The cry vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving a trace of hesitation in Tianyan's eyes.
The dragon race had not walked the world for ages, so naturally she had never seen one, let alone heard a so-called dragon's roar.
Her instinctive assumption that it had been a dragon's cry stemmed first from the pot of fragrant dragon heart broth before her, and second from the fact that the sound was entirely foreign to her ears.
She instinctively wanted to ask the others for their opinion, only to find the three women still shoveling food into their mouths for dear life, as if they hadn't heard the beast's cry from deep within Hungry Ghost Chasm at all.
Seeing this scene again, the annoyance in Tianyan's heart was gone, replaced by a surge of smug satisfaction.
A bunch of low-cultivation Grandmasters who couldn't even sense danger—what right did they have to compete with her?
Yet after that fleeting smugness, a wistful gloom flickered through her eyes.
No, this wasn't right.
She realized she had nearly grown accustomed to having these vixens around...
It was all that bastard's fault!
While Tianyan was lost in thought, Xu Yuan had already noticed her strange demeanor. Assuming she was merely silently disparaging the other women's ravenous gulping, he ladled another bowl of dragon heart broth for her and smiled.
"We're all on the same side here; no one's going to laugh at you. This is the first pot of dragon heart broth in thousands of years. If you keep acting so refined, they really will finish every drop."
That casual tease struck right through Tianyan's defenses. Her willow brows knitted, and she snapped, "Who's on the same side as them?!"
"..."
Yelled at out of nowhere, Xu Yuan held the porcelain bowl with an innocent look.
Truth be told, he genuinely had no idea how he had provoked this washboard Saintess this time.
Catching his look, Tianyan felt her anger flare even hotter. Shoving aside the bowl he offered, she glanced at the other three women, who were staring back in surprise, and said coldly, "Eat, eat, eat—all you know is eating! Keep stuffing your faces. I'll go keep watch outside myself!"
"..." The three women remained speechless.
Without waiting for a response, Tianyan vanished from the spot in a flash.
The campfire flickered, the firewood crackled, and leaping flames reflected the confusion on everyone's faces.
Silence hung for several breaths before Bai Muxi spoke softly, offering a suggestion, "Young Master, won't you go out and check on her?"
Hearing this, Xu Yuan sighed softly. Setting the porcelain bowl on the ground, he slowly rose and said in an undertone to the three women, "Tianyan gets like this from time to time, but she probably isn't targeting you."
Su Jinxuan smiled brilliantly, her voice gentle and seductive as she whispered, "We understand Her Eminence the Saintess's temperament to some degree. The one she is targeting is likely you yourself, Young Master."
Xu Yuan smiled wryly, glancing over at the big ice block beside them, an involuntary pang of heartache flashing through his eyes.
Holding her porcelain bowl, Ran Qingmo squatted quietly to the side, her eyes blinking as she gazed at him.
Compared to Tianyan, who constantly proclaimed her sovereignty loud and clear, the other three women actually harbored far more hostility toward the taciturn Ran Qingmo.
Over the past few days spent butchering the dragon carcass for materials, the ditzy big ice block had endured no small amount of grievances.
As the primary force in the butchering, Tianyan loved ordering her to handle the heavy labor, and Ran Qingmo had simply shouldered the work in silence without complaint.
Even though Xu Yuan knew Ran Qingmo didn't care about such things—much less break down over Tianyan's petty acts of settling personal grudges born of jealousy—he still felt a pang of pity for her, and so he had spoken up to stop it.
After he spoke up, Tianyan had reined herself in despite her hurt feelings, but the result was a subtle hostility directed at Ran Qingmo from the other three women.
They thought Ran Qingmo was nothing more than an airheaded green tea bitch, playing the innocent white lotus to win his sympathy.
If Xiao Bai hadn't chimed in from time to time to back Xu Yuan up, the other two women probably would have formed a united front.
Tsk.
Thinking about it, why did it suddenly feel like the punching-bag Saintess had slipped into the archetype of the wicked second female lead?
With an inward sigh, Xu Yuan leaned down slightly and reached out to wipe a dab of grease from the corner of the black-robed girl's lips, saying gently, "For Tianyan to say that, she must have noticed something unusual."
Ran Qingmo seemed to understand something, her eyes dimming with dejection. "I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?"
"My cultivation isn't high enough. I can't help..."
"..."
Xu Yuan fell silent.
What a headache...
Xu Yuan found Tianyan on a hillside at the crest of the valley.
Hovering half a foot off the ground like an untainted white lotus, the young woman stood placidly amid the raging sandstorm.
The moment he came within ten feet of her, the stinging bite of the gravel—sharp as shattered blades—instantly vanished.
Standing beside her, Xu Yuan gazed in the direction she was looking. After standing quietly for a while, he nudged her slender waist with his elbow and asked, "Hey... did I make you mad again?"
"..."
Tianyan ignored him, drifting half an inch through the air to put distance between them.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan moved to follow, only to be held firmly in place like a wooden stake by an invisible force.
Without looking at him, Tianyan said in a clear voice, "There is something deep within that chasm."
