Moon-Covering Gray Dragon
As Chao Du spoke, he stood up, walked from the broken table to the broken cutting board, looked at the pitiful bamboo shoots and the pitiful kitchen knife on the cutting board, and then reached out his hand, and a new bamboo shoot flew from the vegetable basket to another Chao Du.
Chao Du: "Let's take this and start our new cultivation with this bamboo shoot."
Another person carefully took the bamboo shoot, cradling it in their palm, their fingers barely using any force: "Now that I've received it, what should I do?"
Chao Du said, "Your strength has increased significantly, but your precise control over that strength hasn't kept up. Next, hold it and apply pressure little by little, feeling the changes in the bamboo shoot until the first crack appears..."
Bang!
Before Chaodu could finish speaking, the bamboo shoot was shattered into pieces.
Another person, holding the bamboo shoot residue, said awkwardly, "I really only used a tiny bit of force..."
Asawari: "It's alright, this just means our training direction is correct, but we can change our training material. Hmm, how about dough?"
"Dough?" another Asakawa exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that softer than bamboo shoots?"
Chao Du said with a smile, "That's exactly what I want—its softness. Can you crush a bamboo shoot? Can you crush a dough ball?"
Another Asawata: "!"
She suddenly realized: "Using softness to overcome hardness?"
Asakawa nodded: "You have a high level of comprehension. Come on, start by kneading the dough. Use all your strength. Later, we'll use the dough to practice your perception and fine control of strength."
As soon as Chaodu finished speaking, several agonizing screams and cries suddenly came from outside the window:
"ah----"
"Help!!!"
"It's so hot, it's burning me! What kind of sword is that woman holding?!"
Another person couldn't help but look out the window. The window was closed, but the paper window was illuminated in a dazzling golden-red light, as if a blazing sun had risen outside.
But it's clearly night now.
Moreover, the temperature near the window is extremely high; you can imagine the sweltering heat outside without even opening the window.
Another Chao Du was shocked for a moment, then asked, "Is it the Yaoling Sword?"
Chao Du nodded, looking at the window paper that was illuminated in a golden-red light, and said with a smile, "Yao Ling Sword wanted to say hello to her friends in Gray Wasteland first. It's a bit dark at night, so she even lit a lamp. How thoughtful of her."
Another Chaodu was amused: "As expected of the Yaoling Sword, but this lamp is a bit hot. I hope my friends won't mind."
“They won’t mind, and they might even want to stay here forever. Don’t worry about the noise outside. Come on.” Asaka raised his hand, a wooden basin, flour, water, and a bowl in the kitchen flew up automatically, the flour went into the basin, the water went into the bowl, and finally they all landed in front of Asaka.
Chao Du flicked his finger again, and a ball of spiritual energy the size of a fingertip dispersed into two points of light that flew into the bowl and basin, melting and covering the two containers in the blink of an eye.
Asakawa: "Alright, you can start practicing now. Just use all your strength to knead the dough. If this wooden basin cracks, I'll grant you one wish."
“You said it! It’s a deal!” The other woman became even more interested. She rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands, then added water and stirred several times to form a dough, and then began to knead it.
This pot was indeed sturdy. Even when Chao Du exerted all his strength and didn't suppress the resentment that was constantly raging in his heart, he kneaded the dough vigorously, but this pot didn't crack at all.
This fueled her competitive spirit, and she kneaded the dough even harder. The bowl didn't break, and the dough became even more elastic, but the table underneath the bowl shattered with a crack.
The two Chaodu looked at each other, and Chaodu coughed lightly: "I was careless, let's try again." She fused her spiritual power into the only intact table left in the room, and the other Chaodu took the basin and started kneading the dough again.
Suddenly, with a loud screech, the house shook violently and even seemed to tilt to one side.
Another person, Chao Du, leaning on the table and basin, quickly clarified, "I didn't press that!"
"A friend with a rather volatile temper has arrived," Chao Du clicked his tongue. "We'll have to rebuild the sect using the Scroll of Reality and Illusion."
Asakawa spoke casually, and the other Asakawa, not too worried, straightened the basin and continued kneading the dough, chatting idly as he did so: "This 'Illusory and Real Interplay Scroll' is really useful, but isn't it using a bit too much spiritual energy..."
"Aww—"
Accompanied by a roar that seemed to come from close by, a gust of wind swept in, and the sounds of wooden planks breaking, walls collapsing, tables flying, and cabinets overturning came from all directions.
