Xu Ziqing noticed it, and his heart tightened.
…What was that?
At a thought, Rongjin moved to protect him. Xu Ziqing lowered his gaze toward the whirlpool.
A black shadow slowly emerged from its depths. Its body was so enormous that it almost spanned the river, an intimidating sight.
As it rose, its body tilted. Then a head slowly lifted from the whirlpool, breathing out a plume that caused the churning waters to spread farther.
Once its head was above the surface, it stopped rising. It merely raised its gaze toward the two cultivators, cold light in its eyes.
It had a camel’s head, a donkey’s mouth, a turtle’s eyes, an ox’s ears, fish scales, and a serpent’s body. Entirely ink-black, it possessed a majestic, powerful bearing.
Its appearance was familiar, yet it carried a faint sense of nobility that made one’s very soul tremble.
It looked unmistakably like a black dragon!
Xu Ziqing gasped, frozen in astonishment.
Dragons were divine beings. In the cultivation world, even beasts with traces of dragon blood were highly coveted. Flood-dragon demon beasts in particular were relatively numerous, and it was precisely their dragon bloodline that allowed them to rule over broad regions of the seas.
But who had ever seen a true dragon with their own eyes?
For all its abundant spiritual energy, the cultivation world could neither endure the descent of a divine dragon nor sustain one!
Xu Ziqing quickly recovered. The creature in the water had no horns, whereas true divine dragons certainly did. This was probably not a true dragon after all.
Yet even realizing that did not put him at ease.
Since entering the secret trove, he had encountered many marvelous things. The powers of ancient cultivators were unfathomable, hardly a reassuring thought.
Who could say how much of a true dragon’s essence this dragonlike creature had inherited?
The fact that it could live here untroubled suggested it possessed formidable abilities.
Thinking this through, Xu Ziqing grew more wary.
Just then, Yun Lie spoke. “That is a qiu.”
Xu Ziqing stared. “…A qiu?”
Something came back to him, and his eyes widened.
A qiu was a hornless dragon, a subspecies of the dragon race.
Mortals who saw them had once mistaken them for immature dragons. But cultivators knew more about their origins.
According to ancient texts handed down from an unknown era, they were born from the union of a divine dragon and a demon python. Because their bloodline was impure, they could not remain in the Immortal Realm. They had been cast down into the cultivation world and left to fend for themselves.
There had never been many of the qiu race. Whenever cultivators encountered one, they often gathered to kill it. Though the essence of its body was less pure than a true dragon’s, it surpassed almost every other mixed bloodline and counted as an earthly treasure. Over time, the race nearly vanished. Those that attained great power could stir up terrible bloodshed, sometimes even falling into the demonic path and dominating an entire world.
Learning that this was a qiu, Xu Ziqing felt a flicker of fear.
Once a qiu reached adulthood, it possessed power comparable to a cultivator at the Out-of-Body stage. With greater age it could reach the Mahayana or Tribulation Transcendence stages. Owing to its bloodline, it did not even face heavenly tribulations. This qiu was enormous and plainly not a juvenile. Did that not mean it had at least Out-of-Body cultivation?
He and his senior brother might be talented, but their cultivation realms were far beneath its own…
Xu Ziqing could only force himself to remain calm. “Senior Brother, should we fight it?”
He was already prepared to live or die alongside Yun Lie.
A hand settled upon his shoulder. It was steady and reassuring. Only then did Xu Ziqing realize that he had been trembling slightly.
“This qiu is nearing the end of its lifespan,” Yun Lie said. “It is no longer a match for us.”
Xu Ziqing stiffened. Looking closely at the creature, he saw that his senior brother was right.
His emotions had prevented him from examining it carefully. Now he could see that its body looked weak and insubstantial, lacking the vigor of its prime. Its aura remained imposing, but that majesty arose from the nobility of its birth, not from overwhelming cultivation.
Although its head still looked ferocious, the sharpness had faded from its eyes, and their divine light was dim. It was visibly old.
Its present strength appeared only slightly greater than that of a late Golden Core cultivator, yet still somewhat weaker than Nascent Soul.
If they truly fought it, the two brothers would certainly suffer some injuries, but they should be able to subdue it.
Then dragon scales, dragon blood, and even a dragon’s inner core could all become theirs.
The temptation was enormous.
And yet…
Xu Ziqing’s expression grew complicated.
A dragon might grow old, but its dragon majesty remained.
Even a lesser dragon possessed such authority.
Thus, although this creature was confined to a narrow stretch of river, it could still intimidate the surrounding demon beasts and keep them from approaching.
That was why several nearby demon-beast nests never dared cross into its territory and why the medicinal herbs in the gorge had remained untouched.
Xu Ziqing’s rich harvest might well have been made possible by this qiu. Besides, before his reincarnation, the country where he had lived had worshiped divine dragons for generations. Whether or not this created a bond of fate, he could not bring himself to be cruel. He might covet the many rare beasts carrying dragon blood and willingly hunt them, but to flay and dismember this aged qiu, which resembled a true dragon so closely… He simply could not do it.
He regretted the treasures he would forgo, yet this was something he could not bear to do.
