Chapter 109: The Villain
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Before Yulan could react, a thunderous crash echoed as the Imperial Weapon slammed into the ground beside her feet!
She stared blankly at the imperial weapon. This handsome young man had actually done it!
Just as he'd said, the handsome young man had retrieved the Imperial Weapon for her—right at her feet.
The Imperial Weapon lay at her feet, but when she looked back at the handsome young man, he was pinned beneath the Dragon King's foot, struggling to spring up like a carp.
"Run! Whoever touches the Imperial Weapon will be killed!"
Yu Lan didn't know why, but even though it was their first meeting, she felt strangely reluctant to part.
"Then what about you?"
"Just get the hell out of here! My disciple is counting on you!"
Yu Lan scooped up the Imperial Weapon and turned to leave. She didn't understand this sentiment.
Just as she believed, she harbored no prejudice toward humans. To her, they were weak and treacherous—beings that needed to be ruled and suppressed, requiring someone to dominate them.
Yet this man before her revealed a different side to the young Dragon King—one that, though weak, possessed both compassion and honor.
Stomping her tiny feet, she stormed out of the Trial Hall, seemingly rather annoyed. Once she reached this point, she was safe—the Dragon King couldn't escape.
"How dare he speak to me like that!"
"I am the Dragon King!"
Truth be told, even the Dragon King Yulan couldn't help but admire the man's wisdom and courage, which far surpassed her own.
"If he's the Dragon King's man… this is the bare minimum, right…"
"Huh? What am I saying?"
"Yu Lan! Calm down. How can you act like this?"
Pacing back and forth with the massive Imperial Weapon in hand, Yulan’s mind was racing. She still refused to hand over the Spirit Orb, yet Su Cheng had indeed fulfilled his promise.
Perhaps even Yulan herself hadn't realized she'd completely dismissed one possibility in her mind: that Su Cheng might not make it out, that he might die inside.
In her mind, Su Cheng would definitely emerge. She couldn't explain why, but she simply felt certain he would make it out.
Sitting on the stone steps, swinging her legs, Yu Lan's face would flush red at times, then turn slightly angry.
Su Cheng was handsome and manly, but he lacked the proper decorum one should show toward the Dragon King.
Su Cheng merely wiped his mouth, thinking it wasn't a big deal—just a matter of dying soon.
This Dragon King was far more twisted than he'd imagined!
If only he'd been given a cheat code or some kind of power-up, he wouldn't be in such a mess!
Alas, reality was cruel. In this story, he wasn't the protagonist. He wasn't even as good as those prodigies. He was just an ordinary, utterly useless cultivator.
He couldn't use Snowflake again—his entire right arm had gone numb, and the Dragon King's kick had nearly knocked him unconscious.
He had only thirty-odd magical treasures left, and all his offensive artifacts were gone.
"But still," he thought, "I haven't lived enough yet."
The Old Dragon King was also battered, but he fared better than Su Cheng. After all, being a mere phantom, he likely felt no pain.
Between them, they could only muster two left arms. Was this some kind of manly romance?
【Tongzi, being tricked into being a dog for five hundred bucks—I'm probably the only one like that.】
【Ding~ Host, you're the best host I've ever seen! I'm confident you'll overcome this crisis! Hang in there!】
Honestly, this AI system was far more entertaining than those that only answered questions, though most of it was nonsense.
【Check physical status.】
【Host's physical status as follows:】
【Bleeding ×7, Fractures ×27, Negative Effects ×4, Dragon King's Intimidation remaining duration: 16:27:49.】
[Recommendation: Use system points to restore bodily functions. Proceed with payment?]
【You finally said something useful. How much?】
Honestly, 50,000 system points for a single fracture? Su Cheng can't afford that! Bleeding costs 30,000, and negative effects vary wildly in price depending on severity—only ever going up.
【Heal this arm first…】
[Ding~ Removed one fracture from left arm. Deducted 50,000 system points.]
【Dammit, wrong arm! It's the right one!】
【Ding~ Removed four fractures from the right arm. Deducted 200,000 system points. Remaining system points: 135,470.】
Su Cheng inwardly cursed: Back to square one overnight! Never gonna show off again—this shit's way too expensive!
Ye Qinghan perched on the roof beam, observing Li Shiyao with keen interest. She was genuinely curious what choice Li Shiyao would make.
Ye Qinghan couldn't hear the system's voice, but occasionally picked up Su Cheng's inner thoughts. She wasn't overly worried—if anything serious happened, the First Disciple would intervene!
Besides, she still had the immortal medicine her master had given her tucked away. Truth be told, she'd never once considered consuming it herself.
Right now, Ye Qinghan simply wanted to see if this Li Shiyu could truly deliver a satisfactory answer. If she stood by and did nothing to save her master, Ye Qinghan would have to reconsider her position.
Regardless of whether the Master harbored any reservations toward her, as the First Disciple, she couldn't afford to be careless.
Li Shiyu knelt huddled in the corner, clutching the Chaos Bell, watching her master and the old Dragon King fight for their lives!
"Battle to the death" was no exaggeration. Su Cheng had exhausted all his magical treasures. The arm he'd just healed fractured in two places again within twenty seconds. Still, compared to the powdery fractures caused by the snow-shattering technique, he could endure this pain.
As Su Cheng would say, no big deal—got it under control~
The Old Dragon King was in a similar state. Pierced twice by the God-Slaying Spear and having his arm torn off, he too seemed on the brink of collapse.
Longlong and Chengcheng were now locked in a brutal, bone-crunching brawl—punch for punch, kick for kick, locked in a fierce, unyielding struggle.
"Dammit! I still gotta go cook dinner for my little glutton!"
A thunderous roar erupted as Su Cheng’s fist slammed into the dragon’s face!
The Dragon King roared back, as if screaming: You bastard brought my daughter here to steal my imperial weapon, and you still have the nerve to act like you're in the right?
Amidst the fury, a headbutt smashed into Su Cheng's face, sending him reeling back several steps in a daze!
"Damn it! I spent my money! If I don't beat you to a pulp today, it'll be money down the drain!"
The Godslayer Spear was summoned once more and hurled with all his might, but…
The world before Su Cheng's eyes turned blood-red. The Dragon King before him seemed to have used a clone technique, his figure splitting into three.
The Godslayer Spear embedded itself firmly into the wall. Su Cheng staggered, his body suddenly feeling incredibly heavy, as if his legs could barely bear his weight.
He dropped to one knee: "Damn it, looks like those two little guys are gonna go hungry…"
Su Cheng felt utterly drained. His remaining system points were insufficient to heal his injuries, and his magical artifacts were all spent. Even if he had more, he lacked the mana to wield them.
【Damn it, I was so close! That Dragon King isn't much better off!】
【But he's just that little bit stronger than me!】
【Is this the damn villain's law? If he can't win, will he start reminiscing about his moments with Yulan and then suddenly get a power surge?】
【Isn't this just being a sore loser? He survived the Godslayer Spear head-on?】
"Master, Shiyu doesn't want to go hungry."
Peering out from the corner, Li Shiyu's face was dark with anger. Ye Qinghan could see it, but Su Cheng couldn't make out her expression or even tell if her voice was genuine.
A crisp bell chimed. Master, with all his bells and chimes, seemed a bit noisy. Li Shiyu, who was somewhat noisy herself, seemed to match the bells perfectly.
"Shiyao… leave this place first. I'll come find you later…"
Su Cheng didn't know why. He knew it wasn't cool, nor did he expect to move Li Shiyao deeply, but the words just slipped out.
"But Shiyu is hungry."
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