Chapter 282: Fond of Dragons

In the web of the Demon Suppression Array, time and distance were not fixed concepts.

Something you thought was close could actually be far away. You might see it, but to reach it, you might first have to walk backward in a wide circle.

That was simply how the paths worked. Chen Qingyang had to ponder this for a long time before he finally understood.

It seemed that if he wanted to navigate the Demon Suppression Array with ease, he would have to properly cultivate the corresponding Dharma Gate.

After hiding in the mountain peak and seeing two sunrises and sunsets, the Conscious Fish finally reached the place where the Star Power flourished.

It passed through a silvery-white light, only to slam into a barrier of Qi that had condensed into a solid, crystal-like substance.

By now, he had gained a basic understanding of the Demon Suppression Array.

First, the Array was not confined to the ground; it was connected to the stars in the heavens.

Second, the Array was not a standalone construct; it ran through the entire Daoist Sect Territory.

Third, the deeper one’s Cultivation of the Array True Understanding, the more Star Power one could command, which in turn enhanced one’s Perception Power and control over the Array’s nodes.

There was also a fourth point: this crystal barrier was an incredibly tight seal.

At Xu Lingfeng, such a seal was used to contain the overwhelming Slaughter Qi. Here, at the Separation Dragon Pill Institute, it must be for sealing the True Dragon Soul.

‘Only now do I truly appreciate the magnificence of Arrays, one of the Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation, and the profound depth of the Tai Xu Sect’s expertise in this Dao. Such a profound and magnificent Grand Array… I wonder how they even set it up in the first place.’

Through the crystal barrier, he could already see the color of fire. Chen Qingyang had experience breaking through a similar barrier back at Xu Lingfeng.

However, the flow of the Qi Mechanism was slightly different between the two locations, so he couldn’t use the exact same method. This would cost him some more time.

The Separation Dragon Pill Institute was simply too far from Cyan Bamboo Peak. He felt it was safest to remain close by, so he had no choice but to stay put in the mountain cave for another day.

The next day, after what felt like an eternity of effort, he finally sensed the familiar aura.

He saw a sea of magma gushing up from the ground. The surrounding rock walls were scorched crimson and black. This place was a forbidden zone for life, where only the strong and the fire could survive.

At the far end of his vision stood a palace built entirely of stone. Its design was archaic, almost clumsy, yet it stood firm amidst the raging inferno.

In front of the palace, a man-made walkway spanned the fiery torrent, stretching along its edge until it disappeared behind the rock face.

This was the very center of the Array, where the Dragon-locking Tripod had been placed to suppress the True Dragon.

The last time he was here, he had to stick with the group, but he had still secretly used his Conscious Fish to survey most of the area.

Continuing forward, he could see the various workshops of the Separation Dragon Pill Institute embedded in the rock walls.

Most of them were situated right next to the raging inferno, dedicated to Artifact Refining or Alchemy. They even used the intense heat to process raw materials, endlessly drawing upon the Qi of Li Yang Earth Fire and exploiting the True Dragon Cave to its absolute limit.

Chen Qingyang knew from his last visit that everyone in the Pill Institute, including the Golden Core True Monarch, believed the True Dragon had perished many years ago. That was why they could work here so boldly and without a care.

Chen Qingyang’s Conscious Fish continued to swim around, even circling the great hall. He couldn’t see a single person inside. It seemed that on a normal day, no one needed to be stationed here at all.

As he wandered, he was constantly on guard, waiting to hear the True Dragon’s voice. The dragon had once said that this was its domain, and that not the slightest disturbance could escape its notice.

Yet, a full thirty minutes passed, and the beast still hadn’t shown itself.

‘It can’t have escaped or died, that’s impossible. It’s probably just toying with me, or observing me in secret. In any case, it’s deliberately staying hidden.’

The Conscious Fish had no mouth to speak, but it could write. It picked up a stone and carved a message onto the rock wall: “I’ve figured out how to get in here. Where are you?”

After a long wait with no response, Chen Qingyang thought, ‘This True Dragon is really playing games with me. Everything was fine last time. So fickle.’

