Chapter 153: The 'Anomaly' that Gathers on Xueheng, The Locals Are Too Rude (4K)

Chapter 153: The 'Anomaly' that Gathers on Xueheng, The Locals Are Too Rude (4K)



"This Dragon Breed, does it possess divinity?"

Surprised, Xueheng released his grip on the flying dragon's tail and furrowed his brows in thought. His grip had been too strong, and the dragon's tail was now a mess of torn scales and flesh, with bones shattered within.

"Are there any similarities between Dragon Breeds and Vomiting Beasts?"

Xueheng squatted down and pulled the flying dragon out of the dent it had created. He walked from the creature's tail to its head, examining it closely.

The dead dragon's tongue hung out of the left side of its mouth, and its eyes had burst out of their sockets due to the intense impact, leaving behind two bloody holes.

"According to Rainia, all the dragons within the borderlands are said to be the 'offspring of the Dragon God'..."

"That would imply that one possibility is that the borderland creatures with the bloodline of the Dragon God are the ones that contain divinity within them?"

"Then perhaps that Vomiting Beast also had the bloodline of the Dragon God within it?"

Xueheng stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Let's tentatively assume that for now..."

"That then raises another question."

"This purebred Dragon Breed, according to the White Crows' speculation, is the 'core creature' of the Roaring Waterfall."

"So, does it possess divinity because 'purebred Dragon Breeds inherently have divinity,' or is it 'because it is a core creature that it has divinity'?"

"There's no way to confirm that for now..."

"Anyway,"

Xueheng glanced at the fallen dragon on the ground.

"Let's kill all the Dragon Breeds within these borderlands first."

...

Outside, in the camp.

Inside the tent, the three members of the Xu Blade Squad and Dr. Shen had gathered.

"That's the situation,"

Xu Blade murmured to the silver bracelet on his hand.

"I understand,"

came Wu Youqing's ethereal voice from the bracelet, devoid of any discernible emotion.

After a moment of silence, she continued,

"You White Crows are too amateurish, especially considering you're the ones who specialize in dealing with borderland anomalies. Not preparing a 'mirror membrane' and not considering the possibility of being reflected by GOD-005—why did you entertain such wishful thinking?"

Although her words were clearly accusatory, Wu Youqing's voice remained as calm and ethereal as ever, sending shivers down the spines of those present.

Xu Blade thought for a moment but refrained from saying, 'Preparing a mirror membrane to cover dozens of kilometers is extremely troublesome and expensive, and they couldn't afford it. Usually, only some A-level and above borderlands are permanently covered by mirror membranes.'

He was well aware that Miss Wu was most likely not ignorant of the difficulties involved. Her words were likely driven by her emotions regarding the danger that Xueheng had been put in.

These accusatory words were simply a way for her to vent her frustration. It was best to endure them silently.

After all, this incident was essentially a pure coincidence—who could have guessed that the moment Xueheng entered, the Mirror World would choose that exact moment to 'reflect and merge' with this particular borderland? Even Miss Wu, with her intelligence and rationality, would understand this logic.

As Xu Blade expected, Wu Youqing did not continue her reprimand. Instead, after a moment of silence, she spoke again,

"Xueheng is someone destined to be entangled with trouble... Those with 'true vision' can see that he has an extremely complex 'anomaly' gathered around him, like a massive light source, attracting all sorts of 'insects' toward him."

"This incident is likely no exception. I don't blame any of you."

The people present heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

If this incident had incurred Miss Wu's wrath, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xu Blade asked quietly, "What do we do now, Miss Wu?"

"I don't believe that a mere purebred Dragon Breed will stop Xueheng here," Wu Youqing said, "But we should at least let him know the current situation."

A mere purebred Dragon Breed...

Shan Zhen, who was standing nearby, twitched his lips at those words.

Only Miss Wu could make such a statement...

Even a young purebred Dragon Breed was an incredibly formidable monster that would typically require three White Crow squadrons, fully prepared, to have any hope of defeating.

No matter how powerful Xueheng was, it was impossible for him to overcome such a creature. Miss Wu's confidence in him was truly boundless...

"What should we do?" Xu Blade asked.

Wu Youqing replied calmly, "Since it's a divine artifact, we should deal with it using another divine artifact."

"Come to Qing City immediately."

...

Within the Roaring Waterfall, in a certain forest.

Xueheng cleared an open space and gathered some wood, creating a bonfire with his lighter.

"I've heard that the materials from Dragon Breeds are extremely valuable."

