Chapter 713 - 495: Purple-Bearded Golden Flood Dragon
"So Shi Yun is the son-in-law of the Zhou Family, and Wang Chuanxuan’s close friend. It was the Zhou Family and Wang Family’s idea to have Shi Yun dispatch me from the Holy City."
Wei Fan put away the Communication Jade Token, knowing that as soon as he left the Holy City, Lu Shun’an and the others would alert him right away, informing him of Shi Yun’s background and origins.
They advised him not to go to Shuiyun City but to find a place to hide away from everyone’s sight, as even the powerful Martial Emperor Family could not find a Saint Realm powerhouse determined to disappear.
Wei Fan didn’t reject their suggestion, nor did he agree, simply saying he would act as circumstances allowed.
Because he originally didn’t plan to hide; with his interface, he was destined not to be able to cultivate peacefully.
Fixing his direction towards Shuiyun City, Wei Fan tore open space and plunged inside, speeding through the Void World.
Traveling through the Void World had another advantage: it was hard for others to ambush him unless they had a stealth technique as incredible as Black Netherworld’s.
Along the way, Wei Fan initially thought he would encounter enemies, but no one appeared. Half an hour later, he arrived smoothly near Shuiyun City.
"Indeed, while Shi Yun needs to eliminate me for the Wang Family and Zhou Family, I am still a Town Territory Envoy on a mission. If I were killed right upon leaving the Holy City, Shi Yun would also be in trouble. They likely wouldn’t make a move for a day or two..."
Wei Fan realized that while Shi Yun leaned towards his own interests, he still needed to extricate himself carefully, considering he’s a Commander and has to account for the impact of his actions.
If Wei Fan were killed after he had been sitting in Shuiyun City for a few weeks, no one would trace it back to Shi Yun by then.
"What a delightful little city!"
Emerging from the Void World, Wei Fan saw in the distance what seemed like a small city out of a painting. Surrounded by clear waves, clouds and water filled the sky, distant green mountains vibrant and rosy clouds steaming—a veritable fairyland.
Earlier, during his conversation with Li Jianchen and others, they shared some intentionally hidden information about Shi Yun.
The location of Shuiyun City lies on the border between Yaozhou’s Human Race and the Demon Fiends, and it used to be one of the bloodiest battlefields for humans and Demon Fiends; Shuiyun City was considered a military strategic point.
However, about a hundred years ago, a Demon Saint appeared on Lingyun Peak not far from Shuiyun City, establishing a base and constructing a palace there.
The Demon Saint that Shuiyun City supposedly needed to deter was indeed this same Demon Saint on Lingyun Peak.
It’s said that this Demon Saint has a deep love for Human Race culture. After establishing his base on Lingyun Peak, he often transformed into a human to enjoy leisurely visits to Shuiyun City, sometimes even inviting friends to appreciate the city’s scenery.
This Demon Saint was not fond of battle and slaughter, and held considerable standing within the Demon Race. Over time, Shuiyun City became peaceful, and the Demon Race ceased attacking humans from this place.
"Not fond of battle and slaughter? Demon Fiends are uneasy unless they consume humans; there’s no such kind of Demon Fiend!"
Wei Fan didn’t believe a single punctuation mark, but given that this Demon Saint has occupied Shuiyun City for a century without confrontation, his background is self-evident.
The Demon Hunters dare not assassinate him, nor do the Demon Race cause trouble here in Shuiyun City. According to Li Jianchen, this Demon Saint is a Purple-Bearded Golden Flood Dragon, with extremely powerful bloodline.
"The stronger, the better. The Nine Dragons Nine Elephants Skill requires a Flood Dragon to train with."
Wei Fan stepped into Shuiyun City, with no immediate intention to act, planning to further investigate the Purple-Bearded Golden Flood Dragon once inside.
...
Lingyun Peak is not far from Shuiyun City. It’s just ten or twenty miles from going out of Shuiyun City to reach Lingyun Peak, and one can even see the towering Lingyun Peak from within the city.
Lingyun Peak reaches nearly a thousand zhang, with steep cliffs soaring like clouds. Due to Shuiyun City’s unique environment, much of the time only half of Lingyun Peak can be seen, never its entirety.
Amidst the mist, one can see strong pines and thick ancient vines. Following upward, atop the ’cloud layer,’ a cluster of pavilions and towers sprawls across the peak.
In the courtyard, zither music drifted, and in the white-jade-laid yard, a few barefoot young ladies danced gracefully, the sound of singing flowing.
On a golden chair, a fair-skinned youth appreciated the song and dance as maids fed him spirit fruit.
If not for a few roasted human hands on a separate plate, this place would indeed seem an earthly paradise.
Even so, though they eat humans, they do so with elegance, using fine cutlery to slice away, piece by piece, and slowly savor the taste.
This is a demon lair, yet unlike others, it doesn’t emit the foul stench of dead rats—no hint of white bones, either.
This was the Crown Prince’s decree.
Even after consuming humans, the bones were to be moved elsewhere and buried, avoiding any odor; the strange flowers and plants in the courtyard mostly emitted fragrant aromas, to mask their innate stench.
"It’s merely parroting human sensations..."
Ao Qingyu sighed, having heard of a woman of the Human Race called Fairy Yunyin, who used the zither to enter the Dao; her zither skills were extraordinary to the point of enlightening even Saint Realm powerhouses.
There’s also a place known as the Profound Lady Pavilion, older than the Demon Hunter Organization, specializing in the art of pleasing men. Young masters from Martial Emperor Clans and Saint Realm powerhouses, they say, often spent thousands of gold in the Profound Lady Pavilion for pleasure.
