CHAPTER 187: CHAPTER 160: THE AZURE DRAGON’S HERITAGE

After resting for nearly three months, Chen Jiuge finally remembered to get back to business.

***

After the battle with Yue Li and other beasts ceased, Li Kui felt that the environment within the ecological sphere suited him. So, after paying a large sum of Spirit Stones, he moved to a mountaintop within the ecological sphere.

"Why have you come?" Li Kui looked in surprise at Chen Jiuge, who had suddenly visited.

"I’m here for something, of course," Chen Jiuge replied, releasing the White Spiritual Bird that had temporarily served as his mount back into the sky.

"What is it?" Li Kui asked lazily, waving his tail.

"Last time, you mentioned the Taowu cub. Are you sure it’s in that area?" Chen Jiuge asked earnestly.

Li Kui recalled the traces he had found when he had sneaked back to his old home to retrieve some hidden treasures. He hesitated before saying, "Indeed, there were still traces of a Taowu there."

"But I always feel something isn’t quite right. Taowu are much more ferocious than our Kun clan, yet those traces seemed too gentle."

"Besides, a thousand years ago, when I was still around, that Taowu had already reached the Returning to Void realm. A thousand years have passed. No matter what, its power should at least be at the Mahayana cultivation level by now. If it had some great fortuitous encounter, reaching the True Immortal Realm wouldn’t be impossible."

"In my opinion, you should wait until you become a True Immortal before checking it out. After all, a thousand years have passed and it’s still there, so it probably won’t leave even after another thousand years."

Chen Jiuge looked at Li Kui in surprise. He seems quite wary of this Taowu.

Seeing Chen Jiuge’s gaze, Li Kui snorted coldly in displeasure. "Don’t look at me like that. The Taowu clan is even more extreme than our Kun clan. They send their young out to wander once they’ve grown a bit."

"They grow by fighting and slaughtering all the way. When it comes to sheer killing prowess, perhaps only the Qiongqi and the Zhen can compare to a Taowu."

"And you don’t think that just capturing this Taowu and making a Contract with it would settle everything, do you? Although the Taowu clan has few members due to their temperament, they are very protective of their young. Your Myriad Beasts Sect is strong, but surely you wouldn’t want to provoke such a powerful enemy just for yourself, right?"

"Even if it is possible, it would come at a cost."

"So, were you deceiving me when you proposed exchanging the Taowu for your freedom earlier?" Chen Jiuge asked, his gaze becoming unfriendly.

"Not exactly deception. If you could defeat that Taowu one-on-one, the previous issues wouldn’t be a problem. But the key is, you definitely can’t win," Li Kui explained.

"I can fight you to a draw, yet you say I can’t defeat that younger Taowu?" Chen Jiuge was skeptical.

Li Kui replied, displeased, "If we were in the same realm, a Taowu could pin me down—of course, that’s mainly because I haven’t cultivated for very long."

Feeling embarrassed by his words, Li Kui turned his back on Chen Jiuge, refusing to speak further.

Fortunately, Chen Jiuge had learned what he needed to know and didn’t disturb Li Kui further, who had just revealed his own shortcomings.

After Chen Jiuge left, Li Kui muttered to himself, "Those Taowu beasts... only the Qiongqi and the Zhen would bother fighting them. The rest should just forget it; they’re all battle maniacs."

***

On his way back, Chen Jiuge saw Yue Li, drenched in sweat, training by pulling a large herd of Giant Rhinoceroses. It was clear the training had been going on for a long time.

Indeed, to have never won a one-on-one fight, and to only manage a draw in a five-against-one, is quite a loss of face for a beast.

Chen Jiuge shook his head but said nothing and returned to his small courtyard.

"You are... you’re that Azure Dragon who’s a ’little bit’ open?" Chen Jiuge looked at the middle-aged man before him, who was surrounded by a large group of children. He recalled the Azure Dragon he had encountered in the Main Hall while purifying the bloodlines of the Divine Beast cubs and asked in surprise.

"Ahem, I was only slightly open, no need to shout about it. My name is Ao Tian," the Azure Dragon, Ao Tian, said somewhat awkwardly.

