Chapter 410: Then Let's Slay a Flood Dragon First
Lu Yuliu was the first one to notice that something was off.
From the very beginning, she had been carrying a nagging sense of confusion.
It was as though she had witnessed the entire sequence of events unfold, and even had someone deliberately offer her an explanation—but the more she understood, the more bewildered she felt.
Why exactly had she come to find Luo Wusheng today?
At first, it was her master's reply that had stirred up a sense of urgency in her, as though some plan had already been set in motion… But before she had even begun to act, everything went awry.
When an unexpected force caused her and the Demon Sect's Holy Saint to become entangled, one thought had flashed through her muddled mind: perhaps she should simply go through with her original plan regardless. Yet what she never expected was for the ability to read minds to suddenly manifest right afterward.
That alone forced her to suppress every thought she had… For if she tried anything in that state, the other party would instantly see through all of it.
Later, as that strange power was gradually sealed back into the jade, the mind-reading effect all but vanished, and her thoughts began to stir restlessly again.
But then Bai Xiaoyao arrived.
At that moment, her body was still intertwined with his.
For just an instant, she thought: If Sister Xiaoyao were to see us like this… what would happen?
Her conclusion was that she would probably die on the spot from sheer embarrassment.
That scene on the bed—no matter who looked upon it, there was only one conclusion they could draw.
Yet while she had already admitted to herself that she probably did like that guy… it was still far, far too soon for things to go that far!
After all, she was still only a seventeen-year-old girl.
At this age, the way a young maiden most wished for love to unfold was slowly, day by day, feelings deepening over time—where genuine affection would gradually prove itself.
On this point, Lu Yuliu considered the romance of her two Martial Seniors—one from Spirit Rain Peak and one from Fragrant Fox Peak—to be the perfect example.
Uncle Zhou and Auntie Lin had been in love for many years. In private, their pet names for each other were cloyingly sweet—enough to make one blush from hearing them. And yet, even after so long, they still had not taken "that step."
So—there ought to be some basic principles to follow in this!
At the very least… shouldn't they confirm their relationship first, before anything else?
Fortunately, she soon had no time to wrestle with such thoughts.
Standing upon the Trial of Ascension Platform, watching a vision that had only flashed through her mind earlier become reality, then hearing his explanation afterward… she was utterly stunned.
So today… I actually came here for serious business?
Otherwise, why would everything have proceeded so smoothly, as though it had all been prepared in advance?
The young girl wanted badly to express her confusion, but with Bai Xiaoyao present, she knew it was best to leave all of that unspoken for now, to be dealt with later.
Thus, she gradually spoke less and less, only occasionally echoing the Demon Sect's Holy Saint's words. And whenever she felt Bai Xiaoyao's gaze on her, she would simply pretend to admire the scenery.
To be fair, the sights upon the Trial of Ascension Platform were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Coupled with her current unusual state, she was able to gradually empty her mind amidst the rolling thunder.
And that was when she noticed it.
From within the layered sea of clouds beyond the Trial of Ascension Platform, a black shadow appeared. Amidst the flashes of lightning, it climbed ever higher, drawing her gaze.
The shadow rose and rose, until it reached a height dozens of zhang above the platform itself. Bursting forth from the clouds, it revealed its true form.
A hazy black flood dragon.
As a Sword Fairy, her understanding of the cultivation world's lore was not shallow.
Since ancient times, no trueborn dragons had remained in the world.
Now, if any flood dragon existed, it could only be a serpent or serpentlike beast that had awakened a special bloodline and cultivated the demonic path—shedding its skin with every breakthrough. Only upon reaching the Nascent Soul realm could it finally shed its body and become a flood dragon…
Which meant that no matter its form, a flood dragon's realm had to be at least above the Nascent Soul Realm!
Could we have actually run into a Nascent Soul Netherkin?!
At that thought, Lu Yuliu's chaotic mind abruptly cleared. Recalling this person's many recent entanglements with the Netherkin Race, her nerves tensed instantly.
Her sudden halt in step also caused Bai Xiaoyao beside her to pause, and the demoness too soon discovered what was happening.
Time returned to the present.
Coming back to himself, Luo Wusheng turned around to survey the existence before his eyes.
Because of the distance, he was able to take in the creature's form in full.
A long, pitch-black body; a head like a crocodile's; the body of a fish and the tail of a serpent—its length only a few zhang, not particularly massive.
A flood dragon?
This was the first time Luo Wusheng saw this kind of fantastical creature.
He had encountered plenty of Netherkins before—on the enemy side there had been rats, roosters, oxen, sheep, and pigs; on the friendly side there was the little pink fox and the small host of loyal followers she led. But truth be told, he had never seen anything quite like this—a being with its "fantasy attributes" dialed all the way up.
