Chapter 200: Chapter 197: This Emperor Will Take on 10
The Pig Emperor gulped and scampered onto Mo Qi’s shoulder in a flash.
"Mo the kid, where did you get this thing?"
"You recognize it?" Mo Qi asked in return.
The Pig Emperor nodded repeatedly. "Of course, I do! This is a Dragon Crystal! Any being with even a trace of Dragon Race blood would recognize it! Dragon Crystals are one of the very few items that can help them evolve their bloodline, so they’re irresistibly tempting to any creature with Dragon Blood!"
"Is that so." Mo Qi rubbed his chin, then took out two of the crystals and offered them to the Pig Emperor.
"You and Liu Hui can have two each. I’ll study the last one myself."
But the Pig Emperor shook its head, not accepting them.
"I don’t want them. I’ve already absorbed the power of the Dragon Source. If I absorb Dragon Crystals on top of that, the balance between the dragon and pig bloodlines in my body will be broken. The loss would outweigh the gain."
Hearing this, Mo Qi put away the Dragon Crystals and explained how he had condensed them.
Huh?
The Pig Emperor was stunned after hearing the story, almost losing its footing and falling off Mo Qi’s shoulder.
"You’re saying... you condensed these Dragon Crystals yourself?"
"Yeah," Mo Qi nodded. "Is there a problem?"
"Is there a problem? There’s a huge problem!" The Pig Emperor looked like it had seen a ghost.
After a moment of contemplation, its expression turned grim. "Mo the kid, you must remember this: never, under any circumstances, reveal this ability in front of outsiders. Not unless you have the power to fight the entire Dragon Race!"
Mo Qi realized the gravity of the situation and asked, "Why?"
"Because condensing Dragon Crystals is something only the emperor of the Dragon Race has ever been able to do, throughout all of history! It represents not only the rarity and preciousness of Dragon Crystals, but also the Dragon Emperor’s authority!"
"Authority?" Mo Qi was confused. ’How does condensing Dragon Crystals translate to authority?’
"Think about it. If the Dragon Race finds out that there’s a second person in this world who can condense Dragon Crystals, that the opportunity to evolve their bloodlines is no longer controlled solely by the Dragon Emperor, do you think the Sub-dragon Races would still revere him as their one true emperor?"
Mo Qi had a sudden realization. ’So that’s how it is.’
The Dragon Emperor controls the source of Dragon Crystals, which is equivalent to holding the lifeline of the Dragon Race’s evolution. That’s how he can rule the Dragon Race with absolute authority.
After all, true pure-blooded dragons are exceedingly rare. The vast majority of the Dragon Race’s members need to continuously evolve their bloodlines!
"Do you think the Dragon Emperor will let you go?" the Pig Emperor asked.
"Well..."
’Of course he won’t!’
Mo Qi never would have imagined that the first of the Eight Transformations of Creation would grant him an ability that only the Dragon Emperor possessed.
’Should I be happy or worried?’
’Is mastering a rare skill this dangerous nowadays?!’
"Speaking of emperors, between you and the Dragon Emperor, who’s stronger?" Mo Qi asked suddenly.
"Me, of course!" the Pig Emperor said without a moment’s hesitation.
"In that case, if the Dragon Emperor comes after us, you can just beat him back, right?" Mo Qi said teasingly.
The Pig Emperor’s face immediately darkened.
"I’m still young, just a child. If you want me to beat up the Dragon Emperor, you’ll have to wait for me to grow up," the Pig Emperor said, putting on an incredibly haughty air.
"When will you be grown up?"
"In another ten or twenty thousand years."
Mo Qi: "..."
’Ten or twenty thousand years? I could do it myself by then!’
’What’s the point of having you around? To be my cheerleader?’
"Mo the kid, what’s with that look? Are you looking down on me?" the Pig Emperor asked, glaring sideways at Mo Qi, its tone unfriendly.
"No, absolutely not!" Mo Qi waved his hands repeatedly with an awkward smile.
