When Yang Kai stepped into the palace, Zhu Qing was holding Mo Xiao Qi’s hands as they were whispering something. It wasn’t certain what they were talking about, but there was a big smile on Mo Xiao Qi’s face. A moment later, she shook her head as she appeared nervous and hesitant. After Zhu Qing patiently consoled her for a long time, she gently nodded.
Then, Zhu Qing walked over and hinted at Yang Kai with her gaze, after which they left together.
Yang Kai wrapped an arm around Zhu Qing as his other hand wandered around her body, all while asking, “What did you tell her?”
Zhu Qing slapped his naughty hand away and replied, “I was asking when she would like to meet Third Elder. She was quite anxious.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai said, “It’s to be expected. On our way here, she had already been nervous, hopeful, and conflicted. Her condition was exacerbated after we arrived at this place. What’s wrong? Isn’t she willing to meet her mother?”
Zhu Qing replied, “It isn’t that she isn’t willing to meet her mother, she’s just anxious. Since that’s the case, why don’t we invite Third Elder to come over instead?”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded.
After that, they headed to the Spirit Island where Fu Xuan resided. The Spirit Island wasn’t far from Zhu Qing’s Half Moon Island, and given their speed, they were able to arrive at their destination in an hour. The island was beautiful with a long mountain range. More importantly, there was a huge waterfall that seemed to have reached the Heavens. Before they even arrived, they could hear a thunderous splashing of falling water from this fall.
Below the waterfall was a mountain valley where there was an elegant palace. It was Fu Xuan’s residence.
Zhu Qing was clearly familiar with this place as she led the way for Yang Kai. Soon, they came across a woman in a blue imperial dress who was taking care of her garden. Her demeanour was demure and gentle.
Noticing that she had some guests, Fu Xuan lifted her head and flashed a smile at Zhu Qing, then she shifted her attention to Yang Kai.
“Third Elder!” Zhu Qing walked over and saluted her.
Yang Kai also cupped his fists and called out, “Third Elder.”
A smiling Fu Xuan nodded, “Welcome.”
Previously, she had met Yang Kai and found out about his relationship with Zhu Qing. They were in a similar situation as that of Mo Huang and her. Both women had violated a taboo of Dragon Island, the only difference was that Fu Xuan and Mo Huang already had a child, so there was no turning back. On the other hand, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing hadn’t come to such a point yet. Fu Xuan felt that Zhu Qing’s fate was somewhat similar to theirs, so although she wasn’t close to Yang Kai, she didn’t find it awkward to talk to him at this moment.
It was the first time Yang Kai sized Fu Xuan up in a serious manner. The last time they met, she had just escaped from the Dragon Grave after more than twenty years of imprisonment. At that time, she was in a weak and pale condition, which could easily arouse anyone’s pity. Now, it was apparent that she had recuperated. She was an alluring lady with a benevolent gaze, and she didn’t come across as arrogant as the other members of the Dragon Clan.
He had heard from Zhu Qing that Fu Xuan was a Water Dragon, so she had the softest temperament among all the Dragons on Dragon Island. If anyone knew her well enough, they would realise that she was more like a hermit than anything else.
It was said that seeing was believing. Every move Fu Xuan made indeed gave off a feeling that was like a gentle spring breeze. The difference between her and Second Elder Fu Zhun was like the difference between the Heavens and Earth. At the thought of Fu Zhun, Yang Kai felt irked. He really wondered how Zhu Yan was able to put up with her.
“Previously, you left this place to pursue Wu Kuang, but you only came back after so many years. Was there any accident?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There was no accident. I feel sorry that Qing’er had to worry about me.”
Fu Xuan nodded, “She was indeed worried. During the past years that we spent together, she…”
“Third Elder!” Zhu Qing hurriedly interrupted her in embarrassment and got straight to the main topic, “The reason Yang Kai has come over here is to tell you some good news.”
Fu Xuan pressed her lips together and smiled, “Why would there be any good news that’s related to me? Stop speaking nonsense.”
A smiling Zhu Qing replied, “Xiao Qi is here to visit you. Does that count as good news?”
“Xiao Qi?” Fu Xuan’s expression changed when she heard that. All of a sudden, her gentle gaze shone brightly as she turned to look at Yang Kai and asked excitedly, “Is Xiao Qi really here?”
Yang Kai gave a gentle nod, “Senior Martial Beast knew that I was coming to Dragon Island, so he entrusted Little Sister Xiao Qi to me and told me to bring her to meet you.”
Upon getting an affirmative answer, Fu Xuan started trembling as she looked behind Yang Kai, but there was no one to be found. In a bitter voice, she asked, “Where is she? Is she nearby?”
Given the purity of her Ninth-Order Dragon Vein as well as her cultivation as a Divine Spirit, Fu Xuan would have immediately noticed it if Mo Xiao Qi was anywhere near her, so her asking such questions showed just how much of a mess her mind was at the moment. It was apparent that her daughter’s visit had had a huge impact on her.
Yang Kai shook his head, “She’s waiting for you on Qing’er’s Half Moon Island.”
Zhu Qing explained, “Little Sister Xiao Qi is a little nervous, so she didn’t come with us…”
At that moment though, Fu Xuan was no longer listening to what Zhu Qing had to say as a voice screamed in her mind, [Xiao Qi is here! Xiao Qi is right here on Dragon Island! She’s here to visit me! She’s nearby! I can finally meet her!]
It had been decades since she was separated from her daughter, who was still an infant at that time. It was the first time she was so close to her daughter, and there was no doubt that they were going to meet.
Before Zhu Qing could even finish explaining, Fu Xuan shot off in a blue beam of light as she flew towards Half Moon Island.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances and saw the helplessness behind each other’s gazes. Nevertheless, they understood the feelings of the mother and daughter pair.
“Let’s go over and have a look.” As Yang Kai spoke, taking Zhu Qing’s hand as the pair raced after Fu Xuan. Since Martial Beast Great Emperor had entrusted Mo Xiao Qi to him, he had to fulfil his duties till the end. Although he didn’t think that Mo Xiao Qi would do anything unbecoming during her first meeting with her mother, he could only be at ease by personally taking a look.
Less than an hour later, they returned to Half Moon Island.
Fu Xuan had already arrived in front of the palace; however, instead of going in, she was standing outside with an anxious expression. After investigating the palace with her Divine Sense, she realised that there was indeed a familiar aura inside it. Even if it was the end of the world, she would never forget that special aura. That was an aura that was connected to her by blood, the aura of her daughter!
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing landed a short distance behind her and traded glances, but they didn’t know what to say. Both of them could feel that Fu Xuan’s emotions were in turmoil.
All of a sudden, Fu Xuan turned to look at Zhu Qing and asked nervously, “Qing’er, is there anything wrong with the way I look now?”
She seemed worried that her daughter might be disdainful of her appearance.
Zhu Qing shook her head, “There’s nothing wrong.”
“What about my clothes? Are there any wrinkles?”
“Third Elder looks fine. There’s nothing wrong…”
“What about my hair? Is it messy?”
While Zhu Qing was rendered speechless, Yang Kai stepped in to assist, “Third Elder, you don’t have to be so apprehensive because you are Xiao Qi’s mother. I’ve heard of a rather rude saying before that may be appropriate here, ‘A dog will never despise a poor owner, and a child will never think that their Mother is ugly.’ No matter what you look like, you are Xiao Qi’s mother, so there’s no way she won’t acknowledge you. Moreover, there’s probably no mother in this world that is more outstanding than you are.”
“Really?” Fu Xuan let out a breath.
A smiling Yang Kai said, “Xiao Qi didn’t tell me much about it, but on our way here, I could feel that she was eager to see you. She wanted to find out what her mother looked like. Right now, she’s just a little afraid.”
Fu Xuan turned to look at him and asked in a trembling voice, “What is she afraid of?”
Yang Kai explained, “She doesn’t know why you left her behind in the past. She’s afraid that after she’s come all the way here to meet you, you won’t acknowledge her as your daughter.”
Upon hearing that, Fu Xuan was startled for a moment before her eyes turned bloodshot and tears started streaming down her face. Before her tears even came into contact with the ground, they turned into transparent round beads and landed on the ground with a light thud.
Anyone with an ulterior motive would go mad if they saw this. Dragon Tears were rare ingredients for an Alchemist.
Fu Xuan murmured, “Why would I do such a thing? I was the one who was in the wrong.”
“Third Elder…” Zhu Qing felt heartbroken. The sight of Fu Xuan tearing up made her feel sorrowful as well.
All of a sudden, Fu Xuan wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath before she said with a smile, “I apologize for my embarrassing behaviour.”
Zhu Qing slowly shook her head. In this kind of situation, she would never think that Fu Xuan’s behaviour was embarrassing.
After pulling herself together and making sure that her appearance was in order, Fu Xuan shuffled towards the palace and soon entered it.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing stood outside as they didn’t want to bother them. Nevertheless, they were secretly paying attention to what was going on inside.
Using their Divine Senses, they could sense that both Fu Xuan and Mo Xiao Qi were agitated. The fluctuation in Mo Xiao Qi’s emotions was so violent that Yang Kai was worried something would happen to her. When the fluctuation reached its peak, Mo Xiao Qi could be heard calling out in a choking voice, “Mother!”
“Seems like everything is fine,” Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t think anything bad would happen when the mother and daughter met, the entire process still wasn’t good for his heart. Following Mo Xiao Qi’s shout, it signalled that Yang Kai had completed the Great Emperor’s order, and he could finally set himself at ease.
Zhu Qing gently snuggled up to him and said in a hushed voice, “Will our child be like her in the future?”
The suffering Fu Xuan and Mo Xiao Qi had gone through made Zhu Qing worried as well.
Yang Kai grinned at her, “No. If we have our own kid in the future, I’ll never let them be separated from you. If they dare to stop us, I’ll turn Dragon Island upside down.”
Zhu Qing put on a sweet smile, “Then, we’ll have a child only when you’re able to turn Dragon Island upside down.”
Yang Kai looked around and licentiously groped Zhu Qing again as he whispered in a hushed voice, “I can give you one now.”
Zhu Qing grabbed his hand and forcefully pinched his waist.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he protested, “We haven’t met for years. Don’t you want to?”
As he said so, he secretly activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength to stir up her emotions.
Zhu Qing could never resist this kind of move. The first time they met, she had been taken advantage of by Yang Kai when he used this same method. His Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength was strangely attractive and tempting to her.
After getting teased by Yang Kai, Zhu Qing started blushing, but she still said through gritted teeth, “It’s none of your business whether or not I want to get intimate with you, but I’m sure you haven’t been lonely over the years.”
Yang Kai replied with widened eyes, “That’s not true. Your husband here has been yearning to be with you this whole time.”
Zhu Qing gave him a meaningful look, “You told me that you have four wives in the Lower Star Field, right? What’s wrong, didn’t you meet them after you went back?”
Yang Kai scratched his face, “Ahem… well, yes, I met them.”
Zhu Qing said, “You had been separated from them for quite a few years and you hadn’t slept with anyone else besides me before that reunion, yes? Didn’t you bed them the moment you were reunited with them?”
In response, Yang Kai put on a hollow laugh, “The weather on Dragon Island is indeed lovely today, isn’t it?”
After a snort, Zhu Qing balled up her fist and thumped at his chest, “How dare you tell me you’re yearning to bed me?”
Yang Kai grabbed her fist and stroked it gently before saying with a fawning smile, “Let’s change the topic.”
He was pretty embarrassed to talk about this issue. Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue had been getting along well as they had been together for many years now; however, he wasn’t sure how he should introduce Zhu Qing to his other wives.
His four wives were all top Masters in the Heng Luo Star Field, but they paled when compared to Zhu Qing in terms of strength; after all, she was a woman from the Dragon Clan. In fact, hardly anyone was a match for Zhu Qing in terms of strength and status in the entire Star Boundary, so Yang Kai was worried that she would look down on his other wives.
Zhu Qing shot him a glare, then she suddenly reached out and helped him adjust his clothes before saying lovingly, “It’s not the right time to talk about it… Let’s do it after Third Elder and her daughter are gone.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Good.”
He looked longingly at Zhu Qing and said gently, “Qing’er, you’re so good to me.”
The simple words he just said were much better than any sweet talk. Zhu Qing was elated upon hearing that, but she wouldn’t allow her emotion to show on her face. Despite that, her lips were still curved into a faint smile as she rebuked, “Stop flirting with me. I’ll bring you to meet Great Elder and Second Elder later. You have to be more restrained.”
“Why do we need to meet them?” Yang Kai widened his eyes and shook his head, “I’m fine with meeting Great Elder, but Second Elder? No way!”
He was extremely repulsed by Fu Zhun. It was that woman who had thrown Fu Xuan into the Dragon Grave and forced Zhu Qing to get married to Fu Chi; therefore, there was no way he would be fond of her.
Zhu Qing shot him a glare, “You have to go no matter what.”
Yang Kai grimaced, “Why are you forcing me to meet her? Aren’t you worried that I’ll get into a fight with that old witch?”
Zhu Qing frowned, “Stop calling her old witch. If she finds out about it, she’ll blow her top.”
