I was born a god, the son of the Demon Lord.

Shen Xizhou huddled in the corner, barely daring to breathe, his vertical pupils fixed on his older sister's back.

He thought his older sister was amazing at that moment.

This was Ming's first time refining pills. He was only six years old, but the little figure sitting in front of the cauldron, his face glowing golden red from the firelight, was incredibly steady.

—Then came the process of condensing the elixir.

After all the medicinal liquids have been blended, the final step is to use alchemical fire to compress and condense the chaotic medicinal liquids into pills.

This step requires the most intense firepower and the most precise control.

The moment Xu Nanyi increased her firepower, the violent element within her phoenix bloodline surged forth.

The golden flames suddenly expanded to twice their original size, almost blowing the lid off the cauldron.

"Ugh—" Xu Nanyi groaned, veins bulging on her forehead.

The young phoenix's flames were already unstable, and the condensation of the core required extreme explosive power. The combination of the two pushed her control to its limit.

[Xiao Yi, hold on! Your fire is too intense; the medicine needs to dissipate. We need a drop of Xiao Zhou's blood!]

"Xiaozhou—give me a drop of blood! Quickly!"

"Blood?" Shen Xizhou paused for a second, then bit his fingertip without saying a word, and a drop of dragon blood condensed on his fingertip.

"Throw it in!"

The little dragon stretched out its claw, and the drop of blood fell precisely into the cauldron.

The moment the dragon blood entered the cauldron, the surging medicinal liquid seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water.

Dragon blood is naturally water-based, carrying a gentle spiritual power that perfectly neutralizes the ferocity of phoenix flames.

The medication has stabilized.

Xu Nanyi grabbed the window and pressed down with both hands simultaneously, causing the flames to suddenly recede—

"Freeze!"

The cauldron trembled, and a ring of golden light spilled from the edge of the lid before returning to silence.

The aroma of the medicine changed from strong to subtle.

Xu Nanyi reached out and lifted the lid of the cauldron.

A perfectly round, reddish-gold pill lay quietly at the bottom of the cauldron, its surface faintly shimmering with fine, flowing patterns.

Seventh grade. Top quality.

[It's a success!! You produced a high-grade pill on your first attempt! Xiao Yi, you're practically a born alchemist!]

Xu Nanyi didn't have time to listen. She was in such a hurry that she tumbled forward and her hands, which were supporting her on the ground, were shaking.

After one batch of pills, her cultivation was completely drained, her dantian was empty, and she couldn't even lift a finger.

She crawled to Shen Jiuyuan's side, pried open his mouth, and stuffed the still-warm pill inside.

"Swallow it..." Her voice was hoarse as she pressed his Adam's apple to help him swallow. "Swallow it."

The elixir entered the stomach.

The murderous aura surging within Shen Jiuyuan's body seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, and was gradually suppressed, melted, and dissipated by the gentle medicinal power.

His brow relaxed. His breathing became even, and the cracks in his meridians slowly healed.

Xu Nanyi stared at his face for a long time, and only after confirming that he was not dead did she go limp as if her bones had been removed.

"Sister!" Shen Xizhou rushed over and caught her.

"It's nothing..." Xu Nanyi waved her hand weakly, "I'm tired, I'll sleep for a while..."

After saying that, she immediately transformed back into her little phoenix form.

The fluffy golden chick landed headfirst on Shen Jiuyuan's chest, its claws still gripping his clothes, and started purring softly two seconds later.

Shen Xizhou looked at his elder sister, then at Shen Jiuyuan who was still unconscious. After hesitating for a moment, he transformed back into a little dragon and coiled up on top of him.

He wrapped his tail around his older sister to prevent her from rolling off, rested his head on Shen Jiuyuan's shoulder, and closed his eyes.

-

midnight.

Shen Jiuyuan was awakened by the heat, or more accurately, by the scalding heat.

