If Li Wu Yi knew that Cang Mo had such an ulterior motive, he wouldn’t have shared his knowledge with him for the latter to use against Yang Kai.
In his defence, Li Wu Yi wasn’t even aware that there were grudges between Yang Kai and Cang Mo; after all, there was a huge gap between the latter two when it came to their power and status. While one was a Pseudo-Great Emperor and a member of the Star Court, the other was a rising star who was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Yang Kai and Cang Mo logically wouldn’t even come into contact with each other for another few hundred years.
So, when Cang Mo asked him about Space Principles, Li Wu Yi didn’t conceal anything. Now that Yang Kai asked about it, however, Li Wu Yi felt slightly embarrassed. Although he didn’t mean to, he still had caused some trouble for Yang Kai.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had many cards up his sleeves. Any other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master would’ve fallen into Cang Mo’s hands by now, and their life or death would no longer be their own to control.
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded gently and put on a smile, “Senior need not blame himself, Cang Mo was the only one with ill intentions, so this matter has nothing to do with you.”
An embarrassed Li Wu Yi, however, shook his head, “No, I’m still partly responsible for what happened. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to you…”
Yang Kai changed the topic by saying, “So, what did you teach him? Given his comprehension of the Dao of Space, I’m curious about how he was able to seal off a region of space without my noticing.”
Li Wu Yi explained, “Space is ubiquitous, and even when damaged by external forces, it is able to heal itself under the influence of World Principles. I’m sure you understand this much.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Naturally, I’ve torn space countless times before.”
A smiling Li Wu Yi went on to ask, “When you tear space to enter the Void, did you notice that the barriers of said space have strong and weak points?”
Yang Kai nodded once more, “En, the fabric of space in some places is quite tough, while it’s relatively weak in others. It takes far more effort to tear about strong points in space than weak points.”
Li Wu Yi said, “That’s right. Even space has strong and weak points, and the points where space is the frailest are referred to as Space Nodes.”
“Space Node?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Li Wu Yi waved his hand as Space Principles undulated and covered a radius of about a thousand metres around them, “Sense it and tell me how many Space Nodes there are in this region.”
Yang Kai closed his eyes and probed. A moment later, he opened his eyes and replied, “There are three. There’s one that is three hundred metres to Senior’s left, another one hundred and fifty metres behind you, and the last is seven hundred metres away to your right.”
“Good, these three places are what I’m talking about. If you want to leave this place using instantaneous movement, you would have to make use of one of these three Space Nodes to enter the Void. Now look…” As Li Wu Yi spoke, the Space Principles around them undulated and a seemingly tangible substance rapidly filled in those three Space Nodes.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “The space has been sealed off!”
Li Wu Yi looked smilingly at him and stopped using his Divine Ability, “Do you understand now?”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai lifted his head and asked, “Senior, do you mean that if someone can seal off all the surrounding Space Nodes, they can essentially block off this region of space without anyone knowing and make it impossible to enter the Void?”
“That’s right.” Li Wu Yi nodded, “If we liken the world to a bottle, these Space Nodes are like fissures. When we use instantaneous movement, we need to pass through these fissures to leave the bottle. Once these loopholes are blocked, we become trapped inside the bottle.”
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had heard the world referred to as a bottle. Nevertheless, Li Wu Yi’s explanation was clear and precise.
In fact, Yang Kai had realised this truth a long time ago and he had been making use of it ever since; however, after hearing Li Wu Yi’s explanation, it was as if a realisation dawned upon him.
Still feeling puzzled, however, he asked, “Senior, given your mastery over the Dao of Space, it isn’t hard for you to block these Space Nodes. But how did Cang Mo do it?”
Given Cang Mo’s attainment in the Dao of Space, even if he could detect Space Nodes, there was no way he could secretly block them.
Li Wu Yi explained, “My guess is he made use of an artifact. That was a suggestion I gave him. It seems that he asked someone to refine a special artifact for this purpose. As for what that artifact was, we probably would not be able to find out now. Your battle with him undoubtedly destroyed all the blockades. Although space can technically be blocked using this method, it’s still possible to break through with enough force.”
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “If he could overpower me, he could have captured me with ease.”
Cang Mo’s plan would have been perfect, if he had not underestimated just how much Yang Kai’s strength had grown since their last encounter. Any other Second-Order Emperor Realm Master could never have escaped in that kind of situation even if they were an expert in the Dao of Space.
However, Cang Mo’s opponent was Yang Kai, who was able to transform into a 300-metre-long Half-Dragon, and with the help of the Embodiment, Yang Kai was able to fight against him head-on.
Upon understanding the method employed, Yang Kai believed that hardly anyone could deal with him using this same tactic again. At the very least, he could have his guard up in advance. Even if the Space Nodes were blocked again, he could focus on breaking through them to flee.
As the sun sank and the moon rose, Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi sat across from each other and continued their discussion, all while Jiu Feng kept them company to the side, looking quite bored.
In the end, their discussion lasted for three full days.
During the past three days, Tang Sheng and Qian Xiu Ying from Heavenly Wolf Valley had visited several times; after all, with Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng as guests, the Valley Master and Vice-Valley Master had to show appropriate hospitality. However, they didn’t expect that they couldn’t even meet their guests.
Before they even approached the gazebo, they could feel the surrounding space vibrate, as if it was going to collapse at any moment; however, looking from afar, they could only see Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi chatting happily as they occasionally made gestures with their hands.
Sighing many times over the past three days, Tang Sheng often thought how bright Yang Kai’s future would be. As a Second-Order Emperor Realm, he was able to have a discussion on cultivation with a top Master like Li Wu Yi. When he became more powerful in the future, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
Their valley had truly missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tang Sheng secretly heaved a sigh again. He had lived for many years, but it seemed his vision was poorer than that of his Disciple.
Three days later, both Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi appeared refreshed and energetic. Although they had spent almost the entire time discussing the Dao of Space, they were not exhausted at all and instead were more vigorous as each of them had gained much from their exchange.
Yang Kai suddenly uttered, “Senior, I have a request for you.”
Li Wu Yi looked smilingly at him, “Do you want to spar with me?”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Is it that obvious?”
Li Wu Yi put on a faint smile, “Your gaze suggests that you’re tempted to have a fight. How could I not notice?”
Yang Kai nodded and replied seriously, “I’ve never competed against someone who is also a Master of the Dao of Space. Please forgive this Junior’s presumptuous request, but can Senior fight and enlighten me?”
Li Wu Yi uttered, “What a coincidence. I had a similar thought in mind.”
After trading glances, the two flew out of the gazebo. The next moment, they were hovering mid-air across from each other with a distance of about a thousand metres between them, as if they had agreed upon it beforehand.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai shouted, “Senior, your cultivation is incredibly profound, so I won’t hold back at all. Please take note.”
Li Wu Yi replied, “Although I won’t go all out, I won’t suppress my power too much either. Hopefully, you’ll have a graceful loss.”
Yang Kai grinned and bellowed, “Let’s begin!”
Upon finishing his words, he clapped his hands together before sliding them apart, drawing a Moon Blade between them as he said with a grin, “This is a Space Divine Ability that I created. I call it Moon Blade. Please have a try!”
With that, he hurled the pitch-black Moon Blade at Li Wu Yi.
A serious-looking Li Wu Yi praised, “You’re able to condense the power of the Void into a thin crescent blade, wonderful!”
Despite his solemn expression, his demeanour still appeared nonchalant. Faced with the Moon Blade, Li Wu Yi didn’t even have the intention of evading and it wasn’t until the Moon Blade neared him that he waved his hand.
As Space Principles rippled, the dark Moon Blade vanished into thin air. The Space Divine Ability was disrupted by Li Wu Yi using pure Space Principles. It was the first time Yang Kai’s Moon Blade had ever been erased by an opponent in such a manner.
“Fascinating!” Yang Kai complemented but didn’t slow his movements. With a flick of his fingers, he launched a dense barrage of smaller Moon Blades at Li Wu Yi, as if trying to slice him into a million pieces.
Li Wu Yi burst into laughter, “The same move won’t have any effect on me.” He lifted his hand before pressing down, upon which all the Moon Blades vanished before they could even approach. All of a sudden, though, Li Wu Yi’s expression turned solemn as he arched his brow, “You hid a fatal move inside the storm of blades.”
With a grin, Yang Kai made a grabbing gesture and shouted, “Exile!”
Right then, a huge black hole appeared on the spot where Li Wu Yi was located. Like an ominous beast that had opened its mouth wide, the hole sucked its target inside.
In a flash, both the black hole and Li Wu Yi disappeared from sight.
An excited Jiu Feng asked, “Did you kill him?”
Looking from afar, Qiong Qi shot her a look as his face twitched, [What’s wrong with this woman? Why does she look so happy at the thought of Li Wu Yi getting killed? Aren’t they together?]
Without answering her question, Yang Kai’s expression remained quite solemn as his eyes darted about.
Just then, Li Wu Yi’s voice could be heard from all around, as if the world itself was speaking, “Brat, take my fist!”
As soon as those words were spoken, a fist suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai without any warning. Moreover, only a fist had appeared, without an arm or body at all, making it look quite eerie. However, judging from the skin colour and size of the fist, it obviously belonged to Li Wu Yi.
Although Yang Kai had his guard up the whole time, he never expected that Li Wu Yi would attack him in such a strange way. Nevertheless, it was too late for him to dodge so he swiftly pushed his Space Principles, “Nihility!”
At that instant, Yang Kai’s figure became transparent as his body merged into the Void in an attempt to avoid the attack.
“Oh?” Li Wu Yi could be heard exclaiming in surprise. He hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would evade his strike at the most critical moment by using such a move.
Nevertheless, he still had a way to deal with Yang Kai. A ripple was suddenly formed around the fist, which then vanished into thin air.
The next moment, Yang Kai showed up again in a nearby place, but his expression was grave. Then, he immediately disappeared into the Void again.
After repeatedly appearing and disappearing a few times, Yang Kai stopped moving and patted his own chest with a bitter smile. Shaking his head, he uttered, “Senior’s methods are powerful and profound. This Junior admits defeat.”
“Tsk. You are going to admit defeat just like that?” Jiu Feng shot Yang Kai a look. It was a rare opportunity to witness two Masters of the Dao of Space fight, so she thought that the battle was going to be intense and exciting. However, after only trading a few moves, Yang Kai decided to give up, which caused her to be unable to enjoy herself to the fullest. After sizing Yang Kai up, she asked, “Did he hit you?”
Yang Kai nodded but didn’t explain himself.
Although Jiu Feng was powerful, she was unable to make out Li Wu Yi’s move just now. His fist took twists and turns in the Void as it relentlessly tailed Yang Kai. No matter how hard Yang Kai tried, he could never evade it. In the end, Li Wu Yi’s fist lightly came into contact with Yang Kai. It was one hit but once it landed, Li Wu Yi immediately retracted it. In their competition on the use of Space Divine Abilities, Yang Kai had undoubtedly lost. While his moves were useless against Li Wu Yi, the latter was able to hit him with ease. It was apparent who the stronger one was.
“I’m grateful for your guidance today, Senior.” Yang Kai cupped his fists respectfully, “I’ll work harder so that I’ll be able to defeat you one day.”
Li Wu Yi guffawed, “Good. I’ll be waiting for that day.”
A smiling Yang Kai said, “I have nothing else to do, so I’ll take my leave now. I’ll go to Spirit Beast Island to visit two Seniors another day.”
Li Wu Yi raised his hand, “There’s no hurry. Don’t leave first. There’s something I need you to help me with.”
A doubtful Yang Kai asked, “What is it?”
“Just wait a moment,” upon finishing his words, Li Wu Yi moved and disappeared from sight.
After investigating the surroundings with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t detect Li Wu Yi’s aura and determined that he must have used his Space Beacons to instantly move somewhere far away.
As such, Yang Kai turned to look at Jiu Feng with an inquisitive gaze, to which she said, “Stop looking at me. I don’t know what he’s up to.”
Yang Kai nodded. Since Jiu Feng had said that she had no idea, it must be the truth. Realising that it was pointless to ask anything further, he decided to wait patiently.
After the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, a visible fluctuation of Space Principles could be seen beside Jiu Feng. Following that, Li Wu Yi’s figure appeared together with one other person.
She was a young girl with a butterfly-shaped mark on her alluring face. She gave off an innocent and youthful charm; however, the butterfly mark, which covered half of her cheek, ruined her overall beauty. She was clad in a modest green dress, which perfectly outlined her rather curvy figure which contrasted with her baby face.
As soon as the young girl appeared, she looked around dazedly before quickly meeting Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Xiao Qi?” Surprise was written all over Yang Kai’s face.
“Big Brother Yang?” Mo Xiao Qi’s gaze brightened as she appeared elated. Then, she hurriedly left Li Wu Yi’s side and charged toward Yang Kai. Suddenly realising something, she stopped in her tracks and stabilised herself on a spot that was ten metres away from him. With a flushing face, she asked, “Are you really Big Brother Yang?”
“Of course it’s me. Who else could it be?” Yang Kai put on a faint smile and combed his hair back with both hands, as if he wanted to allow Mo Xiao Qi to see his face clearly.
A pleasantly surprised Mo Xiao Qi tilted her head slightly and asked, “Why are you in the Eastern Territory?”
“I came here to attend to some matters when I happened to come across Senior Li and Senior Jiu Feng.”
Mo Xiao Qi shot him a glance and pouted, “Since you came to the Eastern Territory, why didn’t you visit me on Spirit Beast Island? Did Big Brother Yang forget all about me?”
A smiling Yang Kai replied, “I wanted to go to Spirit Beast Island, but I didn’t know how to get there, so I was delayed.”
“I see…” After a nod, Mo Xiao Qi placed her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly as she said coquettishly, “Alright, then. The next time you come to the Eastern Territory, you must come to Spirit Beast Island first!”
“Of course, of course.” Yang Kai gave a nod.
Looking from a nearby spot, Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng couldn’t help but sigh.
Jiu Feng spoke to him using her Divine Sense, “Things are looking terrible. Why did you bring this little girl here?”
Li Wu Yi replied, “When I sent a message to the Great Emperor a few days ago, I mentioned that Yang Kai was going to Dragon Island, so Sir wanted me to fetch Xiao Qi so that she could follow this boy to meet Mistress on Dragon Island.”
Upon learning the reason behind it, Jiu Feng heaved a sigh, “It’s indeed time they met. It’s been so many years since Xiao Qi was born, but she has never met her mother. Poor girl, when she was a child, she kept asking me whether she was picked up by the Great Emperor from somewhere…”
Li Wu Yi sighed as well, “Our previous mission there was too dangerous, so we didn’t bring Xiao Qi along. She has been pouting because of that ever since.”
Upon hearing that, Jiu Feng recalled what happened more than ten years ago and shuddered. After a nod, she said, “It’s good for Xiao Qi to meet her mother; however, isn’t the Great Emperor worried that those old Dragon Clan coots will… En, with Mistress around, those Dragons wouldn’t dare to do anything to Xiao Qi. Moreover, Yang Kai is going as well. They are going to have a hard time dealing with him alone, so they won’t have any time to harm Xiao Qi. Hahaha. That’s a great move by Sir. He wants Yang Kai to be the centre of hatred so that Xiao Qi and Mistress can have a proper reunion.”
As they communicated with each other using their Divine Senses, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were also whispering among themselves. As if they were talking about something funny, Mo Xiao Qi covered her mouth and giggled while Yang Kai shook his head with a helpless smile.
Li Wu Yi stepped forward and said, “Yang Kai, since you’re going to Dragon Island, bring Xiao Qi with you. Someone is waiting for her over there…”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai took a look at Mo Xiao Qi and understood what was going on. Fu Xuan must be missing her daughter, so he spoke to Li Wu Yi using his Divine Sense, “Is Xiao Qi aware of this?”
Li Wu Yi gave a nod and replied, “En. The Great Emperor did not hide anything from her; however, you have to take care of her when both of you are there.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai stated, “Senior, please rest assured, no harm will come to Xiao Qi.”
A smiling Li Wu Yi said, “If the Great Emperor didn’t trust you, he wouldn’t have allowed Xiao Qi to come here. Good. After you’re finished, remember to bring Xiao Qi back to Spirit Beast Island.”
“En.” With that, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “We’ll take our leave first, then.”
“Be careful on your way there.” Li Wu Yi gave a wide smile and an affirming nod.
Yang Kai turned to look into the distance, only to see Lan He gazing at him from afar. With a smile, he waved to her. Lan He was startled for a moment before she understood what he meant. In response, she also waved.
Since Ling Yin Qin was nowhere in sight, Yang Kai decided not to disturb her. Then, he beckoned to Qiong Qi and said, “Let’s go.”
Stepping forward, Qiong Qi sized Mo Xiao Qi up and understood why Yang Kai wouldn’t want to call him ‘Xiao Qi.’ It because there was already a young girl with the same name.
His wrinkled face and beady eyes made Mo Xiao Qi feel apprehensive as an idea sprang into her mind. [This old man is a bad person!]
Qiong Qi flashed what he thought was a harmless smile at Mo Xiao Qi, but the latter just shrunk back slightly and pursed her lips, as if wary of him.
A frustrated Qiong Qi turned around, only to see Yang Kai staring fixedly at him. Straightening his face, he asked with curiosity, “Young Master, what can I do for you?”
A surprised Yang Kai replied, “Do I even need to give you such simple orders? Since you’ve acknowledged me as your Master, you should assume your duties.”
Upon hearing that, Qiong Qi was puzzled for a moment. Nevertheless, he soon understood what Yang Kai meant as his face twitched, “Young Master, do you…”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai shot him a look.
Qiong Qi appeared bashful and hesitant as his gaze darted around.
Seeing that, Yang Kai immediately turned and cupped his fists to Li Wu Yi, “Senior, I’m afraid I must go back on my word. Please use your Divine Ability and take this old fart away.”
Right after he finished speaking, Qiong Qi roared and transformed into a 50-metre-long, ten-metre-wide gigantic beast. He looked like a winged tiger with two horns on his forehead. All his fur was red and his wings were so huge that they seemed able to shade Heaven and Earth. He also appeared imposing and majestic.
As he snorted, visible fiery breaths could be seen puffing out of his nostrils.
An elated Yang Kai thought to himself, [It seems this old man does know how to act.]
After circling around Qiong Qi once, Yang Kai nodded in approval before leaping up onto his back. Then, he beckoned to Mo Xiao Qi, “Come on.”
At that moment, Mo Xiao Qi was dumbfounded. Although there were many Monster Beasts on Spirit Beast Island, and even a Divine Spirit like Jiu Feng, it was the first time she saw a mount like Qiong Qi. She had just seen the old man’s Human form, but recalling his fleshy face, she instinctively felt repulsed.
Nevertheless, after Yang Kai beckoned to her, she still joyfully jumped onto Qiong Qi’s back.
“Farewell!” Yang Kai cupped his fists at Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng before he tapped Qiong Qi with his foot.
After that, Qiong Qi flapped his wings and shot into the sky. Upon turning into a beam of red light, he dashed into the distance at incredible speed. If he did not have such incredible speed, he would have been captured by Li Wu Yi long ago.
