CHAPTER 473: CHAPTER 97

The city slaughter had persisted for an entire month. Throughout this month, Jiangshui City was filled with despairing howls. A layer of black clouds, tens of thousands of kilometers wide and condensed entirely from Resentment, even formed in the skies above.

The orderly streets were covered in thick blood, and occasionally, pale, lifeless bodies could be seen.

Qingming Ye, clad in white, wore a wicked smile. "The women of the Jiang Family are truly splendid, truly worthy of being the Snow Concubine’s kin! GURGLE, GURGLE, GURGLE. Does this count as a different way of tasting the Snow Concubine’s flavor?"

Chen Dao, tall as an iron tower, stood silently behind Qingming Ye. The latter’s bizarre laughter didn’t cause the slightest change in Chen Dao’s expression. "Your Highness," Chen Dao reported, "according to our information, several members of the Jiang Family have escaped."

SLAP!

Qingming Ye slapped Chen Dao across the face. Blood trickled from the corner of the Black Dragon Guard Deputy General’s mouth, his unfathomable Cultivation notwithstanding, and the immortal power within him roiled violently.

"Under the Seven Desires Locking Heaven Array, no one can escape," Qingming Ye declared. "That Beast Master who raised the Yin Yang Deer for my father, and the riffraff of the Jiang Family, are all still in the city."

"You have seven days. If you can’t find them, then you can prepare to die."

A strange red light flashed in Chen Dao’s eyes as he silently withdrew, gathering soldiers to begin a thorough search.

A pink aura surrounded Qingming Ye. The sweet, metallic scent caused him to shiver. He touched the scar on his abdomen and said with a sinister tone, "Father, you really did strike hard. But it won’t be long before your son will come to find you."

GIGGLE, GIGGLE, GIGGLE.

A crisp laugh echoed as a vague figure slowly appeared amidst the pink aura...

Qingming Ye’s smile faltered. "It’s not time yet, is it?" he said, displeased.

"Helping you slay that old coot from the Jiang Family cost me a lot of effort. Aren’t you going to compensate me?"

A naked, stunning body wrapped itself around Qingming Ye—a woman unforgettable and arresting from a single glance. Strangely, other soldiers couldn’t see her.

"Don’t absorb too much. I have important matters to attend to next," Qingming Ye said, a complicated look on his face.

This woman was Qingming Ye’s opportunity but also his nightmare.

"Of course. We are one now," the woman said seductively, blowing into Qingming Ye’s ear.

「...」

「Dragon Raising Lake」

The Qingming Ancient Country, which had occupied Dragon Raising Lake for tens of thousands of years, was unaware that beneath this pasture that provided countless warhorses, lay a broken Secret Realm.

Resilient Spirit Grass was stubbornly scattered across the shattered earth.

The Dragon Raising Lake Secret Realm, undisturbed for tens of thousands of years, today welcomed two guests.

A plump Spiritual Rabbit was roasted to a golden hue. Jiuge sprinkled a layer of seasoning on it, and the aroma of the food wafted forth.

"Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?" Jiang Ming fidgeted, looking eagerly at the food he usually disdained.

"Really? You’re a True Immortal; you shouldn’t need to eat," Jiuge said, somewhat speechlessly.

Taking a big bite of the succulent rabbit leg, Jiang Ming rolled his eyes. "What kind of person doesn’t eat? Immortals are people too."

"Alright, alright. But when can we get out of this place?" Jiuge asked with some concern.

When Qingming Ye launched his brutal assault on Jiangshui City, Jiang Ming had brought Jiuge to hide in this isolated Secret Realm.

This broken Secret Realm cut off everything. No means of communication could be used here, though a Golden Immortal with Great Power might manage.

Jiang Ming sighed. "I don’t know. But I do know that once we leave, we’re most likely done for."

"Isn’t your family’s ancestor a Heavenly Immortal? Why did you just run away? Don’t you have any confidence in your ancestor?" Jiuge asked curiously.

"My family’s ancestor didn’t achieve his breakthrough normally. Who knows what methods he used to become a Heavenly Immortal. All I know is that among Heavenly Immortals, there’s probably no one weaker than him," Jiang Ming said with a sense of hopelessness.

"You really don’t act like someone from the Jiang Family," Jiuge said, his gaze turning strange.

To run away at the first sign of trouble, and a True Immortal no less! For the Jiang Family to have such a promising member... it truly leaves one speechless.

"This is called preserving strength," Jiang Ming explained. "Besides, we’re merely a side branch of the Jiang Family from years past. To say we’re kin... in terms of blood relations, we’re not much different from strangers."

"Heh."

After eating their fill, Jiuge planned to explore the Secret Realm. Although Jiang Ming had said there was nothing left here, Jiuge didn’t quite believe it.

This is a Secret Realm, after all! A Secret Realm of the True Realm, not like those dime-a-dozen ones in the Heavenly Realm. Its sturdy space and Origin world meant that Secret Realms in the True Realm were few and far between. Establishing one required at least Golden Immortal Cultivation. Moreover, the Dragon Raising Lake Secret Realm was vast—so large that even a Golden Immortal couldn’t possibly sustain it.

The land of the entire Dragon Raising Lake had almost turned into a Gobi desert, with sparsely scattered Low Rank Spirit Grass listlessly drooping their leaves.

Jiuge performed a Magic to search for spiritual materials. Above the Spirit Grass, a blurred Spirit Light appeared, and within the light was a thin blue line.

His Dharma Eye opened on his forehead. "Thin Dragon Energy," Jiuge said with some surprise. "Although it’s almost imperceptible, it definitely exists."

Interesting. Could this really be the place of a True Dragon’s transformation?

True Dragons of the True Realm... Excluding the pure-blooded Dragon Clan, even those transformed from the lowliest Dragon Species possessed at least Golden Immortal Cultivation. Such True Dragons are also incredibly powerful beings within the Dragon Clan.

After walking for a full two hours, Jiuge finally reached the core of the Dragon Raising Lake Secret Realm—a dried-up lake.