GD Ch. 23

Chapter 23: Will It Die?

Amid a snowy landscape, with snow falling heavily from the sky, a distant cold wind stirred up waves of white on the barren plain.

Hanzhu frowned, discreetly assessing the eyes of her mistress. She never expected those attractive eyes to be so severely injured. Even after a century of seclusion, it still required divine intervention for recovery. She pursed her lips and hastily continued, “While I was in Shangxi City, rumors spread among the devils there. They heard whispers of your realm plummeting, with no advancement in cultivation. And for a century, you just… Just…” Her voice trailed off, shrinking like a deflating balloon, leaving her words unfinished.

Zhuyou, frustrated and helpless, demanded, “Just what?”

“You just hatched… a baby,” Hanzhu finally confessed, slowly raising her hands to cover her head, fearing retribution.

Zhuyou’s expression shifted abruptly as if she had heard the most absurd joke. She glanced speechlessly at the black dragon in her hand. “Hatched a what?”

“A baby…” Hanzhu trembled as she spoke.

The devils in Shangxi City often indulged in revelry and idle chatter. Most of the rumors circulating in the Three Realms originated from that city, where they passed the time with tales, whether true or false.

Zhuyou chuckled. She pinched the dragon’s head between her fingers, examining it for a while. “Not just hatching an egg, but also producing a baby?”

The dragon, seemingly displeased, shook her head with a chilly glint in her eyes.

Then, the dragon’s head was flicked again. Momentarily stunned by the blow, the dragon bared her two sharp and terrifying teeth.

Fearing the dragon’s wild shrieks, Zhuyou quickly pressed the wide-open mouth shut. “I did hatch you, didn’t I? If you’re upset, why don’t you transform? In your current state, I could easily crush you with one foot, so what’s there to be angry about?”

Hanzhu listened in astonishment, never expecting her mistress to scold an uncertain creature. She discreetly stole another glance at her mistress’ eyes and whispered, “Does the divine object only exist in Cold Eye?”

“I don’t know.” Zhuyou’s eyes dimmed, the faint smile disappearing completely from her lips. “The Cold Eye possesses numerous healing sacred objects. There’s a herb rumored to cure all poisons, even capable of granting mortals without a trace of bone the ability to ascend to the heavens in a single step. Perhaps this sacred object isn’t as potent, but it should suffice to dispel the poisonous mist in my eyes.”

“What poison has affected your eyes, Mistress?” Hanzhu hastily inquired.

Zhuyou turned to look at her, studying her intently for a while as if contemplating.

Hanzhu felt uneasy, sensing that she shouldn’t have asked, but once spoken, the words couldn’t be taken back.

The dragon, held firmly between Zhuyou’s two fingers, stirred slightly as if attempting to break free without exerting too much force.

Zhuyou released her grip, her gaze oddly tranquil. Although she had endured centuries of agony, there was no hint of anger on her face when questioned. The usually unpredictable fallen divine offspring seemed suddenly extinguished as if a fire had been doused.

“Mistress?” Hanzhu whispered.

“Perhaps…” Zhuyou’s lips moved. “It’s something you can’t handle.” In truth, even she wasn’t sure.

Hanzhu lowered her hands from her head, softly murmuring in acknowledgment. Seeing her mistress unexpectedly so approachable, she felt a bit uncomfortable for a moment. She awkwardly asked, “Mistress, didn’t you come to the human world to assist the Three Lords? Why aren’t you with them?”

Not one to hide things from her little attendant, Zhuyou responded frankly, “I suspect the Three Lords are plotting against me.”

“What?” Hanzhu was bewildered. “But, why would they…”

Zhuyou walked with her hands behind her back, along the row of pine trees, continuing toward Huacheng Sect. “The premature opening of Shenhua Mountain was likely orchestrated by the Heavenly Realm. Jing Kexin unexpectedly told me she wanted to enter the mountain to investigate, claiming to seek the soul of the Devil Lord. Isn’t that walking right into the lion’s den?”

Hanzhu had no idea about the premature opening of Shenhua Mountain. She murmured in confusion, “But how do they know the Devil Lord will definitely enter Shenhua Mountain?”

“Whether the soul of the Devil Lord enters Shenhua Mountain or not, I don’t know. But since it is opening prematurely, there must be hidden motives.” Zhuyou raised her hand, and a twig swooshed through the air, landing neatly in her palm. The dark twig didn’t quite complement her pristine white hand. 

Without bending down, she gestured with the twig. Its tip hovered far above the ground, creating several chaotic scratches on the otherwise smooth snow as if casually drawn, devoid of pattern or coherence. It neither resembled a drawing nor formed any recognizable characters, distinctly different from runes as well.

Zhuyou tightened her grip on the twig slightly, and the dry black wood instantly turned into powder, coalescing into strange lines over the chaotic scratches on the ground. Some lines were long, some short; some ran east-west, while others north-south.

The biting mountain wind swept through, and the sound of beasts echoed from the mountains, yet the tumultuous scratches on the snow remained undisturbed.

“What are you drawing, Mistress?” Hanzhu watched for a while but couldn’t discern any pattern.

After a moment, the scratches on the snow seemed to move, and some of them, originally far apart, converged.

