Chapter 109: Yinglong Leaves Home

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Jiang Lan looked at Yinglong, whose tone was still defiant, but whose two wings were tattered, as if they had been broken by someone.

“Did you see a butterfly?” she asked.

“Mortal, what kind of tone is that? I'll eat you alive!” Yinglong snapped.

Jiang Lan ignored him and stepped forward.

“Hey, hey, hey, I am Yinglong, ah~ don’t step on my belly!”

Jiang Lan stepped on Yinglong’s belly from the side, then lifted one end of his left wing. She looked carefully but saw no sign of the butterfly. She moved to the other wing and lifted it as well, but still found nothing.

“W-what are you doing? Don’t ruin my innocence!”

Jiang Lan walked along his back, raised her hand, and gave the dragon’s twisted head a sharp slap. “Stop talking nonsense. How old are you anyway?”

“Heh—You’re bold! I’ll eat you, you, you, you—”

Yinglong was being pulled by his whiskers and had no choice but to give in.

“I don’t remember exactly how old I am, just that I’ve lived for over a hundred thousand years.”

“Over a hundred thousand years?” According to Yinglong’s age, he was still not fully mature.

Pulling his whiskers again, Jiang Lan asked, “Honestly, have you seen a white butterfly?”

“Why are you chasing her? What did she do to you?”

“Well then, you must have seen her.” Jiang Lan’s grip tightened as she pulled Yinglong’s head toward her.

“Who’s seen her! No, I haven’t.”

“Fine.” Jiang Lan released his whiskers and lay down on his back. “I’ll wait.”

Yinglong had no choice. With thirty percent of his power gone and being imprisoned, he simply had no strength left to argue.

Suddenly, a white butterfly appeared right before Jiang Lan’s eyes.

“It’s here~”

The butterfly fluttered in front of her. Jiang Lan sat up as the white butterfly flew a few steps away, then a white light appeared. The butterfly danced and spun within the radiance, and several flashes of light transformed into a woman dressed in white.

The woman wore a flowing white fairy dress, her hair styled elegantly, and tears glistened in her eyes.

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“Li Mo? Why are you here?”

Jiang Lan immediately felt something was off. She was no longer the proud eldest daughter of the Yin family who towered over the Six Realms. Li Mo shouldn’t recognize her now.

The woman in white, Li Mo, knelt down. “Auntie, please save Yun Hao. He is the only bloodline my brother left in this world.”

“Li Yuan’s child?”

Li Mo nodded. “Auntie, please save Yun Hao.”

“So the familiar aura I sensed earlier wasn’t his demon energy, but yours?”

Li Mo nodded again. “When I felt your arrival, I placed a fragment of my divine consciousness into Yun Hao’s fading dragon breath.”

Jiang Lan looked toward the shimmering light where only spiritual energy remained. “And you? How did you come to be like this?”

“That traitor erased the entire Li family from the divine register and betrayed us to become a demon dragon. The gods from all realms hunted us relentlessly. My brother protected a few clan members and fled to the Demon Realm but was intercepted by the gods and twenty-eight divine generals who killed him, ending his life along with the mountains and rivers.

“My sister-in-law was pregnant with Yun Hao but suffered a miscarriage after hearing the terrible news. She clung to life just long enough to save Yun Hao, then passed away within two years, joining my brother.”

“And you?” Jiang Lan’s eyes reddened with anger. “Tell me about you!”

Li Mo floated to the sleeping Yinglong’s side and gently stroked his head with a gaze full of affection.

“Without my brother’s protection, we couldn’t have escaped to the Demon Realm. We were hunted all the way; our kin were slaughtered. Many died protecting Yun Hao and me.

“Yun Hao’s body is frail. I had to care for him while dodging pursuers. I truly had no choice, Auntie. I regret only following my brother without learning more magic from him…”

Watching Li Mo weep uncontrollably, Jiang Lan’s own eyes reddened beneath her mask.

Yinglong’s Li family had always been vassals of the Zhu Long Yin family, loyal retainers but treated as kin. Li Mo’s brother, Li Yuan, was the young master of the Yinglong clan. Since coming of age, he served as Jiang Lan’s chief guard and was a formidable warrior, even in the battle against the Demon Lord.

Their grandfather had been the mount and closest comrade of Jiang Lan’s father.

That fateful battle had taken them all away.

At that time, Jiang Lan had planned to retreat into the Void to meditate and explore ways to break barriers, leaving Li Yuan to return home to his newlywed wife.

When she emerged from the Void, the Yin family had been annihilated and the Li family was being hunted. Blinded by rage, Jiang Lan had no reason or clarity to seek the Li family, only revenge.

If only she had been calmer then…

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“…Yun Hao’s health was poor, and while still an infant, his aura was weak. I had no choice but to nourish him with my own blood to help him cleanse and strengthen his body, prolonging his life…”

Jiang Lan clenched her fists. “Who killed you? Who did this to you?”

“Auntie…”

“Who is it?”

“…Due to lack of energy, Yun Hao was ambushed. They used him as bait to lure me into a trap. I fought with all my strength but could not overcome them. Worried about Yun Hao, after my death, my lingering will took refuge in his dragon horn.”

Li Mo returned to Jiang Lan’s side and knelt.

“Li Mo begs you, Auntie, save Yun Hao. He’s still so young, he hasn’t even soared across the realms or tasted the pride of being an Yinglong. He should be like my brother—a brave warrior, the heir of the Li family, and a trusted general for you.”

Jiang Lan climbed down from the dragon’s back, gently touched the spirit’s head, and choked back tears. “I promise you. But you must promise me that even as a mere lingering spirit, you will live on. I will avenge the Yin family’s hatred and the Li family’s. You must watch over him well, understand?”

“Auntie!”

Li Mo clung to Jiang Lan’s legs and wept bitterly, all the grievances of the years pouring out as tears. She had once been a revered goddess of the divine realm, cherished by both the Li and Yin families, a princess unmatched across the Four Seas and Eight Desolations.

Her frail body had always been guarded by her brother, never venturing out alone. When she went out, she always followed him or accompanied her aunt to “find a match” for her husband. Being the eldest daughter of the Yin and Li families, her aunt often carried her to banquets.

The great-grandfather from the Demon Realm named Ji often sent her gifts and treats.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Grandfather was gone, the Yin grandparents were gone, even her husband had left. Auntie Qiqi was gone. Her brother died protecting their clan. Her sister-in-law, pregnant with her nephew, barely escaped while protecting her and then passed away…

Her beloved aunt had finally returned. She had hoped to bring Yun Hao to see her, but not long after, her aunt died atop the divine realm’s summit. Blood rained down like golden droplets. Hiding in a cave, she dared not come out but understood the unbearable pain her aunt endured.

They were ruthless—nothing remained of her aunt’s body. Her soul vanished with her flesh. When she learned of her aunt’s passing, she had thought to take Yun Hao with her, but she couldn’t. So many of the Li family had died protecting their lives. No matter how hard the future might be, she had to survive, and Yun Hao had to survive too.

It was truly exhausting. Thankfully, in the end, her aunt came.

Watching her aunt approach the massive iron ring bound by thick chains, Li Mo said, “Auntie, that ring is forged from mysterious iron, the hardest metal. Yun Hao had hoped to gather strength and break it, but he couldn’t.”