262: Chapter 262 Xiaoxiao Returns

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the unique ice crystal window panes of the Ice Spirit Continent, being cut into countless fine, cold rays that speckled the bed.

Cai Lin lay on her side amidst the brocade quilts, her long, pitch-black hair spread messily over the pillow, several strands snaking down her fair neck and disappearing into the depths of the quilt edge.

That unparalleled, cold and alluring face lacked its usual sharpness in the morning light, replaced by a rare sense of lazy fatigue.

After tossing and turning for half the night, she had yet to recover.

Hun Feng was already awake, propping his head up and watching her from the side, a smile on his lips that was hard to define as either triumphant or doting.

He reached out to gently tuck the stray hair on her forehead behind her ear, his thumb brushing against her cheek as he did so.

Cai Lin frowned, turned over with her back to him, and said with a voice hoarse from just waking up: "Don't move... Let me sleep a little longer."

"It's daylight." Hun Feng leaned into her ear, lowering his voice: "If we don't get up, Lin Dong might send someone to call us for breakfast later. Do you want to keep them waiting?"

Only then did Cai Lin open her eyes, her purple snake pupils still veiled in a thin mist of water.

She propped herself up on the bed, the brocade quilt slipping from her shoulder to reveal her graceful collarbone and a few faint red marks on her neck.

She glanced down, then raised her hand and slapped Hun Feng hard on the chest.

Hun Feng let out a muffled grunt, but his smile grew even brighter.

After the two washed up and changed, it wasn't long before a maid from the Martial Realm came to knock on the door, saying that Lin Dong invited them to the front hall for breakfast.

Hun Feng acknowledged the request and reached out to straighten Cai Lin's collar, covering the red marks on her neck completely.

Cai Lin glared at him, but he pretended not to notice.

In the front hall, Lin Dong and Ling Qingzhu had been waiting for a long time.

Lin Dong sat in the main seat, still in his black combat outfit, looking energetic with no trace of a hangover, though there were two very faint dark circles under his eyes.

Ling Qingzhu sat beside her husband, dressed in simple clothing with dark hair, her demeanor dignified, though she had applied light makeup today; the inescapable hint of spring in her brows and eyes could not be hidden by powder, giving her already gentle face a touch of hazy charm.

The four took their seats, and the maid served clear porridge and side dishes.

Lin Dong picked up his porridge bowl and slurped down a large mouthful, showing none of the airs of a domain lord.

"Brother Hun, did you sleep well last night?" He set down the bowl and grinned, his smile carrying a hint of knowing mischief.

Hun Feng's hand, which was picking up food, paused, and he glanced at Cai Lin beside him, saying nonchalantly: "Very well. The guest rooms in the Martial Realm are more comfortable than the sleeping chambers in our Imperial City."

"That's good, that's good." Lin Dong nodded repeatedly, his gaze turning to his wife, his mouth widening further: "I slept well too. Didn't I, Ling Qingzhu?"

Ling Qingzhu's fingers tightened slightly on her porridge bowl, and a faint blush rose on her typically dignified and gentle face.

She did not answer, simply setting the bowl gently on the table, then reached out under the table and pinched Lin Dong's thigh hard.

Lin Dong's smile froze for a moment, his mouth twitched, but he managed to swallow the muffled grunt, relying on the formidable physical body of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign.

Cai Lin took all of this in, expressionlessly picking up her teacup for a sip, while her hand under the table moved quietly to Hun Feng's thigh and pinched him hard.

Veins bulged on the hand Hun Feng used to hold his chopsticks, but he continued to chew the crisp bamboo shoots nonchalantly, the slices crunching loudly in his mouth.

After the four finished breakfast, Hun Feng and Cai Lin prepared to take their leave.

Lin Dong personally saw them to the city gate, followed by Ling Qingzhu and Ying Huanhuan, while Lin Jing stood beside her mother, her lively eyes darting between Hun Feng and Cai Lin with a slight curl of her lips.

"Brother Hun, our meeting yesterday was a case of meeting too late. Come back to the Martial Realm whenever you have time; the drinks will be plentiful. If the Extraterritorial Evil Clan dares to invade, the Martial Realm and the Spirit Hall will advance and retreat together."

"It is a deal." Hun Feng cupped his hands in return, turned, and stepped into the air with Cai Lin, departing.

Outside the city gate, Lin Dong stood with his hands behind his back, watching the direction in which Hun Feng had left for quite a while.

The morning breeze blew his black robes, and the ice crystal city walls shimmered with a cold, faint light in the sun.

"What do you think of him?" Ying Huanhuan walked to his side, her ice-blue robes fluttering slightly in the wind.

