Chapter 729: I’m Back!

“How is it?”
Zong Yi asked with underlying anticipation.
“Found her,” Su Che replied calmly.
Hearing this answer, Zong Yi first showed signs of surprise, but quickly regained his composure and asked in a low voice, “Is there any problem?”
Because what he wanted to hear was “got her,” not just “found her.”
“Your son is still alive, but he was corrupted millions of years ago and turned into an Origin Demon King…”
Su Che then detailed Lan Ling’s situation. As Zong Yi listened quietly, though he managed to control himself from getting excited or interrupting, his expressions were still quite expressive…
After finishing the story, Su Che said, “She is a Golden Wing Demon King, equivalent to the later stage of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. I don’t have the ability to control her; I can only let her act as she pleases. I hope you can forgive me for this.”
While saying this, Su Che was mentally preparing for the worst—if this old man went mad and tried to harm him, then…
Fortunately, Zong Yi seemed to be a reasonable person with excellent self-control. He wasn’t excited or angry but nodded calmly, “Not bad. At least you brought her out of the Immortal-Demon battlefield and to the Immortal Realm… Even if she never returns, I have ways to find her. It just takes some time.”
“Senior, I think she will come back,” Su Che said softly. “Of course, this is just my guess. There’s no evidence. I hope you can stay here for now and wait patiently.”
“Is that so?” Zong Yi said with a smirk, “That girl has already grown into a Golden Wing Demon King, an Origin Demon. Do you really trust her?”
“She seems different from true Origin Demons,” Su Che shook his head slightly. “I can’t be sure; it’s just a feeling.”
Zong Yi nodded, “I must wait here for a few days. After all, it hasn’t been ten years yet.”
Su Che wanted to ask how he planned to deal with Lan Ling, but he knew rationally that this was the other man’s private matter and shouldn’t be questioned casually.
So, Su Che could only give a subtle hint, jokingly saying, “Nominally speaking, she’s still your granddaughter!”
“Granddaughter?” Zong Yi sneered coldly, “Even if that son of mine came to me, I would kill him without hesitation. What does a granddaughter matter?”

Su Che’s expression froze for a moment, but Zong Yi continued, “That girl, Lan Ling, is far more important to me than my granddaughter. You see, she’s a derivative of the Wrath of the Demon God… Well, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it.”
Then, he glared sharply at Su Che and said darkly, “Young man, it seems you have a bit too much kindness for a woman. Feeling sympathy for someone from the demonic race isn’t a good thing.”
Su Che wasn’t afraid of his gaze and said sincerely, “I don’t see her as a demon right now. She’s just a little girl who has just seen the world for the first time and is full of curiosity about everything. That’s all.”
“Hmph…”
Zong Yi snorted coldly, “Once the novelty fades, the so-called little girl you speak of will become extremely dangerous. Without the constraints of the Immortal-Demon battlefield, it won’t take long for her strength to soar… Her demonic nature will drive her to destroy all living things around her, including you!”
“Maybe.”
Su Che nodded lightly. “I was just asking casually. After all, I no longer have the right or the ability to interfere in matters between you two.”
Zong Yi gave a strange smile. “People who uphold justice seem foolish and annoying, but I must admit, your character is quite good. I’ll keep this in mind.”
With that, he stood up and threw out one last sentence, “I’ll wait here for a few days. Go ahead with your own affairs. Don’t bother with me.”
As soon as he spoke, his figure disappeared. Although Su Che controlled the entire shop space, he still couldn’t sense where this old man had hidden.
Su Che and Zhuo Feng breathed a sigh of relief for now, but that didn’t mean everything was really fine. If ten years passed and Lan Ling still hadn’t returned, it was still unpredictable whether Zong Yi would go berserk.
Someone who would kill his own son—could such a person be understood through ordinary logic?
Days passed by, and the business at the Treasure Shop continued as usual. Zong Yi never showed up again, as if he had completely disappeared and left. But Su Che and Zhuo Feng both knew he was still there, lurking somewhere in the shop space. It was just that the old man’s strength was too great, so they simply couldn’t detect him.
With only ten days left before the ten-year deadline, one day, while in a state of cultivation, Su Che suddenly heard a clear and loud metallic sound in his ears.
“I’m back! Haha, I’m sure you must be extremely anxious!”
She really had returned!

