Even with the cover of thunder, there were simply too many people talking. At first, Fu Shoude's imposing presence could keep them in check, but as he looked at Dao Heng Zhenren, who remained silent, his heart began to pound.
Could it be that Han Tao is truly undergoing a tribulation?
This is hardly good news, especially considering the situation the Fu family will face once this comes to fruition.
"Perhaps it's another dragon undergoing tribulation," Fu Shanqing said softly, as if trying to convince himself.
Before the words had even finished, a resounding dragon roar echoed throughout the heavens and earth.
Half of the sunlight overhead was suddenly swept away, and in the vast sky, amidst thunder and lightning, a dragon's body, large enough to blot out the sun, appeared between heaven and earth.
The powerful and sharp dragon claws seemed capable of tearing through the air. Amidst the clouds and waves, the dragon's body surged, with the four seas and clouds beneath it. The dragon's head looked down at everyone from a high position, its immense pressure overwhelming them and making it impossible to look directly at it.
The dragon soars in the sky, its golden scales resembling the most breathtaking creation in the world.
"It really is the City Lord!" With its golden scales and massive tail, it was majestic and awe-inspiring. Among all the dragons, only the City Lord of Yunhan City was a golden dragon.
Someone shouted this, and many people watching from the Fu family panicked.
Their voices weren't loud, but cultivators are incredibly perceptive, and Dao Heng, lost in his confusion, heard them clearly.
The dragon's body tumbled and rolled in the clouds, and under the cover of thunder and sunlight, no one could see the traces of blood seeping from beneath its scales.
Fortunately, the strange phenomenon only lasted for half an incense stick's time. After confirming that the phenomenon had disappeared, there was an even louder dragon roar, and Han Tao plunged into the folded space of the city lord's mansion.
The folded space automatically closed the moment he entered, preventing anyone else from entering.
The dragon's body landed in the lake, splashing up huge sprays of water, and the surface of the water rippled with pale red waves.
Han Zhengzhi, concealing his worries, stopped the other clansmen and said solemnly, "The city lord needs to rest in seclusion after his tribulation; he must not be disturbed."
"Tribulation?" The priest wasn't doubtful, but rather confused. "Is there such a thing as a dragon tribulation?"
Ao Yushu, who was standing to the side, said in a deep voice, "I have never seen such a dragon tribulation before. Han Zhengzhi, are you trying to trick us?"
Although Han Tao didn't say anything after waking up, he felt that something had changed since then. Despite having completely destroyed his cultivation, his aura was no less than before, and he even exuded an unfathomable chill.
The biggest change is that, with his proud dragon nature, he was able to tolerate a mortal who was used by the Fu family as a substitute bride.
In case anyone were to harm Fu Mingxu, the priest wisely kept the fact that he was Han Tao's destined one from others, which was one of the reasons why Han Tao did not seek revenge on him.
Han Zhengzhi cast a disdainful glance at him and said loudly, "The city lord is the only golden dragon in the dragon race. His cultivation is higher than your father's. It's normal that you haven't seen the tribulation he went through."
Ao Yushu was speechless, memories flooding back, which intensified her hatred for Han Tao.
The Golden Dragon is a natural leader of the dragon race, and in the absence of a Golden Dragon, the Yinglong can take its place. Originally, Ao Yushu was Ao Qin's biological son and would naturally be the next leader of the dragon race.
But halfway there, Hantao appeared, and a golden dragon that Ao Qin had picked up from somewhere appeared.
After the two entered the forbidden area together, he directly replaced Ao Yushu's position due to his superior talent.
The dragon race adheres to the principle of respecting the strong even more than the human race, even though Ao Yushu was born to the current dragon lord.
After the death of the former Dragon Lord, Han Tao needs to defeat all the dragons in order to secure the position of Dragon Lord with the strongest power.
Ao Yushu was beaten up in public, and a deep resentment was planted in his heart.