Looking in the direction Yang Kai had left, Li Wu Yi said, “Let’s return.”
Jiu Feng nodded. The reason they came all the way here was to capture Qiong Qi, but since the latter was now under Yang Kai’s wings, whatever he did had nothing to do with them anymore, as Yang Kai would be responsible for keeping him in line. If Qiong Qi really did commit some great evil, it wouldn’t be too late for them to make a move.
The next moment, Li Wu Yi manipulated the Space Principles and disappeared from the spot with Jiu Feng.
Moments later, Tang Sheng and Qian Xiu Ying, who had been looking from afar, moved forward to take a look around. Upon making sure that all their guests had really left, they heaved a sigh of relief. It was indeed an honour for Heavenly Wolf Valley to receive such illustrious figures; however, the huge gap between their powers made it stressful to serve them.
Since their guests were gone, they could finally be at ease.
Although their guests were no longer around, there seemed to be some remaining fluctuations of Space Principles around the gazebo. There was even an array that had been left behind. Tang Sheng and the others observed the array for a long time before they concluded it was a Space Array. They weren’t sure whether the array was arranged by Li Wu Yi or Yang Kai; however, after several attempts, they realised that they couldn’t activate it. Of course, they wouldn’t dare to destroy it either. Left with no choice, they decided to make the gazebo a Restricted Area, and the average disciples were not allowed to come here; after all, this place was where two great Masters of the Dao of Space had held a lengthy discussion, so it would be a shame if it was simply neglected. Sometime later, they decided to pick some disciples with outstanding aptitude to come here to study the array and see whether they could gain any useful insights.
It would be beneficial for the valley if even one of their disciples happened to be able to cultivate the Dao of Space.
The sun was high above the sky and no clouds could be seen.
A beam of red shot across the Heavens and disappeared into the distance. Even if anyone happened to see it, they couldn’t make out what the red light was.
Qiong Qi’s speed could only be described as lightning fast.
He indeed lived up to his reputation as a highly ranked Ancient Divine Spirit. Although he wasn’t as prestigious as Dragons or Phoenixes, he could still arouse awe and fear from others.
More importantly, Qiong Qi’s back was broad and comfortable, so Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi could sit across from each other while not feeling cramped at all. Mo Xiao Qi had laid a thick layer of animal skin rug on Qiong Qi’s back and she and Yang Kai were seated on it chatting happily.
The last time they met was in the Shattered Star Sea. At that time, Mo Xiao Qi had become enraged and lifted the seal on her face, almost going berserk in the process. It was only thanks to Zhang Ruo Xi’s blood that this rampage was suppressed.
Many years had passed since that incident.
Time flew by, but a friendship forged could last forever. Since Mo Xiao Qi was born, she had spent most of her life on Spirit Beast Island. The first time she snuck out from home, she came across Yang Kai in the Southern Territory. Naturally, she treasured this precious friend of hers.
In fact, Yang Kai was still wondering how Mo Xiao Qi managed to go from the Eastern Territory to the Southern Territory at that time. She wasn’t powerful back then, and there was a vast distance between the two territories. Without any escorts, how was she able to travel across such a long distance?
Now, it was apparent to Yang Kai that it was Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng who had been protecting her in secret. Of course, the young girl still thought that she had successfully snuck out of her home and was proud of her achievement.
Mo Xiao Qi was an inexperienced girl while Yang Kai had travelled widely and seen many things, so there were a lot of topics they could talk about; however, most of the time, it was Yang Kai who did the talking while Mo Xiao Qi cupped her face and listened attentively to him.
At the mention of the old swindler they came across in Maplewood City, they tacitly laughed.
In the past, they were truly two reckless youths. Bustling World Great Emperor had disguised himself as an ordinary person as he roamed around the world, but he was regarded as a swindler by them. They were still somewhat annoyed with the Great Emperor because of this.
As time passed, Yang Kai could clearly feel a change in Mo Xiao Qi’s emotions though. She became increasingly nervous, hopeful, and hesitant as they got closer to Dragon Island.
Apparently, she was extremely restless in her heart, as she was going to meet her mother for the first time. She wasn’t even sure how she should face this woman who had given birth to her because she had never met her before.
In the end, she fell completely silent. Even if Yang Kai tried to tell her some funny jokes, she would only force a smile in response.
At that, Yang Kai didn’t have a better solution, so he decided to allow her time to think.
Qiong Qi seemed to know the route to Dragon Island, so Yang Kai didn’t have to use the Dragon Island Token to seek their destination.
A few days later, Qiong Qi landed on a small island in the vast blue ocean.
Yang Kai looked around and asked, “Is this the island closest to Dragon Island?”
Qiong Qi replied in a hushed voice, “Young Master, there’s no island that’s closer to Dragon Island than this one.”
He didn’t understand why Yang Kai wanted to look for such an island; however, since Yang Kai had given the order, he just had to execute it.
“Good. Here will do, then.” Yang Kai nodded and jumped off Qiong Qi’s back with Mo Xiao Qi. After that, he investigated the surroundings with his Divine Sense and found a suitable place.
“Big Brother Yang, what did we come here for?” Mo Xiao Qi looked around curiously. There were countless such islands in the ocean, so this one was nothing special, and nothing precious could be nurtured here; therefore, she didn’t understand why he asked Qiong Qi to look for such a place.
“I want to arrange a Space Array here,” Yang Kai explained.
Just like the Sealed World Bead, Dragon Island was a Sealed World with its own World Principles. Even if Yang Kai arranged a Space Array on Dragon Island, he couldn’t connect it to the other Space Arrays around the Star Boundary because there would be a World Barrier separating them.
Yang Kai knew that he would come into contact with members of the Dragon Clan more often in the future, and it was inconvenient to always fly all the way here, so to save time he decided to leave a Space Array here.
Although he still had to travel a bit to reach Dragon Island, it was much better than if he flew all the way from the Ancient Wild Lands.
Mo Xiao Qi nodded in acknowledgement. Even though she didn’t understand Yang Kai’s intentions completely, she didn’t ask any questions and just obediently followed him around.
Soon, they reached a cave that seemed to be naturally formed with its mouth near the ocean and extending towards the middle of the island.
The inside of the cave was dry, like a natural shelter.
Yang Kai then started working on the array as Mo Xiao Qi assisted him from the side. Of course, being completely inexperienced in this field, she was more of a hindrance than a help, but instead of blaming her, Yang Kai gave her a lot of encouragement, which allowed her to stay motivated.
Half a day later, a new Space Array had been set up. After examining it and making sure that it was functioning properly, Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi left the cave.
After they got onto Qiong Qi’s back, the old man flapped his wings and turned around to ask, “Young Master, are we really going to Dragon Island?”
With a smile, Yang Kai asked, “What’s wrong? Are you afraid?”
Qiong Qi replied through gritted teeth, “Nonsense; however, those Dragons have always been so xenophobic, so it’s best to act carefully.”
In fact, he was curious about Yang Kai’s relationship with the Dragon Clan. When he saw Yang Kai transforming into a 300-meter-tall Half-Dragon, he knew that the latter must have a Dragon Bloodline; however, members of the Dragon Clan were extremely disdainful of those who had impure bloodlines. To them, impure Dragon bloodlines were even more repulsive than other races.
Since Yang Kai was just a Dragonkin, he should naturally stay as far from the Dragon Clan as possible instead of venturing into Dragon Island. His actions were akin to walking right into a death trap.
Qiong Qi wanted to warn Yang Kai that there was a Half-Dragon City on Dragon Island where most of the residents were Half-Dragons. They might appear powerful, but they were actually prisoners of the island. Whenever the Dragon Clan needed them, they would be brought to the main island to get their blood drained to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers.
Yang Kai might be trapped in Half-Dragon City and then be taken away to have his blood drawn. Given his Half-Dragon bloodline and his 300-metre Dragon Form, a lot of blood could be drawn from him.
Qiong Qi was annoyed at the fact that Yang Kai bossed him around and regarded him as a mount; however, if Yang Kai really lost his freedom on Dragon Island, those from Spirit Beast Island would come to hunt him down again. Considering his future, he thought that he had to give Yang Kai a warning.
Just then, Yang Kai said with a smile, “No matter how xenophobic they are, they can’t do anything to this Young Master. If they dare to offend me, this Young Master doesn’t mind beating them up.”
Upon hearing this, Qiong Qi had the urge to roll his eyes and thought that his new Master was such a shameless man. Although Yang Kai was fairly powerful, and he was even able to deal with the likes of Cang Mo, Dragon Island was where all members of the Dragon Clan gathered including ten or more Great Dragons. Even Qiong Qi had to be obsequious when he was on the island, otherwise, he would be beaten up and tossed out.
If Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun went all out, even a Great Emperor would find it hard to deal with them. Hence, there was no way Qiong Qi was a match for them. To Qiong Qi, it was laughable that Yang Kai threatened to beat up such powerful Masters. He had lived in this world for many years, but it was the first time he heard this level of shameless boasting.
Yang Kai seemed to have seen through Qiong Qi’s thoughts and leaned forward to ask, “What’s wrong? You don’t believe me?”
Qiong Qi replied, “Of course this Old Master believes you, Young Master. With Young Master’s powerful Divine Ability, how could a few mere lizards match you?”
“It seems that you don’t believe me.” Yang Kai snorted and rolled his eyes, “What if I prove I can put those guys in their place? What will you do?”
With widened eyes, Qiong Qi stared at him, “If Young Master can achieve this, this Old Master will sincerely acknowledge you as his Young Master. Whatever order you give, this Old Master will never dare to disobey.”
“Oh…” Yang Kai said in a weird manner, “Hmm… So, it seems that you have not been sincere when you call me Young Master…”
Shaking his head, Qiong Qi replied, “This Old Master had no choice in that kind of situation. Young Master is an intelligent person, so there’s no point in feigning ignorance.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’m glad you’re honest with me. If you showed total obedience to me right away, I would have to suspect whether you have ulterior motives.”
“Haha. Please don’t blame me, Young Master, I had no other choice. However, if you can make the members of the Dragon Clan submit to you, you’ll naturally have the right to be my Master, and it won’t be humiliating for me to follow you.”
Qiong Qi paused for a moment, “Nevertheless, if you can’t do that, I only have one request.”
“Go on.”
Qiong Qi put on a smirk, “Please don’t treat me like a mount again. Yes, I was a mount for old Flowing Time; however, I’m pretty old now, so I need to protect my dignity.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded casually.
Qiong Qi was both excited and elated as he thought that Yang Kai was such a boastful person. [You’re definitely going to lose this time!]
Although he didn’t mind following Yang Kai around, he was displeased at the fact that he was regarded as a mount.
Flowing Time Great Emperor and Yang Kai were two different people. Yang Kai had cultivated the Time Flies Seal and knew a little about Time Principles, so he could be considered a successor to Flowing Time Great Emperor; however, how could the current Yang Kai be compared to a true Great Emperor?
“Young Master, Dragon Island is right there. Both of you should hold on to me tightly.” Qiong Qi suddenly growled as his gigantic figure moved and plunged into the ocean.
Before he even came into contact with the ocean, the water seemed to separate and reveal a circular passageway that led to its bottom.
As they rapidly passed through the passageway, they realised that not even a drop of water could wet their clothes.
While Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi were still admiring this phenomenon, a huge Void Corridor appeared at the bottom of the ocean which led to an unknown place.
Having gone through this experience before, Yang Kai knew that the Void Corridor was connected to Dragon Island. Previously, if he hadn’t used a Dragon Island Token to find this location, he wouldn’t have even imagined that the entrance to Dragon Island lay beneath the sea.
Apparently, it wasn’t the first time Qiong Qi had come to Dragon Island as he plunged into the Void Corridor without any hesitation. At that instant, all the ocean water disappeared, which was then replaced with endless nothingness.
Even the time and space around them seemed to have frozen.
“Em?” Qiong Qi exclaimed as this Void Corridor gave him a feeling that he had been surrounded by murderous intent. It wasn’t like this the last time he came to this place; moreover, upon closer inspection, he realised that he couldn’t find the exit anymore.
At that instant, he tensed up because they would be doomed if they were lost in this Void.
While Qiong Qi was nervous, he suddenly heard Yang Kai passing him directions. It was then he recalled that his current Master was an expert in the Dao of Space. Anyone else would get lost in this place, but not Yang Kai. At that instant, he quickly followed his instructions and moved in that direction.
As they took twists and turns, it was as if they were moving in a labyrinth.
A long time later, they finally saw a beam of light in front of them.
Qiong Qi didn’t need any instructions anymore as he knew that it must be the exit. As he flapped his wings, he accelerated his pace and shot out of the Void Corridor.
Their vision brightened as they entered a different world where ample World Energy came right at them. The World Principles, which were slightly different from those of Star Boundary, lingered in the air lightly.
They had arrived at Dragon Island.
Just then, a high-pitched Dragon Roar broke through the sky as a Dragon’s aura could be felt coming from the east. In just a short moment, a 100 metre long Dragon was seen hovering in the air in front of them. The Dragon was covered by a purple aura with two horns on its head, and all its Dragon Scales were glowing faintly. Blocking Qiong Qi’s way, the Dragon raised its head as its Dragon Pressure permeated the place. Looking down, the Dragon spoke in a deafening voice, “How dare you break into Dragon Island!?”
The voice was more feminine than masculine, so it was apparently a female Dragon.
Right after the female Dragon finished speaking, she narrowed her eyes, “Qiong Qi? Is that you, you old fart!”
Obviously, she recognised Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi shook his head and puffed out a visible hot breath. He didn’t appear fearful as he stood arrogantly mid-air. A 100 metre long Dragon was a mere Sixth-Order at most, and such a Dragon could never harm him. Moreover, the reason he came to this place was because he was under Yang Kai’s order. Whatever happened, Yang Kai would be the one to deal with the trouble, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.
On Qiong Qi’s back, Mo Xiao Qi lifted her head to take a look. It was the first time she saw a Pureblood Dragon, so she was curious. In her heart, she wondered if her mother also looked like this in her Dragon form. Meanwhile, she also wondered why she did not have any of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline in her?
“Em?” The Purple Dragon looked at the people on Qiong Qi’s back and stared fixedly at Yang Kai. With her gaze beaming with pleasant surprise, she called out, “Brother-in-law?”
[Brother-in-law?] Qiong Qi was dumbfounded. [Who is your Brother-in-law? Who could be your brother-in-law here? I definitely have nothing to do with the Dragon Clan. Mo Xiao Qi is just a Human girl. Could it be…]
At the thought of this, Qiong Qi’s look was transformed by shock.
Yang Kai could be heard speaking from the old man’s back dispassionately, “Stop spouting nonsense. Who is your Brother-in-law?”
Ignoring his refutation, the Purple Dragon flashed as her 100-metre-long figure contorted and transformed into a young woman clad in a purple dress. She was Fu Ling, who once brought Yang Kai to the island where Dragon Blood Flowers were nurtured.
There were around twenty members of the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island, and all of them had very pure bloodlines, but their ranks were vastly different. The longest and mightiest Dragons were the Great Elder and Second Elder, who had Tenth-Order bloodlines. Following that, Fu Xuan, Zhu Kong, and Zhu Qing had Ninth-Order bloodlines. Then, Eighth-Order, Seventh-Order, Sixth-Order, Fifth-Order and so on.
A Dragon Clan member’s bloodline would become purer as time passed. It could be said that the longer one lived, the higher rank their bloodline would become. Certainly, aptitude and the benefits of consuming Dragon Blood Flowers had to be taken into consideration as well.
The female Dragon here, Fu Ling, was a Sixth-Order Purple Dragon.
Previously, after she was forced to bring Yang Kai to the place where Dragon Blood Flowers were nurtured, Yang Kai had basically stolen all the mature spirit flowers. After the matter was exposed, Fu Ling was naturally punished, sent here to guard the entrance to Dragon Island.
If it weren’t because the Elders knew that Yang Kai had such a strange bloodline, and the fact that Fu Ling was powerless to resist him, she would have been thrown into the Dragon Grave and left alone to perish for committing such a crime.
After Fu Ling assumed Human form, she leapt onto Qiong Qi’s back and faced Yang Kai. They were just a hand’s length apart as the fragrance on her body came right at him. With her hands behind her back, she looked like an inexperienced young girl as she leaned forward and put on a smirk, “Of course it’s you. Who else in the world has the right to make me call him brother-in-law?”
Yang Kai subconsciously leaned backwards as he was worried that he would accidentally come into contact with her plump bosom.
Seeing that, Fu Ling decided to be cheeky as leaned forward further.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai scolded, “We have nothing to do with each other, so how could you call me brother-in-law? Fu Ling, please stop spouting nonsense.”
A grinning Fu Ling said, “I’m not speaking nonsense. You’re indeed my brother-in-law.” As she spoke, she took a step forward.
Before Yang Kai managed to step backwards, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly charged forward and wedged between Yang Kai and Fu Ling. With her arms spread wide, she seemed determined to protect Yang Kai as she rebuked with a flushing face, “What are you doing? Why do you have to lean so close to Brother Yang when you’re just talking?”
Apparently, she had seen through Fu Ling’s intentions, so she was furious that someone was coveting the man she liked.
Fu Ling shot her a glance and snorted, “Where did an ugly girl like you come from? I’m talking to my brother-in-law, so what does it have anything to do with you? Shoo shoo, if not, Great Aunt here will beat you up.”
Mo Xiao Qi had never experienced such humiliation before. She was the Little Princess of Spirit Beast Island whose power was second only to her father. She was always respected and treasured, so she had never met a rude and aggressive woman like Fu Ling. Despite the fact that she was shuddering in fright, she still steadfastly spread her arms and glowered back at her.
Yang Kai shot a cold glare at Fu Ling and said, “Who do you want to beat up?”
Sensing the chill in his voice, Fu Ling’s chest tightened as she smirked, “Please don’t get mad at me, brother-in-law, I was just pulling a prank on her. However, why have you brought a young woman with you when you’re visiting Big Sister Qing? If she finds out about it…”
She gave Yang Kai a wink to hint that he should understand the consequences.
“None of your business!” Yang Kai snorted. Looking around, he asked curiously, “Why are you here instead of staying on Dragon Island?”
This was just the entrance, and the real Dragon Island was still some distance away. The core of Dragon Island was called Dragon Palace by those from Half-Dragon City. Dragon Palace was where those from the Dragon Clan would reside and normally they would not leave.
Fu Ling’s face fell when she heard the question. Appearing to be aggrieved, she started sobbing and said in a choking voice, “Brother-in-law, I’ve ended up in such a state because of you.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “What does it have to do with me?”
Fu Ling’s eyes turned bloodshot as tears started streaming out of her eyes. With a watery gaze, she looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Have you forgotten about the Dragon Blood Flowers?”
“Dragon Blood Flowers?” Yang Kai was startled upon hearing that, then he covered his mouth with his fist and coughed, “Why mention those flowers all of a sudden?”
Fu Ling went on to say, “Previously, I brought you to steal a lot of Dragon Blood Flowers, and after you left, the Elders found out about it and wanted to throw me into the Dragon Grave! Fortunately, Third Elder and Big Sister Qing were kind-hearted enough to put in a good word for me so that I could be spared the ordeal. However, as a punishment, I have to keep watch on the entrance for a hundred years.”