Su Che opened his eyes, stood up, and stepped out of the house into the garden. There, he saw Lan Ling in a sky-blue long dress, standing gracefully on the stone bridge above the pond. She seemed even more beautiful and adorable than before.
During the seven years she had been traveling, she must have seen a great deal, and her demeanor had changed noticeably. Yet no matter what, one could never associate her with an Origin Demon King.
“Do you miss me?” Her smile was full of playfulness.
“Do I like this dress?” She spun around twice, her skirt fluttering to reveal a glimpse of her delicate, jade-like calves.
“I’ve already spent all the money you gave me. I stole a little more on my own, hehe, just a little bit…” There was a mischievous pride in her expression.
By then, Su Che had reached the stone bridge and stood across from her. Smiling, he asked, “I guess that ‘little bit’ you mentioned is definitely no less than five million Immortal Crystals.”
“Wow!”
Lan Ling’s eyes sparkled with joy. She brought her two small hands together to form six fingers and gestured, “You’re so accurate! It’s just over six million.”
“You can’t stand not causing yourself some trouble, can you?”
At that moment, Su Che sighed softly, as if a brother would, “You’re a demon, right? Why do you still keep your promises and come back?”
“I’m worried about you…” Lan Ling gazed at Su Che affectionately, like a pure-hearted village girl.
Of course, this was just an act. Before Su Che could expose it, she laughed and said, “I’m not afraid of him. Why wouldn’t I dare to come back?”
Su Che nodded, studying her carefully before asking tentatively, “It seems you’ve grown stronger, hasn’t it?”
In truth, Su Che couldn’t even recognize the cultivation level of a Golden Immortal, let alone detect changes in strength beyond that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. It was just a guess.
“That’s right!” Lan Ling nodded proudly. “Leaving the Immortal-Demon Battlefield felt like shedding an invisible shackle. Every day, my strength improves. Now, I’m just a little short of reaching what you call the Immortal Emperor level… I feel it’s just a matter of a little more anger. That’s why I came back. I hope some stupid old thing will provoke me, so I can… hmm, you know what I mean.”
“So, you’re about to advance to Demon Emperor soon…”
Su Che sighed inwardly. The girl was about to become a Demon Emperor, while he was still just a mere Human Immortal. Too slow—truly too slow!
“Am I the stupid old thing you wanted to see?”
Zong Yi suddenly appeared at the other end of the stone bridge and began walking slowly toward them.

Lan Ling slowly turned around, looking at this nominal grandfather. She narrowed her eyes slightly and muttered to herself, “Well, it’s true—seeing you gives me a sense of familiarity.”
“That’s not surprising,” Zong Yi replied calmly. “Before your old dad stole you away, you stayed with me for quite a while. You must have some impression left.”
To his surprise, Lan Ling turned back, stuck her tongue out at Su Che, and whispered in a volume loud enough for Zong Yi to hear, “I’m lying to him! I actually don’t know this old guy at all.”
Su Che didn’t know how to react and could only try to keep a calm expression to avoid angering the old Zong Yi.
Zong Yi laughed heartily. “This is completely different from what I imagined. A little demon born from the Wrath of the Demon God should be violent and frenzied. Who would have thought it would be so mischievous?”
At those words, Lan Ling’s gaze turned icy cold, and she stared at him, saying, “Actually, you’re not wrong. What you see now is just a disguise. All that violence and frenzy you expect are hidden, suppressed, and held back for a long time—waiting for the right target to vent on. Well, are you interested in helping me?”
“Who else but me?”
Zong Yi nodded. “In the whole world, no one is more suitable than me.”
Before their auras could burst forth, Su Che hurriedly said, “Please, both of you, leave. Stop fighting here.”
Whoosh!
The old man and the young girl vanished in an instant.
No wasted words—quite decisive in leaving.
“Madman!” Su Che exhaled slowly, cursing inwardly.
“Two freaks!” Lao Hei’s tense nerves finally relaxed.
Boom!
The ground shook. Even inside his shop, Su Che could feel the intense impact on the entire Haoyuan Heaven Market.
Boom!
Another shock followed, but slightly weaker.
Boom!
The third one was even lighter. Clearly, the tremors were fading away.
Su Che rushed to the highest point of his shop and looked out to survey the entire heaven market…
It was still fine—no major changes. Only the protective array that once covered the whole market emitted dazzling light. A large hole had appeared in the protective barrier in the northeast, and it was slowly closing through its self-repair function.
Inside the heaven market, many true immortals were discussing eagerly, “Someone who can pierce the barrier so easily must be at the level of an Emperor Immortal, right?”
“It seems to be a man and a woman. Could it be Emperor Feng Lin fighting against some other foreign Emperor Immortal?”
“It doesn’t seem like Emperor Feng Lin. I just saw her back.”

“Look, that’s the Emperor Feng Lin Xian!”
Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared in the sky. Indeed, the Emperor Xian had arrived.
“Welcome, Emperor Feng Lin Xian!”
Once again, the scene of thousands of immortals paying homage unfolded.
This time, the Emperor Feng Lin Xian descended directly into the backyard of Tianxuan Treasure Shop, once again arousing envy and speculation among the many immortals in the Heavenly Market: What kind of background does Tianxuan Treasure Shop have? The Emperor Xian went there twice in a row.
It’s truly extraordinary—no wonder they can afford to sell countless immortal weapons and treasures in large quantities…
Since the last visit of the Emperor Xian, no one in the Haoyuan Heavenly Market dared to mess with Tianxuan Treasure Shop; after this visit, it’s likely to get even worse.