Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Demon Dragon, Yaochen

“Eat, stop talking so much!” Tossing a few demon crystals to the little white bear, Yu Youwei urged again, “Let’s leave quickly.”

Grabbing Yu Youwei, who was about to turn and go, Ning Baixia emphasized, “Don’t tell anyone about the little white bear’s true situation. If you dissolve the contract on your own, the bear, even if it suffers damage, is still as powerful as a celestial beast. There’s no guarantee someone won’t force you to break the contract and then take the bear away.”

“I understand, Third Brother,” Yu Youwei replied, moved. Despite Ning Baixia’s questionable motives, his virtues outweighed his flaws; at least, facing the little white bear, he hadn’t succumbed to greed.

“Someone’s coming.” Ning Baixia made a gesture for silence, sword poised, waiting. Only when Xiang Bingfeng and Gui Qi appeared, and Grandpa Ning and his group rushed out from the other side, did he relax his guard.

“Ew, how disgusting! What are these things?” Xiang Bingfeng cried out in horror, fluttering like a butterfly to Ning Baixia’s side, wanting to embrace him but hesitating, her voice delicate, “Third Young Master, right after you left, a black shaman grabbed me. Thankfully Gui Qi and the others arrived, or I might never see you again.”

Ignoring Xiang Bingfeng, Ning Baixia issued a commanding order, “Let’s go.” Among these cultivators, he wasn’t the strongest, yet his command was met without opposition. No one noticed the pain and struggle that flashed through his deep, cold eyes as they swept over Yu Youwei.

No one knew just how vast that strange mountain cave was; after escaping and landing in this wild, dense forest, everyone sped onward, yet from sunset to moonrise, they still hadn’t left the woods. Seeing the late hour, Grandpa Ning suggested finding a place to rest.

The group quickly gathered around three bonfires: Xiang Bingfeng’s people sat by the left fire, the Ning family by the middle, and the others by the right. Yu Youwei understood this reflected the three factions of Jiangning Prefecture; in this territory, the Ning family’s influence reigned supreme, surpassing even the royal clan.

The little white bear lay between Yu Youwei and Ning Baixia, troubled, scratching its head with its paw. “Lord Bear just wants meat. Why are these people just sitting here, not catching monsters for a barbecue?”

Yu Youwei chuckled. The bear’s thoughts were transmitted telepathically, so no one else knew why she was laughing.

Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded. The little white bear jumped up in shock, howling, “So unlucky! Lord Bear only wanted a fish, does it really deserve to be struck by lightning?”

Ning Baixia didn’t understand the bear’s howl, but its comical expression made even his icy demeanor melt, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Under the group’s curious gazes, he coughed twice, about to speak, when another deafening thunderbolt split the dark sky. A giant dragon shrouded in black mist pierced the clouds, circling high above, seemingly searching for a target. A flock of black birds followed, flapping fearfully through the storm.

“Demon Dragon Yaochen!”

Seated beside Xiang Bingfeng, Gui Qi suddenly cried out, his skeletal fingers pointing at the dragon overhead. Everyone focused their gaze, seeing a shadowy figure on the dragon’s back—easily overlooked compared to the dragon’s massive form. The man’s reputation was as daunting as his name; after Gui Qi spoke, the crowd below grew grim.

If the demon dragon was searching for them, escape was futile; no one could outrun a demon dragon. Even a dragon that had died and been turned into a corpse puppet by secret arts was still faster than any human.

“Why are you just staring? Hurry and find somewhere to hide. Lord Bear will make sure that stupid dragon doesn’t find you,” the little white bear cried arrogantly.

“Why don’t you trick a high-level monster into helping us? That’s more reliable than hoping we find a safe place to hide,” Yu Youwei gazed up at the demon dragon, not planning to crawl into a hole like a snake or rat. Demon Dragon Yaochen’s reputation was terrifying; unless she knew for sure he was targeting them, hiding would mean her future prospects would always be limited. If she couldn’t win, she still believed she could escape if she used all her tricks. This gluttonous beast was just cowardly!

The little white bear couldn’t even find a suitable expression to scorn Yu Youwei. She accused Lord Bear of cowardice, yet wanted it to trick a high-tier monster for assistance? With impressive nonchalance, it rolled onto its back and watched the scenery.

“You little thing, now you’ve got an attitude!” Yu Youwei laughed, kicking the bear gently.

Ning Baixia turned to look; in that instant, her smile bloomed like peach blossoms, and he was briefly dazed, his gaze darkening as he softly reminded, “Sister-in-law, don’t let your guard down. When Demon Dragon Yaochen appears, all life within a hundred miles is obliterated. Whether he’s here for us or not, a fierce battle is inevitable.”

“I can take care of myself, Third Brother. If there’s a chance to kill Yaochen, all the better,” Yu Youwei whispered.

The black shamans were determined to seize the Soul Devouring Sword; though they had mistaken Ning Mofei for her and he was killed by Yu Youwei, there were still many formidable black shamans yet to appear. Demon Dragon Yaochen’s presence likely meant he was after the Soul Devouring Sword. Ning Baixia also wanted to kill him, but he had only just advanced to the Golden Core stage. Aside from the Ning family, the other two factions were unlikely to risk their lives in a fight to the death against the demon dragon.

“To kill Demon Dragon Yaochen—how difficult!” Grandpa Ning murmured behind them.

“This is probably a forbidden zone of the Cloudwild Mountains. The high-tier monsters here won’t let the demon dragon trespass. When they start fighting, maybe we can fish in troubled waters,” Yu Youwei’s lips curled, amusement flickering in her eyes.

“How do you know?” Grandpa Ning asked, half believing.

Ning Baixia glanced at the little white bear but didn’t speak. He guessed right—the bear had just told Yu Youwei that they were deep in the Cloudwild Mountains, one of the forbidden zones of the Eastern Continent. Still, he was surprised at Yu Youwei’s idea to take advantage of the chaos; after all, if the local monsters couldn’t tolerate the demon dragon, would they tolerate these cultivators?

From the southwestern depths of the forest came a cry; a massive Azurecloud Roc soared, its beastly aura as heavy as a mountain, even from ten thousand meters away. The weaker cultivators’ legs shook uncontrollably.

“If there wasn’t an ancient formation suppressing the Cloudwild Mountains’ forbidden zone, and the Azurecloud Roc got involved in every monster tide, the casualties among the Cloudwild Army would be unthinkable,” Grandpa Ning sighed.

“The Azurecloud Roc is nothing!” The little white bear rolled its eyes in disdain, only to be retorted by its master, “Then you go kill the Azurecloud Roc!”

From the east came a thunderous roar—a Whitewinged Tiger leapt into the air from the forest. Its overwhelming aura flattened the trembling cultivators to the ground. Yu Youwei had her twin swords to resist the pressure, but to avoid drawing attention, she deliberately collapsed as well.

Although Demon Dragon Yaochen was formidable, the Azurecloud Roc and Whitewinged Tiger together were no less powerful. The two sides were evenly matched; with the dragon likely distracted, the crowd felt a bit relieved. Xiang Bingfeng’s group—

“Uncle Nine, take sister-in-law and the others home first. I’ll stay and watch,” Ning Baixia instructed, gazing at the standoff above. As soon as he spoke, the other two factions left their strongest members behind to observe, while the rest withdrew quickly.

[Author’s note]: Thank you all for your comments. Bingyan is very happy to see the rewards and messages. Thank you for your support. Today is the day with the most comments and the most new favorites. Although it’s past midnight and I am exhausted, I am still very excited. Bingyan’s group: 246088379