"Those Western cultists are dead. What are we going to tell them when we get back?"
Within a certain area of Shennongjia, a man from Tianshen Technology spoke up, his face lined with worry.
Even though they were glad to see those people dead, it would still be difficult to explain to the corporation. The higher-ups would definitely investigate the matter thoroughly.
The others felt the same, their eyes turning toward Asura as they waited for him to make a decision.
"Just say that shortly after entering Shennongjia, we ran into a powerful mutated beast," Asura replied after a moment's thought, coming up with an excuse.
"B-but will the corporation buy that?"
Someone thought the story had too many holes. How could it be that only the Westerners died?
"As long as I'm injured too, our credibility will be much higher," Asura said, his gaze turning sharp.
Although Lu Yuan had said he would shoulder the responsibility alone, Asura was unwilling to let that happen.
Those Westerners had acted arrogantly the entire way, repeatedly snatching things from Ice Fairy. He had tried to dissuade them multiple times, yet they refused to listen. They had brought death upon themselves.
Asura's reasoning was simple: he did not want Lu Yuan, a fellow Huaxian, to be endangered over a few Westerners. Even though Lu Yuan was extraordinarily powerful, Asura knew the depths of the corporation's resources all too well.
Besides, he had been the one to lead them inside in the first place.
The men beside him exchanged glances.
Would this really work?
"There's no other way. Whatever else he is, Lu Yuan is one of us—a fellow Huaxian."
With that, Asura took a deep breath without the slightest hesitation, raised his fist, and slammed it heavily into his own chest.
Still uneasy that it might not look convincing enough, he found several massive boulders nearby and repeatedly hurled his body against them. He did not stop until half the bones in his body were broken.
Then he warned the others: keep everything that happened today buried in their stomachs. Even if the higher-ups became suspicious, they were to push all the blame onto him.
After all, Asura was the team leader, while the rest were merely in the Initial Realm and uninjured, which made for a completely plausible explanation.
Hearing this, the operatives from Tianshen Technology nodded in quick succession.
They were all test subjects of the corporation, little better than puppets. As such, they agreed with Asura's reasoning. Setting aside other matters, they were Huaxians at heart and did not wish to implicate Lu Yuan over some Westerners. The dead were dead anyway, and the worst they would face was a bit of suffering. The higher-ups would hardly fly into a rage on behalf of those Westerners, would they?
Afterward, supporting the injured Asura, the group slowly made their way toward the outer edges of Shennongjia.
***
"Master, I've sensed the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon's aura."
Deep within Shennongjia, high above the sea of clouds, the Golden-Winged Great Peng finally detected movement after several days of searching. Looking toward the east, it spoke up immediately: "Master, it's over there, just a few hundred li away."
"Let's go, then." Lu Yuan nodded, curious as to what kind of creature a mutated beast bearing dragon blood truly was.
Before long, carried by the Golden-Winged Great Peng's incredible speed, they crossed the distance of several hundred li in short order and arrived above a massive valley.
The place teemed with mutated beasts, including king-tier beings whose roars echoed continuously through the forest.
Shennongjia had always been an enigmatic place, and with the world undergoing transformation, an abundance of mutated beasts was only natural.
And Lu Yuan finally laid eyes upon the so-called Dragon Blood Flood Dragon.
It was, in truth, an enormous serpent, entirely blood-red, with a single dragon horn protruding from the crown of its head.
It was coiled at the dead center of the valley. Its body was not particularly huge—noticeably smaller than the White King of Qinling—but what mattered was its overwhelmingly formidable aura. In the area where it rested, not a single mutated beast dared to draw near.
It was the undisputed overlord of this domain.
"Master, this Dragon Blood Flood Dragon has broken twelve genetic shackles," the Golden-Winged Great Peng said, unable to keep quiet as it circled high in the sky.
In its ancestral memories, anything possessing dragon blood was exceptionally powerful, for dragons themselves were terrifying beings. Bloodline descendants of such creatures were almost never easy prey. Yet the peng had not expected its very first target to be so formidable.
Had it come alone, it would have been anyone's guess who would end up eating whom.
"Don't worry. Head straight down," Lu Yuan said, having seen through the peng's thoughts.
This Dragon Blood Flood Dragon was stronger than the White King, and with dragon blood flowing through its veins, its power would be considered terrifying in the outside world. To him, however, as long as it had not evolved into the Golden Body Realm, it could be crushed outright.
"Yes!"