At that moment, Xueheng was using the Futu Knife to scrape the scales off a large piece of flying dragon meat.

This was the meat from the dragon's tail.

"Dragon meat is a delicacy only available in high-end restaurants on the Inner Ring. It's a rare opportunity, so I must give it a taste."

"

Xueheng scraped the scales with a rhythmic clatter.

The fine, dark yellow dragon scales were skillfully removed by the sharp Futu Knife, leaving the tail meat bare.

"Yo-ho, my knife skills are top-notch."

Xueheng nodded in satisfaction as he examined the tail meat, now scale-less and slightly wrinkled.

He extended his finger, touching the dragon bone on the cut surface of the meat, and ignited black flames at his fingertip.

Using the Shadowflame to annihilate the bone and blood within, Xueheng signaled to the nearby crow, who rummaged through the large backpack it held and retrieved various seasonings. Xueheng then began to marinate the dragon meat.

On the other side, in the forest, several figures were making their way toward Xueheng's location, each accompanied by distinct 'Daruka'. There was a six-legged Daruka resembling a large crocodile, and another that crawled with its head close to the ground, its body covered in scales like a hound...

"Slow down, Anluowa, and be more discreet," a tall man among them cautioned.

"We're within the borders of this country. If their patrol team spots us, we won't be able to escape with just a few of us here."

Anluowa, addressed by the man, shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, Captain Apawa. The patrol team of this country is small; what are the odds that we'll run into them?"

"This forest is still the territory of that 'Long-tailed Dragon'. Considering their reverence for dragons, they wouldn't dare intrude to disturb it."

"This job is too easy. Let's pick up the pace and capture that Long-tailed Dragon. We can sell it and celebrate with a drink!"

The rest of the group chimed in:

"Yeah, Captain Apawa is being overly cautious."

"We've been in this business for a long time. Capturing a dragon is a piece of cake. Let's just get it done and move on."

Captain Apawa frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I have a bad feeling about this. Something doesn't feel right. This forest... it's too quiet."

"Normally, even in a dragon's territory, we should still encounter quite a few Daruka. But since we entered the forest, we haven't seen a single one."

As Captain Apawa expressed his concerns, Anluowa was about to offer some reassuring words.

Just then, the hound-like Daruka among them seemed to have sensed something. It paused, baring its teeth and letting out a low, warning growl toward the front.

Their faces turning serious, the group quieted down.

"There's something ahead. Be careful!"

They cautiously took a few steps forward, quietly parting the grass that obscured their vision.

And then, they saw the dragon.

To be precise, they saw the dragon's corpse.

Its massive body, nearly twenty meters long including the tail, lay motionless on the ground. The tail had been severed from the middle, and a portion of it seemed to be missing.

Seated next to the dragon's corpse was a man in strange clothing. He held a skewer of meat in his hand, roasting it over a campfire, causing the fat to sizzle and drip, emitting a mouthwatering aroma.

"Isn't that the Long-tailed Dragon?!"

Anluowa's eyes widened in surprise.

"Someone beat us to it? Wait, that guy is actually grilling it! Does he intend to eat the dragon?!"

The group was shocked.

In this world, dragons held an extremely special status. All dragons were considered offspring of the Dragon God, carrying sacred bloodlines.

While the country they were in may not have been as strict as the previous one, where only priestesses were qualified to tame dragons, no one would dare to do something as blasphemous as 'eating a dragon'.

"That guy must be crazy! Doing something that invites divine punishment, he'll be cursed to death by the Dragon God!"

"What do we do now?"

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

Not only had their target been taken, but it was taken by a madman who dared to eat dragons...

"Let's just leave. His Daruka looks unfamiliar and formidable..."

Someone noticed the crow flapping its wings next to the 'madman' and quietly suggested.

Captain Apawa pondered for a moment, about to give the order.

Just then, the 'madman' seemed to casually glance in their direction.

"Not good!"

Captain Apawa's heart skipped a beat as he was about to alert the others.

But before they could react, shadows within the forest suddenly gave way to over a dozen 'shark fins' that swiftly swam toward them.

Then—

"Swish—"

The black sharks, like those leaping out of the water, rushed at them, opening their massive mouths and accurately biting down on each person and their respective Daruka.

"Ah!"

"Let go of me! Don't bite me! Captain Apawa, help!"

In their panic, the group realized that these black sharks didn't tear at their flesh and blood as expected. Instead, they transformed into black steel cages, like springs coiling around their bodies, binding them tightly like caterpillars.

