Chapter 173

Chapter 173: I Need Your Help (4000 Words, Two-in-One)

The task of slaying the Evil Dragon will definitely require the cooperation of the people from Stone Family Village.

Otherwise, with that Evil Dragon lurking underwater, it would be quite troublesome for oneself.

If one were to recklessly approach the Evil Dragon’s lair, it would essentially be offering oneself as a mere snack.

Throughout this process, the villagers of Stone Family Village would undoubtedly face numerous risks.

To prevent them from backing out, Xu Ming declared, “If the Evil Dragon does not die, I shall not leave,” putting their minds at ease.

Of course, Xu Ming also had contingency plans. He couldn’t fully trust the village chief; if the chief were to betray him and sell him out, it would create complications.

With proper precautions in place, even if the chief were to betray him, Xu Ming could still escape unscathed without necessarily being able to kill the Evil Dragon.

A Golden Core Realm demon race isn’t enough to stop him.

After killing the Evil Dragon, Xu Ming could extract its heart’s blood as ink to draw Dao Rain Talismans. This would make the Spiritual Energy within the White Hollow Secret Realm denser, making it easier to cultivate Spirit Rice.

Each use of a Dao Rain Talisman diminishes their number. Once the five talismans are used up, he’d need to redraw some more. The Evil Dragon’s heart’s blood is essential.

Apart from the Evil Dragon’s heart’s blood, its dragon sinew, scales, and spirit core are all treasures. The dragon penis is especially favored by middle-aged men. Some noble lords or middle-aged cultivators are willing to pay high prices for it.

After all, such male tonics are always highly sought after in any era.

Dragon meat is also an excellent food for martial artists, enhancing Martial True Qi.

Though Dragon Blood isn’t as potent as True Dragon Blood, it’s still great for physical refinement. If necessary, it can also be sold to other martial artists.

So, in a way, killing this Evil Dragon was also for his own benefit.

The village chief of Stone Family Village agreed to Xu Ming’s request, promising to do his best to delay time and lure the Evil Dragon onto land.

Early the next morning, the village chief led a group of strong men to the banks of the Yellow Sand River.

Xu Ming observed from afar.

The village chief instructed the young men to set up an altar, light incense, and perform respectful rituals. Then, he loudly proclaimed, “Lord Dragon King, we thank you for blessing Stone Family Village with favorable weather. Today, Stone Family Village should have presented gifts to Lord Dragon King.

However, the pair of child sacrifices requested by Lord requires them to reach nine years of age four days from now to meet your requirements.

Please forgive us, Lord Dragon King.”

The village chief swallowed hard, trembling violently as he continued, “Similarly, four days from now, our village wishes to express gratitude for twenty years of protection by holding a temple fair for Lord Dragon King.

If possible, we humbly request Lord Dragon King to visit Stone Family Village. All the villagers would feel honored to see you once in our lives!”

The village chief’s words echoed across the entire Yellow Sand River.

After speaking, the village chief stared intently at the river surface, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

He wasn’t sure if his excuse would work.

Nor whether Lord Dragon King had noticed anything.

“If Lord Dragon King discovers something…”

At this thought, the village chief became even more anxious. Time passed second by second.

The chief waited with the crowd by the riverside. Even though there was no movement on the river, they dared not leave.

“Boom.”

Suddenly, the Yellow Sand River began to churn violently, creating one large vortex after another.

“Splash!”

A water spout shot up from the river and fell back down from the sky, creating layers of waves.

The splashing river waves soaked everyone’s clothes.

Above the sky, a Dragon hovered.

Xu Ming looked at the Evil Dragon.

This was the first time Xu Ming had seen a real, living member of the Dragon Clan since witnessing the Thunder Dragon during the White Hollow Secret Realm’s tribulation, albeit just a mere Evil Dragon.

Previously, Xu Ming had read about this in a book:

“Snakes become Pythons after five hundred years, Pythons become Anacondas after five hundred years, Anacondas become Evil Dragons after five hundred years, Evil Dragons become Chilong after five hundred years, Chilong become Horned Dragons after five hundred years, and Horned Dragons become True Dragons.”

First stage – Snake: newly born body, small and fragile, no ear holes, no limbs, oviparous, growing through molting. Unable to withstand natural disasters and misfortunes.

In the Python stage, size and strength increase significantly, with a long body using force to hunt. Still no ear holes, no limbs, grows through molting, unable to withstand natural disasters and misfortunes.

