Chapter 209: "In fact, I bet and won!"

Chapter 209: "In fact, I bet and won!"

"You're awake."

No one knew how much time had passed.

By the spring, a middle-aged man sat in a rocking chair, casually fanning himself with a palm fan. He spoke without much thought, "Don't move yet. Your dragon scales were just peeled off, and they're probably still hurting."

The Black Dragon slowly regained consciousness in the spring, his mind instinctively turning to his injuries. Seeing that his wounds had almost fully healed, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

His bet had paid off!

But soon, he froze in place. He noticed that his dragon body was once again covered in pitch-black scales, and he could feel that these scales were even harder than before.

However, he clearly remembered that his scales had been shattered.

Why had they regrown so quickly and become even stronger?

But he soon realized the reason.

It must be because of the spring water beneath him. He could sense the rich life force within it, and he couldn't help but feel excited, rolling around in the spring several times.

His eyes filled with battle intent as he looked at the middle-aged man lying in the rocking chair on the bank.

"Senior."

"I'm ready. Let's begin the second trial!"

"The second trial?"

The middle-aged man lying in the rocking chair on the bank shook his head and laughed, "There's no second trial. The first trial is the whole thing."

"I'll tell you the truth."

"The first trial wasn't about defeating me. It was only about enduring the pain of having your dragon scales completely shattered. As long as you can bear it, you pass."

"And thus, you obtain the Dragon Clan's heritage."

"Who would've thought that you, a little fellow, would actually come here with the intention of defeating me? How could a young dragon even think of defeating an adult dragon!"

"Does that mean I've passed the heritage assessment?"

"Mhm."

"Can I immediately break through to the Divine Transformation stage and transform into a human form?"

"Mhm."

The Black Dragon's breathing quickened, and his entire body filled with excitement as he rolled around in the spring. He couldn't wait to return to Dragon Island.

Let Ao Tian see!

Let Fatty Dragon see!

Let everyone witness that he, the Black Dragon, had achieved Divine Transformation! Those dragon cubs needed Fatty Dragon's help to achieve Divine Transformation in a year, but he, the Black Dragon, had done it on his own, without relying on anyone! The difference in strength was clear.

Even if those dragon cubs reached adulthood in a year, he, the Black Dragon, would still be the eldest!

The Black Dragon then raised his dragon head out of the spring and looked at the middle-aged man on the bank with excitement, "Then I'll also tell you a secret."

"Actually, that strand of killing intent I showed was intentionally revealed to you, Senior. I could have completely concealed it."

"Hehe."

The middle-aged man sitting in the rocking chair on the bank gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile as he glanced at the Black Dragon, "Little fellow, I'm already very pleased with you. There's no need to force yourself to find more strengths. I don't like liars."

"It's true." The Black Dragon said sincerely.

"Oh?" The middle-aged man closed his eyes and casually waved the fan in his hand, "Then tell me, why did you intentionally reveal your killing intent? If you hadn't, that strike could have directly injured my eyes, and there would have been no need for any other means. Why go through the trouble?"

A hint of pride flashed in the Black Dragon's eyes as he spoke with arrogance.

"Senior, as an adult dragon, your strength far surpasses mine. So, even though I fought you relying solely on my physical strength, you still looked down on me, or perhaps underestimated me."

"If I hadn't revealed any killing intent and suddenly appeared to attack your eyes, you would have instinctively used your Divine Transformation cultivation to completely dodge it. That's a natural reflex."

"But if I revealed a hint of killing intent, allowing you to sense my attack in advance, you wouldn't have used your Divine Transformation cultivation to completely avoid the attack. You would have only needed to ensure your eyes weren't pierced."

"A person on Dragon Island taught me this."

"He told me that if you wanted to tear off someone's roof, they would definitely not agree. But if you said you wanted to open a window, they might consent."

"If I had initially aimed to scratch you, you would have instinctively dodged. But if I had aimed to pierce your eyes from the start, you would have thought that being scratched a little wouldn't matter."

"And in my state at that time, I could only make one attack."

"So I had to take a gamble."

"I bet that you wouldn't want to use your Divine Transformation cultivation just to avoid being scratched."

"In fact—"

"I bet and won!"

". . ."

The middle-aged man, who had been lying in the rocking chair with his eyes closed, suddenly froze, his fan suspended in mid-air.

He stood up.

