On the street, a young man and woman of noble bearing walked side by side, each holding a roasted sweet potato bought from a roadside stall, an oddly mismatched sight. An invisible force enveloped their bodies, so that passersby failed to notice them at all as they brushed past.

Taking a bite of the roasted sweet potato made by a mythical king, Chen Chu sighed with emotion. "I never thought you were the one who left that inheritance token behind, Feitong."

Thanks to the sealed token obtained by the Tyrannosaur Civilization, the Silver Time Butterfly's innate ability and laws had been suppressed. Otherwise, with the peculiarity of a time-type titan, Chen Chu wouldn't have been able to slay it even if he had been stronger. The butterfly could have escaped into a time rift at will.

Shi Feitong smiled faintly at the corner of her lips. "At the time, I was injured and bored, so I casually taught that alien race the battle patterns, and took them in as vassals to handle some errands. I never thought the token I left behind when I departed would end up in your hands a thousand years later. Fate is truly marvelous."

"Indeed." Chen Chu nodded.

Shi Feitong had immediately sensed when Chen Chu activated the power within the inheritance token and came here, puzzled. Even without the True Void Emperor's directions, she would have found him. No wonder she sighed at the mystery of fate.

Soon, Chen Chu's home appeared before them. It was past ten in the morning. Zhang Xiaolan, who had the day off, was in the courtyard picking vegetables. Helping her was Aunt Zhang, the mother of Qingqiu Mingyue.

The two women were chatting, mostly about how Chen Hu had won first place in the Global Martial Arts Tournament, and earning the honor of being the foremost among the younger generation. As a result, they didn't notice Chen Chu and Shi Feitong approaching.

Chen Chu spoke up first. "Mom, I'm back."

"Ah Chu, you're back!" Zhang Xiaolan turned around, pleasantly surprised.

"Mhmm. Things over there are settled, so I came back to check in." As he spoke, Chen Chu nodded toward Qingqiu Mingyue's mother. "Hello, Aunt Zhang."

"Hello, hello, Lord Divine Might." Zhang Qian looked a bit nervous.

Chen Chu smiled. "Auntie, you should just call me Chen Chu. Mingyue and Minghui are my friends, and Tianyao has looked after me many times. There's no need to be so formal."

Zhang Qian shook her head. "That won't do. Etiquette cannot be discarded."

By now, Chen Chu was no longer the youth who had just reached the mythical level and the heavenly king level. He was the strongest of the Human Alliance, a terrifying existence on par with a civilization emperor.

"It's good that you're back, good that you're back." Zhang Xiaolan's eyes shone with emotion.

When the heavens and earth were going through massive changes, and Chen Chu's sky-supporting true form had collapsed, she had nearly been scared to death. Only later, when people from the Federation told her he was fine and merely recuperating in the mythical world, had she managed to breathe again.

Zhang Xiaolan noticed the unfamiliar woman beside him and hesitated. "Ah Chu, this is...?"

When entering the Blue Planet earlier, Shi Feitong's ornate ancient gown had shifted into something more modern. She now wore a white long-sleeved T-shirt printed with a bright pink flower, fitted white trousers that emphasized her tall, graceful figure, and blue high heels. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, giving her the look of a fashionable, striking city beauty.

Shi Feitong wasn't unfamiliar with modern clothing and culture. In the Lost World, civilization had advanced to a similar age, before it was destroyed by the apocalypse virus. What gave Zhang Xiaolan pause wasn't her attire, but her aura. Her beauty was undeniable, yet her presence was far more imposing, as though an ancient deity stood before her.

Chen Chu smiled. "Mom, this is Shi Feitong, my friend. She came a long way, and I brought her along to visit you."

Shi Feitong politely greeted, "Hello, Auntie."

"Hello, hello. Don't stand outside, come in and sit." Zhang Xiaolan hurriedly nodded.

"Xiaolan, I won't intrude. We can chat another time." As a member of a king's family, Zhang Qian naturally knew better than to impose further.

"Take care, Aunt Zhang." Chen Chu's courteous farewell made her even more flustered.

Leading the way inside, Zhang Xiaolan sighed. "If I'd known you were coming back, I would have bought more groceries this morning. Right now, I only have a bit of Azure Jade Eagle meat and some regular beef and pork."

"No worries, Auntie. Whatever you cook is fine."

"Yes, Mom. Anything will do. For us now, food hardly matters. It's mainly so I can taste your cooking again."

Zhang Xiaolan then asked, "Ah Chu, how long can you stay this time?"

Chen Chu shook his head. "Not long. After we eat, we'll be leaving. I need to enter seclusion again to keep improving my strength, and Feitong has matters of her own."

"I see..." Zhang Xiaolan sounded disappointed.

Ever since Chen Chu had gone to the southern battlefield, he had rarely returned home. The longest visit had only lasted two days before he left in haste again. Still, she understood that his life was different now, and cultivation couldn't be neglected. Otherwise, when powerful enemies appeared, his life would be the one at stake.

As Zhang Xiaolan moved toward the kitchen, Shi Feitong followed her. "Auntie, let me help."

"No, no, Ms. Shi, you're a guest. How could I let you?" Zhang Xiaolan quickly refused.

"Don't worry, Auntie. I used to cook often. I won't hold you back. I'll chop the vegetables while you stir-fry."

"That's not what I meant." However, Zheng Xiaolan finally relented under Shi Feitong's insistent request.

Watching the two women busy in the kitchen, even Chen Chu couldn't help but pause. If word spread that a true-spirit-level powerhouse was cooking, no one would ever believe it.

Shaking his head, Chen Chu turned and headed upstairs.

