novelraw Chapter 226 : Slaying a Dragon; Millennium Spirit Milk
Chapter 226 : Slaying a Dragon; Millennium Spirit Milk
Chapter 226: Slaying a Dragon; Millennium Spirit Milk
Han Feiyu spread his hands and said helplessly,
“Master, we’ve been master and disciple for so many years now. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? How could I possibly hold a grudge over something so minor?”
“That’s for the best.”
Island Lord Yun Miao gave a slight nod and set down the teacup in her hand.
“How did the cleanup of those traitors I asked you to handle go?”
Han Feiyu handed over a storage pouch. “Their heads are all in here.”
Island Lord Yun Miao swept her divine sense over it. “Not bad.”
“Remember not to kill them too quickly. If you finish the task too soon, that cheap master of yours will have to take you back into the Water Dragon Sect.”
Hearing this, Han Feiyu hesitated, as if wanting to speak but stopping.
Island Lord Yun Miao glanced at him.
“Speak.”
“Yes.”
Han Feiyu rose and cupped his hands respectfully. “Disciple wishes to ask—Master, you clearly chose to seize Real Person Xuan Shui’s body at first, so why did you end up possessing Senior Sister Yun Miao instead?”
This question had troubled Han Feiyu for a long time. Now that Xuan Shui was mentioned again, he couldn’t help but ask.
“That matter…”
Island Lord Yun Miao reached out to rub her smooth chin, frowning deeply, the posture looking extremely odd.
“Nothing really. I just got tired of being a man for so long and wanted to try being a woman. Is that not allowed?”
“This…”
Han Feiyu broke out in a cold sweat. “Yes, yes, of course. Disciple spoke too much.”
“Heh.”
Island Lord Yun Miao—or to be more precise, Qu Luohun, Old Demon Qu—grinned sinisterly. “I had you look into Ji Yuan’s whereabouts. It’s been a while. Any news?”
The mention of Ji Yuan made Han Feiyu’s expression turn a bit grim.
“I’ve sent him multiple messages with no response. I even had a friend go to his Wuyou Island, but they didn’t see him. He’s likely gone out.”
“Didn’t expect it. He’s got some guts. I thought he’d stay hidden in the sect and never come out.”
“Master, didn’t you say before that you’d let him go? Why bring this up again now?”
Han Feiyu asked cautiously.
Island Lord Yun Miao instinctively reached for the beard on her chin, only to grasp empty air. Helplessly, he rubbed his chest instead, prompting Han Feiyu to hurriedly turn his face away.
“Heh, useless.”
Island Lord Yun Miao snorted, then sighed before continuing,
“I did want to let him go, but for some reason, your friend has caught the eye of… someone else.”
“Which senior?”
Han Feiyu cupped his hands and asked.
Island Lord Yun Miao suddenly pointed to a tabby cat on the courtyard wall and said,
“That cat gave birth to a litter recently.”
Han Feiyu turned to look and said in confusion, “Wasn’t me.”
Island Lord Yun Miao: “……”
Han Feiyu quickly corrected himself, “I mean… Master, what does this have to do with me?”
“Exactly. What does it have to do with you!”
Island Lord Yun Miao flung her sleeves and strode toward the door. “Oh right. Don’t forget about killing Liu Yuan.”
“Ji Yuan is your fellow townsman, so you won’t kill him. But Liu Yuan—you must.”
“Yes.”
Han Feiyu answered heavily and finally watched as Island Lord Yun Miao left the place.
Once that gender-ambiguous master was gone, Han Feiyu leaned back and collapsed to the ground, eyes dull as he stared at the drifting clouds in the sky.
He had managed to avoid killing Ji Yuan… but now he still had to kill Liu Yuan...
Han Feiyu couldn’t help but wonder—if he couldn’t even kill Liu Yuan, would this Old Demon Qu end up killing him too?
Probably not.
But the cart would find its way around the hill when it came to it. No point worrying now.
Instead, his thoughts turned to several more important matters:
Should he inform Ji Yuan that some major figure had taken an interest in him?
And also, the matter of Old Demon Qu seizing the body of Island Lord Yun Miao.
There was likely a special reason behind it, but that old demon refused to say.
Besides, Feng Yichen was most likely possessed too…
Did Real Person Xuan Shui know any of this?
A bunch of undying old demons, truly.
Han Feiyu rubbed his temples, pondering how he might carve out a path to survival among all these ancient demons...
