Chapter 32
Zinnia Planet.
A ripple suddenly appeared high above a dense forest.
Zan Yunxiao carefully emerged from the distorted space.
The first thing he did after arriving.
Was hide his aura completely.
Even his breathing became almost nonexistent.
Only after confirming no terrifying dragon pressure nearby did he finally relax slightly.
“…Good.”
The night sky of Zinnia Planet looked different from his home world.
Several enormous moons hung above the sky, casting pale blue light over the endless forests below.
The scenery felt ancient.
Zan Yunxiao slowly flew through the skies while carefully suppressing his presence.
At first, he intended only to briefly investigate.
But gradually.
It started feeling more like sightseeing.
The world itself was simply too strange.
Too different from anything he had ever seen.
For hours, Zan Yunxiao flew across the endless lands beneath the pale blue moons.
Yet no matter how far he traveled.
All he could see were forests.
Dense forests.
Ancient forests.
Gigantic black trees stretching endlessly beyond the horizon.
Some trees were so enormous that entire hills formed around their roots.
Even the creatures living below looked ancient and monstrous.
Several beast roars occasionally echoed through the world, causing the forests themselves to shake.
But strangely.
There were no oceans.
No deserts.
No snowy plains.
Not even rivers large enough to be considered major waterways.
Only forests.
Forest after forest after forest.
Eventually, even Zan Yunxiao became slightly stunned.
“…What kind of world is this?”
At this point, it no longer looked like a normal planet.
It felt more like one endless primordial continent.
A giant ecosystem still trapped in the earliest stage of evolution.
The mana in the atmosphere remained extremely thick everywhere, giving lifeforms absurd vitality and size.
While flying, Zan Yunxiao suddenly muttered,
“If mortals entered this world…”
“They’d probably die within a day. No more like within a minute.”
Everything here was dangerous.
Even the insects he occasionally sensed carried frightening life force.
At that moment, Zan Yunxiao finally landed atop a gigantic tree branch to rest briefly.
From there, he silently looked toward the endless green horizon.
Zan Yunxiao stood atop the gigantic branch while quietly admiring the endless scenery of Zinnia Planet.
Under the pale blue moons, the dense forests looked almost dreamlike.
Even someone like him, who had lived for more than a century, could not help but mutter softly,
“…Quite beautiful.”
But the moment those words left his mouth.
His instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation, Zan Yunxiao instantly moved sideways.
Boom!
A terrifying blue flame blasted past him and engulfed the gigantic tree behind him completely.
Within seconds, the ancient tree that had likely existed for thousands of years turned into ash.
Zan Yunxiao immediately turned toward the sky.
And there.
The familiar white dragon hovered among the clouds.
Its icy eyes stared directly at him.
“…You again.”
Even though Zan Yunxiao’s cultivation had already risen significantly since their last encounter.
He still understood one fact clearly.
He was no match for this dragon, the best he could do is to avoid but he decided to fight.
But unlike before.
This time he no longer felt fear.
Because he possessed two things.
Star Thread Reflection.
And Dimensional Travel.
As long as those existed.
He could survive.
Without hesitation, Zan Yunxiao drew the Heaven Moonveil Sword.
Shing!
Silver light flashed beneath the moonlit skies.
Then.
He attacked first.
Moonveil Severing Art!
His Golden Core spiritual energy erupted completely as countless crescent sword lights tore through the sky toward the dragon.
The surrounding air distorted violently from the force.
Boom!
The attack landed directly against the dragon’s body.
This time, the white dragon was slightly pushed backward.
But.
Still uninjured.
Not a single scale cracked.
Yet strangely.
The dragon looked even angrier than before.
Because in its eyes.
Zan Yunxiao’s sword technique looked almost like dancing.
The flowing elegance of the Moonveil Severing Art appeared strangely graceful while fighting.
The dragon felt insult and let out a furious roar.
Then it opened its massive mouth.
Mana across the entire region instantly gathered toward it like a storm.
The atmosphere trembled violently.
Even the forests below bent under the pressure.
Zan Yunxiao narrowed his eyes.
He could tell immediately.
This attack was strong enough to erase an entire section of the forest.
But unlike before.
He did not retreat immediately.