The third stage is similar to Python – Anaconda. At this stage, the size and strength become enormous, generally living near water, no limbs, grows through molting, unable to withstand natural disasters and misfortunes.

However, these Anacondas have already become dominant forces in the mountains.

But at the fourth stage, things change entirely.

Evil Dragon.

Anacondas must traverse waters, passing through many great rivers to have the chance to transform into Evil Dragons.

The river where transformation occurs becomes the Anaconda’s blessed land.

Generally, after transforming into an Evil Dragon, it stays in its blessed land to cultivate for a while. When accumulated power is sufficient, further evolution is required.

An Evil Dragon is not yet a true Dragon but rather an intermediate form. It lacks horns, has a snake-like body, a head resembling both a Dragon and a Tiger, a voice like a bull, capable of stirring winds and waves in water, flying into clouds, possessing the ability to summon wind and rain, able to resist human calamities but not natural disasters.

For an Evil Dragon to advance further, it must enter the sea! Becoming a Chi Dragon upon entering the sea.

Chi Dragons are considered Dragons, having four legs, living in the ocean. The transition from rivers to the sea is fraught with natural phenomena, known as Heavenly Tribulations in ancient times. Failure means destruction.

Generally, the realm of Chi Dragons equates to the Nascent Soul Stage of practitioners.

Advancing from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Stage, practitioners must endure the Thunder Tribulation, whereas members of the Dragon Clan must traverse the sea.

Upon entering the sea and becoming a dominant force, continuous cultivation leads to becoming a Horned Dragon.

Only then does it truly possess iconic Dragon horns. Horned Dragons can ascend to heaven or descend to earth, grow large or small, transform unpredictably, produce clouds and mist, wield divine powers, carve out realms in the sea, gain followers, and even establish maritime nations.

The final stage is the ultimate goal of all Dragon clans – the True Dragon.

True Dragons have scaled bodies, spiny backs, large heads, pointed snouts, small noses, eyes, and ears, large eye sockets, prominent eyebrows, sharp teeth, protruding foreheads, and long tails.

True Dragons can create rivers with their tails, channel water into the sea, alter river courses, and lead the Dragon clan.

According to Xu Ming’s knowledge, currently, there are only four True Dragons in the world, all at the Ascension Realm.

One True Dragon is even the second-ranked individual on the Red Beauty List, the legendary Northern Sea Dragon Empress. In reality, snakes evolving into pythons often take less than five hundred years, sometimes merely a decade or even less for those with exceptional talent.

However, for an Evil Dragon to evolve into a True Dragon, especially from a Horned Dragon to a True Dragon, it may take several millennia, or most never achieve the True Dragon level throughout their existence.

“Commoners, bow to Lord Dragon King!”

Seeing the Evil Dragon emerge, the village chief quickly knelt in reverence, followed by the others.

Yellow Sand Dragon Lord scanned the crowd, “There hasn’t been a temple fair before. Why is there one this year?”

“Reply… Lord Dragon King.” The chief stammered, “This year marks the twentieth anniversary of your protection over Stone Family Village. ‘Twenty’ is a significant year for us, so we wish to celebrate for Lord.”

“Is that all?” Yellow Sand Dragon Lord frowned.

Stone Family Village Chief: “That is all…”

“Look me in the eye when you speak!” Yellow Sand Dragon Lord said coldly, his dragon aura spreading around the river.

Shen Shengsheng, standing far away with Xu Ming, felt threatened and bared her fangs at the distant Yellow Sand Dragon Lord, her vertical pupils shrinking sharply.

“It’s fine.” Xu Ming reached out and patted Shen Shengsheng’s head.

Shen Shengsheng lifted her little head, glanced at Xu Ming, blinked, then hugged his leg and continued glaring at the distant Yellow Sand Dragon Lord.

By the Yellow Sand River, the village chief trembled as he raised his head to look directly into the Evil Dragon’s eyes.

An ordinary person looking directly into the eyes of a Golden Core Realm Evil Dragon under such pressure made Xu Ming worry whether the chief could withstand it without revealing the truth.

“Reply, Lord Yellow Sand… actually… actually, there’s another reason.” The village chief seemed to break down, heavily bowing his head, his forehead bruised, “I deserve death, I deserve death…”

“Speak!” Yellow Sand Dragon Lord said coldly.

