Chapter 22: Who Are You?

  After Sun Wukong ascended to heaven, the Jade Emperor appointed him as the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy and conferred upon him the title of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven". In other words, this Great Sage was genuine, while the other seven Great Sages were illegitimate.

  As for what position Bi Ma Wen is, Sun Wukong also asked his subordinates and got the answer that it's not a big deal. However, Sun Wukong was open-minded and saw that Li Mu was just a small land, also not a big deal. In his eyes, not being a big deal was already at its peak.

  Every day I ride a horse in the sky and let the wind blow, feeling carefree and at ease. In the blink of an eye, several days have passed.

  Li Mu entrusted several capable demon kings to take charge of their subordinates and prevent them from causing trouble, while he himself went alone to the East Sea to find Ao Ning.

  These days, Li Mu had a new understanding of Wei Tianjing, especially after transforming his xian cultivation concept. Wei Tianjing seemed to be tailor-made for him. Every move and every incantation felt like a reunion. In just a few short days, Li Mu's strength took another leap in quality.

  He was confident that even if he couldn't beat the Dragon King, at least the Dragon King wouldn't be able to do anything to him either, and retreating unscathed would not be a problem.

  Ao Bing's illness has dragged on for too long, and Li Mu can't bear to see Ao Bing continue to suffer. Besides, he hasn't returned to Tongyuan Mountain in a while, and he misses his master and fellow disciples. The recent events and the confusion they brought have made Li Mu hope to get an answer from Master Tongyuan. Since childhood, the impression of his master being all-powerful and all-knowing has been deeply ingrained in Li Mu's mind. That master, who treated him like a biological father, is his last resort.

  The night sea breeze has no worries, and it gallops freely on the surface of the sea. Tonight, the moonlight is dim, and the entire East Sea is like a big mouth, as if it wants to swallow the entire dark sky, and it seems to be the source of this darkness.

  In this darkness there is a palace that shines brightly, seemingly the guiding light of the entire seabed, with all the darkness surrounding it.

  He drove away the water curse and evaded the guards, easily entering the Dragon Palace with Li Mu's current strength. Those shrimp soldiers and crab generals were nothing but shrimp soldiers and crab generals in his eyes.

  Effortlessly avoiding the patrolling soldiers, I arrived at the depths of the courtyard. That place still had an icy atmosphere, but it also gave off a strange sense of familiarity. The stronger one's abilities were, the more intense this feeling became. This sensation was very comforting, as if in this unfamiliar world, I had found my only kin.

  "Awakening, I know you're here. I'm Li Mu, come out, okay?"

  The desolate courtyard was filled with the sound of emptiness, which echoed far away, just like a purposeless fish lost in the vast ocean, unable to find a safe harbor.

  Whose sigh is so sorrowful, piercing through everyone's heart, making you worried.

  A figure as gentle as soft water gradually emerged, with hesitant steps that seemed to struggle, as if every step had to be carefully considered before daring to move forward.

  Do you hate him?

  Is it that there has been no news for many days or have we become enemies from now on?

  "What's wrong?" Li Mu asked with some concern.

  But why did all the resentment and sorrow gradually dissipate like an echo when I heard his voice?

  "I don't know, I don't know. Father won't let me see you again." Ao Ning felt a pang of pain, the suffering brought by these two men, yet she had to bear it alone.

  "Why, just because the monkey snatched away the Dinghai Divine Needle, what does this have to do with you and me? If anyone is to blame, it's him for being incompetent and unable to protect his own things." Li Mu was somewhat agitated, this kind of baseless accusation being the most infuriating.

  "Go away, don't come looking for me again." Ao Ning struggled internally for half a day, but ultimately chose to compromise with her father. She didn't want to see the two men she loved most fight again because of something, and whoever got hurt would make her heart ache.

  Now entangled by illness, she doesn't want to drag Li Mu down. In her eyes, Li Mu is a man who can achieve great things and has unlimited potential, but she's selfishly holding him back.

  "Let me go!" Li Mu was stunned, as if the darkness around him had darkened another circle. Was it going to end like this?

