Chapter Fifty-Three: The Black Flood Dragon’s Intentions

At this moment, Duyu finally unleashed his full strength. True Qi and his understanding of the Heavenly Dao surged from within him without reservation. He thrust his palms forward, roaring, "Diamond Prajna Palm!"

In midair, a pair of giant hands turned into layers of phantom shadows, swirling across the sky, covering half the heavens. Even sunlight could not pierce through, as they shot straight toward the black flood dragon’s immense claw.

However, before the black flood dragon’s swinging tail could collide with Duyu’s Diamond Prajna Palm, it suddenly withdrew! Its right claw, which had been idle all along, lashed out furiously. The black, ink-like dragon scales were terrifying beyond words, and with one swipe, it tore apart the palm shadows that Duyu had conjured!

As easily as picking something from a bag, it snatched Long Yun and Chu Xuan into its grasp, twisting its enormous body with effort!

“Haha, monk, what I intend to do, you could never guess! I’m taking these two away. My child has wasted enough words already. Since you can’t find those eight, these two will pay the debt instead!”

With that, the massive figure twisted a few times and streaked rapidly toward Yandang Mountain, its speed astonishing to behold!

“No!” Duyu’s brows knitted in concern. What Chu Xuan meant to their Chan sect was perhaps only known to the highest echelons. On this journey, Chu Xuan must not be lost!

“The black flood dragon is gone. The beast tide will soon retreat. Everyone, leave here quickly. Shan Cun, Shan Zai, I must venture into the mountain. Wait for me here!” Duyu spoke in a deep voice.

Without waiting for a reply, his figure turned into a streak of light, chasing in the direction the black flood dragon had fled!

Duyu’s arrival had undoubtedly brought a glimmer of hope to the hundred cultivators present. With the black flood dragon’s retreat, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet they felt sympathy for Long Yun and Chu Xuan, who had become scapegoats for those three, but exchanging the lives of those two for so many survivors was, after all, a worthwhile bargain.

Only the eight great experts of the Azure Sect, directly involved, furrowed their brows. They too were full of doubts. Earlier, it seemed the big and little black flood dragons recognized the boy and the child.

They had repeatedly said these two were the little black flood dragon’s saviors. If that was so, then the little beast that had suddenly appeared when they had the advantage must be connected to them.

Thinking this, the eight silently memorized Long Yun and Chu Xuan’s appearances. If things were as they suspected, the black flood dragon surely would not harm these two.

If they ever met them again, they would have to ask why they helped the demon beasts. Had they succeeded in killing the little black flood dragon that day, perhaps today’s beast tide would never have happened.

Naturally, the eight placed all blame on Long Yun and Chu Xuan, though they said nothing aloud, for now they themselves were the focus of everyone’s ire.

Fortunately, the crisis was over, and everyone took Duyu’s words to heart, quickly dispersing.

The eight looked at each other. This journey had ended in failure. Though their identities had not been exposed, it was unwise to continue seeking spiritual bones for Ling Quan, lest they encounter the black flood dragon and its offspring again—then they would be walking into a trap.

Thus, the eight swiftly left the small town, flying toward the Azure Sect!

The beast tide retreated swiftly and disappeared without a trace. The black flood dragon and its child paid no heed to the receding horde, but carried Long Yun and Chu Xuan away at breakneck speed, leaving Duyu far behind.

“Amitabha. Benefactor, please release these two. Otherwise, our Chan sect will never let this rest!” Duyu intoned the Buddha’s name, his voice echoing from afar.

“Monk, catch up to me if you can. But soon we’ll be entering the deepest part of Yandang Mountain. Do you truly dare to pursue further?” The black flood dragon laughed heartily.

Upon its massive body, the little black flood dragon and Shadow Mink sat, along with Long Yun and Chu Xuan. In speed, it was well ahead of Duyu.

The Chan sect was never adept at tracking, so the distance between Duyu and the black flood dragon grew steadily.

Sweat began to bead on Duyu’s aged forehead—not from True Qi depletion, but from urgent anxiety!

Though the black flood dragon’s cultivation was immense, it was not the strongest in Yandang Mountain. The true rulers were those few deep within.

The black flood dragon was merely the top among the middle regions, yet its audacity in launching the beast tide suggested it had received tacit approval from those few peerless demon beasts. Duyu knew that before their might, his own strength was like paper.

He hesitated inwardly. Once the black flood dragon entered the depths, he could not follow. Not only would it mean his own death and Dao’s end, it might provoke another beast backlash.

For years, the agreement was that human cultivators would not enter the deep regions of Yandang Mountain. That was the beast’s bottom line. Though Duyu was powerful, this matter was grave and he dared not act recklessly.

Yandang Mountain’s ridges stretched endlessly. The black flood dragon covered a thousand miles in a blink, and within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it had reached a mist-shrouded peak far ahead.

This mountain was vast, not a towering pinnacle, but more like a plateau, spreading across hundreds of miles.

The mist above was a beautiful array of colors, seeming almost like a celestial realm.

The black flood dragon laughed, then dove into the rainbow mist, vanishing from sight.

Duyu stopped at the edge of the mist, his gaze flashing with regret. Others might not know what this rainbow mist was, but as a Chan sect expert, he certainly did.

This rainbow mist, called the Auspicious Cloud Barrier, was a peerless barrier laid by the demon beast kings of Yandang Mountain, dividing the mountain’s spiritual veins into three tiers.

Clearly, this mist marked the highest tier, reserved for a few to cultivate, and then decreasing by layers. Naturally, this created differences in the quality of demon beasts, varying with the terrain.

Within the Auspicious Cloud Barrier was the cultivation ground of those beast kings. So Duyu stopped outside, his expression darkening.

“No, the Xuanling Physique cannot be lost so easily. I must report to the Grand Elder first!” Duyu resolved, taking a string of prayer beads from his robe, preparing to recite a mantra and contact his sect.

However, before his mantra could begin, a pressure descended from the heavens, rendering him completely immobile.

“Monk, wait here. We demon beasts are most grateful and repay kindness. These two saved my child. I will not harm them. Once my debt is repaid, you may take them away!” A deep voice echoed from afar, like distant thunder, causing Duyu’s expression to change.

He sighed immediately, knowing the opponent’s strength far exceeded his expectations. If he truly angered them, he might not even be able to send a message before being struck down.

Thinking thus, he nodded, sat cross-legged, and began to restore his True Qi. The spiritual energy here was abundant—a fine place to cultivate.

As for Long Yun and Chu Xuan, they were held tightly in the black flood dragon’s giant claw, speeding along. The violent jolts were wearing on Long Yun, and if not for his True Qi shield, he would have been unable to endure.

Chu Xuan was no better, his small face pale as death.

“We’re here!” The black flood dragon finally landed, loosening its grip to gently set Long Yun and Chu Xuan down.

Long Yun dissipated his True Qi, reached out to steady Chu Xuan, and said, “Senior, I only offered a little guidance to the young mink for Xuan’s sake, nothing more. I do not deserve your gratitude. Let this matter end here.”

The black flood dragon laughed, “Boy, how do you know I brought you here not to avenge myself on human cultivators, but to repay a debt?”

Long Yun merely smiled and shook his head. “To be honest, I’m not sure. But either way, the outcome is beyond our control. If it’s not for gratitude, then let it be punishment for my own blindness.”

“Haha!” A cheerful voice suddenly sounded, “Boy, you have quite the sharp tongue. If we failed to repay this kindness, I imagine you’d have cursed us countless times in your heart!”

As the words faded, a burly figure emerged from the layered mist, drifting toward them in flight.