The intense pain surged like a tide, crashing against the nerves of Yu Yuanchen. His legs felt as if they no longer belonged to him, and every slight movement triggered a tearing agony. The excessive overdraft of his soul power caused his Dantian to cramp with a hollow, twisting pain, and his vision flickered with darkness. Yet, he gritted his teeth, relying on the resilient will forged through two lifetimes and years of bitter cultivation to force himself to stay conscious and identify the direction of Dragon City.
He could not fall, at least not here. The pursuers from the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family were likely not limited to just that one wave. Long Li, whose legs he had severely crippled, and the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor he had shaken off, could summon more people to return at any moment. He had to find a relatively safe place as soon as possible.
Relying on his familiarity with the terrain on the outskirts of the Thunder Mountain Range and his Electric Field Perception to probe the surrounding environment, Yu Yuanchen pushed himself to find a natural cave deep within a crevice of the mountain wall. The entrance was hidden by dense vines. He used his last bit of strength to move a few rocks to block the opening, and after carefully sensing that there were no powerful soul beasts or human auras nearby, he finally collapsed, sliding down to sit with his back against the cold stone wall.
"Pfft--" A mouthful of stagnant blood could no longer be suppressed and sprayed out, staining the front of his clothes. A more intense sense of weakness followed.
He dared not delay, immediately sitting cross-legged and, enduring the sharp pain, began to circulate the core Meditation Method of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. Wisps of faint soul power began to be squeezed out from his nearly dry Dantian and exhausted body, flowing like a stream to nourish his damaged meridians, especially his nearly ruined legs.
Under internal inspection, the condition of the meridians in his legs was even worse than he had anticipated. Many meridians had developed cracks, and there were even several minor ruptures; it felt like being cut by knives when his soul power flowed through them. The aftereffects of forcibly stimulating his meridians to burst with speed had fully manifested.
"Fortunately... they aren't completely severed, there is still a possibility of repair." Yu Yuanchen felt slightly relieved. If the meridians were completely severed, then unless he encountered a heaven-defying opportunity, these legs would be considered crippled.
He carefully guided his soul power, like the most patient craftsman, bit by bit warming and mending the damaged meridians. The process was slow and painful, and his forehead was soon covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. At the same time, he diverted a portion of his focus to guide his soul power throughout his body, treating the black flame burns on his shoulders and arms, as well as the internal trauma to his organs.
Time passed silently in the stillness of his healing.
One day, two days...
When thirsty, he caught water droplets seeping from the rock crevices; when hungry, fortunately, his Storage Soul Tool was always stocked with some fresh water and dried meat. All his focus was immersed in his recovery.
During this period, he vaguely sensed soul power fluctuations passing by in the distance outside the cave several times. Once, it was even very close, as if someone was searching. He immediately held his breath and focused, suppressing his own aura to the lowest level, like a stubborn rock. Fortunately, the searchers did not discover this hidden cave.
It was not until the evening of the third day that Yu Yuanchen slowly opened his eyes.
After sleepless healing, the injuries within his body had finally stabilized, and his soul power had recovered to about seventy percent. The most critical leg meridians had seen their cracks initially mend; although they remained fragile and could not withstand the kind of burst he had used before, normal walking and slow running were no longer a major issue. The skin wounds on his shoulders and other areas had also scabbed over under the nourishment of his soul power.
"Finally... survived." Yu Yuanchen let out a long breath, a sense of relief from surviving a disaster surging into his heart, but it was immediately replaced by a deeper coldness.
Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family... the Long family! The debt of this ambush, he would repay it a hundredfold in the future!
He checked his own state. His clothes were torn, stained with blood, and he looked disheveled. In this state, it was impossible to swagger back into Dragon City. Who knew if there were eyes and ears of the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family near Dragon City, or even within the family? Since they dared to send two Soul Douluo to ambush him, there was no guarantee they didn't have a backup plan. He had to be cautious.
"Need a disguise." Yu Yuanchen's eyes flickered.
He rummaged through his Storage Soul Tool. As a direct descendant of the family, his Storage Soul Tool had a decent amount of space. Inside, besides food, water, some Gold Soul Coins, and healing medicine, there were some miscellaneous items, including a few sets of spare ordinary clothes, and... "gear" he had prepared previously for certain pranks or for sneaking out of the family to play.
