Chapter 2362 (Raw 2469): Surging Undercurrents

After Soul Reaper disappeared, the Azure Dragons’ ancient city appeared even emptier under the blood moon. However, even emptier than the ancient city was Xiao Chen’s heart. He stared at the blood moon and mused for a long time, remaining in a daze.

The dragon spirit’s words resolved many of Xiao Chen’s doubts. Simultaneously, he could not help feeling even more deeply sorrowful.

Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun, a formidable person of his generation, eventually fell due to his own people’s betrayal.

Had Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun been able to recover after laying the Great Desolate Blood Dragon Formation and the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation, who knew what grand undertaking he could have accomplished after coming out of closed-door cultivation?

Somewhat unexpectedly, Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun had believed that he did not need the Wings of Time to deal with the Divine Master.

This made sense when Xiao Chen thought about it. Despite being weakened, Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun still managed to injure the Divine Master severely when he could not bring out even half of his strength.

Had Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun be able to fight at full power, the Divine Master would not have been a match for him.

However, admiration remained admiration. The death trap that Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun laid before he died also repulsed Xiao Chen.

If not for Xiao Chen repeatedly asking, the dragon spirit would not have told him the truth about this.

Xiao Chen might not even have known after he foolishly became the Dragon Emperor. All this was part of Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s plot.

Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun had long laid a plan where Xi and Xiao Chen fought to the death; only one could survive.

It might be even more horrifying. Xiao Chen might not have known even when he died. He sincerely wanted to revive the Azure Dragon’s glory yet would not have known that it was a Dragon Emperor of the Azure Dragon bloodline who plotted his death.

Xi probably knew the truth by now.

Xiao Chen wondered if, after knowing the truth, Xi would still say the same thing in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb, that no one else was his friend aside from Xi.

Upon further thought, Xi was quite pitiful. He thought that he was Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s inheritor along with Xiao Chen. No matter what, they should be friends on the same side.

However, Xi did not know that the Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun planned for the two of them to kill each other sooner or later; only one could survive.

Xiao Chen sighed after a long time, then left the land of the blood moon.

The vast Desolate Sea was the starting point of the Martial Epoch. The blood moon made the place look sinister and bleak.

Xiao Chen finally understood why the Desolate Sea’s scarlet color looked so grim and dismal, inspiring ominous feelings.

This was because Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun laid formations fifty thousand years ago to gather the Heavenly Dao’s killing intent that was birthed in the Martial Epoch, gathering it into the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation.

When night fell, the invisible killing intent filled every corner of the Desolate Sea.

Xiao Chen tightly grasped Heavenly Slayer and closed his eyes, carefully probing it.

Under the blood moon, the killing intent pervading the Desolate Sea was connected to Heavenly Slayer.

After a while, Xiao Chen opened his eyes, and golden light flashed there. He had activated his Great Desolate Divine Eyes.

He immediately saw several strange sights that others could not see.

Countless scarlet lines surged over from all directions and connected to Heavenly Slayer.

Unfortunately, Xiao Chen could not drive the Heavenly Dao Killing Formation to use it as his own.

According to what the dragon spirit said, Xiao Chen needed both Heavenly Slayer and the Blood Dragon cloak to activate these two formations.

With only one, even if it were a Soul Tool, it did not have any special effects.

This was truly a somewhat ruthless move, forcing Xiao Chen and Xi to fight.

“Huh?”

Just at this moment, Xiao Chen frowned slightly. He sensed a dark aura approaching, containing the power of destruction.

This dark aura covered the night sky, even seeming to veil the blood moon with a layer of fog and blurring it.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

In the next moment, a figure rushed over from afar.

“Zhen Yuan.”

When that figure was near, Xiao Chen felt slightly startled by that figure’s appearance.

The person who came was none other than Zhen Yuan, the monk who had conflicts with Xiao Chen in the Grave Sea Cluster. He had betrayed his sect because of Xiao Chen, falling into the Demonic Dao. Then, he had absorbed the Black Dragon King’s demonic nature in the underground dragon city in the Soaring Dragon Great Realm.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Another few beams of light flashed. Yan Cangming followed close behind and arrived beside Zhen Yuan.

Yan Cangming hovered in the air and looked down from above. As he gazed at Xiao Chen, who stood on Azure Mountain Town’s wall, he said, “Indeed, it is as I expected. You really are here.”

Xiao Chen asked indifferently, “What is it to you?”

A faint layer of black fog covered Zhen Yuan’s body under the night scene, making him look unfathomable.

Xiao Chen remained silent after that. Rather than Yan Cangming, Zhen Yuan attracted his attention more.

Yan Cangming said softly, “If I guess right, you should be heading to the Divine Dragon Empire soon.”

Going to the Divine Dragon Empire?

Xiao Chen really had not made plans for that yet. He intended to go to the Golden Crow Empire first to deal with Ao Jiao’s matter first.