Hearing those words, the Golden-Winged Great Peng felt an immense surge of confidence. Folding its wings slightly, it dove downward at blinding speed.
*Roar!*
Below, the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon sensed the intrusion instantly.
Lifting its massive head, its eyes glowing crimson, it hissed, "A Golden-Winged Great Peng? Hmph, you've only broken a single shackle—have you come to court death? How fortuitous! I happen to be on the verge of evolving. I will use your Great Peng blood to help me break through to the Golden Body Realm and become the true king of Shennongjia!"
It let out a thunderous roar, its voice dripping with disdain, as its blood-red scales flared with radiant beams of scarlet light.
A powerful, suffocating majesty swept outward in an instant, blanketing a radius of several li. The surrounding mutated beasts wailed in terror and fled in every direction.
Mutated beasts bearing dragon blood could help the Golden-Winged Great Peng purify its lineage; by the same token, consuming Great Peng blood could allow the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon to evolve. The two were natural enemies!
Now, the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon exerted its full might, intent on devouring the Golden-Winged Great Peng to evolve directly into the Golden Body Realm.
Yet in the very next instant, it suddenly felt an even more terrifying pressure descend upon the valley.
At the same time, an eleven-tier blood-red pagoda manifested in midair.
And the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon finally saw the figure standing upon the Great Peng's back—a human with his arms crossed.
"Not good!"
Panic seized it immediately. It hurriedly reined in its aura and turned to flee at maximum speed.
The dragon was shrewd; the moment it saw that Blood-Qi Pagoda, it knew beyond a doubt that it was no match for this foe.
"Thinking of running?" Seeing this, Lu Yuan gave a light chuckle and jumped down.
*Rumble!*
He landed heavily, the immense impact causing the earth to tremble. Bending his knees, he launched himself forward like an artillery shell. His speed shattered the sound barrier instantly, allowing him to catch up in the blink of an eye. Facing the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon, he drove a fist straight downward.
*Boom!*
The Dragon Blood Flood Dragon was sent tumbling, smashing through hundreds of massive trees. Its scales shattered on impact, and blood stained its hide.
*Damn it! Where did that bird find such a terrifying human?!* the flood dragon cursed internally.
Still, it was an entity that had broken twelve shackles, after all. Bolstered by its dragon blood, its physical body was extraordinarily tough, no weaker than that of the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Despite taking a direct punch from Lu Yuan, the injury was not fatal. Cursing the peng once more under its breath, it continued fleeing frantically in a specific direction.
It moved at breakneck speed, covering several kilometers in mere moments and continuing to accelerate. Had it been anyone else at the same cultivation realm without Lu Yuan's sheer foundation and power, they likely would have lost its trail.
"Master, don't let it get away! There is a terrifying aura up ahead—it could be dangerous!" the Golden-Winged Great Peng called out from above, watching the direction the dragon was fleeing. Its feathers flattened slightly as it sensed an impending crisis.
Below, Lu Yuan looked up, his brow furrowing.
Opening his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, he spotted a towering pillar of blood-red light several li ahead, rising straight into the sky and surging with immense energy.
That energy was nearly the most colossal Lu Yuan had ever encountered. Yet unlike the Great Peng, he did not sense danger within that pillar of light.
On the contrary, he felt a certain gentle aura emanating from it.
*What is that place?* Lu Yuan wondered, his eyes gleaming with surprise.
His intuition told him that some tremendous opportunity lay within that pillar of crimson light.
Even so, he did not rush over immediately. He knew nothing about it yet, and he still had business to finish here.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan drew the Daluo sword core and slashed toward the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
In a flash, radiant sword light cascaded downward. Augmented by the sword intent of One Sword of Heaven and Earth that Lu Yuan had comprehended, this strike from the Daluo sword core burst forth with blinding brilliance.
*Squelch!*
As the sword light swept through, the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon's body was severed into two pieces. Blood sprayed out like pouring rain, drenching the ground.
Slaying a creature that had broken twelve shackles in such short order was genuinely no easy feat—and that was with Lu Yuan intentionally holding back.
"Master is invincible!" Seeing this from above, the Golden-Winged Great Peng grew ecstatic. At this moment, it felt that having such a powerful master was truly marvelous.
Lu Yuan paid the peng no heed. Planting a foot firmly upon the dragon's massive head, he summoned the Blood-Qi Pagoda to pin it down securely. Pointing toward the blood-red pillar of light, he said softly, "Tell me. What is that place?"
Chapter 73