A dead dragon's residual thought was a mystery unique to the dragon race. Even the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, merely knew of its existence without understanding its underlying nature.
It was neither soul possession rebirth nor borrowing a corpse to return a soul, yet it could influence the host's consciousness and outlook, drawing everything about them toward what the dead dragon had been in life.
If one had to define it, the word "curse" was perhaps the most fitting.
A curse from a dead dragon.
Yet from another perspective, a dragon's residual thought could also be considered a blessing.
Beyond the alienation of the host's conscious mind, their frail flesh would mutate toward that of a dead dragon, allowing them to be accepted by the Guyuan dragons as one of their own.
Whether it was a curse or a gift depended on the host's status, constitution, cultivation, and their current predicament. For Mu Nuo right now, the dead dragon's residual thought was undoubtedly a fatal curse.
Following the implantation of the Dragon Transformation Essence, faint scale-like ridges of flesh gradually surfaced on Mu Nuo's cheekbones, spreading rapidly.
Xu Yuan saw this, and naturally, so did the White Emperor above. Yet this Lord of Guyuan did not choose to strike immediately; his dragon eyes fixed intently on the ominous being hurtling toward him, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
Xu Yuan was not worried in the slightest.
Even in *Cangyuan*, the mere scraps of information revealed about the dead dragon's residual thought—scant as they were due to text constraints—had posed a threat to Guyuan's safety, to say nothing of a complete one.
One had to remember that the little dragon lad back then had presumably been groomed to become the next Demon Emperor. By comparison, this was virtually equivalent to leaking every shred of intelligence about the Prime Minister's Manor in Xu Yuan's mind to the sects.
The Black Qilin Army's exact strength, the layouts of every garrison, the armory workshops hidden deep in the mountains, the coordinates of the war-beast ranches, the specifications of most experimental weapons secretly developed by the Institute of Natural Philosophy—top-secret intelligence of that caliber.
Thus, Xu Yuan had zero doubt that the White Emperor would intervene.
Right now, the White Emperor was likely only confirming whether the dead dragon's residual thought could truly sway Mu Nuo's conscious will. The moment he discovered that Mu Nuo could transcend the curse of the residual thought, he would make his move!
The White Emperor's hesitant scrutiny lasted only a split second to ordinary eyes, yet it was ample time for the Saints and pseudo-Saints present to accomplish many things.
Enough for Tianyuan to speed toward the ominous imp Xu Yuan had hurled away.
Enough for Qin Ke, facing a formidable foe, to pivot his attention toward the Great Yan Sword Saint bearing down upon him.
And enough for Mu Xingyi to send a voice transmission into Xu Yuan's ear:
"Xu Changtian, what did you do to Mu Nuo?"
Within the boundless, blazing Dao domain, this raspy voice seemed to be forcibly suppressing certain impulses.
Glancing aside, Xu Yuan looked at the bug-man not far away, a faint trace of surprise in his eyes.
After suffering the agony of losing his wife, Xu Yuan had expected Mu Xingyi to lose all reason—either lunging madly at him or dashing recklessly toward Mu Nuo as the child flew toward the White Emperor. He truly had not expected the other man to maintain his composure.
Was it because of Wan's final entrustment before her death?
Thinking this, Xu Yuan gestured toward him with the half-piece of Dragon Transformation Essence in his hand and said, "Just gave him a little gift. With that, he can become stronger—provided he survives the White Emperor's hands."
Countless compound eyes across Mu Xingyi's torso gleamed with bloody light. "Was it the willow blade from back then?"
"Does that matter at this point?"
"It does not, but I wish to understand the cause and effect."
"Is that so? Well, your guess is correct. When Mu Nuo swallowed the Ghost Willow yin origin, he also swallowed the dead dragon's residual thought within it."
"......"
As the words fell, as if an illusion, Xu Yuan actually caught an unspeakable desolation in Mu Xingyi's blood-red compound eyes.
Was this fellow regretting what he had done back then?
No, that emotion was not regret, but self-reproach. Self-reproach for failing to foresee the future, failing to plan infallibly, which had led his family into this dire trap.
If given another chance, this fellow would still choose to rob him—he would just be more careful.
Toying with the half-spent Dragon Transformation Essence in his hand, Xu Yuan lightly teased, "Are you asking all this to conduct a post-mortem review before you die?"
The bug-man did not answer directly, his muffled, hoarse voice droning, "This matter originated with me, and the fault lies with me as well. You merely countered my moves. Yet the Insect Saint's bloodline has thoroughly warped my way of thinking."
Xu Yuan did not understand this sudden declaration and asked with a chuckle, "Matter is the foundation of consciousness—I can understand that. What are you trying to prove by bringing this up out of the blue? That it wasn't your true intention, begging me to spare father and son for the sake of our half-month acquaintance?"