He immediately wrote another message: “The key is the Demon Suppression Array. Want to hear about it?”

The moment he finished writing, a voice suddenly rang in his ear, giving Chen Qingyang a slight jolt.

“You’re just a tiny fish. No, a mere wisp of Divine Thought from a Little Qi Refiner. How could you possibly know a secret like the Demon Suppression Array? Even that bunch of young Daoist novices might not be clear on it.”

The “young Daoist novices” it mentioned had to be the Foundation Establishment Masters of the Pill Institute. For a being of its stature, it was certainly qualified to speak of them that way.

The Conscious Fish wrote on the wall again: “You are ill-informed. Does my miraculous nature need any more explanation?”

Just as it finished writing, it turned and was suddenly confronted by a vast, mirror-like blackness. Within it burned a dense, intimidating web of fine, eerie, fiery patterns.

The reflection of a golden koi with a Dragon Beard was imprinted upon its surface.

‘What is this thing? It can reveal the form of my Conscious Fish!’

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly saw something covered in fiery, leather-like scales close over the black surface.

The Conscious Fish shot back a thousand feet. The thing that had been staring at it was the True Dragon’s eye. Only from this distance could he take in its full, immense scale.

“Heh. You aren’t that scoundrel Jade Gold playing tricks, trying to fool me, are you? A mere Little Qi Refiner cultivating Divine Thought? Thinking on it, he’s the only one who could possibly come up with a trick like that.”

Raising such a question proved it was still terrified of the True Monarch who had sealed it here all those years ago.

“If I were him, would I have let you live?” the Conscious Fish wrote.

Reading the line of text, the massive eye blinked. The dragon’s colossal body remained hidden, with only this single eye exposed.

“Makes sense. Now, tell me, how did you break through the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array and enter this place without permission?”

The moment the words faded, a colossal Dragon Claw materialized from the void. Wreathed in flames, it shot straight for the fish.

At the same time, the surrounding space seemed to freeze. The Conscious Fish was immobilized as the Dragon Claw pierced it. A powerful surge of True Power flooded its body, beginning to course through its Seven Meridians and Eight Vessels.

The sensation was incredibly similar to the first time the dragon had transformed him.

“Hmm?” Suddenly, the True Dragon let out a cry of surprise, its long, drawn-out voice echoing all around.

The flames on its claw intensified, nearly engulfing the entire Conscious Fish. Sensing the purity of this power, Chen Qingyang seized the opportunity to activate the Nanming Red Emperor’s Method, circulating and absorbing the energy.

After a few moments, the True Dragon retracted its claw. Chen Qingyang, meanwhile, was savoring the sensation.

[Nanming Red Emperor’s True Understanding of the Righteous Path: Heaven-Burning and Sea-Simmering: 15,467/24,000]

‘My Cultivation increased, and by quite a lot.’

“If you are just a wisp of Divine Thought from a Little Qi Refiner, why can the fish it manifests into actually cultivate on its own? How strange!”

Clearly, its knowledge couldn’t compare to that of the Tai Xu Sect’s Golden Core True Monarchs. If they had seen this, they might have connected it to the golden koi manifested by one Cultivating the Power of the Great Yin.

“I…” Subconsciously, Chen Qingyang tried to speak, then remembered he couldn’t. Just as he was about to reach for a stone, he realized he had somehow just spoken.

He hadn’t made a sound, but he was able to transmit his thoughts to the True Dragon, just as if they were speaking face-to-face.

“I find your writing to be a hassle,” the dragon’s voice echoed. “You carry my aura, so you can speak directly with me.”

Chen Qingyang thought back, “If I didn’t have these abilities, how could I ever get you out of here? And why would you ever believe me?”

The True Dragon fell silent for a moment. “To be honest, I now find you very dangerous. I can’t see through you at all. I think crushing you here and now would be my best option. I would lose my chance at freedom, but I would secure my life.”

It was clearly not stupid. But the moment it had taken the initiative to speak to Chen Qingyang, it had already lost the ability to truly threaten him.

