201 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 201: The Illness The Yao Huang had already delegated the authority over Xiang Shi Yan to Du Ruo, which meant that as long as Xiang Shi Yan's life was not in danger, Du Ruo could imprison her wherever she desired and treat her however she saw fit. When Xiang Shi Yan escaped to the demon capital, it was Du Ruo who recommended her, thereby allowing her to meet with the Yao Huang. Under Du Ruo’s mentorship, Xiang Shi Yan survived for decades instead of being killed immediately due to past grievances. Li Chi entrusted Xiang Shi Yan to Du Ruo because she was his most trusted disciple and had a close relationship with the prisoner, showcasing a surprisingly lenient attitude. Over these decades, Xiang Shi Yan, leveraging her knowledge of the original plot and her understanding of He He, repeatedly thwarted the secret maneuvers of rebellious factions within the Eagle Clan. She assisted Li Chi in resolving many issues, likely earning the Yao Huang's favor over time. Afraid that her master might rethink Xiang Shi Yan’s value and decide to keep her detained, Du Ruo left the dungeon in haste and returned to the Blackscale Clan's territory. Her entourage was still waiting in the capital for her return, only to find that their mistress had already gotten ahead of them. Xiang Shi Yan, controlled by a magical treasure, was unable to fly with her sword, so Du Ruo brought her along in flight. As soon as they landed, Xiang Shi Yan reached out to Du Ruo, the iron bands on her wrist glinting with a subtle red hue in the sunlight. Her dark eyes blinked innocently. The usually open serpent demon pursed her lips, grabbing Xiang Shi Yan's wrists and leading her into an empty waterside pavilion: "You need to explain some things to me." Xiang Shi Yan leisurely tidied up the tea table in the pavilion, pushing a purple clay teapot towards Du Ruo, interrupting the serpent demon, who was about to speak. Momentarily silenced, the demon first begrudgingly brewed a pot of tea for her. "Ask away." Seeing Xiang Shi Yan’s calm demeanor left Du Ruo unsure of what to ask. She never pried into Xiang Shi Yan’s secrets; it was an unspoken rule between them. However, when Xiang Shi Yan’s hidden matters suddenly surfaced before her, Du Ruo couldn’t suppress her curiosity... and worry. "Since I was taken under her wing, my master has occasionally mentioned these secret treasures. She never revealed where she heard about them, only persistently spoke of the 'Cloud Veil', sending people to search here and there." Du Ruo took a deep breath, calming herself, and spoke slowly as she observed Xiang Shi Yan. Both Xiao Luan and Du Ruo, Li Chi's two disciples, had heard of this artifact. The legendary spirit garment, said to be made from dragon skin, could allegedly withstand all worldly spells. However, both found it hard to believe given their master’s doubtful attitude when narrating. Following today's events, as Du Ruo witnessed her master’s calm and relieved expression, she realized why Xiang Shi Yan’s recommendation had gone so smoothly. The usually suspicious and peculiar Li Chi uncharacteristically trusted Xiang Shi Yan and frequently assigned her crucial tasks. It turned out she had long recognized Xiang Shi Yan’s connection to the black dragon and had been waiting patiently to uncover any clues related to the secret treasures. The Yao Huang seemed to desire almost nothing, except for these secret treasures she often mentioned to those close to her. Despite years of unverifiable rumors, they had now been confirmed. Yet she neither skinned Xiang Shi Yan on the spot to snatch the treasure, nor tortured her to extract the black dragon's whereabouts… "Tell me, where did this so-called treasure come from?" "You heard from your master; that dragon was killed in a conspiracy by the Taixu Sect,” Xiang Shi Yan said, lightly sipping her tea. “I don’t know the exact timing, but it can’t be more than a millennium ago.” For the past thousand years, the Taixu Sect and the Carp Clan were leading factions within their respective realms, but their actual connection only dates back three centuries to when the previous Yao Huang was slain. The one in power then was Li Xuan, who had just reached adulthood. Her whereabouts before ascending to the throne were unknown, and her cultivation was far inferior to her elder sister, who was both more gifted and more capable. At that time, Li Chi had already established a reputation among the clans. She and Li Xuan were born of the same mother, and as the eldest, there was no reason for her to yield the position to her less accomplished sister. Whatever agreements these sisters had, Li