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Chapter 489: Returning with Fruitful Results
The spring had been completely sucked into Long Xiaoxuan’s abdomen. The Rat King was flabbergasted at the sight, sighing, “Amazing, wonderful! The king of beasts, truly the royalty amongst us all alright! This ability to swallow the skies and devour the earth is absolutely at the peak of all beasts. Young master Long, Ole Gold is most impressed!”
The Rat King’s personality was a bit similar to Mu Gaoqi’s. They were both cautious and wary. However, the Rat King had lived for hundreds, if not a thousand years, so it’d long since grown comfortable with itself. There was a bit of the air of a scamp about him, more of the slipperiness of one familiar with social conventions. These words were obviously to kiss up to Long Xiaoxuan and to make the dragon happy.
In terms of strength and lineage, the dragon was indeed much more superior to the Rat King. But in terms of age, Long Xiaoxuan’s age was actually not that much older than Jiang Chen’s. It was just that he’d been nurtured by the spring ever since he was in his egg, and some of his heritage of memories had awakened before he’d been hatched. This meant to say that it’d been several hundred years since Long Xiaoxuan’s memories had been awakened, but it’d only been in the last thirty years or so that he’d broken out of the egg and his body had started to slowly develop. Add to that the fact that dragons were proud by nature, but didn’t possess a high emotional intelligence, he felt quite pleased and high on the Rat King’s compliments. He even felt that the lowly Goldbiter Rats didn’t see that ugly to his eyes anymore.
Jiang Chen knew full well what was going on, but didn’t spoil things. “Brother Long, have you finished learning the foundations of the Transformation Method?”
Long Xiaoxuan didn’t respond. He shook his body as a faint haze of light suddenly covered his enormous body. His body started to shrink continuously beneath that night, and quickly became as small as a mustard seed.
“Well done! Hiding your true form, you’re a dragon alright!” Jiang Chen applauded and laughed, stunned at the training potential of the dragons. Human cultivators would like be unable to truly master this kind of art that hid one’s form, even if they trained to the point of becoming a Great Emperor.
The waters of the spring had been thoroughly sucked dry at this time, and all sorts of precious and exotic treasures were being revealed. The Goldbiter Rats didn’t dare keep the treasures for themselves. They collected them all and offered them to Jiang Chen.
The treasures were actually the dragon’s accompanying treasures. The entire body of a dragon was a treasure, even their defecation. They would all transmute to treasure over time, particularly when they were nursed by the spirit spring. All sorts of spirit stones were present in heaps and piles, whereas all sorts of spirit herbs scattered the ground.
“Brother Long, do you still want these treasures?” Jiang Chen asked for Long Xiaoxuan’s opinion.
“I long since put away the useful items.” Long Xiaoxuan was quite dismissive of what remained. Jiang Chen knew that the dragons had high standards, and happily claimed all the treasures for himself. These spirit stones and herbs were absolutely an astounding wealth. Even though he’d temporarily bid farewell to a shortage of resources, no one wanted to return to poverty after one bout with it in the martial world.
The further one proceeded in their cultivation, the greater the need for resources would be later on. Therefore, no one would ever think they had too many resources, and would only think that they had too few. This was why there would be fewer cultivators at the higher cultivation levels. There were a finite amount to the overall resources, and it was impossible that everyone would have enough resources. It was ultimately down to strength, luck, and intelligence to fight for all of them.
Jiang Chen swept around in an arc and confirmed that there was nothing of value left before finally leaving. Long Xiaoxuan concealed himself and left with Jiang Chen. He could feel the dragon’s nervousness. Although the dragon was very strong, with even ordinary emperor realm cultivators may not being able to win out over him, he had never set foot outside of this area since regaining his memories. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t the slight bit anxious by this sudden departure.
“Don’t worry Brother Long, although the outside world is devious, with our strength, there’s nothing to worry about unless we run into those reclusive experts.” Jiang Chen conversed with the dragon silently.
Although Long Xiaoxuan was nervous, he wouldn’t admit to it at all. “You think too much, I just can’t bear to leave this place and am a bit sad. Who told you that I’m worried??”
Jiang Chen smiled and didn’t say anything else. He knew that all things needed time.
They ran into no obstructions as they left, and Jiang Chen discovered that Mu Gaoqi had yet to leave because he’d been trapped by the lava region and unable to cross it. The Lord of Lava was one that treasured grudges. It was actually still guarding the area after so many days, just waiting for them to return.
Mu Gaoqi scratched his head with some embarrassment when he saw Jiang Chen arrive. “Brother Chen, this Lord of Lava seems to have lost its mind. My strength is low and I’m not certain I can make it over. I could only wait here for you.”
Jiang Chen nodded, although Mu Gaoqi’s strength had risen by quite a bit, the effects of this remaking was destined to be less impressive for humans than compared to the Goldbiter Rats. This was because most humans had no heritage, no bloodlines to be awakened. Naturally, their strength wouldn’t suddenly increase explosively.