Mu Xingyi's voice was hoarse yet calm. As if deaf to Xu Yuan's provocation, he continued speaking to himself: "...I tried to convince myself that everything was our own doing, but my current mode of thought can no longer accept that. Regardless of how it began, in the end, it was you, Xu Changtian, who caused Wan'er's demise, and it was you who put Mu Nuo in mortal danger."
"And so?" Xu Yuan tilted his head.
"And so, I will kill you."
"......"
Xu Yuan froze for an instant.
Kill him?
Xu Yuan instinctively wanted to laugh and ridicule this useless Saint, but felt that laughing out loud right now would make him seem too much like a villain. After all, a murderously solemn vow like that was standard fare for a hot-blooded protagonist.
Thoughts flashing, Xu Yuan decided that keeping his own mind clear and unburdened was what mattered most. With a mocking smirk, he said, "Facing death without regret is indeed a commendable resolve, but resolve alone doesn't kill people. Oh, I get it. You think Mu Nuo can kill me? After all, I did say he's strong—strong enough to rival the White Emperor. And so you assumed that once he has you, his father, as a donor of saint origin, killing me will be as easy as flipping a hand. Isn't that right?"
As he spoke, Xu Yuan's figure flickered rapidly before arriving in front of Mu Xingyi. He reached out and patted the other man's thoroughly inhuman shoulder. "Don't look at me like that. Is it really that hard to deduce that Mu Nuo, as your offspring, could become the Insect Saint's incarnation vessel? And besides, didn't you just say you were going to kill me? Why look so surprised now? Is it because you realized that the trump card you took such pride in was already part of my calculations?"
With those words, the smile on Xu Yuan's face gradually faded. His figure drifted upward and back, looking down at the bug-man amid the sea of fire. "Mu Xingyi, aside from your family's sheer weakness exceeding my and the sects' expectations, everything else about you has been thoroughly arranged by us from the very beginning. A worthless piece who doesn't even qualify for a seat at the table wants to kill me, Xu Changtian? Do you think you're worthy?"
"Still, my greatest weakness is having a soft heart. So even though you want to kill me, let me give you an advance warning: in a moment, my uncle will come down and slash through Qin Ke's Dao domain. When that happens, use your technique for transferring your true body to flee immediately, then hide your true body away. Only then can you survive the White Emperor, and only then will you have a chance to seek vengeance against me. Otherwise, while fighting Mu Nuo, he will most likely take a moment to smash you, the energy supplier, with a punch."
The situation in the city, which had previously been cleanly divided, turned treacherous and unpredictable once more with the emergence of the dead dragon's residual thought.
High in the heavens, the White Emperor quietly descended before Tianyuan, confronting the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master from a distance. Suspended behind Tianyuan was Mu Nuo, whom Xu Yuan had cast upward.
His tightly shut eyes still trembled, not yet fully awake, but dragon-like scale ridges had already spread over nearly his entire body.
Within the prefectural manor, Qin Ke's Dao domain was cleaved open from the outside. Linlang and Mu Xingyi escaped in succession—one beast dashed straight toward the government office, while the other vanished without a trace, leaving only Xu Yuan watching the grand clash between Feng Jiuxuan and Qin Ke at close range.
Compared to the clash of pure technique between Feng Jiuxuan and the White Emperor, the dazzling, mercurial duel of techniques between Feng Jiuxuan and the hunchbacked elder proved far more enlightening for Xu Yuan.
In all honesty, thanks to the anime and television shows of his previous life, Xu Yuan held a deep bias against flame-type techniques. For example, they had a high floor but a very low ceiling; the moment the stakes rose to higher tiers, fire became nothing more than a stepping stone to highlight someone else's grandeur. Or the fact that fire looked flashy, yet could never actually kill anyone.
Yet that hunchbacked elder had thoroughly refreshed Xu Yuan's perception. In the battle between him and Feng Jiuxuan, both the preliminary probing with techniques and the split-second parries and counters were an eye-opening spectacle.
Unfortunately, this battle did not last long. Qin Ke unleashed a massive, sky-scorching area-of-effect strike and then departed from the center of the battlefield.
Seeing that Feng Jiuxuan had no intention of pursuing, Xu Yuan flashed over to him and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, why did that old man suddenly leave?"
With a few scorch marks on his white robes, Feng Jiuxuan did not answer immediately. He stared at the markings on his nephew's hand for several breaths, his brow furrowing slightly. Last time, the boy had played with fire and nearly burned himself to ashes, taking enormous effort to rescue—and now the little brat was doing it again?
Sheathing his sword, Feng Jiuxuan replied softly, "If he didn't leave, he would most likely have died here."
"Huh?" Xu Yuan was taken aback. The battle he had just watched seemed evenly matched; how was that old man suddenly about to die?
Feng Jiuxuan instinctively felt it was troublesome and wanted to ignore Xu Yuan's confusion, but ultimately explained patiently, "Though Qin Ke's arts possess immense power, my sword arts can pierce through them. His physical body is frail, and his techniques are ill-suited for survival. Having tested the waters, he knew I would not hesitate or hold back in a situation like this. If we fought to the death, the outcome would only be me injured and him dead."