  "But what about your illness, at least let me take you to see a doctor." Li Mu felt somewhat despondent, he had not expected that his long-held thoughts would end in this way. Although she was clearly unwilling, why did she still want to drive him away? Although she was clearly in pain, why did she still want to rub salt into the wound?

  Looking at Ao Bing's painful struggle, Li Mu suddenly pulled her hand and said: "Let's leave here and go to a place where no one knows us, okay?"

  No matter the struggles between immortals and demons, no matter the mutual slaughter of monsters and humans, go to a place where no one will ever know, living a life like a paradise on earth. No suffering, no worries, isn't this kind of day even more carefree and happy than that of the gods?

  Ao Bing hesitated, she really wanted to go with Li Mu, but she couldn't be so selfish. Unlike Li Mu, who was carefree and easy-going, she had her family and responsibilities. A dragon, no matter old or young, sick or healthy, must dedicate their life to the entire dragon clan. Perhaps in the past, she could have been with Li Mu, but now that the Dragon King regarded Li Mu as an enemy, she couldn't let her own happiness cause her father pain.

  She pulled her hand back and shook her head vigorously: "No, I'm too selfish. You'd better leave, just pretend you don't know me, okay?"

  "No way, I won't do it. None of us can deceive ourselves, if I like you then I like you, no one can stop me. Since you're afraid of the Dragon King, I won't make things difficult for you either. Let my master come and propose in person, let's see what the Dragon King will say then." Li Mu said excitedly, he was most unwilling to rely on others. When he was a child practicing the object moving technique, he almost got crushed by an out-of-control stone but refused his senior brother's help, insisting on relying solely on his own energy to pass the test.

  This time, he brought out Tongyuan Daxian, and he was also helpless. In order not to embarrass Ao Ning, he could only do this. With the strength of Tongyuan Daxian, let alone you, the daughter of the Dragon King, even if you want to marry Li Mu, the daughter of the Jade Emperor, you can marry her as soon as you think about it.

  There's a bit of stubbornness in saying this, but once something is decided, it won't change - that's Li Mu's consistent approach.

  Leaving Ao Ning's deep courtyard, just about to blend out of the Dragon Palace, suddenly a clear and beautiful figure blocked the way. The figure was tall and slender, with an exquisite face that seemed almost otherworldly. But on that delicate and flawless face, there were a pair of fiery eyes that seemed to want to devour Li Mu in front of her.

  In the Dragon Palace, who else is there besides Ao Ran?

  "You actually dare to come." Ao Ran angrily shouted.

  She and her mother heard that something had happened in the East Sea, so they hurried back from Dongting Lake. Seeing Ao Guang being beaten to a pulp, she was furious and immediately went to find Li Mu. However, after turning over Li Mu's cave mansion, he couldn't be found, so she ran back with anger. She only heard half of it and rushed out, still unaware of what happened to Li Mu on Mount Huaguo.

  But I didn't expect that as soon as I returned to the Dragon Palace, I ran into Li Mu.

  "Why didn't I dare come." Li Mu's mood was also bad, and seeing this person in front of him suddenly became even worse.

  Ao Ran didn't care about Li Mu at all, how could she see the change in Li Mu? Suddenly, she became angry and said: "You dare to speak to me like that, today I will avenge my father the king and kill you, this scoundrel."

  As he spoke, an Icicle Technique came flying over habitually.

  If Li Mu can still be injured by such a simple spell, he might as well bury himself in a pit and spare Ao Ran the trouble of lifting a hand.

  The Ice Seal was easily dodged by Li Mu, which made Ao Ran even angrier. Three consecutive ice arrows were shot out, but each one was dodged by Li Mu.

  Li Mu sneered, "You want to play? Fine, I'll play with you. Don't forget who taught you these spells." Ao Ran's repeated provocations had also made Li Mu somewhat angry. Originally, he had an old score to settle with her, and now the old and new accounts would be settled together.

  "It's been a few days since we last met, and you've actually become more arrogant. Today, let me show you the power of this princess." Ao Ran took the lead in making a move, using an ice spell to freeze all the seawater around Li Mu into ice blocks. The water-avoiding pearl could absorb air from the water, but it was unable to breathe inside the ice block.

