Chapter 216: Mirage Dragon
Xiu Quan nervously looked at Jia Yin, who suddenly stopped in his tracks.
This is a magical place, even he could see that, so the emperor should have noticed it too.
His abilities were not as high as the emperor's, but after rolling around in this magical place and gnawing on a couple of bones, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He quickly took out something to look at and saw that the emperor, his own emperor, was standing still with his hands hanging by his sides.
This magical place was nothing special to Jia Yin, but the reason he didn't move was because he saw someone he knew in this magical place.
A honey badger, although not fearless, didn't have the natural strength of a lion or tiger. The position of the Lord of All Demons was attained through blood and fire.
The path of a king is lonely, and it was the same for Jia Yin.
He saw a young man in this magical place.
"Cui Jiao," Jia Yin said in a low voice, slowly uttering the name of his "old friend" between his lips.
It has been a long time since Jia Yin. last saw Cui Jiao. He couldn't remember exactly how long it had been. Because of this, he briefly stopped and took the opportunity to get a clear look at his old friend's face.
Hundreds of years ago, he and Cui Jiao were two young demons full of passion. They came together to Hanhai Desert, a vast desert, and took a rest in a small inn.
Looking at the snow-capped mountains in the distance and the vast desert, the dancing girls from the demon realm swayed their camel bell skirts around the bonfire, as if they were flying like blooming flowers.
Cui Jiao turned his head towards his friend, who only seemed to think about fighting. He pointed his finger and said firmly, "Jia Yin, have you seen it? This is the demon realm."
The direction he was pointing to was the Luoxian Pass in Hanhai Desert, which was the bustling hub of trade between humans, demons, and monsters. Deep within the desert, there was the border of the demon realm.
In this Hanhai Desert, the two made a vow to compete fairly for the position of Demon Emperor.
In the land of demons, for twenty-five years, Jia Yin, a lone man, climbed Mount Bogao, and broke the great formation there, gaining fame through a single battle.
In the twenty-eighth year, Jia Yin ventured into the Illusion Sea, where he fought a fierce battle, causing waves to reach three thousand miles. From that point on, his reputation soared.
Gradually, he gathered many followers who stood by his side. Together, they embarked on a journey of conquest and warfare, enduring bloodshed and fire for an entire century.
After thirty-five years, a honey badger from a foreign land emerged. In just ten years, it defeated the previous Demon Emperor and claimed the throne for itself.
As for Cui Jiao, during the struggle for power, he was once a youthful and ambitious friend who had accompanied Jia Yin to the land of demons. However, in the midst of gaining power, he lost sight of their original bond and became entangled in conflict.
Looking at the illusion in front of him, Jia Yin's eyes grew cold, filled with scorn.
He never wanted the position of the Demon Emperor, but even without this power struggle, he and Cui Jiao were indeed on different paths in the changing times. As old friends, Cui Jiao knew Jia Yin's character well. He knew that Jia Yin cared about his subordinates. Cui Jiao plotted to kill his loyal followers and ambushed thirty thousand soldiers, waiting for him in the Hanhai Desert.
Beneath the sand dunes, he waited for Jia Yin.
The young man went alone, holding a curved sword in his hand. He personally took out his friend's demon core.
Sensing that he couldn't influence the man in front of him, the illusion gradually faded away.
"Come out," Jia Yin said firmly without looking back.
Qiao Wan, or rather Lu Cixian, came out silently, pressing her lips together. "Han... Han, taoist friend."
The man glanced at him.
He remembered Lu Cixian, who seemed to be Qiao Wan's partner. Qiao Wan agreed to do something for him. Her partner invaded his illusion, exposing his privacy. The considerate boss of the Yaos didn't show any displeasure on his face.
Jia Yin turned around and glanced at Lu Cixian indifferently.
Seeing this, Qiao Wan felt instantly guilty, under the pressure of that gaze. She didn't want to mess things up, right?
Luckily, after that glance.looked away.
"Go south," he said.
Qiao Wan was momentarily stunned, completely unaware that it was because of her senior Jia Yin that she saved face.
In front of her, Jia Yin had already called Xiu Quan to join him and left.
Go south...?
After a moment of confusion, Qiao Wan suddenly understood and focused her mind.
Perhaps the south was where the fifth-level monster was located.
Without thinking too much, saving people is the priority. After regaining consciousness, Qiao Wan immediately hurried towards the south. On the way south, she unexpectedly ran into Qi Feidao, Fang Lingqing, and several other Chongde and Kunshan disciples, all with torn cloths on their faces.
Although this is a fifth-level demonic beast, the illusionary realm is vast. The more people there are, the weaker the illusion becomes. Those with firm determination and advanced cultivation are not affected much. They can quickly break free from being trapped.
"Little Taoist Friend Lu?" Qi Feidao, who was leading the team towards the south, stopped in his tracks, looking surprised.
Qiao Wan didn't explain much. "Let's defeat the monsters first."
Qi Feidao instantly understood and no longer delayed, informing the disciples from Chongde and Kunshan to follow.
One of the Kunshan disciples hesitated and asked, "What about Taoist Friend Lu? What about Martial Sister Qiao?"
The young man replied concisely, "Saving people."
The disciples from Kunshan behind them were very surprised and unsure. They didn't expect Lu Cixian and Qiao Wan to escape from the illusion so quickly. Even their senior brother, who was at the mid-stage of the Golden Elixir realm, fell into the trap. Fortunately, their team had good luck. They managed to retreat to a cave before the fog spread, and quickly covered their mouths and noses with cloth to prevent inhaling the fog and experiencing hallucinations.