With one hand on the shoulder of the other Chaodu to prevent her from being blown away, Chaodu held the Thousand-Pound Sword in his other hand and unleashed several sword energies, scattering all the sharp wind blades hidden in the gale.
Another person, Chao Du, was blinded by the strong wind, but still remembered to hug the wooden basin to protect his dough.
When the wind stopped, the other Asakawa opened his eyes with lingering fear, only to be met with a pair of huge, cold, vertical pupils.
It was too close, so close that she could see the gray crystal-like patterns around its pupils, feel its hot breath, and see its terrifying white fangs.
What caught her attention even more was that this friend from Gray Wasteland had several long, flowing whiskers around its mouth and a pair of huge antlers on its head. The right antler was broken in half, which added to its fierce appearance.
No, those are clearly dragon horns! This is actually a dragon!
"How could there be a dragon here?!" another Chaodu asked in astonishment, holding a bowl of dough.
"Gray Wasteland, what's there to be interested in?" Chao Du calmly raised her hand, and the Yao Ling Sword and her clone, whose spiritual power was exhausted, turned into a ray of light and flew back into her sleeve.
The gray dragon raised its head and looked down at them, its enormous body obscuring the moon.
It scoffed, "How dare a weakling swagger around Gray Wasteland? And dare to come to my territory?"
Chao Du was surprised: "So this is your territory. I thought it was an unclaimed wasteland. I'm so sorry."
The gray dragon was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You actually apologized! Hahahaha, someone actually apologized for this, hahahaha!"
The two Chaodu brothers exchanged a silent glance.
After laughing enough, the gray dragon looked at the two of them with disdain: "It seems you really don't understand the rules of Gray Wasteland. Did you come here to die?"
Chao Du said sincerely, "I am new here and really don't understand anything. Could you please give me some pointers?"
The gray dragon raised its chin high, crushed a building with a single claw, its whiskers fluttering triumphantly. It arrogantly declared, "I'll teach you a lesson, so you'll die knowing why! There's only one rule in Gray Wasteland: strength, enough strength! For example, this mountain was snatched from a weakling, who was actually the previous strongman. If you're strong enough, the entire Gray Wasteland can be your territory! Alright, you can leave your last words now."
Chao Du laughed: "Then I'm relieved. It seems we don't need to choose a new location for the sect."
Gray Dragon: "?"
Chao Du gently stroked the spine of the Thousand-Pound Sword with his fingers and smiled, "As for you, you still have one chance to leave here alive, otherwise you can also leave your last words."
"Heh heh heh, your mouth is tough, tougher than the stone I use to sharpen my claws. But in Gray Wasteland, toughness alone won't get you anywhere," the dragon sneered. "If I don't kill you today, another demon will come for you tomorrow. I'd better send you to your rest in peace!"
An umbrella appeared in Chaodu's hand. The umbrella surface was crystal clear, with stars faintly visible on it. Various gemstones and jades hung from the ends of the umbrella ribs, swaying gently and sparkling.
Asa-tori handed the umbrella to another Asa-tori, instructing him, "Open it and hold it carefully."
The other Chao Du did as instructed, opening the umbrella, and his figure disappeared along with the umbrella.
"Why don't you hide yourself inside too?" the gray dragon said disdainfully.
Asakawa smiled, sword in hand: "Because I still need to deal with you."
"You're dead!" The gray dragon glared angrily, gritted its teeth, and its whiskers flew. It took a step forward, crushing a house with one claw. Amidst the flying wood fragments, it swung its other claw, and five high-speed spinning tornadoes rushed towards Chao Du, surrounding him.
Chao Du nimbly dodged, but didn't rush to attack. She knew that countless eyes were watching from all around: the "friends" of Gray Wasteland all wanted to know just how strong this bold visitor from the cultivation world really was.
If anyone dares to show even the slightest weakness or fear, they will be torn to shreds by those sharp-nosed "jackals" and will never see the sunrise of tomorrow.
Therefore, tonight she must choose a formidable opponent and wage a massive battle, winning decisively to deter her covetous neighbors.
The problem is that her power is currently sealed and suppressed, leaving only 10% usable...
As Chao Du thought about his predicament, his eyes grew brighter and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: Although it is difficult, it is not without a solution. He just needs to subdue it in one or two moves at most.
"Why don't you use your sword?!" the gray dragon demanded angrily.
Chao Du smiled without saying a word: It's not the right time yet.
Suddenly, the gray dragon raised its head and let out a roar. With its roar, all the wind froze and the entire mountain trembled. All the houses on the mountaintop collapsed and shattered.
