CHAPTER 498: CHAPTER 498: A DOG DOESN’T KNOW IT’S A DOG

I still remember the first time I met him. That jerk pretended to be an ordinary person, playing a pig to eat a tiger, teasing me, bamboozling me, and whatnot, only to turn out to be a bona fide powerhouse.

In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and he’s already reached the fourth level of Lord.

What about Guang Xiaoyu?

I certainly hadn’t forgotten that girl, my lifetime adversary—pah! Chen Pingping ranked first, with Guang Xiaoyu coming in second.

As I thought about it, determination welled up inside me. I must break through my shackles and advance to King Tao no matter what.

I, with my Ancient Divine Body, will never let anyone look down on me, especially not the Qingfeng lineage of the Wuji Sect.

"Sigh... Tell me, when will I be able to achieve Tao Verification?" Chen Pingping sighed.

"..."

"Given my ordinary talent, lack of insight, and nothing but a handsome face, it’s hard to say when I, a common Cultivator, will step onto the invincible path," Chen Pingping said, full of worry.

Though he sounded a bit narcissistic, his concerns were real. Too slow.

He feared he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his Master’s pace. When the time came, his Master would have to enter the battlefield alone, facing numerous terrifying Big Shots.

While he would still be here, just blabbering uselessly!

It would be such a disgrace to his Master.

Heh!

At that moment, a voice came from behind, "You don’t stand a chance anymore."

The speaker was Wen Qingshan.

Huh? Chen Pingping was surprised. "This area is filled with so many Arrays and restrictions. Not even your elders can get through, yet you managed to make it here."

Wen Qingshan chuckled lightly. "I have the Void Body."

Oh, right... Chen Pingping nodded. "I remember now, you have the Void Body. Um... Brother Wen, don’t you ever feel like we’ve met before? Like we’re long-lost friends, or even family?"

"No!" Wen Qingshan stated flatly.

"Don’t lie to yourself. If you do, we could sit down and talk about the future," Chen Pingping said earnestly.

"Sure!" Wen Qingshan agreed immediately, glancing behind him.

Chen Pingping smiled slightly. "Brother, have you ever considered switching sides? The Wuji Sect offers excellent benefits, truly."

He had his eye on this Divine Body.

Setting aside Fairy Valley for now, the Wuji Sect currently lacked a Divine Body. If he could recruit this man, given time, they would have more confidence when facing those Big Shots.

Wen Qingshan looked at him with an enigmatic smile. "I have considered it, if you can persuade me."

This was only their second meeting. Wen Qingshan didn’t know Chen Pingping well, but their first encounter had left a deep impression. Chen Pingping was not only eloquent but also powerful.

The reasons he was sitting here, talking with Chen Pingping, were twofold: first, curiosity, and second, he suspected he couldn’t defeat Chen Pingping alone and would need backup.

So, his first move was to stall Chen Pingping, preventing him from escaping deeper into the Secret Realm, while waiting for the Star Sea’s more powerful experts to break through the numerous restrictions and arrive.

Then, they could use their superior numbers to overwhelm and eliminate Chen Pingping.

Yes, that was the plan.

"Who in the Southern Diaspora doesn’t know about the excellent benefits and compensation the Wuji Sect offers?" Chen Pingping said with a smile.

"How excellent are they?" Wen Qingshan asked, also smiling.

"Name your price!" Chen Pingping retorted, having realized the man was stalling.

Heh!

Kid, do you really think I’d be scared if your elders showed up?

"No rush..." Wen Qingshan began. "I’m very curious, how did you subdue the Heavenly Fire?"

"Does that count as one of your terms?" Chen Pingping asked.

"It does not," Wen Qingshan replied.

"Then I refuse to answer," Chen Pingping shrugged.

"..." Wen Qingshan was speechless.

Chen Pingping continued, "You don’t need to ask anything else, nor do you need to state any conditions. From this moment on, you have only one choice: join my Wuji Sect."

