CHAPTER 3 XIAO JIAN INDENTITY

The General took Wangmei’s body back to the Kingdom. Wang Chong welcomed their arrival. After hearing the whole story, Wang Chong didn’t care about Xiao Tian, as he also believed that wild beasts indeed ate Xiao Tian.

“Prepare a funeral for my sister! As for Xiao Jian’s body, throw it into the soul-tracker dog kennel.”

Wang Chong was genuinely ruthless, letting his brother-in-law’s body become food for his pet dogs.

After Wangmei’s body was buried and Xiao Jian’s body was thrown into the dog kennel, they didn’t know that both bodies had transformed into a tree branch.

****

In a place far away, not in the Ming Dynasty nor Wuyu City, a middle-aged man stood with a wonderful woman on a mountain peak that reached beyond the clouds.

The man and woman bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Jian and Wangmei.

The woman gazed at the vast sea of clouds spreading out before her. Even though she looked at the sea of clouds, her vision could penetrate everything in every direction. She sighed softly with a sad face.

“Husband, aren’t we being excessive, leaving our child like that?”

The man smiled faintly, though his body trembled slightly at the question.

“He’ll be fine. If he can’t survive in such a small world, he’s not worthy of being my son.”

“Husband, why didn’t we take Tian’er with us? He could grow better, especially if he received your guidance; he could surely become a great expert in this universe.”

It turned out that the man and woman talking were Xiao Jian and Wangmei. The bodies killed in the Wang Kingdom were just replacements, not their natural bodies.

“Tian’er must find his path in cultivation. The hatred in his heart will make him grow faster. If he follows me, he might increase, but it would diminish his potential. Moreover, those who become true experts have lived through various hardships. Without hardship, pain, and humiliation, one cannot ascend to the peak of glory. Only those who have endured numerous challenges can stand at the pinnacle of cultivation. Now, it’s time for us to go. I can’t leave my clan any longer, or else a great catastrophe will occur in the entire universe.”

No matter what, Wangmei was a mother, and a mother’s worry was far more significant than a father’s. However, she couldn’t oppose her husband’s decision, who held the status of the Supreme God Emperor.

Xiao Jian held his wife’s hand and then walked across the stars.

After reaching a certain height, he tore through space and disappeared.

Xiao Tian sank into the great river, unconscious.

Various ferocious beasts approached to devour him. However, when the beasts were just a few meters away from him, Xiao Tian's body suddenly shone.

The light was so intense that it blinded the approaching beasts. They seemed confused and frightened, quickly retreating from Xiao Tian.

The scene was astonishing because these beasts were known to be extremely powerful and fierce. The weakest among them were level two beasts, equivalent to third-class warriors in the human realm. The strongest were beast kings, equivalent to earth king warriors in the human realm.

The beasts fled in fear from Xiao Tian's weak body. The light emanating from the minor child's body drove away all the ferocious beasts.

How could a child make such fearsome beasts retreat? What happened to Xiao Tian's body that allowed him to emit such powerful light?

After the beasts fled, the light disappeared from Xiao Tian's body.

****

At the calm riverbank, two figures were practicing together. One was a small girl, about eight years old, with her hair tied in a ponytail, fluttering in the wind. The other was an older man, standing tall and wise, watching the girl's every move intently.

The little girl was practicing sword techniques. Although the sword she wielded was just a wooden toy, her swings were lively and unpredictable. The wind complemented her swings, creating a mesmerizing rhythm.

"Ziyan Rouxi, it's time to go home. You've been practicing from morning till near sunset, making Grandpa waste a lot of time watching you," the old man sitting on a rock grumbled at the little girl.

"Grandpa, you finally have time to watch me practice, but you're already complaining so much. It seems you don't care about me at all!" the little girl pouted. Despite her young age, she looked lovely.

Before the older man could reply, he saw a small child's body drifting in the river's current.

"Wait, Grandpa!" the girl shouted.

"Where are you going? Don't...." Before Ziyan Rouxi could finish her sentence, she saw the child's body being carried by the current, not far from a high waterfall.

The older man ran into the water, retrieving the minor child's body—Xiao Tian.

After bringing him to the riverbank, the older man still heard Xiao Tian's heartbeat.

"This child is not dead." He immediately channeled his internal energy into Xiao Tian's body.

Xiao Tian suddenly coughed, expelling a lot of water from his mouth.

After continuous internal energy transmission, Xiao Tian began to open his eyes slowly.

When he fully opened his eyes, he saw the little girl's face very close to his.

Their eyes met.

"Are you the angel of death? Why isn't your face scary?"

Slap—

Ziyan Rouxi immediately slapped Xiao Tian's face.

"Ahh.... Why did you slap me?" Xiao Tian didn't understand why the angel of death slapped him.

"What did you just say? Angel of death? Do you want me to kill you?" Ziyan Rouxi was annoyed with being called the angel of death by Xiao Tian.

Xiao Tian tried to get up but felt his whole body ache as if it were shattered.

After a while, he realized an older man was channeling his internal energy to heal his injuries.

"Don't move too much! Your body has suffered severe injuries. Let me heal you first."