Tang Bai Li

Chapter 153 The Place We Are Going

Golden Dragon's nine claws clenched, lightning flashing within, as if it could unleash its divine power at any moment to smite the human speaking such audacious words below.

Of the three, he ranked last.

A mere human, claiming to be the elder brother of his elder brother?

Xu Mu gazed at the lightning between the dragon's claws, his smile slowly fading.

"If you cannot refute this reason, then please retract your divine power."

The Golden Dragon, of course, did not comply. The lightning in its claws intensified.

Xu Mu's body surged with Dao Source energy, the character "Zhen" held in his palm.

"I have no intention of dictating to you, but I went to great lengths to hatch you, nearly sacrificing my life in the process. It is impossible for me to gain nothing in return."

"Since you refuse to befriend us, then agree to three things for me. Once completed, we shall be quits."

Xu Mu's voice was calm. What he had said earlier was all intentional.

The purpose, naturally, was to elevate his standing in future interactions.

Of course, he didn't truly expect to become the dragon's elder brother. He merely thought that by proposing the idea, even if the Golden Dragon refused, his own status would certainly not be low.

But now, Xu Mu realized he was utterly mistaken.

For in the eyes of the Golden Dragon, there was undisguised arrogance and disdain.

This meant that no matter how high or low he positioned himself, friendship was impossible. Therefore, it was better to establish a transactional relationship.

Thinking of this, Xu Mu felt a pang of anger. For someone as noble as Fuxi was incredibly approachable, yet this young dragon, nurtured by his own blood, why should it be so proud?

The dragon's head turned. It hovered in the air, surveying the surroundings before its gaze returned to Xu Mu. "I agree to your terms."

"But what you said before, that counts as one thing."

What the Golden Dragon referred to was the matter of the ranking, implying it accepted its position at the bottom.

"As you wish. I estimate I'll only need you once anyway," Xu Mu waved his hand and continued, "I have some enemies here. You don't need to kill them, just ensure I don't die. Once we leave this realm, we'll be done."

The Golden Dragon nodded without hesitation.

"One remains."

Only one condition was left. Xu Mu pondered for a moment, a frown creasing his brow.

It seemed there was nothing else he could use the dragon for at the moment.

So Xu Mu said, "I can't think of anything for now. Let's save it."

The Golden Dragon's voice was calm. "As you wish."

"However, if you haven't stated your condition by the time we leave this space, the remaining one will be automatically void."

"You!" Xu Mu felt his teeth ache with frustration, but he dared not act out.

He was, after all, no match for the Golden Dragon. Moreover, he hadn't expected it to agree to three conditions in the first place.

All he truly desired was for it to save his life.

Making an exorbitant demand was merely a tactic to allow for negotiation later.

He hadn't anticipated, however, that the Golden Dragon would directly agree to three requests, leaving him without a plan for what to ask.

Silence descended, the atmosphere thick with tension.

Qiongqi broke the stillness. "Brother Dragon, what is your current cultivation realm?"

The Golden Dragon looked at Qiongqi, recalling the knowledge it had acquired while in its egg. It replied, "I am in the Third Realm, but my combat power is between the Fourth and Fifth Realms."

Qiongqi was slightly surprised. As expected of a dragon, it was stronger than he had anticipated.

Xu Mu then inquired, "When you speak of combat power, does that include the pressure of your bloodline?"

The Golden Dragon's tone was even. "Of course not."

Xu Mu nodded in satisfaction.

With such strength, combined with the pressure of its bloodline, it could roughly equate to a peak Fifth Realm cultivator.

The Golden Dragon could contend with Wang Family's Ancestor. If that old scoundrel were held back, they could likely survive by gathering their own forces to resist the remaining opponents.

"If you encounter danger, knock three times. I will come to your rescue."

The Golden Dragon circled in the air, clouds churning around it. After a bout of thunder and lightning, it slowly expelled a golden scale from its mouth.

Xu Mu held the dragon scale, feeling the intense dragon's breath, and his expression faltered.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?"

The Golden Dragon ascended into the sky and, in the blink of an eye, vanished from sight.

"To a place where you cannot see me."

"But due to my promise, I will always be watching you."

"Oh, okay." Xu Mu pouted, then turned to Qiongqi. "Shall we go too?"

Qiongqi pondered. "Where are you going?"

Xu Mu replied without hesitation. "To collect points, of course. How else are we to enter the next stage?"

Qiongqi's eyes narrowed. "You have a point. However, it might be too dangerous for you to move around freely now. You could easily invite a fatal threat."

Xu Mu was taken aback, frowning. "Surely not. While I have many enemies, they are all located in the earlier caverns."

