Chapter 93: Taking Away

The Scarlet Thunder Dragon couldn’t pinpoint Li Zhen solely based on the subtle dragon essence he revealed. However, when Li Zhen utilized his spatial divine ability, he inadvertently stirred the dragon heart within him once more.

This allowed the Scarlet Thunder Dragon to locate Li Zhen. Its mission was clear: safely bring Li Zhen back.

Despite the Scarlet Thunder Dragon’s attacks being area-of-effect, each lightning bolt carried its perception. It would halt instantly if it sensed even the slightest anomaly.

As Li Zhen settled on the Scarlet Thunder Dragon’s back, he found himself standing on a surface as vast as a colossal ship.

The third-rank great monster’s presence, which had temporarily suffused the area, retreated entirely back into the Scarlet Thunder Dragon’s body. Additionally, a protective barrier materialized around Li Zhen.

With that, the Scarlet Thunder Dragon soared into the sky, its form dissolving into crackling electricity as it vanished into the distance.

Shortly after the dragon’s departure, a beam of sword light shot out from within Tianchang Inner City. The sword light paused above Tianchang City, revealing the figure of Ding Zhenren.

Ding Zhenren gazed coldly into the distance, harboring no intention to give chase.

Though he was a formidable Gold Core sword cultivator, even he dared not venture alone into the heart of the Monster Kingdom.

On the city wall below him, the only remnants of the combatants were scorched martial fighter armors; few bodies remained intact.

A direct hit from the Scarlet Thunder Dragon’s lightning left little behind—reducing flesh and bone to ash in an instant.

The consequences of a third-rank great monster attacking a Qi Refining cultivator were dire.

“You won’t revel for long,” Ding Zhenren muttered to himself. “On the day the Xian Nation’s army flattens the Yao Kingdom, I’ll find you myself!”

No one heard his voice; this grand plan of the Xian Nation was still in the upper echelons of planning.

Li Zhen couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment. He was flying, his speed summed up by one word: ‘blazing’.

The immense body of the Scarlet Thunder Dragon defied science, experiencing no wind resistance whatsoever. As it flew, the air parted automatically before it.

At that moment, Li Zhen could do nothing. He had no idea what awaited him.

He couldn’t even use spatial divine abilities. The third-rank great monster, the Scarlet Thunder Dragon, was the most powerful entity he had ever encountered. Before it, even space itself seemed to be constrained.

Little did he know that if it weren’t for the Scarlet Thunder Dragon mistaking his identity, simply the aura of a third-rank great monster would have been unbearable for him.

Even though his body tempering had reached the peak of the First Layer, to a third-rank great monster, he was but a mere ant.

In fact, human cultivators originally learned body tempering from monster beasts. After studying these creatures’ more powerful physiques compared to humans, countless cultivators’ efforts eventually led to the development of the human cultivation body tempering system.

The time on his identity bracelet had marched forward by over three hours, and Li Zhen had long since lost sight of his location on the map within it.

The demon country map in his identity bracelet, limited by his relatively low status, only encompassed the area near Tianchang City.

Li Zhen was now in a region far removed from Tianchang City, deep within the demon world’s recesses.

A third-stage great monster could cover an incredibly vast distance in three hours of flight. His identity bracelet, lacking a connection to the network and with only basic functionality, couldn’t even calculate the speed of such a monster. Still, Li Zhen knew this would be an extraordinarily immense journey.

The Scarlet Thunder Dragon slowed its flight and descended towards the summit of a mountain below.

“This is where you’ll stay. I’ve provided you with the food humans need!” The Scarlet Thunder Dragon brought Li Zhen into a cave and set him down.

The air inside the cave was surprisingly fresh, free from any unpleasant odors Li Zhen had imagined.

In truth, monsters had a keener sense of smell than humans. While unenlightened monsters might not pay attention to cleanliness, intelligent monsters who had come into contact with humans usually tended to some degree of nest hygiene.

This was especially true for the third-stage great monster, the Scarlet Thunder Dragon. Born into nobility, it had received the legacy of the dragon beasts from a young age and, over the course of its long life, had been exposed to much human information.

To the dragon, cleaning the nest was but a casual flick of the tail.

Li Zhen gazed at the Scarlet Thunder Dragon in awestruck wonder. The words spoken by the dragon were in a unique tongue, far richer in inflection and complexity than human speech.