But Qiao Wan and Lu Cixian, they actually...they just boldly walked through the fog. One went to kill monsters, and the other went to save people. They didn't take any protective measures, yet their eyes were clear and they showed no signs of being affected.
When they finally arrived at the southern foothills of Tingyun Mountain, everyone in Qiao Wan's group was shocked when they saw the true form of the fifth-level monster. It was a gigantic and invincible clam.
It was probably several yards long and wide, lying on the ground and constantly exhaling fog.
Qi Feidao took a glance and understood in his heart that it was a mirage.
Fang Lingqing instantly felt confused, "This... Isn't this a clam?"
The other disciples from Kunshan behind them felt a bit annoyed. As elite participants of the group meditation, they were unexpectedly taken down by a clam. It would be really embarrassing if this got out!
However, Qi Feidao wasn't as optimistic. He carefully observed the huge clam in front of him, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, the clam opened its mouth and blew out a large gust of mist.
Qi Feidao inwardly exclaimed, realizing something was wrong. He felt his head becoming foggy and his surroundings became surreal. He quickly covered his mouth and nose, sternly shouting, "Everyone cover your mouth and nose, retreat quickly!"
Unfortunately, they were too slow. Wherever the mist passed, Chongde and the disciples from Kunshan fell down in a dazed state.
Qi Feidao sighed...
He turned his head and saw Lu Cixian still calmly observing the giant clam, unaffected by the mist.
Fang Lingqing, with a puzzled look on his face, asked, "What did you see?"
Qiao Wan's mouth twitched, she withdrew her gaze, and sighed with an unclear meaning, "The kun fish is so big, it can't fit in one pot."
Fang Lingqing's eye twitched: "So you were thinking about how to eat it with such a serious expression just now?!!"
While Lu Cixian and Qi Feidao were figuring out how to deal with the monster, Qiao Wan jumped into their sea of knowledge one by one. The disciples from Kunshan were all confused when they woke up.
"Martial Sister Qiao?"
"Taoist Friend Qiao?"
"Younger martial sister?" Dong Senior Brother, who was leading the team, looked at the girl in front of him with surprise, seemingly shocked by her unaffected appearance.
Qiao Wan didn't linger: "Senior Brother, are you awake? If so, please help me call someone."
Dong Senior Brother suddenly came back to his senses, looking at the girl's agile figure with a complicated gaze.
It seems that the arrogant words spoken by the male cultivator with dragon energy in the lecture were actually true.
Qiao Wan seemed to have unexpectedly surpassed them by a large margin.
Lu Cixian and Qi Feidao, along with Fang Lingqing, finally came up with a preliminary plan.
After being evaluated by Elder Martial Brother Qi Feidao from the Mathematics Department, the big clam was too hard to break. They could only take advantage of its exhales to slip inside.
Qi Feidao, wearing grass shoes and a smirk on his face, jokingly said, "We can only find a way to open the tightly closed gap and slip into the soft flesh to achieve our goal."
Innocent Little Fang nodded unknowingly, "Okay, when should we start?"
Qiao Wan looked at Martial Brother Qi's handsome face, silently criticizing him, "Don't get distracted at a time like this!"
Was it just an illusion, or did the big clam in front of them tremble slightly?
Unfortunately, they couldn't get any saline water here, otherwise they could try to make the big clam spit out some sand or something.
The big clam trembled even more vigorously.
Air needs to be changed. Although it's a baby clam, it takes a long time to change air. But now, it must change air. It can only reluctantly and cautiously open its mouth and exhale a big breath of fog.
Seeing the clam open its mouth, Qiao Wan quickly shouted, "Charge!" She was the first to roll inside.
Fang Lingqing immediately followed with his sword, but the clam closed its mouth faster and blocked the young man outside.
This... Seeing the closed clam, Fang Lingqing couldn't help but think, "What the heck?"
As Qiao Wan slipped into the clam's soft flesh, she felt that something was not right.
A strong smell almost overwhelmed her, and the next second, something cold touched her face, like smooth scales brushing against her.
Next, Qiao Wan saw a dragon head.
A huge dragon head, taking up almost all the space inside the clam.
The dragon had beautiful golden vertical pupils, which narrowed and locked onto her movements. Its neck and back were covered in red mane, with dark red scales that looked menacing. The scales on its back were inverted, indicating that this was a fierce and temperamental dragon.
If she remembered correctly... According to legends, this monster, the mirage dragon, had two forms: one as a giant clam and the other as a mirage dragon.
She was in big trouble. Qiao Wan felt a heavy heart as she looked at the mirage dragon in front of her. Its strong scales and claws seemed capable of performing open-heart surgery on her in the next second.
She couldn't spare a thought on why a dragon appeared in Tingyun Mountain, as the most important thing now was how her cultivation at the golden core stage could withstand an ancient mirage dragon at the Nascent Soul stage.
Can she go find her boss Jia Yin, who she hasn't officially started working for yet?
Just as Qiao Wan's expression turned serious, the dragon suddenly let out a whimper and happily burrowed under her hand, rubbing against her palm.
Qiao Wan: !! Something feels wrong here!!
The mirage dragon is a dog.
In the village, there was a dog named Laifu. He was a big, black dog with yellow fur and four eyes. He looked a lot like a popular black Shiba Inu from a different world, except his ears were floppy. He lived in a village near the human gathering place close to the demon realm.
As an ordinary dog, his happiest moments every day were sitting proudly on his four short legs, guarding the village entrance and barking happily at people who passed by.
It's not uncommon for things like cultivation and rebirth in the world of immortals, but what was unexpected was that this fate had befallen our dog.
Yes, Laifu had traveled through time and become a mirage dragon.
In
