Chen Feng waved his hand, signaling him to be silent, and asked coldly, "Where is the remnant soul of Senior Yanlong?"

That stone statue just now was the petrified body of Yanlong.

Although Chen Feng was somewhat ruthless, he was certainly not cold-blooded; he only displayed his cruel side to those who intended to kill him. Towards friends and benefactors, he would repay them no matter the difficulty.

Without Senior Yanlong's selfless guidance and teaching, he would not be where he was today. He was his only "countryman" in this world, both his mentor and his friend. If he stood by and did nothing to save his 'remains,' he felt he would never forgive himself.

The hulking man replied, "Is there any question? Naturally, it is in my esteemed self's hands. How else could I stop you from reuniting with him?"

Chen Feng suddenly stood up, a powerful killing intent blazing in his eyes. He hadn't expected the Nine-Layered Pagoda to be found by people from the Tiger Domain. However, Senior Yanlong had placed several seals outside the pagoda—seals set by a God-level expert. Even numerous Saint-level experts probably couldn't break them. Could it be that Jin Xuanhu himself intervened?

Regardless of who acted, he had miscalculated. He should have brought Yanlong's body back immediately; otherwise, this situation would never have arisen...

He narrowed his eyes slightly, suppressing the killing intent churning within him. Senior Yanlong’s only remaining consciousness in the world was that wisp of remnant soul; he had to rescue it, no matter what. His stone statue 'remains' also had to be preserved intact.

The Great Elder and the others clearly remembered Yanlong's appearance in life, yet they couldn't understand why Chen Feng was willing to stake the Flame Dragon Secret Codex on a gamble involving a stone statue of Yanlong!

However, when they heard Chen Feng ask about the remnant soul, they exchanged glances, shock washing over them. They were certainly aware of the Dragon Clan's petrification technique. After petrification, the body would swell, making the resulting stone statue nearly twice the height of the person.

Petrification could induce the injured soul into hibernation. Once awakened, if a powerful demon core wasn't supplied for energy, it would quickly fall back into slumber.

This method was a path to certain death, much like the 'Death-Warrant Pills' some alchemists refined. Physical petrification was an irreversible process, and the soul could only awaken three times. After the third time, it would immediately scatter its essence, vanishing completely into the air!

"Could it be... this statue is Elder Yanlong's body after petrification..." Upon realizing this, the elders could no longer restrain themselves and examined the statue closely.

The moment they did, they discerned the hidden truth. Instantly, they understood Chen Feng's absolute insistence.

Having resided in the Dragon Domain for so long, the Great Elder and the others had their youthful impetuosity largely worn away, no longer as rash as they were in their youth. Now, understanding that Yanlong still had a remnant soul lingering in the world, and that it had been captured by the Xuanhu Clan, all their fury boiled to the surface.

The soul could only be awakened three times. Chen Feng had used one awakening by opening the Nine-Layered Pagoda. Now that it had been captured, the second awakening would surely be used. If they stood by idly, Yanlong's remnant soul would likely be extinguished.

"State the terms of the duel; our Dragon Domain will comply with every condition!" the Great Elder, Longyi, declared fiercely.

If they could endure this after understanding the full situation, they wouldn't be the Dragon Clan; they’d be the Insect Clan!

Chen Feng glanced at the Great Elder, a strange look in his eyes, but seeing the firm resolution in his gaze, he understood the Elder's thinking.

The Dragon Clan had no cowards. To have Yanlong's corpse used as leverage and remain impassive was out of the question.

"Fine, straightforward enough. But let me state this first: I've layered the ground beneath the statue with Burst Bombs. If anyone tries to snatch it by force, I can't guarantee it won't detonate immediately..." the hulking man chuckled triumphantly. "Also, if you lose, you must hand over the Flame Dragon Secret Codex first before I give you the statue. I hope there won't be any unpleasantness. You know that wisp of remnant soul is in my master's hands; if something goes wrong, things could become complicated, hah hah..."

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Chen Feng said hatefully, "To the plaza!"

A competition couldn't take place in a room; they would settle things in the main square.

The plaza was still packed with people, but upon learning that the Dragon God had agreed to a challenge match with the Xuanhu Clan, the crowd quickly cleared a large open space.

Two enormous chests were carried over on their shoulders. They had originally been stored in spatial artifacts, but if they were kept inside, and the opponent struck quickly, they might not be retrieved before death, rendering any deterrence useless.

The group landed in the center of the plaza.

The hulking man looked at the dense crowd of Dragon Clan disciples surrounding them and nodded toward the young attendant who had carried the scroll earlier. The attendant immediately puffed out his chest and stepped forward, opening another scroll in his hand, reading loudly: "You Dragon Clan claims to be the head of the Four Great Divine Beasts; our Xuanhu Clan does not concede. Today, our Xuanhu Clan will send a few of our least capable members to spar against your Dragon Clan to determine who is truly the head of the Divine Beasts!"

The attendant’s voice was quite clear, and with the force he used, the entire plaza could hear him distinctly.

Chen Feng frowned upon hearing the attendant’s words, glanced at the Great Elder, and both nodded in agreement.

Many surrounding Dragon Clan disciples were unaware of the history of that year. Hearing such blatant provocation, they roared in unison.