Yang Kai obstinately said, “Why should I not call an old witch an old witch? Qing’er, I’ll be honest with you, I’ll never be fond of her because she forced you to get married to Fu Chi. Fortunately, that dog was killed by Wu Kuang; otherwise, I would’ve done it myself.”
Zhu Qing sighed, “I know you’re resentful of her, but she’s still the Second Elder of my Dragon Clan. I’m sure you’re aware that it’s difficult for Dragons to give birth to children, so all of us have a duty to extend our bloodline. I’m also resentful of what she did to me, but if you look at this issue from the Dragon Clan’s perspective, you’ll realise that there’s no problem with what she did.”
“There’s no problem?” Yang Kai suddenly yelled and glowered at her, “She wanted to get you married to another man. You think there’s no problem with it?”
Zhu Qing refuted, “I told you, from the perspective of the Dragon Clan.”
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “I don’t care what you were in the past, but now you must remember that you are, first and foremost, my wife, even before you are a member of the Dragon Clan.”
Zhu Qing widened her eyes and looked dazedly at him, “Are you getting mad at me?”
An exasperated Yang Kai waved his hand, “Why would I be mad at you? I’m just unhappy with that old witch.”
Zhu Qing burst into laughter and wrapped her arm around his, “Alright, I’ll remember that. Whatever I’ll do in the future, you’ll come before the Dragon Clan.”
Yang Kai looked down at her twin peaks which had been pressed against his arm. With his blood boiling, he gulped and asked, “Why are you tugging at me? Please behave yourself. It’s still daytime now… It’s highly inappropriate!”
Upon finishing his words, he looked around in a stealthy manner.
Ignoring what he said, Zhu Qing leaned closer to him and said coquettishly, “You have to agree to meet the Elders first.”
Yang Kai gave her a meaningful look, “Do you think you can get me to do that by seducing me? Naïve! I’ve said that I’ll never meet her. I can pay a visit to Great Elder, but that old witch should just get as far away from me as possible.”
Zhu Qing continued to persuade him by speaking softly, “In fact, after the previous incident, Second Elder’s stance softened. Why do you think she didn’t throw me into the Dragon Cave? In the past, she had imprisoned Third Elder in the Dragon Grave, and they were as intimate as sisters.”
With a sneer, Yang Kai said, “As intimate as sisters? Why would an Elder Sister throw her Younger Sister into the Dragon Grave to let her perish? If Senior Martial Beast hadn’t come to Third Elder’s rescue in time, she would’ve lost her life. Second Elder was lucky enough to have made the right decision this time; otherwise, she would’ve ended up in a miserable state.”
He paused for a moment, “She must be under pressure now. She has offended Martial Beast Great Emperor, so she can’t bear the consequences of infuriating me as well.”
Seeing as he was unbending, Zhu Qing stomped her foot on the ground, “What should I do so that you’ll meet Second Elder with me?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I won’t meet her no matter what.”
An exasperated Zhu Qing declared, “Good! If you miss me in the future, you can come to Dragon Island to see me, and our relationship will remain illegitimate forever. You have four wives anyway, so you will never feel lonely. It’s quite flattering for you to have a mistress on Dragon Island.”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and ignored him.
At the mention of having a ‘mistress’, Yang Kai recalled Ji Yao and he felt guilty in an instant. Then, he turned his head to steal a glance at Zhu Qing. Upon seeing that her eyes had turned bloodshot and that she was about to tear up, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore her. Walking over, he made her face him and asked, “Are you mad at me?”
Zhu Qing turned her head and ignored him again.
Yang Kai scratched his face and thought that he was indeed too harsh on her. With difficulty, he spoke up, “Qing’er, I’m sure you understand that I truly hate that woman’s behaviour and what she has done. I haven’t even settled the score with her because I’m not powerful enough yet, but once I am able to do that, I’ll never let her off.”
Zhu Qing replied in a hushed voice, “Then do you understand that I am and will always be part of the Dragon Clan, and that she is the Second Elder of my Clan? I’m your woman, but if you’re not willing to resolve the grudges with her, I’ll be forever caught between the two of you.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was dumbfounded. After giving it a thought, he realised that she was right. He could continue throwing a tantrum to embarrass Fu Zhun, but that would only make things even more difficult for Zhu Qing. With this thought in mind, he grit his teeth and nodded, “Fine, I understand. I will… meet the two Elders with you.”
A pleasantly surprised Zhu Qing lifted her head, “Really?”
Yang Kai reached out to pinch her face until it was contorted, “For you, I’m even willing to venture into the depths of the Netherworld.”
At that instant, Zhu Qing looked vigilantly at him, “Why are you so good at sweet-talking? Be honest with me. How many women do you really have?”
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, “Why did you mention it all of a sudden?”
Zhu Qing snorted, “You might try to appear upright, but you’re actually an incorrigible flirt! The first time we met, I had already seen through your nature.”
After a long sigh, Yang Kai replied, “Qing’er, you’ve got me all wrong. I came to the Star Boundary several dozen years ago, but I had never slept with any woman before meeting you. I met many beauties before, but I never once touched any of them. Only you were able to make me lose control.”
At that moment, Zhu Qing’s gaze turned blurry, and her face turned red, which went to show that be it Humans or Dragons, a woman was powerless to resist a man’s sweet talk.
Yang Kai then changed his tone, “You can’t blame me for what had happened previously. It was an accident that no one could have expected.”
An exasperated Zhu Qing rebuked, “Are you blaming it on me, then?”
“No! It’s all my fault!” Yang Kai hurriedly accepted responsibility and grinned, “In fact, if the accident hadn’t happened, we might not have come so far in our relationship.”
A blushing Zhu Qing recalled the first time they met. While she was reminiscing, her expression suddenly changed, “By the way, did you meet Fu Ling?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded, but he didn’t understand why she asked this question suddenly, “She told me that she had to keep watch on the entrance for a hundred years as punishment. I had to pass through the entrance to enter Dragon Island, which was why I came across her. She’s even brought me to this place; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known which Spirit Island was yours.”
“She brought you to this place?” A flabbergasted Zhu Qing stared nervously at him, “Did she do anything to you?”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “What could she do to me?”
After giving it a thought, Zhu Qing replied, “You’re right. You were with Xiao Qi, so she couldn’t possibly have done anything to you.”
Yang Kai looked puzzledly at her, “What’s wrong? Why do you seem wary of her?”
Feeling helpless, Zhu Qing took a look at him and hesitated for a bit before she decided to tell him the truth, “I’m sure you remember that I was just an Eighth-Order Dragon in the past. An Eighth-Order Dragon is fairly mighty but not completely uncommon on Dragon Island. On the other hand, before me, there were only two Ninth-Order Dragons, the Third Elder and Fourth Elder. However, after… doing ‘that’ with you, I accidentally managed to break through to the Ninth Order.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “You don’t have to thank me. It’s what I should do.”
A bashful Zhu Qing thumped his chest and went on to solemnly explain, “Now that all the members of the Dragon Clan have found out why my bloodline achieved a breakthrough, some of my fellow Sisters became… interested in you.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai appeared perplexed.
Zhu Qing shot him a glare, “Stop pretending that you don’t understand!”
Yang Kai darted his gaze around, wanting to feign innocence, but he was a terrible actor. Pointing at himself, he said with a grin, “Do all the women on Dragon Island now have their eyes on me?”
Zhu Qing said dispassionately, “Although those from the Dragon Clan are born to be powerful, it’s been a difficult issue for us when it comes to improving the purity of our blood. Every breakthrough we have for our Dragon Vein will take an unbelievably long time. Now that such a shortcut with no hidden dangers has appeared, do you think they’re not tempted?”
“Ah, en, may I know how many women there are on Dragon Island?” Yang Kai coughed.
Zhu Qing replied, “Besides the Second Elder, the Third Elder, and myself, there are four more women.”
Yang Kai touched his chin, “There are so few of them.”
Although he was already aware that the ratio of men to women on Dragon Island was unbalanced, he hadn’t expected that there were only seven women in total. Zhu Qing was already his woman, while Fu Zhun, and Fu Xuan were definitely not interested in him. [As for the other four…]
Zhu Qing shot him a look, “I’m warning you. Don’t ever think about flirting with them.”
A solemn Yang Kai replied, “How could I possibly think of something so inappropriate? I would have to thank the Heavens if they don’t come to bother me. Just like what you’ve said, I will be of great help for them to break through.” It was no wonder that Fu Ling had been acting coquettishly towards Yang Kai. She had an ulterior motive. Nevertheless, although Fu Ling’s reputation was terrible, she was indeed a beautiful and curvaceous woman.
After a sigh, Zhu Qing said, “In fact, they can’t be blamed entirely, as the idea of a breakthrough is deathly attractive to us. Naturally, they wouldn’t want to miss this chance. Anyway, while you’re on Dragon Island, you’re not to leave my sight.”
“En, got it.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly and patted his chest, “I’ll make sure to stay by your side day and night. I won’t leave you alone I swear.”
Understanding the innuendo in his words, Zhu Qing shot him a glare, “Let’s pay a visit to the Elders now.”
Since Yang Kai had agreed to it, he couldn’t go back on his word.
Fortunately, the first Elder they were going to visit was Great Elder Zhu Yan. Yang Kai didn’t have any grudges against him. As he recalled, the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder was an affable man, but there was no doubt that he was also the strongest.
Although there was a ‘Yan’ in his name, he wasn’t a Fire Dragon. In fact, he was an Azure Dragon.
Azure Tree Island, where Great Elder Zhu Yan resided, had countless ancient trees growing on it, and each one of them was enormous. Apparently, the trees had been around for a long time. In the centre of Azure Tree Island was a tree that was more outstanding than all the others. It was a tree that had occupied a land area of about three square kilometres, and the crown of the tree was so wide that it could cover half of the island.
When Yang Kai and Zhu Qing arrived at this place, Zhu Yan was standing on one foot while bending his other leg. With his palms clasped together, he was standing steadily beside a tree. He was topless and clad only in a pair of loose cotton trousers. His breath seemed able to move the wind and clouds. All his muscles were just as robust as the tree beside him, and every piece of his flesh seemed to contain horrifying power.
When he opened his eyes, an unrivalled pressure seemed to descend from the sky, causing Yang Kai to feel his skin prickle.
The next moment, the acuity in his gaze vanished, and it was then replaced by calmness.
“Great Elder.” Zhu Qing walked over and saluted him.
Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Junior Yang Kai greets Great Elder.”
Without uttering a word, Zhu Yan closed his eyes and let out a breath to finish the course of his cultivation technique. Then, he fished out his clothes from his Space Ring, and as he put them on, he looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Your courage isn’t small to return to Dragon Island again.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Zhu Qing and grinned, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m bold or not. Since Qing’er is here, I must come again.”
Zhu Yan nodded, “It’s thoughtful of you to come visit me right after you’ve arrived on Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “You knew that I’d arrived?”
Upon finishing his words, he realised that he was foolish. Since it was Fu Ling who greeted him, she must have already spread the news; after all, she was responsible for guarding the entrance. She would have failed to fulfil her obligations if she didn’t inform the others about Yang Kai.
Zhu Yan said, “To be honest, I’m not sure how I should treat you.”
Yang Kai frowned, “What do you mean?”
Zhu Yan placed his hands behind his back and replied impassively, “You’re a Human, but you’ve snatched a woman from our clan. This is intolerable to us. Previously, you broke into Dragon Island and took Zhu Qing away on her wedding day, which greatly embarrassed us. There was also the fact that one of our clansmen had lost his life because of you. He was an Eighth-Order Thunder Dragon, so it was a huge loss for us. Considering all of this, it could be said that there are blood feuds between us. Don’t you think this Old Master should regard you as an enemy?”
“Great Elder…” Zhu Qing’s expression drastically changed when she heard this. She thought that Zhu Yan was a benevolent man, which was why she brought Yang Kai to meet him first. As long as Zhu Yan could accept Yang Kai, the others would be easier to deal with; however, she hadn’t expected that Zhu Yan would say such things. Zhu Yan basically hinted that it would take Yang Kai’s life to resolve the grudges between their two sides. If he was forced to make a move, Yang Kai would end up in a miserable state.
However, before she could finish her words, Yang Kai cut her off and said with a smile, “Great Elder, you cannot just accuse me of crimes I have not committed.”
Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean by accusing you of crimes you did not commit? Everything that I’ve said is true, how can you say that I’m making things up?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “If you want to condemn me using these reasons, I have something to say as well.”
Zhu Yan said impassively, “This Old Master is listening.”
Yang Kai replied, “Great Elder said that I’ve snatched Zhu Qing away, but I disagree wholeheartedly. It’s totally natural after we’ve fallen in love. Our true love shouldn’t be restricted just because we’re from different Races. Moreover, Zhu Qing is still on Dragon Island, so it’s not true that I’ve taken her away. Well, if you mean I’ve snatched her heart, then I’ll admit it.”
There was basically no emotion on Zhu Yan’s face, and he didn’t seem to have the intention of speaking.
Yang Kai thus continued, “Since Zhu Qing is my woman, how could she get married to another man? I wasn’t willing to snatch her on the wedding day, but I was forced to do so. Furthermore, I had been humble enough on that day as I had taken out a Dragon Island Token, hoping to exchange it for Zhu Qing’s freedom. It’s rumoured that whoever holds a Dragon Island Token and presents it to the Dragon Clan would have any wish they requested granted. Now it seems that was nothing but a lie. Great Elder, have you forgotten about this?”