As she spoke, her face was already drenched in tears. It seemed that she was truly sorrowful.
In fact, she wasn’t the one who stole Dragon Blood Flowers, she was only forced to assist Yang Kai, but in the end, she was ordered to keep watch on the entrance for a hundred years and couldn’t return to Dragon Palace as she pleased. She ended up in such a state because of Yang Kai.
More than a thousand Dragon Blood Flowers, which included Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, as well as two Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers that the Great Elder and the Second Elder had been nurturing for years, had all been stolen by Yang Kai.
It could be said that the Dragon Clan’s several thousand years’ worth of accumulated treasure had all gone into Yang Kai’s pocket. If they wanted to restore everything to its original state, it would take them another thousand years at least. During this period of time, those in the Dragon Clan wouldn’t have a chance to consume Dragon Blood Flowers to purify their bloodlines, which lengthened the time they needed to strengthen themselves.
For the past dozen years or so, Fu Ling had been resentful of Yang Kai as she thought about killing him when she met him again. Nevertheless, that remained just a thought, as she understood that there was no way she was a match for Yang Kai. He was able to impose bloodline suppression on her, not to mention that she had surrendered her Soul Brand to him. So, Yang Kai was able to end her life with just a thought.
Now that she finally met the culprit, she had to make a complaint.
Of course, there was a more important reason that she wasn’t willing to reveal to others. Yang Kai seemed to have the ability to significantly improve a Dragon Clan member’s bloodline purity. Initially, Zhu Qing was just an Eighth-Order Dragon, but she was now a Ninth-Order and had been conferred the position of Elder.
As long as Fu Ling’s plan worked, she could easily break through her Sixth-Order bloodline to Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order, which was far more effective than consuming Dragon Blood Flowers.
“One hundred years isn’t a long time for you,” Yang Kai coughed. Although he was disdainful of Fu Ling’s behaviour, he was indeed the culprit behind her suffering.
Nonetheless, he felt somewhat guilty about it but he wasn’t willing to delve into this topic lest Fu Ling harped on it. Waving his hand, he said, “Why do you keep talking about the past? Where is Zhu Qing now?”
Fu Ling was aggrieved, but she wouldn’t dare to ignore his question, “Big Sister Qing is on her own Spirit Island.”
“What about the Third Elder?”
“She’s on her own Spirit Island as well.” She darted her gaze around, “You don’t remember the routes, right? Do you need me to lead the way?”
Yang Kai sized her up, “Weren’t you ordered to stay here for a hundred years? Is it okay for you to leave this place without permission?”
“It’s fine.” Fu Ling pressed her lips together and smiled, “I’ve been here for more than ten years already, but not a single person has barged into this place besides you. It’s fine for me to leave this place for a while.”
“Don’t blame me if anything happens.”
Fu Ling pouted, “Do I look like such an unreasonable person? Brother-in-law, how can you think of me in this way?”
“Enough, lead the way.”
“Good.” Fu Ling nodded repeatedly and tapped Qiong Qi with her foot, “Old fart, what are you waiting for? Move forward and leave this place now. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten where Dragon Palace is?”
Qiong Qi rolled his eyes as his dignity had been ruined since he became a mount. Even a mere Dragon girl had the guts to boss him around on his back now.
[However, what is going on? Why would this Dragon girl call Yang Kai ‘brother-in-law’? Has my Young Master really hooked up with a female member of the Dragon Clan?]
Qiong Qi was elated at the thought of this.
The other races hated the fact that those from the Dragon Clan always acted so arrogantly. Although Qiong Qi was a Divine Spirit as well, he had never been fond of anyone from the Dragon Clan; hence, he couldn’t believe that a haughty woman from their clan would ever accept a mere Human as her partner.
Now, he was eager to find out what this woman looked like. Since such a scandal had happened, he wanted to know whether those from the Dragon Clan would still dare to be haughty in front of him.
With this thought in mind, he dashed forward at a speed that was as swift as wind. On his back, Fu Ling was talking incessantly as she tried to cozy up to Yang Kai. If it weren’t for Mo Xiao Qi constantly being on guard, she would’ve already pounced on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t bear her heated approach and thought that something must be wrong with her. Supposedly, she should be resentful of him since he had made her suffer so much; however, why was she fawning over him instead?
If all the members of the Dragon Clan were like her, they would’ve lost all their pride and authority long ago.
Waves could be seen surging on the azure blue ocean.
They whisked past a deserted Spirit Island that was filled with countless precious treasures. The precious items on Dragon Island were ample; however, these treasures that the other cultivators coveted were nothing to those from the Dragon Clan. That was because every one of them was innately powerful, so these items were useless to them. The only resources that were of use to them were Dragon Blood Flowers, which were almost entirely swiped by Yang Kai previously.
After the trio flew forward at full speed for two days, they finally saw a half-moon shaped island in front of them. The island was about one hundred square kilometres, so it was neither small nor big; more than enough for a member of the Dragon Clan to reside.
“That’s Big Sister Qing’s Spirit Island,” Fu Ling pointed at Half Moon Island and spoke in a dejected tone. Although she had spent the past two days with Yang Kai, she couldn’t get closer to him. Instead, Yang Kai had put his guard up because she was too forward in her approach, which made her feel frustrated.
There was also the ugly young girl who had been keeping watch over her as if she was a thief. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s sake, she would’ve killed this interloper with one slap. The young girl was staring fixedly at her the entire time, and whenever she made a move, the former would immediately be alerted.
“This is where Qing’er lives?” Yang Kai appeared startled as he had actually been to this island before. Previously, in order to look for Zhu Qing, he had snuck into many Spirit Islands in Dragon Palace. At that time, this place was deserted, so he didn’t expect that it was actually Zhu Qing’s Spirit Island.
A smiling Fu Ling stated, “That’s right, this is Big Sister Qing’s domain. She and Third Elder have been confined to Dragon Palace to reflect upon themselves. If there’s no accident, they won’t be able to leave for the next hundred years. If brother-in-law misses her, he should come pay her a visit more often.”
Yang Kai snorted, “One hundred years? Was it Second Elder’s order?”
Fu Ling stuck out her tongue, “Who else could it be other than Second Elder? We’re most fearful of her.”
“Good. Since we’ve arrived at our destination, we don’t need you to guide us anymore. Go back to where you’re supposed to be.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Fu Ling pouted, “Brother-in-law, you’re so heartless! How can you just toss me away the moment you’re done with me? No! It’s really difficult for me to come back to Dragon Palace, so I don’t want to return to the entrance so soon. I want to visit Big Sister Qing as well!”
Yang Kai shot her a look, “Do you need me to teach you a lesson again?”
Upon finishing his words, he readied a hand seal.
Fu Ling’s expression changed drastically as she leapt off Qiong Qi’s back and let out a hollow laugh, “Brother-in-law, what are you saying? Good, good, I won’t disturb your reunion with Big Sister Qing.”
While she was smiling on the outside, she was cursing Yang Kai in her heart for his ungentlemanly behaviour inside. He wasn’t even interested in a beautiful woman who had thrown herself at him. Was he a man or not?
Yang Kai waved his hand at her dismissively, after which Fu Ling said longingly, “Brother-in-law, please visit me when you’re free. It’s really too boring to stay there on my own.”
Ignoring her directly, Yang Kai urged Qiong Qi to get going, after which the latter turned into a beam of red light and flew over to Half Moon Island.
There was a quaint palace on one end of Half Moon Island, and as soon as Qiong Qi’s gigantic figure descended from the sky, an alluring woman dashed out of the palace. Looking up, she immediately met Yang Kai’s eyes.
As they gazed at each other, Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
A surprised Zhu Qing said, “You’re back!?”
Previously, after Yang Kai left the Dragon Temple to chase after Wu Kuang, Zhu Qing had naturally been worried. Although Wu Kuang was no longer at the peak of his power, he was still the infamous Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. No one knew whether Yang Kai would survive an encounter with such a terrible Master.
Seeing that Yang Kai had returned safely, Zhu Qing could finally be at ease.
Right after she finished speaking, she pounced at Yang Kai, who spread his arms and pulled her into his embrace as he took a deep whiff of the fragrance on her hair.
Qiong Qi was instantly distressed. He was already displeased that he had to be bossed around as Yang Kai’s mount, but now, this boy and his woman were even flirting with each other in broad daylight right on top of him as if he didn’t even exist. Nevertheless, he couldn’t flare up as he stiffened his body so as not to disturb the couple.
At the same time, he was flabbergasted by what he was witnessing.
[It’s true! My Young Master really conquered a dragon girl! How shocking! I’ve lived for several tens of thousands of years, but it’s the first time I’ve come across such an incident.]
Although Zhu Qing hadn’t shown her true form yet, Qiong Qi could feel that her bloodline was extremely pure. If they were to have a one-on-one fight, he might not be able to defeat her.
[Is she a Ninth-Order? Or perhaps even a Tenth-Order Dragon? Given her pure bloodline, she must hold an important position on Dragon Island! At the very least, she must be an Elder. Why would someone like her fall in love with my Young Master? Does his Half-Dragon’s bloodline have anything to do with this?]
While he was lost in thought, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were blissfully rubbing their faces against each other. Although they were not saying anything, they could feel their longing for each other through the contact of their skin.
All of a sudden, Zhu Qing could feel that someone was staring at her. Opening her eyes, she was met with a pair of big eyes.
Mo Xiao Qi was standing behind Yang Kai as she looked dazedly at the sight with widened eyes, as if she found their behaviour unacceptable. The sight before her eyes had had a huge impact on her, and for some reason, she felt so sorrowful that she was about to tear up.
Faced with such a stare, Zhu Qing started blushing furiously as she gently pushed Yang Kai away and looked smilingly at the young girl, “Who is this?”
Yang Kai didn’t feel bashful in the slightest of course and quickly whispered something in Zhu Qing’s ear.
Zhu Qing’s gaze brightened when she heard this and quickly stepped forward, gently holding Mo Xiao Qi’s hands as she spoke, “So you are Little Sister Xiao Qi.”
Zhu Qing and Fu Xuan were the Elders of the Dragon Clan; however, to be precise, Fu Xuan was her Senior, so there was no problem with the way she addressed Mo Xiao Qi. She had heard about this little girl quite often over the past few years, but it wasn’t until now that she met her.
Mo Xiao Qi was shocked by how warmly she was being treated. Her mind was already a mess, and at this moment, great anxiety had left her completely on edge. Parting her lips, she wanted to say something, but she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to utter a word in the end, instead turning pitifully to look at Yang Kai.
A smiling Yang Kai introduced her, “She’s Zhu Qing. If you don’t mind it, you can call her Big Sister Qing.”
“Big Sister Qing…” Mo Xiao Qi said gently, but her voice sounded somewhat sorrowful. After that, she crashed into Zhu Qing’s embrace and started sobbing, her tears soon soaking the front part of Zhu Qing’s robes.
A dumbfounded Zhu Qing froze up and turned to look at Yang Kai, who also appeared puzzled.
“Did you bully her?” Zhu Qing parted her lips and asked pointedly.
In response, Yang Kai spread his palms to indicate that it had nothing to do with him. He really didn’t know why Mo Xiao Qi would suddenly start sobbing.
In fact, not even Mo Xiao Qi knew why she had done this. She just felt like crying, couldn’t stop herself, and embraced Zhu Qing half instinctually.
A helpless Zhu Qing could only drape her arms around Mo Xiao Qi and pat her back as she consoled her in a gentle voice.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and felt fortunate that Martial Beast Great Emperor was not here to witness this scene; otherwise, the Great Emperor would probably skin him alive. After giving it a thought, he could somewhat understand Mo Xiao Qi’s feelings though. Now that they were on Dragon Island, and she would soon meet her mother, it was only natural that Mo Xiao Qi’s emotions were in an unstable state. Given the situation she was in, and after becoming agitated, she certainly would need to vent out her anxiety.
While Mo Xiao Qi was crying incessantly, Zhu Qing didn’t show any sign of impatience as she softly consoled her.
Moments later, Mo Xiao Qi finally stopped sobbing as she hung her head low and left Zhu Qing’s embrace. Her face was completely red as she was wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
[So embarrassing!]
It was the first time they met, but she suddenly broke into tears in Zhu Qing’s embrace. Mo Xiao Qi wondered just what the latter would think of her, but looking up secretly, she realised that Zhu Qing only showed worry and concern for her, calming her heart and putting her at ease.
Then, Mo Xiao Qi turned to look at Yang Kai, only to see that he was looking smilingly at her, as if he had just witnessed a good show. Stomping her foot, she shouted, “Big Brother Yang is too evil!”
Upon finishing her words, she dashed into Zhu Qing’s palace and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
A dumbstruck Yang Kai pointed at himself and asked Zhu Qing, “What does this have to do with me?”
Zhu Qing shot him a glare and didn’t bother to reply, instead chasing after Mo Xiao Qi, leaving Yang Kai and Qiong Qi behind as the ocean breeze blew past.
A moment later, Yang Kai said, “Old Qiong, are women always so strange?”
Qiong Qi simply replied, “If they’re not strange, they wouldn’t be women.”
Yang Kai asked with some surprise, “Do you have any similar experiences? By the way, are there any women of your race?”
Qiong Qi rolled his eyes, “Do you think this Old Master was born out of a boulder or something?”
Yang Kai put on a grin, “I’m just curious.”
He paused for a bit, “You should just stay here during this period of time and not wander about. When I’m done with what I need to do, we’ll leave together.”
“Rest assured, Young Master, I understand.” They were now on Dragon Island, so Qiong Qi wouldn’t dare to wander as he pleased. Then, he hesitated for a moment and gave him a warning, “Young Master, you have to be careful. It’s… difficult to deal with any member of the Dragon Clan.”
[You’ve already got together with a woman of the Dragon Clan, so there’s no way the Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun will let you off.]
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.
Zhu Kong shook his head repeatedly as he appeared in shock, “It’s unbelievable. Unbelievable. How are there so many mature Dragon Blood Flowers on the island? Moreover, so many of such high rank.”
Basically, when Yang Kai announced half a year ago that he would make up for the Dragon Blood Flowers he had stolen, no one from the Dragon Clan thought that he could do it. The least they could hope for was that he would just return the remaining Dragon Blood Flowers that were with him.
After all, he couldn’t possibly vomit up what he had already eaten.
Therefore, before coming to this place, the Elders had psychologically prepared themselves and speculated that there were a few hundred Low-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers on the island at most.
However, now, there were more than a few hundred Low-Rank flowers right in front of them. Even the Mid-Rank ones were more than that number.
Not only had Yang Kai returned the flowers he had stolen, but he had also given them back many times more than the original amount.
[Where did he get so many Dragon Blood Flowers?]
Fu Xuan gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “How many Dragon Blood Flowers are there on the island exactly?”
With a faint smile, Yang Kai replied politely, “There are 200 High-Rank flowers, 500 Mid-Rank flowers, 1,000 Low-Rank flowers, and about 2,000 immature ones.”
When they were looking around Dragon Blood Island, they already had a rough idea of the number of flowers; however, after Yang Kai announced the totals and their ranks, they were still astounded.
[200 High-Rank and 500 Mid-Rank flowers? Did we hear it wrong?]
If Yang Kai told them the numbers when they had just arrived at Dragon Blood Island, they wouldn’t have believed him; after all, in the past, there were only about 30 High-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers on Dragon Blood Island, which was a huge difference from the current 200. There were also about 200 Mid-Rank flowers in the past, but now, there were 500.
Furthermore, there were also 1,000 Low-Rank flowers and 2,000 immature ones.
In total, the number of flowers had grown by more than four times.
Having travelled around the island, all of the Elders thought that the numbers given by Yang Kai should be accurate. Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to exaggerate something like this as they could all count. If the real numbers were different from what he had announced, he would be extremely embarrassed.
In other words, these high-quality Dragon Blood Flowers were real.
If it weren’t because there was nothing unusual about the flowers, Zhu Yan would have thought that Yang Kai had used the past six months to build a giant Illusion Array to make all of them hallucinate.
However, it had only been half a year, so how did he manage to do it?
The four Elders stared at Yang Kai as if they were seeing a ghost in broad daylight. On the other hand, Zhu Qing appeared impassive as she was aware of the outcome; after all, over the past six months, she had witnessed the gradual transformation of the island.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “It’s a shame that I haven’t been able to nurture any Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers.”
In fact, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were able to do that, but it would take them about ten to twenty years, and Yang Kai did not have that much time to waste. Furthermore, the two Wood Spirits had expended an enormous amount of time and energy already to turn the Mid-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers into High-Rank ones.
As for his contribution, Yang Kai had provided five big barrels of his own blood. Fortunately, his restorative ability was amazing and the entire process lasted for just half a year. Otherwise, the purity of his blood would most likely have regressed somewhat.
“Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers are extremely rare, so it’s expected that you can’t nurture them in such a short time.” Zhu Kong wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead. It would be truly inconceivable if Yang Kai managed to cultivate Peak-Rank flowers as well.
[That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!] An elated Yang Kai stared fixedly at Fu Zhun and asked, “Second Elder, what do you think? Is what I’ve done enough to compensate for the losses you suffered in the past?”
His expression was arrogant, and his gaze appeared ferocious. It was as if he was ready to get into a fight with her if she dared to say anything that was untruthful.
Fu Zhun remained silent as she truly couldn’t say anything that was against her own convictions.
“It’s enough to make up for our losses,” Zhu Yan nodded. Although they couldn’t get back the two Peak-Rank Dragon Blood Flowers, the numbers of High-Rank, Mid-Rank, Low-Rank and immature flowers were much greater than in the past. Hence, it would be unreasonable if they insisted that the compensation wasn’t enough. It could even be said that not only had Yang Kai made up for the losses, but he had also given a lot more to the Dragon Clan.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai guffawed as his six months of ‘hard work’ had finally paid off. What Zhu Yan had said basically meant that the issue had been settled, so it was pointless for Fu Zhun to say otherwise. He was so excited that he even hugged Zhu Qing and landed a kiss on her cheek, causing her entire face to redden.
A dumbfounded Zhu Yan coughed and said, “Boy, how did you manage to do it? Did you already have so many Dragon Blood Flowers?”
Yang Kai looked vigilantly at him, “Great Elder, you don’t have to care about how I’ve managed to do it. This may come across as rude, but I suggest that you give up any idea you have in your mind now. In order to nurture these Dragon Blood Flowers, I expended a lot of time and energy, and you can’t replicate the process even if I told you about it. From now on, you’ll handle these Dragon Blood Flowers on your own, and I won’t cultivate them for you again.”
“Ahem, I was just asking…” Zhu Yan appeared embarrassed. Naturally, he had wanted to find out more about how Yang Kai managed to achieve it; after all, if they were able to learn this amazing technique, they wouldn’t have to worry about the supply of Dragon Blood Flowers ever again, and their clansmen would have many resources to consume to improve the purity of their bloodline. Nevertheless, Yang Kai had seen through him and thwarted his plan before it began.
