Free Web NovelChapter 397: Chapter 380: Dragon
The two Cultivators immediately shivered. Mingren’s voice was gentle, but no one doubted he would strike.
Legend said that the possessor of the Holy Light Demon Collapse Holy Statue had the most extreme personality.
Zheng Dasheng was also hesitating, wondering if he should risk everything in one last struggle. But he held back. He couldn’t betray the Extreme Dao Alliance; he knew all too well how terrifying it was, and his own potential was clearly no match for Mingren’s.
But Mingren suddenly let go of Zheng Dasheng and straightened the corner of his robe. "Protector Zheng, you must live well. One day, someone will come seeking revenge on you."
Zheng Dasheng suddenly seemed to understand something. "Heh, rest assured, my lord. This subordinate knows his place."
Mingren stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Kneeling behind him were several thousand disciples of the Celestial Secret Sect.
A golden carp is no creature of a mere pond; upon encountering the winds and clouds, it transforms into a dragon!
Zheng Dasheng secretly glanced at Mingren. There was no excitement in the man’s eyes, no joy, as if this were all just a trivial matter.
If it had been him, he would have been ecstatic, turning the world upside down with excitement. From this day forward, he would be the master. This wasn’t just a happy occasion; it was something to go crazy over. Yet this man was as calm as still water.
’A madman. All those with a Sacred Body are madmen.’
In Mingren’s eyes... there was disappointment.
’Perhaps I shouldn’t have had such high expectations from the start.’
Meanwhile, Wang Meng and Mo Chen were trekking through the jungle. Master Wang really couldn’t take it anymore.
"Senior, are you sure this is the right way? Didn’t you say we’d be out in half a day? It’s been two days already!"
Mo Chen focused his mind and held out his right hand. "This is the direction. I calculated it. It can’t be wrong."
But Elder Mo didn’t sound very confident.
"My good man, my elder, my ancestor! We’re just trying to find a path, not divine the future!"
Wang Meng silently cursed the heavens. What was this luck? Why was everyone he knew so terrible with directions?
A lost Great Perfection cultivator was still a Great Perfection cultivator, so he could find the way through other means, while Wang Meng could not. This made Mo Chen quite smug. In the days they had spent together, Wang Meng had heard almost nothing of Mo Chen’s glorious history. Mo Chen was like a kindly elder, and the two of them, one old and one young, bantered every day.
But would you believe it? The Taiyin Sect was full of Demon Cultivators.
Of course, that was by the standards of the Four Directions Small Thousand World. In many other Small Thousand Realms, such distinctions weren’t made at all. The path of Cultivation was one’s own choice; at most, there were just conflicts of interest. Because they were powerful, their perspective was broader.
Mo Chen was undoubtedly a good elder. Wang Meng came from the Four Directions Small Thousand World, a starting point that was too low. His understanding of the Star Alliance, the Extreme Dao Alliance, and many other things was quite narrow. Through his chats with Mo Chen, he had gained a clearer understanding of these powerful forces.
The two of them hadn’t dared to travel too quickly. Wang Meng hunted a wild boar. In the Dragon Soul Small Thousand World, even wild boars looked quite imposing—the damn things were as big as a small mountain and quite a sight. But as mere beasts, no matter how big they grew, they were just a lot of meat.
Mo Chen was more experienced with grilling. The old man and the young lad held wooden skewers, roasting boar meat over the fire. Paired with some Monkey Wine, it had a unique flavor.
"Kid, have you really made your decision?" Mo Chen asked. The Extreme Dao Alliance was a vast and secretive organization. Its existence was known only to the upper echelons of a few Sects, or to escaped fish like Wang Meng. If the Extreme Dao Alliance discovered he was still alive, they would definitely issue an order to hunt him down.
"Yes, Old Mo. I’m the one who stirred up this mess with the Extreme Dao Alliance. I’m not afraid to die!"
"Heh, the Extreme Dao Alliance will stop at nothing. I think you’re already well aware of that. Even if you aren’t afraid, you have to consider others."
