Chapter 2866 — The Flying Man

Back at the detached palace, Tianchan reported her findings to Ancestor Xuanchen and Ancestor Xuanzhen—but she mentioned only the matter of Mojiu's collapse, saying nothing of the wicked words Zhao Qitan had spoken. After all, Tianchan did not wish the Five Luminaries Sect to bear a grudge against Wei Zhao; whatever could be left unsaid, she left unsaid. If they learned of it afterward, there would be nothing she could do about it then.

Ancestor Xuanchen, however, had no mind to probe such matters. He could not, like Tiancan Bian, go personally to the Xuandan Sect's inn and question each cultivator who had passed the trial one by one. He was simply delighted to hear that Tianchan intended to set out for the Five Baleful Wastes once more.

In his eyes, Tianchan's life or death no longer mattered; she was not as valuable as Zhang Naipao.

Ancestor Xuanzhen, by contrast, urged Tianchan to take care for her safety, and to preserve her life first and foremost should anything go amiss.

Although Tianchan had entered the teleportation array in the guise of Tiancan Bian, no sooner had she arrived in the Five Baleful Wastes than she restored her former attire, and then sped swiftly off in the direction of the Five Baleful Mountains...

The road from the teleportation array to the Five Baleful Mountains held no particular peril; it was the very path Tianchan had traveled before. That was precisely one reason she had given the sachet to Wei Zhao.

Half a day later, Tianchan arrived safely at the Five Baleful Mountains.

The Five Baleful Mountains were the same Five Baleful Mountains as before. Yet this time, as Tianchan came here again, her mood was altogether different.

At this moment Tianchan shared the very thought Wei Zhao had held when he returned to the Five Baleful Mountains: having come here, the only place one could go was likely the cave of the Dragon of the Five Baleful. So Tianchan, too, flew straight toward the Dragon's cave.

What startled and delighted her, however, was that not far from the Dragon's cave she caught sight of a familiar small figure—it was Wei Zhao's spirit beast, the Heavenly Thunder Pig!

And the Heavenly Thunder Pig, seeing Tianchan, cried out joyfully as well: "Jiji jiji—"

"Little one, what are you doing here? Where is Wei Zhao?" Tianchan ran over without delay and scooped the Heavenly Thunder Pig up in her arms, asking.

"Hou wu—" The Dragon of the Five Baleful, hearing the commotion outside its cave, came walking out. Seeing Tianchan visit once again, it too was taken aback, and said in astonishment: "Little girl, why have you come as well?"

Hearing the Dragon of the Five Baleful speak, Tianchan was startled, though she knew that many spirit beasts, upon reaching the Heaven rank, gained the faculty of speech; that the Dragon could talk was nothing remarkable. It was only that it had not spoken before, and had chosen this moment to do so, which took Tianchan somewhat by surprise: "Eh? You can talk? You say I've come as well... Wei Zhao—did he come before too?"

Tianchan was clever, and caught the word "as well" in the Dragon's speech. It seemed Wei Zhao must have been here before.

"Whether he is called Wei Zhao I do not know, but he did come," said the Dragon of the Five Baleful. It bore Tianchan a grudge, and was minded to toy with her a little.

"Ah! Then where is he now?" Tianchan asked eagerly, delighted.

"Him? Do you want to know?" The Dragon of the Five Baleful narrowed its eyes and looked at Tianchan.

"Yes. Can you tell me?" Tianchan nodded and asked.

"Of course. I can even take you to him!" said the Dragon of the Five Baleful.

"Then many thanks..." Tianchan, desperate to save the man, did not perceive the Dragon's ill intent—but the Heavenly Thunder Pig did. Was this not exactly the same exchange the Dragon had once had with Wei Zhao?

"Jiji!" The Heavenly Thunder Pig cried out in alarm, trying to stop Tianchan, but plainly its protest came too late. The Dragon of the Five Baleful darted over at extraordinary speed and seized Tianchan in its claws; and the Heavenly Thunder Pig, cradled in her arms, was caught up as well.

"Ah!" Tianchan screamed, but it was already too late. The Dragon of the Five Baleful swung its claw and, with a "whoosh," flung Tianchan and the Heavenly Thunder Pig off the cliff's edge!

"As you wished, loathsome human cultivators—go and die!" That done, the Dragon of the Five Baleful ambled leisurely back into its cave. It loathed Tianchan and Wei Zhao and their kind with a passion. It might have obtained the Five Baleful primal power and advanced its cultivation—but these human cultivators had ruined it all!

At the very beginning, when a great host of human cultivators of Earth rank and above had appeared in the Five Baleful Wastes, the Dragon of the Five Baleful was furious, and sent word through the nearby spirit beasts to hunt them down and kill them.

But the Dragon of the Five Baleful was no fool; when matters turn strange, there is sure to be mischief afoot. Over the years, though human cultivators had entered the Five Baleful Wastes, they sent only cultivators of the Mist and Mystery ranks here, never daring to violate that principle—and so no great conflict had arisen between the human cultivators and the spirit beasts of the Wastes.

This time, however, so many high-ranked cultivators had appeared, contrary to all custom, among them several of the Heaven rank. This left the Dragon of the Five Baleful furious and puzzled at once. It did not believe the Xuandan Sect would suddenly lose its wits and do something so suicidal. Then it struck it—the time for the release of the Five Baleful primal power was near. Could this be connected?

Connected or not, the Dragon of the Five Baleful hurried back to its cave, and indeed found a human cultivator there, using external force to provoke the Five Baleful primal power. So its guess had been right—it had fallen for the humans' trick of luring the tiger from its mountain!

That was why the Dragon of the Five Baleful had returned so early. Yet still it had been a step too late, and failed to absorb the Five Baleful primal power.

Tianchan was alarmed, but at once she realized that Wei Zhao had likely been flung off the cliff by the Dragon in just this way—and that she had been made a fool of! Yet there was nothing to be done for it. Her one consolation was that this time the Dragon had not wounded her, merely thrown her from the cliff. So Tianchan swiftly worked the mnemonic of her heart method, shielding herself with true qi, and hurriedly called to the Heavenly Thunder Pig: "Little Pig, how are you? Will you be all right falling from here?"

"Jiji..." The Heavenly Thunder Pig shook its head, signaling that it would be fine.

Wei Zhao watched Yang Qiqi sink into slumber, a bitter feeling in his heart, yet for the moment he could think of no good way to escape his predicament. Just as he was fretting, he suddenly sensed a fierce gust sweeping down from the sky, mingled with the true qi of energy. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes,

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