In a dispassionate manner, Yang Kai stated, “Now that there’s Purple Soul Grass on the island, the quality of Dragon Blood Flowers will only keep improving. All of you have been cultivating the flowers for years, so I don’t think I need to teach you anything more. Good, this issue has been settled.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned his head back and pointed at Fu Zhun with his chin as he said slowly, “I want to enter the Dragon Temple!”
Fu Zhun sneered, “In your dreams!”
Yang Kai bellowed, “You dare go back on your word!?”
Fu Zhun refuted coldly, “This Queen has never spoken a word she did not mean!”
Yang Kai pointed at her and growled, “Half a year ago, you said that as long as I could make up for the losses you suffered, you would agree to all of my requests. Now that I’ve done what you ask, you won’t fulfil your promise? How does that not count as going back on your word?”
“Have I ever said so?” Fu Zhun turned to look at the side.
A dumbstruck Yang Kai was lost for words, but he soon sneered, “Qing’er was right beside me at that time. What’s the point of denying it?”
Zhu Qing nodded, “Second Elder, you indeed said so before.”
Her voice was low, which went to show that she was quite unhappy as well. In the past six months, she had accompanied Yang Kai and witnessed how he had been busy working with the flowers. He had even contributed his own Golden Blood to the process; however, she had never expected that Fu Zhun would go back on her word, so she found it unacceptable.
It had never crossed her mind that the Second Elder was this kind of person.
“En, I did say such words before,” Fu Zhun turned her head back, “But so what?”
Yang Kai stared at Zhu Yan and said coldly, “Great Elder, how can members of the Dragon Clan go back on their word?”
Zhu Yan sighed, “We of the Dragon Clan always mean what we say.”
“What a joke!” Yang Kai’s lips curved into a smile, but there wasn’t a tinge of joy on his face. He was completely infuriated by what Fu Zhun was doing.
Zhu Yan, however, went on to say, “But, have you really met Second Elder’s condition?”
Yang Kai pointed at the side, “Don’t these flowers count?”
Zhu Yan nodded his head, “They do count, and it is true you’ve compensated for the flowers you stole in the past. But what about our other losses? Try to recall what the Second Elder said, exactly.”
Certainly, Yang Kai remembered the exact words of Fu Zhun, then he sneered, “What’s the point of playing on words?”
Zhu Yan shook his head, “It’s not that we’re playing on words. In the past, a Dragon of the Fu Clan lost his life because of you. In short, there is a blood feud between us, and by all rights we should kill you to resolve the grudges. However, since you’re somewhat related to the Dragon Clan, it is not appropriate that we fall out with each other. Nevertheless, you need to do something to make up for that loss.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Fu Chi was killed by Wu Kuang. If you want to avenge his death, go look for Wu Kuang. What does it have anything to do with me?”
Zhu Yan refuted, “Given the situation Wu Kuang was in, if you hadn’t injured Fu Chi, Wu Kuang wouldn’t have succeeded in killing him. So, you’re partly responsible for Fu Chi’s death as well.”
“He should be glad that he was killed by Wu Kuang. At the very least, he didn’t suffer much pain. If I were to make a move on him, I wouldn’t let him die so easily,” Yang Kai grinned menacingly.
Zhu Qing balled up her fists and stared at Zhu Yan, “Great Elder, Fu Chi is dead, so what is the point of mentioning this? Do you want my husband to kill himself to atone for his mistake?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he blamed himself for being too naïve. If he knew this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t have helped them cultivate these Dragon Blood Flowers in the first place. He should have barged into the Dragon Temple and made use of the power of Dragon Souls there to suppress Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun from the start.
Zhu Yan said, “That’s not what I meant; after all, Fu Chi wasn’t killed by him directly, so why would I want him to kill himself?”
“Great Elder, please speak directly.”
Zhu Yan coughed as he darted his gaze between Zhu Qing and Yang Kai, then he said, “We’ve lost a clansman because of you, so as long as you can add a clansman to our ranks, you can come and go as you please, and no one will stop you again.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but snort, “Add a clansman for you? Interesting. Where am I supposed to look for a new clansman for you?”
Zhu Yan went on to say, “You don’t have to look for it. You already have the ability yourself.”
Yang Kai frowned, “What do you mean?”
He was puzzled as Zhu Yan’s words were ambiguous.
Suddenly thinking of something, Zhu Qing’s face reddened in an instant.
Fu Xuan also realised what Zhu Yan meant as she gazed at Yang Kai in surprise.
With a smile, Zhu Kong finally sent a Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai.
At that instant, a myriad of expressions came over Yang Kai as he turned to look at Zhu Qing and pointed at his own nose, “You think if Qing’er and I have a child, that child will be born as a member of the Dragon Clan?”
At the end of the day, this was Zhu Yan’s real intention. Yang Kai even suspected that it had always been his intention since the beginning as they lured him to jump into the trap. Telling him to nurture Dragon Blood Flowers was just a hook. [These two old farts are too sly!]
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it might be possible. Although he was from the Human Race, it was hard to tell whether he was now actually a Dragon or Human. On the other hand, Zhu Qing was a Pureblood Dragon.
Hence, if they ever had a child together, it could probably be from the Dragon Race.
The main reason Mo Xiao Qi didn’t have a Dragon Clan’s bloodline must be that she had inherited more of the traits from her father, Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang.
Upon learning the Dragon Clan’s plan, Yang Kai said with a grim expression, “Great Elder, are you pulling my leg?”
Zhu Yan coughed into his fist and replied, “Throughout history, we have always had a small number of clansmen, so every death is a huge loss for us. This Old Master wouldn’t pull your leg when it comes to this issue.”
[This old fart is serious?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded and he replied with a frown, “In that case, I’m afraid that I’ll disappoint you. Even if we’ve intended to bear a child, we won’t know how long it’ll take for Qing’er to get pregnant. Furthermore, if we ever have a child of our own, we won’t pass our child to the Dragon Clan. We’ll certainly have to personally raise and teach the child.”
He was already a Second-Order Emperor, while Zhu Qing’s cultivation was even higher than his; therefore, it was hard for them to conceive any children at all. That was because the higher the cultivation the couple had, the harder it was for them to have kids.
If Yang Kai agreed to this demand, he was worried that he wouldn’t see any hope for the next ten or even hundred years. There was no way he would stay on Dragon Island for such a long time.
“There will always be hope as long as you work hard enough.” Zhu Yan persuaded him.
Yang Kai waved his sleeve and refuted, “Great Elder, you don’t have to persuade me anymore. Since you’re determined to go back on your word, there’s nothing else I can say. If you really want a new member for the Dragon Clan, you can work harder yourself. You don’t have to ask me to do it.”
Upon hearing that, Fu Zhun bellowed, “How impudent!”
If Zhu Yan were to work harder on getting a child, he would have to do it with Fu Zhun. That was why she was embarrassed upon hearing what Yang Kai had said.
Yang Kai shot her a cold glance without saying a word, then he turned to look at Zhu Yan, “I’ll just give all these Dragon Blood Flowers to the Dragon Clan. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Goodbye!”
After he finished speaking, he turned around and flew away.
Zhu Qing sighed before she moved and raced after him. Initially, she thought that since Yang Kai had cultivated so many Dragon Blood Flowers for the Dragon Clan, the relationship between them would definitely improve, and the Dragon Clan might even accept him; however, she had never expected that it would end up in such a way, so she was now resentful of Fu Zhun as well.
“That boy has such a short temper,” Zhu Yan watched Yang Kai leave as he shook his head, then he started laughing. “He has the Ancestral Dragon Source, so does he seriously think that he can have nothing to do with us anymore?”
Zhu Kong said, “I guess he hasn’t yet realised that he is already part of the Dragon Clan; however, the issue regarding the Ancestral Dragon Source is important, so we can’t simply tell him about it yet.” He sighed.
Zhu Yan nodded, “That’s the reason I want him to have a child with Qing’er. In that case, he’ll be closely related to the Dragon Clan, and he won’t be reckless anymore in whatever he does. Unfortunately, the outcome has turned out to be the opposite of what we’ve desired.”
Fu Xuan knitted her brows together, “Why can’t we just tell him directly? Why must we do it in such a roundabout manner?”
With a helpless smile, Zhu Yan shook his head, “The Ancestral Dragon Source is extremely powerful and important. If we told him the truth, Dragon Island will fall completely under his control. Right now, he’s not powerful enough to handle that much authority. If he gains so much power without the necessary strength to wield it, it will be terrible for both the Dragon Clan and him.”
Fu Xuan parted her lips, but she eventually heaved a sigh.
Up in the sky, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were flying alongside each other.
After sulking for a moment, Yang Kai gradually calmed himself down. Although he had been tricked by Fu Zhun, his stay on Dragon Island could be said to be fruitful still. At the very least, he was relieved to find out that Zhu Qing hadn’t been punished by the Dragon Clan, and she would also get a lot of the Dragon Blood Flowers that he had spent half a year nurturing.
At the thought of this, he fished out a Space Ring from his pocket and passed it to her.
Zhu Qing took it and investigated it with her Divine Sense, after which she was stunned, “Why are there so many Dragon Blood Pills inside?”
There were three hundred Dragon Blood Pills in the Space Ring that were all of high quality. Some of them even had Pill Veins.
Over the past six months, Zhu Qing hadn’t been by Yang Kai’s side the whole time, so whenever he was free, he would refine some Dragon Blood Pills. It wouldn’t take the Wood Spirits much effort to cultivate Dragon Blood Flowers anyway, so he had only used High-Rank flowers to make the pills, which was why the quality was superb.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “They’re for you. When I’m not by your side, you can take these pills to improve the purity of your blood. When I visit you again, I’ll give you more.”
“Are you really leaving?” Zhu Qing tightened her grip on the Space Ring as she stared longingly at him. She had been extremely happy for the past six months, even though she knew that he wouldn’t stay on Dragon Island forever; however, she hadn’t expected that the separation would come so soon.
Yang Kai wrapped his arm around her waist and gazed at her with a tilted head, “Why don’t you come with me?”
Zhu Qing rested her head on his shoulder and pressed her lips together, “I’m afraid…”
Yang Kai was stunned, “What are you afraid of?”
Right after he finished speaking, he felt a pinch on his waist as Zhu Qing snorted, “I’m afraid of your four wives!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai guffawed as he was torn between tears and laughter, “Why are you afraid of them?” [You’re a member of the Dragon Clan… They’re supposed to be afraid of you instead.]
An embarrassed Zhu Qing replied, “I’m just afraid of them. Okay?”
No Dragon Woman had ever shared a husband with other women before. After all, they were noble existences, so any man who had gotten together with one of them would be considered extremely lucky. However, Zhu Qing felt guilty that she had gotten together with a man who belonged to other women. Furthermore, Fu Zhun had never been fond of Yang Kai, so if she really left with him on a whim, she wasn’t even sure what the Dragon Clan would do in response.
It would be terrible if she were to attract trouble for Yang Kai.
After she told Yang Kai her worries, he stopped forcing her as he nodded and said, “I’ll visit you whenever I’m free. I’ve set up a Space Array on an island outside the entrance, so I’ll be able to come back easily. If you have a chance to leave Dragon Island, you can use the Space Array and head to High Heaven Palace.”
Zhu Qing bowed her head, “I’ll remember.”
After a moment of silence, she suddenly recalled something and said, “If you leave now, what about Xiao Qi? You’ve brought her to this place, so don’t you need to bring her back?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai finally remembered that Mo Xiao Qi was on Dragon Island as well. Before coming to this place, Li Wu Yi had told him to bring Mo Xiao Qi back to Spirit Beast Island when he left.
After giving it a thought, he said, “Since Xiao Qi’s mother is here, there’s nothing to worry about. We don’t have to tell her about it.”
He had a plan in his heart, so he knew that he would be better off not alerting Mo Xiao Qi. Things would become terrible if she insisted on leaving with him.
Upon hearing that, Zhu Qing nodded, “That works as well. I’ll ask Third Elder about it later and see what she says.”
Yang Kai nodded, after which they hugged each other and flew forward in silence.
In front of the Dragon Island’s entrance, Fu Ling was relaxing on a small hill. Sensing that some people were approaching, she turned around and saw Yang Kai and Zhu Qing flying over together. Elated, she walked up to them and beamed, “Big Sister Qing, Brother-in-law!”
Zhu Qing nodded at her and turned to gaze at Yang Kai, “Be careful while you’re travelling.”
“En, I’ll see you soon.” Yang Kai waved his hand at her and shot Fu Ling a look.
Fu Ling blinked and asked curiously, “Brother-in-law, are you leaving now?”
In a dispassionate tone, Yang Kai replied, “Of course I’m leaving. Do you think I’ll stay here forever?”
Upon finishing his words, he patted Zhu Qing’s wrist and took one last look at her before he turned around and plunged into the Void Corridor.
Zhu Qing remained on the same spot for a long time before she sighed and shot a look at Fu Ling. Then, she twisted her wrist as a jade bottle appeared on her palm and tossed it at Fu Ling.
An agile Fu Ling grabbed it and asked curiously, “Big Sister Qing, what is it?”
With a smile, Zhu Qing replied, “Just see for yourself.”
Fu Ling said, “Why are you acting all mysterious? Could it be some good stuff?” As she spoke, she quickly opened the lid and dropped some pills onto her palm. After catching a whiff of the pill’s fragrance, she widened her mouth in shock and gazed at Zhu Qing, “These are…”
Zhu Qing explained, “They’re the Dragon Blood Pills that your Brother-in-law refined. He feels sorry for what he’s done to you. If it weren’t because of him, you wouldn’t have been ordered to keep watch on this place for a hundred years as punishment. This is his compensation for you.”
Fu Ling’s gaze brightened, “Did he say that he wanted to compensate me?”
Zhu Qing frowned, “Don’t read too much into it. He just feels sorry for you.”
“Of course, I will not read too much into it.” Fu Ling quickly waved her hands and smiled. With narrowed eyes, she stated, “He’s such a kind-hearted person, and he’s even able to make Dragon Blood Pills. I’ve told the Elders we should capture an Emperor Rank Alchemist from the outside to make the pills for us, but they just wouldn’t listen to me. Wow! There are ten pills in this bottle. Are these… Pill Veins?”
After getting a bottle of Dragon Blood Pills, Fu Ling was so excited that she had the urge to dance and shout like a young child.
The purity of her blood could only be considered as mediocre in the Dragon Clan. Just like Fu Qi, she was a Sixth-Order Dragon; therefore, Dragon Blood Pills were extremely useful for her. Although these pills weren’t enough to push her bloodline to the Seventh Order, consuming them would save her around a hundred years’ worth of cultivation.
Hence, she no longer felt resentful of Yang Kai. Having obtained such compensation, her punishment seemed worthwhile now.
Excited, she went on to play with the pills for a long time, and when she came to her senses, Zhu Qing was already nowhere to be seen.
All of a sudden, a man could be heard speaking, “You look happy. Have you gotten something good?”
A shocked Fu Ling turned around and widened her eyes in disbelief, “Brother-in-law, why are you back?” The man who spoke was Yang Kai, who had just left.
Without replying to her, Yang Kai looked around stealthily before he asked in a hushed voice, “Is Zhu Qing really gone?”
Upon hearing that, Fu Ling put on a meaningful smile, “Brother-in-law, why did you return in such a stealthy manner?”
She took a few steps back and pressed her lips together as her eyes turned watery, “What do you intend to do?”
Yang Kai shot her a glance and sneered, “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you.”
Fu Ling growled, “Am I ugly or something? Why not?”
Yang Kai replied, “It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re ugly. So, just cut the crap. If not, give those Dragon Blood Pills back to me.”
Hearing that, Fu Ling quickly placed her hands behind her back and shook her head repeatedly, “No way!”
Since she couldn’t bed Yang Kai, there was no way she would give up the Dragon Blood Pills and return them to him.
“Behave yourself if you don’t want to give them back to me.” Yang Kai extended his hand and poked her head.
Fu Ling bowed her head repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, then she asked curiously, “Brother-in-law, why are you back?”
She could see that Yang Kai appeared calm and collected, so it was apparent that he had planned to leave the place and come back, but why would he do such a thing? He even returned in a furtive manner after Zhu Qing was gone. If it weren’t that Fu Ling was responsible for guarding the entrance, she wouldn’t have seen him at all. At that instant, she felt elated at the fact that she had discovered Yang Kai’s secret. [If I use this secret to threaten him, I wonder…]
“I have my own plans, and they have nothing to do with you,” Yang Kai impatiently waved his hand and solemnly said, “Remember that you have not seen me today.”
Fu Ling batted her alluring eyes, “But Big Sister Qing was around when you left earlier.”
Yang Kai replied, “You did not see me coming back! Got it?”
“Got it.” Fu Ling nodded.
Yang Kai grinned, “You’ll get some benefits if you’re obedient; however, if you dare to expose my secret…”
He attempted to perform a hand seal with one hand.
Fu Ling’s expression changed drastically as she waved her hands, “Brother-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll never betray you.”
After a snort, Yang Kai leapt into the air and returned to Dragon Palace following the usual route.
He was planning to sneak into the Dragon Temple, as he wouldn’t allow his six months of hard work to go to waste. [Since that cheap slut Fu Zhun has gone back on her word, don’t blame me for retaliating against her. After I enter the Dragon Temple, she will be powerless to deal with me even if she discovers me. I can control the Dragon Souls in the temple, so as long as I can get inside, I’ll be invincible.]
However, he couldn’t let Zhu Qing know what he was up to lest she be put in a difficult position. That was why he pretended to have left and then returned.
At the thought of Fu Zhun, Yang Kai was incensed. He derided her in his heart and thought that he would definitely get back at her for deceiving him.
As he moved forward, he used his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings as he mindfully hid his aura and figure so that no one would discover him. Fortunately, there were only a small number of Dragon Clan members, and every one of them had their own Spirit Island. Normally, they would stay in their homes and cultivate, which was why Yang Kai hadn’t come across anyone on his way to his destination.
He was familiar with the route leading to the Dragon Temple; after all, he had been there once. Although he had to circumvent some Spirit Islands this time, he could still easily move in the right direction.
Four hours later, he suddenly stopped flying and immediately turned around before he landed on a Spirit Island nearby. Then, he hurriedly snuck into some underbrush and activated his Nihility Secret Technique to hide in the Void. At the same time, he curbed all his aura as best he could.
Right after he was done with this, Yang Kai saw a figure flying over the jungle canopy. Still hiding in the Void, he was so shocked that he was soon drenched in cold sweat. That was because the person who had just whizzed past was none other than Fu Zhun.
[What is that cheap slut doing here instead of staying on Snowy Island?] Yang Kai silently cursed at her. Fortunately, he had been paying attention to his surroundings just now; otherwise, he would have bumped right into Fu Zhun. If she asked him what he was doing here, he wouldn’t even know how to reply to her. He felt anxious by just thinking about the scene.
Fu Zhun was a Tenth-Order Dragon who was just as powerful as any Great Emperor, so Yang Kai wasn’t even sure if he was able to conceal himself from her perception. Nevertheless, there was nothing else he could do besides trying his luck.
He was indeed unlucky on this day. The first person he came across after he snuck back to Dragon Palace was Fu Zhun. He wouldn’t have been so worried if he bumped into other Dragons, but why did it have to be her?
