"The Thunder Clan? They're just a small family among the ancient imperial clans, yet they dare to be so arrogant before me?"
A booming voice echoed throughout the space. Facing what seemed to be his beloved daughter's companion, the Old Dragon Emperor wasn't so polite.
"Hmph, you big bad guy!"
Seeing this, Zi Yan, protected behind Lin Feng, pouted slightly.
"Daughter, I am your father."
Seeing that his daughter seemed to have some misunderstanding about him, the Old Dragon Emperor hurriedly spoke, his expression tense.
"Daughter, Father?"
Zi Yan murmured to herself, her eyes lifeless. Since arriving in this space, she had felt a sense of peace, as if she had come to the side of family. But how could she have family? She was an orphan, surviving from the shadows of those ferocious magical beasts since childhood.
If it weren't for the good fortune of consuming the Transformation Grass, being adopted by Elder Su Qian, and then being extremely lucky to meet Lin Feng, Sister Xian'er, and Sister Cai Lin,
now, a man claiming to be her father has suddenly appeared. This has filled her with anger, unease, and discomfort—a mix of emotions swirling within her young heart. Her eyes involuntarily reddened, and her small hands tightly gripped Lin Feng's clothes.
"Zi Yan!"
Seeing Zi Yan's appearance, Lin Feng grasped her hand, looking directly at the Dragon Emperor before him, his gaze unwavering.
"Senior claims to be Zi Yan's father, but what evidence do you have? Zi Yan has been an orphan since childhood, never having seen her parents. She was bullied from a young age, with no one to protect her. If it weren't for Elder Su Qian of the Inner Court discovering her, it's uncertain whether Zi Yan would still be alive today."
"What!!!"
Hearing Lin Feng's words, the old Dragon Emperor was enraged, a terrifying roar erupting from his mouth, seemingly shaking the entire space.
"Emperor Tuoshe, you treacherous old scoundrel! If you hadn't plotted against me and imprisoned me for thousands of years, how could my precious daughter be in such a pitiful state? Emperor Tuoshe, come out here! I'll tear you apart! Roar!"
After a series of angry roars, the old dragon emperor finally calmed down, looking anxiously at his beloved daughter behind Lin Feng, whose eyes were red with tears.
"My dear daughter, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been greedy. Can you forgive me and call me father?"
Behind Lin Feng, Zi Yan looked at the imposing middle-aged man who was her blood relative, feeling somewhat lost. Her heart was filled with resentment and anger at him for so cruelly abandoning her newborn daughter, yet she also felt wronged. She had family too, not the brute force king and orphan that others saw her as.
"Lin Feng, do you think I should acknowledge him?"
Looking at the face that resembled her own, Zi Yan's mind was in turmoil, and she couldn't help but look at Lin Feng, who had always taken care of her. In her eyes, Lin Feng was more important than her actual blood relatives.
Hearing his daughter's words, the old Dragon Emperor looked at Lin Feng, who was standing between the two, for the first time.
"Not yet twenty, with powerful soul strength, reaching the peak of the mortal realm. His cultivation of Dou Qi has also reached the level of an eight-star Dou Huang. Hmm, solid foundation, decent talent. He also possesses a rare and wondrous fire, his luck is quite good."
The old Dragon Emperor looked at the young man before him with a hint of appreciation; this was already no less than the young dragon cubs of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.
"Moreover, his physical strength is no less than that of a magical beast of the same level, and he even possesses a powerful dragon aura! What? Dragon aura!!!"
After observing Lin Feng thoroughly, the old Dragon Emperor offered him some benefits, instructing him to protect his precious daughter after they left. However, upon discovering that the dragon aura on Lin Feng was remarkably similar to that of his beloved daughter, he instantly flew into a rage.
A large hand reached out and grabbed Lin Feng, fortunately he still retained a sliver of reason. Otherwise, even an ordinary Dou Sheng wouldn't be able to withstand an attack from a peak expert of the continent.
"How can a human like you possess such pure dragon energy, and it's even of the same origin as my daughter's? What did you do to her?"
"Dragon Seal!"
Seeing Lin Feng captured, Zi Yan disregarded everything else, her Dou Qi surging, and unleashed a powerful dragon seal towards the old Dragon Emperor's face.
"Thump!"
The old Dragon Emperor seemed somewhat caught off guard by his beloved daughter's attack, frozen in place, struck hard by Zi Yan's dragon seal, producing a loud thud. Although Zi Yan's attack didn't cause the old Dragon Emperor any harm, it loosened her grip on Lin Feng, allowing him to escape.
"Lin Feng, are you alright!"
Zi Yan quickly helped Lin Feng up, her face showing concern, then looked at the stunned old Dragon Emperor, her face filled with anger.
"Hmph, you're not my father! Not only did you abandon me when I was little, but now you're bullying my friend! You're a big bad guy!"
"My dear daughter, Father didn't mean it. I just wanted to test this boy's character and see if he could protect you."
The invincible Dragon Emperor, now flustered and at a loss, didn't know what to do with his daughter. Thousands of years of neglect erupted in this one night, but unexpectedly, their first meeting provoked his daughter's resentment. This was even more difficult than fighting a Dou Di.
No matter how the Dragon Emperor explained, Zi Yan ignored him. Having lived alone for many years, she harbored resentment towards her parents. She even wanted to question why they had so heartlessly abandoned her, leaving her vulnerable to be bullied.
And this man claiming to be her father, bullying Lin Feng, whom she had always cherished, infuriated her. If she weren't outmatched, she would have made him experience the power of her own fists.
"Lin Feng, what should I do?"
"Zi Yan, this is, after all, your biological father. The choice is yours, but I will support you no matter what."
After calming down, Lin Feng struggled to his feet. After all, he was under the grasp of one of the world's top experts. Although the expert had no intention of harming him, Lin Feng, a mere shrimp, ultimately had no say in front of him.
After leaving these words, Lin Feng slowly walked towards a short distance away, sat cross-legged on the ground, took out several top-grade healing medicines from his storage ring, and slowly began to regulate his breathing.
What they discovered in the magma at the Earth's core was naturally unknown to outsiders. At this moment, on the Tagor Desert, due to the desert terrain, the sky was filled with twinkling stars after nightfall.
And beneath this desert, a master and disciple, their faces somewhat grim, had settled down in a magma-covered area.
"Alas, just as I thought. This strange fire has indeed been subdued."
Yao Chen's face was full of regret. Ever since he learned that the Snake-People tribe had relocated because of Lin Feng, he had a premonition that the strange fire beneath the desert might have been subdued by Lin Feng. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why his alchemy skills had improved so rapidly.
(End of this chapter)