Chapter 8

Intense light flooded his eyes, followed by a forceful tearing sensation. Zhou Yuan felt dizzy and disoriented, as if he had fallen into a vortex.

Fortunately, this tearing sensation did not last long. Zhou Yuan soon felt a surge of power, and his body was immediately thrown into the air.

Thud!

Zhou Yuan's body crashed heavily onto the ground, his mouth full of dirt. However, he was quick to react. As soon as he landed, he ignored the pain in his body and quickly rolled to avoid the spot where he landed.

At the same time, the iron skin pattern on Zhou Yuan's arm, which had already been inscribed, began to glow faintly, ready to be activated at any moment.

But fortunately, the sudden attack he had anticipated did not occur. Zhou Yuan's tense body gradually relaxed, and only then did he have the leisure to notice the changes in his surroundings.

"Where am I?"

Zhou Yuan widened his eyes and looked around. The cave he had been in was gone, replaced by a quiet and ancient forest. Towering trees stood tall, their lush branches and leaves blocking out the sky.

A clear stream flowed nearby, its crisp sound adding to the peaceful scene.

"What is this place?" Zhou Yuan was puzzled and bewildered. He remembered that just a moment ago, he was still in the secret cave of the ancestral hall. How did he end up in this unfamiliar place?

"Strange," Zhou Yuan frowned, looking around. Could the great opportunity he had been seeking be here?

"But there's not a single person in sight," Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, his gaze scanning the area. In the next instant, his pupils constricted, and his expression froze, as if he had seen a ghost.

Because at that moment, he noticed a figure standing under a large tree in front of him, which had appeared out of nowhere.

Upon closer inspection, it was a young woman in a green robe. She had a slender and graceful figure and was leaning against the tree trunk, her bright eyes calmly watching him.

Zhou Yuan's gaze met hers, and he felt an inexplicable tingling sensation on his scalp.

However, Zhou Yuan was relatively composed. He quickly steadied his nerves, and a smile appeared on his young face. He tried to appear harmless and then clasped his hands together, saying, "Miss, where is this place? I am Zhou Yuan, and I accidentally stumbled upon it. If I have offended you in any way, please do not take it to heart."

The young woman in front of him looked about his age, but at a time like this, being a bit more polite was always a good idea.

However, the mysterious young woman in the green robe did not pay much attention to Zhou Yuan's politeness. She brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and then walked towards him with long strides.

As she stepped out of the shade, sunlight immediately bathed her. As she approached, Zhou Yuan could see her clearly, and a look of admiration involuntarily crossed his face.

The young woman had skin as white as snow, her hair lightly tied, and a simple green robe that accentuated her graceful curves. She had delicate features, especially her bright eyes, which seemed to contain a certain mystery, making her appear ethereal and profound.

At that moment, the young woman, stepping on the fine sunlight, with the ancient towering trees behind her, and the breeze lifting her bangs, a faint, extremely ancient pattern appeared on her smooth forehead, revealing an indescribable mystery. This scene was so beautiful that it made Zhou Yuan catch his breath.

"Miss," Zhou Yuan smiled, although the scene before him was beautiful, he still maintained some caution, as both the unfamiliar environment and the mysterious young woman were beyond his understanding.

"Miss?" Hearing Zhou Yuan's address, the young woman in the green robe's lips curved slightly, as if finding it somewhat amusing.

She looked at Zhou Yuan with interest and murmured, "Grandpa Hei was right; someone really would come here today."

"What?" Zhou Yuan didn't hear clearly.

However, the young woman in the green robe ignored him and turned around, walking into the ancient forest. As she passed the large tree, she called out lightly.

"Swallow, let's go home."

Hearing the young woman's words, Zhou Yuan saw a gray, unremarkable little creature lying under the tree. It looked like a small dog, quite unimpressive.

"A pet dog?" Zhou Yuan muttered.

Woof woof!

Seemingly hearing Zhou Yuan's mutter, the little creature bristled and growled at Zhou Yuan. However, due to its small size, its growl was completely harmless and even somewhat cute.

The little creature, realizing its growl had no effect on Zhou Yuan, stood up and jumped to a large rock, then opened its mouth and bit into it.

Crunch crunch!

With each bite, the large rock rapidly shrank, and in a short moment, it disappeared completely, with all the hard rock pieces swallowed into the little creature's small stomach.

Zhou Yuan's expression froze again, and he quietly drew in a breath, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at the little creature that resembled a small dog. What on earth was this thing? It had swallowed a large rock in just a few bites?

What a powerful set of teeth and appetite!

Zhou Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and dared not look at the unremarkable little creature. With its teeth, it could easily swallow rocks, let alone his small frame?

No wonder it's called Swallow.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's stunned expression, the little creature named Swallow proudly wagged its tail, gave Zhou Yuan a very human-like eye roll, and then followed the young woman in the green robe.

As the young woman in the green robe walked into the shade, she slightly tilted her head and gently lifted her chin at Zhou Yuan.

"If you want to find your great opportunity, follow me."

With that, she stepped into the forest, her figure appearing and disappearing in the shade.

Zhou Yuan looked at the young woman and the little creature walking away, his face showing deep thought. Everything here was extremely mysterious, and he couldn't figure out why the stone platform in the secret cave of their ancestral hall had brought him to this unfamiliar place.

However, since he was already here, there was no way to turn back. He did not intend to return empty-handed.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and, without hesitation, quickened his pace to follow the young woman and the little creature.

A man, a woman, and a creature walked through the ancient forest, the greenery lush. Occasionally, the roar of a fierce beast would echo from the distance, but each time, Swallow, who was trotting beside the young woman in the green robe, would also let out a roar. Though not loud, the entire forest would fall silent, as if fearing the little creature's might.

This made Zhou Yuan look at the mysterious little creature with more interest. This little gray dog-like creature seemed quite extraordinary.

The young woman in the green robe clearly had no intention of talking much to Zhou Yuan, so he could only remain quiet and closely follow her.

After about half an hour, Zhou Yuan finally felt the young woman in the green robe stop.

"We're here."

The young woman's voice came from ahead, and Zhou Yuan's heart also trembled. He lifted his head and, through the green shade of the forest, saw a clearing in the center of the forest. On the clearing stood a thatched cottage, quietly standing.

A few fences surrounded the cottage, and Zhou Yuan's gaze finally settled on a reclining chair in front of the cottage. On the chair lay an old man in black, lying peacefully and gently swaying.

Seemingly sensing Zhou Yuan's gaze, the old man opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Yuan.

Looking into the old man's eyes, Zhou Yuan's heart trembled. The eyes were filled with an indescribable沧桑 (沧桑 means "沧桑" in Chinese, which can be translated as "age-old weariness" or "time-worn weariness"), as if they had seen countless years.

At the same time, Zhou Yuan could also feel a deep aura of decay and corruption surrounding the old man.

However, in the moment of their gaze meeting, Zhou Yuan felt as if he was being seen through. It was as if all his secrets were exposed to the old man in black.

"Hehe, indeed, someone has come, and it's a young one with the fortune of the Sacred Dragon." The old man in black slowly withdrew his gaze, and his hoarse voice echoed in Zhou Yuan's ears like a thunderclap.

"But unfortunately, the fortune of the Sacred Dragon has been taken, and the root of the Sacred Dragon has been damaged. Hmm, is this the poison of the Vengeful Dragon?"

"Poor, truly poor."

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