Chao Du raised an eyebrow slightly: If it were an ordinary person, they would probably be pulverized into blood by the power contained in its voice. This dragon is indeed quite capable. However, having undergone countless trials by heavenly lightning, this voice is nothing to her. Her other self, holding the Hundred Treasures Exquisite Umbrella, should not be harmed, after all, it is a Heaven-rank defensive magic treasure.
The dragon's voice shifted, its tail flicked, and a gale surged from all directions toward the mountaintop, threatening to tear everything on its summit to shreds.
Asakawa's smile deepened: That's about enough. Her opponent has already demonstrated extraordinary strength; she can make her move now.
Chao Du slightly raised his left hand, and in the next instant, the mountain under the gray dragon's claw sank like a swamp, and the originally hard rock became as soft as silk.
The gray dragon was startled and was about to take flight, but the rock halfway up the mountain transformed into a stone dragon, which tightly wrapped around it like a rope and bound it to the other side of the mountain. In the blink of an eye, it was firmly embedded in the mountain by the rock halfway up the mountain!
With a flick of her finger, Chao Du sent twelve streaks of light flying from her sleeve, forming a sword array around the immobilized gray dragon. The twelve divine swords were aimed at the gray dragon's head, neck, heart, spine, and limb joints.
In just a short moment, the situation had completely reversed.
The gray dragon stared at the twelve swords, his eyes slowly widening. First, he was shocked, then overjoyed: "Could this sword be Zhuotian?! This one looks like an amber sword that can freeze time, this one should be the Huaying Sword, this one is the Tingfeng Sword... You actually have so many good swords besides the Yaoling Sword?!"
There was no fear of death in its eyes, only extreme joy at seeing these peerless swords.
Chao Du raised an eyebrow: "You recognize them all?" Although these are famous swords, they are all from the cultivation world and have been hidden in the Waiting Immortal Tower for a long time. There shouldn't be many demons who can recognize them.
"I've loved swords since I was a child, and I recognize all the swords on the list of famous swords in the cultivation world. These twelve swords have all recognized you as their master?" The gray dragon struggled to turn its eyes and look at Chao Du.
Chao Du nodded.
Gray Dragon's eyes showed envy, then he said with relief, "Dying at your hands is not a loss, it's just a pity that I can't avenge His Highness... Before you kill me, can you tell me your name and the name of the sword in your hand? I haven't seen this sword in the list of famous swords, but it looks like a good sword."
Chao Du caught a single word: "Your Highness? Which Your Highness?" Could it be...?
"Our Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan," the gray dragon sighed deeply, "has been murdered by someone, his fate unknown, his whereabouts unknown. They say I killed him, but I grew up with him since childhood and have always been loyal to him. How could I possibly harm him?!"
As Gray Dragon spoke, he grew increasingly grief-stricken. Chao Du remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand and sheathed the twelve swords.
The gray dragon looked at her blankly and asked, "Can you transform into human form? Come with me."
The gray dragon hesitated for a moment, then transformed into a handsome young man dressed in light white armor. This time, the rock beside him remained motionless, seemingly having no intention of trapping him any longer.
He flew to Chao Du's side, landed lightly, and asked in surprise, "You're not going to kill me?"
Chao Du raised his hand, using the resonance to restore the mountain while answering, "I didn't originally intend to kill you. I just needed to have a fight. You are, the Dragon Clan's Cangfeng General Long Youlan?"
"It's me." Long Youlan scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "It's been so long since I've heard anyone call me General. How did you know my name?"
Asakawa chuckled: "You said it yourself just now, that you plotted to harm His Highness..."
"It wasn't me!" Long Youlan immediately emphasized, "It really wasn't me!"
"I know," Chao Du reassured him. "I know you've been wronged. The real culprit is the Second Prince."
"Ah...?! How could it be the Second Prince?!" Long Youlan exclaimed in shock. "That's the Crown Prince's own brother! The Crown Prince has always been very good to him and has always protected him. How could it be the Second Prince?!"
Chao Du glanced at him helplessly. Why was he so dazed? He had been hunted down by the Second Prince Long Mingyuan—who was also the current king of the Dragon Clan—for so many years and still hadn't figured it out.
Chao Du explained, "Because of jealousy, and also for the throne, and perhaps even under the influence of bewitching, in any case, he joined forces with the previous Demon Lord and together they killed Long Mingxuan."
Long Youlan was stunned, clearly greatly shocked.
