A purple-golden dragon shadow lay prostrate at Ye Qiu’s feet, gently nudging his instep with its chin, emitting a low dragon hum as if acting coy and endearing.
“What’s going on?”
Ye Qiu’s face showed surprise. He glanced at the dragon shadow, then at the Qiankun Cauldron in his hand.
“Could it be that this dragon vein, like the two water dragons at the Dragon Gate, also fears the Qiankun Cauldron?”
Ye Qiu couldn’t help but wonder.
“What is the origin of this Qiankun Cauldron? Why does even the dragon vein of Mount Tai seem so uneasy upon seeing it?”
Master Longbrow, witnessing this scene, was dumbfounded.
“Blast it, what’s happening here? I went through all that effort, and it’s not as effective as a single cauldron?”
Master Longbrow glanced enviously at the Qiankun Cauldron in Ye Qiu’s hand.
“The Qiankun Cauldron is definitely a treasure. I must find a chance to get one from that little rascal.”
With this thought, Master Longbrow shouted to Ye Qiu, “Little rascal, don’t just stand there.”
“Quickly absorb the dragon vein before something goes wrong.”
Ye Qiu snapped out of it, activated the Nine-Turn Divine Dragon Technique, and reached his palm towards the dragon shadow’s head.
The dragon shadow seemed to sense something, lifting its head to look at Ye Qiu, its dragon eyes shimmering with tears.
It resembled a pitiful child.
Ye Qiu’s heart trembled, and he paused, asking, “Old man, if I absorb the dragon vein, will it cease to exist?”
Master Longbrow nodded. “Exactly.”
Ye Qiu asked again, “Is there any way I can use it to nourish my body without harming it?”
Master Longbrow shook his head. “No.”
Ye Qiu turned to the dragon shadow and said, “I need to use you to restore my cultivation. I have no choice, please forgive me.”
The dragon shadow closed its eyes.
As Ye Qiu’s palm was about to touch the dragon shadow’s head, a laugh suddenly rang out.
“See, I told you, the dragon vein is right here!”
Ye Qiu turned to see three uninvited guests.
The leader was an old man with a wrinkled face, wearing a purple Taoist robe, his long grey hair draped over his shoulders, and a goatee on his chin.
Behind him followed two middle-aged men in black Taoist robes.
“Well, it seems someone has already captured the dragon vein before us. Good, it saves me the trouble.”
The purple-robed old man stared at the dragon shadow, smiling.
As for Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow, they were ignored.
Ye Qiu’s eyes darkened. These three could find this place, so they were clearly no ordinary people.
“Who are you?” Master Longbrow asked coldly.
Only then did the old man’s gaze fall on Master Longbrow. After sizing him up, he smiled and said, “I am the sect leader of the Tianji Sect. You may call me Taoist Crow. May I ask which sect you hail from, and what is your name?”
Tianji Sect?
Taoist Crow?
Master Longbrow frowned, glancing at Ye Qiu as if asking, have you heard of them?
Ye Qiu shook his head slightly. He had never heard of the Tianji Sect.
This suggested that the Tianji Sect was likely a hidden sect, and these three were probably hidden masters.
Ye Qiu gripped the Qiankun Cauldron tightly, ready to act at any moment.
Master Longbrow said proudly, “I am the head of Wudang Mountain, Taoist name Chongxu.”
“Where does your Tianji Sect come from?”
“Why have I never heard of it?”
A middle-aged man behind Taoist Crow stepped forward, pointing at Master Longbrow and shouting, “How dare you! In front of my master, you call yourself ‘I, the master’? Are you seeking death?”
“Disciple, mind your manners!” Taoist Crow said with a smile. “He is the head of Wudang, entitled to call himself so.”
Then, Taoist Crow looked at Master Longbrow and smiled. “So, you are the head of Wudang. I’ve long heard of you.”
“It’s normal you haven’t heard of our Tianji Sect, as we haven’t appeared in the world for centuries.”
“Our sect was founded in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, over a thousand years ago. We have few disciples and avoid worldly affairs, so few know of our existence.”
Taoist Crow glanced at the dragon vein and said to Master Longbrow, “I came out of seclusion with my disciples to find the dragon vein of the Fengchan site. I didn’t expect you to have beaten us to it.”
“As fellow Taoists, since you have claimed the dragon vein, I should leave.”
“However, the dragon vein of the Fengchan site is very important to me.”
“So…”
“So you want to take it by force?” Master Longbrow asked, his expression unfriendly.
Taoist Crow smiled faintly. “You misunderstand. I am not one to seize things by force.”
“But as I said, the dragon vein of the Fengchan site is crucial to me.”
“Thus, I ask you to kindly step aside and let me have this dragon vein.”
Master Longbrow said coldly, “I expended great effort to capture this dragon vein. Do you think I’ll just hand it over because you ask?”
At this, one of Taoist Crow’s disciples said, “Old man, my master spoke politely to give you face. Don’t be ungrateful.”
“I’m telling you, we will have this dragon vein.”
“You’ll give it up whether you like it or not.”
Taoist Crow added, “Friend, don’t take my disciple’s words to heart, but I must have the dragon vein of the Fengchan site.”
“Of course, I know it wasn’t easy for you to capture it, so I won’t take it for nothing.”
“Here’s the deal: if you give me the dragon vein, I will give you this.”
Taoist Crow took out a black pill from his sleeve.
As soon as the pill appeared, a rich fragrance filled the air, invigorating the senses.
Master Longbrow immediately realised the pill was extraordinary but remained unmoved.
“You think a tiny pill can exchange for the dragon vein? Do you take me for a fool?”
Taoist Crow smiled. “You misunderstand.”
“This is no ordinary pill. I refined it myself.”
“It can help you advance one minor realm. If you take it, your cultivation can break through from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to the peak.”
“What do you think?”
“Not much,” Master Longbrow said. “No matter what you offer, I won’t give you the dragon vein.”
Taoist Crow put away the pill, smiling. “Originally, I planned to kill you after taking the dragon vein.”
“But you didn’t fall for it.”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t waste words. Once you’re dead, the dragon vein will be mine.”
As he spoke, a cold killing intent appeared on Taoist Crow’s face.