Since he was able to detect her presence just now, she might have discovered him as well.
Soon though, Yang Kai realised that his worries were unnecessary. Fu Zhun didn’t discover him as she whooshed past the underbrush.
However, before he could celebrate it, Fu Zhun suddenly stopped flying and turned around, then she landed on the same island.
[Has she realised that I’m here?] At that instant, he was extremely on edge. If Fu Zhun came over and asked him why he was hiding here, how should he reply to her? [I’ve forgotten about Mo Xiao Qi, so I’ve come back to fetch her! Hmm, that’s a good reason, but why do I have to hide my aura and vitality as if I’m a thief? It will be hard for me to explain myself.]
Right then, he could hear her footsteps rustling on the ground as Fu Zhun shuffled toward him.
After a sigh, Yang Kai thought that he probably couldn’t avoid a confrontation with her. Since he was already displeased with her, he believed that he would just have to fight it out with her and see who would be the last one standing.
While he was lost in his thoughts though, his expression suddenly changed as he realised that the way she carried herself was strange. Although her expression was still cold, her face was now covered in a tinge of melancholy. It was as if she was sorrowful over something.
[Would this cheap slut feel sadness at all?] Yang Kai thought that he had seen wrong, but upon closer look, he realised that she indeed appeared dejected, and she was absent-minded as she moved forward. It was as if her Soul had left her body, and she was just a walking dead.
[It’s no wonder she doesn’t notice me.] Yang Kai finally understood the reason behind it. Given Fu Zhun’s cultivation and power, she wouldn’t have failed to notice him even though he had hidden in the Void under normal circumstances, but now it was apparent that she was beside herself with grief over something. Her absent-mindedness allowed Yang Kai to avoid being detected.
The question was, what in the world was able to make the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder, who was able to rival Great Emperors, feel so heartbroken? Although the emotion on her face wasn’t conspicuous, the atmosphere around her felt extremely gloomy and sad.
Just now, she must have been in a kind of daze as she whizzed past the island, which was why she turned around and returned.
[Did Great Elder cheat on her?] A vicious thought sprang into Yang Kai’s mind as he felt gleeful. [Cheap slut, you totally deserve it!]
Despite his thoughts, he didn’t dare to even breathe a little louder, and he had even closed his eyes.
Fu Zhun was getting closer to him, so if he kept staring at her, he might accidentally expose his whereabouts.
As the rustling of her footsteps faded, Yang Kai could sense that she had entered a cave in a mountain wall on the opposite side of him, making him wonder what she was doing. However, he wouldn’t dare to make a move lest his whereabouts be exposed, so he could only wait silently.
He went on to wait in the Void for the next three days as he cursed all of Fu Zhun’s ancestors. This island wasn’t Snowy Island, so he wondered why she stayed here for such a long time. Three days later, her footsteps could finally be heard again.
Straightening up, he furtively peered out, after which he was astounded.
[What’s going on?] The sight before his eyes made him feel that he was dreaming.
That was because Fu Zhun, who had just walked out of the cave, could be seen with a pair of swollen eyes. It was apparent that she had cried for a long time. Otherwise, given her cultivation, her eyes wouldn’t have swollen so. Traces of tears could still be seen on her face as she no longer appeared as cold as an iceberg. Instead, she appeared frail and pitiful.
A dumbfounded Yang Kai couldn’t believe that a Tenth-Order Dragon had wept for three days straight. Furthermore, it was the Second Elder, who was known for her stone-heartedness.
[No way! How could this be Fu Zhun!?] Yang Kai was extremely excited in his heart, and his expression was gleeful. It was as if he was overjoyed by the fact that he had discovered Fu Zhun’s secret.
He knew that if he jumped out of the Void now, he could make Fu Zhun totally ashamed. However, consequently, she would probably kill him.
If there was a chance in the future, he would definitely bring this incident up to mock her, but it would be better if he had just let her off on this day.
While he was lost in his wild thoughts again, Fu Zhun suddenly turned around and said gently, “I’ll visit you again.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was dumbstruck. [There’s someone else in the cave?]
At that instant, an absurd idea sprang into his mind, and he couldn’t get it out of his head.
[No way! Is it true? The Dragon Clan’s Second Elder couldn’t possibly be cheating on Great Elder…] However, if she wasn’t having an affair, what did she mean when she said those words? At that instant, an image appeared in Yang Kai’s mind. Fu Zhun must have kept a man in the cave on this island, and she would come over to have a date with him from time to time. At the thought of this, Yang Kai’s mind raced. [Zhu Yan must have been cheated on. I feel sorry for him… Though, only a bit.]
However, what Fu Zhun had done was outrageous. Not only had she kept a lover on Dragon Island, but she had also come all the way here to spend three days with him. After that, she also appeared reluctant to part with that lover as she was drenched in tears. Was Zhu Yan totally clueless about all this?
An amazed Yang Kai thought that he had finally seen the other side of Fu Zhun.
On the other hand, Fu Zhun turned around and took a few glances at the cave before she finally seemed to find her resolve and flew away.
After she was gone for an hour, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief and dispelled his Nihility Secret Technique. After taking a look in the direction she had left, he shifted his attention to the cave on the other side. At that moment, his expression appeared awkward.
He felt speechless as the reason he had snuck back into Dragon Island was to break into the Dragon Temple; however, he had never expected that he would come across such an incident, and almost get caught by Fu Zhun.
If it was someone else’s matter, Yang Kai wouldn’t even care about it, as everyone had the right to live life however they wanted. Whether or not she was a slut, it had nothing to do with him. However, the fact that Fu Zhun was keeping a lover made Yang Kai think that he could make use of this fact.
At the very least, he had to find out who the man inside the cave was. If he could capture him, he could make Fu Zhun give in to his demands.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai decided to take action as he treaded silently toward the cave.
Since this unknown man had obtained Fu Zhun’s favour, he must be fairly powerful as well. At the very least, he should be an Emperor Realm Master. As for how powerful this man exactly was, Yang Kai couldn’t be certain, so he reckoned that he had to be careful. As such, he concealed his aura and shuffled forward as he tried to perceive the situation inside the cave.
To his surprise though, he couldn’t detect any aura at all, which was very strange.
There were only two explanations for this. First, there was no living creature inside the cave. Second, the man’s cultivation was so high that Yang Kai wasn’t powerful enough to detect him.
The second supposition wasn’t possible. Yang Kai was now a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Unless a Great Emperor was over there, he would have detected the man. Could it be that his speculation was wrong? That there was no one in the cave?
However, if no one was over there, what did Fu Zhun mean when she said those words before leaving?
Things were getting stranger, but Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to be complacent as he remained vigilant of his surroundings. Soon, he reached the cave’s entrance.
It was pitch dark inside the cave, and there was only a single tunnel. Since there was no light at all, it wasn’t certain how long the tunnel was.
Silently, Yang Kai stepped into the cave and slowly explored it. There were many twists and turns, but he could feel that he was gradually going downward.
A long time later, he could tell that he was now a few thousand metres below ground at the very least. Right then, he saw a faint light in front of him, which made him excited as he carefully concealed his aura.
He was about to find out whether or not Fu Zhun was keeping a lover.
Soon, he reached the source of the light and realised that it was an underground cave. The cave seemed natural rather than artificially made by anyone. It was spacious as the land area was about four thousand to eight thousand square metres.
Standing outside the cave, Yang Kai took a quick glance and realised that no one was inside it. Instead, the walls were embedded with many fist-sized Luminous Pearls that exuded a warm light and illuminated the entire cave.
The cave was the end of the tunnel as there was no more route ahead.
Standing outside the entrance, Yang Kai blinked and called out, “Is anyone there?”
His voice reverberated around the cave and caused his eardrums to buzz, but no one replied to him.
“If there’s no one there, I’m coming in.” As he spoke, he stepped into the cave and looked around. With an awkward expression, he touched his chin and said, “There’s no one here? What the heck?”
Everything in the cave could be seen clearly. Besides the exquisite Luminous Pearls on the walls, there was nothing else that was worth his attention. There wasn’t even a corpse lying around, let alone any living creature.
However, since no one was around, who was Fu Zhun speaking to before she left? Was she suffering from some mental illness? Although it was unlikely, the possibility couldn’t be excluded. After all, he wasn’t so familiar with Fu Zhun. He only knew that her cultivation was powerful. Unless he could make use of Dragon Vein suppression and the power of the Dragon Temple, he was no match for her under normal circumstances.
Since there was no one inside the cave, Yang Kai decided to stop hiding. Placing his hands behind his back, he started walking around.
A light scent still lingered inside the cave, which was obviously Fu Zhun’s bodily fragrance. It proved that she had been here and had stayed here for three days. Otherwise, the fragrance wouldn’t have remained even now.
As he walked around, he suddenly looked to the side and saw some crystal clear beads, which looked like solidified water drops, lying on the ground.
[Dragon Tears?] The items on the ground were solidified tears from a Dragon, which could be used to produce a kind of special Spirit Pill. Recalling that Fu Zhun’s eyes were all swollen, Yang Kai immediately understood that these Dragon Tears were left behind by her.
She must have cried for a long time, so there should have been many crystal tears; however, she had probably kept most of the Dragon Tears, and only a small number of them were accidentally left behind.
There were about a dozen of them which were scattered around a certain black rock.
As he touched his chin, an image sprang into his mind. Fu Zhun must have been standing beside this rock as she was crestfallen. She was weeping silently, then she started bawling her eyes out.
[Why would she face a rock and cry though?] Yang Kai snorted. Right after he dismissed the rock as insignificant, his expression changed suddenly as he sized it up again.
He wasn’t paying attention to the rock earlier and seeing as there was no one in the cave, he only took a few glances at it. However, upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that there was something wrong with this rock. It was as tall as a Human and its shape was oval. The shape reminded Yang Kai of an egg. It was a rock that looked like an egg!
[Wait… Is this a Dragon Egg!?]
The idea in his mind shook him to the core as he stared at the egg with widened eyes.
In fact, he wasn’t even sure how a member of the Dragon Clan was born. Was it directly given birth to by a female? Or was it hatched from a Dragon Egg? No one had told him about this before, but he did recall hearing something about Dragon Eggs.
[Could this really be a Dragon Egg?] After giving it a thought, he realised that it was possible. Snakes were oviparous, so it should be the same case for Dragons.
Fu Zhun had stayed here for three days and bawled her eyes out in front of what was thought to be a Dragon Egg. Could it be the Dragon Egg of Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan?
“Oh, my goodness!” Yang Kai widened his eyes as he was shocked by this idea. If that was the case, he had discovered something incredible.
This was a Dragon Egg that had inherited the bloodline of two Tenth-Order Great Dragons. Hence, this child was destined to be the future hope of Dragon Island.
However, if this was really their Dragon Egg, why was it placed here rather than on Azure Tree Island or Snowy Island? The latter should be excluded as the island was eternally covered in snow, and the place was filled with Ice Attribute Principles. Hence, it wasn’t a suitable location for a Dragon Egg to hatch. Nevertheless, Azure Tree Island was a pleasant place with a warm climate.
[Why did they place the egg here rather than on Azure Tree Island?]
Yang Kai frowned and extended his hand to knock on it. At that instant, the knocking sound reverberated around the cave, as if he was thumping on a rock. Hearing this, Yang Kai scratched his head as he wasn’t sure whether it was a Dragon Egg or a rock. If it was a Dragon Egg, why was there no vitality in it at all?
[Could it be a… This egg is dead?] At the thought of this, he placed his hand on the egg and closed his eyes to sense it.
The next moment, he concluded that it wasn’t a rock. Although this thing looked like a rock, it wasn’t made of stone. Instead, it was a special kind of creature.
[This is indeed a Dragon Egg! Moreover, it really is dead!] It was then Yang Kai understood why Fu Zhun absent-mindedly came to this place, cried her heart out, and said those words before she left.
This was clearly the Dragon Egg she had laid, but for some reason, it did not hatch, and all its vitality was gone. To any mother, this was completely unacceptable. This must have been especially unbearable for Fu Zhun, who was a member of the Dragon Clan. It was difficult for any Dragon to give birth to a child, so she must have been overjoyed when she got pregnant, but utterly devastated when things turned out like this.
She had placed her Dragon Egg here, and from time to time, she would visit it to weep. This time, Yang Kai just happened to come across her visit.
Yang Kai suddenly felt somewhat sorry for her. Although she always appeared to be stone-hearted and unfeeling, she was a woman after all. The Dragon Tears that had been left behind and her swollen eyes suggested that she was sorrowful over what happened and that she deeply yearned for her child.
It was then he realised that he had really seen a different side of her.
While he was mulling over his thoughts, his expression changed suddenly as he stared at the Dragon Egg with widened eyes. That was because for a brief moment, he could feel a weak vibration coming from the egg.
Nevertheless, he was distracted just now, and the fluctuation was barely perceptible, so it could have just been a misunderstanding.
[I must be mistaken. The reason this dead egg is placed here is that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun have lost hope in it. Otherwise, they would’ve taken good care of it.]
Just when he was about to withdraw his hand, he felt a weak vibration again.
At that instant, Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as there was indeed still some vitality in the Dragon Egg. When he felt that fluctuation, he could detect some weak vitality spreading around. However, since there was still vitality in the egg, why had Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun abandoned it?
After feeling the egg for a long time, Yang Kai was certain that there was still some vitality in it, but that was it.
Withdrawing his hand, he gazed at the Dragon Egg and sighed. Either Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun weren’t aware of this, or they were but could do nothing to revive it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have abandoned it.
Then, he sighed again, “Since your dad and mom have given up on you, there’s nothing I can do to help you.”
After patting the egg, he turned around and left.
Since Fu Zhun’s lover was non-existent, it was pointless for Yang Kai to stay here. He happened to discover her secret, but he didn’t think he should threaten her with it.
It was a mother’s love and regret for her child, so there was nothing worth blackmailing.
After leaving the cave, he leapt into the air and headed off towards Dragon Temple.
A moment later though, he stopped flying and stroked his chin. As he darted his gaze around, he suddenly thought of something. Following that, he turned around and returned to the cave, after which he put the Dragon Egg inside his Small Sealed World.
After leaving the cave again, he headed to the entrance instead of Dragon Island.
However, Fu Ling wasn’t at the entrance. Yang Kai searched around and eventually found her in a lake, which was about thirty kilometres away from the entrance.
Nonetheless, he was shocked to find out that she was taking a bath! Her clothes were put on the lakeside as she was swimming around like a fish.
Seeing Yang Kai, she was shocked as she aggrievedly looked up at him and asked, “Brother-in-law, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help rolling his eyes. The lake was crystal clear while Fu Ling was naked, so although it wasn’t his intention, he could still see her nude body. Her peaks were rich and her waist was slender while the curve of her bottom was perfectly sculpted. Her figure appeared a bit distorted under the water, but there was no doubt that she was an alluring lady.
“There’s something I need to ask you about.” Without looking away, Yang Kai stared at her in a condescending manner.
Using all her limbs, Fu Ling swam towards a rock in the middle of the lake and placed her hands on it before she revealed half of her blemish-free back. Arching her alluring figure, she looked up and asked with a smile, “What do you want to ask me about?”
Yang Kai landed on the rock and crouched down before touching his chin, “Did Second Elder give birth to a child before?”
Fu Ling batted her eyes and asked curiously, “How did you know?”
[So it’s as I thought!]
“How I found out about it is none of your business. Just answer my question.” Yang Kai looked down at her.
Fu Ling gave it a thought and replied, “It was many years ago, but Second Elder had indeed given birth to a child.”
“What happened?”
A sorrowful Fu Ling said, “It couldn’t hatch and passed away because it didn’t have enough Source Strength.”
“It didn’t have enough Source Strength?” Yang Kai knitted his brows together. [Why haven’t I heard of this kind of reason for a stillbirth before?]
Fu Ling explained, “The Dragon Clan is blessed with immense power and cultivation right from birth; however, since we’re Divine Spirits, we rely on our Source to live. Every member of the Dragon Clan has their own Dragon Source, including the newly born. If a baby’s Source Strength isn’t sufficient though, it can’t be born. That incident was indeed strange. Great Elder and Second Elder are both Tenth-Order Dragons, the strongest among all of us, so it should be impossible that their child didn’t have enough Source Strength. Nevertheless, it happened.”
“I see…” Yang Kai fell into his thoughts for a moment, then he sneered, “That bitch must have done a lot of evil things, which is why the Heavens decided to punish her. We all have to conform to the Heavenly Way, and the Heavens spare no evil person!”
“B-Bitch?” Fu Ling stared at him in shock, “Brother-in-law, are you… talking about Second Elder?”
“Who else could it be?” Yang Kai shot her a glare.
Fu Ling slowly submerged herself into the water and only revealed her head as she looked meekly at him. It was the first time she realised that Yang Kai was so bold. If Fu Zhun heard what he had said, she would stop at nothing to kill him.
However, Fu Ling wasn’t aware that Yang Kai had actually cursed out Fu Zhun right to her face already, so it didn’t matter that he cursed at her while she wasn’t around.
After a moment of hesitation, Fu Ling said gently, “Actually, before that incident, while Second Elder was still cold and dispassionate, she wasn’t so foul-tempered. However, after the incident, she’s changed a lot.”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai arched his brow, “So, the incident had a huge impact on her?”
“En.” Fu Ling lowered her head, “It was difficult for her and Great Elder to have a child, but it passed away as it didn’t have enough Source Strength, so she naturally despaired. Since then, she became almost obsessed with there being new Dragon Clan members, which was why she insisted on getting Big Sister Qing married to Fu Chi.”
“She can’t do it, so she pinned all her hopes on others? What a crazy woman!” Yang Kai pursed his lips.
“I’ve also heard that, in the past, if the child of Martial Beast Great Emperor and the Third Elder was a Pureblood Dragon Clan member, Second Elder wouldn’t have blamed her; however, that Mo Xiao Qi didn’t carry any of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline at all, which was why Second Elder became enraged and threw Third Elder into the Dragon Grave.”
Yang Kai didn’t want to hear about this story again so he asked, “What happened after that?”
“What do you mean?” Fu Ling looked puzzledly at him.
“Second Elder gave birth to a dead egg, what happened next?”
Fu Ling put on a bitter smile, “What else could have happened? Great Elder and Second Elder tried everything they could think of for several years, but the egg never showed any signs that it would hatch, so they slowly lost hope. Because of this incident, Great Elder has always felt sorry for Second Elder, which is why he has been so tolerant of her behaviour all these years… Brother-in-law, why are you asking me all these questions?”
“I’m just asking. It’s not like I’m going to do anything.” Yang Kai waved his hand, “Go on with your bath and pretend that you never saw me.”
Upon finishing his words, he leapt into the air and disappeared.
An exasperated Fu Ling stared in the direction he had left and smacked the water with her palms as she said through clenched teeth, “What an evil man!”
Turning around, she started swimming in the lake again.
[This really is Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan’s Dragon Egg!] Yang Kai shot forward as his emotions undulated. [This could be the breakthrough to this deadlock!]
There was a war-torn island on the ocean where the traces of an epic battle could still be seen. A palace, which was supposed to be magnificent, had become dilapidated.
