t
Seeing Xiao Chen looking embarra.s.sed, at a loss for words, Ao Jiao smiled craftily.
Xiao Chen noticed the pleased look on Ao Jiao’s face and immediately understood that she had fooled him. So, in a fit of pique, he flipped around and pressed Ao Jiao down, instead.
“How bold of you! To think you even dare to fool your master.” Xiao Chen pressed down on Ao Jiao’s hands, restraining her. He showed a serious look on his face as he glared at her, looking very angry.
Ao Jiao seemed to be quite frightened as she gazed up at Xiao Chen at such a close distance. She said somewhat weakly, “You really got angry? I did not do it on purpose. Actually, I know you are right. However, don’t worry. Ao Jiao will not do that to anyone else. I will only press down on you alone…”
Towards the end, Ao Jiao’s voice became increasingly softer. When Xiao Chen heard it, he could not help turning red, feeling somewhat embarra.s.sed. His imagination started to run wild.
Xiao Chen’s hands, which were pressing down on Ao Jiao’s hands, relaxed a little.
Ao Jiao laughed triumphantly. Right after showing that weak and gentle appearance, she flipped around and pressed Xiao Chen down once more, straddling him again.
“Hahaha! Idiot Master is still Idiot Master. You are exactly the same as when I first met you. What were you thinking of? Your face is already incredibly red.”
Ao Jiao giggled as she pinched Xiao Chen’s cheeks, looking like a proud queen.
It was too late for regrets. Xiao Chen still fell for this little girl’s tricks. She was indeed a person with a thousand years of experience; he still could not outdo her.
The two flipped around over and over, swapping positions. Ultimately, it still ended up with Ao Jiao straddling him.
Xiao Chen smiled helplessly. “Stop pinching me already. I was wrong.”
Only with this did Ao Jiao withdraw her hands with satisfaction. She said, “Let’s see if you dare to pretend to be angry with me again.”
“I don’t dare to anymore.” Xiao Chen smiled bitterly as he obediently admitted defeat.
Ao Jiao said with a smile, “That’s the way. Although you are slow-witted, there are some things that I still need to teach you. Getting angry is the prerogative of females. Men cannot get angry at women.
“You also should not pretend to be angry because the girl who cares for you will definitely be very stupid and really think that you are angry. She will end up feeling upset and self-reproachful.”
Xiao Chen looked at Ao Jiao’s serious face, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. “How do you know that?”
Idiot! How do I know that? I was referring to myself! Ao Jiao cursed in her heart.
Then, she changed the topic. “Let’s not speak about this for now. You still have not answered my question. If I am to be standing beside you, how are you going to introduce me?”
“Younger cousin?”
“No way. That can’t bring out this lady’s mature disposition. It makes me sound like a kid. Am I that mischievous?”
“Then, how about older cousin?”
“Definitely not. I already said I am eighteen years old. You are already thirty-one, so how can I be your older cousin?”
“Will aunt do?”
“Whack!”
“You are asking for a beating! Think seriously. I am asking in all seriousness.”
“Let me think! Let me think! How about junior sister?”
“Junior sister…that’s not too bad. However, your master is Liu Ruyue. If I were to be your junior sister, that means I would be lower than her. No way, no way! Absolutely no way.”
“Then, what do you think it should be?”
“Idiot, I’m the one asking you…”
As Xiao Chen looked at Ao Jiao, who was straddling him, unwilling to let this rest, he felt a headache coming on. How was he to deal with this eighteen-year-old Ao Jiao?
The latter half of the night pa.s.sed like that as they messed around. When day broke, the two were rather tired. As they lay on the floor looking at the ceiling above, they were somewhat distracted.
Originally, Xiao Chen just wanted to ask Ao Jiao about what to pay note to when going to the Human-Demon Paradise. Unexpectedly, they ended up messing about for most of the night.
When he thought about it, they had not messed around like that for a long time already. Actually, no one changed.
Ao Jiao had not changed; she was still that proud little girl with a huge temper. It was just that after she a.s.sisted him through his Lightning Tribulation and resurrected, she became somewhat quiet.
Xiao Chen had not changed, either. Time had flown by; sixteen years already pa.s.sed.
For the past sixteen years, his dream never changed. He wanted to climb to the peak of the Martial Dao, leaving behind a legend of his own.
Xiao Chen wanted to know whether the Azure Emperor had died or not. How had he himself ended up in this world?
He wanted to know why that old monster from the Immortal Epoch he once met said that the entire Kunlun Realm was an abandoned land.
Xiao Chen wanted to know where the people whose names disappeared from the Sage Mark Monument went.
He also wanted to know whether Martial G.o.d existed in this world. Was there truly a pinnacle in the path of Martial Cultivation.
There was also Chu Chaoyun. This mysterious rival left behind a painting before disappearing from his world again.
Xiao Chen wanted to do so many things. However, he only had a little more than three years left. If he did not advance to Martial Emperor by then, everything would be for naught.
No matter how bright he was, he would only be a meteor, nothing more than a flash in the stage of this great age.
Xiao Chen did not know how strong that group of outstanding talents in the Astral Battlefield had become. Before he fought with those people again, how could he be satisfied with being a meteor?
He stared blankly at the ceiling. Several scenes flashed before his eyes, making him unable to bear to part with this world that shone bright with stars.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Ao Jiao, who was lying beside Xiao Chen, asked as she turned her head to face him.