"Senior Ao Tian, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Chen Jiuge," Chen Jiuge replied, realizing his slip of the tongue. Ao Tian had certainly left a deep impression on him.

"I know. And you don’t have to call me senior. Just call me Brother Tian. How about I call you Brother Jiuge?" Ao Tian said very enthusiastically.

Chen Jiuge eyed Ao Tian suspiciously. This man is either a Heavenly Immortal or a Golden Immortal. Isn’t it a bit odd for him to want to be like brothers with me? Then he saw the various bizarre cubs running around the courtyard and somewhat understood.

To be honest, although this dragon Ao Tian is quite the seed-spreader, he’s still quite responsible. That’s a rarity in the Dragon Clan.

"Brother Jiuge, I truly had no other recourse this time. My paramours have blessed me with another large litter, and I’m counting on you, younger brother," Ao Tian said, lovingly cradling a cub that barely resembled a dragon, its head more akin to a catfish.

The thought of Ao Tian being lovey-dovey with a catfish spirit made Chen Jiuge shiver suddenly. The image was too ’beautiful’ to imagine.

"Don’t worry, younger brother, I won’t let you do this for nothing. Look, what’s this?" Ao Tian said, pulling out a round bead.

"HISS! A Dragon Ball?" Chen Jiuge looked at Ao Tian in disbelief. Isn’t this equivalent to digging up his own clansman’s grave and gifting the remains?

"That’s right, it’s a Dragon Ball, and a Heavenly Immortal’s Dragon Ball at that!" Ao Tian said, his face contorting as if in pain. "As long as you can help me with my children’s issues in the future, this Dragon Ball is yours. I’ll also use a Secret Technique to make this Dragon Ball influence an area, primarily so that the Spiritual Beasts in that region will all possess a trace of Azure Dragon bloodline."

"An Azure Dragon’s Dragon Ball?" Chen Jiuge’s eyes widened even more. The Azure Dragons of the Myriad Beasts Sect are few and far between. This Dragon Ball probably belonged to one of Ao Tian’s direct relatives, didn’t it? Isn’t this too ruthless? Digging up the grave of a direct relative?

"Alright, no problem," Chen Jiuge quickly agreed. This is an Azure Dragon’s Dragon Ball! Given enough time, I could cultivate a Holy Beast Azure Dragon! Just thinking about it makes me drool.

This time, Chen Jiuge handled Ao Tian’s children with exceptional care. He followed Ao Tian’s wishes, aiming to align them more closely with the Dragon Clan while also enhancing their innate talents wherever possible.

It’s just that several of the young ones had bloodlines from other Dragon Species in them. This made Chen Jiuge silently sympathize with Ao Tian. How tragic! Is this the fate of a prolific seed-spreader?

Looking at the uniquely different younglings scattered around, Ao Tian suddenly felt that giving away his third uncle’s Dragon Ball wasn’t so bad after all. Look at this batch of children; they clearly resemble the Dragon Clan more—no, they already are of the Dragon Clan! Even if their bloodline isn’t very pure, as long as I contribute a bit of my own blood, it won’t be an issue.

A very satisfied Ao Tian naturally kept his promise and was about to place the Dragon Ball in Eden Garden. However, Eden Garden was now so vast that if the Dragon Ball’s influence radiated throughout the entire area, the bloodline effect would be too diluted. Therefore, Chen Jiuge specifically asked Ao Tian to concentrate its effects on the zone where the Red Flame Sheep and other Spiritual Beasts resided.

As Ao Tian was setting up the Array, Chen Jiuge also discerned Ao Tian’s cultivation level. A Heavenly Immortal definitely wouldn’t have this kind of imposing presence. Ao Tian is a Golden Immortal!

To think that I’m now on brotherly terms with a Golden Immortal! Chen Jiuge felt a bit giddy.

Ao Tian didn’t linger. After setting up the Array, he left with his children. As he put it, "The problem is solved. I must find my paramours to celebrate!"

This gave Chen Jiuge an even deeper appreciation for the moniker ’seed-spreader’ among the Dragon Species. He’s truly relentless. I wonder if there have ever been cases of dragons dying from... procreative exhaustion.

***

Just when Chen Jiuge thought matters with Ao Tian had concluded, other Azure Dragons arrived the very next day.