Yet, in a twist of fate, he found himself understanding the dragon’s language as if by instinct.

The dormant dragon heritage he had inherited long ago now flooded into his consciousness, unlocking new secrets.

He realized that the Scarlet Thunder Dragon spoke in Draconic, one of the innate languages of the cosmos.

Innate languages, such as Draconic, were attuned to the very laws of heaven and earth. When used correctly in casting spells, they could exponentially increase the potency of the magic.

This was because innate languages inherently resonated with the universal laws of nature. By using Draconic to evoke magical runes, one could align more closely with these laws, thus harnessing greater power.

“Very well!” Li Zhen opened his mouth, adjusted his vocal chords, and uttered two words.

He too spoke in Draconic. However, given his current capabilities, he could only manage the simplest of phrases. To articulate Draconic with finesse would require relentless practice and, more importantly, a formidable physical body.

Draconic, capable of influencing the very laws of nature, was far beyond ordinary language.

As the Scarlet Thunder Dragon heard Li Zhen’s response, the regard in its eyes intensified.

Though each time Li Zhen displayed traces of dragon aura, it was incredibly faint, the weakness of its manifestation did not imply a lesser quality. Rather, every instance instilled a natural dread in this third-rank great monster.

Such a reaction could only mean one thing: Li Zhen possessed pure dragon blood. In other words, Li Zhen himself might be a true dragon.

To reconcile Li Zhen’s human form with his dragon nature, one need only consider the sudden seclusion of the Chaos Mother Goddess Dragon and the urgent command she issued during this period. It was clear evidence that Li Zhen harbored a profound secret.

The ‘Scarlet Thunder Dragon Beast’ didn’t linger in the cave, opting instead to attend to matters concerning the beast tide.

Li Zhen watched as the dragon beast departed. His first instinct was to leave immediately. He approached the cave entrance but was halted by an invisible barrier.

He considered activating his spatial divinity technique but paused just as quickly. There was no immediate danger, and from what he could tell, the dragon beast seemed to lack malice. If he were to teleport away now, he couldn’t be certain if the dragon beast had truly left or if it might instead be lurking nearby, watching him. Instead, Li Zhen decided to wait and observe the situation for a while before deciding on his next move.

Li Zhen returned to the dwelling arranged for him by the Scarlet Thunder Dragon. Inside, he found a human-sized bed, a table, and a chair—a setup specifically prepared with him in mind.

On the table rested a storage pouch. He picked it up, recognizing it as the type used in the Xian Nation.

Connecting his spiritual energy to the pouch, he effortlessly entered its interior. Notably, the storage pouch lacked any spiritual imprint—a feature that would allow its owner to sense if someone else had accessed it.

The pouch contained only food, all ready to eat without any preparation. There were cooked spirit meats, steamed spirit rice, and various spirit fruits, all of first-rank high quality.

“Why is it all first-rank food?” Li Zhen muttered, somewhat discontentedly, as he looked at the contents of the pouch.

It didn’t occur to him that, since he was still in the Qi Refining stage, the Scarlet Thunder Dragon wouldn’t have left him any second-rank food.

For him, second-rank food would not be sustenance but poison. A single misstep could fill him with so much energy that it would blow his body apart.

He strapped the storage pouch to his waist. The Scarlet Thunder Dragon was surprisingly generous; the food here would last him for years. Li Zhen realized this was more than just hospitality—it was a test. He would need to discern his true strength and limits to understand how long he could survive.

He then linked his identity bracelet to the storage pouch. Although it wasn’t connected to the network, the pouch already contained some data, which the bracelet revealed to him after binding.

This storage pouch was a military model specially crafted by the Xian Nation for logistics support. Its unique feature was a built-in preservation function; food stored within wouldn’t spoil.

Li Zhen didn’t understand the principle behind this, only guessing that some precious material must have been added to achieve this effect.

The internal space of the pouch was a full ten cubic meters, only slightly smaller than his Dragon Heart Space. It was the largest storage pouch he had ever seen.

Li Zhen took out a piece of first-class high-grade spirit meat and began to eat. After the fierce battle and all the shocks he’d experienced, he was truly famished.

Once he’d finished the spirit meat and quelled his hunger, he started pondering how to escape this predicament.

When being taken away from Tianchang City, he had seen the city wall guardians slain. If he didn’t return soon, he feared he’d become one of the fallen guardians as well.

He shuddered to even imagine how heartbroken his parents would be.