Chapter 725: Making Grat.i.tude and Grudges Clear
When Xiao Chen heard what Shui Lingling said, he smiled gently. However, his gaze remained fixed on the central True Dragon remains. There was no pride in his eyes.
The five Fiend Race loose cultivators had transformed into their Fiend forms. However, An Junxi still held the advantage. Standing on the colossal dragon skull, he used a lightning whip to keep all five Fiend Race loose cultivators suppressed.
“Let’s stop speaking about that and split up the True Dragon remains. I hope that we will be lucky and find a few drops of Dragon Marrow.” Shui Lingling called the group over, smiling.
Even after the rest started moving, Xiao Chen remained where he was. The group could not help giving him puzzled looks, not knowing what he wanted to do.
Xiao Chen gazed expressionlessly at w.a.n.g Cheng and said in a cold and calm voice, “This person is not qualified to share in the spoils of the True Dragon remains.”
When Hu Hai and the others heard that, their expressions changed. Doubt filled their minds. Xiao Chen’s words were rather hurtful, entirely out of character for him.
w.a.n.g Cheng started sweating heavily in panic. The moment had finally come. Xiao Chen really did not intend to let him off.
When w.a.n.g Cheng saw Xiao Chen return and show off his power, he had already guessed the end. Now that it was actually here and he still could not avoid it, he was a bundle of nerves.
Chen Xiao said, “Junior Brother Xiao Chen, although w.a.n.g Cheng had said some mean things to you and shown you a lot of disrespect, we are all from the same sect. There is no need to push things this far.”
Shui Lingling looked around and saw w.a.n.g Cheng blanch and tremble. She felt that something was odd, so she frowned and said, “Don’t speak yet. Let Xiao Chen finish.”
A murderous intent flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes as he stared at w.a.n.g Cheng. Then, he enunciated every word, saying, “Back at the True Dragon Storm, I did not lose my grip and fly out. Rather, he mounted a sneak attack and kicked me out.”
What Xiao Chen said blew everyone’s minds. They could not believe it was true.
Jun Si’s pretty face turned cold. She immediately raged, “w.a.n.g Cheng, is what Junior Brother Xiao Chen said true?!”
Hu Hai remained silent and looked at w.a.n.g Cheng with an expression filled with helplessness. Given what he knew of Xiao Chen’s character, Xiao Chen would definitely not slander w.a.n.g Cheng.
Back then, he had found it bizarre that Xiao Chen had fallen into the True Dragon Storm. Even Jun Si, the weakest among them, had not been pulled out. How then had Xiao Chen gotten sucked into the True Dragon Storm?
Everyone had only been confused and incredulous, but no one suspected w.a.n.g Cheng. No matter what, they were all on the same team; he could not have been so vicious.
w.a.n.g Cheng glanced at Shui Lingling’s expression. She turned cold, radiating a murderous intent, not showing any emotion. Her reaction dashed his final hope.
Only Shui Lingling could suppress Xiao Chen. He had been hoping that this First Senior Sister would help him persuade Xiao Chen on account of his true inheritor status, at least to postpone any punishment until after they returned to the sect.
It looked like there was no more hope; Shui Lingling did not intend to help w.a.n.g Cheng at all.
Run!
w.a.n.g Cheng did not even bother with Jun Si’s questions. Without saying a word, he immediately turned to run. He had to survive today at least; only by leaving this place would he stand a chance of making it out alive.
Using his Movement Technique, w.a.n.g Cheng fled at full speed. As long as Shui Lingling did not attack, if the others wanted to chase after him in this chaotic burial ground, they would have to spend a lot of effort. Xiao Chen should be no exception to this.
“Boom!”
However, w.a.n.g Cheng underestimated Shui Lingling’s rage. He had only moved two hundred meters when a fiery light flashed like a meteor. Then, his head exploded in a burst of scarlet.
