Chapter 50

No matter how broad-minded and experienced one might be, one had never seen such a promiscuous little toddler.
Ao Xin gnashed his teeth.
"There's you." Seeing him growing anxious, the toddler hurriedly offered her little heart to coax him, while casually tossing the rubber ball in her hand far away.
The black-haired man instinctively raised his hand, channeling a wisp of demonic energy to snatch the distant rubber ball back into his grip before returning it to her.
"Good!" The toddler clapped her hands, thinking the black dragon was simply amazing.
"Great!"
"Ha!"
After coaxing him for a while, Ao Xin finally forgave her for this offense, curling his lips as he said, "As for that little brat, what else could he be doing? Just stabilizing his realm within the great spiritual array. Good grief, those two fellows Ao Yong and Ao Zhen, who knows where they managed to drag up that little kid—he was born with five claws, and now he has already cultivated to the Mahayana stage, with his realm completely stable, acting just like..."
He sneered, adding with a hint of sourness, "Acting just as if he were naturally born to be such a powerhouse."
Being born directly at the Mahayana rank with five-clawed golden dragon status, just a single step away from attaining immortality—such innate talent made even dragon eyes turn green with envy.
However, Ao Xin sneered again and said, "Those two unreliable ones confessed to Ao Qing that the little kid isn't actually their offspring, but rather picked up from some ancient ruin. It made Ao Qing mad enough to die."
Since he was picked up, what was the deal with pretending he was their own flesh and blood in the first place?
Ao Xin vaguely felt that he was still somewhat smarter than that married couple.
"In seclusion?" Yu Youyou quickly asked.
"Indeed, that little brat is in seclusion. Right now, everyone outside is watching the Azure Dragon clan closely; if not for the overwhelming might of the dragon race, Ao Yong and Ao Zhen wouldn't be having an easy time of it right now."
What kind of ancient ruin could possibly leave behind such a golden dragon egg, and how on earth did that egg actually hatch?
Did that mean there were even more spirit treasures in those ruins capable of driving people mad?
Furthermore, a pure-blooded five-clawed golden dragon—whether its dragon body or its dragon soul—was essentially a treasure from head to toe.
To put it bluntly, there were no telling how many people would love to capture the little golden dragon to use as a weapon-refinement material or a spirit beast.
Ao Xin lowered his voice. "Fortunately, he is already at the Mahayana stage himself." A Mahayana-stage five-clawed golden dragon, even while still in its infancy, was not someone easy to deal with.
He remembered Ao Qing mentioning that right when the little fellow was born, heavenly thunder descended, and the little golden dragon charged straight into the lightning, stirring up winds and clouds.
Even Ao Qing had been blasted to a tatter by the lightning, yet that little golden dragon remained brilliantly golden and completely unharmed.
With such formidable strength, self-preservation was more than manageable.
Therefore, Ao Qing wasn't overly worried about the little golden dragon's safety; instead, he had hurried to send Ao Xin over to protect Yu Youyou first.
Although Ao Xin secretly felt that a toddler capable of devouring demonic energy and resembling a little demon lord was far more terrifying than a little golden dragon, he hadn't refused either.
He was currently here working under orders.
If that spoiled brat dared to bully a dragon, he would simply go and complain to Ao Qing.
No matter how biased the Azure Dragon was, he couldn't possibly just protect the toddler and ignore him... right?
While casting judgmental glances at the fickle, two-timing toddler, he chuckled softly and said, "Ao Qing's got a huge bald patch this time—alopecia, you could call it."
Although miraculous pills had healed his external wounds and regenerated his flesh, dragon scales weren't so easily regrown.
Thinking of Ao Qing's pitiful, scale-deficient appearance, the black dragon felt that karmic retribution was truly swift and satisfying. While pulling back the ball the toddler had thrown and handing it to her so she could toss it again, he smiled sinisterly and said, "So he wanted to tear off my scales, did he? Now he's balder than me!"
The toddler mentally noted down this sinister and dark train of thought with a series of affirming nods, planning to gossip about it to her grand-uncle later.

Hearing that the little golden dragon was still in seclusion, the toddler felt a subtle pang of loss.
She always felt... that it ought to be right by her side.
Yet, she was no longer a lonely toddler; she had plenty of company now, so she figured she couldn't be willful. She had to let the little golden dragon grow up properly without any disruptions or dangers.
Thinking of the little golden dragon, a happy smile inevitably bloomed on her face... Although she subconsciously felt close to the little golden dragon and wanted to play with it, even far apart, just thinking of its vibrant, living presence made her happy.
Living vibrantly, rather than existing in the former darkness and loneliness where she pressed against it, only to feel coldness and lifelessness...

"Did Ao Qing tell you its name is Ao Lie?"
The toddler remained still for a while, not even playing with the ball. After waiting for quite some time, Ao Xin lowered his head to look, only to find her unconsciously tracing a character in the dust on the ground.
Seeing this, he casually asked.
The character "Lie" was drawn on the ground.
It was evident that Ao Qing had truly told the toddler everything, having already shared the newly chosen name of the little golden dragon with her.

"Ah?" Yu Youyou was interrupted by his voice, shook her little head, and momentarily forgot what she had been thinking about. Hearing this, however, her eyes immediately lit up as she asked, "Ao Lie?"
It was a name that inexplicably felt familiar deep within her heart, and she felt that such a brilliant and gorgeous golden dragon was the only one worthy of this name.
She hurriedly and happily called out the name twice, "Ao Lie!"
She shouted it out loud several times in a crisp, clear voice.

