"Brother Long, what did you say!?" Zhao Ling'er's face was full of horror. "Father, he..."
Li Nianlong nodded. "He was killed by Baiyue long ago. His visit to Immortal Spirit Island wasn't because the Witch King missed you, but because Baiyue wanted your blood to resurrect the Water Demon Beast."
"How... how could this happen..." Zhao Ling'er's body weakened, almost falling to the ground.
Li Nianlong quickly caught her, comforting her. "Ling'er, don't be sad. You still have me, and our child.**"
Upon hearing this news, Lin Yueru and Anu were also shocked. Seeing Zhao Ling'er on the verge of despair, they hurried forward to console her.
"Ling'er sister, you still have me. I will always be with you. Didn't we agree to stay together forever?"
"Ling'er sister, you still have me! Anu will always be with you."
With the comfort of the few, Zhao Ling'er gradually stopped her tears. Looking at the worried and caring eyes of the three, her heart, filled with pain, was enveloped in warmth, wiping away her tears. "Thank you all, I'm fine now."
Seeing that Zhao Ling'er was still somewhat upset, Li Nianlong said, "Actually, Ling'er, there's no need to be sad. If it weren't for your father's credulity in Baiyue's slander, he wouldn't have forced your mother-in-law and the Water Demon Beast to perish together, even wanting to kill his own daughter. Such a person is not worthy of being your father. If you're sad for such a person, it's not worth it."
Listening to these words, memories from Zhao Ling'er's childhood gradually became clear. Thinking of being chased by countless Miao people, her grandmother fighting desperately to protect her and break through the encirclement, Zhao Ling'er's heart gradually grew cold, her tears completely stopped, her face filled with sorrow and indignation.
Gently patting Zhao Ling'er's back, Li Nianlong said, "The immediate priority is to kill Baiyue, the mastermind behind all this, and stop the resurrection of the Water Demon Beast."
"Right!" The King of Nanman also walked over, saying, "The war between the Black and White Miao tribes was all orchestrated by Baiyue. We must kill him and stop the ongoing enmity between the two tribes."
"Hmph! Such a scoundrel deserves to die!" Lin Yueru swung her whip. "Ling'er sister, rest assured, sister will definitely help you kill this beast Baiyue."
"I will help too," Anu said earnestly.
With the encouragement of the three, Zhao Ling'er's emotions gradually calmed down. Looking at their worried and caring gazes, she said firmly, "**Thank you all. I know what to do now.**"
Since Zhao Ling'er had made up her mind, things were easier to handle.
Li Nianlong, accompanied by Zhao Ling'er, Lin Yueru, and Anu, went to the Nan Shao Palace. At this time, rumors of the anger of the Empress Nuwa due to the attack on the Bai Miao tribe had caused chaos here, especially with the return of the Black Miao warriors, spreading like wildfire.
Seeing the pitiful scene of the people of Nan Shao, Zhao Ling'er couldn't bear it. "Brother Long, let's quickly resolve Baiyue and restore peace to the Black Miao people!"
Li Nianlong nodded. Anu giggled, "Ling'er sister is so compassionate. If it were me, I wouldn't care about the Black Miao, it would be better if they all died!"
Li Nianlong smiled and said, "That's the difference between you and Ling'er. Ling'er has great love, while you only have small love."
"Small love?" Anu puzzled, "Big brother, what's big love? What's small love?"
"Big love knows no bounds," Li Nianlong said. "Like these Black Miao people, they have nothing to do with Ling'er, but because of her great love, she is willing to help them. Small love is selfish love, only loving one's friends and family, indifferent to others' life or death."
He continued, "So Ling'er is worthy of admiration. But Ling'er, on the basis of great love, should also have some small love, otherwise, your loved ones will be neglected and eventually leave you."
Li Nianlong didn't care much about big love and small love. Small love had its benefits, and big love had its drawbacks. Small love might not help others, but it could help those around you. Big love might help others, but it could neglect those around you. So, it was hard to say which was better, big love or small love?
But if you had the ability to help, you should. He agreed more with the saying from Spider-Man, 'With great power comes great responsibility. If you had the ability, you would do it, if not, just take care of yourself. This was also what the ancient Chinese said, 'When poor, focus on self-improvement; when wealthy, help others.'
This explained the true meaning of big love and small love.
Zhao Ling'er nodded slightly. "Brother Long, let's return to Immortal Spirit Island after resolving things here."
Li Nianlong smiled faintly. "Okay."
In the Nan Shao Palace, Baiyue, the leader of the Baiyue Sect, was in panic. Touching the wound on his forehead, he thought of that terrifying arrow, the aura of death making him tremble with fear.
"What to do? I'm no match for him at all. What if he really comes to kill me..."
At this moment, a palace guard rushed in frantically to report, "Master, it's bad! Someone has broken into the palace!"
"What!?" Baiyue was horrified, never expecting the other party to come so quickly.