Zhu Yan was lost for words. They were indeed in the wrong regarding the issue of the Dragon Island Token.
Yang Kai continued to say, “As for Fu Chi’s death… It was Wu Kuang who did it, so it has nothing to do with me. If you want to get your revenge, you should look for him, or is the solemn Dragon Clan actually afraid of Wu Kuang, which is why you’ve decided to oppress a young man like me instead?”
Zhu Yan fell silent for a long time before he lifted his head, “Why are you mocking us when you’re expressing your views?”
Yang Kai replied confidently, “I’m just refuting your claims to prove my innocence.”
Zhu Yan snorted, “You sure are a man with a sharp tongue.”
Yang Kai grinned at him, “En, that is one of the skills I possess.”
Zhu Yan burst into laughter, “Although you’re right, it’s a fact that we’ve suffered huge losses because of you. Even if we don’t include the death of Fu Chi, you can’t deny the fact that you’ve stolen our Dragon Blood Flowers.”
A solemn Yang Kai said, “What are you talking about? I’ve never seen the flowers you’ve just mentioned.”
Zhu Yan bellowed, “Don’t feign ignorance in front of this Old Master. It would have been fine if you had just taken away those Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, but why did you also steal the Low-Rank ones as well? Were they useful to you at all? Now, there are only a small number of Dragon Blood Flowers left, and we can’t even dream about improving ourselves for the next one thousand years. How should we get even with you for this?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched, for he was indeed in the wrong for what he had done. He could still be considered righteous by snatching the bride on her wedding day and injuring Fu Chi in the process; however, it was an irrefutable fact that he had committed a crime by stealing Dragon Blood Flowers. However, at that time, he was forced to do so because he desperately needed to improve the purity of his Dragon Vein. Nevertheless, this issue had come in the way when he wanted to resolve the grudges between them.
Anyway, there was nothing else he could do, so he obstinately said, “How do you want me to compensate, then? I’ll do anything for Qing’er’s sake.”
Zhu Yan scoffed, “Stop acting like you’re the righteous one. Since you’ve made a mistake, you should make up for it.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “I’m telling you this upfront. If you insist on making things difficult for me, don’t blame me for not showing due respect.”
Torn between exasperation and laughter, Zhu Yan refuted, “Do I even need respect from a little brat like you? Respect is to be earned, not given.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “True.”
Zhu Yan said, “You’ve stolen our Dragon Blood Flowers and made us unable to improve our Dragon Veins for the next one thousand years. If you can solve this problem. we can… put down the grudges between us.”
He didn’t say they could write off the grudges against Yang Kai, as the latter was partly responsible for Fu Chi’s death.
“How do you want me to resolve this? Give you back all the Dragon Blood Flowers? I still have some with me, but they’re all Low-Rank flowers that were leftover at that time. I used up all the Mid-Rank and High-Rank ones.”
The corners of Zhu Yan’s eyes twitched when he heard that, “You used up all the Mid-Rank and High-Rank ones? So quickly?”
All this time, he had thought that Yang Kai still had some Mid-Rank and High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers left, so this revelation made his heart freeze.
After the Dragon Clan members consumed Dragon Blood Flowers, it would still take them some time to refine the medicinal efficacies. However, Yang Kai said that he had used up everything he had stolen. In other words, he had consumed a few hundred Mid-Rank and High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers in a short period of time. Even though he still had some Low-Rank ones left, they were practically useless.
Yang Kai coughed awkwardly, “Yes.”
“You bastard!” Zhu Yan yelled. This time, he was truly incensed as he almost couldn’t contain his impulse to beat Yang Kai to a pulp. A panicked Zhu Qing quickly stood before Yang Kai.
Fortunately, despite Zhu Yan’s rage, he hadn’t lost his mind. After blowing his top for a moment, he suddenly thought of something and calmed down. Then, he gave it a thought and swept a glance over Yang Kai, “I’ve heard that you have a way to help improve the Dragon Veins of our female Dragon Clan members rapidly.”
After he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed across Zhu Qing’s eyes while Yang Kai was rooted to the spot.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had just discussed this topic before coming to Azure Tree Island. Zhu Qing had even warned him not to leave her sight so that the other women from the Dragon Clan wouldn’t have a chance to flirt with him.
Yang Kai had also patted his chest and promised that he wouldn’t fall for these other women.
However, he hadn’t expected that Great Elder Zhu Yan would bring this up right now. Without the previous conversation with Zhu Qing, he wouldn’t have understood what Zhu Yan was talking about, but now, he could somewhat figure out what he was about to say.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai asked, “Great Elder, are you…”
Zhu Yan chuckled and sized Yang Kai up with his turbid yet shrewd gaze, as if he was looking at a piece of rare jade, which caused Yang Kai to have goosebumps all over his skin.
After a nod, Zhu Yan said, “It’s basically a windfall for you.”
[This was his real intention all along…] Yang Kai was lost for words. At that instant, he had the urge to pry this old man’s head open and see what was really inside. It was terrible enough that Fu Ling had tried to seduce him, but now even the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder was trying to hook Yang Kai up with all the unmarried Dragon Girls as well?
With a serious expression, Zhu Yan turned to look at Zhu Qing, “Qing’er, I’m sorry that you have to give in regarding this matter. However, I’m forced to do it for the sake of the Dragon Clan’s future. I’m sure that you’ll understand me.”
Zhu Qing hung her head low, “Qing’er understands. In fact, you don’t have to tell me this because the decision is all his.”
Zhu Yan said, “You’re a good woman. As long as you’re fine with it, why would he disagree with it? Men… Hmm!” He snorted disdainfully, as if he wasn’t a man himself.
Yang Kai immediately spoke up, “I have something to say.”
Zhu Yan looked curiously at him, “Huh? What do you have to say?”
Yang Kai wiped his forehead with his hand as he said, “I think my opinion matters.”
A smiling Zhu Yan replied, “Just tell me straight.”
With a grave expression, Yang Kai said, “Yes, I’m a man who loves beautiful women, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have a bottom line. First of all, I’m not familiar with the women in the Dragon Clan, and even if I was close to them, love should be mutual and not forced. Qing’er and I have experienced life and death together, and we truly love one another, so she’s different from the other women of your clan. Or does Senior only see me as a breeding animal?”
“Are you saying that you’re reluctant?” Zhu Yan gazed at him in shock.
Yang Kai scoffed, “Would you be willing to do it if you were me?”
After giving it a thought, Zu Yan replied, “It’d be difficult for me to reject this offer.”
Hardly any man in this world was able to reject the seduction of having every woman from the Dragon Clan.
“Moreover, since you all already can’t tolerate the fact that I’ve gotten together with Qing’er, how are you going to put up with it if I really bed the other women from your clan?”
In response, Zhu Yan said, “If you’re able to help upgrade their bloodlines quickly, I’ll have them all married to you, including Qing’er.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was dumbstruck. This old man seemed truly determined. By just imagining the sight of a few women surrounding him, he could feel his blood boiling; however, if he really agreed, he would become the common enemy of every male Dragon on Dragon Island. Even Zhu Lie would be resentful of him.
The ratio of men to women was already unbalanced in the Dragon Clan, so if all their unwed maidens got married to Yang Kai, it would be embarrassing for the men of the Dragon Clan.
“Senior, please don’t mention this again because I’ll never agree to it.” Yang Kai waved his hand and solemnly rejected the old man. At the same time, he stole a glance at Zhu Qing, and upon seeing her appear elated, he was able to set his mind at ease.
“Don’t reject me so quickly. Go back and think it through. There’s no harm in you accepting.” Zhu Yan also waved his hand.
Yang Kai wasn’t willing to dwell on this issue, so he cupped his fists and said, “I’ve come to Dragon Island to ask for a few favours.”
Zhu Yan asked with a smile, “The grudges between us haven’t been resolved yet, so how do you have the gall to ask us to do you favours? Have you lost your mind? Or am I the one who has gone mad?”
Yang Kai said, “Whether or not you acknowledge it, you can’t deny the fact that this Junior possesses a Dragon Source.”
Zhu Yan scoffed as he thought to himself that if it weren’t the case, he would have slapped Yang Kai to death instead of letting him speak for so long. Moreover, what Yang Kai possessed was the Ancestral Dragon Source, which was related to the very foundation of the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai went on to say, “In that case, I can be considered partially a Dragon Clan member. Hence, I don’t think it’s outrageous to ask you to do me some favours.”
“It depends on what those favours are.” Zhu Yan snorted.
Yang Kai replied seriously, “These favours are nothing to the Dragon Clan. First of all, I hope that Qing’er will stay by my side and leave Dragon Island with me so that she won’t be confined to this place again.”
Zhu Yan’s expression didn’t change as he simply said, “What about the other requests?”
“This Junior wants to visit the Dragon Temple.” Yang Kai remained silent for a moment, “The last time I entered the Dragon Temple, I had to leave in a rush. Although I had induced many Dragon Souls at that time, I hadn’t had the time to comprehend anything. So, I want to enter the temple again to learn more of the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques.”
Zhu Yan fell silent for a moment and asked, “Do you only have two requests?”
“Yes.”
“This Old Master agrees.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he became elated, “Many thanks, Great Elder.”
However, Zhu Yan went on to say with a grin, “I’m fine with it, but I’m not sure about the Second Elder’s thoughts on the matter. If you can persuade her to agree to your requests, then I won’t raise any objections.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he asked, “You’re the Great Elder, so shouldn’t you have the final say in everything?”
Zhu Yan blinked, “Of course I have the final say when it comes to external affairs; however, Second Elder is the one in charge of internal affairs. Good, go and look for her now if you want to have your wishes fulfilled.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and entered the treehouse.
Staring at his figure, Yang Kai murmured something through clenched teeth.
Suddenly, Zhu Yan stopped in his tracks and turned around as his face twitched, “Little brat, what did you just say? I dare you to say that again!”
A flustered Zhu Qing said, “Great Elder, he didn’t say anything, you must be mistaken. We’ll take our leave now.”
After she finished speaking, she grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and flew away.
Yang Kai, however, did not relent and shouted out loud, “The solemn Dragon Clan’s Great Elder is afraid of his wife!” His voice was so loud that some of the leaves even started falling.
“Boy, come back here!” An enraged Zhu Yan rolled up his sleeves and was about to race after them, but they were already nowhere to be seen. After cursing for a while, Zhu Yan folded his hands behind his back and bellowed, “Laughable! Why would this Old Master fear her? She’s just an arrogant woman, and this Old Master is not willing to argue with her.”
Upon finishing his words, Zhu Yan hurriedly glanced around and only after making sure that there was no one listening, he straightened up and proudly walked into his house, as if he was a cock that had just won a battle.
Up above the sky, Zhu Qing pinched Yang Kai’s ear and yelled, “Why did you have to infuriate Great Elder? He’s a kind-hearted man!”
Yang Kai put on a fawning smile, “Stop pinching my ear. It’s going to break off! I was just saying…”
He reached out to grab her wrist and pulled her hand away.
An angered Zhu Qing, however, did not give up and snapped, “Moreover, is it so embarrassing that he’s afraid of his wife?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “A man shouldn’t be afraid of his wife. No real man would be.”
“Oh really?” Zhu Qing shot him a glare.
“Instead of being afraid, men are just tolerant of their wife; that is a sign of his love toward her.” Certainly, Yang Kai knew what he should say to make her happy.
Zhu Qing’s expression changed. When she saw his reddened ears, the coldness on her face melted and she felt sweet in her heart; however, a moment later, her heart sank again as she gave him a warning, “We’ve somewhat secured Great Elder’s approval, so when you meet Second Elder later, you must restrain yourself. After we get her to accept you, it’ll be more convenient for you to come to Dragon Island in the future, and I might be able to go out and look for you as well.”
“I know I know. Whatever harsh words she’s going to say, I’ll just take it as her farting.”
Torn between tears and laughter, Zhu Qing warned, “She must not hear what you’ve just said.”
Snowy Island was Fu Zhun’s Spirit Island. She was an Ice Dragon, which was why her Spirit Island was covered in snow year-round, and a snowstorm perpetually filled the air. Looking from afar, the entire island seemed like a huge snowy mountain. Within a radius of a thousand kilometres around the island, there were no birds flying past or any living creatures for that matter.
Before Yang Kai and Zhu Qing even went near the island, they could feel overwhelming coldness sweeping over them. Even the ocean around the island had been frozen, and there was no sign of vitality within a radius of a thousand kilometres around the island.
Although the weather was frigid, it didn’t really affect Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
After they landed at the centre of the island, they could see a huge platform that was made from an ancient ice block. Fu Zhun was sitting with her legs crossed on that platform. Clad in a pure-looking white clothes, she seemed to have blended into the view around her.
After they descended from the sky, they landed on a spot that was three hundred metres away from Fu Zhun.
Zhu Qing saluted her and greeted, “Second Elder, Qing’er has brought her husband, Yang Kai, to offer greetings to you.”
Yang Kai fell into a dazed state when she suddenly called him husband. It wasn’t until Zhu Qing gently elbowed him that he cupped his fists and followed up, “Greetings, Second Elder.”