At that very moment, deep within the sea, inside the quiet gathering-spirit array, the brilliant golden mass that was coiled up and quietly absorbing endless spiritual energy suddenly trembled.
It trembled for a long time before slowly falling back into stillness, except that the absorption of spiritual energy within the grand array suddenly accelerated.
Naturally, outsiders were still unaware of this brief anomaly, and Ao Xin certainly had no idea that tens of thousands of miles away, a golden dragon wasn't properly sleeping. He was simply looking at the toddler beside him.
Such a bright and bubbly little thing—how had he ever thought she was something from the God-Demon Tomb and felt such intense aversion and hostility toward her?
Ao Xin couldn't even fathom it now.
However, lowering his eyes to look at the beaming child, he snorted once more.
He had never abandoned his former conjecture.
This child was indeed likely connected to the God-Demon Tomb.
Still... even if she was a little demon, she was an adorable little demon, right?
Curling the corner of his lips, he unaccustomedly rubbed her little head and complained, "What's so great about golden dragons? They're way too flashy and showy. Black dragons are the ones who are low-profile, profound, and full of depth."
At the same time, he secretly plotted to go bully the little golden dragon later.

Yu Youyou looked up at him, and remembering how nice Ao Xin had been to her lately, she eagerly wanted to show off her intimacy with him to cheer him up.
She quickly tugged on his hand and said, "Claw."
Both of them could use demonic energy to manifest dragon claws; what a marvelous bond that was.
The little fellow covered her snow-white hand in demonic energy, transforming it into a gigantic, ferocious, and sharp black dragon claw.
When Ao Xin saw this, he grew so angry that his vision darkened.
Wasn't this his signature move?!
Could she not bring up the dark history of the black dragon having its demonic energy swallowed if she wanted to avoid giving him insomnia?

"Dragon claws aren't used like that." Watching this toddler wave her claws around as if they were only good for digging holes in the dirt, the black-haired man felt profoundly insulted.
Rolling up his sleeves with grumbles, he demonstrated for her, similarly transforming one hand into a dragon claw using demonic energy, stretching it out into the distance, and huffing, "There are countless marvelous uses for this. Watch closely, Sovereign."
The dragon claw reached out, a surge of demonic energy churning forth as it instantly grabbed a distant artificial mountain and dragged it before them. With a forceful squeeze, the mountain was reduced to fine powder. With another wave, a low-tier barrier not far away was engulfed and devoured by demonic energy, collapsing and shattering in the blink of an eye.
As he demonstrated, Ao Xin proudly explained to the toddler how to wield demonic energy.
The little fellow tilted her head, holding her rubber ball, her gaze a mixture of bewilderment and earnest determination to memorize it all.
"Claws aren't for digging in the dirt." After teaching for the better part of the day, Ao Xin had the toddler try it herself, urging her to commit a few more impressive misdeeds.
Seeing the little one effortlessly crush a piece of extremely hard spirit-iron he had tossed out into tiny fragments, he nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it."
More like it indeed; despite looking utterly bewildered, she had been crisp and decisive when putting theory into practice—she was clearly a genius.
No wonder; nothing in the God-Demon Tomb was ever simple.
Ao Xin withdrew his gaze.
He never brought up the God-Demon Tomb in front of the toddler in a way that would upset her mood. Meanwhile, Chu Xingyun emerged from seclusion today, and seeing the black dragon painstakingly teaching Yu Youyou combat techniques, he smiled slightly.
What was the reason the black dragon had been locked away in the restriction array in the first place?
He didn't seem all that lacking in moral character.
Could it really be because of... sheer idiocy?

"Senior." Seeing Chu Xingyun approach with a serene and aloof air of a master, Chu Xingyun smiled as he came over.
He was dressed in magnificent robes, handsome and graceful—completely different in demeanor from the black-robed and black-haired Ao Xin. Ao Xin bluntly asked him, "Is your realm stabilized? When are you planning to leave?"
They had already delayed quite a bit of time in the Chu family domains, and Ao Xin had no interest in this mortal imperial palace.
Chu Xingyun thus replied, "I'm going to bid farewell to my imperial brother, and then we'll return to the Gong family." The Gong family still had various grand arrays to set up, and since the materials for the arrays should be mostly gathered by now, it was time for him to get to work.
Ao Xin nodded with his hands clasped behind his back.
So Chu Xingyun went to take his leave of his kin.
For him, eighty years had already passed, and the relatives he once knew had long since turned to dust.
He had once felt a sense of melancholy that the current Chu family felt so unfamiliar to him.
Yet now, with his heart open and relaxed, those feelings were gone. He no longer forced himself to see other members of the imperial clan either, going only to see his elder brother.
The aging emperor had just made some major moves both inside and outside the imperial palace, looking all the more exhausted and aged. Seeing him, Chu Xingyun sensed his aura and said, "Imperial brother should still have over a decade of lifespan remaining."
His demeanor grew increasingly gentle, his gaze released of all burdens. His aged brother looked at him for a moment before withdrawing his gaze.
"Drop by to see your old friends more often when you have time. Since you're unwilling to take action, returning from time to time will at least let people know you still care about your family and help the Chu lineage endure."
The old man didn't speak of blood ties or family affection anymore. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "The person I once envied and resented the most in my heart... was you."
Looking at his young, handsome twin brother, he murmured, "I was the crown prince, and our imperial father and mother always bound me with the strictest doctrines. You didn't have to bear the burden of the throne, so they pampered you, letting you live freely. And later on, you entered a powerful sect, becoming an otherworldly cultivator. I always thought—we were born of the same womb, so why did you possess such transcendent talent and live beyond the mortal world, while I could only remain a mediocre mortal?"
Chu Xingyun listened quietly.