The little pink fox, as a nine-tailed fox, did have a bit of that "legendary" quality… but then again, who ever looked at a nine-tailed fox in its beast form?
It was just like how people adored the image of a mermaid with a human body and fish tail—yet when it came to a fish-bodied creature with human legs, their feelings grew… complicated.
'No, no, what the hell is this black flood dragon supposed to be? Its figure is hazy… is it not its true body? Or could it be some kind of wraith? Maybe even something that came along with this Trial of Ascension Platform's transference?'
He was honestly at a loss.
Yes, he had recognized the creature as a flood dragon, but only because its form looked almost identical to the image of dragons he knew from his past world.
Aside from that, as the Demon Sect's Holy Saint, he actually knew nothing about flood dragons in this world.
After all, flood dragons didn't produce any kind of special stones.
Moreover, Luo Wusheng could feel that the being emitted no unique energy fluctuations, nor was it of flesh and blood. Its sudden appearance above the Trial of Ascension Platform made it difficult to guess its origin.
'Could it be one of the Netherkin hiding in the royal city? But the Human Immortal List is only a few days away, and after that chicken Netherkin incident, the Immortal Nation has ramped up security countless times over. Those Netherkin infiltrators shouldn't be making extra moves at a time like this…'
Besides, this anomaly had happened on the Trial of Ascension Platform. It was only a matter of time before an Immortal Nation Nascent Soul cultivator came to investigate—and such detection was child's play for them.
For the Netherkins to show themselves now would be nothing short of walking straight into the executioner's blade.
As Luo Wusheng thought this through, he noticed that the flood dragon's scarlet eyes were still fixed on him, unmoving.
…?
The other party clearly had already noticed him. Yet, for some reason, it made no further move, leaving him unsure of how exactly he should respond.
A strange impatience welled up in him at this silent standoff. Clearing his throat, he tilted his head upward and called out:
"What are you staring at?"
. . . . . .. . .
If anyone was truly dumbfounded at this moment, it was the flood dragon.
Though it appeared rather abnormal, it was in fact one of the Nascent Soul Realm elders responsible for the Netherkin's infiltration. Normally, its conduct was cautious and prudent—otherwise it would never have been entrusted with such a secretive task.
The disturbance at the royal city had gone far beyond its expectations.
Of course, it also knew that it wouldn't be long before the Immortal Nation's Nascent Soul experts arrived to probe the anomaly at the Trial of Ascension Platform.
And yet, it had been forced to come anyway.
The Netherkins infiltration of the royal city wasn't centralized in one place. To avoid the risk of exposure from too much Nether aura gathering together, they had split up and hidden themselves in multiple suitable locations, each using special means to evade the Immortal Nation's detection.
Most of the time, they remained utterly dormant—never daring to use even the slightest bit of power, lest they draw attention before their plan was carried out.
But they still needed to monitor the city's situation, and to communicate updates to each other.
And for that, they relied on a certain secret treasure of the Netherkin Race.
This treasure could only function within the bounds of the royal city, but it also couldn't afford to be discovered by Immortal Nation cultivators.
Thus, a location was chosen.
The high skies.
The heavens were so vast—once a concealment formation was set up, it was practically impossible for anyone to stumble upon it… unless some idle Nascent Soul cultivator happened to wander at that precise height and chance upon that precise spot.
But who could have predicted that such a freak incident would really happen?!
As it turned out, the very place where their secret treasure had been concealed… was directly above the current Trial of Ascension Platform.
Though some distance remained, for a Nascent Soul cultivator, simply standing on this platform was enough to sense that something was amiss.
The treasure could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Immortal Nation, or it could reveal the hidden positions of all the infiltrating Netherkin Race infiltrators.
So, the flood dragon had been forced to split off a portion of its true spirit and rush here immediately to retrieve the treasure.
Fortunately, the operation was already only days away from completion. Even if it stopped monitoring the city's situation now, it wouldn't make much difference.
And with its ability to soar the clouds after transforming into a flood dragon, it could travel to heights no ordinary cultivator would ever reach. In fact, even most peak Nascent Soul experts could not rival its speed in that regard. In its true spirit state, its speed was even greater still.
Precisely because of this, it hadn't actually felt much concern at first—so long as it retrieved the secret treasure quickly, it could return right away.
But what was this before its eyes now?
How could anyone possibly move faster than its true spirit soaring speed?
Tribulation Crossing…? No—that was absolutely impossible. The moment a Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivator revealed even the slightest trace of their existence in this world, heavenly tribulation would immediately descend upon them.
But if not Tribulation Crossing Realm… then what?
"…Who are you?"
The black flood dragon ignored the hostile tone of the figure below and instead spoke with a voice that was at once calm and deranged.
It too had noticed that the figure's state was most peculiar.
It resembled a true spirit technique, yet was shrouded by some mysterious power that obscured its form.
