Immortal Divine Tribulation

Chapter 179: A House in Soaring Dragon

Among the five great regions of the Divine Martial Continent, the Eastern Region was the most vast—boundless and immense, filled with stretches of ancient primeval forests brimming with vitality.

At this moment, Tian Fan was walking through a nearby small town. He had taken off his purple outer robe; comparatively, he still preferred wearing pure white—clean and refreshing.

The streets were crowded with people, most of them cultivators. The whole town was bustling with noise, and many people were deep in discussion as they walked.

“Do you think the Soaring Dragon Dynasty can suppress this matter? Who would have thought that a legendary ancient divine treasure would appear beneath their ancient city? That was truly unexpected!”

“It shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, it’s within their own territory, and the dynasty itself is a great sacred land of martial cultivation. I doubt anyone would dare to act recklessly.”

“Not so certain. This matter is far from ordinary—an ancient divine relic is no trivial thing. Except for the Shangguan Clan, all the major powers have sent people. Even the Soaring Dragon Dynasty might find it impossible to bear the weight of this alone.”

Tian Fan was momentarily dazed. From their words, he pieced together some information. 

A few days earlier, in the Eastern Region of the Divine Martial Continent, a colossal divine light had suddenly shot up from the Soaring Dragon Dynasty, illuminating the skies, before everything quickly returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

At first, the dynasty’s higher-ups thought it was just some spiritual energy leaking from the earth veins. But in the days that followed, such phenomena kept occurring—powerful elemental energies surged forth, strange celestial signs appeared, birds and beasts filled the skies, and a vision of a vast primordial land was projected upon the heavens. Naturally, this drew the attention of nearby cultivators.

The news that a peerless divine artifact had surfaced beneath the Soaring Dragon Dynasty spread like wildfire across the five regions. All factions were shaken, dispatching their experts at once. The Eastern Region was now teeming with talent, including figures who had once shaken the world.

“That’s right. I heard that even the long-hidden Divine Brilliance Dynasty has sent people. That lineage is unimaginably terrifying. And plenty of formidable rogue cultivators are coming too. The Soaring Dragon Dynasty truly won’t dare act rashly against them!”

“An elder of the Murong Clan from the Southern Region has awakened from seclusion and personally set out. They say a little princess of the clan has also run off—she might even come here. That girl is like a celestial maiden. I wonder who she’ll end up with?”

“Heh, brother, don’t get your hopes up. How could someone like her ever look at the likes of us? I heard she’s already betrothed to a prince of the Divine Brilliance Dynasty.”

“Not true, not true. Reliable sources say she refuses to agree, and this time she ran away to escape the marriage. Who knows, haha…”

Laughing and joking, the men walked shoulder to shoulder like a bunch of street rogues. Tian Fan smiled faintly. Though their cultivation was weak and they lacked powerful backing, they lived happily.

He went up to a tavern, choosing the quietest spot. While nibbling at some small dishes, he listened to the conversations of nearby cultivators. In another room, two little creatures were gorging themselves.

The little phoenix had awakened not long ago. When the little one realized its aunt was gone, it bawled so loudly it seemed like it could flood the entire Eastern Region with its cries. Tian Fan and the little dragon had to take turns soothing it for half a day before they finally coaxed it into laughter.

It was the first time the little phoenix had ventured out. Seeing so many people and strange sights, it was overjoyed—so much so that it almost revealed its true body. Tian Fan broke into a cold sweat. With so many ordinary cultivators around, if it exposed its phoenix form, wouldn’t they all get roasted alive?

Later, under the coaxing of a certain gluttonous little dragon, Tian Fan reluctantly entered the tavern. He was already thinking he ought to stock his spatial ring with more silver.

“The Eastern Region is completely stirred up now. They say even the Divine Son of the First Immortal Sect might come. Strange, isn’t it? The Sword Immortal Sect was completely wiped out last time, even two supreme beings of the Returning Immortal realm perished, and yet he somehow escaped. Truly unbelievable.”

