Though lacking any concrete evidence, Xing Chen instinctively felt that heading in that direction was the only way to find Xing Zhan and Xing Ye. He had always deeply trusted his intuition; in fact, this uncanny sixth sense had helped him escape countless predicaments—perhaps this was the supposed luck bestowed upon him by Heaven!
Deactivating the bio-radar and suppressing the intensity of his Dou Qi, Xing Chen encountered no one else. Under the relentless sandstorm, the quiet journey continued for three days and three nights.
Yet, Xing Chen still could not escape this desert!
Perhaps the entire Crouching Dragon Manor was nothing more than a vast, boundless desert.
The blazing sun was swallowed by thick cloud cover, and remarkably, the sandstorm subsided. The entire desert presented a rare moment of calm tranquility. Even the heat in the air seemed to have been drawn out by the sudden clouds, granting Xing Chen a long-missed coolness. His spirits lifted slightly.
Inside the Crouching Dragon Manor Headquarters!
He awoke on the fourth day, but Xing Zhan still had no clue how to escape this place!
It seemed the people here treated him courteously, yet they had confined his freedom and even used special techniques to seal the circulation of his Dou Qi, rendering him powerless.
Of course, even at full strength, Xing Zhan probably couldn't defeat the guards here! This was quite a blow to the always proud and arrogant Xing Zhan. He was, in essence, under house arrest!
What surprised Xing Zhan further was that Xin Yue didn't seem inclined to force him, only attempting to persuade him into accepting their ideology and worldview through indoctrination. What was going on? Did their plan have something to do with his own intentions, or would their plan fail if he refused?
It was the same old familiar topic!
“What are your thoughts on our proposal?” Xin Yue was persistent, yet not aggressively so.
“Do you think I would agree to fight against my own nation and people?” Xing Zhan was determined to resist to the end! After days of calm reflection, Xing Zhan realized that Xin Yue’s, or rather the Crouching Dragon Manor’s, plan for conquest or transformation might not be as easy as they claimed.
There were two reasons.
First was Xin Yue's unusual method of ideological infusion; this suggested that unless he agreed willingly, their plan would be difficult to execute. This was only speculation, however; otherwise, Xin Yue could simply ignore his feelings and use brute force.
Second was the plan concerning the Fire Dragon environmental transformation. If this plan were truly feasible, the Crouching Dragon Clan would likely have implemented it long ago, not waited until now.
The Fire Dragon had existed for at least thirty thousand years. Over this long span, the Crouching Dragon Clan remained holed up in the Manor. This suggested it wasn't a lack of desire to act externally, but an actual inability to carry out external conquest or transformation. Everything they said before was merely a tactic to exert psychological pressure, forcing him into submission.
Beyond these two reasons, Xing Zhan had three others for refusing Xin Yue.
The first was the complete lack of news about his elder brother, Xing Ye. Unless he could confirm his brother’s safety, Xing Zhan would never compromise.
The second was the appearance of his father! Given the current situation, his father had clashed with the enemy three times previously, yet the enemy seemed unable to handle him. Considering his father’s perpetually incredible luck and strength, Xing Zhan believed his father would eventually rescue him!
The third was that his own decision might determine the fate of his brother and father. If his father ever fell into their hands, Xing Zhan could at least use his stance as a condition to bargain for their safety!
It was based on these three realizations that Xing Zhan resolved to adhere to his original intent and stand firm!
“It seems you have great confidence in your father,” Xin Yue stated gravely, seemingly reading Xing Zhan’s mind. “If you believe he can fight his way here to rescue you, you are gravely mistaken.”
“……” Xing Zhan was momentarily stunned by Xin Yue’s sharp insight.
“Allow me to show you,” Xin Yue said, pointing to the twelve strange patterns displayed on the crystal wall (computer screen), which somewhat resembled the Star-Moon Mirror: the true strength of the Crouching Dragon Manor.
They were twelve majestic figures resembling deities from ancient mythology—Celestial War Gods. Even standing still, they exuded an overwhelming, imposing aura!
“What are these?” Xing Zhan asked, bewildered.
“The Crouching Dragon Clan originates from a distant spacetime. In the ancient myths of that time, there were twelve Celestial Guardians possessing immense power—they are the legendary Guardians of the Twelve Zodiac Signs!”
“The Twelve Zodiac Signs,” Xing Zhan murmured. “Who exactly are they?”
“The Twelve Zodiac Signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.”
The Crouching Dragon Manor’s defenses were precisely modeled after the Twelve Palaces, forming twelve fortress-palace lines surrounding and guarding the headquarters. Each fortress-palace was manned by a powerful Guardian Warrior and a Guardian Hero! Their combat strength was far beyond anything Moonying Slash, Breaking Waves, or Raging Winds could contend with!”
“Twelve immensely powerful Guardian Warriors?” Xing Zhan exclaimed. “How strong are they?”
“Take Aries, for instance. Under normal circumstances, his combat power is five times that of Moonying. But if he activates a special ultimate skill, he can instantly boost his power to eight times or even more. Facing any one of them, your father is certain to die.”
