CHAPTER 756: CHAPTER 467 SECRET REALM DRAGON NEST

The lights and shadows in front of his eyes twisted and then restored instantly.

Ji Xinghuo and another person, along with three dragons and Qing Hong, appeared above a vast expanse of sea. After successive Star Realm Jumps, each within a distance of no more than five hundred kilometers and with the direction randomly changing every time, they increased the difficulty of being tracked.

"We can’t jump anymore," Ji Xinghuo said.

Since the first jump when tracking the Cloud Sea Dragon, he had been silently counting the number of jumps and the total distance to avoid hitting the limit.

The number of jumps was enough.

But the total distance of the jumps was approaching the upper limit, with less than 2,000 kilometers remaining, which needed to be reserved for unforeseen events.

Cang Ya was also aware of the jump limitations and nodded slightly.

"From now on we can only fly on our own," Ji Xinghuo said. "You’ve gotten the Cloud Sea Dragon, do you want to return to Donghuang Island, or somewhere else?"

"I haven’t thought about it yet..."

Cang Ya looked at Ji Xinghuo’s face, unsure of what to say. The competition for the Cloud Sea Dragon was far more intense than she had expected; she had almost given up hope when Xukun Tianlin appeared, yet she actually got the Cloud Sea Dragon!

Even now, she still felt like she was dreaming, with an unreal sensation.

"Why are you looking at me?" Ji Xinghuo said with a smile.

Cang Ya suddenly realized her lapse and, in a flustered state, hurriedly took out seven bottles filled with sea-blue potions, "These are the promised Essence of Deep Sea for you."

"Thank you."

Ji Xinghuo accepted them.

Cang Ya barely regained her composure and earnestly said, "Ten portions of Essence of Deep Sea are far from enough as compensation for this time; I will find a way to make it up to you."

"That’s not necessary," Ji Xinghuo said, unconcerned. "We just need to follow the price we agreed on in advance."

This was a matter of principle.

Seeing him insist, Cang Ya did not say more, but she was contemplating how to make amends in her heart.

"How is your injury?" Ji Xinghuo asked with concern.

"It’s very bad."

Cang Ya shook her head and said with a frown, "Xukun Tianlin is indeed the hidden prodigy of the Xukun Family in this generation; although he didn’t dare to kill me, it will take several months to fully recover from this serious injury."

Even now, thinking about the pressure she had faced against Xukun Tianlin, she still felt a lingering fear. The gap in strength was too great.

Ji Xinghuo laughed, "I’ve already taken revenge for you."

"Ah?"

Cang Ya’s beautiful eyes widened. She had been wanting to ask why Xukun Tianlin, after chasing after Ji Xinghuo, had not returned?

"I’ve seriously injured Xukun Tianlin; he probably needs some time to recover," Ji Xinghuo said nonchalantly.

"You actually defeated him?" Cang Ya’s face showed disbelief.

Xukun Tianlin was a Sixth Rank Dragon Lord of the Dynasty, listed in the Hidden Dragon Series, a future Shepherd Star Saint. In the Bibo Dragon Domain, among the Mutants ranked below Seventh Rank, those who had long been famous all lost to Xukun Tianlin.

She was aware that Annihilation Jin had limitless potential and was also a prodigy of the Hidden Dragon Series, far surpassing most Sixth Rank powerhouses.

But Annihilation Jin was only Legendary at present, its potential not yet realized.

There shouldn’t have been any suspense when they clashed.

Cang Ya never thought he could defeat Xukun Tianlin; escaping safely would have been good enough. She assumed he must have used some tactic to temporarily shake off the other.

"If Xukun Tianlin hadn’t fled so quickly, he would be dead now. Actually, I didn’t even use my full strength," Ji Xinghuo said half-truthfully, lifting his wrist to reveal a blue-green pattern emerging on his skin, "This is the spoils of defeating him."

"Azure Sky Ring!"