Sitting in the rocking chair, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the Black Dragon soaking in the spring. After a long while, he laughed, "That's interesting, but you're wrong about one thing. Even if you hadn't revealed any killing intent and attacked me, I still wouldn't have let you pierce my eyes without using my Divine Transformation cultivation."

"But I'm more curious about something."

"You said you could completely conceal your killing intent."

"Do you know what that means?"

"Even I find it difficult to achieve this. For the Cloud-Concealing Dragon, being able to completely hide their killing intent makes them the most terrifying assassins in the world."

"Tell me how you think you can do it."

"It's simple." The Black Dragon spoke earnestly, "I didn't have any killing intent towards you in the first place, so how could I reveal it?"

". . ."

The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, then smiled, "Never mind, I thought you had some special technique. Can you do this with me, but not with others?"

"I can."

The Black Dragon looked puzzled, "I don't have any killing intent towards anyone in this world."

"So, can you not kill anyone in the future?"

"I'll kill."

"How can you kill without any killing intent? Why kill them if you don't have any intention to?"

"There must be a reason to kill someone, right?"

"If I were to kill him, he must have a reason to die. Why would I need a reason to kill? It's the one who wants to die that needs a reason."

". . ."

The middle-aged man stood silently, his face expressionless, not offering any explanations. He simply waved his hand dismissively, and a large mist enveloped the black dragon.

In the blink of an eye, the black dragon fell into a state of unconsciousness.

Above the black dragon's head, a scene emerged, shrouded in clouds and mist. The black dragon, in a state of unconsciousness, had no memory and was now in a trance.

He wanted to see if, in this trance, the black dragon's actions would match what he had said.

In the trance—

The black dragon was a human cultivator. Until the age of eighteen, he had lived a happy family life. But when he turned nineteen, a group of bandits raided his village, brutally killing all the villagers, including the black dragon's mother, who was gang-raped to death. His father was beaten to death right in front of him, and he was tortured for an entire year. Eventually, the black dragon escaped, cultivated to a high level, and returned for revenge. He found the bandits and killed them one by one with his sword.

With each swing of his Green Blade, blood splattered, and heads flew.

The black dragon showed no extra moves.

He remained calm and composed while killing, without a hint of murderous intent. It was as if he were buying vegetables at the market, casually beheading the vendor after making his purchase.

It was as if he were doing something mundane.

The middle-aged man was skeptical and decided to test the black dragon again in the trance, creating various difficulties. The black dragon still sought revenge, but there was no murderous intent in his eyes, only sorrow.

"How strange."

The middle-aged man looked at the black dragon, who was still unconscious in the spring water, with a perplexed expression.

In this world, there was only one type of person who would never reveal any murderous intent.

A person who was utterly cold-blooded and ruthless!

Whether killing an enemy or someone unrelated, this type of person would never show a hint of murderous intent. They were born without emotions and were the best assassins.

Such assassins could never be controlled.

They felt no guilt for betraying their masters.

So, when the black dragon initially claimed he wouldn't reveal any murderous intent, the middle-aged man dismissed it, as the black dragon was clearly not this type of cold-blooded and ruthless person.

If one didn't possess such a personality, mastering such skills would require extensive practice, not something a young dragon could achieve.

But now—

He realized that besides the cold-blooded and ruthless type, there was a second type of person who could inherently possess this ability.

Someone like the black dragon.

He truly had no murderous intent towards anyone, and even showed kindness to strangers. But when it came to killing, he simply felt that the person deserved to die, so he killed them.

However, during the act of killing, there was no murderous intent in his heart. Even when facing death, the victim wouldn't realize that the person who had just passed by was about to strike.

Strictly speaking, this was a form of self-deception.

But to conceal one's murderous intent was to deceive oneself, and it was something ordinary people had to practice diligently to achieve. The black dragon was born with this ability.

Because the black dragon had deceived himself.

A natural-born assassin.

". . ."

After a long while, the middle-aged man looked at the black dragon, who was slowly regaining consciousness, with a complex expression. Could it be that after tens of thousands of years, the dragon clan had produced a peerless talent like fish swimming upstream?

But if that were the case, why had no one come to the Dragon Palace or inherited the dragon clan's heritage for tens of thousands of years?

Soon—

The black dragon slowly regained consciousness and looked up at the middle-aged man, saying, "I feel like I had a dream, and in that dream, I was being chased by many women."

"Hmm."

The middle-aged man remained silent, his face slightly speechless. It was normal for the dragon clan to be lustful, and in the trance, he wanted to test the black dragon's temperament. No matter how the seductive female skeletons tried to tempt him, the black dragon showed no lustful thoughts.