He took out a set of grayish-brown, coarse cloth clothes and changed into them, carefully putting away the blue training suit that signaled his status. Then, he took out some special pigments and, facing a small bronze mirror, began to smear his face.
Although he was not a master of disguise in his previous life, he knew a few techniques for changing skin tone, deepening wrinkles, and blurring the contours of his features. Soon, the image of the young man in the mirror began to change. His skin tone became dark and sallow, fine lines were deliberately drawn at the corners of his eyes, the sharpness between his brows was retracted, and it was replaced with an expression of slight fatigue and weathering. He looked like an ordinary young soul master who had been traveling for years, with low cultivation (he deliberately suppressed his soul power fluctuation to look like he was just over level twenty) and was somewhat malnourished.
He also made his hair look slightly messy and stained it with some dust. Finally, he found a wide-brimmed bamboo hat and put it on, covering most of his face.
Looking at the bronze mirror, Yu Yuanchen nodded with satisfaction. Unless it was someone extremely familiar with him observing him closely at a short distance, it would be very difficult to recognize him as that heaven-gifted pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
"Time to move."
On the morning of the fourth day, just as dawn was breaking, a "young man" wearing a bamboo hat and gray cloth clothes lowered his head, his gait appearing somewhat unsteady (half due to unhealed injuries, half due to disguise), and quietly left the cave where he had hidden for three days, merging into the flow of people heading toward Dragon City.
The closer he got to Dragon City, the stricter the inspections seemed to be. Not only were there Empire Soldiers on duty at the city gates, but on several main roads, there were also people of unknown identity with sharp eyes patrolling back and forth, their gazes scanning the passing pedestrians.
Yu Yuanchen's heart tightened, and he became even more certain of his judgment. He lowered his bamboo hat and, blending in behind a small merchant caravan, walked toward Dragon City without drawing attention.
Sure enough, as he approached the city gate, he was stopped.
"Halt! What are you doing? Where are you from?" A soldier stepped forward to interrogate him, and a middle-aged man in plain clothes, whose aura clearly identified him as a soul master, also cast a scrutinizing gaze.
Yu Yuanchen lowered his voice and replied in a slightly hoarse tone: "Reporting to the officer, this little one is named A Chen, a hunter from Nuoding City in the south. I got injured while picking herbs in the mountains and wanted to come to Dragon City to stay with a relative for a few days, and sell some mountain goods to exchange for money for treatment." As he spoke, he slightly released a soul power fluctuation of about level twenty, both to show his identity as a soul master to avoid being overly harassed, and to avoid attracting too much attention.
The soldier looked at his simple attire and somewhat disheveled appearance, and felt that "faint" soul power. Finding nothing unusual, he waved his hand, intending to let him pass.
But the plainclothes soul master next to him walked over, his eyes staring sharply at him: "A hunter? You don't look old, and you have level twenty soul power; your talent isn't bad, so why are you a hunter? Take off your hat and let me see."
Yu Yuanchen's heart tightened slightly, but he remained calm on the surface, removing his bamboo hat as instructed to reveal his disguised, plain-looking face.
The plainclothes soul master looked him over carefully, as if trying to find some flaw in his face, and asked again: "Where is your relative in Dragon City? What is their name?"
Yu Yuanchen had long prepared his story and answered fluently: "In Willow Lane in the west of the city, his name is Wang Laowu, he's a blacksmith." This was a real resident he had accidentally learned about when he used to sneak out to play; the identity was ordinary and unlikely to arouse suspicion.
The plainclothes soul master stared into his eyes for a moment, finding no guilt or flickering, and felt his truly unstable aura (due to unhealed injuries), before waving his hand: "Go in. Dragon City hasn't been peaceful lately, don't cause trouble."
"Many thanks, sir." Yu Yuanchen put his bamboo hat back on, bowed slightly, and then walked into the Dragon City gate with an "unsteady" gait.
Entering Dragon City, familiar streets and buildings came into view, but the atmosphere in the city was clearly much more tense than usual. The number of patrolling Empire Soldiers and plainclothes soul masters had increased, and an invisible oppression permeated the air.
Yu Yuanchen did not stop. Following the route in his memory, he chose to walk through small, less-populated alleys, winding around and confirming that no one was following him before sneaking toward the back door of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family mansion.
