Chapter 509: Chapter 327: Dragon Statue_2
They spent a year traveling from Cave’s End to Dragon Core. Now Hui Yue was sixteen years old. Sharing a body with Lan Feng felt as natural as breathing, but for Deng Wu, who had never shared his body with anyone, the experience was unnerving. Hearing another voice within his mind and feeling someone else’s presence in his Dantian was beyond strange.
As Xu Biao observed Deng Wu, he noticed that although the older man still looked slightly pale, his complexion had improved, and there was even a faint smile on his face. Deng Wu chatted with Xu Biao while smiling, but he refused to divulge the reason behind his sudden change.
Soon enough, his eyes began to droop without him even realizing it. Then, Deng Wu slowly collapsed to the ground, falling asleep as his body could no longer bear the stress of the day’s events.
Watching the sleeping Deng Wu, a wry smile appeared on Yan Xiaobao’s face. Even he hadn’t expected Lan Feng to plan so intricately for his friend’s sake. Although he felt a twinge of guilt for what Deng Wu endured, Yan Xiaobao was nonetheless very pleased with the outcome. Their team had gained an additional expert. Though not yet at the Saint rank, it was still much better than before.
The next morning, both Sha Yun and Wang Julong made a big deal about Deng Wu’s transformation, but even so, the young man refused to tell them what had happened. All he said was that he was fine and had significantly strengthened—something that, from Yan Xiaobao’s perspective, was not a lie.
"Deng Wu," Yan Xiaobao called out. It was the first time he spoke that morning. "Now that your strength has increased, I’ll need to rely on you to protect the others," he said solemnly. "I’m going out to see if I can find a way forward or some clues." Without waiting for Deng Wu’s response, he turned on his heels and swiftly left the house.
This wasn’t because Yan Xiaobao was rude or dismissive of their friendship but because he was in a hurry. He, along with everyone else, wanted to leave the Underworld as soon as possible.
Leaving the house, Yan Xiaobao didn’t notice a man lurking in the corner, waiting for this very moment. As the white-haired young man left, the cloaked figure stepped away from the shadows and disappeared behind the mansion.
Once behind the mansion, the man’s arm-length kitten transformed into an astonishingly large size. Moments later, the tiger and its master scaled the mansion’s walls and leaped over. The mansion’s security was relatively lax since it was filled with cultivators.
The cloaked man swiftly infiltrated the mansion, fully aware that no one other than the white-haired youth’s friends would be present.
He had expended much time and effort preparing for this moment, fully knowing the ranks of the various cultivators. He needed to keep an eye on the two King-level experts, but the other three friends were merely mid-level Dantian users, just Masters at most.
Hiding in the shadows and sneaking through the corridors, the Scar-faced Killer completely suppressed his aura, blending seamlessly with the environment around him. He did this out of concern that the King might search the surroundings alongside Wu Wei. It was a common tactic used by King-ranked experts to quickly survey their vicinity and identify anyone nearby.
As the Scar-faced Killer made his way through the rooms, Deng Wu finally began to explain to everyone what had happened to him and the reason behind his physical changes.
Although he refrained from discussing the soul contract tied to him, Sha Yun and Wang Julong had already figured out who it was with. Xu Biao and Xie Lan, while curious, did not press him further. In any case, they felt reassured by the addition of another expert to their team.
Deng Wu was vastly different from before. His sense of smell had become incredibly acute—nearly rivaling Sha Yun, who was herself a Magic Beast. His physical strength had also increased significantly; it now paralleled that of Hui Yue, whose body had been tempered and reconstructed several times, rendering him as resilient as a Magic Beast.
Deng Wu’s vision had also improved along with many other aspects of his physique. He had grown over ten centimeters taller and now stood at two meters in height.
All these transformations occurred because Lan Feng had allowed Deng Wu to absorb a portion of his blood essence. However, it wasn’t until recently that Deng Wu truly began to comprehend the extent of his changes.
