Chapter 303: Chapter 20: Greedy and Bargaining
Upon first arriving in the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, Long Long immediately felt the simplicity of the local customs.
The Demon Race cultivators fed porridge to the demonic beasts, and seeing him in such a pitiful state, kindly put him into the water. They were truly kindhearted.
If only they hadn’t fixed him in place, unable to move, it would have been even better.
Long Long’s body was stiff there, sinking into the water, being carried along by the current.
Suddenly everything went dark as he seemed to be sucked into some narrow realm. Long Long’s body slammed against a rock wall, causing him so much pain he almost cried out, but his jaw was stiff and he couldn’t open his mouth.
He had no time to curse in his mind at the boy who did this to him when he was hit again.
Then again, and again… Long Long was battered and bruised all over, his mind in disarray.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly fell from a high place and landed in a pool of water.
At last the effect of the Binding Spell wore off, and Long Long painfully coiled his body up, only to find that he had lost many scales, exposing large areas of his wounded flesh.
Looking up, he saw that he was in an underground cavern.
Because his head could not move before while at the bottom of the river, he couldn’t see around himself clearly, only knowing generally that he seemed to have been washed from the river bottom into an underground river and then pushed by the water flow, crazily slamming into the rock walls until he was washed into this place.
Raising his head, Long Long saw a bulge high in the cavern where the underground river flowed down, creating a small waterfall within the cavern and collecting in a pool at the bottom of the cave.
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He tried to climb the rock wall, but found that due to the abundant water vapor in the cavern, the rock wall was also covered with moss, wet and slippery, making it impossible to climb.
Forget it, he would heal his injuries here first and then have Ah Jing teleport him back to Hundred Flower Valley later.
After examining his wounds again, Long Long hissed in pain as he flicked his tongue, at the same time discerning the scents in the air.
The sense of smell of a Water Viper is very agile, even surpassing both its vision and hearing. The cavern seemed large, and Long Long could sense fresh air coming from afar, so he twisted his body forward to explore.
If there was indeed no danger here, it wouldn’t be too late to heal his wounds first and then teleport away.
As he followed the winding path downward, Long Long began to feel more and more at ease.
It wasn’t that he had discovered something, but rather, this twisted and narrow environment gave him a natural liking and a sense of safety, inherent to his serpentine instincts.
After going forward for about a quarter of an hour, Long Long suddenly entered a spacious chamber.
“That’s it!” the Kunlun Mirror excitedly said, “Chen Guanshui, look! I told you so! I’ve been saying it all along!”
In the chamber, there was a natural stone platform with a brilliant orb on top emitting constantly changing colors.
On the surface of the orb, one could see a fragment of a Five-Colored Stone, orbiting the orb in an irregular rotation, seemingly sealing the object inside.
“The Life Concealment Technique?” the Green Duckweed Sword also exclaimed in shock, “And they even used a Heaven-Mending Stone. What kind of Savior is sealed inside?”
“Don’t be silly, Qing Ping,” Long Long said indifferently, “Who else could be the chosen one if not me?”
As he moved forward, trying to observe the orb, suddenly he heard the orb speaking:
“Stop, demonic beast!”
It spoke in ancient language, but Long Long was not ignorant of the ancient tongue and straightaway flicked his tongue out, laboriously replying:
“Who are you?”
“It seems to be some form of obsession,” said the Kunlun Mirror suddenly, “It’s the same technique used by Ouyang Zhao. The physical body has perished, only leaving an obsession behind here, keeping a bit of True Spirit intact.”
“I’m just an Undead,” the orb murmured softly, then curiously continued, “You are not a snake, you are of the Dragon Clan! But you’re still so young… Where are your elders?”
Long Long: ?
Why must members of the Dragon Clan necessarily have elders? Couldn’t one be an orphan?
As if reading his embarrassment, the orb then sighed and said:
“So you, like me, have been abandoned by your tribe?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” replied Long Long, swiftly fabricating a lie, feigning ignorance, “Ever since I became conscious, I’ve been all alone—I have never seen another of my kind.”
“Is that so,” said the orb wistfully, “Then have you ever thought of looking for your tribesmen?”
“Where are my tribesmen?” Long Long feigned excitement as he asked.
“Your tribesmen…” The orb hesitated for a moment, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, they should be at the North Pole.”
“This water system connects to the South Lan River outside.”
“Follow the South Lan River northward, through the South Continent, the Central Continent, and then you will reach the North Continent. Continue northward until you reach the sea.”
“That place is called ‘Beiming Fanyang’; deep within it lies the ‘Beiming You Realm,’ which is where your Dragon Clan has lived for generations.”
