Chapter 5 The Dragon's Secret Realm (Part 5)
"Legend has it that hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Chaolong, a companion beast of an ancient god, perished here. Its spine transformed into the 30,000-mile-long Chaolong Spiritual Vein, and its head became the Chaolong Secret Realm. At that time, the Chaolong emerged from the water with severe head injuries, which is why the Chaolong Secret Realm is filled with lakes and swamps. Moreover, because the Chaolong was unwilling to accept its fate, any place near water is extremely dangerous." The middle-aged man in crimson robes said in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to act alone near the water. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Elder Qi!" More than twenty young disciples responded in unison.
The middle-aged man, known as Elder Qi, was very tall but extremely thin, with a long and thin face, resembling a ribbonfish in the sea. His prominent cheekbones made him look somewhat frightening.
His hand gripping the sword sheath was loose and limp, like seaweed soaking in water, but his cultivation level was already close to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. Even the sect leader of Yanghua Sect had to show him respect, so these young Golden Core disciples dared not act recklessly.
Qi Fengyuan's greyish-white eyes swept around, and he frowned as he asked, "Where is Xuan Zhiyan?"
"Elder Qi, Xuan Zhiyan—"
"Aaaaaah!" A scream came from not far away.
Qi Fengyuan's expression hardened, and his powerful and vast divine sense immediately spread out. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Come with me."
A group of disciples followed him and flew forward on their swords.
A waterfall cascaded down, its waters soaring and a rainbow arched across the sky. Before the tranquil pool, a pale-faced boy slumped amidst a pile of mangled limbs. His Yanghua Sect disciple robes were soaked with blood. When he saw Qi Fengyuan and his fellow disciples, his eyes immediately welled up with tears, and he cried out, "Master, save me!"
Qi Fengyuan's terrifying face grew even longer as he sternly rebuked, "They're nothing but dead people, get up now!"
Xuan Zhiyan was only sixteen years old. This was his first time entering the secret realm for training, and it was also the first time he had seen so many dead people in such a gruesome manner. He was so frightened that his legs went weak. It was only after two older senior brothers came over that he was pulled out of the pile of flesh and blood.
"What are you doing here?" Qi Yuanfeng stared intently at him, her gray-white eyes revealing a hint of ferocity.
"I...I heard some strange noises, so I came to check it out." Xuan Zhiyan was still in shock, his voice trembling with tears. "But...I was dragged into the pool by a huge force and then thrown out."
In the deep, dark pool, he vaguely met a pair of gray-white eyes, which looked just like his master's eyes, but looking at Qi Yuanfeng, who was in a fit of anger, he didn't dare to say anything.
Qi Fengyuan's brows furrowed even deeper. He dismissed his disciples and cautiously released his divine sense while standing by the deep pool. However, apart from the strong smell of blood, there were no living creatures in the pool. Suddenly, his gaze paused, and he scooped his long arm into the deep pool. A palm-sized white scale appeared in his palm, covered with blood, and a strong fishy smell began to permeate the air.
"They're mermaid scales!" a disciple exclaimed.
"Such huge mermaid scales! What level of cultivation does this mermaid possess?" some people exclaimed in shock.
"Heh, no matter what level of cultivation they have, they're just low-level beasts. In the end, they're just used to make dragon silk and produce luminous pearls. After they die, they're boiled into mermaid oil, and even if their fish skin is made into balls, nobody will kick them." The senior brother standing next to Xuan Zhiyan sneered, holding his sword.
Xuan Zhiyan shivered from the cold, his lips trembling as he asked, "Was I just dragged down by the merfolk?"
"How could that be? Merfolk are ferocious and bloodthirsty by nature, and they don't listen to being tamed or disciplined. If a merfolk drags you down, with your cultivation level, how could you possibly survive?" The disciples in the back row spoke with a rather sarcastic tone, exchanging winks and making low, mocking noises.
It's not surprising that they were like this. After all, Xuan Zhiyan was the only one among the disciples who hadn't yet formed his core, barely reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. He only got in through connections because his master was Qi Fengyuan. He was still young and had mediocre talent, and he spent all his time hanging out with people like Wei Feng. It was hard not to dislike him.
Xuan Zhiyan was so angry that his eyes turned red, but he didn't dare to lash out because Qi Fengyuan was present. He just clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve.