Hanzhu was astonished; she had never seen her mistress employ such a technique before.

The dragon coiled around Zhuyou’s wrist also stirred, its golden eyes fixed unwaveringly on the marks in the snow.

“While my divination may not rival that of the heavenly immortals, perhaps it’s superior to that of Second Lord Luo,” Zhuyou remarked, observing for a while before sweeping her palm through the air, causing the chaotic marks to vanish instantly.

“What did you divine?” Hanzhu’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Zhuyou squinted slightly, directly facing the direction where Huacheng Sect was located. “The soul of the Devil Lord is indeed within Songling City, but I can’t divine any further.”

“Should we return to Songling City, then?” Hanzhu glanced back. “It’s not too far from here now.”

“Do you know how many sects are gathered in the city, how many mortal cultivators there are? In such a vast sea of people, how will you find him?” Zhuyou looked at Hanzhu as if she were clueless.

Hanzhu gasped, hastily replying, “Indeed, Mistress. If it were me, I’d probably end up wasting a lot of effort.”

Zhuyou chuckled softly. “While Shenhua Mountain remains closed, I’ll pay a visit to Huacheng Sect. This sect is no ordinary one.”

Hanzhu hurriedly followed, then asked, “Did you encounter the Three Lords?”

“Unfortunately, yes. If Jing Kexin were a bit smarter, she would have guessed that I took something from the Dragon Palace, unless Luo Qing didn’t convey my warning to the other two Lords.” Zhuyou caressed the dragon on her wrist, cold as frost.

“What warning?” Hanzhu didn’t quite understand at first.

Zhuyou gave her a sidelong glance. “I sent Hongqu to the human world earlier and instructed her to warn the Three Lords to be wary of the Dragon Clan. Later, she returned to the Devil Realm with Luo Qing. Perhaps she only told Luo Qing.”

“If that’s the case, then aren’t the Three Lords just putting on a facade, each harboring their own schemes?” Hanzhu exclaimed in surprise.

Zhuyou nodded, quite pleased with the vocabulary used by her little attendant.

“In that case, we’d better not travel with them, to avoid being implicated,” Hanzhu quickly suggested.

Zhuyou cast her an approving glance and then touched the dragon on her wrist, which coiled tightly. The temperature around Changying seemed to drop even further, almost causing her wrist to become numb from the cold. She quickly lowered her head, only to see the dragon close her eyes, her breath significantly weaker, resembling a lifeless creature.

Zhuyou’s expression changed abruptly, causing Hanzhu to panic. “Mistress, what’s wrong with the dragon?”

“Find a place to take cover. This dragon seems to be dying. I need to examine it carefully.” Zhuyou’s complexion was grim as she tugged at the black dragon, but she didn’t budge. The dragon’s body was stiff, as if it had turned into a corpse.

Zhuyou’s heart sank halfway as she quickly conjured a cluster of phoenix fire, intending to warm up Changying.

Hanzhu felt something was amiss and hurriedly interjected, “Mistress, you shouldn’t use that. I-it might—”

Zhuyou gave her a cold glance.

“It might burn it!” Hanzhu blurted out hastily, finally finishing her sentence.

The fiery phoenix fire was retracted, leaving Changying unscathed.

Zhuyou then directed a strand of spiritual power to wrap around Changying’s body, intending to warm her up and see if the dragon would accept any food. The strand of spiritual power encircled Changying, but it was swiftly absorbed, leaving nothing behind.

Zhuyou breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that the dragon hadn’t completely cooled down yet. She then touched the head with her fingertips to examine her heart and lungs, only to find that her organs were as weak as ever. 

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that her heart had yet to fully develop, which was extremely peculiar.

This seemed like an irreversible situation; there was no time to waste.

Glancing around, Hanzhu saw nothing but snow and ice. She quickly said, “I’ll go check nearby.” Before she even finished speaking, she vanished.

On the desolate plain where the snowstorm raged, the ice was nearly three feet thick, and all one could see was white, except for the solitary figure standing there, a black shadow against the white expanse.

Zhuyou cradled her abyssal black dragon, hoping Changying wouldn’t die like this. She had expended so much spiritual power, and this debt had to be repaid. If she died, there would be no repayment.

Under her gaze, the dragon in her palm seemed to grow heavier, and upon closer inspection, she appeared to have grown a few inches.

Zhuyou was surprised. She took out a spirit stone from her pouch, but Changying didn’t eat any. Frowning, she released another strand of spiritual power and personally fed it to Changying’s mouth. Not only did Changying eat it, but she also smacked her lips.

Even at death’s door, she was choosy about her food.

Zhuyou couldn’t afford to expend too much spiritual power; if she used too much, she’d go blind. With Shenhua Mountain about to open, she couldn’t afford to be blind at such a crucial moment.

But in the next instant, her wrist bone was bitten, and most of her spiritual power was seized in an instant. 

This dragon was truly impolite.

Zhuyou’s vision was already white with haze, and after the dragon bit her wrist bone, everything became completely white as if she were covered in a white veil.

The dragon in her palm seemed to have grown considerably. It had become so heavy that she couldn’t hold it. When she loosened her grip, she heard something fall into the snow.

Soon, something clambered onto her wrist bone.

It was… a cold hand.