Why is he about to wake up? Not only is he awake, but he's also undergoing tribulation today?
He felt that the world was unfair, and he also resented his father for adhering to old ways and insisting that Han Tao succeed him.
The resentment in his eyes was so obvious that Han Zhengzhi frowned and simply snorted heavily, "Do you still want to ask? Do you want the city lord to fail his tribulation?"
"Of course not!" The others shook their heads; a powerful leader was more important to them than anything else.
Han Zhengzhi nodded in satisfaction and waved to the crowd: "Disperse, disperse. Let's talk about whatever it is when the city lord comes out!"
Seclusion is not something that can be done in a short time, and upon hearing this, the others could only leave one after another.
Ao Yushu glanced at the closed folded space, his unease growing stronger, but he could only temporarily suppress it.
After they had all left, Han Zhengzhi patted his chest and sighed, "That scared the dragon to death."
He looked at the inaccessible folded space, his expression extremely complicated: "City Lord, I hope he knows all that you've done."
The city lord hasn't even fully recovered from his injuries, so how could he be undergoing some kind of tribulation? He's just covering for Master Fu.
Therefore, his injuries were likely to have deteriorated, and he did not overlook the glint of blood he saw when the folding space closed.
But he can't get in now, so he can only pin his hopes on Fu Mingxu.
"Could it be that Master Fu can cultivate now?" Han Zhengzhi muttered to himself, unable to understand what he had done to cause such a commotion. However, he could only obey the city lord's decision, so he stood obediently outside the folded space to guard it.
Inside the bamboo courtyard, just as the thunder was about to subside, the memories sealed away by Fu Yangxue broke through the fog and gradually surfaced in Fu Mingxu's mind.
It turns out that he wasn't incapable of cultivation, but rather that once he gained enlightenment, he couldn't stop. The conditions for cultivation were too demanding, and if they weren't met, he would die from exhaustion.
He cannot cultivate spiritual energy, but he can cultivate chaotic energy.
This is the aura that arose at the beginning of time, and it has long since disappeared from the Cangling Continent, existing only in ancient texts.
Dragons and phoenixes are mythical creatures of heaven and earth, favored by heaven and earth, and possessing the creation of heaven and earth. Their blood also contains a trace of chaotic energy.
No wonder he found dragon blood sweet; it turns out this was the "food" he cultivated with?
So what kind of "breed" am I? And why are there signs of a celestial tribulation?
Unfortunately, his current cultivation level is too low to fully unlock the sealed memories; for now, he can only obtain this information.
After the dragon blood was absorbed by the chaotic energy, Fu Mingxu opened his eyes, his azure pupils staring blankly at the golden dragon in the sky.
His consciousness was in a mysterious state, and he could even hear Han Zhengzhi's mutterings after his exclamation.
Cultivating the Chaos Qi is utterly inconceivable; just the fact that he obtained the Chaos Qi is enough to make him a mortal enemy of the Dragon Clan and the Feather Clan.
There were only the two of them in the folded space. Han Tao must have understood the source of the strange phenomenon in the world, because he transformed into a dragon to cover him up.
Fu Mingxu's mind was in turmoil. He heard a sound like crashing waves coming from the lake and ran over with mixed feelings.
The willows remain, but the splashing waves have dampened the soil beside the lake, and the flowers and grasses that huddled together on the grass are scattered all over the ground as if swept away by a giant wave.
Fu Mingxu unconsciously slowed his pace, walking step by step to the edge of the lake and looking down at the surface.
The lake water, which should have been clear, was now rippling with faint crimson ripples, and a perfectly formed golden dragon lay quietly in the center of the lake.
The sweet smell of dragon's blood filled the air, and hunger struck again.
I'm so hungry, I really want to eat him.
A note from the author:
Dragon: Pass this on, my wife wants to eat me...
Chapter 16
Fu Mingxu was still startled by his own instincts. He frowned as he looked at the dragon's body in the lake, his temples throbbing.
