"My Lord, I want to leave this place and go out to find my child!"
"No. This is a critical moment. Wait a little longer—it won't make any difference. Since the child was born safely, there must be a mother dragon protecting it. There's no need to worry."
"...All right."
Silence fell once more.
Yet Di Tian was unable to calm himself. Before long, he resumed absorbing the energy of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm.
[I'm speechless! What's wrong with Di Tian?! I was finally asleep when the absorption suddenly stopped, and now it's starting again! Do you have any idea how miserable it is to be drained twice like this?! If I ever escape, I swear I won't let any of you get away with this!]
The enormous insect surrounded by terrifying beings—the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm—could only curse inwardly in despair.
---
When Golden Crocodile Douluo, Qiangu Jun, and Jiang Mo arrived at Xuanwu City one after another, they were all startled to see Qiangu Yuan still waiting there.
"Xiao Yuan, why are you still here?" the Demon-Slaying Douluo demanded the moment he saw his son. "Aren't you supposed to be leading people into the Xuanwu Forest to search? Don't you care about your daughter and Xiao Zhang at all?"
Qiangu Yuan hurriedly responded that he dared not neglect them.
"Father, Uncle, Second Elder—please come inside and listen first. It's not that I don't want to rescue Xiao Zhang and Yunying immediately. It's that I fear I may run into something dangerous inside the forest, and then I'd only trouble you to come save me instead."
Golden Crocodile Douluo was taken aback and said coldly,
"With your current cultivation at level eighty-six, are you really afraid of the soul beasts in the Xuanwu Forest? If I recall correctly, the oldest soul beast there is only around seventy thousand years old."
Qiangu Yuan quickly explained,
"That's the surface information. After arriving in Xuanwu City, I uncovered records in the city lord's archives detailing the true state of the Xuanwu Forest more than a hundred years ago."
He then recounted everything he had learned—along with what Qiangu Lifang had mentioned—to Golden Crocodile Douluo, Qiangu Jun, and Jiang Mo.
Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned.
"More than a hundred years ago…" he murmured. "When I was young, my teacher mentioned that a black dragon appeared several times across the Douluo Continent. That black dragon's strength was around level ninety-eight or ninety-nine—extremely powerful. However, it didn't seem particularly hostile toward humans. It was more like it was wandering the continent, enjoying the scenery."
He paused, his expression turning heavy.
"There's been no news of that black dragon for over a century. I never expected that we might cross paths with it again this time."
Hearing this, everyone present felt their hearts sink.
Golden Crocodile Douluo was one of the longest-lived figures in Spirit Hall—perhaps even on the entire continent. Even Qiandao Liu ranked second to him in age. The fact that Qiangu Jun and Jiang Mo had grown up under his watch was proof enough of his seniority.
"Second Elder," Qiangu Yuan said anxiously, "what should we do now? If it really is that black dragon, even if the few of us join forces, we'd probably only be able to hold our ground. Our chances of defeating it would be slim. More than a hundred years have passed—who knows how much stronger it's become? If Xiao Zhang and Yunying truly encountered it, I'm afraid…"
Golden Crocodile Douluo frowned and was about to reply when he suddenly turned his head sharply. The stern calm on his face shifted into unmistakable surprise.
"Xiao Zhang and Yunying?" he said slowly. "Why is there a dragon aura following them? And this dragon doesn't seem very old!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiangu Jun and Jiang Mo also sensed it—the auras of Yin Zhang, Qiangu Yunying, and a genuine dragon were rapidly approaching Xuanwu City.
Golden Crocodile Douluo was the first to burst into motion, shooting straight into the sky.
Qiangu Jun and Jiang Mo exchanged a glance and followed immediately.
"Buzz!"
A low, vibrating hum echoed through the air.
Qiangu Yuan felt a sharp pain in his ears, but when he recalled what Golden Crocodile Douluo had just said, joy surged through his heart.
Turning toward the figure beside him, he urged,
"Hurry! Xiao Zhang and Yunying should be back any moment. The Second Elder sensed the aura of a true dragon with them—could it be that black dragon? Go and see what's going on!"
Ignoring any consequences, Qiangu Yuan and his son Qiangu Lifang leapt onto the rooftops, sprinting across the city as they headed toward the outskirts of Xuanwu City.
---
Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying rode atop the small dragon's back, flying straight toward Xuanwu City.
Just as Yin Zhang was about to speak, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[A choice has been detected for the host. The following options are now available:]
Option One:
Golden Crocodile Douluo, Qiangu Jun, and Demon-Slaying Douluo are about to arrive. Explain to the three of them what you and Qiangu Yunying have been doing in the Xuanwu Forest over the past month. You will receive a heartfelt "lesson," so please be mentally prepared.
Reward: Martial Soul Plunder Card ×1
(You may select one individual and attempt to plunder their Martial Soul. The lower the Martial Soul's grade, the higher the success rate. Please choose carefully.)
Option Two:
…
Yin Zhang stared at the options, his heart pounding at the sight of the first reward.
Martial Soul Plunder Card?
Choose one person. Plunder their Martial Soul.
If everything went smoothly, his first thought was Tang San.
Tang San already possessed twin martial souls. If he gained another one, that would make him a truly monstrous existence.
But when Yin Zhang read the note in parentheses, he couldn't help but sigh.
The lower the Martial Soul's grade, the easier it is to succeed…
Tang San's martial souls are both top-tier. That would double the difficulty. Using such a precious card on him now would be a complete waste.
But if I go for a low-grade Martial Soul just to guarantee success… low-grade Martial Souls don't seem very useful either.
Just as Yin Zhang was feeling conflicted, a name suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Yu Xiaogang.
Far away, in Notting City.
Yin Zhang slapped his forehead, realization striking him all at once.
That's right! How could I forget him?
A normal low-grade Martial Soul wouldn't be worth much… but Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao is different.
In the original records, Luo Sanpao was supposed to evolve into a higher-level Martial Soul—the Golden Sacred Dragon. However, due to Yu Xiaogang's poor innate talent, its evolution was stunted, resulting in the mutated Luo Sanpao.
If I could plunder Luo Sanpao and complete its evolution into a Golden Sacred Dragon… that would be perfect.
The more Yin Zhang thought about it, the more excited he became.
Without any further hesitation—
[System, I choose Option One!]
[Congratulations, host. Your selection was successful. Martial Soul Plunder Card ×1 has been stored in your personal inventory. You may view it in your attribute panel.]