"What do I do!? What do I do!? Can anyone tell me what to do!?" Baiyue, unprecedentedly panicked and afraid, gradually heard the sounds of clashes and screams coming from the front hall of the palace.
Seeing the enemy about to arrive, Baiyue's complexion became even more uncertain. Finally, influenced by the intense screams, he hurriedly walked to the passage leading to the Nan Shao River.
"Baiyue, where are you going?" Charging ahead, Lin Yueru saw Baiyue, her face showing excitement. "Don't run away! Surrender now, and I might give you a complete corpse!"
Baiyue took off his hat, revealing his old face, and sneered, "Don't shame me!" With that, he jumped into the water.
Seeing Baiyue jump into the water, all of Baiyue's subordinates in the Nanshao Palace collapsed, either kneeling to surrender or fleeing in panic. The entire defense force of the Nanshao Palace crumbled along with them.
"Humph! It's too easy for him to die." Anu's face was displeased as she watched Baiyue jump into the water.
Zhao Linger, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, this is for the best. The people of the Miao tribe can now return to peace."
However, Li Nianlong knew that this was a critical moment. His face turned serious as he said, "Don't be careless. The Water Demon Beast is still in the palace's waters. Baiyue might resort to desperate measures and do something unpredictable."
As soon as he finished speaking, the roar of the Water Demon Beast could be heard from underwater.
Zhao Linger's face instantly changed drastically. "Not good, it's the Water Demon Beast! Baiyue must be trying to resurrect the Water Demon Beast!"
Li Nianlong said, "Once the Water Demon Beast appears, the palace will surely be reduced to rubble. Linger, Yue Ru, Anu, you should leave here first. I'll go deal with Baiyue and the Water Demon Beast."
"No way!" Lin Yueru exclaimed. "We're going together!"
"Yeah, Big Brother, you can't leave us behind!" Anu waved her staff. "I'm much stronger than before. I can even kill the Water Demon Beast."
Zhao Linger looked at Li Nianlong and said softly, "Brother Menglong, let's go together!"
Li Nianlong smiled wryly. "Actually, it's not as serious as you think. I've already fought the Water Demon Beast once in the Dream Immortal Realm."
"Fought it?" The three girls were amazed. Anu asked, "Big Brother, who won between you and the Water Demon Beast?"
Li Nianlong chuckled. "What do you think?"
"Seeing Big Brother's triumphant look, it must be Big Brother who won!" Anu giggled. "Big Brother is so amazing."
"Brother Liu, did you really defeat the Water Demon Beast?" Lin Yueru asked.
Li Nianlong smiled faintly. "Back then, I turned the Water Demon Beast into ashes and buried it by the riverside outside the Nanshao Palace. Although it was only in the dream realm and not real, the strength of the Water Demon Beast was real. In the dream realm, I also stabbed Baiyue in the head with a sword."
Hearing about Li Nianlong's glorious achievements, the three girls were all amazed.
Li Nianlong said, "Alright, you should leave the palace quickly. I'll deal with the Water Demon Beast and Baiyue soon, and we'll meet again then."
Since Li Nianlong had such strength, the three girls didn't insist any longer. They encouraged him and quickly left the Nanshao Palace. Li Nianlong then jumped into the water to search for Baiyue and the Water Demon Beast.
The water area here was not large, so Li Nianlong quickly found the Water Demon Beast. However, the Water Demon Beast had not fully awakened yet and was struggling to merge with Baiyue.
Li Nianlong knew that because the Water Demon Beast and Baiyue had not absorbed Zhao Linger's blood, their strength was not strong. Moreover, the Water Demon Beast had been sealed by Lin Qing'er, so its strength could not fully recover for a while. At this moment, the Water Demon Beast was even weaker than the one Li Nianlong encountered in the Dream Immortal Realm.
Enjoying the thrill of the chase, Li Nianlong unleashed his Qi, sending thousands of swords towards the Water Demon Beast.
The Water Demon Beast, which had reached its peak ten years ago, was not a match for Li Nianlong then, and now it was even less so. In no time, the Water Demon Beast was pierced through and through by the swords, and Baiyue's cries of despair could be heard, "Damn it! It was so close! I was about to successfully merge with the Water Demon Beast! Damn it!"
Seeing that Baiyue still had the strength to speak, Li Nianlong didn't hesitate to send him thousands more sword Qi, leaving Baiyue speechless.
Despite this, the Water Demon Beast could endlessly resurrect while in the water. Using the same method he had used ten years ago, Li Nianlong grabbed its tail and swam towards the shore. Feeling the Water Demon Beast resisting, he sent hundreds more swords at it. Finally, Li Nianlong dragged the Water Demon Beast onto the shore and used a Thunder Spirit Talisman to blast it into charred remains.
Just as he was about to dig a hole to bury the Water Demon Beast, Li Nianlong was shocked to find that it was not dead; its wounds were slowly healing.