Fu Zhun opened her eyes, the coldness in their depths seemingly able to freeze anyone’s Soul. Completely ignoring Yang Kai, she gazed at Zhu Qing and bellowed, “Who told you to leave your confinement without permission? Scram back to your island!”
The veins on Yang Kai’s forehead throbbed when he heard this as his fury was rising within him. [What does she mean? Qing’er has come all the way here to show proper etiquette, but she’s acting all arrogant and even told my Qing’er to scram!]
Seeing as he was displeased, Zhu Qing hurriedly said, “My husband and I are here because we have some favours to ask of you.”
“Husband?” Fu Zhun sneered, “You’ve never married anyone, so how is it possible that you have a husband? Even if you did have one, he would be the deceased Fu Chi instead of some beggar off the streets.”
Zhu Qing refuted, “My husband stands right beside me. Why do you ignore him?”
Fu Zhun closed her eyes, “I don’t see this husband you’re talking about. Even if he was here, this Queen would never acknowledge him.”
Zhu Qing sighed, “Whether or not you acknowledge him, it’s an irrefutable fact that he is my husband, and I shall never get married to anyone else.”
“In that case, there’s no point in saying anything more. Scram back, now. Only come to see me again when you’ve repented.”
“Hey, old witch!” Yang Kai snapped and shouted. Before coming to this place, he had reminded himself countless times to bear with Fu Zhun, and he had psychologically prepared himself to face any of her harsh words; however, when he heard her repeatedly telling Zhu Qing to scram back to her island, he couldn’t hold back his fury anymore.
The fury in Yang Kai’s chest was about to explode like a volcano. Stepping forward, he pointed at Fu Zhun and scolded, “Don’t you think you can do whatever you want just because you’re the Dragon Can’s Second Elder! Although Qing’er is a member of the Dragon Clan, she is her own person and you have no right to interfere in her affairs. I’m her husband for life, and it’s not up to an old witch like you to deny it! The reason we’re here to visit you is to show you some respect, but since you don’t show us any, we need not show you any either! We also don’t need you to acknowledge our relationship!”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing knew that things were going south, so she couldn’t help but sigh.
As expected, Fu Zhun became so enraged that the atmosphere around her literally turned colder. Narrowing her eyes, she roared, “Little brat, what did you just call this Queen!?”
“Old witch! Old witch! Old witch! Old witch! Old witch! Old witch!” Yang Kai repeated his words and looked provocatively at her, “Are you happy now? I can keep calling you that if you want!”
Fu Zhun slowly got to her feet and said in an icy voice, “If you can even live past today, you will remember that a loose tongue will cause lots of trouble.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Do you want to fight with me? Come then! Let’s see who will be the last one standing!”
After he finished speaking, a Dragon roar was suddenly heard as a Golden Divine Dragon’s illusory phantom appeared behind his back. After which, his Dragon Pressure filled the air. At the same time, a buzzing sound could be heard coming from the Dragon Temple in the distance as numerous Dragon roars were heard consecutively breaking through the sky.
The entire Dragon Island seemed to shake. All the Dragons, wherever they were, turned to look in the direction of the Dragon Temple as their faces were transformed by shock.
Yang Kai was also surprised as he hadn’t expected that by activating his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength here, he could also resonate with the Dragon Temple. Feeling even more confident, he guffawed, “It seems that the ancestors of the Dragon Clan favour me!”
Despite what he had said, his entire body was fully tensed, ready to move at a moment’s notice. If his enemy dared to engage, he would go all out to deal a mortal wound to her; after all, he was confronted by the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder, who was even able to fight a Great Emperor. Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to hold back.
To Yang Kai’s surprise, however, Fu Zhun didn’t immediately make a move; instead, she was staring coldly at him, the murderous intent in her eyes seemingly materialising.
A flustered Zhu Qing came between them and said, “Second Elder, please calm your anger. My husband only spoke out of anger and did not mean what he said, please forgive him.”
Then, she turned her head to shoot Yang Kai a glare as she was apparently blaming this mess on him. Before coming to this place, they had agreed that he would put up with whatever Fu Zhun had to say, so why did he fall out with her right after they met?
An embarrassed Yang Kai realised that Zhu Qing had been put in a tight spot because he couldn’t control his temper, so he snorted as his aura weakened.
“What do you mean that he didn’t mean it? Are you saying he said all that unintentionally?” Fu Zhun stared coldly at Zhu Qing, “What will you do if I insist on killing him?”
A shocked Zhu Qing replied in a bitter voice, “As a member of the Dragon Clan, I have to obey its rules; however, if my husband’s life is in danger, Qing’er will not stand idly by. If you insist on killing him, I shall fight alongside him until our deaths!”
Utterly moved, Yang Kai gazed at her and tugged at her sleeves, “Qing’er, step aside. There’s no way this old witch is able to kill me.”
“You dare!” Fu Zhun’s expression turned gloomy as she had never expected that that would be Zhu Qing’s answer. After taking a deep breath, she asked, “It seems that your heart is no longer on Dragon Island. Can you still be regarded as a member of the Dragon Clan?”
A sorrowful Zhu Qing said, “Second Elder, please forgive me.”
Yang Kai said, “Since you’re aware that her heart is no longer with you, why not grant her freedom and allow her to leave with me? This can be considered a good deed. We’ll erect a memorial tablet for you and burn some incense sticks every morning and evening once we go. We’ll even kowtow to it every morning to pray that you’ll live for a long life and remain beautiful forever.”
Fu Zhun snorted, “Enough with your drivel. Even if her heart no longer resides here, her body still belongs to Dragon Island. Since she’s born a Dragon, and will forever be a member of the Dragon Clan. Don’t even dream about taking her away!”
Yang Kai frowned, “Forcefully squeezed melons are not sweet.”
Fu Zhun sneered, “What’s your point?”
Looking at her dispassionately, Yang Kai said, “Is there really no room for negotiation?” Faced with her inflexibility, Yang Kai had lost the patience to communicate with her. Zhu Qing’s interference ensured that he couldn’t really fight, which was why he had nowhere to vent out his anger.
“Room for negotiation?” Fu Zhun snorted, “There is.”
Zhu Qing’s gaze brightened, “Second Elder, please tell us clearly.”
Fu Zhun went on to say, “As long as he can compensate for our losses, I can forgive him and even allow you to get married. Both of you can even leave Dragon Island together.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Qing was over the moon as it was inconceivable to her that Fu Zhun was willing to let them be together. However, she was puzzled by the prerequisite Fu Zhun had just mentioned, “Our losses? What do you mean?”
Fu Zhun sneered, “Doesn’t he remember what losses he’s caused to our clan? Why do you even need to ask me this question?”
Yang Kai bellowed, “Even if there are any losses that you’ve suffered, you only have yourself to blame. Even if I have the power, I’ll not choose to compensate for your losses, to say nothing of the fact that I’m unable to do so.”
Fu Zhun’s eyelids twitched, “Who do you think you’re mouthing off to, boy?”
Yang Kai replied provocatively, “So what if I’m mouthing off to you? What can you do to me?”
“You court death!” Fu Zhun growled as her murderous intent, which she had just managed to suppress, exploded again. Now, even if Zhu Qing wanted to stop them, Fu Zhun would still go all out to kill Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing hurriedly grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and flew off. Turning her head, she called out, “Second Elder, please don’t be mad. We’re sorry for bothering you today.” She then increased her speed as she knew that if they stayed there any longer, Yang Kai and Fu Zhun would really start exchanging blows.
Fu Zhun remained on the same spot with a furious expression, apparently enraged. However, she didn’t seem to have the intention of pursuing them as she just resentfully stared in the direction they disappeared.
A moment later, a figure suddenly appeared beside Fu Zhun.
Great Elder Zhu Yan asked, “Are they gone?”
Fu Zhun took a deep breath to suppress her fury and closed her eyes before saying, “I really want to kill him!”
A smiling Zhu Yan replied, “You can’t solve anything by killing him; moreover, he possesses the Ancestral Dragon Source. I’m sure you felt the unusual fluctuations coming from the Dragon Temple just now. The temple is protected by the many Dragon Souls of our Ancestors, so even if we join forces now, we can’t possibly kill him on Dragon Island. If we want to end his life, we have to do it outside.”
Fu Zhun snorted, “Why do you think he’s still alive?”
A shocked Zhu Yan stared at her, “Do you really intend to kill him?”
Fu Zhun said through clenched teeth, “So what if that’s my intention?”
Cold sweat started streaming down Zhu Yan’s forehead, “There’s no harm thinking about it, but you must not make a move. The Dragon Clan’s future hinges on him. You’ve always wanted to revive the Dragon Clan, to ensure it endures and grows, and it was for that reason that you bore through your own grief and threw Fu Xuan into the Dragon Grave. So, you must restrain yourself for the greater goal.”
Fu Zhun nodded, “…I know…”
However, she just couldn’t help but blow her top whenever she was faced with Yang Kai. The fact that he kept calling her ‘old witch’ made her want to rip him up into tiny pieces. She paused for a moment and said, “I’ve told him that I have conditions he has to fulfil. It’ll depend on whether he’s capable of achieving that or not.”
Zhu Yan grinned, “It’s good enough that you’ve told him. Seeing how he treasures Qing’er, he’ll definitely do his best to achieve them.”
Fu Zhun suddenly turned to look at him, “If he can’t, I’m going to pull the Ancestral Dragon Source out of his body no matter what. Given how rotten he is, he doesn’t deserve it!”
Zhu Yan’s face twitched but he didn’t play along with her, “We’ll see.”
He looked up at the sky and sighed, “The Ancestral Dragon Source has appeared, so where is the Ancestral Phoenix Source right now?”
…
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were flying rapidly.
On the way to their destination, Zhu Qing remained silent, her expression so cold that it was as if a layer of frost could be scraped off her face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai seemed to be humming to himself nonchalantly, but in fact, he was carefully observing her expression. Seeing how gloomy she appeared to be, he knew that he must have disappointed her. Nevertheless, he could only bear half of the responsibility for what had happened. The old witch Fu Zhun needed to bear the other half.
“Qing’er, why don’t we just run away? We should stop caring about their opinion. It’s not like that old witch can really keep watch over us. The outside world is huge, so there’s no way she can find you if you decide to leave.” Yang Kai suggested.
Zhu Qing sighed, “Certainly, I can leave with you, but if I really do that, I’ll never be at ease for the rest of my life.”
The idea of running away with Yang Kai was a beautiful one, but without her Seniors’ acknowledgement, their marriage certainly wouldn’t be a happy one.
Suddenly, she stopped flying and stared lovingly at Yang Kai, “Fortunately, Great Elder and Second Elder don’t seem to have the intention of barring you from coming here again. If you miss me in the future, just come over to visit me. I’ll always be waiting for you.”
Yang Kai parted his lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in the end. Zhu Qing was no child, so she had her own worries and considerations. Even if she really left Dragon Island with him today, she would never be able to enjoy a happy life with all that was weighing down her heart. So, he knew that she would just stay on Dragon Island. At the very least, she wouldn’t suffer any hardship here.
Understanding this truth, and having made up his mind, Yang Kai flashed a gentle smile at her, “This time, I’ll keep you company for a longer time.” Then, he took her wrist and flew towards Half Moon Island. However, they did not speak to each other the whole way there.
Darkness had already descended upon the world when they reached Half Moon Island. Surprisingly, Fu Xuan and Mo Xiao Qi hadn’t left as they were seated and chatting with each other outside the palace. It was apparent that they were getting along well. Fu Xuan’s expression was full of motherly love, while Mo Xiao Qi appeared happy as well.
Mo Xiao Qi’s expression turned somewhat sour when she saw Yang Kai and Zhu Qing coming back hand-in-hand, but she soon put on a smile and called out, “Big Brother Yang, Big Sister Qing.”
To the side, Fu Xuan said with a smile, “Xiao Qi insisted on waiting for your return to bid you farewell before she’ll come back with me.”
She gently patted Mo Xiao Qi’s head, “Can we go back to take a rest now?”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded and turned to look at Yang Kai, “I’ll go back to my mother’s place now. Big Brother Yang, please tell me when you plan to leave Dragon Island.”
“Don’t worry.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded, “I’ll definitely let you know.”
“Big Brother Yang, Big Sister Qing, bye-bye.” Walking alongside Fu Xuan, Mo Xiao Qi kept turning her head and waving her hand, after which the mother-daughter pair flew away from Half Moon Island.
After they were gone, Yang Kai suddenly approached Zhu Qing and wept her up into his arms.
Zhu Qing exclaimed and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. As their eyes met, she instantly knew what he was up to, and with her face blushing, she pouted for a moment before gesturing to the bedroom with her chin.
Yang Kai guffawed heartily and dashed in. After kicking the door open, he threw Zhu Qing onto the bed and pounced on her.
A long night of intimacy thus commenced.
The next few days were pleasant for Yang Kai. He was surrounded by an azure blue ocean and sky, and he was accompanied by a beautiful woman, which caused him to almost drown in pleasure. In the morning, he and Zhu Qing would explore Dragon Island and discover its beautiful sights. In the evening, they would indulge in intimate sessions they never grew tired of.
