Chapter 48

This is the first time Long Chen has entered the desolate beast domain from the Great Wasteland Mountains. As for the last time, because Ling Xi was flying around recklessly, he didn’t even know where they entered from.

The last time he entered the desolate beast domain, Long Chen could only deal with martial artists at the fourth level of the Dragon Vein Realm. But now his strength has surged, and if he were to transform into his Dragon Soul form, he could almost match the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm.

With such strength, as long as he doesn’t encounter a monstrous beast like the Moon Devouring Demon Wolf, Long Chen won’t be in danger.

In the Great Wasteland Mountains, the strongest beasts are at most at the eighth rank of the Yellow Tier. However, the desolate beast domain is different. Although the deeper you go, the stronger the beasts become, it’s not impossible for powerful beasts to wander out.

Take the Moon Devouring Demon Wolf from last time; it definitely didn’t belong at that depth.

So even with this strength, Long Chen is very cautious.

In the desolate beast domain, the depths are shrouded in white mist. What can be seen are gray-brown mountains and eerie dead trees, exuding a desolate atmosphere. The air has a hint of blood, and unknown animal bones are scattered everywhere. Some, after a long time, turn to powder at the slightest touch.

Entering this place again, Ling Xi was a bit scared. She was originally perched on Long Chen’s shoulder, but seeing such a desolate scene, she quickly returned to the Ling Xi Sword.

"According to the map, the location of the Dream Spirit Grass is on the outskirts of the desolate beast domain, much shallower than where we entered last time. That area is called the Sky Burning Mountain Range. We’ll head there now; it will take at most half a day."

With the target and direction set, and Ling Xi, who has a keen sense, leading the way, they can avoid powerful beasts from a distance and directly charge through weaker ones. So, for the most part, the journey is smooth.

Half a day slowly passed.

"The Sky Burning Mountain Range, although on the outskirts of the desolate beast domain, is still very vast. I don’t know if there’s any Dream Spirit Grass there. We’ll have to search carefully."

"If there isn’t any, we’ll go back first. That Derivation Spirit Fruit..." Ling Xi said worriedly.

"Go, don’t say it’s not there before we even look. You really lack ambition."

In the desolate beast domain, although the sky is always dim, there is still a distinction between day and night. Generally, the night is more dangerous due to visibility issues.

Long Chen could already see a pitch-black mountain range ahead, but the sky was getting dark, and it wasn’t suitable to proceed further.

"Well, even if there’s Dream Spirit Grass at night, it would be hard to find. We’ll search again when it’s light tomorrow."

Ling Xi used her mental perception to sense the surroundings, which also drained her soul power. She was very tired, and when Long Chen said they could rest, she sighed in relief.

"In the desolate beast domain, beast dens are everywhere. I’ll find a den, kill the beast, and that will be safer."

Deciding this, Long Chen began to search. There were mountains nearby, so such dens were easy to find. After killing a few Yellow Tier beasts of the fifth and sixth ranks, he cleaned up for a moment, then started a fire to prepare some meat.

By this time, Ling Xi had already fallen into a deep sleep.

When the fire was just lit, a rustling sound came from outside. Long Chen immediately stood up. Two middle-aged men had sneaked into the cave. Seeing the young boy inside, they were momentarily stunned. One of them, a tall and muscular man in animal skin, smiled wickedly and said with a hint of mockery, "A young brat, daring to come to the desolate beast domain. You’ve got some guts."

The other was a thin, scholarly man. He sized up Long Chen for a moment, then smiled at the man beside him, "I see he’s already at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm. If he weren’t so reckless, he might become a significant figure in the future. What a pity..."

The two men then completely ignored Long Chen, treating him as if he were air, and walked into the cave, sitting down by the fire Long Chen had started.

Long Chen secretly observed the two men, putting on a frightened expression. These two men probably came to check if Long Chen posed a threat. Seeing that Long Chen was at most at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm, they were completely at ease and decided to stay in the cave.

"Both are just at the eighth level of the Dragon Vein Realm, not a match for me. But they clearly come to the desolate beast domain often and are familiar with the area. I can get information about the Dream Spirit Grass from them. These two aren’t like Bai Shidong; using force might not make them comply. Since they look down on me, I can act submissive..."

Thinking this, Long Chen quickly put on a submissive act, moving his buttocks to the two men and flattered them, "Little brother Long Chen, meeting the two big brothers. Your skills are profound, and I admire you greatly. Meeting you is a great honor. May I ask your names?"

These two men originally thought Long Chen was a proud young master, but they didn’t expect him to act like a servant. As the saying goes, one doesn’t hit a smiling face. If Long Chen had been angry about them occupying the cave, they could have killed him. But seeing him smile and welcome them, they were unsure what to do.

The two men looked at the reverence in Long Chen’s eyes, exchanged a glance, and the tall, muscular man said, "I’m Chen Xiongzhou, and this is Feng Mingyang. We’re from Yuanling City."

They were from Yuanling City, which Long Chen had always admired. This gave him a chance to learn more about it.

"Big brothers Chen and Feng! From your appearance, I can tell you’ve been in the desolate beast domain for a long time. I admire you greatly. I’ve always loved adventure, and I boldly came to the desolate beast domain, but it’s full of dangers. If I hadn’t met you two, I wouldn’t know how to spend the night."

Long Chen spoke with genuine emotion and flattery, which the two men found very pleasing. Their originally dismissive and contemptuous looks softened.

"It’s not that I’m saying, but coming to the desolate beast domain at your age and strength is pure suicide," Chen Xiongzhou said.

