Chapter 391: Stratosphere
Hearing that Li Qingran might also be in danger, Chen Huaianâs expression instantly turned serious.
He didnât really care about himselfâhe could accept life or death and would fight if challenged.
Still, Dang Kangâs explanation was close to what heâd already guessed. That gray aura definitely wasnât anything good.
But⊠he wasnât even an Ascender. Heâd never taken an Ascenderâs pill, never practiced an Ascenderâs techniqueâso how did he have gray aura on him?
It seemed Dang Kang had seen through his thoughts.
It unfurled a scroll in front of Chen Huaian and Li Qingran.
The scroll depicted Earth Starâs mountains, rivers, oceans, skyscrapersâlike a high-definition satellite map.
From this godâs-eye view, Chen Huaian could see threads of gray aura spreading to every corner of the world.
âMaster, what is it showing us?â
Li Qingran, unaware of the mental exchange between Chen Huaian and Dang Kang, looked at the scroll, completely confused.
Chen Huaian casually replied, âIt says itâs giving us a house. We can pick any spot on the map.â
Li Qingran: â???â
Was that really what it meant?
Something felt off!
But since her Master said so, it must be true.
Li Qingran answered, âThen I want one by the sea!â
Chen Huaian gave her an âOKâ hand sign.
Once they got out, heâd have Zhao Ying make the arrangements.
His precious disciple just wanted to live by the sea, not on Mars. That wasnât much of a request, right?
Dang Kang pretended not to hear and continued:
ăDragon Soul inheritor, as you can see, this gray aura has already spread to every corner of this world. And as someone born and raised here, youâve naturally been tainted by it as well.ă
âWhat if this Venerable One leaves for another world?â
Chen Huaian recalled how the virtual girlfriend game had a feature that let his real body temporarily escape into a small world.
ăIt would make no difference.ă Dang Kang replied: ăEven if you went to another world, the gray aura on you would not disappear.ă
Chen Huaian frowned. âIsnât there any way to break free?â
ăThere is! Kill the beings behind the Ascenders. End the cycle of reincarnation completely.ă
âAlright. Who are they? Where are they? This Venerable One will go kill them right now!â
Dang Kang laughed heartily.
Its laughter shook the heavens and the earth.
Li Qingran was bewildered and asked, âMaster, wh-whatâs it so happy about?â
âItâŠâ Chen Huaian paused, then squinted.
âIt probably likes the seaside too. When it saw you pick a spot by the ocean, it felt like it found a kindred spirit. That made it really happy.â
âHuh?â Li Qingran scratched her head and looked curiously at the now-silent Dang Kang. âNobody lives by the sea in this world?â
âNope. Itâs too polluted.â
Chen Huaian added,
âIf you really want to live there, itâs not impossible. But weâd have to purify the nearby seawater first. Our world has a country that dumps nuclear waste into the ocean.â
Li Qingran didnât understand what ânuclear wasteâ was, but she had a hunch it was something filthy.
She immediately frowned, her voice turning cold:
âThereâs actually such a shameless nation? Master, when we go there later, Iâll level it with one sword stroke!â
Chen Huaian thought to himself, she might not even get the chance.
That place was already crawling with ghosts, and while this side was ascending, that side was still stuck in the Onmyoji era.
He figured before Li Qingran could even unsheath her sword, the people there would already be wiped out by monsters.
Back in the early days of spiritual revival, it was true that monsters didnât attack people from Daxia. It was always evil spirits and demonic cultivators.
But monsters didnât harm Daxiaâs people because Daxiaâs bloodlines contained traces of the Ancestral Dragon.
Whether that other place had such bloodlines was doubtful.
ăI think Iâm beginning to understand why the Ancestral Dragon chose you.ă
After laughing, Dang Kangâs voice echoed once more in Chen Huaianâs mind.
ăEvery person the Ancestral Dragon ever selected had to meet four criteriaâfortune, strength, talent, and temperament. From what I see, you only have fortune. Nothing else. But your fortune is stronger than any previous inheritorâs!ă
It looked up at the sky and sighed.
ăEven the Ancestral Dragon has begun putting his faith in something as intangible as luck? So be itâŠă
ăSince this is already the final round, letâs take one last gamble for the Ancestral Dragonâs sake!ă
âWhat final round? Stop speaking in riddles!â Chen Huaian had heard similar things from the Flood Dragon.
Didnât Blood Amber Mountain Lord say it was an endless reincarnation?
If he failed this time, wouldnât there still be another chance?
But Dang Kang replied:
ăOver a hundred cycles of reincarnation, weâve tried every method imaginable. We resisted countless times, and every time we failed.ă
ăWith each cycle, our power diminished. Just look at me now.ă
Dang Kang stood up.
The clanking chains rang out as it revealed its massive body.
As the dust and dirt fell away, deeper layers of its skin were exposed.
Chen Huaian saw that Dang Kangâs jade-colored skin was covered in cracks.
ăThis is my final reincarnation. One more time and my soul will completely vanish. So this is also our last chance!ă
ăTo end the cycle, the most fundamental thing needed is strength. From now on, you must begin receiving the sacrifices of the Nine Divine Beasts.ă
ăIn past cycles, we followed the Ancestral Dragon in battle, then later the inheritors⊠but nothing ever changed. This time, the Ancestral Dragon and we have decided to go all-in and focus every ounce of power on you!ă
âYou guys are gonna force-feed this Venerable One like Blood Amber Mountain Lord did?!â Chen Huaian was alarmed.
ăThe soul essence of the Nine Divine Beasts will be enough to place you outside the chessboard entirely.ă
Dang Kang ignored Chen Huaianâs weird phrasing and continued:
ăOf course, the Ascenders and those mysterious beings wonât sit by and let that happen. Theyâve been hunting us for years.ă
Chen Huaian was dumbfounded by Dang Kangâs explanation.
He looked the chained beast up and down.
âTheyâre looking for you guys? Then who locked you up here?â
ăWe did, of course. If we didnât use formations to imprison ourselves, those beings would discover our whereabouts!ă
Dang Kang grinned, a pleased curve forming at the corners of its mouth.
ăDo you remember what I told you?ă
âWhat?â
ăThis is the upper nine levels of the Demon-Locking Tower. There are eighteen levels total, which means thereâs a lower nine levels.ă
ăIâm imprisoned in the upper ninth floor. So tell meâwhat kind of monster do you think is locked in the lower ninth?ă
ăAnd do you know who the Demon-Locking Tower is actually meant to be shown toâme, or the monsters in the lower nine floors?ă
Chen Huaian stared at Dang Kang in stunned silence.
This colossal beast actually had a crafty glint in its eyes.
Who wouldâve thought the Demon-Locking Tower wasnât set up by those mysterious entities?
Who wouldâve guessed that these divine beasts actually locked themselves inside to hide in plain sight?
No wonder it had reincarnated a hundred times.
This plan really was⊠stratospheric.
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At the same timeâ
In the lower nine floors of the Demon-Locking Tower.
Baji and Wang Shouyi, who had gotten separated from Chen Huaian and Li Qingran, were now facing a giant ape.
This ape had white hair and fangs, and tiger-like stripes on its body.
The most shocking part wasâbehind it, smoke billowed and corpses littered the ground, as an illusion of an ancient battlefield appeared.
Everyone was paralyzed under the beastâs terrifying pressure.
Wang Shouyi, among the crowd, saw the illusion behind the beast. His pupils shrank, and his voice trembled:
âItâs over! Thatâs⊠Zhuyan!â
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