Shui Lingling gently lowered her bow with a complicated expression. She said after a drawn-out sigh, “Originally, I was planning on using the Flowing Light Arrow to deal with Bai Wuxue. Unexpectedly, I ended up using it on one of our own.”
w.a.n.g Cheng’s headless corpse slowly fell over, startling the people around who saw this. They did not know what had happened.
“This is odd. Shui Lingling actually attacked one of her own.” Incredulous, Murong Lingfeng leaped off the True Dragon remains.
Luo Zixiao, who had fought Murong Lingfeng to a draw, said uncaringly, “That is a matter internal to the Supreme Sky Sect. It has nothing to do with us. We had best focus on whether this set of True Dragon remains has any Dragon Marrow. If there is some, then this trip will be worth it.”
Murong Lingfeng stood on the spine of the True Dragon remains, counting the segments. When he got to the ninth one, he stopped.
“Ha ha, I advise you not to hope too much. This one is a follower True Dragon, so there’s not much chance of it having Dragon Marrow. The one that An Junxi is fighting for has the best odds,” Murong Lingfeng said calmly as he smiled and removed the ninth vertebra.
The True Dragons also had different rankings. Typically, there would be only one alpha in a True Dragon Cave. The rest would be its subordinates.
Clearly, in this burial ground, the most ma.s.sive set of remains, which was under An Junxi’s feet, belonged to the alpha.
That set of True Dragon remains also had the highest chance of containing Dragon Marrow. Otherwise, it would not have resulted in the Fiend Race loose cultivators working together or interested An Junxi.
Naturally, Luo Zixiao understood this as well. He stepped forward and gently touched the True Dragon remains. Then he said indifferently, “It does not really matter. Along the way, the fruits and Spirit Herbs that we picked, as well as the rare ores we found, already covered our cost and gave us some profit.
“If we find Dragon Marrow, it will be a pleasant surprise. If we do not, we have not lost anything.”
Murong Lingfeng held up the dragon vertebra in his hand and shook it hard. As the vertebra was empty, no sound came from it. He could not help but be slightly disappointed.
If there were Dragon Marrow in the vertebra, when Murong Lingfeng shook it and the Dragon Marrow swished around, it would give off a heavy, resonant, and mighty True Dragon’s roar that would reverberate throughout the entire cave, shaking it.
This set of True Dragon remains did not have Dragon Marrow. However, it still had a high value. Even after splitting it evenly, they would not make a loss.
These remains had great practical use no matter whether one exchanged it for resources or Spirit Stones, or perhaps forged weapons or refined Medicinal Pills.
Elsewhere, w.a.n.g Meng held up the ninth vertebra of his set of True Dragon remains while staring at the white-robed Xiao Chen. However, he did not move at all.
Jiang Zeyuan frowned slightly and said unhappily, “w.a.n.g Meng, you can’t be afraid that there is Dragon Marrow inside and I might attack you for it. Why have you not sounded it out yet?”
w.a.n.g Meng recovered his wits and ignored Jiang Zeyuan’s words. His expression turned serious as he muttered, “So, it is him, that white-robed brat who took my half drop of Dragon Marrow. Looks like I need to have a talk with Shui Lingling later about settling accounts.”
When Jiang Zeyuan saw w.a.n.g Meng stonewalling, he could not help but repeat what he had said earlier. He did not have any other intention. He only wanted to know if there was any Dragon Marrow.
If there was, Jiang Zeyuan could offer w.a.n.g Meng resources to trade for it. His physical body’s defense had always been one of his weak points, so he needed the Dragon Marrow badly to improve it.
w.a.n.g Meng laughed loudly and casually tossed the vertebra over. Then he said, “In that case, do it yourself. I, w.a.n.g Meng, am not afraid of you playing any tricks.”
Jiang Zeyuan did not feel like saying anything more. He caught the dragon vertebra and shook it hard. Empty, there was no sound at all.