Mo Chen didn’t continue. As powerful as the Taiyin Sect was, they had no need and no desire to provoke such an extreme, secretive organization.
Compared to the Extreme Dao Alliance, the Star Alliance was more like a true alliance in the Cultivation Realm, an organization centered around the Star Alliance Saintess. The Extreme Dao Alliance, in contrast, was more of a secret society. No one knew who its core members or which Sects were involved. But one had to admit, the Extreme Dao Alliance had expanded aggressively over the years and was known for its ruthlessness. Otherwise, its secrets wouldn’t have been kept so well.
In a situation like Wang Meng’s, once the verdict of extermination was passed, the Extreme Dao Alliance would certainly see it through to the end. The Star Alliance established rules that also constrained itself to some degree, but not the Extreme Dao Alliance. The Extreme Dao Alliance would stop at nothing to achieve its goals.
Under these circumstances, the Holy Hall would be completely unable to protect Wang Meng.
"If it really comes to that, I’ll figure something out. Being a Loose Cultivator wouldn’t be so bad. Assuming I’m still alive, of course," Wang Meng said with a laugh.
The reason Mo Chen had gotten them "lost" was to let Wang Meng find his "path."
"You know, you could really consider joining the Taiyin Sect," Mo Chen said, puffing on his pipe.
If he joined the Taiyin Sect, especially as an important disciple, even the Extreme Dao Alliance would have to show some deference. At worst, they would reach a secret agreement with the Taiyin Sect.
The neutral Sects didn’t care how the Extreme Dao Alliance wanted to deal with the Star Alliance. In fact, it was a good thing for the other Sects. Having a power to counterbalance the Star Alliance was beneficial; otherwise, the greater the Star Alliance’s power grew, the harder life would become for all the major Sects.
Wang Meng just smiled and shook his head.
Mo Chen felt helpless. This kid was unbelievably stubborn, immune to both threats and persuasion. ’What kind of Enchantment did the Holy Hall put on him? I just don’t get it, I really don’t.’
But Wang Meng knew that the Dragon Cave was an opportunity for him, perhaps his last one. Mo Chen couldn’t protect him forever. He figured that after sending Little Cheng back, Mo Chen must have sensed something. After living for several hundred years, there were bound to be some old grudges to settle. He had to break through to the Minor Perfection realm. Only by reaching Minor Perfection would he have the power to protect himself.
"Smells good..."
The voice had just faded when footsteps echoed from deep within the dense forest. A tall figure emerged from the gloom.
Mo Chen tapped his pipe bowl. "Heh, friend, since you can smell the aroma, why not come share it with us?"
Wang Meng looked at the newcomer, who appeared travel-worn, and smiled. "We have wine and meat here. All that’s missing is a friend."
"Then I won’t be polite."
It was an exceptionally tall and handsome middle-aged man. His smile was peaceful, yet it was filled with a kind of King’s Aura—not one acquired later in life, but something Innate.
The middle-aged man sat down naturally to one side, picked up a piece of meat, and began to roast it.
After a few seconds, Wang Meng handed his own roasted meat to the man. "It looks like you’ve traveled a long way. Eat mine first."
"Haha, then I’ll take you up on that." The middle-aged man took the meat from Wang Meng and began eating it in big bites, a look of satisfaction on his face. He then took the Monkey Wine and drank a large gulp.
In no time, a large piece of meat and a flask of wine were gone. The middle-aged man ate elegantly, but one had to admit he had a huge appetite.
After finishing, the middle-aged man wiped his mouth and studied Wang Meng with a smile. Beside them, Mo Chen tapped his pipe bowl again.
"What are you?" the middle-aged man asked with great interest.
Wang Meng was taken aback. That was a very interesting question. "Wang Meng. The ’Meng’ from ’fierce.’ A Holy... ugh, right now, I’m just a small Loose Cultivator."