This is Han Tao's true form. He should have been the most powerful being soaring between heaven and earth, but now he is trapped in the lake and unable to fly.
He had never been so close to Han Tao's complete dragon body, so close that he could see the blood flowing from beneath the originally well-recovered golden dragon scales at a rate that resembled a trickle, continuous and gentle.
Blood oozed from the glistening dragon horns, and the dragon's breath was weak, indicating that this forced transformation into a dragon was enough to damage its very foundation.
All the efforts of the past few days had been in vain. Immersed in the fragrance of dragon's blood, Fu Mingxu whispered, "You shouldn't have done this."
Unfortunately, the dragons in the lake couldn't hear it.
He still owed Han Tao a debt of gratitude for saving him, and now that debt has been further incurred, the entanglement between the two has deepened.
Fu Mingxu's chest heaved, his emotions churning within him.
But things had already come to this, and he wouldn't just let it go. He took a deep breath, bent down, and reached out to touch the nearest dragon scale, wanting to check the extent of the injury.
The dragon scales were larger than his palm. Fu Mingxu reached out to flip them, but as soon as he touched them, his palm was in pain, and blood gushed out, dripping onto the dragon scales and spreading out in patches.
"Hiss." He quickly withdrew his hand, and when his palm was facing up, a bloodstain was particularly noticeable on his porcelain-white palm.
It seems he had underestimated the situation. The dragon's body was so enormous that by the time he examined its injuries, it would likely bleed to death.
Smelling the sweet scent of dragon's blood in the air, Fu Mingxu stood up with a headache. He looked at the rippling lake water and came up with an idea.
He jogged to a spot in the folded space, skillfully pressed the activation button from inside, and his eyes met Han Zhengzhi's.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Fu Mingxu broke the silence first: "Come in and help."
Before Han Zhengzhi could react, he blurted out, "How can you open the folded space?"
Fu Mingxu was taken aback. He hadn't expected that this was the first thing he was concerned about. He pulled him in first, and then skillfully operated the array in front of him, immediately closing the folding space tightly.
Han Zhengzhi: ...Impressive.
"Alright, let's not talk about these trivial things for now." Fu Mingxu pointed to the lake not far away and said quickly, "Drain half the water from the lake."
"This is the spiritual spring water that the city lord uses to soak the dragon's body," Han Zhengzhi emphasized, his face showing worry. "The city lord will kill me."
Fu Mingxu glanced at him and said seriously, "That's right, if you don't let go, he won't kill you."
"Because he was already dead by then."
Han Zhengzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately said, "I'll relieve the water!"
Lord, I did this to save you!
With the biggest obstacle solved, Fu Mingxu felt a little relieved and nodded, saying, "Then hurry up."
After saying that, he strode towards the bamboo courtyard.
Han Zhengzhi suddenly called out to him from behind, "Master Fu! The city lord did this for your sake!"
Fu Mingxu trembled, but did not turn around, replying, "I know."
Seeing that his city lord's good intentions had not been hidden, Han Zhengzhi was overjoyed for a few moments, then looked at the dragon's body in the lake with a worried expression: "City lord, I am going to perform the dragon sucking water in front of you."
Face is utterly worthless compared to the city lord's life.
Han Zhengzhi was very fast. By the time Fu Mingxu came out with the medicinal soup, the lake was already half full.
"Fortunately, I had taken into account the size of his dragon tail and prepared quite a lot of medicine beforehand." The chaotic energy in his body was constantly circulating in his limbs, which greatly increased his strength; otherwise, carrying two buckets of medicinal soup would have been quite an ordeal.
When Han Zhengzhi saw him approaching, slightly out of breath, his cheeks immediately deflated, and he almost choked: "Cough...cough..."
Fortunately, Fu Mingxu's attention was focused on the medicinal soup, so he didn't notice him or ask him how he made it.
In short, the lake only needs to be half full, as he requested.