Xu Yuan let out a long breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "So that's what made you mad. I knew I hadn't done anything to upset you lately. Scared me to death."
"Xu Yuan, I'm talking about serious matters," Tianyan frowned.
Xu Yuan shrugged and said with a beaming smile, "You had such a stern face, I was terrified. I had to make sure it wasn't my fault first, didn't I?"
Before the girl could flare up, Xu Yuan straightened his expression and said solemnly, "Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, let's talk business."
"..."
Suppressing the urge to punch the bastard beside her twice, Tianyan clutched her pale fists and said coldly, "Just now, I heard a faint, lingering moan."
"A moan?"
"Mm."
"Wait, what?"
"..." Tianyan.
Thud!
A dull smack sounded.
Xu Yuan clutched his shin and crouched down in agony. Looking up, he found the girl looking down at him with narrowed eyes as though glaring at garbage.
After locking eyes for a second, Xu Yuan muttered under his breath, "You're the one who called it a moan. Why hit me? What kind of demonic beast was it?"
Tianyan huffed softly. "I've never heard it before."
"You can't identify it?"
"No."
"Could you imitate that moan? You can just use a spell."
"..." Tianyan.
Thud!
Xu Yuan sank directly onto one knee, baring his teeth in pain.
Damn it, how did this washboard Saintess tell the difference when it's the exact same sound?!
Grit-teeth staring at Tianyan—aloof and exalted like a Divine Maiden—for a few breaths, Xu Yuan endured the pain and stood up under her gaze.
A real man knows when to yield and when to stand tall. He would yield for now, but she had kicked him today; when the time came, he would certainly thrust into this Divine Maiden until she was weeping with plaintive moans.
"All right, all right, no more jokes."
With that, he straightened his expression and asked in an undertone, "Was what you heard a dragon's roar?"
"I suspect it was, but I'm not certain."
"Hm? Have you never heard a dragon's roar before?"
"The dragon race is scarce in number and has always nested deep within Guyuan. Where would I have ever heard their cries?"
"..."
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan asked with slight puzzlement, "Your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion collaborated with Guyuan, yet you've never seen a dragon?"
"Who told you the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion collaborated with Guyuan?"
Tianyan rolled her eyes at Xu Yuan and said crossly, "How many times must I say it? The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's raison d'être is the eternal prosperity of humanity. The demon race of Guyuan are the enemies of mankind. Even during the aberrant ghost catastrophe ten thousand years ago, the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion merely diverted the disaster eastward to forcibly drag Guyuan into the war. We have never had any cooperation with them."
Xu Yuan's eyes held a trace of amusement. "Then what about Ji Qingyue, whom we ran into when Ran Qingmo kidnapped me?"
Tianyan replied impassively, "That was merely providing that snake princess with a piece of information. She wanted to prove herself by earning merit, so she took the bait on her own. And in the end, she didn't even manage to kill you, you bastard."
"So that's how it was..."
Recalling the details from back then and Ji Qingyue's personality in Cangyuan, Xu Yuan nodded gently. But hearing her last remark, he protested indignantly, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
"Looking to become a widow, are you?"
"Hmph. If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead."
"..."
Xu Yuan chuckled. Trying to raise his hand, he realized the binding force was gone, so he pinched the girl's cheek. "Are you indirectly saying you don't want to be a widow?"
Her face flushed slightly, and she swatted his hand away, whispering, "Stop talking nonsense. Regardless of what that beast's cry was, we'd better leave this place quickly."
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and stopped teasing the Saintess, turning the conversation instead. "On the road here, I heard from a direct son of the Mu Family Chamber of Commerce that someone had seen a demonic dragon around here."
Tianyan noticed the discrepancy and asked, "Wasn't this intelligence told to you by Madame Wan?"
"Both of them mentioned it."
Recalling that "friend" he had known for barely half a month, Xu Yuan murmured, "Madame Wan's words can't be trusted, but the other person should have had no reason to lie to me."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan pointed down at Dragon Burial Valley beneath their feet, his voice carrying a faint smile. "That dragon princess is searching nearby for her brother's remains."
Hearing his tone, Tianyan instinctively grew wary.
Knowing him as she did, this bastard was probably looking to take risks again.
She glared at him. "What do you want to do?"
Xu Yuan rubbed his hands together, licked his lips, and whispered, "Do you want to pull off something big with me?"
Tianyan remained expressionless. "Kill that Bai Qinqing?"
"You don't want to?" Xu Yuan blinked at her. "She's an enemy of humanity in the words of your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, you know."
Tianyan took a deep breath and spoke rapidly. "Xu Yuan, first of all, we don't know the situation deep inside the chasm, nor do we know what Bai Qinqing's cultivation level is right now. If either of those factors goes slightly awry, we'll be thrown into desperate straits again.
"Besides, do you know what Bai Qinqing's Dragon Soul Talent is? Do you know what spells she specializes in? Do you know whether she has any dragon experts protecting her?"