He opened his eyes, his mind somewhat blank. He only remembered the blizzard, the snow wolf pack, and himself covered in blood as he fell into the snow... After that, everything was a blank.

A golden, fluffy ball nestled in his arms, radiating warmth, its small body rising and falling with each breath.

A small black dragon was wrapped around the chick, its tail coiled around the chick, and the other end draped over his arm.

The two were completely unsuspecting and slept soundly.

Shen Jiuyuan stared at it for a long time.

He looked down and felt his body. The evil aura had been suppressed, not just temporarily, but truly dissolved by something.

A warm medicinal power lingered in his dantian, slowly repairing his shattered meridians.

When did this happen? Who did it?

His gaze fell on the little phoenix.

The little thing's aura was extremely weak. It was still a cub, but its demonic power seemed to have been completely drained, leaving it pitifully empty.

The light in Shen Jiuyuan's eyes dimmed, and he reached for the dagger hidden at his waist.

The blade was drawn, gleaming coldly in the faint embers.

With the blades pointed at the little phoenix's heart, and having exhausted their cultivation, they could easily strike now.

Kill him, rip out his heart, and swallow it; then that damned chain will break.

Kill them, and they'll be free.

Xu Nanyi kicked his claws in his sleep, and the chick rolled over, its head hitting his chin.

"Hey..." the little phoenix mumbled, rubbed its fluffy head against his neck, curled up in a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep again.

In his dream, Shen Xizhou's tail twitched, as if swatting at some unseen insect, making a slapping sound on the back of Shen Jiuyuan's hand.

Shen Jiuyuan's hand holding the dagger froze in mid-air, and he finally sighed.

The movement was so light it was almost silent; the dagger flew from his hand, tracing a silver arc before disappearing into the snow and wind outside the cave.

Kill my ass.

Keep it; it's warm.

I've really been infected by these two idiots. Does this mean I should start becoming a good person?

Thinking of this, he pulled the two little ones closer to his chest, leaned against the ice wall, and closed his eyes.

It was warm and cozy in my arms.

……

Shen Jiuyuan's recovery speed was ridiculously fast.

On the first day, he was still lying down and couldn't move. On the second day, he was able to sit up and eat dry rations. By the third day, he was already practicing with a sickle at the entrance of the cave.

Xu Nanyi squatted down to watch, with only one thought in her mind: this person must be a cockroach.

Not only is it impossible to kill, but it also regenerates health so quickly.

[The demon race's physique is indeed abnormal. Moreover, the pill you used was of very high quality, its repair efficiency being three times that of ordinary pills.]

Xu Nanyi: So I emptied myself out to fully restore his health?

On the fourth day, Shen Jiuyuan stood at the cave entrance and looked into the depths.

"Walk."

Xu Nanyi and Shen Xizhou were stuffed into each of their pockets, one on each side, and the two children headed straight for the center of the Ten Thousand Demon Cave.

The deeper you go, the heavier the air becomes.

The dark purple fog was as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved, and the stones underfoot glowed with an eerie light.

[At the center of the Demon Cave lies the remnant soul of an ancient demon. There is an invisible teleportation array there, the only exit, but in the past hundred years, the number of people who have walked out of there alive can be counted on one hand.]

Arrived.

The central area was a vast, flat plain scorched by black flames, with a constantly twisting, dark purple mist hanging in the very center.

The thing had no fixed shape; sometimes it was a beast, sometimes a human, like a crumpled shadow.

Shen Jiuyuan shoved the two cubs behind a rock a hundred meters away, picked up his sickle, and left.

"Don't come out."

Shen Xizhou huddled behind the rock, his little dragon claws gripping the edge of the stone, his vertical pupils blinking nervously.

"Sister, do you think Father can win?"

Xu Nanyi paused for a second, then said, "If he can't win, we'll both become food for him."

Shen Xizhou: "...Can't you say something nice, sister?"

Xu Nanyi: What I said is the truth.