Ideally, he could even clear that path and turn it into a road toward immortality.
“Shang Court…”
Han Feiyu lightly rubbed his thumb and index finger together, and the tabby cat on the wall gave a soft “meow” and leapt to his side.
Han Feiyu reached out and stroked the little head of the cat he had fed for a month.
As he looked at it, a sudden thought surfaced:
Shang Court had failed back then—could it succeed now?
…
“Little Fuzi, I open my eyes and it’s morning, close them and it’s night. If I’m not the protagonist of a storybook novel, who is?”
“Yes, yes, you are… Wow, look—an immortal!”
In a small mountain village, two boys were playing.
One of them saw a streak of light flash across the sky and immediately pointed to the heavens. The other looked up quickly, and when he saw the light piercing through the clouds, his eyes filled with yearning.
“One day, I, Xiao Feng, will also become such an immortal who can fly through the skies and burrow through the earth!”
Ji Yuan naturally had no idea that his casual journey would stir up such bold aspirations in a youth’s heart. Right now, his mind was focused solely on one thing—speed. Faster, even faster. Reach Mirror Lake, complete the condensation of his sword embryo, and then head back south to the Water Dragon Sect.
‘This should be the border between the Beast Taming Sect and Corpse Herding Mountain. Once I pass through Lanshan City and head north, I’ll reach the Beast Taming Sect’s territory.’
‘And from there to Mirror Lake—won’t take more than ten days total.’
Ji Yuan recalled the map he had studied.
The main point was that Mirror Lake was located south of the Beast Taming Sect. If it had been to the north, closer to the North Sea…
Then forget ten days—it would’ve taken months for a round trip.
Come to think of it, if Mirror Lake were near the North Sea, it wouldn’t be called Mirror Lake. It’d more likely be Ice Lake.
‘Since that’s the case, I’ll stop by Lanshan City for a break first. Once I’m done with my tasks, I’ll head straight to Mirror Lake.’
Ji Yuan had already arranged his itinerary.
His decision to visit Lanshan City wasn’t a whim—it had long been part of his plan. While in the previous city, he’d heard news from several Qi Refining cultivators.
Soon, Lanshan City would be hosting a grand auction.
And unlike past ones, this auction was co-hosted by the Beast Taming Sect and Corpse Herding Mountain, two major sects.
This naturally reminded Ji Yuan of the relationship between these two northern sects.
Unlike the three sects in the south, who were constantly at each other’s throats...
The northern two were practically one big happy family. Disciples called each other brothers all the time, and even the Golden Core elders frequently visited each other.
Jointly hosting an auction in Lanshan City was actually a small affair.
Even without this event, the two sects often organized other activities.
Formation Dao, Pill Dao, Corpse Refining symposiums, and so on.
So this joint auction was sure to feature plenty of treasures. Ji Yuan figured he might as well go join the excitement. Perhaps he could bid for something good—or at the very least, sell off some of the items he didn’t need.
Like Foundation Establishment Pills, or various third-tier pills and immortal materials.
Two days later.
Outside the Lanshan Mountain Range, in front of a majestic giant city, Ji Yuan descended from the sky in his Sky-Slicer Boat and arrived at the southern city gate.
He hadn’t flown straight into the city atop his boat. Being new here, he decided it was best to play it safe.
Who knew if the city had any rules against flying?
When Ji Yuan finally waited in line and reached the front, he indeed found a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the city gate. The man was lying on a reclining chair inside the gate, swaying gently. When Qi Refining cultivators passed by, he couldn’t even be bothered to lift his eyelids, but the moment Ji Yuan approached, he instantly stood up from the chair.
“Welcome, fellow Daoist, to Lanshan City. Are you also here to attend the Dragon-Slaying Auction?”
This grey-robed middle-aged man greeted him with a smile and cupped his hands politely.
Dragon-Slaying Auction?
Ji Yuan felt a bit puzzled. He didn’t know the auction was called that, but on the surface, he nodded calmly. “Indeed.”
“Welcome, welcome.”
“May I ask if this is your first visit to our Lanshan City? If so, we have dedicated disciples to help guide you and give introductions.”
As he spoke, a young and beautiful female cultivator at the Qi Refining stage walked out from behind him.
…This Beast Taming Sect’s service is rather attentive. Of course, it was probably because he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“No need. I’ve been to this fine place once before.”
