Protect Our Clan Leader

The estate named "Xingyuan Homestead" was the residence bestowed upon this Direct Vessel Great Heavenly Proud by Emperor Longchang.

Xingyuan Homestead's backyard.

In the garden lush with greenery and wild charm, a young man sat cross-legged on a protruding stone by the pond, his eyes slightly closed, silently comprehending the Heaven and Earth Laws.

This young man was naturally the owner of Xingyuan, Wu Zhixing.

Behind him, a dragon-shaped shadow with a certain degree of solidity slowly swam, emanating a majestic and immense aura.

However, unlike the pale yellow pale dragon, this dragon-shaped shadow was of an azure color. It was not the turquoise of a Water Spirit Azure Dragon but a vast azure color like the azure sky and white clouds. Under the ribs of that dragon shadow, there was a pair of enormous wings displaying a rainbow hue, exuding a sacred and mysterious aura.

As the shadow leisurely swam, the winds between heaven and earth seemed to be drawn in, circulating around the young man, creating wind currents that expanded and contracted with his breath, as if they too possessed life.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Suddenly.

A streak of golden light seemed to flash between the young man's brows.

The next instant, the azure shadow behind him came to life, its dragon eyes brightening, and with a flap of its wings, it let out a long dragon chant towards the sky.

Wind.

The brisk wind, as if heeding a command, swept through the heaven and earth with a howl, stirring the grass and lifting up ripples on the water, then spiraling up to the high skies and blowing far off into the distance.

The azure dragon shadow flapped its wings again.

The winds around the world suddenly changed; fierce winds arose, dark clouds gathered, and the weather abruptly shifted from clear skies to a dense cloud cover.

Above the courtyard, dark clouds churned, and the sound of muffled thunder could be heard.

Suddenly.

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and the air reverberated with thunderous roars. Amidst the roars, rain poured down like waterfalls, yet it seemed contained by some power, falling only within the confines of this small courtyard.

Outside the wall of the courtyard, the ground remained as dry as ever, without a single droplet of water in sight.

Amidst the drenching rain, the young man remained seated cross-legged, his eyes lightly closed, as if immersed in some indescribable sentiment, oblivious to the world around him.

Raindrops fell on his shoulders and hair tresses, sliding along his robe. Yet his clothes remained as dry as ever, without a hint of dampness.

That was because a thin layer of wind clung onto the surface of his body and clothes, insulating him from the raindrops, separating him from the world.

No one knew how much longer it was before the dark clouds above the courtyard slowly dispersed.

The clouds cleared, and the rain stopped.

The young man in the courtyard gradually opened his eyes.

"Zhixing, my obedient grandson, you're finally awake~ I was getting so bored waiting for you."

Suddenly.

From above came a puffed-up voice.

The young man, who was Wu Zhixing, looked up only to realize that there was a little girl in a purple dress sitting on a nearby tree.

She wore cute twin buns in her hair adorned with pretty golden ribbons, her face full of youthful vibrance, looking exceptionally charming and adorable.

No one knew how long she had been there, her legs swinging, clearly a bit bored.

Beside her followed a middle-aged beautiful woman in an autumn-coloured maid's attire, performing the protective Technique against the rain. When the man looked over, the middle-aged beautiful woman gave him a nod and a half-curtsy.

"I have seen Grand Aunt Xue Ning."

Wu Zhixing came to his senses and quickly stood up, performing the formalities meticulously and respectfully towards the little girl, before returning the courtesy to the middle-aged woman.

This little girl was a descendant of the Direct Lineage of the Royal Family, called "Wu Xuening," two generations his senior. According to the rules of the Imperial Household, even though he was now over ninety years old, he still had to address Wu Xuening as Grand Aunt.

The middle-aged beautiful woman beside Wu Xuening was naturally her personal Attendant and guard.

"Dispense with the formalities, stand up~"

Wu Xuening responded like a little adult, then leapt lightly to the ground with graceful ease.

Although she was only thirteen, her Cultivation base was already at Level Nine of the Qi Refinement Realm. In a year or so, she would be able to ascend to the Spirit Platform Realm. Although she was still too young and her prowess in Mysterious Techniques not yet proficient, she indeed had the makings of a formidable young expert.

"With all the commotion outside, you still have the mind to devoutly Cultivate here?" Wu Xuening walked a circle around Wu Zhixing with her hands behind her back, disbelief filling her bright, sparkling eyes, "You have such patience~"

Wu Zhixing confusedly asked, "Grand Aunt is referring to...?"

"What else could it be? Of course, it's that matter." Wu Xuening recounted, "That girl from their Baiyun Tower family, the one named 'Wang Liyao,' hasn't she boasted that she'll refuse no one under one hundred and fifty years old? This is a 'Challenger of Heaven' that comes once in a century."

As she spoke, Wu Xuening's face showed an expression of vexation, and jumping up, she poked Wu Zhixing's forehead with her chubby finger, "They've come to your doorstep to challenge, and as one of the top ten outstanding youths of our generation, how can you stay out of this? If I weren't so young and unable to defeat her, I would have gone already."

Although Wu Xuening was a Great Heavenly Proud, she was just too young. Certainly strong among her peers, but to participate in the Challenger of Heaven battle, she was completely out of her depth. To actually take part would mean being easily crushed by others.

However, looking at her eager expression, if she were to age another fifty years, no, not even fifty, perhaps just another twenty or thirty years, she probably would have taken up the challenge.