Logically—

A young dragon should be the most lustful, and to suppress it to this extent had nothing to do with temperament. It was likely that he had lost his virility.

What a pity.

Perhaps this was a talent given by the heavens, and it was destined to be taken away."

Such a peerless talent, yet he's not interested in women at all. How will he contribute to the dragon clan's heritage in the future?"

He shook his head and didn't think further. It was good this way. With a calm expression, he said, "Congratulations on passing the dragon clan's heritage. You'll need to stay here for the next month."

"I'll personally guide you until you break through to the Divine Transformation stage and can transform into a human form."

"Ah!"

The black dragon expressed dissatisfaction with a sound, as he had wanted to return to Dragon Island quickly to show off his cultivation. Why did he have to wait for a month?

"What's with the 'ah'?"

The middle-aged man replied with annoyance, "Do you think you can inherit all the dragon clan's heritage in just a month? That's the shortest time possible. If your comprehension is slower, it might take three months."

"Oh."

Although the black dragon was disappointed that he couldn't return to Dragon Island quickly, his eyes soon lit up with excitement. "Senior, how did I perform in the first stage? What grade of dragon clan heritage did I obtain?"

The middle-aged man glanced at the black dragon in the spring water and then turned his back, walking away. "The highest grade."

"Really?"

"After obtaining this heritage, can I defeat a Peak Divine Transformation cultivator with the Ninth-Rank Soul Transformation Realm, 'Hundred Phoenix Return to Nest'?"

"Definitely not, but when your cultivation reaches the late Divine Transformation stage, defeating him won't be a problem. After all, it's just a mother dragon."

"It's a male dragon."

"A male dragon? Why would a male dragon choose such a feminine Soul Transformation Realm?"

"I think so too. Maybe he was born that way." The black dragon retracted his neck and muttered softly. So, his father's Soul Transformation Realm was chosen for a mother dragon?

His father had told him that it was the strongest Soul Transformation Realm for the red dragon bloodline.

He knew that the 'Hundred Phoenix Return to Nest' realm sounded like it was meant for a mother dragon.

However, he never expected that his little scheme in the first stage would be enough to deceive the senior. Indeed, Black Dragon wasn't very smart, and he liked to act like he was intelligent.

As Black Dragon inwardly criticized, he crawled out of the spring and hurried towards the middle-aged man.

"Senior, wait for me."

A month passed by in a flash.

When night fell...

After all these days of sitting cross-legged on the peak of Dragon Island, Chen Qiu finally exhaled a turbid breath, and his cultivation realm had completely stabilized.

Within two days, he had broken through from the first layer of Divine Transformation to the ninth layer, which was still a bit of a strain for his Nascent Soul.

Today was an important day.

Chen Qiu smiled as he looked at the small Nascent Soul in his hand. His Nascent Soul had finally given birth, and now he could activate three Divine Transformation Realms at the same time!

He could activate one, and each of the two Nascent Souls could activate one.

With the simultaneous activation of three 13th-rank Divine Transformation Realms, even if dozens of Peak Divine Transformation cultivators besieged him, they couldn't do anything to him with his current combat power.

Unless, of course, those dozens of Peak Divine Transformation cultivators also possessed 11th or 12th-rank Divine Transformation Realms.

In a situation where the realms couldn't form absolute suppression...

The fight wouldn't be as easy, and he would have to use some unconventional methods.

He still had two ordinary clauses to choose from. These days, he had been busy searching for Black Dragon and consolidating his realm, planning to wait for a while and choose when something good happened, so he could absorb some good luck.

Just then—

A streak of light shot towards him. After several days of not seeing each other, Ao Tian, who looked much more haggard, squeezed out a somewhat bitter smile, "Little brother, I'm preparing a funeral for Black Dragon. Do you want to come?"

"Of course."

Chen Qiu stood up and looked at Ao Tian, saying softly, "Brother, grieve, but life is full of hardships. We must always look forward."

He accompanied Ao Tian in the boundless sea for twenty days, but they couldn't find any trace of the Dragon Palace.

No matter how complex the inheritance checkpoint was, it couldn't last this long. This fact alone revealed a lot—Black Dragon was truly dead.

After standing silently for a long time, Ao Tian forced a smile and patted Chen Qiu's shoulder, pretending to be unaffected, his eyes turning red.

"It's nothing, just the death of a child."