Feng Mingyang, after Chen Xiongzhou finished, stroked his beard and scolded Long Chen in a paternal tone, "This kid is quite clever, but to survive in this world, cleverness isn’t enough. If you hadn’t met us, others would have taken your life and your wealth."

Long Chen quickly nodded, scolding himself for being reckless and saying that if it weren’t for the two kind big brothers, he would have been left to die in the wilderness.

Long Chen knew these two men had come to kill him. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, they might have already attacked.

Next, Long Chen continued to flatter them. After about half an hour, the two men were so pleased that they felt Long Chen was a very sensible and understanding little brother.

"By the way, Little Brother Long Chen, are you staying here to enter the Sky Burning Mountain Range?"

Long Chen nodded, "Yes."

Feng Mingyang nodded, "I didn’t expect you to notice something strange about the Sky Burning Mountain Range. Chen and I have been observing it for a few days. The temperature in the Sky Burning Mountain Range has suddenly risen, which is quite unusual. We haven’t dared to enter yet. For you to come here at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm is quite bold."

Long Chen was stunned. After a long moment, he bitterly smiled, "To be honest, I didn’t notice anything unusual. I came here to find the Dream Spirit Grass. Do you know if there’s any Dream Spirit Grass in the Sky Burning Mountain Range?"

Hearing that Long Chen didn’t know about the changes in the Sky Burning Mountain Range, the two men felt a bit disappointed but thought that even if there were treasures, Long Chen at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm wouldn’t be able to get them, so they felt better.

"These two are clearly here to seek treasure in the Sky Burning Mountain Range. Seeing me as an outsider, they naturally want to kill me..."

Long Chen’s goal was the Dream Spirit Grass, so he didn’t want to cause trouble and quickly revealed his purpose.

Hearing the name Dream Spirit Grass, Feng Mingyang nodded, "The Sky Burning Mountain Range does indeed produce Dream Spirit Grass. We’ve picked it before and know where it grows..."

Long Chen was overjoyed, realizing that his submissive act had worked, and quickly said, "Can the two big brothers take me to search for it?"

The two men exchanged a glance. They were the only ones who knew about the strange changes in the Sky Burning Mountain Range. When they first saw Long Chen, they wanted to kill him to avoid any accidents. But seeing his youth, they guessed he had a strong background and didn’t dare to act first. Hearing that Long Chen wasn’t interested in the changes and that he had flattered them so much, they said, "Well, we were planning to enter tomorrow to investigate. Taking you along is fine, but the Sky Burning Mountain Range is dangerous. If you find the Dream Spirit Grass, leave early to avoid losing your life!"

Hearing the half-warning, Long Chen pretended not to notice and said gratefully, "Thank you, big brothers. If I get the Dream Spirit Grass, I’ll definitely repay you."

He knew what these two men were thinking. After sixteen years, he was quite cunning.

"Do the two big brothers come from Yuanling City? Can you tell me about the Lingwu Clan?"

Long Chen suddenly asked. Feng Mingyang, seeing it was still a long time until dawn and they were quite idle, said, "Do you also want to join the Lingwu Clan? With your age and strength, you should reach the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm in a few years."

"Do the two big brothers want to join the Lingwu Clan?"

Chen Xiongzhou nodded but sighed, "To join the Lingwu Clan, you must pass an exam. One of the requirements is that you must be under thirty years old and at the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm. We are both close to thirty, and this is our last chance. If we don’t reach the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm, we won’t have the资格 to join the Lingwu Clan anymore."

Long Chen was inwardly shocked. In Baiyang Town, the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm was already a super expert, but in the Lingwu Clan, even entering required the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm and being under thirty. The gap was truly enormous.

Seeing Long Chen’s shocked expression, Chen Xiongzhou said, "I guess you haven’t been to Yuanling City. You can’t imagine how big it is. It’s like a small country. The city center is the core, and the city area extends for five hundred miles in all directions. From east to west, it’s about a thousand miles. Yuanling City has two inner cities, each about one-fifth the size of Yuanling City, and one of them is the Lingwu City where the Lingwu Clan is located!"

"The Lingwu Clan has over twenty thousand registered members, all at the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm or higher. They are divided into inner and outer clans. We can only become outer clan members by passing the Lingwu Clan’s exam. The true power of the Lingwu Clan comes from the inner clan, which has its own bloodline heritage. The inner clan is the true Lingwu Clan. Joining Lingwu City is like being a bodyguard, but even being a bodyguard is a great honor."

Talking about the Lingwu Clan, the two men were very eager.

Long Chen was deeply shocked.

"Twenty thousand people... all at the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm or higher? I didn’t expect the Lingwu Clan to be so large. Yuanling City is just one of the county cities in Cangyang Kingdom, yet it’s so big. What about the ten thousand kingdoms and the Dragon Sacrifice Continent? How vast must they be?"

This vast world made Long Chen feel a sense of powerlessness.

Suddenly, he thought of Little Wolf, who was also in the Lingwu Clan.

"I wonder if Little Wolf is an inner or outer clan member... With his talent, he should be an inner clan member."

At this moment, Chen Xiongzhou said in a low voice, "Only by becoming an outer clan member of the Lingwu Clan will my family be protected by the Lingwu Clan. This isn’t the kind of protection the town lord’s mansion can offer. They will send experts to clear out all my potential enemies! If I perform well, I’ll rise to the top!"

Long Chen silently remembered this.

The sense of powerlessness in his heart had already disappeared. Thinking of the Dragon Jade and the mysterious inheritance blood, he was full of confidence.

"If that blood is really from the Ancient Blood Spirit Dragon, what do I have to fear? It’s one of the ten ancient ancestor dragons..."

{Piaotian Literature}