It was the Spirit Island of the deceased Eighth-Order Thunder Dragon, Fu Chi. In the past, Yang Kai had come here as well. Hundreds of cultivators had been brought to this place to build the palace for Fu Chi, but the grand battle that happened soon after completed destroyed everything on this island, and the splendid palace became a thing of the past.
Yang Kai landed on the ground and looked for an intact hall before going inside. After cleaning up the surroundings for a bit, he waved his hand and a dark dead egg appeared before his eyes.
Stroking his chin, he circled around the dead egg several times as a glint of determination flashed across his eyes.
Just then, someone was flying over from afar. A moment later, he landed beside Yang Kai and cupped his fists, “Young Master.”
“En,” A nonchalant Yang Kai gently nodded as he had already sent a message to tell Qiong Qi to come over when he was on the way to this place. Previously, Qiong Qi had been roaming around Dragon Island. Yang Kai didn’t inform him when he was pretending to leave, for he had to come back anyway.
It wasn’t until now that he told him to come over. It was said that two heads were better than one, and Qiong Qi had lived for a long time, so Yang Kai figured that he could ask for his opinions over some matters.
“Young Master, why did you tell me to…” Qiong Qi gasped before he could finish his words as he stared at the dark dead egg with widened eyes. Then, he exclaimed, “T-This…”
“What are you trying to say? Speak in a clear manner.” Yang Kai shot him a look.
Qiong Qi gulped and said, “Young Master, is this a… Dragon Egg?”
He said the last two words in a hushed voice as though he was worried that someone else would hear him.
“You really do have an acute vision, to recognise it at first glance.” Yang Kai gave him a thumbs-up. It took him some time to inspect it before he could confirm what it was. Nevertheless, Qiong Qi could tell what it was at first glance, which proved that he was indeed a seasoned old man.
A myriad of expressions came over Qiong Qi before he said, “Young Master, I’m not sure if I should tell you this.”
“Just spill whatever you have to say. Don’t you find it exhausting that you have to pretend to be gentle all the time when you have a hideous face?”
Qiong Qi’s expression darkened, but he still replied seriously, “Although I’m not sure where you’ve stolen this Dragon Egg from, I suggest that you put it back. If the Dragon Clan finds out about this, you’ll be dead.”
“Why are you so sure I’ve stolen it?” Yang Kai shot him a look.
[Could you have laid it if you hadn’t stolen it!?] Qiong Qi secretly criticized him. [Although I’m old, I’m not senile yet!]
“Then can you tell me how you obtained this egg?”
“I picked it up,” Yang Kai replied solemnly.
[As if I would believe you! We’re on Dragon Island, and there’s a Dragon Egg in front of us! How dare you tell me you’ve just picked it up!?]
“Enough nonsense. I didn’t tell you to come over to talk about this.” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him, “There’s something I need to ask you about, so I hope that you’ll be totally honest with me and tell me everything you know.”
A worried Qiong Qi said, “Does it have something to do with this Dragon Egg?”
“That’s right.”
Qiong Qi heaved a sigh and felt that he had been dragged into a mess by Yang Kai. At that instant, he felt utterly regretful. If he knew that this would happen one day, he would rather have followed Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi back to Spirit Beast Island. Although his freedom would be limited, he wouldn’t come across this life-threatening incident at the very least.
Since he acknowledged Yang Kai as his Young Master, he had not had a peaceful day again. Not only had Yang Kai barged into Dragon Island to walk sideways, but he had even stolen a Dragon Egg!
If the Dragon Clan found out about this, Yang Kai and Qiong Qi would have their corpses shredded into at least ten thousand pieces.
“To be honest with you, this Dragon Egg belongs to the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder and Second Elder.”
Qiong Qi’s face twitched when he heard this.
Any Dragon Egg was immensely important, to say nothing of the fact that this was the egg of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun!
[What is he trying to do? Even if he wants to die, he shouldn’t have gone this far! But, since this is the Dragon Egg of the two Great Elders, how did Yang Kai manage to steal it?] Qiong Qi was puzzled.
“They said that this is a dead egg, but I don’t think so.” Yang Kai shook his head.
“It’s a dead egg?” Qiong Qi was stunned.
Yang Kai shrugged, “That’s what they said anyway.”
“Who said so?” Qiong Qi pursued the matter and asked.
“Who said it doesn’t matter, what matters is they’re all wrong. Although the vitality in the egg is weak, there’s still some hope.” As Yang Kai spoke, he pressed his hand against the egg and tilted his head to hint at Qiong Qi, “Come over and feel it.”
A curious Qiong Qi walked over and placed his hand on the Dragon Egg to feel it.
Since the Dragon Clan had already confirmed that it was a dead egg, how could Yang Kai claim that there was still some vitality in it?
“How is it? Can you feel it? Some weak life aura fluctuations appear from time to time.” Yang Kai looked joyfully at him.
Qiong Qi looked awkwardly at him and shook his head, as he couldn’t feel anything.
Yang Kai couldn’t believe that Qiong Qi couldn’t feel it, so he demanded, “Inspect it carefully!”
Left with no choice, Qiong Qi tried to feel it again attentively.
“Look. It vibrated again!” Yang Kai suddenly said.
The corners of Qiong Qi’s eyes twitched as he had the urge to ask whether Yang Kai was messing with him. He couldn’t sense any fluctuations at all. Upon inspection, he realised that everything inside the egg was shrivelled, so there were no signs of life to be felt.
However, Yang Kai didn’t seem to be lying when he firmly said those words, and it was unnecessary for him to do so. Meanwhile, if Qiong Qi admitted that he didn’t feel anything, it would mean that he was inferior to Yang Kai. Therefore, he quickly nodded and stated, “That’s right. There is indeed a faint life aura fluctuation.”
Yang Kai withdrew his hand and guffawed, “You can also feel it, right? However, since it still has some vitality, why did they claim that it’s a dead egg?”
Qiong Qi stroked his chin and pondered, “Maybe it’s because its vitality is too weak?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “That’s a reasonable explanation.”
The life force of any member of the Dragon Clan was incredibly powerful, so an egg with such weak vitality was essentially dead.
“Young Master, what do you plan to do?” Qiong Qi asked. It was a terrible sign that Yang Kai had shown great interest in a dead egg, which was why he was worried.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and said seriously, “I’m going to hatch it!”
“Wha?” Qiong Qi stared at him in disbelief.
“I said I’m going to hatch it!” Yang Kai repeated.
The corners of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched as he intended to dissuade him from doing this; however, after giving it a thought, he asked, “What’s your intention for doing so?”
“Of course, I’m going to use it to threaten that bitch, Fu Zhun.” Yang Kai grinned deviously as his face was covered in a sinister gleam, “It’s Zhu Yan and her’s child. If I’m able to hatch it, she’ll have to obey my orders in the future. I can tell her to kneel down or stand up as I please… Hahaha!”
He tilted his head back and cackled while Qiong Qi’s heart clenched.
On this war-torn Spirit Island, Qiong Qi was trying his hardest to persuade Yang Kai to put the Dragon Egg back to its original place; however, not only did Yang Kai not listen to him, but he had also reprimanded him.
Left with no choice, Qiong Qi could only resign to his fate.
“Old Qiong, the reason I’ve asked you come over is to ask you how I can hatch it.” Yang Kai looked solemnly at him.
Qiong Qi had no idea either. Although he was also a Divine Spirit, and he had lived for many years, he wasn’t a member of the Dragon Clan; hence, how was he supposed to know how to hatch a Dragon Egg? However, if he really spoke his mind, he would be chided by Yang Kai again. Left with no choice, he replied, “Maybe you can hatch it like how other oviparous species do it?”
“You mean like this?” Upon hearing that, Yang Kai pounced on the Dragon Egg and hugged it with both hands before he turned to look at him. Without waiting for Qiong Qi’s reply, he said with a dark expression, “Don’t you think this is ridiculous?”
The egg was as tall as a full-grown Human, and Yang Kai couldn’t even encircle it with both hands, so he looked rather foolish. Then, he thought of something as he leapt into the air and took a seat on the egg. As he squirmed, he looked down at him and asked, “How about this?”
The corners of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched.
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Don’t say anything. I get it.”
Yang Kai could tell that he must look like a clown at the moment.
After sliding down the egg, he said, “Certainly, it isn’t so easy to hatch a Dragon Egg; otherwise, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun would’ve succeeded, and they wouldn’t have dumped it. Old Qiong, give it some thought. Have you lived for so many years but learned nothing at all?”
Qiong Qi sighed, “I really have no idea. You have to find out about it on your own, Young Master.”
With a long face, Yang Kai replied, “If I knew how to do it, I wouldn’t have summoned you.”
Qiong Qi said, “Actually, I think that you should know what to do.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow, “Why am I supposed to know?”
Qiong Qi put on a smile, “Young Master, you possess a Dragon Source after all. Whatever is related to the Dragon Clan, you should instinctively understand, including how to hatch a Dragon Egg.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that, and he thought what this old man had said made sense. Divine Spirits were born with immense power and cultivation; furthermore, they could inherit their ancestors’ experiences and memories. The reason for that was that everything was sealed inside their Source. When the time was right, and their cultivation reached a certain height, these memories would be unearthed from their Source.
Previously, the reason Yang Kai could use some Dragon Clan Secret Techniques was that his Dragon Transformation Secret Art had improved to the point that he could access some knowledge from his Dragon Source.
Since he could even comprehend a Secret Technique through it, there was no reason he couldn’t learn how to hatch a Dragon Egg as well.
“En, you’re right.” At that instant, Yang Kai felt enlightened as that realisation dawned upon him, and then he fell into his own thoughts.
A moment later, he lifted his head and said, “Old Qiong, please keep watch around this place for me. Inform me immediately if anyone approaches.”
In fact, it would be totally safe if he hid inside the Small Sealed World to hatch the egg as he could just hide the Sealed World Bead somewhere, and no one could possibly discover it. However, he was now on Dragon Island, where the Dragon Clan had resided for countless generations, so Yang Kai instinctually thought that hatching the Dragon Egg here was the best solution. If he hid inside the Sealed World Bead, something would probably be lacking. In this matter, Yang Kai decided to trust his instincts.
“Yes,” Upon receiving the order, Qiong Qi flew away and kept watch on the surroundings.
On the other hand, Yang Kai circled around the egg several times before patting it and saying, “I’m trying my best to revive you, so you have to work harder on your own as well. You’ll be considered lucky if I’m able to hatch you, and you’ll have a new life. If you can’t be born, it’s your fate and you can’t blame anyone.”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai took a deep breath and sat down with his legs crossed beside the Dragon Egg. Then, he emptied his mind as his Soul Avatar plunged into his Knowledge Sea. Silently, he tried to sense the Golden Divine Dragon Source within his body, attempting to learn how to hatch a Dragon Egg.
At that instant, the area fell into dead silence as only Yang Kai’s breathing was audible.
A long time later, Qiong Qi, who was standing guard around the Spirit Island, suddenly heard a rumbling Dragon Roar. Attracted by the roar, he turned around and saw that Yang Kai had transformed into his 300-metre-long Half-Dragon form. Great horns protruded on his forehead, and his skin was covered in Dragon Scales. His golden figure shone brightly under the sun as his Dragon Tail flicked about behind his back, causing a dust storm to rise up into the air.
“Hm?” Qiong Qi’s expression turned awkwardly contemplative as he realised that Yang Kai was in a strange state. He seemed to be subconsciously using his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, and he appeared to be in an ethereal state of mind.
Air billows could be seen puffing out of Yang Kai’s nostrils as he lay down on his side and curled up his body. Then, he dragged the Dragon Egg towards him using his tail and pulled it into his arms.
[Is he going to hatch it just like this?] Qiong Qi was dumbfounded. The Dragon Egg had lost all its vitality, so what was the point of doing this?
He shook his head and sighed as he didn’t understand why Yang Kai was so keen on doing this. So what if he was able to hatch it? It was the child of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, so it would have nothing to do with him.
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t really understand why he was doing this either. After he left the cave earlier, a voice reverberated in his heart, which forced him to attempt to hatch the egg. Using it to threaten Fu Zhun was barely a consideration in his choice.
It was as if he was doing it out of instinct, like he was answering his Golden Divine Dragon Source’s calling.
As time passed, Qiong Qi kept guard around the island and never moved away. Fortunately, there were only a small number of Dragon Clan members, and no one would pass by this place. Hence, they were able to enjoy a peaceful life for some time.
He would check on Yang Kai from time to time, but at this moment, Yang Kai seemed to have fallen into hibernation. Qiong Qi suspected that even if he called out to him, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to wake up.
Yang Kai remained in the same position as he curled up around the Dragon Egg. Looking from afar, he looked just like a Dragon that had fallen asleep, but his Dragon Pressure was so intense that even Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan would be no match for him.
Two months later, Qiong Qi was gazing at the sinking sun when he suddenly felt that something was off behind him. After he turned around, he was astounded.
Yang Kai had straightened up his upper body as his eyes were open. Golden lights beamed from his eyes like two miniature suns, making it impossible to meet his gaze.
Following that, he opened his mouth and spat a mouthful of Golden Blood onto the dark Dragon Egg, dying it gold.
The corners of Qiong Qi’s eyes twitched as he wondered for a hundredth time, [What is he doing?]
After two months of watching, he was certain that Yang Kai had learned how to hatch an egg from his Dragon Source; however, he had never heard that those from the Dragon Clan would do such a thing to hatch an egg. It was no different from self-harm.
The next moment, however, Qiong Qi’s expression was transformed by shock because the egg was absorbing Yang Kai’s Golden Blood. The Golden Blood could be seen seeping into the egg, and in just a while, the surface of the egg became dark again.
After that, Yang Kai lay down and fell asleep again.
An amazed Qiong Qi now thought it might just be possible for this Dragon Egg to be saved. If the egg was truly dead, it couldn’t have absorbed Yang Kai’s Golden Blood. However, he had inspected the egg before, and there was clearly no vitality in it.
[What’s going on?] A doubtful Qiong Qi began observing the situation even more carefully.
After the incident, Yang Kai would awaken every three to five days. However, it wasn’t accurate to say that he woke up. Although his eyes were open, it seemed that he could only see the Dragon Egg and nothing else. After he spat a mouthful of Golden Blood, he would fall asleep again.
Every time, the egg would absorb the Golden Blood quickly and then turn dark again.
Yang Kai continued to do this for the next three months until, one day, Qiong Qi could finally sense a weak fluctuation coming from the egg. It was like a candlelight that could be snuffed out at any moment amidst the rain and wind, but there was no doubt it existed.
[It really can still be saved!] Qiong Qi was flabbergasted. Yang Kai was actually right when he said that there was still vitality in the egg. But why couldn’t Qiong Qi feel it at that time? Could the reason be that Yang Kai possessed a Dragon Source?
In the following month, the signs of vitality coming from the egg became increasingly vibrant, as if whatever was inside would break out of the egg at any moment.
That wasn’t the only change though as strange patterns started appearing on the dark egg’s surface. They looked like a kind of picture, but it was hard to tell what it was, and it appeared utterly abstruse.
The patterns would gleam and flicker, but each time they glowed, they would exude a powerful aura.
Qiong Qi had no doubt that once the baby inside the egg was about to be born, it would shock everyone in the Dragon Clan. After giving it a thought though, he realised that this was the child of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, so there was no way the child of two Tenth-Order Dragons would have a weak aptitude.
However, could it really be born? Although it had nothing to do with Qiong Qi, things had come to a point that he became nervous as he was looking forward to it. He would observe Yang Kai and the egg’s changes every day and never took a step away.
Azure Tree Island, Zhu Yan’s residence.
A white light flashed across the sky as Fu Zhun broke through the air and landed in front of Zhu Yan, staring silently at him.
Just like the time when Yang Kai saw him, Zhu Yan was standing on one foot beside a gigantic tree as he was focused on cultivating. Sensing Fu Zhun’s aura, he opened his eyes, only to see that she had pressed her lips together, as though she was hesitating to speak.
With a faint smile, Zhu Yan asked, “Yes?”
Although they had been married for years, they usually lived on their own Spirit Islands. In the beginning, Fu Zhun would still come over from time to time; however, after ‘that’ incident, she stopped coming to this island at all.
“What’s wrong?” Zhu Yan finished the course of his cultivation technique and placed his hands behind his back. Then, he walked over and stared at her.
Fu Zhun looked away as she appeared meek, “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Zhu Yan was amazed because it was the first time he saw her sporting this expression, as if she had done something wrong. So, with a gentle smile, he softly stated, “Just tell me whatever you have to say. It’s not like we are strangers.”
Although what Fu Zhun was about to say was embarrassing, she wasn’t a sentimental person after all; therefore, after a moment of hesitation, she said, “I want to talk about Lin’er.”
Upon hearing the name, Zhu Yan frowned and sighed, “Many years have passed. Haven’t you put the matter down?”
Fu Zhun stared fixedly at him, “Have you put it down?”
Zhu Yan replied, “So what if I haven’t? There’s no hope anymore, so we should look to the future instead of being held up by the past.”
Fu Zhun shook her head, “I’m not resigned. We are both Tenth-Order Dragons so how was it possible that Lin’er didn’t inherit enough Source Strength?”
With a bitter smile, Zhu Yan asked “So what if we’re both Tenth-Order Dragons? It’s naturally difficult for the Dragon Clan to sustain our bloodline, and many such cases had happened in the past.”
He fell silent for a moment, “Enough about this. Let the past be the past.”
However, Fu Zhun still shook her head.
Zhu Yan was torn between tears and laughter, “What do you want, then?”
With her head hung low, Fu Zhun replied, “I’ve always felt that Lin’er wasn’t dead yet, and he’ll be born one day.”
“He’s already been placed in the Dragon Grave.” Zhu Yan placed his hand on her shoulder and persuaded her, “Stop thinking about it.”
Fu Zhun hung her head even lower and said in a hushed voice, “Lin’er isn’t in the Dragon Grave.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan was startled for a moment before he looked awkwardly at her, “What do you mean?”
“Lin’er isn’t in the Dragon Grave.” Fu Zhun repeated her words and lifted her head to look into his eyes, “He’s on Dragon Island.”
Zhu Yan widened his eyes in disbelief and said, “You mean you didn’t put Lin’er into the Dragon Grave?”
It wasn’t the first time a Dragon Egg was stillborn. In fact, there had been many such cases in the past. Whenever such an incident happened, the dead egg would be placed in the Dragon Grave. Zhu Yan had never expected that Fu Zhun of all people would break this rule. It was an inconceivable idea. Anyone on Dragon Island might break the rules, but definitely not Fu Zhun.
“En!” Fu Zhun nodded.
Zhu Yan’s expression darkened as he bellowed, “Have you lost your mind!? If the other clansmen find out about this, your reputation will be ruined!”
She had always enforced the rules without the slightest leniency or mercy, so it was intolerable that she had broken the rules herself.
Knowing that she was in the wrong, Fu Zhun fell silent; however, she didn’t regret making this mistake because she still hoped for her child to live.