And that mysterious power stirred a faint, inexplicable dread within it—making it feel that the other party was anything but ordinary.
Even so, it had no time for caution now…
"I— eh? You mean to strike at me?"
At that voice, the flood dragon froze.
While it had been speaking, it had in fact been secretly gathering some of the power within its current true spirit body—ready to unleash it in a sudden ambush if the other party tried to obstruct it.
The identity of this hazy figure didn't matter; what mattered was seizing back the secret treasure that still lingered in the skies above.
Any delay would bring disaster.
But now it seemed as though the other had somehow already seen through its hidden preparations?
No good. It couldn't afford to waste time here!
'Whoever this is, though faster than me in appearing here, they shouldn't be an Immortal Nation Nascent Soul expert—otherwise our treasure would already have been discovered… That Trial of Ascension Platform is linked to the Ancient Heavenly Gate. His existence may be special—perhaps even a being dragged here from those ruins. That would explain why he was faster…'
Even if it couldn't read the other's cultivation, the black flood dragon, Elder Jiao, had absolute confidence in its own strength.
After all, Nascent Soul was already the peak of the present age.
With that thought, the flood dragon moved at last.
Since it had been exposed, there was no need to keep up the act!
The dragon's head rose, and in an instant a streak of blood-light gathered at its illusory serpent tail, condensing it into solidity.
Carrying terrifying might, the massive pitch-black tail lashed down toward the figure below.
And then—
The moment of impact, it froze.
Luo Wusheng looked up at the dragon tail before him, looming higher than a man, blood-light roiling across its surface, an intimidating sight indeed.
At that moment, Luo Wusheng stretched out both hands of his true spirit body and pressed them against the massive tail.
He looked weak and powerless, yet the pitch-black tail could not push forward another inch.
The black flood dragon's eyes, half-mad and half-calm, quivered violently.
'This! How is this possible!? Even if I am only in my true spirit form right now, for him to so effortlessly block my strike— Just who in the world is he!'
Yet, just as that thought arose, it saw the hazy figure suddenly react as though belatedly struck. After stopping its tail, the figure was blasted backward, sent tumbling straight into a bank of rainbow-colored clouds.
"Whew— such terrifying power. I almost couldn't hold on."
???
Hearing that voice come from within the colorful clouds, Elder Jiao was left with question marks all over its mind.
No—that wasn't right. Its power wasn't the kind that had a delayed effect, so why did this look as if the other had been struck a moment late?
And it was absolutely certain that just now, the mysterious force surrounding the figure had exploded forth at the instant of contact, completely neutralizing its strength…
What in the heavens was going on?
In all its years of cultivation, the black flood dragon had never experienced anything like this.
What it could not hear, however, were the hushed voices quickly exchanging words within the clouds:
"Good thing I'd prepared beforehand, keeping back a portion of strength just in case… But as it looks now, I'm the only one who can hold this creature off…"
"Never mind that—you two should go on ahead. Remember what I told you? Follow the guidance of the immortal aura within you, find the location that resonates best with you. But you must first put some distance between us, so you won't be caught up in the fallout."
"Me? Don't worry. I won't come to harm. Its strength may be terrifying, but I have my own means to handle it… And if it really comes to the worst, it's only a matter of me returning to recuperate a little earlier."
"There's no need to say anything more. Leave this place to me."
. . . . . . . .
Luo Wusheng felt steady.
This unexpected development had come at just the right moment.
According to the words conveyed by that Immortal Spirit through Yue Xuanji, the three portions of immortal aura given to him were meant to guide him. With his true spirit body on the Trial of Ascension Platform, he was to follow the aura's lead to the location where it resonated, so that it could stir up the lingering aura of the Ancient Heavenly Gate.
It sounded like nothing more than a simple locating task, entirely without waves or danger.
How could that possibly happen?
Such a dull little episode was nowhere near enough to brush aside what had just happened earlier.
But when the sudden black flood dragon appeared, and even struck at him, Luo Wusheng immediately had a new idea.
No drama?
Fine then—let's slay a flood dragon first.
Especially since he had just discovered something unusual about the immortal aura that certain white-haired loli had given him.
Not only could it forcibly condense his true spirit, but it also carried functions of sensing hostility—and even shielding his true spirit body.
Moreover, when he had touched the flood dragon's tail just now, he'd felt something else unusual.
'Feels like that white-haired loli really went all out this time…'
Well, he could think about that later.
Manipulating his true spirit body, Luo Wusheng emerged once more from the colorful clouds.
For some reason, he got the sense that the two young girls behind him seemed like they wanted to say something, but stopped themselves.
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Note: Link to the character Illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD[1]
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 532: What On Earth Is Master Talking About?[2]
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[1] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/chapter-532-what-156146549