CHAPTER 955: CHAPTER 79: NI YANG (PART 2)

If the Formation within has already lost the power to suppress the demon beast, would releasing it not be walking into a trap?

After considering all these, he decided not to bother about that monster anymore.

He would just act as if he had never seen it and focus calmly on gathering resources from Tianyuan Mountain. He planned to use this place as a base for future development.

In the following time, Zhang Xiaoman busied himself across the seven main peaks of Tianyuan Mountain, collecting quite a few useful resources, primarily Spirit Stones.

Although these Spirit Stones had become dim and dull, there was still some Spiritual Energy within them.

He tried holding them in his palm and, using a specific Cultivation Technique, found they could rapidly restore his Dark Energy.

Or use them during Cultivation to speed up the cultivation of Dark Energy.

This aspect was somewhat similar to the Touching Spirit Flower.

Besides this, Zhang Xiaoman also found five Elder Jade Tokens within these peaks, which seemed to function similarly to the Sect Leader Jade Pendant he wore, belonging to the elders of the Tianyuan Sect.

However, he searched the entire Tianyuan Sect and only found five pieces; the whereabouts of the remaining two were unknown.

By the time Zhang Xiaoman had finished scavenging everything, the night had passed again, ushering in the next morning.

"Whew~~"

Releasing a long breath, he realized he hadn’t slept for four consecutive days and felt a bit groggy.

Finding an unoccupied cave mansion, Zhang Xiaoman used the Cleaning Spell to clear away the dust, summoned two Star Guards as guards, and then lay down on the jade bed to sleep.

With the boost from the Morning Star Ring, his recovery ability was quite considerable.

So even in an extremely exhausted state, he didn’t need much sleep to return to peak status.

About four hours into his sleep, Zhang Xiaoman was suddenly awakened by a violent shaking.

Opening his eyes, the two Star Guards were still dutifully standing by his side, but the entire mountain seemed to encounter an earthquake, starting to heave violently.

"Crash!"

The jade shelf fell to the ground and shattered, with continuous clattering sounds echoing around, leaving the cave mansion in disarray.

Ignoring everything else, Zhang Xiaoman quickly activated the Wind Control Technique and flew out.

Only when he got outside did he realize that the entire mountain range of the Tianyuan Sect was shaking violently.

Trees toppled, houses crumbled, presenting an apocalyptic scene.

"Not good!"

Zhang Xiaoman got a sudden jolt and thought of a certain possibility.

He hurriedly ascended further and gazed at the emerald lake in the center of the mountain range.

He saw the lake surface surge with monstrous waves, with water pushing outward wave after wave and crashing against the lakeside woods.

A massive Black Shadow twisted continually in the water, and each twist brought forth waves dozens of meters high.

"It’s it! Ni Yang!"

Zhang Xiaoman instantly realized what was happening.

This giant serpent was merely pretending earlier; now, it didn’t seem weak at all, almost capable of overturning the entire mountaintop.

"Splash!!"

The next second, countless waves surged as a head the size of a mountain rose from the lake.

Water cascaded down from its forehead like a waterfall, slowly revealing its true appearance.

Scales, antlers, long whiskers...

Zhang Xiaoman’s eyes widened.

This was no mere serpent; it was a dragon! A real Huaxia Divine Dragon!

"Roar!"

The azure dragon’s head emitted a thunderous cry, so loud that even Pei Laoliu in East Origin Village, a hundred kilometers away, could hear it.

Zhang Xiaoman quickly used a Dark Energy Shock to block his ears, negating the damage from the terrifying volume.

Then he saw the giant dragon shake the water curtain off its body and look up towards the sky.

"Boy, you really don’t keep promises."

The dragon’s mouth opened and closed twice, delivering the same deep male voice from before.

"I waited for you underwater for a day, and you just ran off in silence. Do you know, I have always enjoyed eating those who don’t keep their word?"

The dragon’s voice matched its size, booming like thunder across the entire Tianyuan Mountain.

Zhang Xiaoman’s face grew solemn, and he had already fortified himself with various statuses.

If the situation changed, he’d be ready to respond immediately.

"Ni Yang, when did I promise to find Spirit Stones for you? Instead, you have the power to come out but still tried to trick me, clearly with bad intentions!"

While speaking, he used the Amplification Spell on himself, spreading his voice far and wide.

Yet, compared to the terrifying size of the dragon, the volume increase from the Amplification Spell seemed almost negligible.

The giant dragon squinted, as if carefully listening to the tiny human above, pondering if what he said was true.

After a moment, it shook its enormous head and squeezed out a few words.

"Really? I forgot."

Zhang Xiaoman was speechless, wondering if the dragon was senile or just shameless, totally overturning his expectations of the Dragon Clan.

"Let’s not talk about this; boy, I’m in a good mood now. I’ll give you another chance. Go fetch all the Spirit Stones here for me and throw them into the Formation in the lake, or I’ll eat you whole!"

As it finished, it sniffed the air as if determining whether the boy’s scent was delectable.

"Hmm... Quite a stench, you don’t seem like a bad person... Probably won’t taste good, but I’m really hungry, so I might just endure..."

It continued to sniff, unable to stop itself.

"Huh? Odd... This isn’t right..."

It suddenly began muttering to itself.

Yet its size made its supposed whispers audible to Zhang Xiaoman in the sky.

"Why is this boy’s scent so peculiar... Could it be..."

It stopped abruptly, eyes widening as it looked towards the Jade Pendant at Zhang Xiaoman’s waist.

"Sect Leader Jade! You’re the Sect Leader of Tianyuan Sect!"

Ni Yang suddenly raised its volume in disbelief.

"Boy, I don’t want the Spirit Stones anymore; I’m going back to sleep now. Don’t come and disturb me!"

Saying this, it slipped back into the water in a splash, leaving Zhang Xiaoman a bit dumbfounded up in the sky.

"It, it just left...?"

Zhang Xiaoman looked at the water surface beneath his feet and then at the Jade Pendant on his waist before snapping back to reality. It seemed this creature had been scared off by the Sect Leader Jade Pendant he possessed.

Though he knew the Jade Pendant could suppress a Demon King, he never imagined the opponent would retreat so completely, fleeing at just a single glance.

Out of curiosity, Zhang Xiaoman held the Jade Pendant in his hand, channeling Dark Energy into it for insight to explore its secrets.

Initially, when he obtained the Jade Pendant, he had only scanned it with Divine Thought, not paying much attention to its mysteries.

He thought it merely depicted some unique Formation, allowing him safe passage through every corner of the Tianyuan Sect.

But after witnessing Ni Yang’s reaction, he suddenly had a premonition.

This Sect Leader Jade Pendant might not be as simple as he first thought.

There might be hidden secrets within, or else that giant dragon wouldn’t have recoiled at the sight of it.

Dark Energy mixed with spiritual power seeped into it, a technique known among cultivators as Divine Thought or Divine Sense.

Zhang Xiaoman searched inside and indeed found a region etched with a Formation.

But lacking expertise in Artifact Refining and Array Carving, he couldn’t comprehend its meaning.

He then delved deeper with his Divine Sense, exploring the Formation’s interior.

The Formation was incredibly intricate, so much so that even an outsider like him could sense its ingenuity.

However, as he observed, he suddenly noticed a cyan figure flicker past, sparking familiarity in Zhang Xiaoman, prompting him to quickly pursue with his Divine Thought to investigate.