Cang Ya exclaimed in shock, recognizing the equipment. It was the exclusive Dragon Ring made by the Xukun Family, reaching Apocalypse Three Stars.

In the Donghuang Sea, many people knew Xukun Tianlin possessed an Azure Sky Ring.

Now in Ji Xinghuo’s hands, everything was self-evident.

"You really defeated him!"

Cang Ya stared at the Azure Sky Ring unbelievingly, at a loss for words to express the shock in her heart.

"Don’t spread this around," Ji Xinghuo cautioned. "Xukun Tianlin will surely come to you, inquiring for my information. When the time comes, just tell him my name is Yunhuo Liaoyun, a hired hand on a temporary basis, and you know nothing else of the matter."

He revealed the Azure Sky Ring to Cang Ya to prepare her.

"I know how to handle it."

Cang Ya took a deep breath, understanding Xukun Tianlin would never let go of an Apocalypse Three Stars treasure and that the Xukun Family would apply pressure.

But it was Xukun Tianlin’s own failing, with no right side to the affair; the Xukun Family wouldn’t dare to do much.

"That’s good to hear," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Just then, the Cloud Sea Dragon drew closer, its long body undulating in the mist, bringing its huge head in front of the two, and cautiously took a glance at Ji Xinghuo before communicating with Cang Ya, uttering a deep roar.

After listening, Cang Ya said, "It wants to take us to its Dragon Nest, where it has collected treasures to offer you."

"Offered to me?" Ji Xinghuo was surprised.

The Cloud Sea Dragon nodded vigorously, its Dragon Eyes filled with a look of appeasement.

"Yes," Cang Ya was also puzzled. She was the master of the Cloud Sea Dragon, yet it seemed to be closer to Ji Xinghuo. She couldn’t help asking, "How did you tame it?" Then she looked towards Qing Hong, thinking it must be the key to taming the Cloud Sea Dragon.

"Fists!"

Ji Xinghuo chuckled. "The more intelligent a creature is, the easier it is to communicate with. You just have to make it understand that if it doesn’t submit, it will die immediately, and naturally it will be willing to submit." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the Cloud Sea Dragon, conveying a hint of warning.

The Cloud Sea Dragon’s neck shrank as it instinctively backed away.

"So it’s that simple..." Cang Ya noted this scene thoughtfully and tactfully did not pursue the matter further.

Ji Xinghuo asked, "Where is its dragon nest?"

"Over there," Cang Ya pointed towards the south, "about 1,800 dragon lengths away, not far from where I first discovered it."

"We’ll fly over."

The two of them landed on the back of the Ice Soul Dragon, with the Cloud Sea Dragon leading the way.

Qing Hong shrank in size, this time it did not fly into Ji Xinghuo’s pocket but returned to its true form over five meters long, landing on the dragon’s back beside Ji Xinghuo, curiously observing the seascape above.

"Is it your war pet?" Cang Ya sized up Qing Hong, who had just brought back the Cloud Sea Dragon, giving her quite a start.

Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Its name is Qing Hong."

Qing Hong turned its head towards Cang Ya, cracked a smile, and even nodded.

"What species is this? I’ve never seen it before," Cang Ya couldn’t contain her curiosity. Such a powerful war pet, always with Ji Xinghuo, and yet she had never noticed it, made her feel that this man was becoming more and more mysterious.

Ji Xinghuo replied, "Qing Hong is a True Vacuum Kirin that has been following me for a long time. It’s a kind of mutant spiritual object."

"No wonder it’s so formidable!" exclaimed Cang Ya, her face lighting up with realization.

Although she had never heard of the True Vacuum Kirin, she could tell that this divine and strange spiritual object was more powerful than most dragons, on par with Divine Dragon Species!

True Vacuum Kirin, and an Annihilation Dragon too.

Cang Ya had countless questions in her mind, wanting to explore the depths of this man before her, deeply attracted but unable to express it.

In the end, she simply said, "I will continue my recovery."

"Alright."

