Chapter 265
The lake, however, was eerily calm, like a dark giant eye staring unblinkingly at the starry sky, its depths seemingly concealing some great terror.
Chen Huai'an couldn’t recall such a vast lake near Ling Mountain, which could only mean it had formed recently.
But what kind of existence could conjure such a wide expanse of water out of thin air?
He was almost certain he had the answer.
— A dragon.
…
…
This book contains four short plays that will be released soon, so rest assured and keep reading (I saw one of the actresses is quite good).
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Chapter 283: This Terrible World Might as Well Explode
The area around the lake was not devoid of people.
On the cliffs surrounding it, twelve figures were enveloped in a glow of spiritual energy, positioned according to the twelve Earthly Branches, encircling the lake.
Each held a golden chain tightly in their hands.
The chains connected to the depths of the lake.
The night was as dark as ink, and in the stillness, the sound of the chains occasionally erupted, causing the once-calm surface of the lake to tremble violently, as if some colossal creature was struggling beneath.
“Who goes there?”
Among the twelve figures, an old man in a dark robe cast a glance at Chen Huai'an and Li Qingran, his face revealing surprise and confusion.
“Refining Qi at the ninth level and a Yang Soul out of body with a Golden Core?”
Chen Huai'an remained silent.
He hadn’t yet figured out how to deceive them.
Moreover, the aura emanating from these twelve figures was similar to Li Qingran’s.
In fact, it was even stronger than hers.
For the sake of their safety, he had to tread carefully.
Compared to the ascenders they had encountered on the way, the dissonance he felt from these twelve elderly cultivators had vanished, replaced by a decayed, ancient aura, as if they were a group of old relics freshly unearthed from a grave.
Crash—!
The chains trembled violently again.
The old man’s expression darkened as he withdrew his gaze, focusing on the lake’s surface.
“Enough. Since you’ve made it here, whether by strength or luck, it must be your opportunity… When the formation activates, you can channel spiritual energy at the sub-array eye, and you’ll receive a share of the points for suppressing this Jiaolong!”
So, what was locked beneath the lake was a Jiaolong?
Chen Huai'an touched his chest.
The dragon soul’s restlessness had reached its peak.
Clearly, the Jiaolong trapped by the twelve Golden Core cultivators was closely related to the dragon soul—it was calling out to him for help.
Only he could hear the Jiaolong’s anguished roar beneath the lake’s surface.
A true dragon lord, a being meant to dominate a realm.
Yet now, it was confined by twelve Golden Core experts.
What a feeling of being bullied when down on one’s luck…
“Master, should we make a move?”
Li Qingran moved her lips, gesturing at her neck.
“Not yet.”
Chen Huai'an replied silently, using lip movements.
Mainly because they couldn’t win; otherwise, they would have acted directly.
And the situation was still unclear.
He needed to observe how this formation worked.
“Elder,” Chen Huai'an cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the twelve cultivators in the air, pretending to be humble, “May I ask where the sub-array eye is located?”
The old man shot a glance at Chen Huai'an. “Didn’t your sect elders tell you? Hmph! You’re getting lazier by the day!”
He pointed towards a cave by the lake.
“Go over there; other places are already full!”
“Thank you, Elder.”
Chen Huai'an exchanged a glance with Li Qingran.
After a brief investigation to ensure there was no danger, they entered the inconspicuous cave together.
Inside the cave, more than ten ascenders had already gathered.
They were surrounding an unactivated circular bronze array disk.
Among them was a familiar face.
“Governor Chen!”
At the array disk, Wang Shouyi’s eyes lit up upon seeing them.
Hearing this title, Chen Huai'an’s expression darkened immediately, glancing at Li Qingran beside him. Fortunately, her attention was focused on the array disk, seemingly unaware.
“Ahem, so it’s you, Brother Wang! What a coincidence!” Chen Huai'an cupped his hands, and as Wang Shouyi approached, he lowered his voice, “Just call me by my name; ‘Governor Chen’ feels a bit too formal. Are we really that distant?”