His soul contract was notably different from the ones shared by Yan Xiaobao and Lan Feng.
When Lan Feng and Yan Xiaobao had fused, Lan Feng was forced to use all his martial power to preserve both of their existences in this world. By contrast, Little Dragon didn’t need to expend anything. When he was moved into Deng Wu’s body, he retained the cultivation base of an Emperor Beast and the martial power he had accumulated over millennia locked within his soul.
Knowing they had an Emperor-tier cultivator on par with Wu Wei thrilled Yan Xiaobao. When he realized that Little Dragon and Deng Wu could shield the group, Deng Wu, in turn, felt exhilarated. Now, he could protect everyone just as Yan Xiaobao and Lan Feng had previously done.
Though not a Saint anymore, Little Dragon was still an Emperor—a rank only one in a hundred thousand individuals could achieve. Even within Dragon Core, among the countless experts in the Dragon Cave, there were rarely more than one or two Emperors in each major family.
Speaking of Little Dragon, Deng Wu yielded his body to the dragon briefly, allowing him to experience what it felt like to be in control once again. While this occurred, Deng Wu’s consciousness retreated into the Dantian Cave, where he witnessed everything Little Dragon did firsthand.
Suddenly, the dragon paused, its nostrils flaring as it caught wind of a foreign scent—a presence alarmingly close by.
Not wanting to alarm the others, Little Dragon excused himself with a polite smile, claiming he needed to use the restroom. Closing the door behind him, a glint of cold determination flickered in his eyes as he recalled the promise he had made to Xu Yue earlier that day.
Although using Wu Wei would cost both Deng Wu and Little Dragon some of their power, it was essential to protect their group, and doing so could not be considered a waste.
If Deng Wu had retained control of his body and had been forced to wield Wu Wei, much of the stored energy would undoubtedly have been squandered, just as Hui Yue had warned. However, Little Dragon was fully capable of meting out the exact amount of martial power necessary without wasting a single drop.
As Little Dragon roamed the house, he refrained from using his martial power to scan the vicinity. If he did, the invader would sense it and likely attempt an immediate escape. Instead, he relied on his heightened sense of smell to pinpoint the intruder’s location.
A golden sheen cloaked Little Dragon’s hands, faintly shimmering on his skin, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Deep within the Dantian Cave, Deng Wu observed this and was left speechless. The sensation of his body moving without his conscious input felt utterly bizarre, but even more so was the feeling of wielding martial power. From the instant it was activated, a gentle warmth radiated through his entire body. Deng Wu focused intently through Little Dragon’s senses on the shadowy darkness where they anticipated the intruder to be.
Both excited and nervous, Deng Wu watched as Little Dragon brimmed with exhilaration. For over four thousand years, the dragon had been unable to fight, forced instead to passively watch as the world changed around him. Everything familiar had disappeared, replaced by a new existence to which he felt he no longer belonged.
Although Little Dragon now wielded martial power, he was in the same predicament as Lan Feng—unable to replenish it automatically. However, he had the ability to refine the energy further and store it within his soul.
Knowing this, Little Dragon resolved not to let Deng Wu fight, as he was certain the young man would squander a considerable amount of martial power. At last, Little Dragon understood the importance of caution with strangers and even with allies. He could not afford to take risks anymore.
"He’s in this room!" Little Dragon’s voice suddenly echoed within the Dantian Cave, sharpening Deng Wu’s focus as they honed in on the intruder supposedly nearby.
Scanning the surroundings, Deng Wu realized they were now in a second-floor corridor, directly above the room where his friends were gathered. Neither Deng Wu nor Little Dragon had any idea what the intruder was doing there, but the shadows were as impenetrably dark as a moonless night. No matter how carefully Deng Wu searched, he couldn’t spot the intruder.
When one sense failed, Deng Wu—or rather, Little Dragon—shifted to another. Just as he was about to pinpoint the intruder’s exact location, a figure suddenly emerged from behind him.
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