Asakawa shook her head slightly, giving him time to think and accept it. She first looked to the side: "You can put the umbrella away now. Are you alright?"
"No!" Another woman, Chao Du, closed her umbrella, revealing her figure. Despite the recent strong winds, not a single strand of her hair was disheveled. She asked enviously, "Is this umbrella the Hundred Treasures Adorned with Stars Umbrella?"
Chao Du nodded.
Another woman, holding the umbrella, exclaimed with deep emotion, "It truly lives up to its reputation as a Heavenly-Rank defensive magic treasure. I was inside it just now, worried that the strong wind would tear it, but it didn't budge an inch." She presented the umbrella to Chao Du with both hands, saying, "Thank you!"
Asakawa took the umbrella and said with a smile, "Don't mention it."
As she spoke, she tossed the umbrella into the air, and the umbrella surface suddenly extended millions of times, completely covering the entire mountain. Then it became completely transparent and disappeared, becoming an invisible but strong protective shield.
Chao Du then summoned the scroll of the interplay between reality and illusion.
Another Chao Du worriedly asked, "Grey Wasteland Ridge is still too dangerous. Do we really want to choose this place as our sect? What if someone attacks again? Will we have to rebuild the sect? Using the Scroll of Reality and Illusion consumes a lot of spiritual energy, doesn't it?"
Chao Du comforted him, "It's alright. After tonight's battle, things should be peaceful for a while, and we won't need to rebuild frequently. Besides, with the Hundred Treasures and Thousand Defenses, ordinary people can't disturb the peace here. As for spiritual power, don't worry about it."
As Chaodu spoke, he summoned the Scroll of Reality and Illusion and unfolded it. Two small fish swam out of the scroll, grew wings, and transformed into birds. Wherever they flew, the ruins were transformed into spiritual energy, chasing after the two birds like streaks of brilliant light.
Long Youlan looked up, astonished at the scene, while Chao Du asked in shock, "They can actually recycle spiritual energy?!"
Chao Du nodded: "Except for those that fell down the mountain and were too far away, they can basically be recovered. In this way, rebuilding won't require too much spiritual energy."
The two roc birds, carrying the recovered spiritual energy, flew back into the painting and transformed into two exquisite and adorable little birds. The birds flew around the painting once, and the moment they flew out of the painting again, they transformed back into little fish. Then, just like during the day, they grew larger and larger, creating ripples in the ink as they swam, outlining the contours of the houses and even the plants of the Immortal Robe Pavilion.
Chao Du placed his palm on the scroll again and whispered, "Use the real to depict the unreal, and use the unreal to transform the real. The scroll, where the real and the unreal complement each other, is now open!"
Her spiritual power, along with the spiritual power she had just recovered, transformed into "paint," instantly filling the "draft" she had just drawn.
Another Asakawa blinked slowly, looking at the perfectly intact kitchen and the clean table and cutting board inside, feeling like she was dreaming.
Long Youlan looked around in a daze and asked, "Am I dreaming? Is this also a magic weapon?"
Chao Du nodded.
"How do you have so many powerful magical treasures and famous swords?" Long Youlan couldn't help but ask. "Who exactly are you? By the way, what's the name of your sword? You still haven't told me."
Chao Du glanced at him; he was truly obsessed with swords. "My name is Xi Su, and my sword is named Qian Jun," she said.
After thinking hard for a while, Long Youlan said dejectedly, "I've never heard of you. Maybe I've been in Gray Wasteland for too long and didn't know that such a powerful dragon, or rather, such a powerful person, existed outside."
Asawa: "That's not true, after all, I haven't been here for very long."
Long Youlan: "?"
Chao Du cleared his throat lightly: "Don't worry about it. Anyway, do you want to find the Crown Prince and avenge him?"
"Yes!" Long Youlan answered without hesitation, her expression excited. "Do you know where the Crown Prince is?! Is the Crown Prince alright?!"
Looking towards the distant night sky, Chao Du recalled those apologetic eyes and sighed, "It's not good. His body and soul were separated. His body was transformed into a demonic dragon puppet by the former Demon Lord, and was captured and destroyed by the Immortal Alliance after the former Demon Lord faked his death. However, if nothing unexpected happened, his soul should still be there, just sealed in an amber realm in the cultivation world."
Long Youlan was stunned: "How could this be... Just how much torture did His Highness suffer?!"
Asakawa looked at him: "Do you want to save his soul?"