Certainly, Zhu Qing knew that this kind of life wouldn’t last for a long time. Nonetheless, as long as nothing serious happened, she would always stay close to Yang Kai.
As she had thought, this kind of life was destined to not last forever. More than ten days later, someone was about to bring an end to their peaceful times.
On Half Moon Island, Yang Kai was lying on the beach with his head resting on his arms as he observed the movements of the cloud. Beside Yang Kai, Qiong Qi was lying on his side as he closed his eyes and enjoyed this carefree life. A Human and his mount seemed to have become an eternal painting at that instant. As the tides rose and fell, water could be seen splashing onto the beach.
“Old Qiong, I’ve decided to break into the Dragon Temple.” Yang Kai suddenly said.
Qiong Qi was taking a rest with his eyes closed when he heard that. Opening his eyes, he sat up straight and gazed at Yang Kai, as if he wanted to make sure he didn’t hear him wrong.
“I probably cannot leave with Qing’er, but I have to visit the Dragon Temple. The Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques are powerful, and since I’m here, I wouldn’t want to miss the chance. What do you think?”
Qiong Qi shook his head repeatedly, “It’s a terrible idea.”
“Oh? Why do you think so?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Qiong Qi explained, “We’re on Dragon Island, and the Dragon Temple is the Dragon Clan’s most sacred and mysterious place. If we break into it without permission, we won’t leave alive.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “It’s not like I haven’t been to the Dragon Temple before. Wu Kuang had also barged into that place previously, and he’s living a carefree life in Ancestral Domain right now.”
“Wu Kuang and you are two different people.” Qiong Qi apparently didn’t approve of it, then he gave it a thought and said, “You can go there if you insist, but you can only do it after I leave Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “Old Qiong, you’re pretty loyal to me. Aren’t you?”
Qiong Qi said, “This Old Master simply wishes to survive so he can take revenge for you in the future.”
“Tsk…” Yang Kai sneered, “What a great idea. That’s so thoughtful of you.”
Qiong Qi pretended to not understand his mockery and went on to say, “Anyway, I’d suggest that you give up this idea. If possible, you should get the Dragon Clan’s permission first before entering the Dragon Temple.”
Yang Kai snorted, “If they’d agree to it, I wouldn’t have to break into that place! That old witch Fu Zhun, seems determined to oppress me and threatens me using Qing’er every time. How despicable! I’ll let her know the consequences of offending me one day!”
[Old witch?] Qiong Qi couldn’t help but gulp. [To think he dares to call Fu Zhun an old witch…]
It was then he realised that his new Young Master was indeed unusually bold.
“Hmm? Someone is coming!” Qiong Qi’s expression changed as he looked in a particular direction.
Noticing it as well, Yang Kai looked in the same direction and put on a grin. The beam of red light over there was shooting towards Zhu Qing’s palace, but when the person noticed Yang Kai’s aura, he changed direction and flew towards Yang Kai.
A moment later, a figure was standing in the sky as he looked down condescendingly.
While remaining in his relaxed position, Yang Kai waved his hand at the person, “How are you, Little Brother-in-law?”
Seeing how sloppy Yang Kai looked, Zhu Lie frowned and thought that his Elder Sister must be blind to have fallen in love with a man like him. In a dispassionate manner, he said, “What are you doing here lying on the ground?”
“What else am I doing besides enjoying a sunbath?” Yang Kai replied matter-of-factly and waved his hand, “Come down here. What are you doing up there?”
The corners of Zhu Lie’s mouth twitched, but he still obediently landed beside Yang Kai. When he turned his head and saw Qiong Qi, he exclaimed, “You’ve really taken Qiong Qi as your mount…”
It hadn’t been a long time since Yang Kai arrived at Dragon Island, but it hadn’t been a short time either. There were only a small number of Dragon Clan members, so any shocking news would be spread around quickly. Now, all of them knew that Yang Kai was chased out of Snowy Island the other day and almost killed by Fu Zhun. Furthermore, he had Qiong Qi as his mount.
Zhu Lie had been cultivating a Secret Technique for the past few days and only emerged from seclusion today, so when he received the news, he immediately flew over to have a look.
A shocked Zhu Lie stared at Qiong Qi and said, “You’re also a Divine Spirit, why do you disparage yourself like this? Don’t you feel ashamed at all?”
Qiong Qi blinked, but before he managed to say a word, Yang Kai got to his feet and glowered at Zhu Lie, “Little Brother-in-law, what do you mean by that? Are there any grudges between us? Why are you trying to drive a wedge between my mount and me right after you’ve arrived?”
Zhu Lie knitted his brows together, “That’s not what I meant. I just thought that… Alright, forget it. Everyone has different goals in life.”
He shook his head and appeared disappointed, as if the fact that Qiong Qi had belittled himself by becoming Yang Kai’s mount had embarrassed all Divine Spirits.
Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai, “What are you doing here instead of keeping Zhu Qing company?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Zhu Qing is with three other women from your clan right now, why would I dare to go over?”
There were seven women among the Dragon Clan in total. Besides Zhu Qing, Fu Zhun, and Fu Xuan, there were only four of them left. Fu Ling had to keep watch on the entrance, so she couldn’t move about as she pleased. So, only three Dragon girls were left. One of them was from the Zhu Clan while the other two were from the Fu Clan.
For the past few days, these three had been visiting Zhu Qing every single day. They would arrive at the place at the break of dawn and would only leave at night. Their intentions were clear.
Yang Kai had only met them once on day one, then Zhu Qing came up with an excuse and chased him away.
In fact, Yang Kai had a good impression of these three. They were not as flirtatious as Fu Ling and instead appeared bashful when they were looking at Yang Kai. They also appeared guilty and apprehensive when facing Zhu Qing.
Yang Kai even suspected that it was Zhu Yan who told them to come over. Although he was able to help them improve the purity of their bloodline, given the Dragon Clan’s arrogance, they would never have done this without receiving an order from the Great Elder.
The reason Fu Ling was so bold was that she had plenty of contact with Yang Kai before, so they could be considered familiar with each other.
Upon hearing his explanation, Zhu Lie finally understood what was going on. As the corners of his face twitched, he couldn’t help staring resentfully at Yang Kai.
Even his Little Brother-in-law was jealous of him, so nothing needed to be said about the other Dragon Clan men. Presently, they were probably eager to skin Yang Kai alive, eat his flesh, and drink his blood. If it weren’t because they were aware that Yang Kai’s Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength was able to suppress them, making it impossible for them to defeat him, they would have already come over and had a life or death battle with him.
After a moment of silence, Zhu Lie asked, “I heard that the Second Elder has come up with a condition.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “You know about that as well?”
Zhu Lie replied, “Dragon Island is only so big, and there are only a small number of us, so any news will be spread around quickly. The Second Elder told you to compensate for the losses you’ve caused, right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “She did say that.”
Zhu Lie questioned, “Why are you not trying to come up with a solution then? She has finally made a concession, so if you can fulfil her request, you’ll be able to leave with Zhu Qing. Do you want to be separated from her again?”
Yang Kai sneered, “Why should I compensate for the losses the Dragon Clan has suffered? It has nothing to do with me.”
Zhu Lie said slowly and clearly, “Dragon Blood Flowers!”
Yang Kai’s face twitched, “The Great Elder told you to come here, right?”
He was just speaking off the top of his head, but Zhu Lie looked away and replied, “It doesn’t matter who told me to come over. It just seems to me that you’re able to fulfil the Second Elder’s request.”
“You think I’m capable of doing that?” Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Do you have any idea how many Dragon Blood Flowers I had picked?”
“Two Peak-Rank, thirty High-Rank, two hundred Mid-Rank, and countless Low-Rank ones. Around a thousand in total!”
“You do know a lot.” Yang Kai was surprised, as the number given by Zhu Lie was similar to that of his own calculation. After a nod, he asked, “Then, do you have any idea how many Dragon Blood Flowers I still have?”
Zhu Lie shook his head.
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve used up all the Peak-Rank, High-Rank, and Mid-Rank flowers, so I’m only left with some Low-Rank ones. Even if I return all the remaining flowers, how am I going to make up for the disparity? It’s not like I can produce the flowers myself.”
Zhu Lie said slowly, “Dragon Blood Flowers are nurtured primarily with Dragon Blood. The purer the Dragon Blood, the better the quality of the flowers will be. The Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island are mostly irrigated using the blood of those Dragonborn, so the quality of blood is poor, to say the least, and it will take a long time before the flowers mature. If you’re serious about getting the job done though, you can use your own blood to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers. Your blood might have some amazing effects on them.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai snorted and subconsciously wanted to refute him; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that Zhu Lie was actually correct. As he touched his chin, he sank into contemplation for some time before he asked, “Do you seriously think I’m able to nurture some Mid-Rank and High-Rank flowers?”
Zhu Lie replied, “How will you know if you don’t give it a try? Second Elder has already announced that if you’re able to fulfil her request, you can leave with Zhu Qing and enter the Dragon Temple.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai could envision the scene in his head. While he walked into the Dragon Temple, the old witch, Fu Zhun appeared bitter as she was powerless to stop him.
Feeling gleeful all of a sudden, he asked, “Does she really mean what she’s said?”
Zhu Lie sighed, “Second Elder has never said a word she did not mean.”
Tempted now, Yang Kai paced around on the beach as a myriad of expressions came over him. He was hesitant as it was difficult for him to make such a decision. A moment later, he clapped his hands and said, “Fine then. I’ll do it. I don’t believe I can’t nurture a few Dragon Blood Flowers.”
Zhu Lie, “I wish you all the best, then.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Alright, go back and tell Great Elder that I’ll compensate for the losses, so he doesn’t have to worry anymore; after all, I’m married to a member of the Dragon Clan, so I’m a part of Dragon Island as well.”
The corner of Zhu Lie’s mouth twitched harder than before as he said, “I was just speaking randomly. It has nothing to do with Great Elder.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “If Great Elder didn’t make you do this, why would you come all the way here to tell me about this?”
Zhu Lie wanted to defend himself, but in the end, he nodded and said, “Good.”
All the Dragon Blood Flowers had been taken away by Yang Kai, so the Dragon Clan wouldn’t be able to improve their bloodline by consuming Dragon Blood Flowers for the next thousand years or so. There were only two solutions to this problem. The first one was Yang Kai had to nurture enough Dragon Blood Flowers to make up for the ones he ‘borrowed’, and the second option was he could ‘help’ the female Dragons to improve their bloodline.
Of course, Zhu Lie wanted Yang Kai to choose the first option, which was why he accepted the Great Elder’s order and came over here to persuade him.
Yang Kai decided to start nurturing Dragon Blood Flowers straight away. After he told Zhu Qing about it, she was joyful, but at the same time, she was worried.
She was joyful because if Yang Kai was able to accomplish Fu Zhun’s request, then the Dragon Clan had no reason to make things difficult for him anymore, and Fu Zhun wouldn’t have any excuse to stop him from entering the Dragon Temple.
At the same time, she was worried that it might be unbearable for Yang Kai’s body. Since he had to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers, a lot of blood would be drawn out of him. Although his cultivation was fairly high, it would take an enormous amount of blood for the flowers to grow.
Therefore, she decided to dissuade him from doing so; however, Yang Kai was determined to compensate for the losses and start cultivating the flowers. After a futile attempt, Zhu Qing just let him do whatever he wanted. Nevertheless, on the same night, she set aside her pride as a female Dragon and did whatever to make Yang Kai happy in bed, thus making him completely content.
The next morning, Yang Kai flew towards the Spirit Island where Dragon Blood Flowers were nurtured on his own. Zhu Qing wanted to follow him, but Yang Kai stopped her.
After all, when cultivating Dragon Blood Flowers, he would have to constantly withdraw blood from his body. Zhu Qing might be heartbroken by watching him by the side, which was why he didn’t want to bring her with him.
He was familiar with the route leading to the Spirit Island; after all, he had been there once with Fu Ling as the guide.
Fu Ling had to keep watch on the entrance as a punishment, so the person who was guarding the Spirit Island now was a Sixth-Order Green Dragon, Fu Qi.
In the past, it was Fu Qi who came to Half-Dragon City and took a few hundred Dragonborn back to Dragon Island. At that time, he was arrogant and boorish; however, on this day, Fu Qi had been waiting patiently on the beach for a long time.
Seeing that Yang Kai was flying over, he immediately moved forward and put on a smile, “Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai sized him up and smiled faintly, “Brother Fu Qi, why are you here?”
Fu Qi replied, “I’ve received the order from the Elders to guard Dragon Blood Island, and I’m also here to welcome you.” He paused for a moment, “I heard that Brother Yang was going to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers here to restore the number of spirit flowers we used to have on this island.”
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “En.”
All of a sudden, Yang Kai was regretful of his decision. He was the one who had stolen Dragon Blood Flowers, but now, he had to restore everything on his own. It was akin to lifting a stone and then dropping it on his own feet. It was a joyous experience to steal the flowers, but he hadn’t expected that he would come back here one day to make himself suffer.
However, there was no turning back as he had made the promise. If he went back on his word now, it would be like slapping his own face. Regardless of the outcome, he had to give it a try. If he couldn’t do it in the end, there was nothing else he could do.
