Chapter 215: The Divine Purple Rock
Xiao Nanfeng charged through the foggy outskirts of the Ancestral Dragon's Hall along with the bloodied Ao Zhou. Suddenly, a skeletal dragon launched itself at them.
"A skeletal dragon!" Ao Zhou cried out. "We're done for!"
Xiao Nanfeng held Long Jiu's token up high. The skeletal dragon hastily reined in its killing intent and bowed, allowing Xiao Nanfeng to continue forward unimpeded.
"What? What's wrong with this skeletal dragon?" Ao Zhou demanded.
"As I said, I can handle the skeletal dragons. You just have to worry about unlocking the hall. What's there to shout about?" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
A few more skeletal dragons emerged, but all of them retreated upon seeing Long Jiu's token.
"Is it because of this token? Long Jiu's an elder of the dragon clan, and a black dragon at that. He's my uncle, and this is the token he gave me!" Ao Zhou suddenly cried out.
Seeing the value of Long Jiu's token, it instantly wanted to claim it for itself.
"What did Long Jiu say in its inheritance?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"It said to hand his token to me," Ao Zhou stressed.
"It also said that I could take it if I wanted to, didn't it?" Xiao Nanfeng scoffed.
"How did you know?" Ao Zhou gasped.
"The elder of spacetime told me, of course. What an ingrate you are! I just saved your life again, and the first thing you do is try to snatch my belongings! Don't you know that this sort of anti-alliance behavior is to be punished by torture in the Qitian Alliance?!" Xiao Nanfeng threatened.
Ao Zhou's face stiffened. It immediately corrected itself. "I was just kidding, kidding! You really can't take a joke, can you?"
Xiao Nanfeng rolled his eyes, marveling at the serpent's thick skin.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Turtle and a group of spirit kings had reached the outskirts of the Ancestral Dragon's Hall.
"Did they enter? Are they trying to commit suicide? The skeletal dragons within will crush them!" the green lobster king shouted.
"Prime Minister, we can't head in any further!" the crab king warned.
A giant skeletal dragon emerged from the fog and rushed toward them, shooting out countless bone spikes. The spirit kings retaliated in defense as they hastily retreated.
Only when the spirit kings had retreated did the skeletal dragon slowly fly back into the fog.
"They must have some secret that's allowing them to enter the Ancestral Dragon's Hall."
"Is it because of that dragon? But the black serpent didn't show any such ability in the past..."
"Could they have set their sights on the treasures inside the Ancestral Dragon's Hall?!"
The spirit kings fretted anxiously.
Prime Minister Turtle calmed down as its rage dissipated. It stood on the outskirts of the Ancestral Dragon's Hall and stared at the fog before it. "What's in the Ancestral Dragon's Hall belongs to me, not anyone else. Better that they enter now and scout on my behalf!"
As they approached the Ancestral Dragon's Hall, Ao Zhou saw all the skeletal dragons they encountered bow down and retreat at the sight of Long Jiu's token. It was astounded by the relic. What it wouldn't give to have the token in its possession!
As the two of them arrived at the Ancestral Dragon's Hall, they were greeted by the sight of open doors. However, a barrier was present that contained the dense, roiling purple air within the hall.
"Alright. Unlock the barrier!" Xiao Nanfeng instructed the serpent.
"What lock?"
"The one at the entrance to the hall. I'd like to get inside," Xiao Nanfeng told the serpent.
Ao Zhou glanced at the hall. No matter how foolish it was, the sight of the roiling purple smoke made it evident that there had to be a treasure of tremendous value within. Although it didn't know how to unlock the barrier, it didn't want to simply help Xiao Nanfeng out for no material benefit, either.
"I don't know how to unlock it. And look at my sorry state! I don't even have any strength to move, let alone help you." Ao Zhou fell limply to the ground.
Xiao Nanfeng's face twitched. He had expected the serpent to pull something of this sort.
"Elder of Spacetime, I ask for your attention! Look at how uncooperative Ao Zhou is. Why don't we kill it?" Xiao Nanfeng spoke to the air.
Ao Zhou immediately jumped up in shock. "Stop talking nonsense, Xiao Nanfeng! I was just resting. How dare you besmirch my name! I'm an active member of the Qitian Alliance, and I keep my word. If you kill me, who will unlock this barrier? Are you going to take responsibility for delaying the elders' plans?!"
Xiao Nanfeng: ...
Ao Zhou touched the barrier, trying to think about how it might be able to unlock it, but the moment its blood was smeared on the barrier, it began to sizzle.
"So that's how this barrier functions—the Ancestral Dragon's Hall can only be opened by one with the bloodline of an ancestral dragon!"
"What? It's that simple?" Ao Zhou cried out.
"More blood!" Xiao Nanfeng urged.