"Rare." Lin Dong said slowly: "A Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, a hegemon of a region, who killed Saint Son Mohe You and defeated Maha Tian, yet is willing to lower his status to personally visit someone he has never met. There wasn't a hint of arrogance in his conversation, nor a slip of the tongue after drinking. That bearing is not feigned. What is most rare is that—like me, he is an ascender from the lower planes; I know best how difficult it is to reach this position. This person can bend and stretch, has strategy and methods, and above all, has his own bottom line. It is far more profitable to be friends than enemies. With such a figure in the Great Thousand World, we have more confidence in resisting the Extraterritorial Evil Clan in the future."

Ling Qingzhu nodded gently: "Steady and restrained, yet sharp. His wife, Cai Lin, is also no ordinary woman; she sat with perfect etiquette throughout the banquet last night, composed and measured. To have such a woman willing to stay by his side, this man must have his own extraordinary qualities."

"However..." Lin Dong suddenly grinned, lowering his voice to lean close to Ling Qingzhu's ear: "I noticed him sneaking a peek at you last night. Although it was only a glance or two, I saw it clearly."

Ling Qingzhu's fair cheeks flushed with a layer of faint red at these words, and she raised a hand to push him lightly on the chest.

Ying Huanhuan glanced coldly at Lin Dong from the side, said nothing, and left only a meaningful back.

Lin Dong scratched his head, gave a sheepish smile, and strode to catch up.

In the evening, Imperial City.

When Hun Feng and Cai Lin stepped out of the spatial rift, the volcanic clusters of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range were being dyed a deep, dark red by the setting sun.

At the city gate, a fiery red figure had been waiting for a long time.

That figure stood against the sunset, tall and slender, the afterglow outlining a breathtaking silhouette.

Her thick, pitch-black long hair was tied high in a ponytail, the strands flying wantonly in the volcanic hot wind, with a few stray hairs brushing against her fair cheeks.

On her head sat a gilded ancient-style hair crown, its rose-red decorative pieces and gold base complementing each other; the design's lines were sharp like the spreading tail of a phoenix, making her appear like a masterfully decorated peerless sword.

Her face was a standard oval shape, with a smooth yet angular jawline, and her skin was fair and clear, glowing with a faint warmth under the sunset.

In the center of her forehead was a burning red flame mark, the bloodline imprint that appeared naturally after the fusion of the Dragon and Phoenix bloodlines.

Her brows were long and slender like distant mountains, the tails slightly upturned, and a pair of reddish-brown eyes shone with cold luster beneath long lashes—that gaze was cold and steady, yet it suddenly melted into a faint warmth when it swept over the black-clad figure at the city gate.

Her nose was as straight as a distant peak, her lips full, and their color a soft vermilion; when the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, she possessed both the brightness of a young girl and the sharpness of a swordsman.

She wore a short combat skirt with red and white as the main color scheme, with layered stand-up collars and shoulder armor featuring a red base and white trim; golden flame scroll patterns wound and bloomed on the shoulder armor, and a blue gemstone was embedded in the center of the collar.

The three-dimensional waist seal at her waist and abdomen was composed of layered red, gold, and purple components, shaped like flaming phoenix feathers, cinching her waist to a delicate span, further accentuating the full and smooth curves between her chest, waist, and hips.

The upper parts of her arms were bare, her shoulders and neck line as graceful as a swan's, while hard black-and-gold bracers tightly clasped her wrists, connecting to double-layered wide sleeves below—an outer layer of bright red gauze and an inner layer of translucent white gauze, the edges embroidered with golden patterns, fluttering in the mountain wind like phoenix wings.

The white short combat skirt had a slight A-line cut, reaching her thighs, with a golden hem; two long pink ribbons hung from her waist, flipping and fluttering with her steps.

Beneath the combat skirt were a pair of long, straight legs, the white long stockings printed with dark patterns echoing the clothing, and gilded anklets fitted delicately at her calves and ankles.

On the back of her hands, faint red flame-shaped patterns were visible, the external manifestation of the Dragon and Phoenix bloodline, which would glow slightly when she grasped a sword.

She stood casually at the city gate, the blood abyss sword hanging diagonally at her waist, the Tingxue Sword carried on her back, and an elusive aura of killing intent surrounding her—it was the aura of a true powerhouse, precipitated after the life-and-death battles of the Dragon and Phoenix Mountain Range and countless days of grinding on the ten-thousand-fathom cliffs of the Sword Domain.

When those reddish-brown eyes swept across the surroundings, the sharpness in their depths was like a sword unsheathed, causing the few disciples of the Spirit Hall passing by the gate to lower their heads involuntarily, not daring to meet her gaze.

Hun Muxiao saw the black-clad figure emerging from the spatial rift from afar, and the killing intent in her eyes vanished instantly, leaving only burning brilliance.

She strode forward, her steps brisk and steady, each one making the volcanic gravel crunch.

"Dad!"

She stood before Hun Feng with a radiant smile, the face that blended Medusa's cold beauty and Yao Yao's crisp decisiveness now fully matured.