"Let me see your hand," the middle-aged man said. Beside them, Mo Chen’s pipe paused in mid-air before slowly lowering.
Wang Meng held out his hand. The middle-aged man extended his own right hand—a remarkable hand with fingers like jade—and tapped Wang Meng’s hand from the air.
In an instant, Wang Meng felt his Sea of Heart tremble. The middle-aged man opposite him, however, let his smile fade, a contemplative look appearing on his face.
Mo Chen’s pipe returned to his lips, and he took a deep drag. "There’s no doubt."
A strange, yet amused smile also appeared on the middle-aged man’s face. "Indeed."
"You can’t tell?" Hearing this reply, Mo Chen was surprised.
The middle-aged man shook his head. "Even a Supreme Elder of the Taiyin Sect can’t tell. Heh, is your Taiyin Sect going this time as well?"
Mo Chen shook his head. "Just this dying old man accompanying the lad to try his luck. He’s run into some trouble."
The middle-aged man looked at Wang Meng again. "I’ve eaten your roasted meat, so I should give something in return."
As he spoke, a glittering object appeared in Wang Meng’s hand. It looked like a transparent scale.
Wang Meng smiled. "You’re too kind. You can get this stuff anywhere..."
"Wang Meng, you should just take it," Mo Chen said.
Wang Meng also felt that refusing would be a bit too insincere. It looked like a simple trinket, so he casually put it in his pocket.
The middle-aged man glanced at Mo Chen. "Friend, your time is short."
Mo Chen tapped his pipe. "Life is like this fire. As long as it has burned brightly, that’s enough. To make a new friend before I die... that is enough for one life."
The middle-aged man stood up and smiled faintly. "My name is Tu Mu. I still have... a ways to go. Farewell for now, you two. We’ll meet again if fate allows."
Before his words had even faded, he was gone. The sound of heavy footsteps receded into the distance.
The middle-aged man came and went in a flash. Wang Meng smiled. "What an interesting person."
Wang Meng liked making friends, and he had always judged people based on his gut feeling. If he liked someone, he liked them. If he didn’t, he didn’t.
Mo Chen gave a bitter smile and took a harsh drag from his pipe. "Kid, we just took a stroll through the Ghost Gate!"
Wang Meng froze. He could tell the man wasn’t ordinary. To be honest, in the Dragon Soul Mountain Range, where Demon Beasts and Exotic Beasts were so volatile, anyone who wandered around aimlessly was probably not normal.
"If I’m not mistaken, that man is of the Dragon Race!"
"Dragons have a race?"
Mo Chen smiled bitterly. "Ordinary Giant Dragons, no matter how powerful, cannot undergo Transformation. But the Royal Family of the Dragon Race possesses a Transformation Skill that allows them to take human form. It seems the Dragon Race is angry."
Wang Meng broke into a cold sweat. "Don’t tell me... the Dragon Race is out here hunting down humans who have designs on the Dragon Cave? Was he really one of them? I couldn’t sense anything at all. And he seemed to know a lot about us."
Mo Chen took a few puffs from his pipe, PUFF, PUFF. He had been ready to strike at a moment’s notice, but in the end, he hadn’t dared to make a move.
"Giant Dragons are proud, and the Dragon Race is the very definition of pride. They stand apart from both humans and the Demon Race, disdaining our culture. I’m afraid he used a Mind Reading Skill."
Wang Meng was horrified. Mo Chen was a top-tier human expert at the Great Perfection realm. This Dragon Race was too terrifying.
"Does that mean everyone heading to the Dragon Cave this time is going to be wiped out?"
"The only thing the Dragon Race reveres is heaven and earth. They respect the cycle of Life and Death Reincarnation. The living do not interfere with the dead, nor do they interfere with fate. This time is indeed very strange."
"So, are we still going?" Wang Meng knew full well that a single adult Giant Dragon could take on several Great Perfection masters. If it was the Dragon Race... he couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.
"Of course we’re going! We have to go, if only for that Dragon Crystal in your hand!"