Xuan, too weak even to protect herself, ultimately ascended to the Yao Huang's throne, which ultimately led to her ambush and death by the Taixu Sect while on patrol. "So... could the rumors be true?" Xiang Shi Yan raised her eyelids slightly. Du Ruo understood her implications. Rumors circulated that Li Xuan, in her childhood, had been sold as a slave to the Taixu Sect, escaping by a stroke of luck but attracting their attention again upon becoming the Yao Huang. Allegedly, while held captive, Li Xuan learned too many of the Sect's secrets, which is why Fu Wen Yao and Bai Jing Huan risked provoking inter-clan conflict to silence her. She smirked slightly, "Just idle tales, how could you put stock in them?" Xiang Shi Yan remained silent, though internally she had her own speculations about past events. It seemed Fu and Bai aimed not just to silence her but to extract information about the Cloud Veil’s location. Li Xuan was a mere seventeen when she fled the Taixu Sect, with limited cultivation. Aware she would be hunted for stealing the treasure, she hid the Cloud Veil in the Hunyuan Realm, unwilling to let the treasure fall back into Taixu hands. Did the Taixu Sect leader truly fall prey to Li Xuan’s dark arts, as the rumors claimed? Of those involved, now only the present Taixu Sect leader, Fu Wen Yao, remains. He gained the secret treasure and succeeded his master to the top position—no one benefited more than he did. Yet it seems someone still remembers those past events. Thinking of those ominous red eyes, Xiang Shi Yan paused, then looked at Du Ruo, "I thought you were signaling me in the main hall to remove the shackles when we returned to the clan." "..." Du Ruo instinctively licked her lips, "It was the emperor's order; I wouldn’t dare defy her. Besides, this item is powered by my master's spiritual energy. Removing it recklessly might alert her—” "A jest like that should stop. You exaggerated the situation before the throne, afraid that Li Chi wouldn't imprison me?" As she spoke, Xiang Shi Yan maintained a serene demeanor, seemingly unconcerned about being bound and detained. Du Ruo, who initially intended to probe about Xiang Shi Yan’s connection to the black dragon, halted her questioning. Her amber eyes shone with suspicion, suspecting Xiang Shi Yan had already discerned something. "You may have favored me, but..." Du Ruo stood up with a cheerful demeanor, leaning close to Xiang Shi Yan and whispering, "My clan is known for repaying kindness with hostility—you've known that for a while, haven't you?" The Blackscale Clan, with their golden eyes and black armor, clearly descend from an ancient beast lineage. Du Ruo had her suspicions about Xiang Shi Yan’s escape from the Yucang Mountain and the unseen chess games she seemed to play over the years. When Du Ruo went to Xinyang City due to rumors of a strange water source, she failed to find coveted treasures but kept that eerie feeling in her memory. To covertly corner Xiang Shi Yan, leading her to flee her domain — it could only be someone from Xinyang, involved in human cultivator rumors about the Moonlit Lord’s disappearance, particularly that child. "Before leaving, my master discreetly ordered me to loosen your tongue. She didn't specify how or when, so for now, your fate rests with me. Stay here and keep me company for a while." The serpent demon chuckled, having feigned respect to lower Xiang Shi Yan's guard. Unable to decipher her heart, Du Ruo simply decided to keep her close; they had time on their side. Xiang Shi Yan calmly took a sip of tea, her chains jingling lightly. Seeing Du Ruo's puzzled look, she playfully pinched her cheek. The white-clad woman gracefully stood, heading to her usual guest room, waving back at the now-stiff serpent demon: "Tell Li Chi, whatever she plans, it’s best to delay it for now." "In less than a year, there will be chaos among the human cultivators." A corpse lay at the entrance of the Yucang Mountain's Wuji Hall, surrounded by a dense throng of disciples, an oppressive silence hanging in the air. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the two Teaching Elders still futilely attending to the body, while another young man sat despairingly, gazing at the youth-like corpse. The youth, clad in an inner disciple's robe, was barely clinging to life when his companion brought him back to the sect. The other companion was equally weakened, having crash-landed at the mountain's base, desperately calling on a passing disciple to bring his junior brother to Wuji Hall for the elders' aid. The young man's frantic cries drew the attention of many Yucang Mountain disciples. Though some observed that both wounded appeared lifeless and hastened to provide pills, the dying youth could not hold on much longer. Life and death are fated, and it is not unusual for disciples to have misfortunes while training beyond the mountain. However, cases like this rarely attracted such widespread attention. Many disciples joined the crowd in silence, their worried eyes fixed on the pale body. This marked the third incident of a disciple encountering danger outside the mountain this month. The previous two didn’t even live to return; only broken identity tokens conveyed their deaths. Had his companion not been there, the current one would likely have disappeared without a trace. Such mishaps weren’t confined to Yucang Mountain; other sects faced similar incidents. Young disciples, especially those from major sects with outstanding talent, kept meeting unexpected fates when leaving the mountain. Although sects discouraged spreading such baseless rumors, fear was already brewing among the disciples. Upon hearing the report, Huai Ye, who was in seclusion, rushed over immediately. Before her spirit sword landed, she jumped off, brushing aside the crowd and the Teaching Elder who was hastily channeling spiritual power into the youth. She pressed her palms against the young boy's chest. His body still held a slight warmth, yet oddly, his meridians had already begun to shrivel, and his inner spiritual power was completely gone, making him appear as if he had been dead for quite some time. Clearly, his dantian was damaged, showing signs of life force depletion, but despite the Teaching Elder’s persistent attempts to stabilize his golden core and infuse spiritual power, there was no response. Upon closer examination, Huai Ye discovered that his dantian was utterly barren, more desolate than even a mortal's. She had never encountered such a bizarre situation before. The Teaching Elder, whom Huai Ye had pushed aside, was the boy’s master. He stood there in a daze, watching her until the sect master slowly straightened up and shook his head at her. While comforting the distressed Senior Sister, Huai Ye glanced at He He, who had arrived quietly. Mok Zhu Peak Master was examining the fellow disciple who had brought the youth back. This disciple also had a pallid complexion, initially thought to be from exhaustion and shock. However, Huai Ye noticed He He taking out a pill from his Sumeru bag and giving it to the man. "Both display signs of meridian atrophy. The deceased could not be saved once his spiritual power dried up, but this one’s condition is milder. With medicinal aid and rest, he might possibly recover." Elders, summoned by the disciples, began to disperse the crowd surrounding Wuji Hall, moving the body and the trembling disciple inside. Upon hearing He He's diagnosis, they frowned and examined the surviving youth. Meridian atrophy typically signifies death, unlike simple spiritual power depletion—it shouldn't afflict the living unless gravely injured. Yet, this one bore no major injuries... Over the past month, more than ten individuals had fallen victim, with each sect initially paying little heed until incidents involving promising disciples continued to arise, prompting more alarm. Now with a living witness, the thought that the missing disciples might have met similar fates sent chills down everyone’s spines. Silence enveloped the hall, broken only by the youth's tremulous mutterings. Huai Ye overheard He He cough twice and frowned, looking at her junior sister. "Are your old wounds acting up again?" "...Yes." Seeing some elders impatiently wanting to question the youth, He He intervened quickly, "Let him rest for now. He exhausted himself bringing his brother back to the sect and is both physically and mentally depleted. Better to question him after he recovers." Yi Shi Elder assisted the youth, saying, "Let him stay in my cave for now for safety, to prevent further mishaps." "Cough, cough, I'll fetch some medicine for this junior nephew." As He He turned to leave, Huai Ye followed and pulled her aside outside Wuji Hall. "If you're not feeling well, don't rush to make medicine. Your health is important." "With lives at stake, what sort of sect leader are you?" He He glared at her. "It's just a scratchy throat; you're overreacting, acting like I'm on my deathbed." Huai Ye hesitantly examined her, and seeing no obvious symptoms, finally relented and let her go. “Cough…cough cough…cough cough—” In the herb-scented alchemy room, the somber golden eyes observed the plum blossom-like spots of blood on white silk. The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance and stuffed the fabric inside her sleeve. 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