“Where did you keep him?” Zhu Yan asked in an exasperated tone, as he wasn’t even aware of what she had done until now. It was no wonder she didn’t allow him to follow her to the Dragon Grave at that time; it turns out she had already planned this back then. It was laughable that he had always been in the dark about this matter.
Fu Zhun looked vigilantly at him, “What do you want to do?”
Zhu Yan parted his lips, “What do you think I’ll do?”
“I’ll never allow you to put Lin’er into the Dragon Grave!” Fu Zhun said through clenched teeth.
Zhu Yan snapped back, “Why are you still so stubborn at this point? There’s… no hope for Lin’er anymore, so why did you place him somewhere else? The Dragon Grave is where the deceased should reside!”
Fu Zhun’s lips curved into a sneer, “I knew that I shouldn’t have told you about it.”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and left.
Zhu Yan immediately took her arm.
“Let go!” Fu Zhun turned around and shot him a glare.
Zhu Yan’s chest tightened as he realised that she was truly infuriated. If he forcefully stopped her, she might flare up. Left with no choice, he released her and said, “Calm down.”
“I am calm!”
The corners of Zhu Yan’s mouth twitched as he gave it a thought and said, “Since you’ve hidden this secret from me for so many years, why did you decide to tell me about it today?”
That was what puzzled him the most. They knew each other extremely well, so she must have been aware of the consequences of breaking this secret to him; therefore, it was illogical that she would take the initiative and tell him about it.
Fu Zhun pressed her lips together and hesitated for a moment before she replied, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Zhu Yan was dumbstruck.
Fu Zhun took a deep breath, “For some reason, I’ve been feeling apprehensive and uneasy recently. I have a premonition that something bad is about to happen.”
“Does it have something to do with Lin’er?” Zhu Yan frowned.
“Yes.” Fu Zhun nodded gently, “That’s why I want you to visit Lin’er with me.”
“Okay,” Zhu Yan agreed to it directly.
However, Fu Zhun flatly declared, “But I’ve changed my mind because of your reaction just now.”
Zhu Yan put on a helpless smile, “Don’t worry. You have the final say regarding this matter. If you’re not willing, I won’t force you to put him into the Dragon Grave.”
That was the only thing he could say; otherwise, she wouldn’t bring him to see Lin’er. His plan was that he would find out about Lin’er’s whereabouts first before coming up with a solution later.
“Really?” Fu Zhun’s gaze glowed with pleasant surprise. The coldness in her eyes melted, which was then replaced by a tinge of softness.
“Really,” Zhu Yan nodded with a serious expression.
A smiling Fu Zhun crooked her finger and said, “Come with me.”
Upon finishing her words, she flew away first.
Instead of following her immediately, Zhu Yan remained in the same spot for a moment. That was because he hadn’t seen Fu Zhun smile for many years. The world seemed to have paled when she smiled just now. In the past, although she wasn’t someone who loved to laugh, she would still smile occasionally. However, after what happened to Lin’er, she had never been seen with a smile again. Whenever she was faced with anyone, she always remained cold and distant, which was why all members of the Dragon Clan were afraid of her.
[She doesn’t have to torture herself like this…] Zhu Yan sighed secretly before racing after her.
Moments later, the two Dragon Clan Elders landed on an unnamed island.
A shocked Zhu Yan asked, “Did you place Lin’er here?”
Fu Zhun pointed at the front, “That’s right. There’s a natural cave over there which is well hidden. Without intentionally searching for this cave, no one would notice it. Lin’er has been inside the cave over the years.”
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but admire Fu Zhun’s bravery, as this wasn’t a remote island at all. There were even two Spirit Islands nearby that belonged to their fellow clansmen. It was said that the most obvious place was the best place to hide something, but it was truly lucky that no one had discovered this secret over the years.
With Fu Zhun leading the way, they took a few twists and turns as they descended into the cave.
Zhu Yan could feel that Fu Zhun was somewhat anxious as she had started talking a lot. He understood her feelings because he felt the same way too. Although there was no more hope for Lin’er anymore, that didn’t mean Zhu Yan didn’t want to see his child again.
While they were feeling nervous, they finally reached the underground cave. As the Luminous Pearls illuminated the entire cave, Fu Zhun was rooted to the spot as she stared fixedly at a particular spot. At the same time, her body was trembling uncontrollably.
After scanning the cave, Zhu Yan asked with a frown, “Where’s Lin’er?”
There was basically nothing in the cave, let alone their child.
When he turned around and saw her expression, he realised that something must have happened as his chest tightened.
Just then, Fu Zhun shot forward and reached the spot where the Dragon Egg was supposed to be. After looking around in a dazed state, she looked up at her husband with bloodshot eyes, tearing up as she shouted, “Lin’er is missing!”
Zhu Yan asked, “Are you sure this is where you put him?”
With a listless gaze, Fu Zhun replied, “He has always been here. I visited him just half a year ago! He’s always been here!”
Fu Zhun’s expression soon transformed from one of shock to one of ice-cold rage. Murderous intent exploded as she said through clenched teeth, “Someone has stolen him!”
Zhu Yan also scowled as he muttered, “In that case, it must be one of our clansmen who did it. There are only a small number of them, so it isn’t hard to investigate.”
Fu Zhun said coldly, “If I find out who did this, I’ll never let them off!”
A shocked Zhu Yan quickly suggested, “Maybe it wasn’t intentional, so you shouldn’t jump to conclusions like that. After we find out who is responsible, we’ll just tell them to return the egg. This news shouldn’t be spread after all.”
Upon hearing that, Fu Zhun’s aura deflated as she nodded and gazed at him, “You’re right. Please investigate it quickly and tell the person to return Lin’er to us.”
Zhu Yan was lost for words as he watched her expression. It was the first time he saw her in such a helpless state. It was then he realised just how important their child still was to her, even after all these years believing he was dead.
It was no wonder she said that she had been feeling apprehensive lately, as something really had happened. Given her cultivation, it was reasonable to think that Fu Zhun had sensed that her child was in danger and had grown anxious as a result.
“What are you waiting for? Look into the matter right now!” Fu Zhun stomped her feet and urged him.
Zhu Yan sighed as he wasn’t even sure how he could even start to investigate.
There were only a small number of Dragon Clan members, so it wasn’t difficult to investigate. If one of the clansmen had really taken Lin’er away, it would only take him a day or so to figure it out. The issue was how he could look into this matter quietly.
It wasn’t like he could just ask each of their clansmen whether they had taken a Dragon Egg away from this place. If he really did that, the clansmen would find it suspicious, and the fact that Fu Zhun had hidden a Dragon Egg would sooner or later be exposed.
While he had to find Lin’er’s whereabouts, he also had to protect his wife’s reputation, so Zhu Yan felt that he had been put in a tight spot. At the same time, he was somewhat angered that one of his clansmen had dared to do such a thing; after all, Lin’er was also his child.
Meanwhile, on another Spirit Island, Yang Kai was still protecting the Dragon Egg in his Half-Dragon Form, seemingly having fallen into a peculiar state.
It was pitch black around him, and he couldn’t think clearly, like his mind was dazed. Everything he did seemed to be his instinctive reaction.
He tried to extend his limbs, but he felt that he had been restricted.
Just then, an idea sprang into his mind, [Am I inside an egg? However, why would I be in an egg?]
After trying to recall what he was doing, he finally remembered that he had been trying to hatch a Dragon Egg.
However, since he was outside trying to hatch the egg, how did he end up inside it?
While he was doubtful, Yang Kai felt a consciousness trying to approach his own. Feeling impatient, he tried to push the consciousness away; however, the consciousness was relentless as it leaned close to him again. At the same time, it expressed its desire, as if there was something in his body that it needed.
When the frustrated Yang Kai tried to push it away again, his brows twitched as he suddenly realised what it was.
It was the aura of the living creature inside the Dragon Egg. He now realized that he wasn’t inside the egg. Instead, his consciousness had sunk into the egg and resonated with the creature inside.
Understanding his circumstances, Yang Kai just let the consciousness do whatever it wanted.
As expected, the consciousness leaned close to him again as he could feel that it was drawing something out of him. This kind of derivation was harmless to him, but it was immensely beneficial to the consciousness.
From a nearby spot, Qiong Qi was looking at what was going on in a dazed state. He could clearly see that a golden aura was leaving Yang Kai’s body, which was then absorbed by the dark Dragon Egg. As it sucked in the golden aura, its vitality became vigorous as the patterns on the eggshell shone even more brightly.
Besides the dazzling light, the Dragon Pressure exuding from the egg also became conspicuous.
[This might alert others!] Qiong Qi was worried that the Dragon Clan might find out what was going on over here. In this circumstance, anyone who passed by within a kilometre radius of this place would notice what was happening. If the person came over to have a look, their secret would be exposed.
Fortunately, his worry did not materialise. Although what was happening on this island was intense, it hadn’t alerted anyone for a few days.
One day, when Qiong Qi was keeping watch on the surroundings, he suddenly heard a loud thud.
Turning around, he could see a ring of light expand from the Dragon Egg, which was in Yang Kai’s embrace. He also noticed that the egg had stopped absorbing Yang Kai’s aura.
[It’s going to hatch!] For some reason, that idea sprang into Qiong Qi’s mind. Although he had never seen a Dragon Egg hatch before, he was certain that it was exactly what was going to happen.
[He really did it?] Qiong Qi found it inconceivable. Some time ago, he determined that the egg was completely dead with no vitality whatsoever. However, Yang Kai was able to hatch it in the end. He wondered what the Dragon Clan would make of this after they found out about it.
Just then, a loud thud could be heard again. It sounded like a heartbeat or the sound of someone beating a drum. Rings of light expanded from the egg again and spread around even further.
*Dong dong dong!*
The sound became increasingly frequent and intense as more rings of lights were seen spreading madly from the egg, as if someone was constantly throwing rocks into a lake.
Just then, the sound stopped abruptly as another strange sound was heard.
*Kacha…* A crack appeared on the dark Dragon Egg as it spread from the top to the bottom.
The Dragon Egg, which was as tall as a Human, suddenly cracked open from the middle as Qiong Qi widened his eyes. He wanted to see what the new member of the Dragon Clan that Yang Kai had spent so much time and effort to hatch would look like.
However, he realised that he couldn’t see it clearly because a white light shot out of the egg and beamed right into the sky.
At the same time, a high-pitched Dragon Roar could be heard as it echoed across the sky. In the distance, more Dragon Roars could be heard as their voices reverberated around Dragon Island.
Just then, Phantom Dragons suddenly appeared as strange noises could be heard coming from above. Looking up from Dragon Island, countless illusory phantoms of Great Dragons could be seen swimming through the air. As Dragon Pressure spread out, the whole world seemed to be trembling because of it.
On different parts of Dragon Island, everyone looked up at the sky as they all appeared shocked and puzzled.
Meanwhile, on Snowy Island, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were standing alongside each other on an ice mountain. Fu Zhun appeared pale and desolate. Since she discovered that her child was stolen, she had become utterly dispirited. She couldn’t sleep at night and didn’t have the heart to cultivate. Even as a Tenth-Order Dragon, she had become noticeably thinner by the day, which was something quite unbelievable.
Zhu Yan had been looking into the matter, but he had failed in his attempt to find any clues. He had secretly inspected the residences of the more than ten clansmen, but he couldn’t find Lin’er’s whereabouts. On this day, he had come over here to ask Fu Zhun whether she had other leads; however, not long after he started speaking, he saw the phenomenon in the sky.
The two Elders looked up at the sky in unison as they were stunned.
“The Dragon Temple is shaking. Dragon Souls have appeared. T-This is…” Zhu Yan widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Has a new clansman been born?”
It wasn’t the first time he came across this phenomenon, so he understood what this Heavenly Manifestation meant. Every time a new member of their clan was born, this kind of phenomenon would appear; however, this time, it was grander than any other time in the past.
Fu Zhun was dumbstruck by what was going on as she temporarily forgot the fact that her child had gone missing. In a dazed state, she asked, “Has any of our clansmen shown signs of getting pregnant recently?”
Zhu Yan shook his head, “No. If there were any signs, we would’ve noticed it. None of the females in our clan has even laid an egg, so how is it possible that there would be a newly born clansman?”
For a member of the Dragon Clan to be born, a Dragon Egg had to be laid and then hatched after a number of years of effort. However, there wasn’t even a single egg on Dragon Island, so it was impossible for a new clansman to have been born.
“But this manifestation…” As Fu Zhun spoke, her expression suddenly changed as she exclaimed, “Lin’er! It’s Lin’er! He’s been born!”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan immediately thought that it wasn’t possible. He had personally inspected the Dragon Egg and concluded that there was no hope for their child. Many years had passed, so how was it possible that their child was born at this point?
Nevertheless, after giving it a thought, he realised that he couldn’t exclude this possibility.
Besides the eggs that had been placed in the Dragon Grave, there was only Lin’er on Dragon Island. If a new clansman had really been born, it had to be Lin’er.
At the thought of this, Zhu Yan, who had always been calm and collected, accidentally exerted more force with his hand and plucked out some of his beard. After a gulp, he uttered, “Could it really be… Lin’er?”
By the time he came to his senses, Fu Zhun had already turned into a beam of light and shot towards the source of the Heavenly Manifestation at full speed.
An anxious Zhu Yan quickly raced after her. Whether or not it was Lin’er, a new member of their clan had been born, which was wonderful news for the Dragon Clan. As the Great Elder, he had to look into this matter.
At the same time, twenty or so figures shot up into the sky from all directions. On the entire Dragon Island, apart from Fu Ling, who was still guarding the entrance as punishment, all others had been alerted and were now flying towards the Spirit Island where Yang Kai was located.
On the island, Yang Kai opened his eyes as he yawned and stretched his back. Then, still in a groggy state, he straightened up and placed his elbow on his knee as he rested his chin on his palm. After that, he sank into his thoughts.
He had been muddle-headed recently, so after he awakened, he still wasn’t sure what was going on. He just felt that the World Energy around him was active, and he could hear some incessant Dragon Roars.
“It’s so noisy,” Yang Kai rolled his eyes and darted his gaze around before he saw Qiong Qi looking at him in shock from a nearby spot.
After his vision regained focus, he grinned and asked, “Old Qiong, why do you look like you’re seeing a ghost?”
The corners of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched as he cupped his fists, “Congratulations, Young Master. You’ve achieved your goal.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai leaned forward and looked curiously at him.
Qiong Qi gazed awkwardly at him, “Young Master, have you forgotten what you’ve been doing?”
Yang Kai batted his eyes, “What have I been doing?”
A moment later, he smacked his head as he finally recalled, “I remember now. I wanted to try hatching that Dragon Egg. Where is it now?”
He lowered his head and looked around, but upon seeing the broken shell, he was shocked, “Huh? What is going on?”
Qiong Qi was torn between laughter and tears, “Young Master, you’ve successfully hatched the egg!”
A surprised Yang Kai uttered, “I did?”
Qiong Qi pointed at the sky.
It was then Yang Kai looked up at the sky with his deep gaze, and upon seeing the sight there, let out a hearty laugh, “Haha! Have I really successfully hatched the egg?”
“That’s true. I saw it with my own eyes,” Old Qiong affirmed.
An energetic Yang Kai clapped his hands, “I knew I would succeed!”
Following that, he examined the young Dragon in the sky and nodded, “En, this kid looks pretty vigorous. He’s got such a substantial figure right after he’s born, so his future must be bright.”
Qiong Qi put on a helpless smile and thought that whether or not this kid had a bright future, it had nothing to do with Yang Kai. The kid’s parents were Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, not him.
Just then, the Dragon Roars died down as the countless Phantom Dragons in the sky vanished. The unusual phenomenon in the world slowly faded.
Next, a beam of white light rapidly descended from the sky and landed on the Spirit Island.
It was only then that Qiong Qi could make out what the young Dragon, who was successfully born with Yang Kai’s help, looked like.
It was a translucent and plump little White Dragon.
He was about twenty metres long and had pretty thin limbs. At first glance, he looked like a snake, but the translucent Dragon Horns on his head proved that he was a Dragon. His figure wasn’t particularly outstanding compared to the others on Dragon Island, and technically speaking, he at best had a Second or Third-Order Dragon Vein, incomparable to other Dragons.
However, given the fact that he had just been born, his figure was actually quite incredible. The average member of the Dragon Clan would not be this big right after being born.
[He’s a White Dragon! Could he be a Water Dragon?] Qiong Qi shook his head. As far as he knew, the Third Elder, Fu Xuan, was a Water Dragon, but her figure appeared blue after she transformed into her Dragon Form.
[Perhaps he’s an Ice Dragon!?] After all, his mother Fu Zhun is an Ice Dragon, so he had probably inherited her traits. However, the whiteness of Fu Zhun’s true form was different from that of this young Dragon, hence Qiong Qi couldn’t be certain what kind of Dragon this little White Dragon was.
On the other hand, the little White Dragon seemed naturally close to Yang Kai. After he descended from the sky, he circled around Yang Kai several times before stopping in front of him.
The next moment, Qiong Qi was dumbfounded as the young Dragon contorted and transformed into a four-or-five-year-old, fair-skinned little fatty.
This little fatty appeared quite clever with his delicate white jade skin. Staring at Yang Kai, he grinned from ear to ear and revealed his canine teeth, looking utterly adorable.
Seeing that, Qiong Qi widened his eyes in disbelief because the young Dragon was able to assume Human Form not long after he was born. It seemed that this little fatty had an exceptional aptitude. Although all members of the Dragon Clan were blessed and gifted, most of them couldn’t assume Human form immediately after being born. However, this boy here had done just that, which meant that he wasn’t ordinary even by Dragon standards.
Although, seeing how he was the child of two Tenth-Order Dragons, and he was hatched by a Half-Dragon with the Golden Divine Dragon Source, being born extraordinary was only to be expected.
Yang Kai widened his eyes and examined the little fatty in shock, as he still found it inconceivable that he had actually hatched a young Dragon. Nevertheless, he could feel his own aura exuding from the boy; after all, the young Dragon had been absorbing his Dragon Blood and his aura itself.
Then, he lowered his gaze and became overjoyed that the young Dragon was a boy. Although the young Dragon had successfully assumed Human form, he was totally naked, so ‘everything’ about him was quite exposed and conspicuous.
While Yang Kai was curiously examining him, the little fatty cupped his plump fist and said adorably, “Greetings, Father. Will Father give me a name?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s jaw dropped so far it was as if an entire house could be stuffed into it.
With his clothes flapping in the wind, Qiong Qi was equally dumbstruck as he suspected that there was something wrong with his ears. [What did this little fatty just say? Did I hear wrongly?]
Compared to the fact that the young Dragon could think clearly and express himself coherently immediately after he was born, Qiong Qi was more shocked by how the young Dragon addressed Yang Kai. A child shouldn’t be calling just any man his father as he pleased.
A stunned Yang Kai leaned forward and pointed at his own nose. With an awkward expression, he asked, “What did you just call me?”
The little fatty replied with a smile, “There was already no hope for me to hatch, but it was you who helped me break out of my egg. Since it was Father who helped me be born, it is only natural that I call you Father.”
He spoke his mind in a clear manner as he cupped his fists again, “Please grant me a name.”
Yang Kai scratched his head and frowned, “Are you aware of your own background?”