"What insignificant trash are you, daring to cause trouble in the Dragon Domain..."

"I think they're tired of living. Dragon God, we must teach him a lesson..."

"Mere clowns! If we step forward, we'll knock them all down..."

The plaza immediately erupted into chaos.

Chen Feng raised his hand, and all the noise ceased.

He had established his authority in the Dragon Domain, so even if the crowd was furious, they still obeyed his command uniformly.

"We don't know what you wish to compete in, nor which individuals will participate?" Chen Feng asked coldly.

The hulking man chuckled, "If we challenge based on our Xuanhu Clan's strongest speed, you certainly won't agree. If we test your Dragon Might or Dragon Roar, it would naturally be unfair too. Since we all practice magic, the first round will be a test of single-target offensive magic; the second round, area-of-effect magic; and the final round, naturally, a direct confrontation. Who is superior will be decided in one battle!"

"Good!" Chen Feng agreed, calling out, "Longyi..."

The Great Elder quickly bowed, "Your subordinate is here!"

"You will participate in the first round!" Chen Feng commanded.

"Yes, Dragon God!" Longyi replied with a broad smile.

If Longyi went up to compete, perhaps no one except the Golden Xuanhu could defeat him.

"Wait a moment!" the hulking man interjected. "I haven't finished speaking. Saint-level power is too immense. If we engage in a direct exchange, it might cause some trouble for the Dragon Domain..."

"We do not fear trouble. Longyi, first round!" Chen Feng cut him off.

The hulking man’s face turned ashen. He beckoned, and the three burly men carrying large bows behind him stepped forward.

"These three are only Magister-level experts. For the Great Elder, at the peak of the Saint Realm, to compete against them—isn't that beneath his station?" the hulking man said, trying to provoke him with words.

"Your subordinate fights for the Dragon Domain; it is not beneath my station!" Longyi shouted loudly.

"..." The hulking man was exasperated. The strength of the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder, Longyi, was known across the entire continent—a Four-Clawed Golden Dragon in his true form, rumored to be capable of contending with the Fist Emperor. To test attack power against such a figure, even if he had some hidden trump cards, was simply inviting defeat.

"It seems the Dragon Clan only claims the title of head of the Divine Beasts by relying on superior numbers. I find this truly disgraceful," the hulking man gritted out, suppressing his anger.

"Oh? I will compete against all three of you simultaneously. Who is relying on numbers, or who is it?" the Great Elder retorted.

"You..." The hulking man was immediately silenced. How could three Magister-level powerhouses compare to one powerhouse at the peak of the Saint Realm?

Speechless, the hulking man turned to Chen Feng, "Heir of Yanlong, please reconsider. We came here completely prepared to die. If things go south, we might as well detonate the Burst Bombs and take everyone down with us!"

Chen Feng wasn't afraid of their threats; he was primarily worried they would shatter Yanlong's stone statue. Hearing those words, he frowned.

They possessed the Dragon-Binding Ropes. In the entire Dragon Domain, anyone fighting them one-on-one, save for the Great Elder, himself, and Little Hu, would only lose. After a moment's thought, he said, "Alright... I will compete against you?"

"You..." The hulking man glanced at Chen Feng, then took out a crystal ball about the size of a ping-pong ball, channeling his magic into it. After a quick glance, a smile immediately bloomed on his face.

When they first arrived, Chen Feng had demonstrated genuine Dragon Might, leading him to mistakenly believe that the successor had completed the Rite of Sacrifice and activated the Flame Dragon Secret Codex. But now, using the special effect of this crystal ball to investigate, he discovered that the other party had absolutely not completed the ritual.

The crystal ball had been given to him personally by Lord Jin Xuanhu upon their arrival. It could perfectly test whether this Flame Dragon successor's bloodline had been awakened. Since the crystal ball showed no reaction, it meant the successor had not completed the rite!

"So, he hasn't awakened the Flame Dragon bloodline. His strength is that of a Third-Level Dou Zun, exactly matching the information I received. What is there to fear now?" the hulking man sneered, having formed a plan.

Challenging the Dragon Clan to humble their prestige was an arrangement made by the Great Elder of their clan when they departed. They had even brought the clan's Tianhao Magic Bow along.

The Tianhao Magic Bow ranked ninth among the Xuanhu Clan's Ten Great Artifacts and possessed infinite power. However, if an artifact was not subdued, it could not only be unused but might even cause a backlash, much like the Netherfeather Sword, which Chen Feng had put immense effort into subduing.

This Tianhao Magic Bow was different from other artifacts: it could split into three. Each bow, when separated, was only equivalent to a High-Grade Saint Artifact. But if the three users coordinated well, the arrows they shot could merge into one, achieving the power of an artifact!

In other words, three Dou Zun level experts, by merging their arrows, could unleash an attack magic comparable to a single Forbidden Curse spell!

With such a powerful weapon, victory against the Dragon Clan was all but assured.

A sinister smile spread across the hulking man's face as he said, "Since the Heir of Yanlong wishes to enter the competition, we naturally welcome it. It is difficult to judge the ultimate power in a single-target magic contest. I propose we each stand one thousand meters apart and attack each other. Whichever side cannot withstand the assault first naturally loses. What do you say?" (To be continued, for future developments, please log on to www**, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) First release