Dragon Vine
“You can’t beat him. Also, leave me alone,” Lie Shang warned Liu Feng with a peripheral glare.
Lie Shang flicked the tip of Liu Feng’s spear. A ripple of energy smashed straight into Liu Feng’s chest, propelling him through the air. By the time Liu Feng managed to break fall and looked down, his shirt’s chest region had a hole in it. Liu Feng wasn’t hurt, but the display of power was terrifying. Liu Feng wasn’t delusional to the point he didn’t recognise he was outclassed.
Liu Feng was humiliated under the spotlight. He tried his best not to flare up and requested, “May this one ask for your name?”
“Passer-by,” Lie Shang answered whilst sweeping his gaze over the crowd.
Lie Shang sensed Mu Yu’s aura, but the latter’s disguise made it impossible to recognise him. Lie Shang moved his line of sight over to Meng Xin, who had already entered. The way he looked at her suggested something was on his mind. He turned around and continued toward Floating Celestial Island without another word, with Ximen Buxing following behind. Though Liu Feng wanted to pursue them, he stopped himself.
Mu Yu disregarded the gossiping crowd and chased after Lie Shang. “Ximen Buxing, stop! Lie Shang!”
There was a reason Mu Yu called out to Ximen Buxing first. He had yet to accept Lie Shang as his senior, so he decided not to call out to Lie Shang unless necessary. The two looked back and then continued on their way since they didn’t recognise him. Two guards stopped Mu Yu before he could go any further.
“Screw you two. You pretending you don’t recognise me?”
“Not even I can tell it’s you,” Xiaoshuai mumbled.
Mu Yu touched his face and whipped his hand in frustration, forgetting he had a disguise on. That was the only way into Floating Celestial Island. Trying to fly in via other paths would only result in Primordial Infant Realm cultivators denying him. No matter how he disguised his appearance, there were flaws he couldn’t hide.
“Why do you think they’re going to Floating Celestial Mountain? Are there delicacies?” Xiaoshuai questioned.
“Probably.” Mu Yu despondently walked off, deciding to attempt infiltration once darkness swallowed the light.
Huai Bawan had no issues investing in the future youths of the world of cultivation because he saw business opportunities. Favours they owed him and friendships forged were another asset. He would go as far as giving away valuable items for free on the island he created just to get in one’s good graces. Needless to say, such occurrences were seldom, but those he saw potential in were guaranteed to be the cream of the crop. On the flipside, invitees often brought their own sect’s valuables in case they found something worth trading for.
Mu Yu went through a wood to return to the town. He needed rest before deciding on his course of action at night. Before he could reach the other end of the forest, though, he heard shouting.
Xiaoshuai looked up. “A dragon’s roar?”
“A dragon?”
Few had ever seen a real dragon, let alone having heard their roar. Dragons were classified as a venerated fiend beast race. They were competent combatants that put ordinary spirit beasts and fiend beasts to shame. Legends claimed one fiend king in the fiend race was once a dragon.
“Yeah, it’s a dragon’s roar. I don’t like dragons. Let’s capture it,” urged Xiaoshuai. “I’ve never tried roast dragon.”
“You won’t want to capture it when it eats us, you glutton.”
Despite what he said and his reluctance to believe there was a dragon in the woods, Mu Yu’s curiosity spurred him on to enter a tree and chase down the source of voice. He soon arrived at a vacant space. Well, it was vacant unless strewn branches and leaves on the ground counted as something. He was positive there were trees not long ago.
Mu Yu followed the track of havoc to the right. He soon found bloodstains he couldn’t identify the origins of.
“Catch it! Don’t let it get away!”
“The dragon vine is too strong. Call for reinforcements from Floating Celestial Island. We’re not going to be able to subdue it on our own.”
“We need Body Severing Realm adepts to stop it!”
“They should be on their way.”
Mu Yu brushed aside the leaves to see what the shouting was about. His eyes widened at the sight of five Primordial Infant Realm middle-aged cultivators surrounding and attacking a ten-metre-tall green dragon. Two horns grew from its head. Its eyes were green. It had four dragon claws. In spite of the deep slash wounds on its body, it didn’t bleed. As for the cultivators battling it, they were a wreck.
Mu Yu wasn’t nearly as surprised at the dragon’s twin horns, emerald eyes or size as he was the fact it was a dragon vine. Dragon vines were inanimate objects until they, like this particular one, cultivated to the threshold where they became fiend beasts in dragon form.
Dragon vines had the potential to assume dragon forms, but gaining the ability to move was hardly ever heard of. Plants rarely came to life, so the scarcity principle assigned a high value to them. As far as widespread knowledge stated, it took ten thousand years for dragon vinesto evolve into dragons that could move. The vitality they accrued during that period was the source of their tremendous might. Once they weathered through their weak period – which was during their evolution into dragons – they would be strong enough to give Body Severing Realm cultivators a run for their money.
The group that stumbled upon the dragon vine didn’t find it in an evolved state. During transportation to Floating Celestial Island for the auction, however, it transformed into a full-fledged dragon. It wasn’t at its maximum power because it had just evolved; nevertheless, it was powerful enough to overwhelm several Primordial Infant Realm cultivators at once.
“I bet nobody has ever eaten a dragon vine,” effused Xiaobai, drawing the shape of the dragon vine’s leg in the air.
The group was able to deal substantial damage to the dragon since it couldn’t yet manifest its full potential. It seemed as though they’d be able to rivet it without the assistance of Body Severing Realm adepts. Suddenly, the dragon vine turned to face Mu Yu’s direction and roared.
Nobody besides Mu Yu heard, “Help me!”
“Oh, right. Wait. Huh? Huh? Help you? How come I can understand Dragonese all of a sudden?”
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