Fu Qi became energetic and said, “Brother Yang, you’re indeed a righteous man. This Fu thanks you on behalf of all the Brothers and Sisters of my clan.” His ranking was low among the Dragon Clan; after all, he only had a Sixth-Order Dragon Vein, so consuming Dragon Blood Flowers was very useful for him. Some time ago, when he heard that Yang Kai had stolen all the Dragon Blood Flowers, he was really resentful of him. As a Sixth-Order Dragon, it would be akin to reaching for the Heavens if he wanted to upgrade his bloodline without the help of Dragon Blood Flowers. Although his bloodline would indeed purify as time passed, that would take thousands if not ten of thousands of years, which was an unbelievably long time even for a member of the Dragon Clan.
So, when he heard that Yang Kai was coming over to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers, he was over the moon. As long as Yang Kai could restore the flowers to their original scale, the grudges between them wouldn’t even be worth mentioning anymore.
Yang Kai raised his hand, “I can’t guarantee that it’ll be successful, but I’ll do my best.”
Fu Qi said, “Great Elder has said that all the Dragonborn in Half-Dragon City are at your command. If you need them, I can bring them over right now.”
“What would I need them for?” Yang Kai pursed his lips. The Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Island had been cultivated using the fresh blood from the Dragonborn who lived in Half-Dragon City for tens of thousands of years now, but the results were poor at best, and it would take the flowers a long time to mature using such a method. Yang Kai knew that fully well. If he did the same, he could certainly restore the flowers to their original scale, but he wasn’t even sure how long it would take for him to achieve that.
As his gaze darted around, he asked, “Did Great Elder say that all the members of the Dragon Clan are at my command as well?”
A shocked Fu Qi questioned, “Brother Yang, you…”
Yang Kai said, “Since Dragon Blood is needed to cultivate Dragon Blood Flowers, the blood of Pureblood Dragons is definitely much better than that of Half-Dragons. Hmm, I can see that you’re energetic and there’s a radiant glow on your face, so I think it’s fine to draw out some blood from you. Why don’t we start with you?”
Upon hearing that, Fu Qi was flabbergasted as he stepped backwards and looked vigilantly at Yang Kai as he waved his hands frantically, “No, no!”
“Why not?”
A flustered Fu Qi explained, “The reason we want to consume Dragon Blood Flowers is to improve and purify our bloodline. If we draw our blood to cultivate the flowers though, it will cause our bloodline to regress, which is counterproductive.”
“Really?” Yang Kai was shocked. If that was true, his bloodline would regress as well after he withdrew some blood. Now, when he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he could transform into a 300-metre-tall Half-Dragon. After a regression, his Half-Dragon figure might shrink.
At that instant, Yang Kai had the intention of going back on his word. He indeed wanted to compensate for the Dragon Clan’s losses to shut Fu Zhun’s mouth; however, if his own interests and power were at stake, he naturally wasn’t willing.
As if seeing through his mind, Fu Qi said, “Brother Yang, you don’t have to worry about your bloodline. Great Elder has said that you are different from the other members of the Dragon Clan.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “How is the Great Elder so certain about it?”
Fu Qi smirked, “That’s what he said, I’m not sure how he came to this conclusion.”
At that instant, Yang Kai was extremely worried. It was expected that Zhu Yan would say such things to make him at ease; after all, he wasn’t a Pureblood Dragon, so whether or not his bloodline would regress had nothing to do with the Dragon Clan.
Zhu Yan might appear to be benevolent, but it seemed he was actually as untrustworthy as Fu Zhun.
Seeing that Yang Kai’s expression had turned gloomy, Fu Qi knew that things were going south. If Yang Kai decided to give up at this point, everything would be over; hence, he immediately said, “Brother Yang, if you’re still worried, why don’t you give it a try first? If there’s really any decline in the purity of your bloodline, you can just stop. Given how sharp your senses are, you will definitely be able to monitor the state your bloodline is in.”
Yang Kai’s expression turned milder when he heard that, then he nodded, “You’re right. Let’s not waste any time. I’ll give it a try.”
“Brother Yang, this way please.”
And so, the pair entered Dragon Blood Island together. Dragon Blood Island was one of the Spirit Islands where World Energy was most abundant in the entire Dragon Palace; after all, it was the place where Dragon Blood Flowers were nurtured, so the World Energy had to be ample.
The entire island appeared to be eerily red, as though it was covered with fresh blood. The faint smell of blood permeated the air as well, but it wasn’t an unpleasant smell; instead, it exuded a kind of strange yet aromatic scent.
Different Spirit Arrays could be seen everywhere. These arrays were here to draw out the Blood Essence from the Dragonborn. In the past, after Li Jiao was brought to this place, he was confined to one of the arrays, and after it activated, his Blood Essence began leaving his body, and he was unable to stop it. His Blood Essence was then sprinkled around to nurture the Dragon Blood Flowers on this island.
Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to rescue him in time; otherwise, Li Jiao’s cultivation would have regressed due to the blood withdrawal. With that said, Li Jiao had obtained some Dragon Blood Flowers and restored his cultivation afterwards, so his bloodline had even improved because of that. The gains were greater than the loss in the end.
Standing to the side, Fu Qi stared fixedly at Yang Kai and said, “There are only about a hundred Dragon Blood Flowers on the island now, and most of them are still immature. Some of the mature ones are Low-Rank. It will no doubt take you some effort to restore everything.”
In his heart, he was still somewhat unhappy with Yang Kai. The culprit who had caused the losses was right in front of him, but Zhu Yan had sent him a message to tell him to assist Yang Kai as much as possible.
Just what was the Great Elder thinking?
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded but didn’t appear embarrassed, as if he wasn’t aware of any of that.
Immature Dragon Blood Flowers were those still in their growth phase, so it wouldn’t be beneficial at all even if anyone consumed them. It would just be a waste of these flowers. Only mature Dragon Blood Flowers were able to help improve the Dragon Clan members’ bloodline.
They were graded into Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, and Peak-Rank. Naturally, Peak-Rank flowers were the rarest. Previously, Yang Kai had picked two Peak-Rank flowers. Fu Ling told him that they were reserved for Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun as the Elders wanted to consume the flowers later; however, no one could have expected that Yang Kai would be the one who consumed the flowers first.
Moments later, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and rolled up his sleeves before saying in a hushed voice, “Let’s begin.”
He wanted to find out whether his blood would have any amazing effects on the Dragon Blood Flowers.
Yang Kai opened his palm and a Dragon Blood Flower appeared on his palm with a thought. He had fished it out from the medicine garden.
Previously, Yang Kai had stolen numerous Dragon Blood Flowers, but he didn’t have the time to consume all of them, so he only used up all the Peak-Rank, High-Rank, and Mid-Rank flowers before transplanting the Low-Rank ones into his own medicine garden.
The flower appeared to be scarlet, as if it had been pulled out from a pool of fresh blood, and at the same time, it exuded a faint yet pure Dragon Pressure.
Fu Qi caught his breath and exclaimed, “A Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flower!”
A startled Yang Kai parroted, “Mid-Rank?”
[Why is it a Mid-Rank one?] He remembered that he had consumed all the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers; furthermore, he didn’t even refine them into pills as he just gulped them down as he was lacking time and adjuvant herbs after refining all the High-Rank and Peak-Rank flowers into pills. Yang Kai was certain that all the Mid-Rank and above flowers were used up, and he was only left with Low-Rank ones.
However, upon closer inspection, the colour and the size of the flower in his hand clearly indicated it was Mid-Rank. After giving it a thought though, Yang Kai quickly understood the reason behind this.
His own medicine garden was basically a paradise for growing Spirit Herbs. With a rich amount of Heavy Earth which provided nutrients, plenty of Earth Vein Crystals for rich World Energy, and the Immortal Tree which constantly exuded unlimited amounts of vitality, just growing Dragon Blood Flowers in the garden for one year was akin to them growing for more than dozens of years in the outside world.
More than ten years had passed since the last time he left Dragon Island.
In other words, these Dragon Blood Flowers had actually grown for the equivalent of several hundred years in the outside world, so it was no wonder that they had gone from Low-Rank to Mid-Rank.
“What’s so surprising about it?” Yang Kai scoffed, “Haven’t you consumed Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers before?”
Fu Qi smiled helplessly, “I’m only a Sixth-Order, so it’s more than enough for me to consume Low-Rank flowers. Once every few dozen years I may get one of the Mid-Rank ones. I guess something embarrassing like this would make Brother Yang laugh.”
The Dragon Blood Flowers picked from Dragon Island were distributed accordingly in fixed amounts. A Dragon Clan member’s Dragon Vein would determine the quality and quantity of Dragon Blood Flowers they would get, so the flowers were not distributed randomly. Normally, a Sixth-Order Dragon only had access to Low-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers.
Seventh and Eighth-Order Dragons would take Mid-Rank flowers, and Ninth-Order Dragons would consume High-Rank flowers.
Peak-Rank flowers were reserved for Tenth-Order Dragons like Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun because Dragon Blood Flowers that were below Peak-Rank were not useful to them at all, and it would be only a waste if they insisted on consuming them. As such, all other flowers were given to the others to improve their bloodline.
Fu Qi had lived for many years, but throughout his long life, he had consumed fewer than ten Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers. Now, only immature and Low-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers were left on Dragon Island, so a Mid-Rank flower’s presence was special and attractive.
Yang Kai now understood how the flowers were allocated, so he spoke no further and instead carefully planted the Mid-Rank flower on the ground in front of him. There was a hole there which was obviously left behind when Yang Kai stole a flower previously.
Then, he slit his own finger and pushed out a drop of Golden Blood before it dropped onto the stem of the flower.
Fu Qi’s breathing became rapid as he widened his eyes and stared fixedly at the drop of Golden Blood.
Hearing a clearly audible gulp, Yang Kai turned to look at him and asked, “Brother Fu Qi, are you hungry?”
“Wha..? No, no, no, no!” Fu Qi waved his hands quickly as his Adam’s apple bobbed.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that Fu Qi was drooling over the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flower; however, upon closer inspection, he realised that Fu Qi was staring fixedly at his wound, which caused him to feel disgusted as he discreetly placed his hand behind his back. [What is wrong with him? Is my blood useful to male Dragon Clan members as well?]
After giving it a thought, he realised that it might be true. Zhu Qing’s Dragon Vein broke through from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order after they engaged in an intimate union. In other words, there was something in his body that could help improve the purity of a Dragon’s blood.
Therefore, his Golden Blood might just be beneficial for all members of the Dragon Clan.
[This is terrible…] Yang Kai became somewhat apprehensive. If that was the case, he was worried that they would capture him to distribute his blood to everyone.
He was fine with using his blood to nurture the flowers to compensate for their losses; however, if they wanted to drink his blood, he couldn’t bring himself to allow them to do so.
Quickly, he waved his other hand at Fu Qi, “Good. You may leave now. I can handle things here on my own, so you don’t have to keep me company.”
Considering what Fu Qi had done just now, he wouldn’t dare to let him remain.
Fu Qi was startled for a moment before he said, “But my job is to guard this place…”
Yang Kai shot him a glare, “And just what are you trying to guard? There are only a hundred or so immature Dragon Blood Flowers here. Do you think I’d steal them?”
[It’s not like you never stole them before…] Despite his unspoken criticism, Fu Qi said, “Great Elder ordered me to…”
“Are you leaving or not? If you aren’t, then I’ll go.”
“What? Where are you going?” Fu Qi was shocked.
“The world is huge. I can go wherever I want.”
A stunned Fu Qi said, “Brother Yang, you’ve promised to cultivate the Dragon Blood Flowers. How can you leave just like this?”
Yang Kai sighed, “That was my intention, but someone has spoiled my mood, so I don’t feel like doing it anymore.”
Fu Qi’s face reddened as he could tell that he must have made Yang Kai feel displeased. After giving it a thought, he realised that drooling over Yang Kai’s blood, even if it was an instinctual response when he realized it was hugely beneficial to him, must have been quite off-putting.
However, with Yang Kai acting this way, Fu Qi could only say, “I’ll have to get Great Elder’s permission first.”
“Make it quick!” Yang Kai urged him with an impatient expression.
Fu Qi then used a Secret Technique to communicate with Zhu Yan, and a moment later, he said with a dejected expression, “Great Elder has said that I don’t have to keep guard here anymore…”
Yang Kai grunted, “Great Elder is indeed a sensible person.”
Feeling helpless, Fu Qi replied, “This Fu will take his leave, then.”
“Go, go.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Fu Qi longingly took a look at the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flower, which had just been planted, before he turned around and flew away. Still, he thought that it was such a shame. It would be wonderful if he could consume the drop of Golden Blood just now. Although he wasn’t sure what that drop of blood could do for him, he knew that it must be better than consuming a Dragon Blood Flower.
After Fu Qi was gone, Yang Kai was finally able to be at ease as he remained on the same spot and stroked his chin. At the same time, he observed the transformation the flower was going through.
He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but after just a short moment, he could feel that the flower had gone through some changes. There was a layer of golden glow on the scarlet flower now, which made it look somewhat alluring.