Seeming to recall how she had been burned in the Charm God Illusion, Tianyan grew increasingly agitated as she spoke. "And do you think battling is child's play? As the head of the myriad demons, every single dragon can be said to be invincible within their rank, not to mention a pureblooded member of their royal family! If a real fight breaks out, I might even have to divert my attention to protect your three Grandmaster-realm beauties—"
"Wait, when did I ever say I wanted to act right now?"
"..." Tianyan froze.
Xu Yuan said unhurriedly, "Dragon Transformation Essence is good stuff. That Little Dragon Maiden was able to find this place because she could sense its qi dynamic from afar. Once reinforcements from my Prime Minister's Manor arrive, can't we just use it as bait to lure her in and trap her to death?"
Having resolved to part with yet another 2D waifu, Xu Yuan still felt quite heartbroken.
Then again, what could he do when he was so softhearted? He couldn't bear to see that brother-complex sister separated from her younger brother across the boundary of life and death.
Since he couldn't revive the young male dragon, he could only send her down to join him.
After all, a family ought to stay together, neat and complete.
With that thought, Xu Yuan shook his head involuntarily.
Keeping her whole family together would be rather difficult, because he suddenly thought of the Little Dragon Maiden's father.
In Cangyuan, that was a final boss terrifying to the absolute extreme.
If his old man back home, as a boss, had mechanics that bordered on invincible, then that ancient dragon known as the White Emperor was a pure stat-monster.
A graze meant injury; a touch meant mutilation.
Incidentally,
in Cangyuan, his maternal uncle Feng Jiuxuan had also made an appearance, though only in the early game.
He had descended in a manner that filled players with despair, butchering some of the paramount experts around the player right before their eyes.
Yet he had never appeared as a boss, leaving players with no way to seek vengeance even if they wanted to.
Back then, Xu Yuan had found it strange.
Looking back now, however, that uncle had probably left the Prime Minister's Manor alone after his eldest brother died...
"Xu Yuan!"
"..."
Snapping out of his reverie, Xu Yuan found the girl glaring at him, saying with dissatisfaction, "I'm talking to you."
"Ah... I was just recalling intelligence regarding Guyuan."
Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan smiled slightly. "What did you say just now?"
Tianyan pursed her thin lips and said in a low voice, "We need to leave immediately. I heard that sound again just now."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan was startled.
The dragon race's resonance with Dragon Transformation Essence could penetrate even a Sumeru ring.
His mouth twitched, and he asked tentatively, "Don't tell me that Little Dragon Maiden is rushing toward us right now?"
Under Xu Yuan's worried gaze, Tianyan gently shook her head. Staring into the depths of the chasm, her voice was exceedingly grave:
"Not that. Back in the cavern, it came and went so fast that I couldn't tell, but this time it was much clearer. Aside from that dragon's roar, I also sensed another terrifying surge of qi dynamic."
"Another qi dynamic?"
"A Saint."
"..."
Xu Yuan's brain short-circuited for an instant.
He felt an urge to curse someone's mother.
What kind of damned place was Thousand Thorns Gorge? Why were Saints everywhere?!
If he had rashly trespassed into the depths earlier, it probably would have turned straight into a boss fight where he'd be swatted to death like a fly.
Then again, this brought Madame Wan's intelligence to mind.
Was there something genuinely wrong with that damned woman's head?!
His persona as a "Saint-rank Ghost Willow" had already planned to let bygones be bygones, yet she still had no intention of letting him off.
Was she truly so blinded by greed that she didn't fear death?
Without a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan used Step Void Slash in rapid succession to return inside the karst cavern.
The Dragon Burial Cavern remained quiet. The three women sitting around the campfire were conversing in hushed tones, appearing quite harmonious.
Xu Yuan was in no mood to observe them now. With another Step Void Slash, he blinked in front of the two ancient dragon flesh-and-blood pools, thrusting the willow ghost blade into one and casting the black death fungal carpet he carried on him into the other.
Instantly,
the reddish-brown black death fungal carpet spread out, and countless willow vines sprouted from the ghost blade, sinking deep into the flesh pool like tree roots.
After a moment of silence, the flesh and blood in the pools began to boil, churning like whirlpools toward the two.
Gulping sounds echoed through the cavern.
Xu Yuan had originally planned to wait for reinforcements to haul these two pools of dragon meat and dragon blood back to enhance the physical constitution of the Black Scale Army's elites. But now, it seemed there was no time left; he could only squander them to charge the willow ghost blade.
At that moment, Bai Muxi caught sight of the grimness on the young master's face. Instinctively pausing what she was doing, she stood up and asked tentatively, "Young Master, did something happen outside?"
Xu Yuan glanced back at Bai Muxi and said quickly in an undertone, "Muxi, release the black death fungal carpet on you as well. Let it consume as much as it can."
Xiao Bai obeyed immediately without any hesitation.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and said gravely, "In two quarters of an hour, we leave immediately. There is an unidentified Saint in the depths of Hungry Ghost Chasm, so—"
Before he could finish his sentence,
BOOM—!
Accompanied by a dull, colossal roar, a trembling reverberation like colliding mountains abruptly sounded outside the Dragon Burial Cavern.
It seemed
something colossal had slammed down onto the cliff top outside the cave.
Chapter 599