Ao Zhou gave Xiao Nanfeng a strange look as it smeared the blood all over its body on the barrier. The barrier began to melt, just like hot iron against snow.
"The barrier's weakening. Quick, continue!" Xiao Nanfeng urged expectantly.
"That's all the blood I've got!" Ao Zhou replied.
"What about the blood in your body?"
Ao Zhou: ... Why did breaking open this barrier need so much blood?
"Here, borrow my Immortal dagger for now." Xiao Nanfeng handed Ao Zhou one of the Immortal weapons that it had given to him.
Ao Zhou: ...
It had no choice but to cut itself with the dagger, causing fresh blood to spurt out.
"What am I doing?" Ao Zhou cursed Xiao Nanfeng. "I was doing just fine recuperating on my own, but now you're having me hurt myself!"
"Don't be too upset. Occasional bloodletting is good for the body," Xiao Nanfeng consoled the serpent.
Ao Zhou: ...
The serpent continued smearing its blood on the barrier to weaken it, but it seemed stubbornly resilient. Even as the barrier weakened, it was regenerating at a rapid rate.
"How long is it going to take you? Open the cut wider and spray out more blood at once!" Xiao Nanfeng urged.
Ao Zhou scowled. "Look at how much blood I've already used! I'm going to die if this keeps up."
"You won't! At worst, you'll have anemia. Hurry up. The barrier's regenerating, so if you're slow, you'll end up wasting even more blood. Why don't I help?" Xiao Nanfeng stepped forward.
He scored the serpent's flesh with the dagger, causing blood to gush out.
"Xiao Nanfeng, are you trying to disembowel me?!" Ao Zhou roared.
"I'm sorry, my hand slipped. It was a mistake. Fortunately, you're still alive," Xiao Nanfeng consoled.
"My stomach!" Ao Zhou howled.
"Ah, look! The barrier's open. I'm going to hop in now. I'll see you once you've sewn your wound shut!"
Xiao Nanfeng claimed the dagger and hopped into the opening in the barrier.
Ao Zhou clutched his stomach wound and cried out, "Are you so shameless as to take that dagger too? Look at how badly injured I am! I need something to console myself with."
Ao Zhou darted in through the opening as well before it sealed shut once more.
The moment Ao Zhou stepped inside, however, it felt a frightening pressure descend. The pressure was so strong that it was rendered immobile.
It looked into the hall. There were no other partitions within; the entire hall was one large, enclosed space. A blood dragon hovered in the air—not a true dragon, but a dragon formed from liquid blood. Its eyes were shining red. It didn't seem intelligent, but the titanic killing intent that wafted from its body was more than sufficient to suppress Xiao Nanfeng and Ao Zhou.
The blood dragon was curled around a giant purple rock, which gave off waves of purple fog. Some black fog was steaming at the base of the rock where it touched the floor, but it seemed to be sealed by the rock and unable to drift into the air.
"What's that?" Ao Zhou cried out.
"There's some text over there!" Xiao Nanfeng suddenly exclaimed.
On a wall nearby were words in an ornate, calligraphic script.
"After the ancestral dragon reigned supreme over the world for millennia, in order to avoid the calamity that occurs every ten thousand years, it led the strongest cultivators to the other shore of the universe. During the journey, however, the entire expedition was vanquished, and the ancestral dragon's soul obliterated. All that remained and made it back was a portion of its blood, along with a divine purple rock. The ancestral dragon's resentment, unquenched, shall guard over this rock and the draconic palace for eternity."
Xiao Nanfeng and Ao Zhou exchanged a glance with each other.
"So this blood dragon is formed of the ancestral dragon's blood?" Ao Zhou was amazed.
"What could this rock be, to foster such resentment from a being like the ancestral dragon? How could it be producing this purple aura?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.
"Xiao Nanfeng, these treasures all belong to the draconic palace,and I'm its successor! They're all mine!" Ao Zhou suddenly cried out.
"Control yourself! All this belongs to the elder of spacetime. Without his assistance, would you ever have been able to make it here? All this was planned by the elder himself, and he's about to reap the fruits of all that labor. Are you going to try to claim what's his for yourself? Are you tired of living?!"
Ao Zhou was shocked stiff. Its anger dissipated in a flash.
"As a member of the Qitian Alliance, you have to be aware of its rules. It's fine for you to snatch what belongs to others—we might even be willing to help you do so—but if you set your eyes on the possessions of those within the alliance, you'll be punished."
Ao Zhou laughed nervously. "Of course not, of course not! I was just joking. I can't believe you treated me seriously. I would never try to challenge the elder of spacetime. I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere."
Xiao Nanfeng pursed his lips disdainfully. If not for the existence of this 'elder', the serpent would surely have fought him to the death for these treasures.
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