"Of course I want to!" Long Youlan clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she said hatefully, "I want to rescue His Highness's soul and avenge him! In which Amber Realm is His Highness's soul? I'll go find it right now!"
A semi-transparent map appeared in Chao Du's hand. The map was dotted with the locations and names of various Amber Realms in the cultivation world. These dots were of different colors, sizes and shapes, and some of them were even slowly moving.
Long Youlan looked at the map nervously: "Which Amber Realm is Your Highness in?"
“This one.” Chao Du lightly tapped the amber-like mark named “Guqin Terrace” with his fingertip.
This is a punctuation mark that is moving slowly. It stands out among the surrounding punctuation marks and consists of three nested rings: the outermost ring is wavy blue, the middle ring is black, and the innermost ring is gold.
Long Youlan asked in surprise, "Why is it moving? And the punctuation marks next to it all have two rings, why does it have three rings?"
Chao Du pointed to the wavy blue ring around it and explained, "Because it is very special, its position will change at any time. The wavy blue ring represents that the position is uncertain, the black ring in the middle represents that it is not open, the innermost gold ring represents that there are rare treasures inside, and the size of this punctuation mark represents that it is a large amber ring."
Long Youlan was stunned: "How much longer do we have to wait before it opens?"
Asakawa: "With me, it can be opened anytime."
Long Youlan looked at Chaodu with surprise: "You have a way?"
Chao Du raised his hand, revealing a jade pendant with a blue tassel: "I once... had a friend who went to this Amber Realm and obtained a token there. With this token, one can enter the Amber Realm at any time. Once inside, find a five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) long, red-feathered, golden-beaked Flaming Eagle, and retrieve a box from its belly. Inside the box is a pair of dragon horns, and his soul is sealed within. After retrieving them, come out immediately. It's very dangerous inside; don't explore too deeply, or you might not return alive."
Long Youlan: "Flaming Eagle, the box in its belly, I remember... but how do you know so much about it? And since you can enter at any time, why didn't you rescue His Highness sooner?" His eyes gradually became wary.
Chao Du glanced down at the Thousand-Jun Sword, his expression complex. After a moment, he looked up and said with a sly smile, "Because heavenly secrets cannot be revealed and the time is not yet right."
Long Youlan: "..."
Seeing his speechless expression, Chao Du clicked his tongue and said, "If you don't believe me, you don't have to go. You can return the map and the jade pendant."
Chao Du reached out his hand to him, but Long Youlan clutched the jade pendant map tightly and backed away. After a moment's hesitation, he whispered, "Damn it, this is the first time in years I've heard of His Highness's whereabouts. Even if it's a lie, I have to go see. But if I find out it's a lie, I... I'll... I'll..."
Chao Du asked with interest, "And what will you do?"
Long Youlan pouted and said dejectedly, "Anyway, I can't beat you now, so I'll hate you for the rest of my life. When I can beat you in the future, I'll come and settle the score with you!"
Asaka chuckled and patted his shoulder armor: "Alright, I really didn't lie to you. Go ahead. When you bring the box back, I'll break the seal on it, and you'll be able to meet. The Dragon Palace has elixirs that can reshape the body. We'll find a way to get them, and he'll be back to normal."
Long Youlan, holding the map and jade pendant, was excited and about to fly away to find the Amber Realm, but after flying a few feet, he suddenly turned back: "Just one last question! One last one! Why are you willing to help His Highness?"
Chao Du said lazily, "For the sake of the cultivation world and for the sake of the demon race, if you don't believe me, then don't go; if you do believe me, then go quickly."
Long Youlan muttered to herself, "So fierce, how could I not believe it..."
Chao Du looked at him with a half-smile, and he jumped, immediately saying, "I'll go right now! I'll definitely bring His Highness back safely!"
His figure transformed into a gust of wind and vanished in an instant.
Chao Du shook his head, walked into the kitchen, and used his spiritual power to reinforce all the tables and chairs in the kitchen. Then he found a stool, sat down to cultivate, closed his eyes and said, "Come on, continue cultivating. Keep kneading the dough until you feel like you have no strength left."
Another woman, Chao Du, hesitated before placing the basin on the reinforced table. She kneaded the dough she had just protected a couple of times, but couldn't help asking, "Why did you help that prince? Was it really just for the cultivation world and the demon race?"
"Otherwise what?" Chao Du looked up at her, while the other Chao Du blinked, her eyes bright and her voice soft: "But I felt that when you mentioned that Crown Prince just now, your tone and eyes were a little...unusual. Did you two know each other before?"
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