  But if this simple spell can still trap Li Mu, then all his efforts over the past few days have been in vain.

  Li Mu's body shook with rage, and the ice blocks around him shattered instantly. Suddenly, Li Mu's body burst forth with power, and he shot towards Ao Ran like an arrow, his right hand locking onto her jade neck. His speed was completely beyond Ao Ran's expectations, and in her haste, she quickly released an icy shield to protect herself.

  But this simple shield was no different from a paper paste in Li Mu's eyes, and it didn't take any effort to break through it. The next second, a strong hand had already grasped her delicate neck. As the force on her neck increased, she gradually felt difficulty breathing.

  But Li Mu had no intention of letting go, and in his anger, he seemed to feel that his strength had increased somewhat. This feeling of victory was so intoxicating that he couldn't help himself. What he saw in his eyes was not a dying beauty, but a prey on the verge of death.

  "Roar——"

  Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the entire Dragon Palace. Only to see Ao Ran transform back into his true form, a golden giant dragon roaring in anger.

  This roar, startled countless people in fear, the creatures of the East Sea were like doomsday had arrived, frantically searching for a safe place. Longwang Ao Guang, Dragon Mother, and Crown Prince Ao Ning were all shocked: "Ran Er!" The dragon's roar sounded the same to outsiders, but their own kind could clearly distinguish it. The Dragon King didn't care about his physical injuries, quickly rushing towards the source of the sound.

  Even if Ao Ran transformed into his true form, he still wasn't a match for Li Mu. On the contrary, Li Mu was like a demon, growing more ferocious with each passing moment. With every increase in anger, his strength increased by a corresponding amount. Every move he made was accompanied by endless rage, and all his power was focused on Ao Ran. By the time Ao Guang and the others arrived, Ao Ran had already been battered into submission and transformed back into human form.

  "Ah, son!" The several dragon clan members were shocked. Ao Guang immediately took out a pellet of divine medicine and stuffed it into Ao Ran's mouth. His old face twitched with extreme anger, his appearance even more ferocious: "Li Mu, you're too presumptuous!"

  Ao Guang roared and transformed into a dragon, charging towards Li Mu. The Dragon Prince also roared and transformed into a dragon: "Father King, I'll help you."

  "Come on!" Li Mu excitedly shouted, and his body's aura suddenly surged again. He himself didn't even realize that his current strength had already surpassed his original strength. But for some reason, the more excited and angry he became, the faster his strength increased.

  Two dragons pounced on Li Mu, but didn't gain any advantage at all.

  Ao Bing hid aside, painfully watching the battle above, and the thing she was most worried about still happened.

  "Li Mu?"

  Looking at the angry Li Mu, Ao Ran suddenly felt a little puzzled, this feeling, seemed familiar.

  "Get out!"

  Only to hear Li Mu's furious roar, his body rapidly fell down, and he brutally trampled the Dragon Prince on the ground. Immediately afterwards, his body was like a cannonball that shot towards the Dragon King, not a single person would suspect that this power could split the Dragon King into two segments.

  Ao Bing was shocked and his body had exceeded its limits in speed as he rushed before the Dragon King, "Don't harm my father."

  Bang!

  A loud crash, and the Dragon King and Ao Bing flew out at the same time. Although Li Mu had collected several of his powers in time, the impact on Ao Bing's body was still enough to kill her. Li Mu painfully shouted: "Ao Bing."

  The body transformed into a purple light again and hugged the falling child.

  But Ao Bing's body didn't have a single wound, not even a drop of blood had flowed. At the moment he touched her, Li Mu suddenly felt a ball of black air emerging from Ao Bing's body. The black air was faint and gave people a sense of fear. It was as if when first exploring the depths of the ocean, there was still a hint of familiarity.

  "Thank you, young man."

  Suddenly, a voice echoed in Li Mu's mind, and he knew it was that black air speaking to him.

  "Who are you?" Li Mu said in a low voice, why was he inside Ao Bing's body.

  "Who are you again?" Hei Qi had the same feeling, as if he felt a very strong sense of familiarity with Li Mu.