Xueheng stood up, holding the grilled dragon meat in his hand, and walked toward the group of natives he had captured.

As he walked, he took a bite of the grilled dragon meat, savoring the flavor before nodding in satisfaction.

As Xueheng ate the dragon meat, he approached the group of natives, swallowing the food in his mouth before speaking in an uninflected tone:

"You locals are too rude, spying on others while they're eating."

The natives exchanged bewildered looks.

"Wh...What is he saying?"

"Is he a foreigner? We can't understand him."

"What do we do now? Will this crazy guy who dares to eat dragon meat eat us too?"

Xueheng frowned and quickly finished the rest of the dragon meat, then threw away the wooden skewer.

He reached into the backpack held by the crow and took out a pair of simultaneous translation headphones, placing one on the apparent leader of the group.

"Now, can you understand me?"

Xueheng asked indifferently.

Captain Apawa's eyes widened as he listened to the voice coming from the headphones.

"I... I understand."

"So, what were you doing spying on me?" Xueheng crossed his arms and looked down at him.

Sensing a hint of hostility in Xueheng's tone, Captain Apawa quickly spoke in a rapid tone:

"We're from the 'Dragon Catching Crew' of the other country. We came here to capture the lord of this forest, the 'Long-tailed Dragon.' We really didn't mean to spy on you, and we have no ill intentions!"

"Dragon Catching Crew?" Xueheng raised an eyebrow.

Apawa quickly nodded, "Yes, the Dragon Catching Crew. We make a living by capturing dragons and selling them to the upper nobility of the other country."

Xueheng's eyes lit up, "So you're professionals, then?"

"Professional?" Apawa paused, "Yes... we are professionals."

Xueheng immediately smiled warmly, reaching out and grabbing Apawa by the scruff of his neck, lifting him off the ground as if he were a chick.

He then dusted off the dirt from Apawa's clothes, put his arm around his shoulder, and laughed,

"Well, it seems we had a misunderstanding... By the way, since you're professionals, do you know how to find dragons?"

Apawa first marveled at the man's strength, then felt a bit creeped out by Xueheng's sudden change in attitude, and hesitantly replied:

"I have a map of the dragon's territory... It's something we've slowly investigated over the years. If you need it..."

Xueheng heard this and enthusiastically patted Apawa's shoulder,

"Good brother!"

"You locals are so polite; truly a nation of etiquette! I can't refuse such kindness... As a return, how about I treat you to some dragon meat?"

Apawa immediately shook his head vigorously, nearly shaking the earbuds out of his ears, "No, no, it's enough to help you... Look?"

He gestured with his chin at the black steel cage tied around his body.

Xueheng smiled and snapped his fingers.

The shadowflame steel cages on everyone instantly dissipated.

Apawa breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out an old scroll map from his pocket, unfolding it and handing it to Xueheng.

Xueheng looked at the map, which had a clear and detailed view of the terrain. The map was marked with red dots of varying sizes, each with indigenous writing next to it.

"This is our current location, and this is the territory of the Long-tailed Dragon."

Apawa pointed to one of the red dots on the map.

"The center here is the Roaring Waterfall... The closer to the waterfall, the stronger the dragons are. Like here, here, and here."

He pointed to several thick red dots near the center of the map. "The dragons in these areas are extremely terrifying, so it's best to stay away."

"We usually capture dragons on the outskirts..."

After Apawa's explanation, Xueheng had a basic understanding of how to interpret the map.

"...That's about it."

Xueheng nodded in satisfaction as he studied the map. "Thank you so much."

"It's... it's no problem at all." Apawa said cautiously.

"Then, can we... leave now?"

Xueheng waved his hand at him, "Go, go... Are you sure you don't want to try some dragon meat? It tastes pretty good."

"No, no." Apawa shook his head hurriedly.

"Then we'll be on our way..." He took off the headphones and handed them back to Xueheng.

Then, addressing the others, he said, "Let's go!"

Without another word, he began walking toward the edge of the forest.

The rest of the group remained silent, not daring to utter a word, and followed closely behind Apawa.

At first, they walked slowly, but as they put some distance between themselves and Xueheng, they quickened their pace, each trying to outrun the other in their mad dash for the forest's edge.

Captain Apawa was at the forefront of the group.

"Wait for me, Captain Apawa!"

In the forest, Xueheng paid no attention to the natives' departure, focusing instead on the map.

"Hmm, let's start from the outskirts and work our way in, beginning with this one."

His gaze fell on the nearest small red dot.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end