"There are many crises on the path of cultivation. Even if Black Dragon had lived, with his kind nature towards everyone, he might have died in some unknown corner after I was no longer around to protect him."

"Mhm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly and followed Ao Tian to the beach on Dragon Island to prepare for the funeral.

He hadn't interacted much with Black Dragon.

However, Black Dragon truly had a kind nature towards everyone. On that day on the sea of Evil State, when Black Dragon first met the scholar, his cultivation was far superior to the scholar's.

But he only used his tail to knock the scholar away without killing him, and the scholar wasn't even injured. It was as if he had gently pushed him.

And on the arena of the Nascent Soul Combat Power Rankings Secret Realm...

After every victory, Black Dragon never took a life, just as Ao Tian had said. Black Dragon was a simple-minded young dragon who was kind to everyone.

Such a person would indeed find it difficult to survive in the treacherous world of cultivation.

On Dragon Island, at the beach...

All the disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect, dressed in black, stood on the left, with Chen Qiu leaning on the Heavenly Clue Umbrella at the very front.

Several mother dragons of the Dragon Clan, transformed into human form, stood on the right, led by Ao Tian.

And in the center...

Was a small mound of dirt.

In front of the grave, there was a small stone tablet engraved with Black Dragon's name.

"Black Dragon."

Ao Tian, looking dazed, walked out from the crowd and took out a handful of small dried fish from his pocket, tossing them onto the ground. With red eyes, he whispered, "I wanted to wait until you grew up and give you a proper name."

"But I never imagined that I would never have the chance to give you a formal name."

"You used to love going to the west to tease that group of 'Red Fish School.' You said they were your best friends. I've made them into dried fish, so they can accompany you. I hope you'll recognize each other when you meet on the Yellow Springs Road."

"From now on, during festivals and holidays..."

Before he could finish—

"What are you doing!!!"

A furious roar echoed from the beach, and a young man strode towards the small mound, looking at the pile of red dried fish in front of it. Suddenly, his eyes turned red, and he burst into tears.

"Why did you kill them? They were my only friends! Why?"

"I never want to return to Dragon Island again!"

"I hate you!"

"You..."

Ao Tian stood frozen, staring at the unfamiliar young man. At that moment, the young man's eyes were red, and he was crying as he buried the red dried fish in the dirt. Although he didn't recognize the man, he felt a familiar sensation from him.

This way of speaking...

"Black Dragon?"

Ao Tian's entire body trembled with excitement as he grabbed the young man's shoulder, his hands gripping tightly as if holding onto a dream that might dissipate at any moment.

Overwhelmed with joy, tears streamed down his face, and his voice trembled uncontrollably, "You really are Black Dragon! You passed the Dragon Clan's inheritance and broke through to Divine Transformation!"

"I'm not Black Dragon!"

The young man's eyes were red, and he knelt on the ground, looking at the dried fish in his arms, feeling extremely sad and angry. He pushed Ao Tian away, saying, "You've always been like this, never considering my feelings. You only care about your so-called Dragon Clan inheritance!"

"You're just using your concern for the Dragon Clan inheritance as an excuse to hide your cowardly nature!"

"The senior told me that only the weakest Black Dragons would choose the 'Hundred Phoenix Return to Nest' Divine Transformation Realm, which has no combat power and only quick recovery of injuries."

"You killed your son's only friend. What kind of father are you!"

Ao Tian was slightly stunned, then quickly reacted and picked up a dried fish from the ground, chewing it as he explained hurriedly, "No, these dried fish aren't from the 'Red Fish School' in the west. I bought them from the Profound Heaven Continent and dyed them red.

"I thought you were dead."

"I wanted to trick you, to make you think you could meet your friends down there too."

"I know you often go to the west side to play with that school of red fish. How could I possibly harm them!"

"Really?"

Black Dragon hesitantly took a small dried fish and tentatively put it in his mouth. After chewing for a while, he wiped his tears and smiled, "It's true. The red fish doesn't taste like this. Father, you didn't lie to me."

"Black Dragon."

"Father."

"Black Dragon!!"

"Father!!"

". . ."

Chen Qiu, who was already dressed in black and preparing to offer incense, remained expressionless for a long time. Then, he casually tossed the incense in his hand aside, turned, and walked towards the beach, sighing softly.

What the hell.

He had finally attended someone else's funeral for the first time, only to fail.