As he kept watching, there seemed to be more changes, but it also felt like there had been none.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was puzzled; however, since Dragon Blood was needed to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers, he knew that his blood must have incredible effects on them; after all, his bloodline was able to suppress most members of the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush to keep planting more flowers, as he wanted to find out how effective his blood was on this particular flower first. If his blood wasn’t useful at all, then he would stop doing it and directly go over to break into the Dragon Temple to spare himself the suffering.
However, it was quite boring to keep watching the flower, so he decided to take a stroll around the island while he waited.
In fact, he had walked around Dragon Blood Island before; however, at that time, he was focused on looking for Dragon Blood Flowers, so he didn’t take any time to enjoy the scenery. Now, it was the right time to do some sightseeing.
Besides Dragon Blood Flowers, there were also some other plants on Dragon Blood Island. Nevertheless, they were just some ordinary plants rather than precious Spirit Herbs. Furthermore, it seemed that due to the fact that they had been surrounded by Dragon Blood mist for a long time, all the ordinary plants here appeared scarlet as well, giving them a somewhat eerie beauty.
Yang Kai also saw the more than one hundred remaining Dragon Blood Flowers. Most of them were indeed still immature, with their colour and size incomparable to those of the flower he had just planted.
Half a day later, Yang Kai returned to his original spot, and upon closer look, he was elated.
The Dragon Blood Flower had really gone through huge changes. It was hard to tell the differences when he was staring fixedly at it earlier. But now, he could see that the petals had grown larger, and the colour of the flower had become more vivid. The golden glow on the flower didn’t disappear either and instead was shining more brightly than earlier, which went to show that his drop of Golden Blood was still providing a positive effect, even though he wasn’t sure how long the effect would last.
The revelation made Yang Kai feel hopeful.
Since he had an effective method now, it meant that he could fulfil Fu Zhun’s request. In the future, if she dared to stop him from entering the Dragon Temple, he would not hold back.
All of a sudden, he seemed to have endless energy as he was ready to plant more Dragon Blood Flowers.
There were about six hundred to seven hundred Low-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers in his medicine garden, and he could just release six hundred to seven hundred drops of his Golden Blood to nurture them. He believed that after his blood took effect, even if he couldn’t restore the original amount of flowers, he could raise their quality significantly.
With a flick of his Divine Sense, another Dragon Blood Flower appeared on his palm, but upon inspecting it, Yang Kai was startled because this one was also Mid-Rank. Fishing out another, Yang Kai saw it was yet another Mid-Rank flower, and it was the same case for the third one.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s expression cramped as he thought of something. Smacking his forehead, he immediately plunged into the Sealed World Bead.
At that instant, he realised that he had foolishly forgotten about the two helpers who had been living inside.
Mu Zhu and Mu Lu!
The duo could be said to be the authoritative figures in cultivating Dragon Blood Flowers. To the members of the Wood Spirit Clan, nothing was more joyous than growing rare plants, and after Yang Kai passed the medicine garden to them, he had essentially stopped checking on it altogether. Now, the medicine garden had expanded by more than ten times, and many peculiar plants were growing in it.
Upon seeing that all the Dragon Blood Flowers he had brought out were Mid-Rank, Yang Kai realised that the Low-Rank flowers that he had placed might have all been upgraded.
With the care of Mu Zhu and Mu Lu, who were Wood Spirits, and the special conditions in his medicine garden, the impossible could be made possible.
When Yang Kai appeared in the medicine garden, he was immediately dumbfounded.
There was basically no end to the medicine garden as Spirit Flowers, Medicines, and Herbs of all different sizes and colours spread as far as the eye could see. There were also rows of trees that were neatly arranged, some of which were covered in blooms while others had ripened fruit hanging from their boughs. The entire medicine garden was filled with a unique scent that refreshed one’s spirit and wheted their appetite.
The Immortal Tree and the Firmament Tree stood at the centre of the garden, and in a spot nearby, the rare Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree was planted.
Countless dots of lights, which looked like fireflies, floated around the medicine garden, making it look like a heavenly paradise.
The dumbstruck Yang Kai wondered if it was really his formerly messy, disorganized medicine garden, as he had never seen a more beautiful and orderly place in his life.
When he reached the peak of Martial Dao in the future, it would be a good idea to spend his time in this serene place with his women.
“Mu Zhu, Mu Lu,” Yang Kai called out to them in a hushed voice, feeling somewhat anxious for some reason, as if he was a thief here to steal the herbs.
Just then, two petite figures shot toward Yang Kai from both sides and hovered in the air in front of him. After they traded glances, Mu Zhu asked, “Master, why are you here?”
“I’ve come across a bit of trouble,” Yang Kai still said in a quiet voice. “I need your help.”
Puzzled by his behaviour, Mu Zhu also spoke in a lowered voice, “Master, you don’t have to be overly polite with us. Just tell us what you want us to do.”
Although Mu Lu remained silent, she nodded repeatedly.
“That’s great. It’s an easy task for you two I suppose. I just want you to help me cultivate a specific Spirit Flower.”
Mu Zhu replied with a smile, “That’s our forte, but…” She looked around, “Why are you speaking in a hushed voice? Is someone eavesdropping on us here?”
Yang Kai blinked as he placed his fist on his lips and coughed. Then, he said in his usual tone of voice, “No, I just felt I should not ruin the serenity and tranquillity of this place.”
The two Wood Spirits were dumbfounded upon hearing that as they were torn between laughter and tears.
Mu Zhu remained silent for a moment before asking, “Master, what kind of Spirit Flower do you want us to nurture?”
“Dragon Blood Flowers. You must have come across them in the medicine garden.” As Yang Kai spoke, he strode towards the area where Dragon Blood Flowers were planted, followed by the two Wood Spirits.
When they arrived at the place, Yang Kai took a look as his gaze appeared pleasantly surprised. Then, he exclaimed, “Amazing!”
Hundreds of Dragon Blood Flowers were neatly arranged in this part of the medicine garden as they were surrounded by some kind of purple grass. They also gleamed with a scarlet glow. Just like what he had expected, all the Dragon Blood Flowers had turned from Low-Rank to Mid-Rank.
There were about six hundred or so Dragon Blood Flowers in total!
This was utterly inconceivable. When Yang Kai stole these flowers in the past, he had obtained about a thousand of them. There were two Peak-Rank flowers, thirty High-Rank flowers, two hundred Mid-Rank flowers and the rest were all Low-Rank.
Since he was in a rush at that time, he only refined the Peak-Rank and High-Rank ones into pills to consume, then he swallowed all the Mid-Rank ones raw. With no time to consume the Low-Rank ones, he decided to keep them in the medicine garden.
He had never expected that those Low-Rank flowers would all become Mid-Rank just a decade or so later.
Even more surprising was that the number of flowers had increased. Apart from these six hundred or so Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, Yang Kai also discovered a lot of immature Dragon Blood Flowers in another area of the medicine garden. They were densely planted, and he estimated that there were more than a thousand of them. Some of the flowers even showed signs that they were about to mature into Low-Rank ones.
“Amazing…” Yang Kai pointed at those Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, “Were they all cultivated by you two?”
Mu Zhu replied with a faint smile, “Master, this place is very fertile, which is why they’ve grown well.”
“What about those flowers?” Yang Kai pointed at another area of the medicine garden as he appeared doubtful, “Where did you get the seeds of Dragon Blood Flowers?”
Mu Lu replied gently, “We don’t need any seeds.”
“You don’t?” Yang Kai looked shocked.
Mu Zhu explained, “We used a stem cutting method to take parts of mature Dragon Blood Flowers and then planted the offshoots over there. Master, you seem to have the blood of the Dragon Clan, so these Dragon Blood Flowers must be useful to you, right?”
“They’re not just useful. They’re…” Yang Kai was lost for words as he had the urge to hug the two Wood Spirits and kiss them; however, they were too petite and if he really did that, he might scare them off.
After composing himself, Yang Kai got back to the main topic by saying, “The thing is, the way I obtained these Dragon Blood Flowers is a little… illegitimate.”
The Wood Spirits gazed at him and waited for him to go on.
An embarrassed Yang Kai said, “I stole them from Dragon Island.”
He took a quick glance at them, and upon seeing that they did not appear disapproving, he went on to say, “Now, the Dragon Clan members want me to compensate for their losses, so I have to move these Dragon Blood Flowers out.”
“You want to return these flowers?” Upon hearing that, Mu Zhu was displeased.
Wood Spirit Clan members were especially fond of precious plants. It had been a long time since Yang Kai had entrusted them to take care of the medicine garden, so they had already regarded everything in the garden to be their private property. Certainly, if Yang Kai needed something from the garden, they were fine with it; however, if they had to take something out of the garden and give it to outsiders, they were naturally unwilling to do so.
Dragon Blood Flowers were extremely rare plants that were only grown on Dragon Island, so they were even rarer and more precious than ordinary precious Emperor Artifacts.
Yang Kai suddenly said that he had to move these Dragon Blood Flowers out, which gave them a feeling that they had to part with their treasures, so of course they were heartbroken.
Yang Kai said, “I was thinking of moving some while keeping the rest; however, since you two have the ability to grow even more Dragon Blood Flowers, there’s nothing much to worry about.” Even if he moved out all the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, there were still more than a thousand immature Dragon Blood Flowers in the medicine garden. Since Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were able to increase the number of the flowers using their Wood Spirit Clan’s Secret Techniques, then the supply of the flowers was no longer a concern.
“Must we move them all out?” Mu Lu pouted and asked.
Yang Kai sighed, “This is an important matter. I don’t want to do it either, but I have no choice.”
Upon hearing that, Mu Zhu nodded, “Since that’s the case, we’ll obey your order.”
After they came to an agreement, Yang Kai released the Wood Spirits out of the Small Sealed World. Upon arriving at Dragon Blood Island, Mu Zhu said, “Master, please give Mu Lu and me some time to survey this area first.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded and decided to wait as he observed the transformation of the Dragon Blood Flower, which he had dropped a bit of his Golden Blood onto. Meanwhile, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu flew off in different directions to survey the island.
A few hours later, they returned consecutively and had a discussion in hushed voices; then, they shook their heads and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai’s chest tightened when he saw that, silently praying it wasn’t bad news.
Mu Zhu replied, “It’s no big problem actually, it’s just apparent that the Dragon Clan has lost most of the proper techniques when it comes to cultivating Dragon Blood Flowers. If they continue using such methods, the result will always be poor.”
In ancient times, some of the Wood Spirit Clan had helped the Dragon Clan to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers, so both sides had amassed a lot of useful experience. However, as time passed, many techniques had apparently been lost. Moreover, only Wood Spirit Clan members were able to bring out the full effects of these techniques. Even if other races got their hands on such techniques, they would be unable to use them properly or even at all.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “You two are the unparalleled experts in this field. Since we’ve decided to do it, we have to achieve great results and shut the mouths of those in the Dragon Clan.”
Mu Zhu nodded, “But before that, I have to ask you what our goal is.”
“Our goal?” Yang Kai gave it a thought, “In the past, I had picked about a thousand Dragon Blood Flowers from this place. There were two Peak-Rank, thirty High-Rank, and two hundred Mid-Rank flowers. The rest were all Low-Rank ones. If that’s our goal, how long will we take to achieve that?”
Upon hearing that, Mu Zhu replied with a nod, “That’s not a lot.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as her words encouraged him.
Mu Zhu went on to say, “However, it will be quite difficult to cultivate two Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers… If those aren’t counted, I estimate that we’ll be able to achieve the necessary numbers in half a year.”
“Half a year!?” Yang Kai exclaimed, “Can we really do that in such a short period of time?” It wasn’t that he doubted their abilities, but half a year was just too short; after all, it had always taken an unbelievably long time for these flowers to mature as far as he knew.
Mu Zhu explained, “The prerequisite is that we have to give these flowers the highest level of treatment. Master, I’m sure you know what’s most needed to cultivate Dragon Blood Flowers.”
“Dragon Blood!” Yang Kai replied solemnly.
Mu Zhu nodded her head, “That’s right. The purer the Dragon Blood, the more useful it will be for growing the flowers. So, we need some Dragon Blood as well.”
“My blood seems to work well on these flowers,” Yang Kai said with uncertainty.
“Master, you want to use your own blood?” Mu Zhu frowned. She didn’t understand why Yang Kai was so eager to complete this task, even to the point of literally bleeding for it.
With a grin, Yang Kai pointed at the Dragon Blood Flower that he had planted earlier, “Look at this one. I only gave it one drop of my regular blood but it seems to have grown a little already.”
Upon hearing that, the two Wood Spirits flew over and stood on both sides of the Dragon Blood Flower before they closed their eyes to examine it. Just then, dots of green lights, which looked like fireflies, emitted from their bodies and landed on the Dragon Blood Flower before the petals were soon covered in them.
A moment later, their bodies shook as they opened their eyes in unison and turned to look at Yang Kai in disbelief, “Master, are you a member of the Dragon Clan?”
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed at his own nose and put on a grin, “I’m not, but I obtained the Source of an Ancient Dragon and have cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art to a fairly high level.”
“But this Dragon Blood…” Mu Zhu frowned as she appeared hesitant. Eventually, she shook her head.
“Is my blood not usable?” Yang Kai’s heart clenched up, “No way! The flower has really grown!”