Qi Fengyuan was oblivious to the undercurrents among the younger generation. His gaze was fixed on the white scale in his hand, and it seemed as if he had to exert a lot of effort to throw the scale back into the pool. "Your purpose in entering the secret realm this time is to find materials to forge your natal magic weapons. Do not get involved in anything related to the Divine Kite Shark Scale, or I will not be able to protect you. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" all the disciples replied in unison.
On the Pingze Continent, whether it's a top-tier sect like the Linglong Sect or a powerful clan like the Jiang family, they are all closely watching the Divine Kite Shark Scale. Second-rate sects like the Yanghua Sect and the Queyuan Sect have no room to intervene. However, they also understand that even if they manage to get their hands on the Divine Kite Shark Scale, they will not be able to keep it in the end. On the contrary, they may bring about their annihilation if they are not careful.
Xuan Zhiyan followed behind the group of disciples, his eyes filled with worry.
He recalled his last meeting with Wei Feng.
*
One month ago, at the Yanghua Sect's library.
"What?! You're going down the mountain to find the Divine Kite Shark Scale?" He was so shocked he almost fell off his chair.
Wei Feng, dressed in a magnificent red robe, slumped in a chair, one boot still resting on the ebony shelf treasured by the elder of the library. He lazily flipped through the book in his hand and said, "I checked the ancient books, and the Divine Kite Shark Scale can definitely cure my illness."
"Can you even read all the characters? Why are you looking up ancient texts!" Xuan Zhiyan snatched the book from his hands. Sure enough, the guy was holding the book upside down. He sighed with a headache, "Ancestor, just shut up. It's not an illness, you're just bored out of your mind."
Wei Feng painfully stretched out his long, slender, snow-white fingers. "It itches! It itches so much that I can't sleep at night! And it itches in my dantian and sea of consciousness too. Do you know that feeling of unbearable itching? I can't even cultivate anymore."
“When have you ever cultivated!” Xuan Zhiyan didn’t believe his nonsense. “Master will lead a team to the Chaolong Secret Realm in a month. If you really want to go out and have fun, I’ll have Master take you.”
"No way, if I follow that old bastard, either I'll drive him crazy or he'll drive me crazy. If you want me to live, you'd better get rid of that idea." Wei Feng frowned and rubbed his hot and itchy fingertips, and finally simply crossed his arms and put them behind his head.
This guy doesn't even sit properly in his chair. Only the back two of the four chair legs are touching the ground, and the other side is supported by his foot on the bookshelf. It looks dangerous and wobbly, but he doesn't care at all. "It's been half a year, and it's getting itchier and itchier. I've tried countless methods and bought the most expensive elixirs, but nothing works. I wish I could peel off this layer of skin from my body, you know!"
“Then it doesn’t necessarily have to be the Divine Kite Shark Scale. Even if a hundred Yanghua Sects were combined, they couldn’t compete with the Linglong Sect and the Jiang Family, let alone you.” Xuan Zhiyan said with a headache, “Go ask the sect leader and elders, they will definitely have a solution.”
"Tch, I'm not going. None of them like me. They'd run as far away from me as possible." Wei Feng rolled his eyes, and then, in a fit of anger, he stomped his feet. "Whether you help me or not, I'm going to find an excuse to go down the mountain."
"How could I not help—hey! Watch out for the bookshelf!!" Xuan Zhiyan shouted and went forward to help, then watched helplessly as the ebony bookshelf slipped through his fingers, followed by thousands of muffled thuds as it fell to the ground.
The two looked at each other in dismay. Xuan Zhiyan's face turned pale with fright, but Wei Feng's eyes lit up and he clenched his fist. "Here comes the reason!"
The final image reflected in Xuan Zhiyan's pupils was Wei Feng arrogantly standing on expensive bookshelves and damaged ancient books, laughing wildly at the sect leader and elders who rushed over after hearing the commotion, "I did it on purpose, what can you do to me?"
*
As the memory ended, Xuan Zhiyan covered his face in anguish.
During this time, he regretted helping Wei Feng escape down the mountain day and night. With Wei Feng's cultivation level of mid-stage Qi Refining being practically nonexistent and his terrible personality, getting involved in the struggle for the Divine Kite Shark Scale was simply like sending someone to their doom.
No, he's not even worthy of being called a dish; someone could easily scatter him to dust with a single finger.
"Xuan Zhiyan, hurry up and follow!" the senior brother in front shouted sternly.
"Coming, coming." Xuan Zhiyan followed with a bitter face.
He now only hopes that Wei Feng can fully utilize his excellent qualities of working hard for three days and resting for two, and that he will seize the time to go back to the sect to eat, drink and have fun.
