Lord of the Desert

Chapter 582 All directions are destroyed
The tenth month is the middle of the lunar calendar, just after the start of winter.

The rivers and lakes in the mountains are gradually drying up, and the maple forests are blushing red.

As the territory of the Silver King and a paradise for strange beasts, this place is wild and primitive. Apart from a few smuggling caravans and salt traffickers who detour outside the border, there are few people here, and even they dare not go too deep.

East of Hanzhou, more than a thousand miles away from the border of the Great Hua Kingdom, lies a village of a thousand people nestled in an unnamed valley.

It was nearly noon, and martial law was in effect in the village.

A bewildered black snake, uninvited and lurking in the bushes, was pinned to the ground by an arrow from dozens of meters away.

Dozens of burly, well-equipped martial artists patrolled the narrow stone steps leading to the back mountain.

The stone steps lead to a secluded passageway, where the statue of the Silver King is half-hidden in the wisps of smoke at the entrance, and beyond that lies the hollowed-out mountainside.

The rock strata are dense, and the hall beneath them is hundreds of meters high, wide and dark. The ground is pure black basalt, polished to an exceptionally smooth surface, reflecting the mountain walls and rock tops like a water surface.

Surrounded by lights, it stands alone and vulnerable, like an island.

In the center of the main hall is a huge circular magic array, its surface engraved with dense, bottomless circuits, the strokes powerful and vigorous, exuding a murderous aura.

A towering stone pillar, three zhang tall, sits in the center, upon which a dragon sculpture struggles and coils—this dragon is cast from metal, with a robust body and prominent horns.

At first glance, the iron dragon's scales appear rusty, but upon closer inspection, they seem to be seeping blood.

At the dragon's tail, a middle-aged man with a weathered face and three missing fingers stood with his head bowed, his palm pressed against the horizontal tail spikes, slowly and steadily bleeding the dragon.

The dragon's head was slightly open, its huge mouth revealing a dark golden hue from dried liquid deposits between its sharp teeth, exuding an indescribable fishy smell.

Within the mountains, there is no sun or moon, and the passage of time is immeasurable.

Not long after, the last drop of golden blood fell from the dragon's tooth and merged into the crimson blood pool below.

The primordial spiritual energy that had been condensed in this valley finally dissipated.

The ceremony is over.

Bubbles rose from the pool of blood, and then a person stood up.

Blood cascaded down his shoulders and back, revealing a fair, robust, and strong physique, as well as a pair of pure, deep, dark golden eyes.

“Mr. Feng, the three rituals have been completed, and the dragon blood in your body has been filtered out.”

This person is not particularly handsome, but his features are regular, he is energetic, and has a spirit that says he can accomplish anything.

How are you feeling now?

"I'm alright, a little weak, but it's nothing serious."

Mr. Feng pulled out his hand, bandaged the wound with pre-prepared gauze, and carefully felt the movement of his body. Sure enough, he found that the superhuman strength had disappeared, as if it had never existed.

A sense of weakness groaned in his mind from the depths of his soul.

"Ten thousand pieces of silver for my bloodline, ha, young master is indeed a man of his word."

Mr. Feng's tone was desolate, as if he were mocking someone, and then he realized he had spoken out of turn and was startled.

Money, connections, and even the grand magic array built by hollowing out the mountain have already demonstrated the opponent's boundless power and profound resources in every aspect. In comparison, I am nothing more than a stray dog.

But the young man seemed oblivious, remaining as gentle as ever.

"Young master's surname is Xiao, could it be from the Overturning Heaven Society?"

Mr. Feng mustered his courage and asked the question hesitantly.

The young man shook his head.

"That's the Hidden Serpent Sect?"

"Sir, there's no need to ask any more questions. The agreement has been fulfilled, and we will have no further dealings with each other in the future."

Young Master Xiao comforted him.

"You are quite weak right now, but you should recover in about half a month. However, the various powers brought by the dragon blood will be gone afterward. Have your plans changed?"

"No, let's go to Zhanzhou instead."

Mr. Feng replied without hesitation.

"Compared to my time in Yunlan, life in Tietai City was really too hard. As for the dragon blood, so be it. Anyway, I don't even plan to keep my surname. When I go to Zhanzhou, I will change my name and live the rest of my life as a wealthy old man."