“Speaking of him, the Son of God is likely to come too. They say he has a divine dragon at his side. If he arrives, who could possibly stop him? He might even uproot the entire imperial clan—it wouldn’t be impossible.”

At this, everyone’s faces showed reverence. After the battle at Windwood Ridge, the Son of God’s fame had soared to its peak. With a divine dragon as his guardian, who would dare oppose him now?

Not long after, Tian Fan rose and went into the adjoining room. The two little creatures’ mouths were greasy with food. The beautiful multicolored feathers of the little phoenix were sticky with oil.

Tian Fan was dumbstruck. A phoenix—one of the most divine birds of legend—actually eating roasted meat? This must be the first case in history! If that beautiful woman from the Immortal Island of No Return found out, would she draw her sword and hack him to pieces? The thought made him shiver. Feeling guilty, he called the two little ones up and sternly warned the little dragon never to trick the phoenix into eating meat again.

“But it was really tasty! Mmm, I want more!”

Hearing the little phoenix’s words, Tian Fan felt like dying.

“Big brother, where are we going?”

The little dragon, its belly round and full, perched on Tian Fan’s right shoulder. Normally, it always rode on his head, but the phoenix insisted on taking that spot. Her reasoning was strong: she was a bird, and birds belonged in nests.

“Yes, bad man, where are we going?”

The phoenix, now no bigger than a palm, was lying on his head, truly treating it as her nest. Hearing her words, Tian Fan was speechless. This little ancestor still hadn’t forgotten the Island of No Return, and with every breath she kept calling him “bad man,” making him almost believe it himself.

Where to go? Tian Fan also wondered. Looking toward the central lands of the Eastern Region, his face bore a trace of sorrow. He had not wished to step upon that land again, but sometimes fate allowed no choice.

That the Earth Spirit Orb would appear there—that he had never expected. The forefathers of the Soaring Dragon Dynasty had indeed chosen wisely. With such a blessed land, it was no wonder the dynasty had grown into a grand martial holy land. With heaven and earth treasures protecting them, failure would have been strange.

Now, countless cultivators were heading toward the Eastern Region’s central lands. The energy fluctuations were becoming more frequent, and the allure of an ancient divine treasure was irresistible. Even ancient monsters of the great sects had personally come forth.

Tian Fan traveled at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow. Passing through vast forests and many towns, he arrived at the central region after a day’s journey.

Before him loomed a magnificent imperial city, majestic and awe-inspiring, like palaces fallen from the heavens. Unlike before, he now clearly saw auspicious clouds and radiant energies lingering above the dynasty. He sighed softly and stepped forward.

This was the place where he had lived for nearly twenty years. Yet within this vast dynasty, he had known only coldness and ridicule. An unbidden sadness welled up in him.

Now, the Soaring Dragon Dynasty no longer barred outsiders. Experts from every region had arrived. Though it was their own land, they could not stand against so many powers. The guards of every checkpoint had been withdrawn, gathering instead at the dynasty’s core.

Tian Fan wandered this land—familiar yet strange—lost in thought, until he found himself before a quiet little courtyard. Compared to the grandeur of the dynasty, this house was minuscule, far less splendid than the palaces. He stood silently at the door for a long while, then finally pushed it open with a trace of sadness and stepped inside.

“So beautiful!”

The two little ones cried out at once, flying straight toward a painting.

The painting depicted a woman in white, her beauty beyond all words. To call her “nation-toppling” felt laughable, and to say “flowers shamed, the moon hid” was vulgar. She seemed to dwell above the nine heavens, untouched by the mortal world.

In her arms lay a snow-white little fox, cute and mischievous. The scene was so dreamlike it felt alive, as if the woman might step out of the painting at any moment.

The room was simple, furnished by Tian Fan himself. Everything remained the same—even the fragments of books on the shelves had not been moved. He gave a self-mocking smile. After all, no one had ever come here.

But soon his brow furrowed. 

Something was wrong. He had been gone for a long time, yet the place was spotless, without a trace of dust. 

As if… someone had been living here.