Ji Xinghuo did not disturb her and saw her sitting cross-legged on the dragon’s back with her eyes closed, a stream of water flowing back and forth on her skin. This was "Life Spring," one of the Water Master’s abilities, capable of healing injuries and speeding up wound recovery.

However, Cang Ya’s injuries were too severe this time, and at their worst, she was nearly in mortal danger. Life Spring was not a complete cure and required a long period of gradual convalescence.

In Ji Xinghuo’s hand was a dose of "Holy Blood Life Liquid."

This was a gift from Bi Fengyu while at Black Ring Star, which should be able to let Cang Ya recover immediately.

But after thinking about it, he did not take it out.

This kind of sacred healing potion was meant for the most urgent life-saving situations. Cang Ya was already safe and could return to Donghuang Island for a slow recovery; there was no need to waste the potion.

The Ice Soul Dragon flew at full speed.

When night fell, they finally arrived at the Cloud Sea Dragon’s lair, which plunged into the sea and dove deeper into the depths.

Ji Xinghuo’s electromagnetic induction swept across the seabed, feeling something familiar. He had been here before while searching for the Cloud Sea Dragon but had not noticed anything unusual.

"Let’s go down," Cang Ya said.

The Ice Soul Dragon could swim in the water but not quickly. Canglong enveloped the Ice Soul Dragon in a stream of water, carrying both people and Qing Hong deep into the sea, growing darker as they went deeper.

Fortunately, both were not solely reliant on their eyesight, so this had little impact.

Soon, they entered a massive sea trench at the bottom of the sea, over thirty thousand meters deep, the immense pressure suffocating.

Canglong held back the water pressure with a curtain of water.

The Cloud Sea Dragon swam into the trench, going even deeper, until it finally reached a fissure in the rock several thousand meters long. This kind of rock formation was common in the Sea Abyss, but approaching now, Ji Xinghuo finally noticed something off.

Among these crisscrossing fissures was a faint and dim Void Rift, hard to detect.

The Cloud Sea Dragon dived in and disappeared.

"Cloud Map says its Dragon Nest is in there," Cang Ya pointed at the Void Rift, Cloud Map being the name she had just given to the Cloud Sea Dragon.

Ji Xinghuo’s gaze pierced the void, barely making out the contours within the rift, "Let’s go in, there’s no problem."

A subdued dragon will not harm its Dragon Lord.

This Cloud Sea Dragon was very clever, understanding the stakes; if it dared to harbor ill will, it would not meet a good end.

The torrent formed by Canglong surged into the rift, the view flashed before their eyes, and they suddenly appeared in a bright space. The light came from a large number of gemstones, pearls, and crystals piled on the ground, with an invisible barrier keeping out the water, creating an irregularly shaped space roughly four hundred meters in diameter, as though made of glass.

"A Secret Realm Fragment!" Cang Ya looked around and exclaimed in surprise.

Ji Xinghuo also realized it was a Secret Realm Fragment, similar to the one Ye Zhen had in Peach Blossom Valley but much smaller in space.

In the center of the secret realm was a large pool filled with seawater, by which countless shiny things were piled, mostly corals and various luminous objects, gemstones, pearls, and crystals, all products of the sea.

The Cloud Sea Dragon dove into the pool for a pleasant swim, emitting a comfortable roar.

It then landed on a gigantic coral tree, its mist-like body coiling among the branches, spiraling upward, and from the treetop it bit a disc carved out of a single crystal block, flying over and landing in front of them.

Within the three-meter diameter crystal disc was what the Cloud Sea Dragon considered its most precious treasure, sparkling and shining.

The majority were Ether Crystals.

Natural Ether Crystals could also form in the Sea Abyss and there were tens of thousands of them in total. These Ether Crystals alone were of staggering value. As for the other items, Ji Xinghuo did not recognize most of them, making it hard to assess their worth.

"Mirage Spirit Pearls!" Suddenly, Cang Ya pointed at a few bright and dazzling pearls, exclaiming with delight, "Could these be Mirage Spirit Pearls?"