As for the Divine Dragon Empire, he would go afterwards.

Xiao Chen’s expression remained the same as he replied indifferently, “Is that so? I don’t seem to have told anyone that I am going to the Divine Dragon Empire.”

Yan Cangming guffawed, “Why the pretense? The Purple Gold Dragon Emperor will abdicate in seven days. Then, the Six Colored Divine Dragons will send their disciples to compete to become the Dragon Emperor. Qin Ming succeeded the Martial God Palace’s inheritance. If you do not go, Qin Ming will become the Dragon Emperor.”

The competition to become the Dragon Emperor will begin in seven days?

Xiao Chen felt slightly startled in his heart. This information came rather suddenly. This had to have been decided over the past couple of days.

Previously, Xiao Chen had been traveling alone and did not receive any notice from the Heavenly Alliance.

“What does this have to do with you? This is the Dragon Race’s internal matter. It is not something for you to worry about.”

Xiao Chen did not confirm or deny anything, just tested Zhen Yuan’s purpose in coming here.

Yan Cangming smiled faintly and retorted, “Is that so? I do have some Dragon Race blood in me, after all, so I am more or less still connected. I’m here to tell you that if you don’t work with me, you will definitely die if you go to the Divine Dragon Empire.”

“This joke is not funny.”

Xiao Chen found working with Yan Cangming ridiculous and comical.

Yan Cangming said indifferently, “I came a great distance and can’t be bothered to joke with you. A few days ago, you drew even in an exchange with Yuan Zhen, along with his entire Buddhist nation, all by yourself in the Yanwu Dynasty. You were even superior to Yuan Zhen. This matter has already spread far and wide.

“When the Martial Epoch ends, there are only a few people who are truly qualified to start the new epoch. These people definitely would make sure to know each other’s strengths. Several people already find your strange strength unfathomable. If you become the Dragon Emperor, no one will be able to stop you.”

Xiao Chen thought about this, feeling that Yan Cangming was right.

The people who could start the new epoch were only those few people. They would definitely see each other as competitors.

When Xiao Chen accidentally revealed some of his strength in the Yanwu Dynasty, word of it undoubtedly spread quickly.

“So?” Xiao Chen asked as he looked at Yan Cangming.

“Hehe! You are a smart person. You should be able to guess what happened.”

Yan Cangming smiled mysteriously, not explaining.

Xiao Chen could not help smiling bitterly when he heard that. Given those people’s character, they would find me to be too big a threat. They would anticipate that I would head for the Divine Dragon Empire to fight to become the Dragon Emperor. They might work together to lay a trap, using that opportunity to keep me in the Divine Dragon Empire forever, ending me there.

That’s why Yan Cangming said that I would only die if I didn’t work with him.

On further thought, those people must have contacted Yan Cangming and invited him to work with them to deal with me.

So, why did Yan Cangming tell me about it and even invited me to ally with him?

“Why are you telling me this?”

Xiao Chen only had this doubt left in his heart. Why did Yan Cangming travel so far to tell him all this?

A light flashed in Yan Cangming’s eyes. As he looked at Xiao Chen, he said, “Do you know who planned this? Who was it that contacted the outstanding talents of both the Demonic Dao and the Righteous Dao to cooperate to kill you?”

“Yuan Zhen?”

“Wrong.”

“Chu Chaoyun?”

“Guess again.”

“The Profound Heaven Holy Land’s Wenren Yu?”

Yan Cangming smiled faintly and said, “Wrong again. It’s Xi! After he returned to the Demonic Dao Hall from the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb, something seemed completely off about him. After he came to know that you faced Yuan Zhen in the Buddhist nation alone, he turned even stranger.”

Yan Cangming did not know the reason why.

Xiao Chen sighed in his heart and thought, Indeed, Xi has already learned of Dragon Emperor Xiao Yun’s plan.

Hence, he plans to kill me immediately.

“As far as I’m concerned, I do not want to see Xi rule the world after you die, so I’ll work with you to assist you in becoming the Dragon Emperor, and you help me restore the Flood Dragon Humans’ status in the Divine Dragon Empire,” Yan Cangming continued, telling Xiao Chen his true purpose.

“Wrong. You just want us potential Epoch Masters to kill each other while you quietly sweep up the benefits. Black Dragon King, am I right?”

Xiao Chen’s gaze shifted, focusing past Zhen Yuan to the being in Zhen Yuan’s body, which had remained silent from the start to the end.

“Whoosh!”

Zhen Yuan’s eyes turned pitch-black. Black dragon images swam around in the depths of his eyes.

Surprise flashed on Zhen Yuan’s face at Xiao Chen’s words, and then he murmured, “That’s right…You are the only one who can be certain of my identity. After all, you personally saw me consume the Black Dragon King’s demonic nature back then.”