Ji Yuan declined politely, paid a lower-grade spirit stone as the entrance fee, and then stepped into the majestic Lanshan City.
Among all the cities he had visited, Lanshan City was undoubtedly the largest. The reason for that was naturally the friendly relationship between the two sects.
With no major conflicts or rivalries, the two sects could jointly manage and develop such a grand city.
After entering, Ji Yuan wandered through a couple of streets before slowing his steps.
After waiting a while and seeing the person behind still not catching up, he turned his head and used voice transmission to a young girl: “If you don’t come up now, don’t blame me for being rude.”
The Qi Refining female cultivator in green robes hurried forward with her head bowed, bending to salute,
“Junior Ning Shanshan greets Senior.”
“You’ve been following me since the city gate. What do you want?”
“Junior… Junior would like to guide you, Senior.”
Ning Shanshan spoke softly with her head lowered.
“Oh?”
“I know this Lanshan City very well and don’t need a guide.”
Ji Yuan naturally understood what Ning Shanshan meant. She just wanted to earn a guiding fee. In a big city like this, it was common for low-level cultivators to make a living this way.
“That’s not it. Senior may fool others, but you can’t fool…”
Ning Shanshan tried to say more, but Ji Yuan had already turned away, leaving her standing there, head still bowed, looking a little disappointed.
“…Forget it. Come along.”
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Old Demon Ji couldn’t help but feel a rare twinge of sympathy and called her back.
Ning Shanshan’s face lit up with joy as she hurried to catch up. When she looked up briefly, Ji Yuan noticed that beneath her flowing hair was a rather fine-looking face… No wonder she kept her head down all the time.
Ning Shanshan also realized it and quickly lowered her head again, seeming a bit scared.
Ji Yuan had already turned around. “Tell me, how did you tell I was new to Lanshan City?”
He believed his disguise was flawless, yet a mere Qi Refining cultivator had seen through it. He’d need to be more cautious in the future.
“Yes…”
Ning Shanshan caught up and quickly explained,
“Because this junior waits by the gate every day, observing all the seniors passing through…
“When you entered just now, although it seemed like you had a clear goal heading for Vermillion Bird Street, you paused at the entrance, as if unsure which way to go.
“Also, your accent is clearly southern, which is noticeably different from ours. So this junior dared to conclude it was your first visit to Lanshan City.”
Ji Yuan hadn’t expected Ning Shanshan to be so observant—or that his seemingly clever disguise had so many flaws.
“You’re attentive. But next time, when you see through someone’s disguise, don’t say it out loud.”
Ji Yuan casually gave her some advice.
A cold sweat broke out on Ning Shanshan’s back, and her steps even slowed a little, but she quickly caught up and smiled cheerfully,
“That’s because I saw Senior as a kind person, so I dared to speak to you.”
“Heh. Tell me, what exactly is this Dragon-Slaying Auction? What kind of good stuff is in there?”
“Yes, the reason it’s called the Dragon-Slaying Auction is because there’s currently a Dragon-Slaying Tournament being held.”
Ning Shanshan walked beside Ji Yuan, lowering her voice to explain.
“Dragon-Slaying Tournament?”
“That’s right. A few days ago, a third-tier flood dragon was discovered in a deep mountain lake within the Lanshan Mountain Range. So the two sects discussed and decided to hold a Dragon-Slaying Tournament, sending the top Foundation Establishment disciples from both sects to jointly slay this third-tier flood dragon.”
“The flood dragon’s corpse, demon core, and essence blood will all be auctioned off at this event, as the final items. That’s why it’s called the Dragon-Slaying Auction.”
“I see…”
Two peak Foundation Establishment—or rather, pseudo-Core Formation—cultivators joining forces to slay a third-tier flood dragon… Dangerous on the surface, but actually not too risky.
And if they were the strongest at Foundation Establishment, they were surely disciples of Golden Core Real Persons. It should be fine.
As for the corpse of that third-tier flood dragon… Ji Yuan summoned his panel to check.
【Fish Pond: lv4 (Not Upgradeable)】
【Upgrade Conditions: 800 middle-grade spirit stones; 1 third-tier ice-attribute demon core; 1 corpse of a third-tier flood dragon-type beast; 3 Dragon Blood Stones. (Not Fulfilled)】
If he could win this item at the auction, it would save him a major hassle.
Then there was the third-tier flood dragon’s essence blood.
