North of the Great Marsh.
The mountain terrain was steep and treacherous, unreachable by Mortals.
Peaks lined up like halberds, ten thousand ren high like an unfolding screen.
Spirit Mountain was not just a single mountain, but a continuous chain of thousands of great mountains.
Among them were ten main peaks, like ten fingers propping up the heavens, piercing straight into the sky, with clouds and mist only reaching their waists.
These ten peaks were where the Immortal Caves of the top ten Demon Emperors of Spirit Mountain were located.
And in the heart of the third tallest peak.
Shrouded in clouds and mist, it was filled with a gloomy Yin Qi.
Inside the massive cavern, there was not a speck of light, only stalactites hanging from the ceiling, dripping water with a rhythmic tick-tock.
In the deepest part of the Immortal Cave, a colossal creature lay coiled.
It was a hundred zhang long, its entire body a dark grey-black, with scales as large as millstones that glinted with a cold, iron-like light in the darkness.
This was an Old Flood Dragon.
A dark grey Old Flood Dragon that had lived for untold eons.
Its eyes were closed, seemingly in a deep slumber.
As it breathed, two streams of white Qi like dragons exhaled, whipping up gusts of fishy wind within the cave.
With every breath, the entire mountain seemed to tremble slightly.
Suddenly.
At the cave entrance, the air distorted slightly.
A few droplets of water condensed out of thin air, suspended in mid-air.
Yet they did not dare to fall, much less take form.
They just hung there, trembling with fear.
It was as if as long as the master of the cave did not nod, they could only hang there forever until they dried up.
After a long time.
The eyelids of the dark grey Old Flood Dragon, coiled like a mountain, twitched slightly.
Shua—
Its eyes suddenly snapped open.
Two beams of golden light instantly illuminated the dark Immortal Cave.
Boundless Demonic Qi, like a landslide or a tsunami, instantly flooded the entire cavern.
The pressure caused the surrounding rock walls to groan.
"Granted."
As the voice fell.
Having received permission.
The few droplets of water suspended in the air finally dared to merge, and in an instant, they transformed into a figure in black robes.
It was the Black-Robed Demon Emperor who had narrowly escaped from Jiang Yuechu's hands that day.
His knees buckled, and he prostrated himself on the ground: "Third... Third Master... something has happened..."
The dark grey Old Flood Dragon did not speak.
Its golden vertical pupils simply stared coldly at the ant below.
Its massive head rose slightly, and a boundless pressure began to rage.
The Black-Robed Demon Emperor dared not hide anything and hurriedly said, "Eleventh Master... is dead. And the Crimson Blood Demon Emperor also... also perished over there."
Upon hearing this.
Within the massive golden vertical pupils of the dark grey Old Flood Dragon, a ripple finally appeared.
If Crimson Blood was dead, then he was dead.
For the lower-ranked Demon Emperors of Spirit Mountain, one more or one less didn't matter much.
Even if one died.
Relying on Spirit Mountain's heritage, a junior would soon be able to fill the gap.
But the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor... a trace of surprise flashed in the Old Flood Dragon's eyes.
The rankings of the eighty-one Immortal Caves of Spirit Mountain were not assigned randomly.
The top ten caves were the true Foundation of Spirit Mountain.
And the eleventh cave was the watershed.
Below the top ten caves, the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor's Dao Cultivation was such that, in the entire Spirit Mountain—excluding that Old Elephant who had lived for untold eons and the Demon Emperors of the top ten caves.
Who else could firmly suppress him?
"I remember, I sent you all to find the traces of that True Dragon."
The dark grey Old Flood Dragon spoke slowly, his voice echoing through the cavern: "How could he have fallen?"
"Could it be... that the True Dragon has appeared?"
The Black-Robed Demon Emperor lay prostrate on the ground, his body trembling even more violently, his voice dry: "Indeed, it was truly a True Dragon."
"His strength is terrifying, and his methods are so strange that they are far beyond our comprehension..."
At this point, he seemed to summon his courage and suddenly looked up.
"Third Master, this lowly one dares to speak out of turn... given the situation and that level of power at the time..."
The Black-Robed Demon Emperor paused, and before finishing his sentence, he kowtowed heavily again.
The meaning was self-evident.
The interior of the cavern suddenly fell silent.
The boundless Demonic Qi, capable of crushing mountains, actually began to slowly retract.
However.
The expected thunderous rage did not occur.
Upon hearing those words, the dark grey Old Flood Dragon showed no sign of anger.
It simply remained silent.
How could it not know what this old dog was thinking?
But having lived until today, how could it be moved to anger by a mere offensive remark?
Instead, within those deepening golden vertical pupils, there was an unprecedented level of solemnity.
After a long while.
It finally muttered, "Was it truly... that terrifying?"
"Truly."
"When that person revealed his True Dragon form, it was already terrifying, but it wasn't the appearance of the Auspicious Beast True Dragon from the legends. Instead, it was a Demonic Dragon surrounded by black mist, with Evil Qi piercing the heavens."
"The Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor's Flowing Swan Spear, a killing Divine Ability of the Taibai Flowing Swan lineage, was actually snapped in half by his bare hands..."
"Then, behind that Demonic Dragon, a great sun of black and red rose. Its power was so great that it even eclipsed the radiance of the blazing sun in the sky."
"As the great sun rotated, five dragon shadows roared forth. With the Five Elements appearing together, sealing the heavens and the earth, in just a single breath, the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor's Primordial Spirit was chewed up and swallowed by those phantoms..."
"If this lowly one hadn't possessed a Divine Ability from the Chenxing Formless lineage and acted quickly, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I wouldn't have returned to see you..."
After saying this, he lowered his head and spoke no more.
Everything that needed to be said had been said.
As for what the Third Master would decide, it was not for a stray dog like him, who had luckily escaped, to speculate.
"..."
The cavern fell back into a long silence.
There were also factions within Spirit Mountain.
Although he ranked third in the caves, there were still two immovable mountains pressing down on him from above.
A True Dragon... it was undoubtedly a massive stroke of luck.
But hearing this old dog's description.
He feared he couldn't swallow it alone.
Not only could he not swallow it, but if he acted rashly, he might end up with the same fate as the Thousand Feathers Demon Emperor.
But if he reported this to the first two caves... with those two's methods and temperaments, what would he be able to get?
He was afraid he wouldn't even get any leftovers.
But one doesn't live this long by being arrogant because of talent.
He was able to maintain his position as the Demon Emperor of the third cave not because of some combat power that surpassed all of Spirit Mountain, but because of his brain.
A brain that knew how to assess the situation and when to make trade-offs.
Greed was the path to death.
After a long time.
The dark grey Old Flood Dragon slowly closed its eyes.
When it opened them again, the greed and restlessness in its eyes had completely vanished.
Only coldness remained.
"Go."
"Invite the White-Eyed Demon Emperor and the Jiu Ying Demon Emperor here for a discussion."
"Tell them that the True Dragon has appeared, and this is a once-in-a-thousand-years Opportunity for our Spirit Mountain."
Hearing this, the Black-Robed Demon Emperor's body shook, and he looked up sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief.
White-Eyed Demon Emperor, the second cave of Spirit Mountain.
Jiu Ying Demon Emperor, the first cave of Spirit Mountain.
Third Master... actually wanted to join forces with them?
The dark grey Old Flood Dragon seemed to see through his thoughts. It didn't explain, but only said indifferently:
"A feast swallowed by one person might fill them up... but there is a risk of bursting."
"But if three people eat together, even if they only get half full... it's better than bursting or going hungry..."