Xiao Chen smiled and said, “Just recalling some memories and some of my aims. Thinking about them grounds me back in reality. I wonder if I can find the Flower of Life in the Human-Demon Paradise.”
Ao Jiao smiled. Then, she stood up and pulled Xiao Chen to his feet. “There is no point in thinking too much. I’ll practice with you. That should make you more confident.”
Startled, Xiao Chen asked, “Your strength increased again?”
There were several Holy Spirit Veins in the Immortal Spirit Ring, where Ao Jiao had been cultivating. Her progress could not have halted.
“I am far from comparable to you. However, it should be enough to deal with an ordinary Consummation quasi-Emperor. When working together with Little Yellow Feather, I should be able to fight against a half-step Martial Emperor.”
This was pretty good news. With one more helper, his odds for success on this trip to the Human-Demon Paradise would improve.
The two stood up and went to the courtyard. Then, they bowed to each other. In the end, Ao Jiao only bowed halfway before she giggled and suddenly attacked.
The little girl with a hot figure held twin sabers in her hands. Then, she pierced through the air, looking very graceful and formidable.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. He did not draw his saber for now, wanting to test Ao Jiao’s strength.
As the two made their preparations in Scorching Flame City, the other outstanding talents of the Human-Demon Sea, as well as many peak experts, did not rest idly.
The Human-Demon Paradise opened only once every one hundred years. As an Immortal Epoch demonic sect’s experiential training ground, it was a public land of fortuitous encounters for the Demon mixed-blood cultivators of the Human-Demon Sea.
Just the experiential training ground of an Immortal Epoch sect was already on such a scale. Just how glorious that age had been was inconceivable.
To those powerful Immortal Cultivators, would Martial Emperors be just like ants?
------
Half a month later, Xiao Chen and Ao Jiao said goodbye to Su Tianyun after spending all that time making preparations. Then, they set off on the flood dragon war chariot, heading for the Human-Demon Paradise.
As Su Tianyun watched the two leave on the chariot, intense envy flashed in his eyes.
The Human-Demon Sea opened once every hundred years. If not for the extreme danger and him bearing too much responsibility as the Su Clan’s Clan Head, he would definitely go and join in the liveliness.
---
The entrance to the Human-Demon Paradise was on a desolate island in the central Human-Demon Sea.
It was truly a desolate island. Aside from yellow sand as far as the eye could see, there were no plants or Demonic Beasts. Normally, no one would come here for anything.
However, with the approach of the Human-Demon Paradise’s opening, an increasing number of cultivators landed and gathered on this desolate island.
Yellow sand filled the place; a desert stretched out boundlessly, rising up and down, its ends beyond sight.
An upright stone stele wrapped in chains in the center of the desert emitted a lingering black smoke. The stele was like a sharp sword thrust at the sky.
The stone stele had words carved on it that looked ancient and desolate and gave it a mysterious air.
People moved around the desert. Wars.h.i.+ps and flying Spirit Beasts ama.s.sed in the air. Cultivators of various cultivations had already arrived at this desert dozens of days in advance.
As a land of fortuitous encounters similar to the Savage Battlefield, the Human-Demon Paradise had extremely dangerous areas that even Martial Emperors would not dare to enter.
There were also forbidden lands specially for Martial Sages and for Martial Monarchs. As long as one could control their greed and not go where they should not, cultivators of every level could obtain something.
However, how could it be that easy to restrain one’s greed? Furthermore, even if one could do so, it did not mean that others would and not kill you for your treasures.
While it was called a paradise, it was actually rife with danger. If one was not careful, one would lose one’s life.
The many cultivators in the desert all felt excited. They were all filled with antic.i.p.ation and growing increasingly anxious.
The place looked chaotic and ruleless. In reality, it was well organized. There were different rings of people at set distances to the stone stele, which indicated the strict and cruel division of levels.
With the stone stele as the entrance, everyone seated within one hundred meters was either a half-step Martial Emperor, a Consummation quasi-Emperor who had lived for several hundred years, or one of the ten outstanding talents that everyone paid attention to.
The instant the Human-Demon Paradise opened, these people would have the right to enter first.
The reason was purely sufficient strength. When others looked at this small circle, they all felt deep fear.
Those people did not dare to look at this group for very long. How could they muster the courage to try and enter the Human-Demon Paradise before these people?
One hundred meters away was the circle of Small Perfection quasi-Emperors and Great Perfection quasi-Emperors. Farther out were the circles of Martial Sages. Everything was very well segregated in an organized manner.
Within each ring were smaller circles of good friends or partners, who had met along the way, and intended to enter the Human-Demon Paradise and seek their fortuitous encounters together.
“Whoos.h.!.+”
Just at this moment, two figures flew over in the sky—one male and one female. The man wore white robes, and his face appeared delicate. One could not make out anything extraordinary about him with just one glance.
However, if one’s eyes lingered on him, one would find this man unfathomable, deterring one from underestimating him.
The girl looked very pretty, like a young lady. Her exquisite figure swelled in the right places, which caused anyone who looked at her to start fantasizing.
A little golden bird perched on the girl’s shoulder. Its eyes gleamed with spirituality.
These two were none other than Xiao Chen and Ao Jiao, accompanied by Little Yellow Feather, a Golden Crow Holy Beast, who had all rushed over.
However, right now, Little Yellow Feather was not in its combat mode, so it looked ordinary like a pet bird. Aside from its beautiful sleek feathers, it did not attract any attention.