——
Wei Feng, who was worried about his friend, was holding a fish and a stack of fire talismans, looking troubled.
His stomach was growling so loudly that even Utuo, annoyed by the noise, covered his ears with his paws.
Wei Feng looked at the man in black robes who was meditating and cultivating. In the end, his hunger overcame his negligible vigilance. He stopped three zhang away from Jiang Gu, carrying the fish and the fire talisman.
Jiang Gu slowly opened his eyes. The two, one big and one small, stared at each other in silence. Finally, Wei Feng, shameless as ever, grinned and said sweetly, "Senior, can you do me a favor?"
Jiang Gu closed his eyes, and with a slight movement of spiritual energy at his fingertips, the fire talisman in Wei Feng's hand ignited with a tiny flame.
Wei Feng was startled by the small flame and blew it out in one breath. "Ah, I took the wrong one. Senior, I know the Fire-Calming Technique. Could you lend me some water?"
"..." Jiang Gusheng couldn't help but laugh at his stupidity.
Splash!
Clear, icy water poured over Wei Feng, soaking both the boy and the fish to the bone. Wei Feng choked on the water twice, looking at him with shock and grievance, "Senior!?"
"Which sect are you a disciple of?" Jiang Gu really wanted to know what kind of sect could produce such an idiot who couldn't even use basic spells.
Wei Feng licked his moist lips, a cool sweetness spreading from the tip of his tongue. He had discovered this last time: the water this person created with spiritual power was even clearer and sweeter than spring water, and could even temporarily soothe the terrifying restlessness in his dantian.
"I am a disciple of the Yanghua Sect." Wei Feng wasn't annoyed by being soaked. He wiped his face and sat down with a smile not too close to Jiang Gu. "Senior, who are you?"
“Yanghua Sect is a sect that can be called respectable, how could it produce someone like you—” Jiang Gu was halfway through his sentence when he met his expectant and excited eyes, took a deep breath and looked away.
Wei Feng, oblivious to his disdain, said with great interest, "Yanghua Sect is not as powerful as it used to be. It was once among the top 100 sects in the cultivation world. I heard my father say that when they were young, Yanghua Sect could even surpass Linglong Sect. By the way, senior, have you ever seen the sea of clouds? The sea of clouds of Yanghua Sect is the number one of the ten most beautiful sights in Pingze."
Jiang Gu felt that he was like a chattering sparrow, so he automatically blocked out his hearing.
"Senior, are we heading south now? I heard that the further south you go in the Chaolong Secret Realm, the more water there is, and it's so humid that I can hardly breathe."
"Senior, how old are you this year?"
"Do you have a Daoist partner? Why did you enter the secret realm alone?"
"...Why is the size of this ring on your hand not quite right?" Wei Feng subtly steered the conversation toward the ring, trying to observe Jiang Gu's reaction. As a result, the other party lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.
That cold, disdainful glance was as if he were examining some useless object that he had no choice but to accept.
Wei Feng immediately shut his mouth. Although his face was beaming with a smile, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Had he brought it up too deliberately? He really shouldn't have been so hasty.
"Clouds and rain will soon fall, spiritual water will be refined into liquid, and nine dragons will descend into the sea. We humbly request the assistance of the water god." Jiang Gu's voice rang in his ears, neither hurried nor slow.
Wei Feng was stunned for a moment, feeling that the name sounded familiar. He subconsciously repeated it in his mind, when suddenly a water sphere the size of a fruit appeared in front of him. His eyes lit up abruptly, "It's the Water Drawing Technique!"
Jiang Gu couldn't hear his loud voice, but seeing him jumping up and down with that little water ball, laughing like a fool, still bothered him. He frowned slightly and said, "Remember this."
Wei Feng was too close, causing a burning pain to the scar on his neck. A hint of murderous intent flashed in Jiang Gu's eyes.
Wu Tuo, who was dozing in the tree, was startled awake and saw the red-clad boy sitting down next to Jiang Gu, holding an ugly water ball in his palm and grinning from ear to ear.
"Senior, look!" Wei Feng seemed to be too happy and handed it over a little too quickly. The water ball accidentally rolled down and hit Jiang Gu's hand, which was wearing a ring.
Utuo quickly covered its eyes with its claws, but a moment later, instead of the blood splattering it had expected, the cat's pupils, which had been squinting open between its claws, suddenly widened.
Its owner, who never allowed anyone to get close, suddenly grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him close.
Wei Feng was extremely close to him, and his face turned red from difficulty breathing. He asked guiltily, "Senior?"
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