Chapter 151: The Soaring Dragon

"Friends from the south, after leaving the forest, head north. Remember not to be curious about the Terrifying Land, nor to grieve for the heartbreaking souls of the Resting Place. Step firmly onto your journey and do not linger."

After leaving these deeply meaningful words, the woman flew away through the treetops.

Yeran let out a sigh of relief, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, as well as his hair and pupils.

Charly and Qianlong were still lingering in fear. Having long heard the terrifying reputation of the Asura Demonic Child, today's clash taught them that his fame was indeed well-deserved. His overwhelming strength far surpassed that of Ivan, the Hand of Terror.

If he had gathered his energy to press the attack just now, Yeran might not have been able to block it. It remained a mystery why he had suddenly retreated.

Yeran, however, did not dwell on it. On the contrary, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. Although he knew that even with the power of the Blood Stele he was no match for the other, he at least now possessed the strength to fight him.

Whether owing to the power of the Blood Stele or not, the chest wound cut open by Shifan had already healed by half.

"Senior Qianlong, this is for you."

He reached into his robe and pulled out *The Twin Currents of Qi*, which he had been carrying with him all along.

"This is... Good lord, such a fierce cultivation technique?"

Qianlong hailed from a legitimate academy and had even practiced in the Palace of the Golden Warriors of the Sixth Divine Temple. Naturally, he had deep research into Qi-refining techniques; a mere glance was enough for him to understand the book's immense value.

To circulate multiple origins simultaneously—if he could master this method of breathing and guiding Qi, his strength would undoubtedly leap forward by bounds.

"Kid, how did something so precious end up in your hands?" Qianlong asked in astonishment.

Let alone someone of humble origins like Yeran, even with his own abilities and family background, acquiring such a technique would be exceedingly difficult.

Yeran replied, "Ronin gave it to me."

"Ronin... The Island of Slaughter truly possesses boundless magical powers."

"Take it and practice. I've already memorized it."

Qianlong put the book away and said, "Yeran, the Envoy and I will lead the way. The road is long, and the God-Hunting Clan is bound to try and kill us again."

"No need. If they dare to come, I will ensure they never return."

Qianlong and Charly exchanged glances in bewilderment. How did this guy suddenly become so domineering?

Yeran waved his hand, walked over to the front carriage, and dropped the curtain. The carriage picked up a bit of speed.

Freya's small hand tightly grasped his palm. Her complexion was somewhat pale, but much better than before.

In the past, every time she saw the God-Hunting Clan, she would tremble with fear, but this time she did not.

Yeran stroked her head and, peering through the gap in the carriage curtain to glance back at Fairy Lake, said, "Freya, I know—what Mandy said is likely true."

Freya shook her head, her hands gesturing to make the sign of a cursing pixie, and then she scribbled an ugly pixie on her sketchpad. She originally wanted to sketch the tragic scene of herself pierced by a volley of arrows, but hesitated upon second thought and could not bring herself to do it, sitting down aside in a huff.

Yeran chuckled despite himself. "Why curse them? Even if a pixie dies, she is reborn in another form. Their memories are inherited across generations; not even the most learned scholar on the Sheep Horn Continent understands this land as well as the pixies do."

Lois turned her head. "Yeran, you knew all along?"

Looking at Freya, both of them wore peculiar expressions.

Yeran shrugged. "Lois, Dilys is the one among the Twelve Demons specifically in charge of gathering intelligence. Could something like this possibly be kept from her?"

Ever since his battle with Pei Yuming and Ronin, he had attached extraordinary importance to intelligence, sparing no expense to buy a vast amount of information from Dilys—on credit, of course.

Because of this, Dilys and Fuen had complained about him endlessly.

He knew that the reason Lois and Freya had grown angry back in the hollow tree was because Mandy had revealed something unacceptable to them.

The opportunity for the gods to resurrect might truly rest within him.

"Rest assured, even if what she said is true, it doesn't matter. I have never felt that anyone's life is more noble than mine. Whether it's one person or a crowd, a god or a mortal, none of them are worth me trading away my own life."

Lois crossed her arms and smiled. "Well said. You are my husband now, and anyone who wants to touch you must first get past me."

"Ahem... What are you saying in front of a child?"

"Hn~, did I say something wrong?"

"N... No."

...

The carriage soon rolled out of the Green Demon Forest. Neither Grem nor Shifan appeared again, but having learned their lesson, no one let down their guard.

Beyond the Green Demon Forest lay a flat expanse of grassland. Qianlong was in high spirits and simply sat at the front to act as Charly's coachman.

Along the way, Yeran and the others witnessed quite a few bizarre sights. In the towns, demons with a single horn and black wings lived alongside the human race, and growing third- and fourth-generation gods could be seen everywhere.

Yeran even saw a tall, single-horned demon helping farmers weed and plow the fields.

Suddenly, a giant roar echoed from the horizon, and Yeran and the others felt the sky suddenly grow dark.

Lifting the carriage curtain, they saw a fiery red giant dragon spreading its massive wings across the air, blocking half of the sun in the sky. The two carriages carrying Yeran and the others were instantly plunged into shadow.

The giant dragon roared, leaving a trail of blazing fire as it flew across the sky, vanishing ahead in the blink of an eye. In a nearby town, cattle and sheep panicked in terror, and even two demons retreated hastily.

Yeran and the others stared blankly at the sky, faintly discerning a red human figure riding upon the dragon's back.

"Alpha, the bronze medalist of the Grey Fifteenth District's Fighting God Stage—such a formidable aura," Qianlong sighed, filled with boundless emotion.

He had long enjoyed the reputation of being the top expert in Torrent City. When he first walked out of the Sixth Divine Temple, he was full of youthful vigor and, deeply dissatisfied with Torrent City's reputation, had run off to Frost City to challenge Duma of the Blood Lions, ultimately fighting the little lion cub Zale to a standstill.

Later, he bravely ventured into the Grey Region. The place that best tested one's strength in the Grey Region was the Fighting God Stage. High-spirited, he had rushed toward the Fighting God Stage beside the Mound of Dead Bones, only to...

"Qianlong, I heard you once fought him?"

Charly asked from within the carriage with an amused smile.

Qianlong shrugged helplessly. "I fought him once and lost miserably. He only has a single origin—fire—but he wields it to perfection. People in the Fifteenth District call him the 'Red Lotus Knight'."

"Years have passed, and his aura is even stronger than before. Even that bunch of arrogant folks in Frost City probably aren't his match anymore."

Charly said, "Two years ago, he could still be counted as the bronze medalist of the Fighting God Stage, truly in the top three of the younger generation. But now, I'm afraid he doesn't quite make the cut. That madman in the Resting Place who absorbed thousands of wraiths and that suddenly emerging terrifying young man are not necessarily weaker than him. Besides them, the recently rising organizations of the Shapeshifters and the Combat League are both mysterious and powerful, and their members aren't necessarily weaker than Alpha."

Qianlong nodded. "The Fifteenth District truly harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers; no one dares to act arrogantly here."

The setting sun gradually dipped below the horizon, and the two carriages slowly rolled into the small town ahead.