Fatty Dragon looked down at the three incense sticks in his hand that hadn't been lit yet, then glanced at the father and son hugging each other with tears in their eyes not far away. He smirked and threw the incense in his hand aside, hurrying towards Chen Qiu.

"Brother Qiu, Black Dragon actually came back alive. Wasn't the death rate supposed to be 99%?"

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu, strolling on the beach, couldn't help but laugh, "To be honest, I didn't expect it either. I thought Black Dragon was just an ordinary member of the Dragon Clan, but now it seems that Black Dragon is extraordinary."

According to Ao Tian's description of the Dragon Clan's heritage.

He didn't believe that Black Dragon, who had inherited this heritage, would be an ordinary Dragon Clan member.

That's great.

There's a feeling that a golden age is approaching! A true feeling of a proud talent like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Deep down, he felt happy for Ao Tian and also for Black Dragon.

"Hey, Brother Qiu, if I marry Ao Tian's daughter, won't Black Dragon have to call me brother-in-law?"

"Yes."

"That's great." Fatty Dragon smiled, thinking of something.

"Black Dragon."

After the father and son had their emotional moment, Ao Tian put his arm around Black Dragon's shoulder and remained silent for a long time before speaking expressionlessly, "Your father may have misheard."

"I thought I heard you say that 'Hundred Phoenix Returning to the Nest' is the most cowardly Divine Transformation Realm used by Red Dragons."

"What else?"

"Your father has always used the Dragon Clan's heritage as an excuse, but it's actually to cover up his own fear of death. Did you say that just now?"

After his emotions had calmed down, Black Dragon, now more composed, shrank his neck and carefully moved Ao Tian's arm from his shoulder to the side, whispering, "Father, you misheard. Why would I say such a thing?"

"In my heart, Father, you are the greatest."

"I'm going to play now. Call me if you need me, Father."

After saying this, Black Dragon hurriedly ran towards the depths of the island.

Ao Tian watched Black Dragon's departing figure, his face filled with a complex expression, and he remained silent for a long time. At this moment, Chen Qiu approached and sat beside Ao Tian.

He picked up a pebble from the beach and tossed it into the sea, smiling lightly, "What's wrong? Did those words sting your heart?"

"Hmm."

After a pause, Ao Tian's voice carried a hint of disappointment, "I think that in this world, regardless of race, no father could accept such an evaluation from his son, right?"

"Cowardice."

"These two words negate all the achievements of my life."

"It's as if my entire life has been a failure."

"Alright."

Chen Qiu patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Innocent words of a child, don't take it too much to heart. When Black Dragon grows up, he'll understand how much you've sacrificed for the Dragon Clan."

He had also guessed that 'Hundred Phoenix Returning to the Nest' wasn't the most suitable Divine Transformation Realm for Red Dragons.

After all, it doesn't add much combat power, and the main effect of the realm is to quickly recover from injuries.

But he could understand Ao Tian.

For Ao Tian, there's no need for strong combat power. The most important task, and the only task, is to stay alive as long as possible and strive to continue the Dragon Clan's heritage.

But in Black Dragon's eyes, this became a sign of cowardice.

If you insist on calling it cowardice, it's not wrong.

But for Ao Tian, there's no choice. Being in his position, he has to make this choice. Black Dragon can take risks because he doesn't have to worry about what will happen to the Dragon Clan if he dies. But Ao Tian can't.

If Ao Tian dies, it means the extinction of the Dragon Clan.

The heritage will be completely severed.

"Everyone knows that children's words are innocent, but when those innocent words sting your heart, who can truly ignore them?"

After a long silence, Ao Tian spoke softly, "No."

"I need to find an opportunity to let Black Dragon witness his old man's blood spirit!"

"Damn it! How can the Dragon Clan lack blood spirit? They say the Dragon Clan is wealthy, but did their wealth fall from the sky? Without blood spirit, how could the Dragon Clan have so much wealth?"

"Being the leader of this Dragon Clan has been suffocating these years."

"Next time we go to the Xuantian Continent, I'll bring Black Dragon."

"I want him to see what blood spirit really is."

"Cowardice!"

"You make me furious!!!"

Ao Tian slammed his fist onto the beach, his face filled with anger. Then, he stood up and strode towards the depths of the island.

It was clear that Ao Tian was genuinely angry.

". . ."

Chen Qiu glanced at Ao Tian's departing figure and shrugged, not saying anything more. He didn't have a son, so he didn't know how to handle this father-son relationship.

He casually asked, "Where are you going?"

"To play."

"Okay, that's great."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end