"Someday my Demon Race will conquer the Human Race, and then I shall have the Saintess of the Profound Lady Pavilion dance for me, the Crown Prince!"
Ao Qingyu pondered, though being of significant cultivation, he dared not mix into the Human Race Holy City.
"Reporting to the Third Crown Prince, the preparations have been completed; we can set off for the Dragon Palace at any time!" The Shrimp General, clad in chain armor, stepped forward.
Ao Qingyu nodded gently, without speaking, still enjoying the song and dance, and the service of the Fox Girl beside him.
He was about to leave Shuiyun City; influenced by his grandfather, he had a deep love for the elegance of the Human Race. He deliberately left the Dragon Palace to live in this picturesque place, and for this reason, he even prohibited any Demon Race from causing trouble in Shuiyun City.
Even when he needed to consume Great Medicine, he had his subordinates capture it from elsewhere, all to experience the Human Race culture his grandfather spoke of.
Recently, however, he received news of a prodigy named Wei Fan rising among the Human Race, who broke through to the Saint Realm at the age of nineteen, his brilliance far surpassing Xuanyuan Peak of the past.
About ten days ago, in Jinzhou, Wei Fan, in less than three months since becoming a Saint Realm Powerhouse, slew four Dharma Demon Saints of the Demon Heaven Alliance, one of whom was Yuan Tiansheng of the Heaven-Shaking Saint Ape clan.
Such an extraordinary talent and combat power shocked the Demon Race, even alarming several Demon Emperors.
The Dragon Palace sent word urging him to return quickly because the Demon Race planned to start a war, forcing Wei Fan to reveal himself and be killed; they would not allow such a prodigy to live.
Breaking through the Saint Realm in just three months and able to slay a Dharma Demon Saint, who could say he wouldn’t reach the Martial Emperor realm in two or three years? Xuanyuan Peak alone caused the Demon Race headaches; having another prodigy surpassing Xuanyuan Peak would spell big trouble for the Demon Race in the future.
Staying on Lingyun Peak was no longer safe for him. If the Demon Race launched a massive war against the Human Race, a Dharma Demon Saint like him at the border would be the first to be cleared out.
"What a prodigy, even capturing Yuan Tiansheng would be difficult for me..."
Having recently broken through to the Saint Realm and able to take down Yuan Tiansheng in less than three months, it was terrifying to think about.
Ao Qingyu stood up: "I have protected you all from the ravages of war for so many years; now it’s time for you to repay me."
His gaze pierced through the thick fog, looking toward Shuiyun City, where Blood Qi surged to the sky, emitting a tempting aroma.
With no wars for years in Shuiyun City, everyone had enough to eat and drink, which nurtured lots of Great Medicine. Naturally, before leaving, Ao Qingyu wanted to collect the Great Medicine he nurtured, lest it benefited other Demon Fiends.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the sky. Ao Qingyu reflexively looked up to see the clouds swirling as if they were cleaved by a sharp arrow.
A "meteor" with flames descended from the sky, scattering the clouds.
"You dare attack me first..."
Ao Qingyu’s expression changed dramatically, emitting dazzling light as golden scale armor appeared on his body, tearing through his clothing.
"Crown Prince, be careful!"
The Shrimp General shot into the sky, its energy shattering the courtyard, smashing the pavilions, while the dancing Fox Girls and Cat Girls fled in terror.
"Bang!"
The fiery meteor instantly exploded the Shrimp General and continued its momentum, crashing down. Before it landed, its frightening aura already caused Lingyun Peak to quake.
Ao Qingyu was moved; the Shrimp General, his bodyguard, a Demon Saint at the peak of Condensing Dao about to reach the Dharma Realm, was so easily obliterated.
His feet flashed with golden light as he retreated quickly.
"Rumble..."
The next moment, the meteor hit where he stood, creating a massive crack in the nearly thousand-zhang tall Lingyun Peak, followed by explosions everywhere, turning into dust.
The terrifying shockwave roared and swept across, disintegrating the Fox Girls and Cat Girls into blood mist mid-air.
"Bastard!"
Ao Qingyu filled with a murderous aura; those Fox Girls and Cat Girls were carefully selected by him, then trained with Songstresses and Zither Masters from the Human Race. They were his favorite group, taking him over a decade of effort to train, used many times to entertain distinguished guests, and now they were all killed at once.
Even the death of the Shrimp General, his Saint Realm bodyguard, didn’t anger him as much.
As long as he wished, many Demon Saints would be willing to serve as his bodyguards if he spread the word in the Demon Race, but if those Songstresses died, it might take over a decade to train new ones.
As giant rocks fell, more than half of the thousand-zhang high Lingyun Peak disappeared. When the dust settled, his opponent stood in the void: a young Human Race man with sharp, handsome features, looking at him with a "greedy" expression.
That look was just like how he eyed the Human Race Great Medicine.
"Lingyun Peak has collapsed!"
"Has a powerhouse come to kill that Demon Dragon?"
With half of Lingyun Peak gone and the clouds shattered, such a huge commotion naturally alerted the experts outside Shuiyun City, and figures flew into the sky to watch the battle.
"If the Human Race wants to provoke the Purple-Bearded Golden Flood Dragon clan, then let them come!"
The uncontrollable rage boiled over as Ao Qingyu’s entire body glowed with golden scale armor, with two purple-glowing whiskers growing from the sides of his mouth: "Today don’t blame me, the Crown Prince, for slaughtering Shuiyun City."
As he spoke, he transformed into a streak of golden light, charging towards the figure opposite him.