Understood—a matchup disadvantage.
Was this the tragedy of glass-cannon mages?
Fortunately, Xu Yuan was no traditional mage.
Quipping mentally, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "So that means you basically counter all qi cultivators, Uncle?"
The blazing flames controlled by the hunchbacked elder were extraordinary, possessing tremendous density. For Feng Jiuxuan's sword arts to pierce through them meant they could pierce through the vast majority of qi cultivator techniques in the world.
Hearing this, Feng Jiuxuan glanced toward Tianyuan, his tone neither warm nor cold: "More or less, but not absolutely."
The Heavenly Yan Art was an exception, of course. If that thing had appeared in *Cangyuan*, it would have been at least scarlet grade.
Thinking this, Xu Yuan was about to ask about the White Emperor when Feng Jiuxuan's indifferent voice interrupted him first:
"Changtian, what... is that on the back of your hand?"
Snapping back to attention, Xu Yuan glanced at the black markings that had already spread halfway up his forearm and said, "Uh... while this looks scary, it won't lose control for now."
Feng Jiuxuan narrowed his eyes, a faint warning in his gaze. "Is that so?"
Remembering his last rampage, Xu Yuan sheepishly changed the subject: "Uncle, now isn't the time to talk about this. Things aren't over yet."
Seeing this, Feng Jiuxuan did not press the boy's reckless behavior, resolving to settle both old and new scores once they returned to the capital. Looking toward the confronting White Emperor and Tianyuan, he said calmly, "Changtian, if you want to leave now, I can still escort you and that girl in the government office away together. But if the White Emperor and Tianyuan reach an understanding and let Mu Nuo come seek vengeance against you, I might only be able to forcefully take you away alone."
Standing side by side with Feng Jiuxuan and gazing up at the heavens, Xu Yuan replied with a chuckle without hesitation: "The survival of his race is the foremost priority the White Emperor must consider, and Mu Nuo's existence threatens precisely that. Thus, a compromise between them is impossible."
Feng Jiuxuan frowned. Remembering the boy's earlier voice transmission regarding the White Emperor, he remained silent for a moment, but did not ask further, merely warning, "The White Emperor is preparing to make his move."
"Pavilion Master, step aside."
The deep voice brooked no argument. The scales across the White Emperor's body writhed as though alive, the boundless origin qi and saint origin beneath them already primed to unleash.
Tianyuan's clear gaze locked onto those vertical dragon pupils, stating the facts in a calm voice: "Once this child awakens, his primary target will only be Xu Changtian. He can be used. If you wish to kill him, why not wait until the matter is settled?"
The White Emperor offered no compromise whatsoever. The surrounding space rumbled and surged with dragon silhouettes coiling around him: "Pavilion Master, do not make me repeat myself."
Tianyuan remained blocking the burly Demon Emperor: "If you strike, you fall into Xu Changtian's scheme."
"Human."
At those words, the White Emperor's form of address subtly shifted, a dangerous light flashing in his dragon eyes. "Did you think I was blind to the underhanded dealings between you and Xu Changtian? And now you dare turn around and question me with this?"
"White—"
*Bang—!*
A deafening sonic boom detonated across the heavens.
Without a single afterimage, Tianyuan's ethereal white-clad figure vanished instantly from the sky. In direct response, a hole was smashed completely through the eastern city wall!
Yet that was only the beginning.
After piercing through the massive city wall, Tianyuan's hurtling form did not stop; like an aurora beam, she smashed through the rock face beyond the wall, hurtling toward the bottomless abyss of Thousand Thorns Gorge!
Even with the aid of the markings on the back of his hand, Xu Yuan had barely caught sight of the White Emperor's punch. But surely Tianyuan wouldn't just be one-shot like that?
Instinctively glancing at the white-clad powerhouse beside him, Xu Yuan asked hesitantly, "Uncle, this..."
"Tianyuan did that on purpose."
Feng Jiuxuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The physical durability of the White Emperor right now was a step higher than when he had fought him earlier. He spoke with certainty: "If Tianyuan wanted to fight, with her type of arts, she would never have stood so close to the White Emperor."
"You mean she was putting on a show?"
Xu Yuan froze for an instant, his gaze rapidly sweeping across everything in the city. "But who is she putting on a show for? At this stage, there's no need for that anymore."
"I do not know," Feng Jiuxuan said.
"......" Xu Yuan was speechless.
Drawing on past experience, Feng Jiuxuan gave it serious thought and said clearly, "Earlier you mentioned, Changtian, that there is another Saint outside the city. If she wasn't putting on a show, then she must have gone to retrieve something."
As he spoke, his grasp of combat opportunity caused Feng Jiuxuan's figure to abruptly vanish, leaving only a voice transmission behind: "Head back to the government office. There's no point in you lingering here. I'm going to see if I can take this opportunity to cut down Qin Ke."
Chapter 673