Creak!

The faint sound of a hinge echoed as Chen Chu pushed open the door and stepped into his room after so long. The spotless space, the familiar layout, the desk, and the empty fish tank upon it stirred waves of emotion in his eyes.

That very first moment, when he had opened his eyes in muddled confusion and met the gaze of a white six-horned salamander, felt as though it had only happened yesterday. However, in little more than a year, that frail youth had grown into an ancient-titan-level powerhouse shouldering the galaxy, while that palm-sized salamander had become a colossal beast that could cover the sky.

Chen Chu's gaze paused on the sketch hanging on the wall. The painting showed a clear blue sky dotted with clouds, a lake filled with lotus leaves and blossoms. At the heart of the lake stood a small island where a great tree spread its branches, casting shade upon lush green grass. Beneath the tree lay a youth, hands behind his head, napping peacefully. Beside him sat a girl, sketching the serene lakeside scene before her. The lotuses, the grass, even the likeness of the young man and woman were rendered vividly, leaping from the paper with life.

Looking at the spring outing scene, Chen Chu's expression softened into a gentle smile. When Luo Fei had drawn that picture, the two of them had only been at the Second Heavenly Realm. Now that girl resided upon the sun itself, serving as the executor of the Solar System's Heavenly Dao, and unable to return anytime soon.

Chen Chu stepped closer to the wall, reached out, and touched the A3-sized sheet. A strand of formless power curled around his fingers.

Whoosh!

As his principle and will suffused the painting, the paper stirred without wind. An invisible pressure emerged from it, so strong that the surrounding space began to solidify faintly.

***

By noon, after a simple meal and a short rest, Chen Chu was ready to leave.

"Ah Chu, Ah Hu said he'll be boarding a spaceship in two days and heading through the world passage to the mythical world. Do you think it will be dangerous?" Zhang Xiaolan asked worriedly in the courtyard.

"Don't worry about him, Mom." Chen Chu smiled. "Ah Hu's cultivation has already reached the peak of the Eighth Heavenly Realm with the reward from the Martial Arts Tournament. He's even stronger than I was when I first entered the mythical world. Besides, the external threats around the Human Alliance have been mostly eradicated. As long as he doesn't go looking for trouble, he won't be in danger."

As the true Child of Fate of the Blue Planet, the first Global Martial Arts Tournament had practically been Chen Hu's ascension journey. From the Third Heavenly Realm when he started, he advanced step by step until, after claiming all the rewards and fortuitous opportunities, he was on the verge of breaking through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

With the Tyrant Body, the Gigantification, and the top-level, highly compatible Dark Star body enhancement art, his true combat power was equivalent to the late stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm, and in full explosive force could rival the peak.

This was indeed stronger than Chen Chu himself had been when he entered the mythical world, where his cultivation had only been at the beginning stage of the Eighth Heavenly Realm. Back then, he had also faced the cult gods and the Purgatory Demon Clan's demon kings, crises lurking everywhere.

Now, however, all of the surrounding forces were either allies of the Human Alliance or their own people, leaving no cause for concern. Meanwhile, most of the mythical-level colossal beasts had been expelled or slain by human powerhouses. So long as Chen Hu didn't court death, he could safely and quickly grow stronger.

Zhang Xiaolan didn't understand all of this. She only worried for him the same way she once worried for Chen Chu.

Shi Feitong gently said, "Auntie, remember to take the Heavenly Profound Dew I gave you. Just one pill a day and it will hasten your body's transformation. And the accompanying meditation art, just run it while you sleep. It will cultivate automatically without interfering with daily life."

At this, Zhang Xiaolan smiled. "I'll be sure to remember."

As a first-meeting gift, while helping in the kitchen earlier, Shi Feitong had presented Zhang Xiaolan with a bottle of rare pills whose energy was mild enough even for low-level cultivators. She had also implanted the cultivation art of the Xuantian Sect into Zhang Xiaolan's mind as a spiritual mark, guiding her through her first attempt at cultivation.

Originally, Zhang Xiaolan had been an ordinary person incapable of cultivating. However, when Chen Chu had nearly become the Heavenly Dao, her body had been greatly enhanced by his bloodline's feedback. Now her physique was comparable to a high-level Sixth Heavenly Realm cultivator. In addition, transcendent energy constantly surrounded her, nourishing her body so she wouldn't grow weak despite lacking cultivation skills.

Looking at the noble and beautiful woman before her, Zhang Xiaolan said with some regret, "Little Tong[1], next time you have the chance, do come by again."

Having received such gifts, her impression of Shi Feitong had grown very favorable, finding her a kind and likable young woman.

"Mhmm, Auntie. When I have time, I'll visit you again." Shi Feitong didn't refuse.

"Mom, we're going." Chen Chu waved.

"Go on."

Silently, the two left the courtyard, and their figures vanished into thin air. The cultivators on guard nearby all exhaled in relief. Even though Chen Chu and Shi Feitong had suppressed their auras, their very presence alone had been overwhelming.

Zhang Xiaolan, watching their departure, felt a faint sorrow. She had suddenly realized that there were many beautiful girls around Chen Chu, including the silver-haired Yan Ruoyi, whom she had seen several times before, and Chen Chu's stunning classmate Luo Fei. Whether in beauty or presence, each was one in ten thousand.

She would have been happy with any of them as her daughter-in-law. Yet, gathered together, they left her with a headache. She worried that if Chen Chu entangled himself with too many of them emotionally, trouble was bound to follow.

1. In Chinese culture, it is a common form of endearment to add "little" in front of one's name, usually only one of the characters. ☜

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