Mu Lu said with a smile, “It’s not that it isn’t usable. In fact, it’s very effective. If this flower can completely absorb your blood and, if we use our Secret Techniques consistently, it will mature into a High-Rank flower in just three months. However, it will take a long time for it to grow to Peak-Rank. Even if we personally nurture it, it will still take us about ten to twenty years.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai replied, “We don’t have to worry about Peak-Rank flowers for now then, we’ll just raise High-Rank ones as compensation. I picked about one thousand flowers in the past, so we’ll just return more flowers in total to them.”
Mu Zhu nodded, “That seems to be the only way.”
Since they had the most important ingredient readily available, it wasn’t an issue anymore for them to cultivate some Dragon Blood Flowers. After the Wood Spirits discussed the topic for a bit longer, Mu Zhu said, “Master, please take out some of the Purple Soul Grass from the medicine garden.”
“The what?” Yang Kai looked puzzledly at them.
Mu Lu replied with a faint smile, “The purple grass that grows around the Dragon Blood Flowers.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai smacked his head, “I see…”
In fact, he had noticed the grass when he entered the medicine garden earlier. In the two plots of the garden, not only were there Dragon Blood Flowers, but there was also a lot of purple grass. The colour of the grass perfectly complemented the scarlet Dragon Blood Flowers. He didn’t pay much attention to the grass at that time though, but now that they had mentioned it, he realized it was quite obvious what these two were talking about.
Then, as Yang Kai began pulling some Purple Soul Grass out of the medicine garden, he asked, “What are the uses of this Purple Soul Grass? Why have I never seen it before?” He was an Emperor Rank Alchemist, so there should be very few, if any Spirit Flowers and Grasses in this world that he wasn’t aware of.
Mu Zhu replied, “Purple Soul Grass is an extinct species in the Star Boundary as a whole, but we still had some seeds within our Clan. The thing is, this grass has to grow alongside Dragon Blood Flowers; otherwise, it cannot survive. Its presence is beneficial to Dragon Blood Flowers as it can spur the growth of the flowers. All in all, they are meant to be grown together in symbiosis. The grass can shorten the time it takes for Dragon Blood Flowers to mature.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “I’ve never heard of it before.”
Mu Zhu nodded her head, “There should have been a lot of Purple Soul Grass on Dragon Island, but for some reason, there isn’t any.”
As time passed, many species would go extinct, and the Purple Soul Grass was just one of them.
It was said that a sharp axe makes a woodcutter’s job smoother. Purple Soul Grass was essential to the growth of Dragon Blood Flowers, so the two Wood Spirits decided to nurture the grass first to build a foundation for the Dragon Blood Flowers that would be gradually moved out of the medicine garden.
It wasn’t difficult to cultivate Purple Soul Grass. Although they didn’t have any seeds left, they had plenty of this grass in the medicine garden. Paired with Mu Zhu and Mu Lu’s root splitting Secret Technique, the entire Dragon Blood Island would be covered in the grass soon.
Mu Zhu estimated that it would take them a month to finish this step.
While the Wood Spirits were busy with their work, Yang Kai basically had nothing to do. Fortunately, Zhu Qing would come over to keep him company every few days, which made his life less boring.
Zhu Qing was shocked when she saw the Wood Spirits, as she hadn’t expected that two people from such a rare race had been staying by Yang Kai’s side. Knowing the Wood Spirits’ special abilities, she was now completely confident that Yang Kai would be able to fulfil Fu Zhun’s request.
Besides Zhu Qing, Fu Qi, and Zhu Lie had come over several times in an attempt to check on his progress; apparently, they had received the order from Zhu Yan.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai blocked both of them outside the island. The two Wood Spirits were busy with their work, so he didn’t want the situation on the island to be revealed too soon. If the Dragon Clan discovered Mu Zhu and Mu Lu and greedily wanted them to stay, it would become troublesome.
Fu Qi and Zhu Lie felt helpless. Although they headed to the island every two to three days, they still had no idea about the progress on the island.
Half a month later, a frustrated Yang Kai finally lost patience and beat Fu Qi and Zhu Lie up badly.
After that, they stopped showing up. Left with no choice, Zhu Yan decided to pry some information out of Zhu Qing; after all, the only person on the entire Dragon Island who could make Yang Kai tell the truth was Zhu Qing.
Certainly, Zhu Qing wouldn’t dare to ignore Zhu Yan’s questions, and fortunately, Yang Kai had told her to inform Zhu Yan that the result would be ready in half a year, and that everyone in the Dragon Clan wouldn’t be disappointed.
Half a year wasn’t a long time. Compared to their long lifespan, half a year would pass after a flick of the finger, so they were fine with waiting.
The appearance of Dragon Blood Island changed noticeably every day. Just like what Mu Zhu had said, one month later, the Purple Soul Grass had grown into place.
Now, half of the island was covered in this purple grass. Looking from afar, the island appeared stunning. The places where the purple grass was growing would now be planted with Dragon Blood Flowers.
After they were done with the preparation, Yang Kai followed the Wood Spirits’ orders and fished out Dragon Blood Flowers from his medicine garden.
Every flower that had been taken out, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu would carefully plant on the island. While they were doing this, they appeared meticulous and sincere, as if they were adherents on a holy pilgrimage.
Two days later, all the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers had been taken out and planted, and a few days later, a large number of the immature flowers had also been moved out.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had prepared his own Golden Blood. Following Mu Zhu’s instructions, he filled a large barrel with his blood and passed it to them.
He was relieved that the purity of his blood didn’t seem to have regressed after this was done.
Then, there was nothing else he could do but wait. With two Wood Spirits in charge of everything, Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about anything at all. After finding a suitable location, he built a wooden hut for himself and spent most of the time meditating.
Sometimes, he would take a stroll and check on the Dragon Blood Flowers’ progress, and every month or so, Mu Zhu or Mu Lu would look for him and get more Golden Blood.
It was a peaceful life. Zhu Qing also spent more time on the island. Whenever she was free, she would come over and keep him company.
Half a year later, Yang Kai was standing on the beach of Dragon Blood Island with his hands behind his back as his hair and clothes swayed in the wind. With a solemn expression, he looked up at the sky, appearing bold and undaunted.
Just then, beams of lights that came in from different colours appeared over the horizon and shot towards Yang Kai. Waves of Dragon Pressure swept across the sky, causing the ocean to surge and splash onto the beach.
After the lights diminished, five figures appeared in front of Yang Kai.
All five Elders of the Dragon Clan, Great Elder Zhu Yan, Second Elder Fu Zhun, Third Elder Fu Xuan, Fourth Elder Zhu Kong, as well as Zhu Qing, had all arrived.
Right after Zhu Yan appeared, he said hurriedly, “Yang Boy, Qing’er said that you’re done with the task. Is that true?”
When Zhu Qing informed him about it earlier, Zhu Yan still couldn’t believe it. In the past, she had passed on Yang Kai’s word that everything would be resolved in half a year; however, when that time came, Zhu Yan couldn’t help feeling apprehensive as he was worried that Yang Kai was just messing with them.
After all, Yang Kai had stolen a large number of Dragon Blood Flowers. Furthermore, he had said that he had consumed all the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers already, so how was he able to compensate for their losses in such a short time?
A smiling Yang Kai replied, “Whether or not it’s true, you’ll have to look forward to it.”
As he spoke, he nodded at Fu Xuan and Zhu Kong as a way of greeting them. As for Fu Zhun, he wasn’t even willing to spare her a glance.
With a cold expression, Fu Zhun didn’t show any sign of displeasure. It would be weird if Yang Kai showed her any respect. His behaviour just now was normal.
Zhu Yan said solemnly, “Little brat, you mustn’t lie to us. I’m sure you’re aware that Dragon Blood Flowers are important to us. If you dare mock us, this Old Master will never let you off.”
Yang Kai snorted, “It’s just a few Dragon Blood Flowers. Why do you make it sound like they’re some unparalleled treasures?”
[Just some Dragon Blood Flowers?] Zhu Yan’s expression darkened when he heard that. Dragon Blood Flowers were the foundation of the Dragon Clan. How are they not considered as treasures?
Zhu Qing couldn’t take it any longer and finally spoke up, “Great Elder, seeing is believing. Why don’t you have a look yourself?”
Zhu Yan nodded, “Good.”
Then, Fu Zhun moved and shot further into Dragon Blood Island as her cold voice was heard saying from afar, “This Queen will see what tricks you’re up to!”
Yang Kai scoffed, “Take your time, no one will snatch anything from you, so why are you in a rush?”
Fu Zhun stopped flying and turned around to shoot him a glare before moving forward again.
Zhu Yan wasn’t willing to keep wasting time on Yang Kai as he raced after Fu Zhun to find out the situation on the island. Fu Xuan and Zhu Kong cupped their fists to Yang Kai before they ran after the others as well.
Zhu Qing stared at their figures and said, “I hope that they will not be too surprised.”
Over the past six months, Zhu Qing had witnessed how the Wood Spirits used their Secret Techniques to transform Dragon Blood Island into a place overflowing with life and vitality. If she hadn’t seen it for herself, she wouldn’t even be sure how she should face the current Dragon Blood Island.
Surprised? Shocked? Elated? Excited? Perhaps any member of the Dragon Clan who saw the current Dragon Blood Island would not be able to contain their emotions.
Yang Kai extended his hand toward her and said, “Let’s go and see what their reactions will be.”
With a faint smile, Zhu Qing took his hand as they flew into the air together.
A moment later, they arrived at the cultivated region of Dragon Blood Island, and looking up, they realised that the Dragon Clan’s four Elders were hovering in the air in a row as they remained silent.
As if a Binding Secret Technique had been cast upon them, these four were rooted to the spot as they stared fixedly in front of themselves. Fu Xuan even covered her red lips as her eyes beamed with excitement.
While Zhu Yan had been transformed by shock, Fu Zhun appeared doubtful and astounded.
Batting his eyes, Zhu Kong asked for confirmation, “Is this a dream?”
If it wasn’t a dream, why would they see such a sight?
The vast plot of land below was covered in purple grass, and there were countless Dragon Blood Flowers which appeared vivid and lively growing amongst them. Furthermore, they were all neatly arranged.
There were immature, Low-Rank, Mid-Rank and even High-Rank flowers in this patch of garden.
As far as Zhu Kong could see, there were about five High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, thirty to forty Mid-Rank flowers, and the Low-Rank and immature ones were basically innumerable.
What’s more, the area they were looking at was just one part of Dragon Blood Island. If they had to count all the Dragon Blood Flowers on the island, they wondered how many there were in total.
Apparently, Fu Zhun couldn’t believe her own eyes. After some hesitation, she shot forward. It seemed that she wanted to look around the entire island. Perhaps only this area was full of Dragon Blood Flowers while the other regions were barren.
She wasn’t the only one who had this thought as Zhu Yan, Zhu Kong, and Fu Xuan dispersed to examine the other parts of the island.
Yang Kai sneered and turned to look at Zhu Qing, “Looks like they still don’t believe me.”
Zhu Qing shook her head, “It’s not that they don’t believe you. It’s just that it’s inconceivable. Just let them look around. It’s better than if you explain anything.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “You’re right.”
After that, they decided to wait.
A moment later, Fu Zhun was the first one to return. It was the first time she was staring at Yang Kai in surprise with her deep gaze. It was as if she wanted to look into his heart and find out how he was able to achieve this in just half a year. She parted her lips in an attempt to ask something, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a word in the end.
On the other hand, Yang Kai straightened up as his figure appeared as imposing as a sword.
Then, beams of lights returned as the others showed up and looked at Yang Kai in disbelief.
Seeing that, Yang Kai felt even more confident.
“Yang Boy…” Zhu Yan was the first to speak as he pointed at the ground, “Is that Purple Soul Grass?”
Yang Kai turned to gaze at him and replied, “Great Elder is a knowledgeable man, even able to recognise the Purple Soul Grass. Impressive, impressive.”
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but roll his eyes, for Yang Kai’s compliment sounded more mocking than sincere. Nevertheless, he didn’t have the time to harp on this issue as he asked, “Where did you get this Purple Soul Grass?”
Purple Soul Grass had become extinct; otherwise, they would have collected it and used it to nurture the Dragon Blood Flowers long ago. After all, with Purple Soul Grass around, Dragon Blood Flowers would grow more rapidly.
However, Zhu Yan had never expected that something that had supposedly become extinct would appear in this world again. Moreover, it came in large quantities, almost covering the entire Dragon Blood Island.
Purple Soul Grass alone was an immense treasure for the Dragon Clan which couldn’t be traded with anything else.
“You don’t have to care about where I obtained this grass. Since I’ve planted it here, I’ll just give it to the Dragon Clan.”
Zhu Yan thought to himself. [It’s not like you have a choice. Did you even intend to take it back? I’ll kill you if you really do that!]
The pleasantly surprised Zhu Yan said with a grin, “Wonderful. Since you’re so generous, we won’t hesitate to accept.”
Then, Yang Kai said in a low tone, “I am Zhu Qing’s husband, which makes me part of the Dragon Clan; therefore, I wouldn’t hide any good things from you.”
As he spoke, he stared fixedly at Fu Zhun.
However, Fu Zhun looked away and ignored him.
[This cheap slut!] Yang Kai cursed her in his heart.