The little fatty nodded, “Of course I am. When Father was hatching me, he also taught me many things.”
“I did?” Yang Kai was puzzled. He had been muddle-headed throughout the entire hatching process, and he mostly acted out of instinct, so he wasn’t even sure what he had taught the young Dragon.
Qiong Qi’s expression changed when he heard this as he recalled that some golden aura had been constantly oozing out of Yang Kai’s body and penetrating the Dragon Egg over the last month or so. Looking back, he realised that the golden aura wasn’t just Yang Kai’s Qi, but also his Spiritual Energy and consciousness, all of which allowed the little fatty to have an incredible level of sentience just after he was born.
Qiong Qi even had a feeling that the young Dragon’s demeanour resembled that of Yang Kai, despite there being no similarities between their appearances.
As though he had been put in a tight spot, Yang Kai stroked his giant chin and said, “Actually, I shouldn’t be the one doing this; however, since you insist, I’ll give you a name.”
After giving it a serious thought, he rubbed his hands together and said, “What about Xiao? You shot into the sky right after you were born, so this name does suit you.”
The little fatty muttered, “It’s Yang Xiao, then.”
His pair of big eyes brightened as he smiled and revealed his canine teeth, “Many thanks, Father, for bestowing me a name. From today onwards, my name is Yang Xiao.”
*Xiu…*
Fu Zhun landed nearby at that exact moment. Before coming to this place, she could already feel an aura that was closely tied to her by blood. The aura was able to move her and make her shudder, so without the need to verify anything, she was absolutely certain that her child had been born.
With her heart filled with hope, she arrived at this place, but when she saw what just happened, her vision darkened as she almost passed out.
There was no doubt that the young, fair-skinned boy was her child, but at this moment, he was calling Yang Kai ‘Father’, and he even claimed that his name was Yang Xiao from now on.
There was no way she could tolerate it!
She wasn’t sure what devious and despicable method Yang Kai had used to brainwash her child, but his actions were nothing less than trying to snatch her baby away from her, a sin for which there could be only one punishment. In an instant, her anger and regret turned into endless wrath as she was engulfed in a freezing cold aura. Lifting her hand, she pushed out a palm at Yang Kai furiously as she screamed, “Die!”
At that moment, she didn’t care whether Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had slept with each other or that he possessed the Ancestral Dragon Source at all, all she could think about was killing him to set things right and let Lin’er understand the truth.
A Tenth-Order Great Dragon had gone all out to make this palm strike, causing the entire world to tremble. With Ice Attribute Principles filling the air, Yang Kai was the first one to feel the impact as the space around him seemed to have frozen. Before the attack even reached him, his 300-metre-tall figure had already been covered in a layer of frost as his expression warped.
Before he could even react though, a figure flashed across his eyes as the chubby Yang Xiao stood in front of Yang Kai and spread his arms to protect him. Glowering at Fu Zhun, he shouted, “Insane woman! How dare you act so outrageously here!”
Despite his evident fury, his tone was completely adorable and unthreatening, which could easily make anyone laugh.
However, his growl was able to make the colour drain from Fu Zhun’s alluring face as she immediately withdrew her attack. At the same time, the Principles around her ran wild. Although she wanted to kill Yang Kai, she would never have the heart to harm her child.
Fu Zhun immediately coughed out a mouthful of Dragon Blood as her aura diminished. It wasn’t clear whether she was impacted by the backlash of withdrawing her attack forcefully or if it was the sorrow she felt from what Yang Xiao had just said. At that moment, she almost couldn’t support her own weight as she looked dazedly at the front.
Fortunately, Zhu Yan came at just the right time and wrapped his arm around her waist before pulling her into his embrace. Nervously, he asked, “Are you alright?”
Without replying to him, Fu Zhun pressed her lips together and stared fixedly at Yang Xiao. Her gaze appeared sorrowful and dispirited. Compared to the backlash of her own strike, what Yang Xiao had said had evidently dealt a heavier blow to her, as he had basically acknowledged a despicable bastard as his father.
Right then, a loud thud was heard as Yang Xiao staggered forward. Turning around, he covered his head with his hands and said aggrievedly, “Father, why did you hit me?”
His eyes were watery as tears were about to fall from them.
No matter how mature he acted, he was still a newly born child. Certainly, he felt aggrieved when someone smacked him, especially when that person was Yang Kai; after all, he had fearlessly stood in front of his ‘father’ to protect him just now.
“Don’t call her ‘insane woman’!” Yang Kai chided him with a long face, “She’s your mother!”
“My mother?” Yang Xiao hunched his back and turned to look meekly at Fu Zhun. When their eyes met, Fu Zhun’s gaze brightened while Yang Xiao appeared embarrassed as he looked away.
It was no wonder he found the woman’s voice to be so familiar, as she was the one who kept talking to him all these years while he was only semi-conscious.
Although Yang Xiao was aware of his own background, he had never seen Fu Zhun before, which was why he couldn’t recognise her at first glance. He wanted to show Yang Kai that he was able to protect him, but he screwed things up instead, so naturally, he was embarrassed as he scratched his face awkwardly.
“Lin’er?” Zhu Yan’s lips trembled as he looked dazedly at Yang Xiao, “Are you really Lin’er?”
Yang Xiao took a deep breath and cupped his fists, “Just to let you know, my name is Yang Xiao!”
“Y-Yang Xiao?” Zhu Yan’s expression turned awkward as he swept a glance over Yang Kai. The fact that Lin’er was with Yang Kai and that he had even called himself Yang Xiao must have something to do with Yang Kai.
Faced with Zhu Yan’s resentful glare, Yang Kai looked away and whistled faintly. [It really has nothing to do with me. This kid insisted on making me name him, so I just gave him a random name. Since he’s acknowledged this to be his name, there’s nothing I can do.]
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Beams of lights flew over from all directions. They were members of the Dragon Clan who were drawn here after being alerted. Upon seeing what was going on, they were all stunned.
A dumbfounded Zhu Qing stared at Yang Kai and said, “I thought you were gone.”
Yang Kai coughed into his fist and replied, “En, well, I’m back.”
His original plan was to sneak into the Dragon Temple and raise a ruckus. Then, Zhu Qing would find out about his plan and probably understand him; however, instead of barging into the temple, he had actually hatched a young Dragon, which was hard for him to explain.
Zhu Qing shot him a glare as she knew that he must initially have had some sort of secret plan, which was why he had even lied to her; however, it wasn’t the right time to pursue this matter. Looking curiously at Yang Xiao, she asked, “Who is he?”
Just when Yang Kai put on a laugh and was about to explain himself, Yang Xiao cupped his fists and said, “I am Father’s son, Yang Xiao.”
“Your son? Yang Xiao?” Zhu Qing’s expression darkened in an instant.
Yang Kai immediately punched the boy’s head and bellowed, “Who told you to speak! Huh!?”
“Father, why did you hit me again?” With an aggrieved expression, Yang Xiao covered his head and ran away.
Zhu Qing said dispassionately, “You hit children now? How disgraceful!”
Yang Kai wiped the sweat from his brow and said seriously, “Qing’er, please hear me out.”
Zhu Qing looked away, “There’s nothing worth explaining. This boy exudes very strong Dragon Qi, so he’s obviously our newly born clansman. I have to congratulate you for begetting a child so soon. By the way, where’s his mother? Is she one of my fellow sisters?”
As she spoke, she swept a glance over the females of her clan in an attempt to look for some clues.
A flustered Yang Kai said, “It’s not what you think.”
Just then, Yang Xiao trotted towards Zhu Qing and pointed at Fu Zhun, “My mother is over there.”
Zhu Qing turned her head as her expression was transformed by shock. As she darted her gaze between Fu Zhun and Yang Kai, her expression became strange, and disbelief was written all over her face. Zhu Lie’s face twitched hard as he watched them from a nearby spot.
[Yang Kai and the Second Elder? No way!]
“Stop speaking if all you say is nonsense!” Yang Kai observed Zhu Qing’s expression and understood what was going through her mind. He was so exasperated that he had the urge to spank Yang Xiao’s butt right there and then, but the boy was too clever and seemed to have realised that Yang Kai was wary of Zhu Qing, which was why he had immediately hidden behind her and did not allow him to have a chance to make a move.
With a sorrowful expression, Yang Xiao stated, “It was Father who said that she was my mother.”
He looked up at Zhu Qing, “I’m not lying.”
Zhu Qing nodded repeatedly, “I know. I know.”
After a sigh, Yang Kai explained, “He’s the child of Great Elder and Second Elder, but after I hatched him, he acknowledged me to be his father.”
Upon hearing that, every member of the Dragon Clan was dumbfounded.
[He’s the child of Great Elder and Second Elder? When have they ever had a child? Many years ago, Second Elder had indeed laid a Dragon Egg, but there was no hope for the child, so the egg was placed inside the Dragon Grave. Why is there a child who has come out of nowhere all of a sudden?]
At that instant, all the clansmen looked to Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun as they wanted to know what really happened.
Presently, all of Fu Zhun’s focus was on Yang Xiao and she couldn’t see anything else, which was why she wasn’t aware of the stares around her. Although her face was pale and dispirited, her gaze was still filled with happiness. That was because Yang Xiao had just explained to Zhu Qing that she was his mother. Her eternally cold gaze had softened, and there was now a sense of longing in her expression. No one could believe that she was really the famed Dragon Clan’s icy Second Elder.
Zhu Yan sighed, “That’s right. He’s Lin’er. I hid him somewhere else instead of putting him into the Dragon Grave in the past.”
Although it was Fu Zhun who had done so, Zhu Yan decided to bear the responsibility. She had broken the rules, so if the truth of the matter were to come out, even an Elder like her would be punished.
Fu Xuan’s expression changed, “So, he’s really your child?”
In response, Zhu Yan nodded gently.
All the Dragon Clan members were more pleasantly surprised than they were shocked, as they had never expected that this chubby little kid was the child of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun. It had been a long time since the last member of their clan had been born, so the birth of this child was wonderful news. Moreover, he was the descendant of two Tenth-Order Dragons.
Fu Xuan asked curiously, “Yang Kai, how did you manage to hatch him?”
In the past, she had personally inspected the egg and concluded that there was no hope for the child; hence, it had never crossed her mind that the egg would hatch one day.
Yang Kai shrugged, “I’m not sure myself.”
He honestly had no clue about it as he wasn’t even aware of Yang Xiao’s birth when it happened. He only learned all about it after waking from his trance.
“Lin’er, come over here and let me have a look at you.” Fu Zhun’s voice was very gentle, which caused all members of the Dragon Clan to find it hard to get used to it.
Appearing to be hesitant, Yang Xiao remained hiding behind Zhu Qing. He seemed to be on pins and needles as he fidgeted awkwardly.
Fu Zhun remained tender as she put on a smile and beckoned to him, “Come here.”
At that instant, Yang Xiao scratched his face and asked for Yang Kai’s help with his gaze.
“Smelly brat, get over here!” Yang Kai said in a not so tender voice.
Yang Xiao’s neck shrank as he replied meekly, “Father has to promise that he won’t smack me after I go over.”
“Huh? You dare negotiate with me?” Yang Kai glared at him.
A dejected Yang Xiao seemed resigned to his fate as he obediently shuffled towards Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Fu Zhun nearly fainted with a crestfallen expression. She was his mother, but he didn’t respond to her when she beckoned to him. Instead, her child went over to a stranger after that person called out to him. In comparison, she looked like a failure.
Zhu Yan also sported a dark expression as he thought that Yang Kai was trying to embarrass his wife.
“Father, what do you need to tell me?” Yang Xiao hung his head low as if he had made a huge mistake, and his voice sounded lethargic.
Yang Kai grinned and replied gently, “There’s nothing much I need to tell you. It’s just that you’re totally naked now, so you should put on some clothes. It’s really embarrassing.”
After he finished speaking, Yang Kai cancelled his Dragon Transformation Secret Art and returned to his Human form. Then, he fished out some clothes from his Space Ring and helped the boy put them on.
The clothes were slightly loose, but they did suit him.
Seeing what he was wearing, Yang Xiao wriggled his limbs and became displeased as he asked, “Why girl’s clothes?”
“You should count your blessings that you have clothes to wear at all. How dare you be so picky?” Yang Kai lifted his hand in an attempt to punch the young kid’s head again, but before he could do so, he felt two people staring at him with sharp gazes.
Raising his head, he realised that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were glaring resentfully at him. Embarrassed, he lifted his fist to his mouth and coughed before he adjusted Yang Xiao’s clothes instead.
Yang Xiao asked curiously, “Father, why do you have clothes for a little girl?”
“I prepared them for a kid I know,” Yang Kai nonchalantly explained. The clothes of course belonged to Liu Yan. Although she was about seven to eight years old, she had a petite figure; therefore, her clothes could fit Yang Xiao fairly well. In any case, it was better than if he let the boy put on an adult’s clothes.
Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened, “Do I have a Sister?”
Yang Kai coughed, “Not yet.”
He then stole a glance at Zhu Qing and grinned, “You’ll have Brothers and Sisters in the future.”
Yang Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, “Ah! They’ll be my Younger Brothers and Sisters then. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.”
“It’s good that you’re so thoughtful,” Yang Kai patted the young kid’s chest to flatten the wrinkle on his dress before he spun him around to make him face Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan. After that, he whispered in his ear, “They are your real father and mother; the blood in your veins comes from them. Go over to them. Don’t make them sad.”
Then, he pushed Yang Xiao forward, causing him to stagger slightly. Yang Xiao turned around and shot him a disgruntled look, apparently displeased.
Yang Kai glowered at him in return.
At that instant, Yang Xiao became dejected, and in front of everyone’s eyes, he slowly shuffled towards Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, his head hanging down slightly.
Presently, the Dragon Clan’s two Elders were staring fixedly at the young boy in front of them. As a man, Zhu Yan had to restrain himself. Although he was agitated, he still pretended to be nonchalant. On the other hand, Fu Zhun had completely lost control as her entire body was trembling. She lifted her hand in an attempt to touch her child, but at the same time, she appeared worried that her actions might repulse her child, so she fell into a dilemma. Nevertheless, the softness on her face was able to melt the hardest steel, looking nothing like the usually stern Second Elder anymore.
She felt bitter and resentful when she saw Yang Xiao being so intimate with Yang Kai. If he hadn’t pulled some dastardly trick behind her back, her child wouldn’t have called her an insane woman when they first met, and he wouldn’t have refused to acknowledge that she was his mother.
However, at this moment, she only felt grateful to Yang Kai. Without his push, Lin’er wouldn’t have come over to her side. Unfortunately, she could sense that Lin’er was instinctively wary of her, and he wasn’t willing to come into contact with her.
Seeing this, Zhu Qing, Fu Xuan and the others heaved a sigh in their hearts while they held their breaths and watched things develop.
After a cough, Yang Xiao sniffled and hung his head low as he said in a hushed voice, “Father, Mother.”
“Good! Good! Good!” Zhu Yan finally let out a breath and nodded repeatedly, even repeating himself three times as his eyes became teary.
On the other hand, Fu Zhun called out in a choking voice, “Lin’er!”
Lowering herself, she pulled Yang Xiao into her embrace and hugged him tightly, as if she was afraid that she would lose him forever if she let him go.
Yang Xiao found it hard to breathe as his eyes almost popped out. He instinctively felt uncomfortable, and was even a bit repulsed by this woman who was hugging him; however, upon inhaling a whiff of her fragrance, he calmed down as he fell into an indescribably serene state.
This kind of contradiction made him feel puzzled as he just let her hug him without moving a muscle.
“Second Elder’s dearest wish has finally been granted,” Zhu Qing’s eyes turned somewhat moist as she rested her head on Yang Kai’s shoulder and let out a fragrant breath, “You’ve finally done something good.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “What do you mean? Are you saying that I’ve never done anything good in the past?”
Zhu Qing pressed her lips together and smiled, “For the Dragon Clan, you’ve really never done anything good.”
Yang Kai snorted defiantly. He had to admit that the Dragon Clan had incurred a lot of losses because of him, but in return, they had benefited immensely from him. The Dragon Blood Flowers he had planted alone were a great source of wealth.
“Anyway, how did you hatch a Dragon Egg?” Zhu Qing looked curiously at him.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m really not sure.”
Zhu Qing went on to ask, “In the past, that Dragon Egg didn’t have enough Source Strength, so there was no hope for it to hatch; however, it now seems that Yang Xiao’s Dragon Qi is quite abundant, so it’s apparent that his Source is quite strong. How did you make up for his lost Source Strength?”
“I’m capable of doing that?” Yang Kai was amazed. [How did I make up for his Source Strength? Was it taken from my Golden Divine Dragon Source? But I don’t think I’ve suffered any losses on my side.]
“By the way, what is his attribute?” Zhu Qing asked.
Yang Kai spread his palms, “I have no idea. I only know that he’s a little White Dragon.”
“A White Dragon?” Zhu Qing finally had an idea, “He must be an Ice Dragon then. Second Elder is an Ice Dragon after all.”
“Whatever his attribute is, his future must be bright as he is the child of two Tenth-Order Dragons,” Yang Kai grinned and thought that Yang Xiao was truly lucky. This boy was born with an almost unfair advantage. His parents were both as powerful as Great Emperors, and he was a member of the Dragon Clan. There would be no one in this world who would dare to offend him.
Zhu Qing looked smilingly at him, “Have you decided to acknowledge him as your son?”
Yang Kai replied, “What’s wrong with it? I’m the one who hatched him, so it’s perfectly justifiable that he calls me father.”
Initially, he still found the whole situation rather odd, but after Yang Xiao called him ‘father’ several times, Yang Kai figured it was totally acceptable.
Zhu Qing objected to this of course, “But that will mess up the seniority… Although I’m also an Elder of the Dragon Clan, I’m a Junior to Great Elder and Second Elder. Now that Yang Xiao calls you father, it means that you and Great Elder are Brothers. Will I have to call you uncle from now on?”
Yang Kai gasped and shot her a look, “Qing’er, don’t call me that as you please. Do you understand that you’ll make my blood boil?”
Zhu Qing pressed her lips together, “Shameless!”
While they were having a chat, Fu Zhun was still hugging Yang Xiao tightly as her tears almost completely soaked his clothes.
As a clever child, Yang Xiao extended his hand and gently patted Fu Zhun’s back as he silently consoled her. Feeling the rhythmic pats, Fu Zhun suddenly felt that she had no more regrets in life and wouldn’t mind even if she died the next moment.
As Zhu Yan took in the sight, he felt gratified and stopped blaming Yang Kai for stealing the Dragon Egg.
In fact, if Yang Kai hadn’t stolen the egg, Lin’er wouldn’t have stood a chance to be born; therefore, he and Fu Zhun actually owed him a huge favour. Initially, he was displeased at the fact that Lin’er called himself Yang Xiao; however, after giving it a thought, he decided to let his child decide on his own name. In fact, the name ‘Xiao’ bore a pretty good meaning, so he stopped caring about the name change.
Only after a long time did Fu Zhun release Yang Xiao and hold his shoulders instead. With somewhat puffy eyes, she sized her child up as if she could never take enough glances at him. Although her eyes were all swollen, happiness was written all over her face.