Ji Yuan thought of the 【Fish Pond】. Ever since the ice flood dragon he had raised advanced, several years had passed, yet no new ice flood dragons had emerged.
He had pondered this.
The original one had appeared because of a strand of dragon qi.
Dragon qi was hard to find, but if he could bring back some third-tier flood dragon essence blood, maybe he could stimulate the pond again and hatch another baby ice flood dragon?
If that worked, it would be a huge windfall.
Whether auctioned off or kept to see if it could grow into a fourth-tier spirit beast—Chi Dragon.
…Thankfully, Real Person Heaven Silkworm had given him plenty of spirit stones. Otherwise, he’d be going home empty-handed today.
“Then who are the two Foundation Establishment cultivators?”
Ji Yuan vaguely remembered Li Changhe mentioning them.
As a prominent second-generation cultivator of the Water Dragon Sect, Li Changhe naturally interacted with other sects' scions and was very knowledgeable about these things.
“One is Senior Cao Lang from Corpse Herding Mountain, the other is Senior Ye Chen from the Beast Taming Sect.”
Ning Shanshan lowered her voice even more.
“Ye Chen?”
Ji Yuan suddenly remembered. Li Changhe had mentioned him too. It was because of the name that he had paid attention.
Ye Chen… Without some true skill, that name alone would be hard to live up to.
“Yes, does Senior know him? I heard he’s young and handsome. A senior sister from our Qinghe Market saw him once and swore she’d marry no one else… Uh, sorry, I spoke too much.”
Ning Shanshan quickly covered her mouth.
“How could a nobody like me know such a big shot? Where is the Dragon-Slaying Auction being held? Take me to see it first.”
“Yes.”
Ning Shanshan led Ji Yuan through the winding streets of Lanshan City, eventually arriving at a seven-story tower in the east of the city.
“The auction house is here. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators like you, Senior, can enter. People like us at Qi Refining level aren’t allowed.”
Ji Yuan noticed this too. Near the area, Foundation Establishment cultivators were clearly more numerous. The ones going in and out of the entrance were all Foundation Establishment.
…It looked like this auction had drawn quite a number of Foundation Establishment cultivators from both sects, not to mention scattered cultivators and possibly even Golden Core Real Persons.
Ji Yuan made up his mind—he would definitely attend this auction before leaving.
“Please wait a moment, Senior.”
Ning Shanshan bowed and walked quickly to a nearby shop. She whispered a few words to another female cultivator there. That woman handed her a booklet, which she accepted with a bow, then rushed back and handed it over with both hands.
“Senior, this is the list of items for the Dragon-Slaying Auction. Take a look.”
Ji Yuan received it and flipped through as he walked.
Upper-grade spiritual artifact “Moon-Slashing Flying Sword,” second-tier demon core “Earth-Cracking Viper,” One-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill, supreme-grade spiritual artifact “Mountain-Splitting Axe”… Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill, two Heavenly Thunder Seeds…
Truly, many good things.
When he looked at the final auction items—
First was the talisman treasure “Heaven-Slashing Sword,” which still had two uses. Then a third-tier demon core from an Air-Walking Eagle, a baby third-tier Drilling Mountain Rat, the talisman treasure “Sky-Escape Shuttle.”
Damn thing, someone’s actually auctioning off a Sky-Escape Shuttle here too.
He turned the page—
10 drops of Millennium Spirit Milk.
Ji Yuan’s spirit instantly perked up!
He clearly remembered this was one of the upgrade requirements for the 【Spirit Vein】!
So he summoned his panel again.
【Spirit Vein: lv3 (Not Upgradeable)】
【Spirit Effect 1: Spiritual energy density within five li increases by 200%.】
【Spirit Effect 2: Daily output of 100 middle-grade spirit stones and 1000 lower-grade spirit stones.】
【Spirit Effect 3: Produces 1 drop of “Millennium Spirit Milk” per month.】
【Upgrade Conditions: 80 upper-grade spirit stones, 1000 middle-grade spirit stones, 10,000 lower-grade spirit stones, 10 drops of Millennium Spirit Milk. (Not Fulfilled)】
Damn it, he had to get those!
Once he obtained the 10 drops of Millennium Spirit Milk, the remaining spirit stones… if he didn’t have enough, he’d borrow from Li Changhe or even Hua Yaoyue if needed.
Because once the 【Spirit Vein】 upgraded to level 4—
One year: return on investment.
Two years: huge profits.
Three years: straight ascension!