He could not help but reveal an extremely disappointed expression. He looked to the front, staring at the most ma.s.sive set of True Dragon remains, where An Junxi had yet to conclude his battle with the Fiend Race loose cultivators.
“It looks like only that set of remains will have Dragon Marrow,” Jiang Zeyuan said with a glum face.
A corner of w.a.n.g Meng’s mouth quirked slightly, and he countered, “That might not be so. However, even if it is, you would not be able to trade for it. An Junxi intends to use the entire spine to forge a True Dragon Lightning Whip. Taking out the Dragon Marrow would damage it.”
Jiang Zeyuan sighed softly and said, “I know that as well. However, An Junxi is getting increasingly stronger. Soon, he will probably comprehend the will of thunder. At that time, he would be able to face the three Holy Scions in combat.”
w.a.n.g Meng corrected him sullenly, “It is not ‘soon.’ He has already comprehended it. The real question is, what percentage has he comprehended it to?”
When Jiang Zeyuan heard this news, his body visibly froze. He asked, “How do you know? Have you fought with him lately?”
w.a.n.g Meng’s expression slowly turned grave. He nodded slightly and replied, “Do you think that I’m the kind of person who would sit by idly and let someone else obtain the t.i.tle of the strongest of the seven giants?
“Three years ago, I fought him once; I lost after a hundred moves. Two years ago, I fought him again; the result was the same, one hundred moves. Last year, I had another fight with him; it ended in ten moves!”
Defeating w.a.n.g Meng in ten moves! Jiang Zeyuan could not help but reveal profound shock in his eyes. He said, “Your cultivation and Martial Technique are comparable to his. There is only one explanation for such a quick loss.”
w.a.n.g Meng waved his hand and put away the entire set of True Dragon remains. Then, he s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the central True Dragon remains. He said, “Just wait and see. In the next round of the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking, the top three positions will have changes.”
Feng Xingsheng also picked up the ninth vertebra on his set and shook it before his many juniors. In the end, there was nothing, not a single sound.
Aside from the central remains, three of the four remains did not have any Dragon Marrow. The rarity of Dragon Marrow proved itself again.
A True Dragon Cave would not emerge at every experiential training in the Savage Battlefield. Even if there were a new one, most of the dragon bones would not contain Dragon Marrow.
It was even possible for an entire True Dragon Cave not to contain any True Dragon remains; it had happened before.
“First Senior Sister, don’t shake this vertebra yet.”
Shui Lingling had also removed the ninth vertebra. However, Xiao Chen forestalled her by calling out.
After Xiao Chen’s Azure Dragon Martial Spirit recondensed, he felt a mysterious connection with the True Dragon remains.
Xiao Chen could not gain any insight into these dragon bones with his Spiritual Sense, Mental Energy, or perception. However, he had a hunch that this vertebra had Dragon Marrow hidden within it. Once it became public, they would attract everyone’s attention, along with all sorts of problems.
The suggestion stunned Shui Lingling, but she did as Xiao Chen said, handing the vertebra over to him for safekeeping.
As for the remaining True Dragon remains, Shui Lingling divided it according to everyone’s contribution. She and Xiao Chen had forty percent each. The remaining twenty percent was split equally between Hu Hai, Jun Si, and Chen Xiao.
Such a split did not provoke any objection. Without Xiao Chen or Shui Lingling, they would not have been able to obtain any dragon bone.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a remarkably resonant and divine thunder roared. The thunder imprinted itself in everybody’s seas of consciousness, echoing without end as the seas of consciousness seethed.
Clearly, it was only a crack of thunder. However, it resounded relentlessly in everyone’s minds. All those who heard it felt as if they had been immersed in a sea of lightning, as if lightning surrounded them.
Heaven and earth changed colors. Clouds churned and winds blew. It looked as though a bolt of lightning with Heavenly Might would blast their souls into smoke at any time to disappear into thin air.
Xiao Chen calmed himself, and his surging Mental Energy allowed him to escape this illusion instantly.