After only a moment’s hesitation, Xu Ziqing turned to Yun Lie. “Senior Brother, it is rare for this creature to have survived peacefully to such an age. I…” He paused. “I would like to let it die naturally. What do you think?”
In his heart, he added that he did feel compassion. But if Yun Lie needed the creature, Xu Ziqing would put aside his reluctance for his senior brother’s sake.
Yun Lie’s expression remained cold, but he understood much of what his junior brother thought and felt.
He saw through Xu Ziqing’s hesitation at once. “Let’s continue.”
Xu Ziqing lifted his head abruptly, his eyes brightening.
His senior brother was willing to spare the qiu?
A moment later, happiness welled up in him.
Of course. His senior brother was an upright man. Although he used killing to stop killing, he was neither indiscriminately murderous nor selfish.
This elderly qiu was close to the natural end of its life. To survive until then was already a blessing. It had shown them no ill intent. To kill a weak, aged creature for one’s own profit would surely betray one’s principles.
Xu Ziqing was moved by compassion. Yun Lie might have sealed away his seven emotions, but he possessed a firm code of conduct. Sparing the qiu was entirely in keeping with his nature.
Xu Ziqing’s expression softened. He called down to the creature, “My senior brother and I are merely passing through. We have no intention of troubling you. We are leaving now, and I hope you will not obstruct us.”
The qiu were highly intelligent, neither demon beasts, divine beasts, nor spirit beasts, and could surely understand human speech.
Sure enough, the qiu did not move.
Relieved, Xu Ziqing began climbing forward again.
They were almost beyond the qiu’s line of sight when an aged voice sounded behind them.
“Your kindness, young one, is not forgotten by this old fellow. Accept this gift.”
Startled, Xu Ziqing heard something rushing through the air behind him and immediately turned.
A sphere of golden dragon energy came toward him. It was warm, mellow, and filled with goodwill. Almost involuntarily, he reached out and caught it.
Something soft and smooth settled into his palm, pleasantly warm to the touch.
Looking down, he saw a sphere of golden dragon energy enclosing a thumb-sized clot of dragon blood, three dark scales, and several dragon whiskers. The gift was astonishingly generous, its value difficult to measure.
This… was utterly unexpected.
Xu Ziqing looked at Yun Lie in surprise and confusion. “Senior Brother, these things…”
Yun Lie’s expression did not change. Keeping his left hand against the cliff, he freed his right and rested it on Xu Ziqing’s head. “An upright heart does not diminish one’s fortune. You may accept them.”
Xu Ziqing smiled slightly and said no more.
Perhaps his senior brother was right. Because he had not coveted the qiu’s body, he had instead earned its goodwill and received these three kinds of treasure.
The aged qiu had given them freely, without the least resentment. To Xu Ziqing, they were truly a gift.
Moved, Xu Ziqing put the treasures away and immediately called back, “Many thanks! Farewell!”
The aged qiu inclined its head, sank back into the water, and disappeared into the depths.
After bidding it farewell, the brothers moved much faster. Nearly another shichen passed before they could see the end of the long river.
The river was the aged qiu’s dwelling, and they met no further danger along the way.
At its end, the main watercourse dispersed into several streams flowing in different directions. The cliffs on either side ended as well. They had finally emerged from the tiger-shaped mountain range and could take to the air without being bound by its rules.
Only now did Xu Ziqing truly appreciate how dangerous the previous day and night had been. That relatively short journey had been full of unexpected turns. Yet he felt steadier, not only because of his many rewards but also because the ordeal had given him more experience.
The two extended their spiritual senses outward but could not determine how vast this region was. On the map fragment it had been only a drawing, but standing within it, they felt tiny, unable to comprehend the world’s full extent.
Now another problem remained.
The brothers had entered the secret trove seeking the Essence of Geng-Metal and Sword-Shaped Wood.
The Essence of Geng-Metal would have to be sought where Metal energy was abundant. The map fragment they had obtained from the Fox King held some clues, but it did not connect directly to the fragment for this region. Searching would be difficult. Since they had entered together with Xuan Ze, it would be better to reunite with him and seek the Sword-Shaped Wood first.
But this place was enormous. How were they to find Xuan Ze?
Sending up a signal was risky. The two of them were relatively isolated here, and an incautious signal might attract people with ill intentions.
While Xu Ziqing was still thinking, Yun Lie set off.
Xu Ziqing followed immediately, keeping his spiritual sense extended to watch their surroundings.
Beyond the mountains stretched a vast, apparently endless expanse of land, dotted with smaller ranges nowhere near as steep or dangerous as the tiger-shaped mountains.
Wide stretches of grassland made the journey favorable for Xu Ziqing. He employed the Wood-Escape Technique and brought Yun Lie along through the vegetation, saving them considerable effort.
They traveled a great distance but still found no trace of Xuan Ze. A dense forest appeared ahead. Fearing that something might be wrong within it, Xu Ziqing stopped outside the trees.
He had only just halted, before he could discuss anything with his senior brother, when voices sounded from within the forest.
Xu Ziqing’s heart stirred, and he looked up.
At that moment, several people emerged from the trees.
Xu Ziqing instantly became wary.
Those people… carried such a heavy baleful aura.