"Hmph, think I can’t tell? Let me tell you, now that I’ve absorbed the Dragon Source, I’m not who I used to be! If there weren’t other people around, I’d really open your eyes! I could take on ten of them!"
The words had barely left its mouth when the two cliff faces at the entrance of the Dragon Vein Core were shattered by a powerful force.
A figure was sent flying in from the outside, crashing down in front of of Mo Qi and the Pig Emperor.
The figure got to his feet. It was Wu the Old Ghost.
At this moment, Wu the Old Ghost was covered in wounds, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He was in a miserable state.
Upon seeing Mo Qi, Wu the Old Ghost was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Little Brother Mo, I have not failed my mission. I successfully delayed them for one hour."
The External Incarnation had entrusted Wu the Old Ghost with guarding the Dragon Vein Core for one hour.
Not long after Jin Sanpang and the others left, a large group of prisoners arrived, their target being the Dragon Vein!
Wu the Old Ghost naturally wouldn’t let them pass, and so a great battle erupted instantly.
At first, relying on his Void Realm strength, he handled the prisoners with ease. But before long, three more prisoners at the Void Realm arrived.
Two of them were old acquaintances of Wu the Old Ghost, their strength roughly equal to his.
But the remaining Void Realm cultivator was not only a stranger but also extremely powerful.
In the face of freedom, friendship had become a joke.
A one-on-three battle thus began.
Wu the Old Ghost gave it his all, fighting as if his life depended on it, and only then did he manage to barely hold them back.
After an hour, when the time was up, the fighting spirit that had sustained him quietly dissipated. He could no longer withstand the three-person siege and was struck down.
"Wu the Old Ghost, what’s gotten into you today?"
"Let me see what kind of treasure is inside this Dragon Vein Core!"
"Dare to block us again, and don’t blame us for being merciless!"
Three figures flew in simultaneously from behind the shattered cliff face. A massive Grotto Heaven manifested behind each of their heads. Inside the Grotto Heavens, Spiritual Energy surged, and indistinct objects could be faintly seen lying within, emitting a tremendous pressure.
Behind these three, dozens more figures appeared. Their faces were etched with fatigue and curiosity, along with a hint of excitement.
"Brother Wu, you’ve worked hard. Go rest for now. Leave the rest to me." Mo Qi stuffed a Medicinal Pill into Wu the Old Ghost’s hand, then looked at the Pig Emperor.
"Pig Emperor, you just said you could take on ten. Go ahead."
The Pig Emperor looked at the three Void Realm experts in front of it, then at the dozens of Void Realm cultivators in the distance.
’Heh heh!’
’Where did this crowd pop up from?!’
’I was just showing off, just boasting a little! Did you really have to call my bluff this quickly?’
"Ahem, Mo the kid, I said I would take on ten. Not one more, not one less. This clearly isn’t ten people. So, uh... I’m outta here!"
With that, the Pig Emperor dove headfirst into Mo Qi’s arms without a second glance, ignoring all of Mo Qi’s calls.
Mo Qi was speechless. ’What happened to ’I’m not who I used to be’?’
’What happened to ’I’d really open your eyes’?’
’Are you trying to make me laugh on purpose?’
"Hm? Why is there a little Qi Refining Realm minnow here?" one of the Void Realm experts, a man with a handlebar mustache, said as he spotted Mo Qi.
Then he turned to Wu the Old Ghost. "Wu the Old Ghost, you wouldn’t let us in because of him?"
Wu the Old Ghost, clutching the Medicinal Pill, didn’t leave. He stood protectively in front of Mo Qi, eyeing the crowd warily.
"He seems pretty important to you. Don’t tell me he’s your bastard son?" another Void Realm expert, a scrawny old man, chuckled darkly.
"Hu the Eighth, Old Tomb Digger, I don’t care what you do now, but you cannot touch this little brother." Wu the Old Ghost said in a low voice. No matter what, he couldn’t let anything happen to Mo Qi.
