Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 429: Asura and Mei Gongzi

Faint silver light flickered around her, emphasizing her graceful movements accompanied by subtle spatial fluctuations.

The Celestial Dance was the most important inheritance of the Peacock Demon Clan, and its true foundational art. In fact, a clan member had once relied on this exact Celestial Dance to become an emperor. However, the Celestial Dance was a truly complex art, and for many generations, no clan member could master it. This was the primary reason a new Demon Emperor had not emerged.

The Celestial Dance was more suitable for the female members of the Peacock Demon Clan. While males could also learn it, their results were much poorer. However, the natural bloodline power of males in the clan was much stronger than that of females. The Peacock Demon Emperor was an exception—her bloodline had mutated, and as a result of her ascension, the Peacock Demon clan’s bloodline had evolved into a true first-tier one.

Sadly, in the following generations, the male members of the Peacock Demon Clan were still stronger, and the female members also failed to comprehend the Celestial Dance, leading to the current situation.

Yet now Mei Gongzi displayed exceptional talent; she had been able to awaken the Peacock Golden Crown at an extremely young age and had now finally begun to grasp the basics of the Celestial Dance. She knew this was why, despite her human half, the Peacock Great Demon King was truly intent on passing on the position of clan leader to her.

Once I finish this dance, I won't wait for that guy anymore. How can he go back on his promise like that?!

As Mei Gongzi danced gracefully, her qi and blood became more harmonious, her entire body radiating a crystalline silver light. Her spiritual senses expanded outward, perceiving every subtle change in the surrounding space. She could even feel some disturbances from Kali City, responding to her Peacock Demon bloodline.

At that moment, she sensed something—an extremely sharp aura was approaching at an astonishing speed.

Mei Gongzi's gaze instantly turned sharp. She twisted in midair, a peacock plume appeared in her hand, and the space around her rapidly fluctuated, ready for action at any moment.

But just then, the sharp aura quietly dissipated, and a figure descended from the sky. The golden wings behind him retracted quickly, and he landed right before her.

Mei Gongzi was slightly stunned. That familiar aura...

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The familiar voice, the familiar aura, the familiar mask, and the familiar figure.

Asura landed gracefully. His breathing was noticeably rapid, and his chest heaved, indicating that he had been rushing with all he had. At this moment, his eyes were filled with an uncontrollable fervor, giving Mei Gongzi the feeling that he might jump her at any moment.

Yet as she looked at his figured and listened to his voice, for some reason, all the resentment accumulated over the three days of waiting turned into a feeling of reassurance.

"Did you come from very far away?" Mei Gongzi asked softly.

For some reason, he seemed to have grown even taller.

At this moment, Asura's gaze seemed to devour her.

She had also grown taller, and her figure was more balanced. The girl's youthful aura had become even more intense, with less awkwardness and more of the unique softness of a young woman. She seemed a bit thinner, but her eyes were brighter.

Her dance just now was truly beautiful! Before he arrived, his divine consciousness had already scanned the area. Yes, his divine consciousness, because it couldn't be easily detected and could probe much farther. To determine if she was still there, he didn't care about his own exhaustion.

Then, with his divine consciousness, he sensed that enchanting dance that seemed to move the entire space around her.

The perception of this dance enchanted him so profoundly that he didn't even care to hide the sharp aura brought by the Golden Roc Transformation.

Finally, standing before her, looking at her exquisite beauty and increasingly ethereal temperament, he felt that the rush of a full day and night had been entirely worth it.

"Yes, it was a bit of a distance, but it was manageable. Some matters delayed me. Sorry to keep you waiting," Asura said softly, suppressing the urge to pull her into his arms.

"You've had a hard journey," Mei Gongzi said, seeing his travel-worn appearance. All her resentment had utterly vanished. While she had just been waiting, he had rushed back from a great distance. His effort was far greater than hers.

Curious, she asked, "How did you know I was waiting for you here?"

Asura smiled slightly. "I set up an array here. I can sense it if someone stays here for a long time, and... well... only you would do that. When it happened for the second day in a row, I knew you had left seclusion. You've changed a lot! Your strength has also increased a lot. Is your seclusion completely over?"

Just a sweep with his divine consciousness, and he could clearly feel that Mei Gongzi's aura had become more refined. Her cultivation had settled very well. Although she was still at the eighth order, she was at the peak, with clear signs of deliberately suppressing and compressing her bloodline power. Otherwise, she would have already broken through to the ninth order.

How old was Mei Gongzi? Barely sixteen, and she was already approaching the ninth order. This was rare even for high-tier demon clans; a human achieving this was practically unheard of.

Of course, Tang San excluded himself from this. He couldn't be judged by the standards of ordinary humans

"Well, it's not terrible, but the training isn't over yet. I was let out for a short break. In a few days, I have to undergo a trial."

"A trial? What kind of trial?" Asura asked, immediately feeling a bit nervous.

Mei Gongzi replied, "A family matter, I suppose. After I pass the trial, the seclusion should come to an end."

Asura suddenly understood. "The reason you've been suppressing your power is to break through during the trial, right?"

Mei Gongzi nodded. "I believe so. It wasn't my decision, so I don’t know for sure."

If it wasn't her decision, it must have been the Peacock Great Demon King's. It seemed this trial was crucial.

Asura's hand flashed with light, revealing two items. He handed them to Mei Gongzi and said, "These are two things I recently acquired. Take them. They should be useful during your trial."

Mei Gongzi looked at the two items in his hand with curiosity. One was a milky white stone, and the other was a small mirror.

"What are these?"

Asura said, "This stone is called the Stone of Fortune. Carrying it will bring you good luck. It comes from the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain of the Ancestral Court."

"Something from the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor?" Mei Gongzi said in surprise.

Asura nodded. "The other item is a weapon of sorts. I've inscribed a bloodline ability on it. When you're in danger, activate it, and its power will manifest, showing the power of that bloodline at a level similar to yours. Since you're adept at controlling space, I imprinted the Chrono Croc's bloodline power for time control. You can use it to accelerate or slow down time for one minute. Combining time and space control will be quite helpful to you."

Mei Gongzi looked at the two items in his hand and then back at him. Instinctively, she took a step back and shook her head. "Thank you, but I can't accept them. They're too precious. I can't take your things."

Asura said, "There's no need for distinctions between us. What's mine is yours. Just take them and consider them borrowed. You can return them to me after your seclusion."

Mei Gongzi continued to shake her head. "How can there be no distinctions? We've only met a few times. I've never even seen your true face. I don't know who you really are, where you come from, or why you're helping me like this. How can I keep accepting your sacrifices when I can't repay you?"