"This place is too remote. There are no Domain Lords, and my people are all outside. What danger of death could there be?"

Qiongqi sighed and asked again, "All your people are outside. What about the points for killing a Fourth Realm great demon? Do you remember?"

Xu Mu blinked. "Killing a Third Realm great demon earns ten points, a Fourth Realm is a thousand, and a Fifth Realm is ten thousand."

Qiongqi nodded. "And do you remember how many inner cores you dug up earlier, counting both good and bad ones?"

Xu Mu thought carefully. "There were over a thousand great demons here in total. More than seven hundred of them had inner cores left."

Qiongqi: "Seven hundred inner cores translate to seventy thousand points."

Xu Mu seemed confused, scratching his head. "So?"

Qiongqi lost patience. "Can't you just look at your point bar!"

Xu Mu looked up and saw a purple-gold point bar.

He froze.

Qiongqi, exasperated, continued, "Those great demons were killed by the Other Shore Flower and the Sword. However, since neither of those are counted in this assessment, the points remain within their bodies."

"And since you took their inner cores, it counts as if you killed them. A full seventy thousand points belong to you!"

Qiongqi ground his teeth. "You get all the good fortune, can't you share some with me!"

Xu Mu was silent for a long time, then replied, "There's nothing to be done about this. It's all about luck."

"When my points are enough to pass this level, the remainder will be exchanged for some opportunities for you."

Qiongqi snorted. "You have over seventy thousand points, yet there's no sign of you breaking through. A million points probably wouldn't be enough."

"And with so many points, how many good things can be exchanged? You're just going to use them to pass the level?!"

Qiongqi stared enviously at Xu Mu. Seventy thousand points could yield treasures that would almost fill his cave.

But if he used them as a ticket to the fourth level, those items would all vanish.

Xu Mu sighed. "Of course, I have to pass the level. Otherwise, how can we intercept the Demon God? If he revives, we'll all die."

Qiongqi was startled, then said, "Each level is harder than the last. Do you really believe someone can rescue him?"

Xu Mu nodded, remembering that Qiongqi was a later arrival. He explained, "There's an outsider named Viritan who possesses the sacred relic, the Book of Heaven."

"The Book of Heaven records the method to break through each level here. And he has already sided with the Demon God. The latter only needs to possess him, or openly reveal the secrets in the Book of Heaven, and someone will surely break the seal for him."

Qiongqi shook his head and retorted, "You underestimate Fuxi's seals."

"Furthermore, the Demon God's clone and divine soul can only penetrate once every few years. If you kill it, how will he guide others to break the seal?"

Xu Mu's eyes widened.

Killing the Demon God's clone?

This was a path he had never considered.

Xu Mu pondered. "If I can kill the Demon God's divine soul clone before he reveals the method to break through, then no one else will have the chance to break these seals."

"And I can use the accumulated points to exchange for treasures, earn a fortune, withdraw from this dark palace, and cultivate in peace. When my strength is sufficient, I can return here to completely resolve the lingering threat..."

"It saves time and is profitable."

Xu Mu analyzed in a low voice, his eyes growing brighter.

Qiongqi slapped his forehead with a claw.

He was stunned. Brother Good Guy was truly foolish. He was only now understanding such a simple principle. What else could he be but foolish!

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go out and find the Demon God now!"

Xu Mu said gleefully.

He thought of the treasures he could exchange for with his seventy thousand points, then immediately climbed onto Qiongqi's back, eager to go and slay the Demon God.

"Got used to riding me?" Qiongqi said with a hint of anger, looking at Xu Mu. "Have you not recovered from eating that eggshell yet?"

Xu Mu felt a little awkward.

"If I had recovered, why would I need that dragon to protect me? Anyone who provoked me would have been cut down with a sword long ago."

Qiongqi's imposing aura faltered.

It seemed... that was indeed the case.

And so, somewhat resignedly, he carried Xu Mu and slowly flew out of the mine.

"However, what I said earlier, be vigilant. It's very dangerous up there."

Qiongqi warned Xu Mu. He still remembered dozens of Fourth Realm power users at the mountaintop.

Although they were on the same side as Xu Mu, faced with such a massive amount of points, no one knew what they might do.

Xu Mu, who had been ambushed by Fang Jia, understood this truth even more. He nodded.

"One must guard against others. Rest assured."

"Besides, I never intended to stay with them any longer."

Qiongqi ascended rapidly, nearing the ground. He asked, "So, this battlefield is vast. Where shall we go first?"

Xu Mu thought for a moment, then replied, "Wherever the Demon God is, that's where we'll go."

"Let's start from the Eighth Stone Cave and search one by one!"

...