From the True Dragon’s perspective, this place was its domain. It could even hide from the True Monarchs of the Tai Xu Sect here. When an anomaly like the Conscious Fish appeared, it believed that even if it revealed its own existence, it could simply erase the intruder afterward.

It had never imagined that this ‘thing’ would turn out to be a wisp of a Divine Soul.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chen Qingyang transmitted. “If this wisp of my soul dies, my main body is still out there. Jade Gold will be alerted and will instantly refine you until your very soul is extinguished. If I’m displeased, you could face the same fate.”

The black expanse of its eye appeared again, pressing right up against the Conscious Fish. The flames within it leaped violently. It seemed angry.

Finally, the eye vanished into thin air. “Speak. What is it you want, you cunning Qi Refiner?”

“It’s not about what I want to get. I’m hoping this can be an opportunity for both of us…”

The True Dragon had no patience for his beating around the bush. “I’ve lived a long, long time. What kind of treacherous schemer haven’t I seen? Hmph. Just get to the point.”

With no other choice, Chen Qingyang got straight to it. “You should be aware that the Tai Xu Sect has a supreme True Skill called the True Understanding of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array. Only a Golden Core True Monarch can master it in its entirety. As it happens, my luck is quite good, and I’ve managed to cultivate a part of it.”

“I used this very skill to break through the layers of the Array and reach this True Dragon Cave without passing through the Void Bridge. Unfortunately, my Cultivation is still too low. I can’t yet cut a large enough opening in the Array for you to escape…”

The True Dragon interrupted him again. “So, you want me to help you raise your Cultivation, and in return, you’ll gain the ability to slice open this Array?”

“Precisely.”

The dragon went silent for a while, perhaps contemplating the feasibility of the idea. Since it was a dragon, and he couldn’t see its full form, it was impossible to read its expression as one would a person’s.

“This Demon Suppression Array is truly insidious. It’s almost completely intertwined with my Qi Mechanism. If I want to escape, I’d have to shed a portion of my Cultivation and perform a ‘Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell’ maneuver.”

“However, my body is that of a True Dragon—capable of countless transformations, able to expand and contract. You only need to create the slightest disturbance in this Array. One tiny opening is all I need to slip out. What level of Cultivation do you think you’ll need to achieve that?”

In terms of the Array True Understanding, Chen Qingyang had barely scratched the surface. Reaching the required level might take until he was a Golden Core True Monarch, or at least a Master Life Light. The dragon certainly couldn’t wait that long.

“With my grasp of the Dharma Gate, I only need to become a Foundation Establishment Master. As you should know, Senior, I may lack many things, but I do not lack methods.”

The True Dragon was silent for a long time. “Fine. Let’s say I believe you. What is your current Cultivation level?”

Chen Qingyang replied, “I’ve just reached the Dongming stage. I’m close to Foundation Establishment.”

Before he had even finished speaking, the dragon replied with startling speed. “Absolutely not! What do you mean, ‘close’? Without a hundred or two hundred years, it’ll be impossible! The longer this drags on, the more that can go wrong. Who knows if after I expend all that effort on you, you little brat won’t just turn around and betray me? To be honest, I deeply regret revealing myself to you!”

Chen Qingyang continued, “Helping me raise my Cultivation won’t require much effort from you, Senior. You just need to allow this fish of mine to rest against your body so it can refine your Dragon Soul Fire each day. Given your boundless and majestic aura, even a hundred years of this would be but a drop in the ocean.”

“You wouldn’t have to expend any energy, Senior. You would only need to wait patiently for your chance to escape. Don’t you think it’s worth a try?”

The dragon’s reply came quickly this time. “You mean, you can raise your Cultivation just by absorbing the aura from my body, without me needing to do anything else?”

“Precisely,” Chen Qingyang confirmed.

The dragon still seemed skeptical. “Is that really all there is to it?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ah!” the True Dragon exclaimed. “That’s good, that’s good… but to help you raise your Cultivation even faster, I have a better idea. Care to hear it?”