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

Ahead, Shen Jiuyuan's scythe drew an arc, black baleful energy wrapped around the blade as it slashed into the mist. The remnant soul let out a sharp roar, its body exploded and then reformed, extending countless tentacles of black mist to counterattack.

Shen Jiuyuan dodged to the side, his scythe flipped, and he slashed three times in succession, each strike precisely hitting the remnant soul's core.

But that thing was, after all, an ancient remnant soul. Even if it was shattered, it could still be pieced back together, and the more it was attacked, the more insane it became.

-

Above the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons.

At the highest point of the rift valley, the wind is as sharp as a knife.

A young girl sat cross-legged on the edge of the exit, her golden twin ponytails fluttering in the wind. She rested her chin on one hand, looking down, while idly twirling a golden arrow in the other.

"So this is the fourth person destined for heaven that Tianxing divined?"

Xu Yuan narrowed his golden eyes, looked down at the black-haired boy wielding a scythe, and clicked his tongue.

"He's good-looking, but incredibly ruthless... He's a perfect match for our Taiyuan Holy Land!"

She watched for a while, then rested her chin on her hand and yawned.

I originally wanted to assess the opponent's strength before making a move, but—

The remnant soul was forced into a corner, its form violently distorted, and the black mist expanded at a visible speed.

Warning signs of impending self-destruction.

Xu Yuan sat up straight.

Below, Shen Jiuyuan also noticed that the remnant soul was frantically absorbing the surrounding dark energy, causing the entire space to tremble.

He gripped the sickle tightly, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Let's give it a shot, if all else fails, we'll fight together.

Eleven golden arrows descended from the sky, piercing through the black mist without any warning and precisely embedding themselves in the remnant soul's core.

Golden flames exploded along the arrow shaft, like a miniature sun detonating in the darkness.

The remnant soul let out the most piercing scream Xu Nanyi had ever heard in her life.

Golden flames burned through everything—every wisp of black mist, every trace of lingering resentment, turned to ashes under that pure, heaven-scorching fire.

In a matter of seconds, the ancient remnant soul that had existed for countless millennia vanished completely.

Shen Jiuyuan's hand, holding the sickle, froze in mid-air.

What?

That's all?

Before he could even figure out what had happened, a loud explosion came from above.

The thick barrier of gale-force winds above the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons was forcibly torn open.

Sunlight poured down.

Shen Jiuyuan had been in the Ten Thousand Demon Cave for too long, and the light made him squint involuntarily. A figure slowly descended from the crack.

The twelve-year-old girl had red lips and white teeth, golden hair and golden eyes, two long ponytails flying behind her, a pair of huge golden wings spread out behind her, and a longbow that emitted a radiant glow in her hand.

The sunlight shone on the gold jewelry around her, as if she were being coated with a layer of burning gold gauze.

The surroundings were endless darkness.

She stood there, dazzlingly bright.

Shen Jiuyuan was stunned.

It wasn't because it looked good... well, a little bit... mainly because he'd been in this godforsaken place for too long, surrounded by black, purple, and dark red everywhere. Suddenly seeing such a large expanse of golden light made his pupils a little uncomfortable, and his attention wandered.

How much money could you sell those gold ornaments you're wearing if you took them off?

If all else fails, just pile them up and roll around on them; that should be quite comfortable.

Behind the rock, Shen Xizhou saw the golden figure, its dragon scales standing on end, instinctively ready to rush out—

"Ouch!" I got a slap on the butt.

Xu Nanyi pressed down hard on the back of his neck, lowering her voice: "Don't go any closer!"

"But that—"

"I know who that is! Can't you tell? This is the first time Mom and Dad have met! Why are you rushing over there? To be a third wheel?"

Shen Xizhou: "..."

Xu Nanyi said with exasperation, "Don't you have any sense of propriety at all! Are you going to take responsibility for ruining the atmosphere?"

Shen Xizhou shrank back, feeling wronged.

Ahead, Xu Yuan landed on a rock half a meter higher than Shen Jiuyuan, looking down at him.

The other person stared at him blankly.

Xu Yuan thought to herself: "Aren't you captivated by my beauty?"

She bent down, reached out her hand to the blood-covered, black-haired boy, and gave him a radiant smile.

"Little brother, what's your name? Shall I take you with me?"

Shen Jiuyuan stared at the hand for two seconds, then turned and left.

"Not interested."

The smile that had been on her face froze.

"Hey, hey, don't go!" She jumped off the rock and chased after him, blocking his way. "I'm here on a mission!"

Shen Jiuyuan held his scythe horizontally in front of him: "Get out of the way. Or don't blame me for being impolite."

Behind the rock, Xu Nanyi and Shen Xizhou exchanged a glance.

broken.

Xu Yuan's smile vanished, and she put her hands on her hips. "Are you trying to get away with this? If it weren't for me, you would have self-destructed and taken everyone with you! Is this how you talk to your savior?"

Shen Jiuyuan said expressionlessly, "I didn't ask you to save me."

"you--"

Xu Yuan cracked his knuckles as he moved his wrists: "Fine, if you don't come with me, I can knock you out and kidnap you."

The voice just fell.

A loud voice came from behind—"Mother! I'll go with you!"

Xu Yuan subconsciously turned around, and two small figures, one in black and one in gold, suddenly darted out from behind the rocks and crashed into her arms.

She looked down at the little golden chick and the little snake—no, I mean little dragon—in her arms, their big, watery eyes blinking rapidly at her.

"Mommy! If Daddy won't go with you, we'll go with you!"

Shen Jiuyuan: "??"

Was all that barbecue I fed you these past few days for nothing? You call anyone who looks even slightly attractive "Mommy"? Don't you have any morals at all?!

Before Xu Yuan could even process the fact that "two babies suddenly appeared in her arms," ​​Shen Jiuyuan scooped the two little ones back into her arms.

He took three steps back, one hand in each of his pockets, and stared warily at Xu Yuan.

"This is my spirit pet."

Xu Yuan crossed her arms and smiled brightly: "Oh? Your spirit pet? But your spirit pet just called me 'mother'."

Shen Jiuyuan's face was so black it could drip ink.

The next second, the little phoenix in his arms broke free from his hand, flapped its wings and rushed into Xu Yuan's arms, its two claws clinging to her collar and refusing to let go.

"Mother! I want my mother!"

Shen Jiuyuan reached out to snatch it.

With a quick turn, Xu Yuan dove three meters away, instinctively cradling the little phoenix in his arms, and then made a face at him as he turned back.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shen Xizhou in her arms began to wriggle: "Sister! Take me with you! I want to be with Mother too—mmm!"

Shen Jiuyuan quickly covered his mouth.

The little dragon writhed wildly in his palm, its tail lashing out loudly against the back of his hand.

Xu Yuan jumped onto a boulder ten meters away before looking down to examine the little one in his arms.

Golden down, phoenix aura, juvenile form—

and so on.

This is not a chick.

This is a phoenix.

And they were from her own clan!

How could the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan appear in the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons?

Xu Yuan's playful expression turned serious for a moment; no matter what, he had to take it back.

She looked up and shouted at Shen Jiuyuan, who was still standing there, his face ashen with anger, "Hey! How can a demon like you raise a phoenix cub?"

"Give her back to me!"

"No way!" Xu Yuan declared defiantly. "Didn't you hear her calling me 'Mother'? You stole the egg I laid!"

Shen Jiuyuan: "..." Look how old you are! You believe me when I call your name!

This person definitely used their brains to exchange for beauty.