He was tired of wasting words.

These self-righteous geniuses couldn’t be convinced by words alone; they needed to be persuaded with fists.

Wen Qingshan merely smiled without speaking. He had sensed the aura fluctuations of an elder—a powerful Saint Realm expert—who had broken through the Arrays and restrictions and was now rushing this way.

Chen Shixian’s heart lurched. "Chen Pingping!" she cried out.

"What is it?" he asked, turning his head.

"They’re coming!" Chen Shixian said anxiously.

Undeniably, Chen Pingping was very powerful, and she herself possessed an Ancient Divine Body. But their combined strength was far from reaching the Saint Realm. If that Star Sea elder arrived, their chances of survival would be slim to none! She was extremely anxious.

In contrast, Chen Pingping remained calm. He set Hei, the small black dog in his arms, down. "Go! Bite him to death."

Chen Shixian was speechless. "..."

Wen Qingshan was also speechless. "..."

Seriously?! That’s a Saint Realm expert! You’re not even trying to escape, and you’re sending a dog to bite him?

WOOF WOOF!

Hei bared his teeth, attempting a sinister grin. Unfortunately, his appearance was too guileless; no matter how much he snarled, he just didn’t look ferocious. With rows of pearly white teeth showing, he scampered forward excitedly.

The distance between them rapidly closed.

The powerful Saint Realm expert narrowed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. He had been the first to break free from the Arrays and restrictions; luckily for him, several formations were damaged, giving him this opportunity. As he looked up, he saw Chen Pingping, Chen Shixian beside him, and Wen Qingshan, the young Divine Body from Star Sea...

His smile widened.

Chen Pingping, I will leave your corpse intact. As for the Heavenly Fire, it will be mine.

WOOF!

A bark snapped him partially to his senses, and only then did he notice the small black dog, Hei, running toward him.

Courting death...

With a flick of his finger, he unleashed a beam of sword light, then paid the small dog no further mind.

But Hei also unleashed a sword light from his mouth. It was even brighter and more imposing, with a Sword Intent so profound and a Power Path so immense it felt as if the Nine Heavens themselves were collapsing, crashing down with thunderous might.

For an instant, the Saint’s body froze. In the next instant, sword lights rained down, blanketing the area. His scalp tingled as he sensed their terrifying power, his pupils contracting involuntarily.

Then, he witnessed the most incredible sight of his life: the small black dog, Hei, stood on its hind legs, wielding a sword that slashed towards him.

Chen Shixian stared, dumbfounded.

Wen Qingshan was aghast.

The Saint Realm expert was stupefied.

What in the actual fuck...

He wanted to curse aloud, but the dense killing intention slashed down, catching the words in his throat. Moreover, Hei’s Sword Dao in this attack was completely different from his first. If the first strike was like fire, this one was like water—utterly and drastically different.

WOOF WOOF!

As the sword lights dissipated, the sword in Hei’s paw also vanished. He reverted to being an ordinary-looking, four-legged house pet. Shaking his tail and looking up with clear, dark eyes, he trotted back.

"Next time, if you can kill an enemy with one strike, don’t use a second," Chen Pingping said quietly. "Also, don’t imitate humans. Don’t ever imitate humans. Remember, you’re a dog."

For some reason, he was very dissatisfied with Hei standing like a human.

A dog should act like a dog.

Why try to imitate humans?

WOOF WOOF WOOF!

Hei looked utterly puzzled, making it unclear whether he understood and was feigning ignorance, or if he truly didn’t comprehend.

Chen Pingping gazed at the Saint Realm expert, whose life force had been extinguished. He murmured to himself, "This dog... he doesn’t even know he’s a dog. Now he’s learned to walk like a human. He must have picked it up from that old mother hen. Fuck... If he starts speaking human words in the future, I..."

That kind of scene would be utterly bizarre.

Just imagining it made Chen Pingping’s thoughts turn chaotic.