At this point, the orb hesitated for a moment, then added:
“But to travel from the south to the north requires crossing over half of the Eastern Emperor Realm. You haven’t undergone Transformation yet, so if a Cultivator spots you, they might just kill you on a whim and skin and de-bone you—it’s quite likely.”
Long Long remained silent, seemingly digesting the information the other had revealed.
It appeared that within the Eastern Emperor Realm, the Dragon Clan… rarely roamed outside. Otherwise, that bratty child wouldn’t have treated him like a rare toy, crying and begging his grandfather to keep him.
“For other species, naturally, there’s no solution,” the orb of light slightly organized its speech and continued, “Fortunately, you’re of the Dragon Clan, and it’s not completely impossible to undergo Transformation before your Demon Core Formation.”
“What must I do?” Long Long promptly asked.
“I can transmit the Transformation Secret Technique to you,” the orb of light responded, “but on one condition: you must protect my daughter and take her with you to the covert realm of Beiming Fanyang.”
The orb of light dimmed slightly, revealing the female corpse in the center.
The woman had a plump figure and exquisite features, her golden hair coiled around her body. Her face and lips were extremely pale, obviously devoid of life.
A little golden-haired fox lay motionless, nestling in the bosom of the mother’s corpse, as if in deep slumber.
Long Long: ?
He instantly realized that this great orb of light… could it possibly be Ying Long’s wife from within the Demon Locking Tower?
“Since birth, my daughter suffers from being of the Human, Dragon, and Celestial Fox bloodlines, all in conflict and opposition within her, rendering her bloodline extremely unstable,” the great orb of light continued, “I had to seal her bloodline; otherwise, she would die from bloodline conflict within three hundred years at most.”
“The Dragon Clan has a method to thoroughly resolve her bloodline issue, so traveling to the covert realm of Beiming Fanyang is her only way to survive. However, I’m already dead and can’t take her north.”
“We have been trapped down here in these deep caverns for who knows how long.”
Long Long understood the plea hidden within her words and tentatively inquired,
“Then… what about her father?”
“Her father?” The great orb of light was taken aback for a moment, then let out a sigh, “If my daughter had a father, how would she end up in such a plight?”
Long Long: ………
Su Jian, Ying Long, Ouyang Zhao; one stronger than the next in their cultivation, yet how come they all fall short when it comes to being fathers?
Could it be that male Cultivators in this cultivation world tend to share a similar view on marriage and relationships, close to that of Brother Mud?
“Do you trust me?” asked Long Long, puzzled. “This is our first meeting, isn’t it?”
“I have no other choice,” replied the great orb of light, “But as a mother, I require you to swear by your Daoist Heart.”
“You swear to do your best to safely take my daughter to the covert realm of Beiming Fanyang. As a reward, I’ll give you the Transformation Secret Technique and all my worldly possessions.”
Long Long once again fell silent.
The choice before him was not complicated: to accept or to decline.
If he chose to accept, then under the oath of the Daoist Heart, he could never go back on his word.
The task that followed would involve escorting Ying Long’s daughter, Long Hu, to the covert realm of Beiming Fanyang.
During this time, the Heaven-Mending Stone fragment would be needed to seal the conflicts within her bloodline.
However, once arriving in Beiming Fanyang and resolving her bloodline issues, fulfilling his oath, he could immediately make a move on her fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone.
Securing the fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone and then swiftly teleporting away, Long Long could unravel his persona without any concerns for the future.
If he chose not to accept, then with the gentle nature displayed by the great orb of light, it would probably not become hostile, but it would certainly not let him stay here any longer.
So, what if he used Martial Force to snatch it forcibly? Did he stand a chance?
Long Long pondered in silence, while the great orb of light saw his trouble deciding. After all, swearing by the Daoist Heart was no minor matter; naturally, an immediate agreement couldn’t be expected.
“I have a few questions,” Long Long abruptly spoke, “My task would be to take your daughter alive to Beiming Fanyang, correct?”
“Let’s say, for example, your daughter refuses to follow my arrangements on the way…”
“I will make her comply with your every command,” the great orb of light immediately assured.
Good, custody rights in hand!
Long Long continued to probe,
“Does this Sealing Treasure count as part of your inheritance?”
“This is a fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone,” the great orb of light replied. “I’ve used it to seal my daughter’s Dragon bloodline, allowing her to only display her Human and Celestial Fox forms.”
“Once we reach Beiming Fanyang and resolve her bloodline conflict, you may take this fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone.”
Good, inheritance rights acquired!
Since the mother was being so reasonable, considering the fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone and the Transformation Secret Technique, he might as well arrange transport for this Long Hu.