, but Luo Tian noticed that she would occasionally slow down, as if she was sensing something.

She paused for a moment, then resumed normal activity and continued picking up food. He noticed, but didn't ask.

After finishing his meal, Luo Tian went to the council hall alone.

When he pushed open the palace door, the room was empty except for True Person Tianxuan, who was organizing jade slips in the side hall.

Hearing the door open, he turned his head and glanced at it. Seeing that it was Luo Tian, ​​he bowed respectfully and then continued with his work.

Luo Tian sat down in the main seat, placed the Xuanyuan Sword horizontally on the table, and looked at the flowing patterns on the sword by the light of the luminous pearl in the hall.

During the daytime battle, the Xuanyuan Sword collided with the clone's barrier twice. The patterns on the sword were undamaged and remained intact, but he examined it repeatedly, as if confirming something.

He remembered the last words his clone had said during the day:

"You will see me again when you reach the cultivation world."

This statement itself doesn't contain much information, but when considered in conjunction with the preceding statements, it suggests that someone in the cultivation world was already waiting there.

He sheathed the Xuanyuan Sword, got up, and walked back to the other courtyard.

The light was still on in Niannian's room. Luo Tian stood outside the door without knocking for a while.

The light filtering through the crack in the door cast a thin, bright stripe across the stone floor. He turned and walked away.

The next morning, Luo Tian woke up early. He opened the window and saw that it was already bright outside. The thin mist on the sea was dissipating, and the outlines of the distant mountains were gradually becoming clearer in the mist.

Someone was squatting by the well. It was Nian Nian. She was wearing that light blue coat and squatting on the stone ground by the well, looking down at something.

Luo Tian walked over and saw a piece of withered branch that had been broken off by the wind on the ground in front of her.

She held it and slowly drew something on the ground, like a curved line that stretched forward intermittently.

"What are you drawing?" Luo Tian squatted down next to her.

Niannian placed the tip of the withered branch above the semi-circular arc on the ground: "I don't know either."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Dad, I had a dream last night."

Luo Tian looked at her: "What dream?"

Nian Nian didn't look up; the withered branch made a small dot at the end of the arc.

"I dreamt that I walked along a road, with gray fog on both sides, and I couldn't see the end of it."

Then I saw a row of footprints on the roadside, stretching forward. Judging by the size of the footprints, I thought they looked like yours.

She retrieved the withered branch and placed it on the ground beside her. "Then I woke up."

The morning light fell on her profile. She glanced down at the unfinished semicircle on the ground, stood up, and dusted off her hands.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

"Niannian," Luo Tian called out to her.

She stopped and turned around.

"That dream—" Luo Tian said, "If you dream of it again, remember to tell me."

Niannian glanced at him, nodded, and turned to go inside.

Footsteps echoed softly on the stone floor, followed by the sound of a door closing.

The courtyard fell silent again, with only the morning light slowly climbing up the corner of the wall.

Passing the edge of the well platform, past the withered branch lying on the ground, past the arc that Nian Nian had drawn halfway but left in place.

The arc looked as if she had written it on the ground beforehand, but it broke off where it wasn't finished.

The morning light fell on the broken edge, but did not illuminate the road behind it.