CHAPTER 96
Dragon King's Storm Command
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"Senior Sister?"
Ye Qinghan glanced at Li Shiyu, who stood nearby with a worried expression. "I'm fine. Master is fine."
"Um… Shiyu just wanted to say, could Senior Sister please stop squeezing my hand? It hurts a little…"
Li Shiyu glanced at her small hand, now red and bruised from being clutched in her senior sister's palm…
Su Cheng gave the injury a quick examination. Thankfully, it was only a hairline fracture.
He bought some pills from the system and shoved them all into his mouth. They worked, but only minimally, offering simple pain relief.
After tidying up the scattered bottles and jars, Su Cheng struggled to push himself up before continuing his search for the location described by the system.
According to the system's description, the Dragon King's cultivation site was a highly concealed cave deep within the heart of Panlong Mountain. Not only did it possess excellent feng shui, but its spiritual energy was also far denser than in other areas.
If the Dragon King cultivated in a specific chamber within a palace, it would be somewhat easier to locate.
But searching for an inconspicuous cave within Panlong Mountain was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Nevertheless, following the path into the mountain described by the system, Su Cheng eventually found the fork mentioned. According to the system's records, the left path led to the cultivation cave, while the right path led to the Dragon King's Trial Hall.
After walking along the left path for over two hours, Su Cheng finally spotted the cave described!
"Dragon King Sister? Are you there? What are you doing?"
Su Cheng pressed his left hand against his right wrist, his steps faltering. His posture now resembled that of a newlywed bride, hands clasped demurely at his sides, appearing exceedingly reserved.
"Sister Dragon King? If you don't answer, I'll go in, okay?"
Though Su Cheng appeared reserved, she was actually quite unafraid of strangers. With that, she strode confidently inside.
The cave was enormous. If this weren't a secret realm, a mountain of this size would likely have been hollowed out entirely.
Though a cave, its interior decoration surpassed that of a palace. Exquisitely carved stone tiles covered the floor, while colorful painted bricks adorned the walls. Passing through a long corridor revealed a vast council chamber—though the Dragon King had little governance to conduct, it was primarily used to receive subordinates.
Li Shiyao and Ye Qinghan followed their master, equally astonished. They never imagined this cave could conceal such a hidden world.
While it fell short of the Lingxian Hall, even the palace of a human emperor would likely be no more impressive.
"Senior Sister, have you heard of the Dragon King?" Li Shiyao hid behind Ye Qinghan, peeking out from behind her shoulder with her golden-haired head, seemingly terrified of the Dragon King mentioned by Su Cheng.
Ye Qinghan was used to it—after all, this little scatterbrain was her junior sister.
"No, but it sounds incredibly powerful." Ye Qinghan couldn't say too much. While she could learn much through reading minds, the version she shared with Shiyu required editing and toning down.
First, even if she told Shiyao everything, the girl might not understand it all.
Second, that little scatterbrain Li Shiyu wasn't exactly discreet. If Master found out and started guarding against her, that wouldn't be good.
Though Ye Qinghan claimed it was formidable, she didn't truly regard it as such. No matter how powerful this Dragon King might be, could he possibly surpass the jade slip Master had given her?
In Ye Qinghan's eyes, nothing was beyond the God-Slaying Sword Array. Even if this Dragon King possessed some strange magical artifact, she wasn't afraid. It would be a perfect opportunity to test the Vajra Ring her master had given her and bring some goods back to Lingxian Hall.
"Shiyao has never seen a dragon before, but Sixth Elder said they're enormous creatures—sharp fangs, gaping maws, greedy for treasure, and fond of kidnapping girls like me."
"Don't worry. While Senior Sister can't confirm if the Dragon King covets treasure, I suspect he'd have no interest in a dim-witted Holy Maiden."
"Senior Sister, Shiyu isn't actually dull. Fourth Elder said she has a unique charm that makes her very likable."
"Fourth Elder is right. Shiyu is clever and quick-witted, very endearing."
Ye Qinghan smiled as she reached out her hand. She truly cherished this junior sister with all her heart.
Li Shiyu grasped her senior sister's hand in return, a wave of security washing over her. She silently marveled at her senior sister's unmatched strength!
Just then, a dragon's roar echoed through the air, startling the three who had "sneaked in" out of their wits.
"Roar~ Who dares intrude upon this king's sacred sanctuary!"
The dragon's roar was deafening, its accusation carrying the weight of divine decree, an undeniable sense of oppression!
However, Su Cheng showed no sign of fear. This Dragon King was far easier to deal with than his First Disciple!
"Dragon King Sister, I am Su Cheng, the head of Lingxian Hall. I came here specifically to see you."
Su Cheng gave ample respect. While others might not know, he had some understanding of the Dragon Queen.
Typically, character profiles included photographs—which was why Su Cheng had instantly recognized Dongfang Jue and Ye Qinghan. However, the Dragon Queen's portrait depicted her in dragon form, leaving Su Cheng to infer her human appearance solely from textual descriptions.
The Dragon King in her dragon form appeared immense, likely larger than the Lingxian Hall itself. The description read: [Antlers like a deer, head like a camel, eyes like a rabbit, neck like a snake, belly like a sea monster, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, palms like a tiger, ears like a cow. She commands wind and rain, soars through clouds and mist…]
The description of her human form, however, was… rather sketchy… It basically stated that the Dragon King possessed two legs, two arms, a nose, and eyes, with the same number as a human…
"No audience." The Dragon King's voice carried a hint of displeasure, as if to say, "You think you can just demand an audience? That would be quite embarrassing for me!"
Su Cheng retorted, "I've come all this way to find you! You can be unreasonable, but at least show some courtesy!"
"No way! I need to borrow something from you!"
With that, he tucked his hands into his sleeves and continued walking inward until he stood before a massive door.
Ye Qinghan was momentarily stunned. Master… seemed to have developed a backbone! Kind of cool!
The Dragon King was also stunned. In all her years, no one had ever dared speak to her like this!
And she was here to borrow something from her, with that tone!
The meter-thick stone door was instantly blasted open by a thunderous roar of true qi!
Ye Qinghan instantly sensed trouble! That true qi! Master was in danger!
At that moment, Su Cheng stood tall before the stone gate, showing not a shred of fear despite having enraged the Dragon Queen!
"Yu Lan, don't be so stingy. I just want to borrow your spirit orb for a bit. I'll return it right after I'm done!"
"You three truly don't hold me in any regard!"
True qi, intertwined with the Dragon King's overwhelming pressure, swept toward them. This was undeniably the true Dragon King's presence! Even before seeing his actual form, one couldn't help but fall to the ground, performing the ritual of homage!
Then came the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from within the pitch-black doorway!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each step was so heavy it seemed capable of crushing a city with ease!
Ye Qinghan felt a surge of panic. The other party had clearly detected her and Li Shiyao! After all, the three people mentioned could only refer to them!
"No, please, Yu Lan, give me some face! I swear I'll pay you back!"
"Are we that close?"
"Didn't I just introduce myself? My name is Su Cheng. You're Yu Lan. We can cultivate our feelings slowly—no rush!"
"Hmph, you've got some nerve!"
"So, can you lend me the Spirit Orb?"
"Go eat shit, you moron!"
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