Instead, he calmly raised one hand.
“Star Thread Reflection.”
Countless invisible threads instantly appeared around him like shimmering spider silk.
The next moment.
The dragon unleashed its attack.
Boom!!!
A gigantic beam of blue mana erupted toward Zan Yunxiao.
But the moment it touched the Star Thread Reflection.
The attack bent.
Redirected instantly.
The dragon’s eyes widened slightly.
The reflected beam shot directly back toward it at terrifying speed.
Boom!!!
The white dragon immediately dodged sideways.
The beam missed its body.
But the forest and the gigantic tree behind it vanished completely.
Everything turned into a barren wasteland.
No trees.
No life.
Only scorched earth remained.
The white dragon became even more furious.
Its roar shook the heavens themselves.
Meanwhile.
Zan Yunxiao already activated Dimensional Travel.
The surrounding space distorted instantly.
Before the enraged dragon could attack again.
He vanished completely.
Back inside his chamber in the Zan Clan.
Zan Yunxiao reappeared while breathing slightly heavily.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
"That was dangerous... My original plan was to avoid that dragon at all costs."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But I have to admit... it was exciting."
The thrill of fighting a truly powerful existence caused even his blood to boil slightly.
Especially after successfully using Star Thread Reflection against such a terrifying attack.
Without that technique.
He would have died instantly.
Zan Yunxiao slowly sat down.
His eyes gradually became serious.
“That dragon…”
“…I will fight it again someday.”
A clear goal formed in his mind.
Nascent Soul Realm.
He had to reach it.
Only then would he possess the qualifications to truly stand against that white dragon.
Thus.
Zan Yunxiao entered another long period of cultivation.
. . .
Twelve years quietly passed.
Inside the Zan Clan, Zan Wei still maintained his old routine of personally reporting important matters to the patriarch.
Although his appearance still looked elderly, compared to before, his vitality had become far stronger after reconstructing his foundation.
As usual Zan Wei reporting of recent event.
“Father, Emperor Hong Se successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.”
Zan Yunxiao lightly nodded.
For someone with mediocre talent like Hong Se, reaching Foundation Establishment was already considered fortunate.
Zan Wei continued.
“Also, your great-granddaughter recently gave birth.”
“And your great-grandson has already started his own family as well.”
Hearing this, Zan Yunxiao casually drank tea while listening.
The Zan Clan truly continued expanding generation after generation.
At this point, even he stopped counting exactly how many descendants existed.
Eventually, the report ended.
Zan Yunxiao returned calmly toward his chamber, preparing to continue cultivation.
But the moment he entered.
The familiar system notification suddenly rang.
[DING!]
[Mission Issued]
[Option 1: Kill the Demon King in the Northern Region]
[Reward: 100 years of cultivation]
[Option 2: Kill the demonic cultivator lurking within the Zan Clan]
[Reward: 5 years of cultivation]
The moment Zan Yunxiao saw the rewards.
His face twitched slightly.
“…Five years?”
He almost laughed from disbelief.
At this point, even some descendant birth rewards were comparable to that amount.
Meanwhile, the first option remained absurdly tempting.
A hundred years of cultivation.
Clearly, the system was once again trying to bait him into fighting the Demon King.
Zan Yunxiao sat silently for several seconds before finally cursing softly inside the room.
“This system is definitely forcing me toward the Demon King.”
Still.
Despite complaining.
He had absolutely no intention of choosing option one.
Even though he has Star Thread Reflection, Zan Yunxiao was not confident to fight head-on because he didn't know how strong that Demon King is.
Without hesitation, Zan Yunxiao selected:
“Option 2.”
[Mission Accepted]
Immediately afterward, Zan Yunxiao spread his spiritual sense across the entire Zan Clan Grounds.
In an instant.
Countless auras entered his perception.
Disciples cultivating.
Servants working.
Clan members resting.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
He found it.
A strange aura hidden among the outer disciples.
Filled with faint killing intent.
Demonic Cultivator.
Zan Yunxiao’s expression instantly became calm.
His figure disappeared from the chamber silently.
The next moment.
He appeared above one of the outer disciple courtyards beneath the sky.
And below him.
A young man wearing Zan Clan robes suddenly froze in terror.