Her figure was tall and full, the curves outlined by the short combat skirt enough to make anyone unable to look away—it was a peerless elegance that blended strength and beauty, coldness and heroic spirit.

If she were walking on the street, those who didn't know would likely think she was Hun Feng's newly wedded wife rather than his daughter.

Hun Feng stood on the spot, looking at this tall young woman who was not much shorter than himself, feeling dazed for a moment.

When he brought Xiao Xiao and Cai Lin to the Spirit Hall over a decade ago, this girl was only five years old, wearing two pigtails and hiding timidly behind Cai Lin with only half her face visible.

In the blink of an eye, standing before him was a true powerhouse capable of handling things on her own.

A Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign, a direct disciple of the Green-Shirt Sword Saint, a sword dao genius with a fused Imperial Grade bloodline, a true warrior who represented the Sword Domain in the battle at the Dragon and Phoenix Mountain Range and slew Evil Race members of the same rank single-handedly.

Although the blood flowing in her veins was Xiao Yan's, Hun Feng had treated her as his own daughter from the beginning—that had never changed.

"You've grown up." He raised his hand, wanting to ruffle her hair, but retracted it halfway, turning instead to pat her shoulder; the force was not heavy, but he patted for a long time.

Xiao Xiao's eyes reddened slightly, but she held back the tears.

She grinned: "Dad, why is your expression like we haven't seen each other in ten years? It's not like I was in prison in the Sword Domain; I'm back, aren't I?"

Cai Lin stepped forward, and Xiao Xiao immediately leaned over to hook her arm, resting her head on her shoulder: "Mom, I missed you."

Cai Lin raised her hand to tidy the stray hair at her temple blown by the wind, a faint smile flashing in her purple snake pupils: "A Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign?"

"Mm." Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously: "Master said my sword intent has already reached great completion, and I've practiced the Myriad Sword Return to Origin Art to the sixth level. After the bloodline fusion, the rigid and soft powers of the two swords can be switched at will, and in terms of sword dao attainment alone, I am no longer behind the top three Sword Masters under Master's seat. Master asked me to send his regards to you, Dad."

"He is thoughtful." Hun Feng chuckled lightly.

That night, a family banquet was held in the main hall of the Imperial City.

All six mothers were present, and several younger sisters also gathered around the table.

Xiao Xiao sat between Cai Lin and Yao Yao, her plate piled high with her favorite dishes.

Hun Mulan clung to Xiao Xiao, chattering away and asking about the Sword Domain.

Sitting among the mothers, her fiery red figure complemented Cai Lin's white-gold battle dress, Yao Yao's dark red combat outfit, Xun'er's moon-white long dress, Yun Yun's cyan simple clothing, and Cao Ying's deep purple alchemy robes.

That matured face was in no way inferior to the mothers, and standing among them, it didn't look like mother and daughter, but rather a group of sisters of similar age sitting together.

"Mom, why do you all never seem to age?" Xiao Xiao bit her chopsticks, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the six mothers one by one.

Yao Yao raised an eyebrow with her peach-blossom eyes: "Are you complimenting us, or implying we're old?"

"Of course I'm complimenting you!"

Yun Yun set down her chopsticks and reached out to tap Xiao Xiao on the forehead lightly: "Silly girl, have you ever seen a cultivator who ages?"

"That's true." Xiao Xiao rubbed her forehead, her gaze falling on Hun Feng in the main seat, and a hint of mischief suddenly surfaced in her reddish-brown eyes: "But I have to say, Dad, you are getting more and more handsome. Your cultivation is at the Saint-Rank, and your bearing has also risen—if I weren't your daughter, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to help but marry you."

The table fell silent.

Yao Yao's hand holding the wine cup froze in mid-air, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Cao Ying choked on her soup.

Xun'er lowered her head and picked up her teacup to cover half her face, though her eyes were filled with laughter.

Xiao Yi Xian's hand, which was picking up food, paused for a beat before continuing as if nothing had happened.

Xue Wei leaned back in her chair, her eyes shifting back and forth between Hun Feng and his daughter, watching the show.

Cai Lin set down her chopsticks, reached out unhurriedly, and pinched Xiao Xiao's ear.

"Ow—Mom! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Xiao Xiao leaned toward Cai Lin's hand, "I was joking! I was really joking! Mother Yao Yao, help!"

"You deserve it." Yao Yao picked up her wine cup and took a sip, her peach-blossom eyes full of schadenfreude.

Hun Feng sat in the main seat, holding his wine cup, a faint smile on his lips.

He looked at the chattering daughters and the wives with their varied expressions around the table, then looked at the big girl who was still winking at him while having her ear pinched, and suddenly felt that the years of fighting and killing didn't seem so tiring after all.

Outside the window, the volcanic clusters of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range continued to erupt with dark red magma in the night, and the battle flags of the Spirit Hall snapped in the wind on the city walls.

In the main hall of the Imperial City, the lights were bright, and laughter never ceased.