With Mu Gaoqi’s cultivation level, it was already stunning that he was touching third level origin realm by now. Jiang Chen himself had broken through the third level, and his cultivation continued to increase. The level of this Lord of Lava was likely at peak of earth origin realm. At Jiang Chen’s current strength, he felt no pressure in facing off against the Lord of Lava.
He stood with his arms crossed, shooting forth the God’s Eye at the Lord of Lava. “You are formed from the coalescence of earth’s fires and have reached your level of cultivation after much effort. Don’t block the way, and I won’t make trouble for you.”
The Lord of Lava was incensed and began screaming, the lava in the lake continuously rising and enlarging his body. The Lord of Lava had quickly turned into the size of a small mountain. “Human, you are a small ant in front of this lord! How dare you speak so!”
Jiang Chen laughed heartily, “Ant? That means you’re not moving then?”
The Lord of Lava waved its large hand and sent heat waves crashing upon Jiang Chen in a torrent. “Die, ant!”
Nine fire columns are thick as fire dragons churned towards the humans.
Suddenly, a black light flashed across his body as a bafflingly strong force suddenly blinked into existence as a water vortex, catching the nine thick fire columns.
Szzt, szzt, szzt, szzt!
The nine fire columns all vanished into the air as if they’d sunk into the depths of the sea.
“You
” The Lord of Lava was stunned when it saw this. It was obvious that this scene was completely out of its expectation.
Long Xiaoxuan hadn’t shown himself, but Jiang Chen knew that the dragon had made a move.
The Lord of Lava seemed to sense something, as extreme fear suddenly suffused his eyes. It shrieked like it’d seen a ghost and shrank, that enormous body suddenly turning into nothing as it fled back to the lake.
The lake was suddenly as calm as a mirror, without a single air bubble marring its surface. This reaction speed rendered Jiang Chen speechless. He knew that the Lord of Lava must’ve sensed the dragon aura from Long Xiaoxuan.
“Heh heh, you fled fast. Chalk one up to you recognizing the situation.” Jiang Chen called out to Mu Gaoqi. “Let’s go, the Lord of Lava won’t make trouble anymore.” He turned into a streak of light and flew over the lake after speaking.
If it wasn’t for the harassment from the lava monsters, it would be an easy thing for origin realm cultivators to leisurely fly over the lake. Mu Gaoqi followed quickly when he saw Jiang Chen fly over.
He’d started trusting Jiang Chen without question at some unknown point. If Jiang Chen said that the Lord of Lava wouldn’t dare harass them, then it truly wouldn’t dare harass them. They met with no further obstacles as they traveled through the cavern and finally saw the light of day again.
It’d been almost a month. As Mu Gaoqi breathed in the fresh air and thought about all that had happened, he truly felt that it’d been ages. When he thought about how those who’d entered this area was now dead without even a corpse remaining to them, yet he himself had received the baptism of the spring with his cultivation had greatly increasing, and his constitution advancing to an innate level, this put him in a wonderful mood.
All this was thanks to Jiang Chen. Mu Gaoqi cast a worshipful glance at Jiang Chen, inwardly rejoicing at his initial decision. If he hadn’t invited Jiang Chen, but any other genius in the Regal Pill Palace, he would likely be a pile of withered bones by now. Even if he hadn’t died in the hands of the Walkabout Sect, he would’ve died to Xu Gang and Yue Pan of the Great Cathedral. Had he been able to make it to the spring on a fluke, he ultimately would’ve died in Wei Wudao’s hands.
“Gaoqi, this matter ends here. Don’t mention it when we return to the sect, let’s go.”
Mu Gaoqi nodded and then seemed to think of something. He took out the spirit pearl of fire and ice. “Brother Chen, this is yours.”
Jiang Chen waved his hand, “I have no use for this. Since I gave it to you, keep it as a momento.”
Mu Gaoqi trembled slightly, how did he dare accept such a valuable item? “I
 Brother Chen, this won’t do!”
“Keep it, I’ve given it to you.” Even though this was the treasure of a sage realm expert, Jiang Chen had the Bewitching Lotus of Fire and Ice, so he really had no need for the pearl.
Mu Gaoqi could be viewed as someone who’d gone through life and death with Jiang Chen, so using that bit of benefit to thoroughly bind Mu Gaoqi to him wouldn’t be such a bad idea either. Besides, with Mu Gaoqi’s potential and gifts now, he was destined to be an uncommon person in the future. Gifting him the spirit pearl could be viewed as a long term investment.
Mu Gaoqi was quite touched when he heard Jiang Chen’s words. He accepted happily, feeling even more gratitude towards Jiang Chen. He also made up his mind to carefully follow in Jiang Chen’s footsteps in the future.