“Sure thing, Brother Chen.” Wang Shouyi readily complied, flashing a bright smile, then turned to introduce Chen Huai'an to the other ascenders:
“This is the senior I met in the Demon-Slaying Department. If it weren’t for Brother Chen’s help, I would have been dead long ago. From today on, you all should respect Brother Chen just as you respect me!”
“Brother Chen!” The group of ascenders behind Wang Shouyi immediately cupped their hands and shouted in unison.
Chen Huai'an: “…”
This terrible world might as well explode.
What is this? Is this how it’s supposed to be?
He turned his head and indeed saw Li Qingran blinking her big eyes at him, her gaze filled with curiosity and inquiry.
If he were a love guru, he would know that this girl had already developed feelings for him.
After all, the beginning of a girl’s infatuation often starts with curiosity and exploration.
But unfortunately, Chen Huai'an was no love guru.
He was currently in a state of panic.
“Alright, enough with the pleasantries.”
Chen Huai'an quickly shifted the topic: “Brother Wang, you’re a disciple of Kunlun Xian Palace. Do you know what’s going on with those twelve old men outside?”
“Brother Chen, you’ve come to the right person.” Wang Shouyi smacked his lips, organizing his thoughts: “These twelve are elders from various hidden sects, each having lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. Recently, with the surge of spiritual energy, they’ve emerged from their sects.
Their goal is to hunt the Jiaolong.
Ordinary ascenders aim to slay demons and evil spirits.
But these demons are the Jiaolong’s subordinates. The Jiaolong is difficult to kill, and the twelve elders have set up a formation that must not be disturbed. To avoid being besieged by the beasts, they organized this demon-hunting conference.”
Chen Huai'an suddenly understood.
No wonder the rewards seemed a bit too generous.
It turned out they were just doing the heavy lifting.
“Has the Jiaolong committed any evil deeds?” Chen Huai'an asked again.
“Well… I haven’t heard anything specific.”
Wang Shouyi shook his head, then asserted:
“But demons and evil spirits are all scourges. Just because they’re not harming people now doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. It’s best to eliminate them all. Otherwise, we humans must control them to minimize safety risks.”
The ascenders behind Wang Shouyi nodded in agreement.
Clearly, they all shared Wang Shouyi’s viewpoint.
Or rather, this had become the mainstream opinion.
Chen Huai'an thought of the beautiful-legged Xiao Qing and the muscular black cat in the shelter.
And the shy Jiu Zhuan Ling Lan.
They all belonged to the category of demons, yet they didn’t seem harmful at all.
The prejudices in people’s hearts truly are a mountain to climb.
Chen Huai'an merely nodded, not debating with Wang Shouyi whether the Jiaolong had done wrong or whether it should be killed.
Wang Shouyi was an ascender from Kunlun Xian Palace, and it was Kunlun Xian Palace that had guided him in his cultivation.
Regardless of his status or the debt of education, Wang Shouyi would undoubtedly be a staunch supporter of the theory.
However…
Today, he would have to go against Wang Shouyi’s beliefs.
The aura of the dragon soul was calm; if the Jiaolong was a fragment of the dragon soul, then it would never commit evil.
Just as that Zhu Yu, under the Jiaolong’s guidance, only saved people and never harmed anyone.
Chen Huai'an walked to the cave entrance, gazing out at the entire lake and the opposite shore.
He noticed that besides the cave they were in, there were eleven other clearly man-made caves, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches, evidently serving as the other array eyes of the formation.
Wang Shouyi was a good person; he liked him.
If he disturbed the array disk that Wang Shouyi was guarding, it would inevitably bring trouble to him.
So, he could only target the other eleven array disks.
He turned back to glance at Wang Shouyi.
The red light and purple energy above Wang Shouyi’s head intertwined, matching Lin Lingling’s level, clearly indicating he was a person of great talent and fortune.
Yet, there was still a gray mist shrouding him, which was somewhat thinner compared to the other ascenders.
What was this gray mist…?
Forget it, let’s not worry about it for now.
Time to go find trouble with the other array disks.
With this thought, he prepared to leave the cave with Li Qingran.
Just as he took two steps out, he heard Wang Shouyi calling from behind:
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