He smiled knowingly as he spoke.

"Understood. In a few days, once you have recovered somewhat, we will take you to the border between Chongshan and Juzhou as agreed. All your identification and travel documents will be prepared before then."

"Young Master Xiao assured me."

"Thank you."

Mr. Feng gratefully bowed and left, led by the two warriors.

Thus, only one person remained in the main hall.

"Yuan Sheng."

Just then, a call came from the shadows. A middle-aged woman in her forties slowly approached—her face was full and round, her figure was plump and tall, and her movements were as if mountains were collapsing, exuding an immense aura.

The woman handed the clothes she was holding to the young man.

"Mother, how was the trip?"

Xiao Yuansheng took the robe, stepped out of the blood pool, and casually draped it over his body.

"This time I approached Mount Yuzuo, but I still couldn't sense anything; it's almost certain that the Ancestral Dragon is not in control of his own destiny, and it's even possible that..."

The woman's tone was very downcast.

Xiao Yuansheng seemed disbelieving upon hearing this, his eyes revealing sorrow and fear.

But even after the grief and fear, a faint glimmer of expectation could be seen in the woman.

This is normal.

He was born for this purpose.

The whirlpool in the blood pool has subsided.

The two remained silent, processing this bombshell news.

"Sigh, when the news of the Dragon Summoning Festival came last year, the clan was filled with joy..."

Xiao Yuansheng sighed.

"Did you attempt to infiltrate the underground palace?"

His question was asked casually, as if the underground palace of Yuzuo Mountain was not in Shenjing, or that the two Martial Saints did not exist in Shenjing.

Xiao Ding, known as "Qi Zhen Shan He" (meaning "Aura that Shakes Mountains and Rivers"), and Guan Qimai, known as "Sheng Ji Zhuan Lun" (meaning "Wheel of Life"), are considered formidable martial arts masters by others, but they are nothing special to him.

After all, his "mother" was Xiao Qin, the founding martial saint of the Xiao clan, known among all saints for her unparalleled killing power, also known as "Ten Directions Annihilation".

Xiao Ding was just a junior in front of her, and Guan Qimai was even more of a greenhorn.

"No, that's too dangerous."

Xiao Qin said solemnly.

"And it will disrupt our understanding with Guan Qianjian."

"Never underestimate Guan Qianjian."

Seeing that her son was somewhat dismissive, Xiao Qin gave him a stern warning.

"You've witnessed the methods that the warriors of the Overwatch Council acquired from the Thousand-Eyed Demon God. With his talent, I can't even estimate how far he could go in two hundred years."

She didn't mention the other two Martial Saints.

Xiao Qin was a combative person throughout his life. He defeated Hou Wangshu, Feng Yeyi, and Yi Zhen in one-on-one battles. During the Rebellion of the Thirteen Kings, he even personally killed Xiao Qingya, another founding martial saint of the Xiao clan, known as "The Heaven-Cutting Hand". He is one of the very few martial saints in history with a record of killing someone of the same level.

In comparison, Guan Qimai, though young, at least had the title of "the fastest cultivator in history," while Xiao Ding could only be described as "ordinary."

"I can't figure out the Thousand-Eyed Demon God's condition, but judging from last year's Dragon Summoning Festival, he should have made further progress."

Xiao Qin's expression was solemn.

"I wouldn't have taken this risk if time hadn't been getting increasingly tight."

"How is the purity of your essence blood?"

she asked.

"About 80%."

Xiao Yuansheng replied, with a hint of pride.

"My true essence should be eight times that of a martial artist of the same level."

"Eighty percent? That's far from enough. It's only slightly better than Xiao Ding."

Xiao Qin clenched her fists slightly.

"There are still 231 imperial heirs on the roster..."

"But those are all important figures from various ethnic groups and factions, and their essence cannot be obtained through conventional means."

Xiao Yuansheng replied.

"If all else fails, how about we start from the inside..."

He inquired.

"No, that's the last resort!"

Xiao Qin resolutely refused.

"A major event is about to take place in the Northern Frontier, but now is not the time. I need to go into hibernation first. Have your subordinates review the information on the dragon heirs on the roster again, sorting them by their impact. We will make further considerations when I awaken."

(End of this chapter)