“Actually… actually, I wanted to ask Lord Dragon King if in the future, Stone Family Village could replace the child sacrifices with other offerings… please let the children off…” The village chief appeared close to tears.

Yellow Sand Dragon Lord narrowed his eyes, “I’ve said it before, child sacrifices are mandatory! No excuses allowed! Considering you old man have done much for me, I’ll spare you this time. If you mention this again, your old bones will feed the fish and shrimp in the Yellow Sand River.”

“Yes, yes, yes… I dare not bring it up again. Please forgive me, Lord Yellow Sand.” The village chief bowed again.

“Four days from now, ensure the celebration for me is grand. I will invite some friends, and it must not embarrass me. Do you understand?” Yellow Sand Dragon Lord was eager to attend his own temple fair.

Regardless of the incense he could absorb, it would be a face-saving matter among his friends.

“Please rest assured, Lord Dragon King. I will certainly organize it well to satisfy you.” The chief hurriedly responded.

“There’s something I want to ask you.” Yellow Sand Dragon King questioned.

“What is it, Lord?” The chief remained prostrate, not daring to raise his head.

“Has a man visited your village? A youth of about sixteen or seventeen, wearing a green robe, roughly this appearance.”

Yellow Sand Dragon King threw a portrait in front of the chief.

The chief quickly picked it up, startled.

Isn’t this the Immortal Master?

“Looks like you’ve seen him, haven’t you?” Yellow Sand Dragon King smirked upon seeing the chief’s expression.

“Reply… Lord Dragon King, this man, I indeed have seen.” The chief slowly spoke, “Yesterday, this man came to my home, saying it was late and wanted to stay overnight. I agreed.”

“Hmm? Is that man still in your home?” Yellow Sand Dragon King revealed a hint of joy.

“He is.” The chief nodded, “That man is still at my house, seemingly wanting to rest for a day before leaving tomorrow. He gave me two taels of silver.”

“Hmm.” Yellow Sand Dragon King nodded, then waved his sleeve, causing a bottle filled with green liquid to fall in front of the chief, “Try to keep him here for a few more days. Aren’t you planning a temple fair? Keep him until the day of the fair, then pour the liquid from this bottle into his tea and make him drink it. After the deed is done, I will reward you greatly!”

“Yes…” The chief shakily picked up the glass bottle and placed it in his bosom.

“Remember! Don’t let him leave! Otherwise, I will make your entire village pay with their lives!”

With that final warning, Yellow Sand Dragon King transformed into his original form and dived back into the Yellow Sand River.

When the river surface calmed again,

The chief finally exhaled.

“Chief…” A burly man approached, helping the chief up, “That Immortal…”

Before the man could finish saying “Immortal Master,” the chief glared at him, prompting immediate silence.

“Go back. Prepare the temple fair for Lord Dragon King. We must not be careless.” The chief said.

“Yes, Chief.”

The burly man nodded, and together with the villagers, tidied up the items by the riverside and headed back to the village.

Standing atop a distant mountain peak, Xu Ming naturally heard everything.

Xu Ming wanted the life of this Evil Dragon, but unexpectedly, this Evil Dragon also wanted his life.

Although they had no grudges against each other, why did the Evil Dragon want to kill him—was it because he desired the White Hollow Secret Realm, or was he acting on someone else’s behalf, perhaps Mo Zhu’er? Recalling what Mo Zhu’er had said before she left, Xu Ming thought it wasn’t impossible.

After all, Mo Zhu’er was at the Dragon Gate Realm. She might have tried to kill him alone in the past, but now, she’d only end up being killed by him. Thus, enlisting help was reasonable.

Could he take this opportunity to kill Mo Zhu’er as well?

Xu Ming pondered while stroking his chin and descended the mountain.

When Xu Ming returned to the village, the chief had also come back.

The chief informed Xu Ming that the temple fair would be held on the largest open space in the village. Xu Ming nodded and instructed the chief not to let anyone approach this area.

Every night afterward, Xu Ming would go to the gathering space in Stone Family Village to set up magical arrays.

Xu Ming drew dozens of Fear-Heart Talismans as the base for the array.

Then, Xu Ming’s divine consciousness entered the White Hollow Secret Realm.

“Master.”

Yuan Yu, the Golden Core Realm Golden Body Toad inside the temple, saw Xu Ming and immediately bowed respectfully.

Xu Ming nodded, looking at the Golden Body Toad, “Yuan Yu, I need your help. Are you available?”