"And you are?" Chen Jiuge asked cautiously, observing the white-haired elder and sensing his unfathomable cultivation.

"A disciple of Wen Tianming, a grand-disciple from the Ye Sheng lineage? You are very good," the elder began with a round of praise, leaving Chen Jiuge completely bewildered.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ao Hai, the current Clan Leader of the Myriad Beasts Sect’s Green Dragon Clan, and also Ao Tian’s father," Ao Hai said with a chuckle.

HISS. Chen Jiuge drew a sharp breath. If possible, I’d suck all the air out of this world right now!

Why are Divine Beasts called Divine Beasts? Because of their innate talent and potential. So, what allows Divine Beasts to protect their clan’s young? Their formidable strength.

The strongest member of an ordinary Divine Beast’s clan might only be a Golden Immortal. However, the strongest member of the most elite Divine Beast clans is definitely an Immortal Daluo Golden Immortal. Otherwise, these Divine Beasts would have long ago become Guardian Sect Beasts for the top Sects.

It is rumored that a major reason the Four Great Peaks possess such formidable strength is the presence of clans from the Myriad Beasts Sect’s Four Sacred Beasts. It’s said that their clan leaders are all Immortal Daluo Golden Immortals.

"Greetings, Great Ancestor," Chen Jiuge said, bowing respectfully.

"There’s no need for such formality. Yesterday, I discovered that wretched son of mine, Ao Tian, brought back a bunch of disgraceful things, and I was furious. When I learned he used his third uncle’s Dragon Ball as payment to have someone deal with those embarrassing items, my rage truly soared." Ao Hai regarded Chen Jiuge with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Chen Jiuge shivered. "Great Ancestor, that Dragon Ball is currently part of that Great Array. My cultivation is too low to remove it. I must trouble Great Ancestor to retrieve it himself."

"I have no intention of taking back something that has been given away, especially since you did an excellent job. I had heard about the affairs of Green Dragon Peak and the Hundred Dragon Pond before, but I never imagined you could even handle the Azure Dragon bloodline."

"Even that disciple who awakened ’Causality Refinement’ wasn’t able to do that," Ao Hai said, looking at Chen Jiuge with deep meaning.

That gaze made cold sweat trickle down Chen Jiuge’s back.

"Don’t worry. I’ve seen many peerless geniuses in my time; you’re not the only one. There are those born with a Holy Weapon, those who became immortals in a century, and even those for whom golden lotuses bloomed where they first stood—far too many to count. I will not pry into your secrets. I just have a small matter I need your help with," Ao Hai said, his tone shifting.

Watching Ao Hai’s expression turn slightly roguish, Chen Jiuge managed to calm down a bit.

Then, Ao Hai set up a Barrier and, with a wave of his hand, summoned a group of Spiritual Beasts that all bore draconic features. "These are my children. Help me take a look at them too. Don’t worry, I’ll compensate you."

Chen Jiuge was dumbfounded. Huh? This turn of events has caught me completely off guard.

"Kid, you should know that my Green Dragon Clan doesn’t have many direct descendants. Plus, the Infinite Star Sea constantly demands that we send our people there. Isn’t this just a way to minimize the loss of our direct lineage bloodline?" Ao Hai offered, by way of explanation.

Although Chen Jiuge didn’t understand why an Immortal Daluo Golden Immortal was explaining things to him, Ao Hai’s attitude did indeed help him relax.

After some discussion, it became clear that Ao Hai was somewhat different from Ao Tian. Ao Tian preferred his children to resemble him, whereas Ao Hai prioritized strength, which made his earlier explanation seem more plausible.

As each Spiritual Beast cub underwent a transformation, Ao Hai’s mind was in turmoil. This boy is a benefactor to my Green Dragon Clan! A great benefactor! No, I must protect him. My... future dynastic happiness depends on him! I must dispatch some dragons to guard him.

The compensation Ao Hai left behind was a Protective Technique. As long as Chen Jiuge didn’t encounter an attack from an Immortal Daluo Golden Immortal, this spell would keep him unharmed.

This was a very generous gift, and Chen Jiuge was extremely satisfied. He even hoped Ao Hai would visit more often, to infinitely stack his defenses.