The family mansion occupied a vast area with high walls and heavy guards. Yu Yuanchen arrived at a relatively quiet corner of the back wall; this was one of the "secret passages" he and his companions used to sneak out when he was a child. He carefully sensed his surroundings, and after confirming it was safe, he took a deep breath, forced his soul power, leaped, and climbed over the high wall with some difficulty, landing in the garden inside the mansion.
The moment his feet touched the ground, an indescribable sense of safety surged into his heart. But he still did not let his guard down. Relying on his familiarity with the family's terrain, he avoided the patrolling guards like a ghost and snuck toward the Main Hall where his grandfather, Yu Boxuan, was located.
Outside the Main Hall, the number of guards was clearly several times higher than usual, and the atmosphere was heavy. As soon as Yu Yuanchen approached, he was stopped by two Soul Sage guards with dense auras.
"Halt! Who dares to trespass into the Main Hall?" The guards shouted sternly, their soul power locking onto Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen stopped, slowly took off his bamboo hat, wiped his face, and revealed his true appearance. Although it still carried the sallow color of his disguise, those azure blue eyes and familiar contours made the two guards freeze instantly.
"Is... is it Young Master Yuanchen?!" The guards exclaimed, their faces filled with disbelief. They all knew that Young Master Yuanchen had gone out to hunt souls with the Second Master. Now that the young master had returned alone in disguise, could it be that something had happened to the Second Master and the others?
"It's me." Yu Yuanchen's voice carried a hint of fatigue, but it remained steady. "I need to see my grandfather."
"Young Master, wait a moment! I will report this immediately!" One guard was extremely excited and turned to rush into the hall.
However, before he could enter, the heavy doors of the Main Hall were slammed open from the inside with a "boom."
A burly figure appeared at the entrance; it was the Patriarch, Yu Boxuan! He had clearly been startled by the commotion outside. At this moment, the dignity and composure that the Tyrant Dragon Douluo usually held were gone, replaced by a mixture of anxiety and worry. His gaze instantly pinned onto Yu Yuanchen, and his powerful Spiritual Power swept over him, confirming that this was not a hallucination, and also seeing through his shallow disguise to his true identity and his unhealed injuries.
"Chen'er!!" Yu Boxuan let out a low roar, his voice carrying a hint of barely concealed anxiety. He took a step forward, instantly arriving in front of Yu Yuanchen, grabbing his shoulders firmly with both hands and looking him over carefully. "How did you come back alone? Where are Boyu and the others?"
Feeling the slight tremor in his Grandfather's palm and the unconcealed concern within it, the heartstrings that had been pulled taut throughout the journey finally began to relax. Yu Yuanchen felt a sting in his nose, but he forced himself to hold it back, shaking his head as he said in a deep voice, "Grandfather, we were ambushed. Second Grandfather and the two Elders... in order to cover my breakout, they stayed behind to hold the line, and they must be trapped now..."
He recounted the events concisely, describing the ambush, the breakout, the pursuit, and how he had managed to heavily wound Long Li before disguising himself to return.
Listening to his grandson's account, especially hearing that he had used the power of a Soul Ancestor to scheme and heavily wound a Soul Emperor, ultimately surviving a brush with death, a terrifying gleam erupted in Yu Boxuan's eyes. There was anger, lingering fear, and even more, an incomparable sense of pride and heartache!
"Good! Good! Good! As long as you've returned alive, that is all that matters!" Yu Boxuan said the word 'good' three times in succession, patting Yu Yuanchen heavily on the shoulder. "You are worthy of being my grandson! The Long Family... I, Yu Boxuan, have marked this blood debt down!"
He pulled Yu Yuanchen along, striding toward the Main Hall while sternly issuing orders to the guards at his side: "Pass on my command! The family is to enter Level One combat readiness immediately! All personnel currently outside, remain on high alert! Additionally, dispatch three teams of elite Shadow Guards, led by a Soul Douluo Elder—no, I will go myself. Follow the route Chen'er took to return and search with all your might for the whereabouts of Boyu and the two Elders! I want to see them alive, or if they are dead... I want to see their bodies!"
"Yes! Patriarch!" The guard obeyed with solemnity and immediately sprinted away.
Inside the Main Hall, Yu Yuanchen finally shed all his disguises and strength, and exhaustion surged over him like a tide. He knew he was safe now. The time had come for the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family to endure the Wrath of the Tyrant Dragon.
Though the Hidden Dragon was wounded, it had finally returned to its nest. And the Wrath of Thunder was about to descend.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan