Chapter 133: Creatures of Darkness

With the Wei family experts completely wiped out, the remaining affairs were left to the three great families. Gu Feng did not need to make any arrangements; they would handle the distribution of assets quite well on their own.

Gu Feng, accompanied by Long Wenwu, sought out Hanhan and the others, but to his surprise, Long Xue'er was gone. Hanhan tearfully reported that Long Xue'er had been forcibly taken away. Gu Dongliu mentioned that it was her family who had come for her.

Long Wenwu suddenly interjected, "Long Xue'er is my niece. She must have been taken by the Dragon Guards. They are under the direct command of my elder brother; even I have no authority to command them."

Knowing Long Xue'er was his good friend, Gu Feng could not ignore the situation. The four of them immediately set off for the Desolate Dragon Empire. The city of Lin, situated in the Desolate Dragon Empire, bordered the Forest of Magical Beasts and was adjacent to the Great Qin, so it was not far from Wanfang City—a distance of only about three hundred miles across a few mountain ranges.

Gu Feng hoisted Hanhan onto his back and took to the sky. Since Gu Dongliu was too slow, Long Wenwu carried him along, and they flew toward Lin City. With Gu Feng’s speed, comparable to a Spirit Venerable, the four reached Lin City in just over two hours. Thanks to Long Wenwu’s status, they entered the city without any obstruction.

Upon reaching the City Lord’s mansion and making inquiries, they learned that the Dragon Guards had not stopped in Lin City at all; they had merely passed through. The four immediately resumed their journey, speeding toward the Imperial Capital of the Desolate Dragon Empire.

Three days later, Long Xue'er was brought back to the palace. Emperor Long Wenba, her father, was furious. Having never struck her before, he delivered a harsh slap to her face, leaving a visible handprint.

Long Xue'er stared at her father in disbelief. After a stunned silence of three seconds, tears streamed down her face as she grieved, "Father, growing up, no matter what mistakes I made, you never hit me. Since you became Emperor, you’ve forced me to marry someone I don't love, and now you strike me? Father, you’ve changed. You are no longer the father I knew."

Long Xue'er wept and tried to run, but the Dragon Guards blocked her path. Retreating step by step, she felt profound sorrow and even hatred; she had completely lost her freedom.

Long Wenba felt a pang of pain—she was his daughter, after all. But the past was the past; he was now an Emperor. In the art of statecraft, everything was a chess piece, his daughter included. "Take her away and keep her under strict guard. If she goes missing again, you will pay with your heads." The Dragon Guards trembled, feeling the immense pressure.

Unable to stomach this, Long Xue'er unleashed her internal energy and stared at her father, threatening, "Father, if you still acknowledge me as your daughter, let me go. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to take my own life to pay for my defiance."

Sensing her aura, Long Wenba was shocked. "Eighth-level Great Spirit Master? How is this possible?" Less than a month had passed since she left, and he clearly remembered her cultivation being at the fifth level. How could she have improved so much in such a short time?

Long Xue'er sneered, "Even away from the Dragon family, I can live, and live better than I ever did here."

At that moment, a voice echoed from outside: "Well said!"

"Gu Feng?" Long Xue'er was overjoyed. She had not expected him to come to the Dragon family for her sake, and she was deeply moved.

Long Wenwu led the way as Gu Feng and the others entered the grand hall. Hanhan hurried toward Long Xue'er, saying, "Big Sister, Master was so worried about you! As soon as he knew you were taken, he set off immediately to find you."

Long Batian looked at Long Wenwu and asked, "Second brother, who are these people?"

Long Wenwu looked at Gu Feng and said earnestly, "He is my master."

"Master?" Long Batian frowned. "Second brother, do you realize your status? You are royal kin. If you were willing, I could even hand the throne to you. Why would you acknowledge a mere youth as your master?"

Long Wenwu did not waste words. He summoned his set of high-quality spirit equipment and produced a pair of superior-grade gauntlets. "He gave me these. As an Emperor, even you do not possess such things. In fact, the entire Great Desolate does not have them, but he does."

Long Wenba stared at the equipment on Long Wenwu, stunned. He asked cautiously, "Who is he?"

Long Wenwu replied coldly, "He does not belong to the Great Desolate."

Long Wenba gasped. He finally understood why his brother was willing to serve him.

Gu Feng felt the point had been made. He turned to Long Wenba and asked, "I am taking Long Xue'er with me. Do you have any objections?"

Long Batian gave a bitter smile. "Had I known she was with you, I would never have brought her back." He then turned to his daughter, "Daughter, father is sorry. Go! Pursue your own happiness."

Long Xue'er blushed, glancing bashfully at Gu Feng. Gu Feng remained indifferent, but upon noticing the handprint on her face, he frowned. "What happened to your face?"

Long Xue'er was alarmed. She knew Gu Feng’s temper—he was someone who would kill without hesitation regardless of who you were. She hurriedly said, "It’s nothing, really nothing. Please, don't pursue this, Gu Feng."

Gu Feng glanced at Long Wenba and then nodded at Long Xue'er. Hanhan cheered, "Yay! Big Sister, we can be together again!"

Gu Dongliu asked, "Big Brother, where are we going next?"

Gu Feng rolled his eyes. "Find a place to eat and sleep. It's late at night; what else would we be doing?"

Emperor Long Wenba was taken aback. He had expected Gu Feng to be difficult to deal with, but he was surprisingly casual. He quickly regained his composure and said happily, "Young hero, I shall arrange dinner immediately. Please, treat this place as your own home."

Long Wenba arranged a banquet. During the meal, Long Xue'er's mother also attended. Having heard some of the story, she stared at Gu Feng and whispered to Long Xue'er, "Xue'er, is this the man you’ve set your heart on? He is a bit young—how old is he? He looks about sixteen. You are nineteen; they say a woman three years older is a treasure. This is just right."

Long Xue'er buried her head in her chest, blushing, though she occasionally stole glances at Gu Feng. Gu Feng simply ate his food with a faint smile, neither discrediting Long Xue'er nor speaking.

*Ding! Danger is approaching. Analyzing biological category.*

At that moment, an old man with white hair strode into the imperial hall.

Long Wenba stood up to greet him. "Elder Bai, why are you here?"

Elder Bai said with a hint of annoyance, "What, is the old man not welcome?"

Long Wenba quickly replied, "How could that be?" He gestured to his own seat. "Elder Bai, please sit."

*Ding! Dangerous biological type: Dark, Snake-attribute.*

After sitting down, Elder Bai looked at Long Xue'er and said, "So this is your daughter. Now that she is back, you should arrange her marriage to Bai'er immediately. This matter has dragged on for too long; I do not wish for any more mistakes."

Long Wenba was startled. He replied with a bitter smile, "Elder Bai, as a father, I cannot make that decision anymore. This young hero, Gu Feng, comes from beyond the Great Desolate, and he also has feelings for my daughter."

Elder Bai looked at Gu Feng and asked, "From beyond the Great Desolate? Then where exactly do you hail from?"

Gu Feng set down his utensils, wiped his mouth with an imperial silk napkin, and finished rinsing his mouth with tea. Only after completing these actions did he ask Hanhan, "Disciple, are you full?"

Hanhan was still eating. "Master, there is so much delicious food! I want to eat a little more."

The implication was clear: Gu Feng had completely ignored Elder Bai.