The sudden turn of events startled even Mo Fan.
He had never imagined that the true dragon corpse would abruptly strike at Qin Changsheng, and from its voice it was clear that the one currently occupying the corpse was none other than that Wu Elder.
Yet the words of the Wu Elder left Mo Fan utterly shocked.
Was this intending to use Qin Changsheng as the vessel for that ancient true dragon to seize a new body?
Could it be that the spirit of that ancient true dragon had not completely dissipated, and a wisp of true spirit or remnant soul still lingered here?
In an instant, Mo Fan recalled the memories of the Ancient Mushroom Demon and the accounts given by Yingying Monster, and suddenly many things became clear.
In the memories of the Ancient Mushroom Demon, that stunningly beautiful and overwhelmingly powerful female cultivator had opened the entrance to the True Dragon Lair with a single sentence.
Yingying Monster, for some inexplicable reason, had passed straight through the blood-coloured crystal barrier that normally required the combined efforts of numerous Nascent Soul cultivators to breach.
These two incidents seemed to have foreshadowed everything!
At this thought, Mo Fan’s scalp went numb.
A terrifying possibility suddenly dawned on him: could the immortal treasures in this True Dragon Lair actually be part of a scheme laid by that ancient true dragon?
Was everything merely designed to let it find a more suitable physical body?
Clearly, although the dragon corpse itself remained perfectly preserved, the fatal wound on its head must have made it impossible for the spirit to continue residing there.
If this possibility held true, then the elaborate arrangements made over countless years simply to obtain a better body would make perfect sense.
If that were the case, then the random appearances of true dragon essence blood in the True Dragon Lair, and the mutual devouring among dragon loaches that allowed them to evolve into chi dragons, were those also part of the ancient true dragon’s design?
“That fellow prepared two contingencies?”
In that moment, Mo Fan felt he had grasped a crucial thread, drawing ever closer to the truth.
The emergence of true dragon essence blood and the evolution of dragon loaches could be seen as the ancient true dragon’s primary plan: to cultivate the most perfect body for itself.
Thus, whether it was the Chi Dragon Holy King or Yingying Monster, strictly speaking they were nothing more than bodies prepared for the ancient true dragon.
No, perhaps Yingying Monster truly was an accident!
Because Yingying Monster had been born unexpectedly outside the Dragon Ruins, an outcome that had probably surprised even the ancient true dragon lurking in the shadows.
As for the second contingency, that was naturally the immortal treasure.
Using the immortal treasure as bait to lure the strongest experts of the world into the True Dragon Lair, then slowly selecting the most suitable body.
Mo Fan narrowed his eyes and looked at Qin Changsheng, who was now clutched in the massive claw of the true dragon corpse. The answer was obvious.
Perhaps countless years ago, the ancient true dragon had already reached some kind of agreement with the Wu clan by unknown means, the purpose being to have the Wu clan select a body on its behalf.
From the Wu Elder’s earlier words, Mo Fan had heard that Qin Changsheng seemed to have received the inheritance of something called the Wu Yao Dragon.
This reminded him of his previous battle with Qin Changsheng. Everything pointed to the fact that the current Qin Changsheng was no longer a simple human, but a monster possessing the characteristics of human, demon, and wu all three races.
“It seems hiding Yingying Monster in my storage pouch was the wisest decision!”
Having understood everything, Mo Fan secretly rejoiced at his good fortune. Perhaps an action he had taken unconsciously had saved Yingying Monster from being claimed by that ancient true dragon?
It looked like he absolutely could not let Yingying Monster reveal itself from now on!
Mo Fan quickly made up his mind. At the same time, he glanced to the side and saw that Bai Lu was still being pursued, though the old fellow was extremely fast, not much slower than Mo Fan’s own Wind-Thunder Escape. If he truly wanted to flee, that group of cultivators would find it hard to stop him.
Of course, the real top experts had not yet made their move.
For instance, Daoist Qingfeng of the Tianxuan Holy Land was currently staring gravely at the distant true dragon corpse.
“Everyone, if we truly allow that ancient true dragon to revive through this method, the impact on the entire structure of our Nine Provinces Continent will be enormous. Are you all really willing to stand by and watch the divine domain of our land fall apart?”
At that moment, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from above, causing everyone to look up.
Mo Fan followed the sound and saw ripples spreading through the air. Immediately afterwards, three figures emerged within those ripples.
It was him?
Emperor Qin!
Mo Fan recognised the trio at a glance: they were the three from the Great Qin Dynasty.
“Who are you people?”
The appearance of Emperor Qin caused most cultivators to frown. Old Ancestor Situ Yunzhen of the Tianlu Holy Land looked particularly displeased.
Who were they?
They could be considered among the top experts of the entire Nine Provinces Continent, yet these three had barely appeared before adopting a lecturing tone. Naturally, Situ Yunzhen was annoyed.
“Who I am is not important. What matters is that we must stop the revival of that ancient true dragon. Otherwise, it will be a catastrophe for every power here!”
Emperor Qin spoke calmly, his face betraying little emotion.
“Insolence!”
Situ Yunzhen grew angry at once and was about to speak, but Daoist Qingfeng beside him asked, “Then, according to young friend, how should we prevent the revival of that ancient true dragon?”
“The key to the ancient true dragon’s revival lies in the physical body. We cannot destroy the corpse of the ancient true dragon, nor can we locate its true spirit, but we can eliminate that wu-demon hybrid. Once he dies, the ancient true dragon will naturally be unable to obtain the most compatible body.
Although this cannot completely eradicate it in the truest sense, it will weaken it to the greatest possible extent!
All of you are senior experts. You should understand one thing: when seizing a body, one always chooses the best and most compatible vessel. Otherwise, even if the seizure succeeds, future growth will be severely limited. Forget returning to its former peak; reaching even half that height would already be extraordinarily difficult!”
Emperor Qin’s words caused the assembled cultivators to fall into thoughtful silence.
The reasoning was not complicated, and almost everyone could understand it. Understanding, however, was one thing; actually risking their lives to confront the so-called ancient true dragon was another. They all shrank back.
“Young friend speaks wisely!”
After pondering for a moment, Daoist Qingfeng nodded, his expression grave. “It is rare to meet a young friend with such compassion for the common people!
This old man feels ashamed. Though the world calls me an ancestor of the Tianxuan Holy Land, my breadth of spirit falls far short of yours. Truly, I am humbled!
Therefore, this time, this old man will accompany young friend and question that ancient true dragon with our swords!
Let it see that, after endless ages, the cultivators of today are by no means inferior to the great powers of antiquity!”
With that, Daoist Qingfeng no longer hesitated. He struck first, sending a sword directly at Qin Changsheng clutched in the claw of the true dragon corpse.
“Hahahaha… Senior is indeed worthy of being an ancestor of a holy land. This junior is untalented, but I am willing to follow senior’s example and question antiquity with my sword!”
Seeing this, Emperor Qin burst into laughter. He drew the sword at his waist, took one step, and vanished from sight, his own blade likewise slashing straight towards Qin Changsheng.
As Emperor Qin moved, the two guards clad in bronze battle armour at his side also sprang into action at the same instant!