“……” Xing Zhan froze. “How is that possible? Five times or more powerful than Moonying? Twelve such terrifying masters exist?”
Seemingly satisfied with Xing Zhan’s devastated appearance, Xin Yue continued, “Your father is currently approaching from the west. He has already passed through the Ninth Defense Zone. If he passes through the Eighth Defense Zone, he will enter the defensive range of the Aries Fortress-Palace. By then, he won’t be able to fly away even if he had wings.”
“No, that won’t happen,” Xing Zhan’s face turned ashen!
“Think it over carefully. If you agree, I can request the Young Master to spare your father’s life,” Xin Yue said respectfully.
“……” After a long pause, Xing Zhan finally understood. “Young Master, who is he?”
In the Desert!
The peaceful journey continued. Although he gave up flying, Xing Chen still advanced eastward at an extremely rapid pace, relying on his nimble movement techniques and exceptional physical stamina!
Before him was no longer a pure sea of sand, but countless small hills and rocks jutting out of the ground! The topography had subtly changed. Simultaneously, guided by his superior intuition, Xing Chen clearly felt that something awaited him ahead—a feeling similar to his encounter with the Snow Region Strongmen on the Snow Region Continent.
It was a clear, groundless intuition.
This prompted Xing Chen to secretly heighten his guard.
His agile form remained swift as the wind, darting rapidly between the hills and rocks! In the blink of an eye, he shot far ahead!
However, behind the rocks he had just passed, a small, nearly transparent figure appeared, like an illusion! It was a Moon Spirit, a summon only top-tier Daoists on the Mafa Continent could summon!
But this Moon Spirit seemed different from ordinary ones—it could actually talk!
“Suspicious target detected. Could this person be the intruder mentioned in the intelligence?” the tiny Moon Spirit muttered to itself. “It seems our luck is good. To have prey stumble into our trap in such a remote area. I should quickly notify the Master to prepare for a good feast.” In this world where anything is possible, the fact that this little Moon Spirit wanted to eat humans was truly unbelievable.
Xing Chen, rushing forward, had heightened his vigilance but still failed to notice the strange Moon Spirit, naturally unaware that he had been earmarked as a delicacy.
The sense of unease grew stronger, and Xing Chen finally stopped! Cautiously observing his surroundings!
It was a wilderness surrounded by rolling hills and rocks. The sandstorm continued to lash down like rain; if his helmet's visor hadn't been down, he wouldn't have been able to open his eyes.
By all appearances, this was not a suitable place for an ambush! Yet, that uneasy intuition remained clearly entrenched in his mind.
“Come out, Moonying!”
A flash of crimson light appeared, and Moonying’s imposing figure materialized out of thin air to Xing Chen’s left! At this moment, Xing Chen dared not be careless; summoning Moonying sooner was the safer bet!
“Sneaky fellow! No need to hide.” After summoning Moonying, Xing Chen decided to try a tactic of startling the snake by striking the grass!
Unexpectedly, he actually hit the mark!
“Boom!”
Following a violent tremor, a massive rock to his left actually collapsed and cracked open!
A powerful blast of air rushed towards them, forcing Xing Chen back several steps before he managed to steady himself!
And behind the collapsed rock, a gigantic figure emerged.
“Ah! This guy is…” Xing Chen gasped in fright. Bounding out of the rock was a monster the size of a truck! Looking closer, the monster was clearly a Daoist summon, the Sacred Beast White Tiger, magnified several times!
Roar! With an earth-shattering bellow, the giant White Tiger swung a massive claw, comparable to a beam or pillar, towards Xing Chen!
Damn! Such immense force! Xing Chen and Moonying swiftly evaded backward, dodging the attack!
Smash! Rumble! The huge tiger claw violently struck the ground, leaving a deep, long gash!
So dangerous! Xing Chen, having narrowly escaped, was truly startled by the monstrous creature before him.
He had never seen a White Tiger this large! However, what surprised Xing Chen even more was that a person was riding on the back of this super White Tiger—a Daoist clad in golden Phoenix Heaven Demon Armor and wielding a golden Profound Heaven staff!
“Hmm, not bad, you actually detected my disguise.”
“Who are you?”
“Hahahaha, I am the Guardian of this outpost.” The rider on the tiger's back appeared to be no older than seventeen or eighteen, with a youthful face, yet he struck a pose of elegant grace: “Unique under heaven and earth, the Aries Daoist.” He then brandished the golden Profound Heaven staff toward Xing Chen. “Who goes there? State your name.”
“……” Xing Chen was dumbfounded. Who was this guy, so arrogant and utterly boastful?
“Hey, little fellow, don’t tell me you’re paralyzed with awe by my imposing presence,” the young knight said with feigned seriousness. “It seems being too handsome is also troublesome.”
Roar! The unusually large White Tiger cooperated perfectly, letting out a muffled roar, its enormous head nodding repeatedly, even acting subserviently: “Indeed, Master is unparalleled. To subdue enemies without fighting—Little Brother is deeply impressed.”
“……” Xing Chen rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “Meeting a talking tiger, I must be dreaming.”
“Hmph, what’s so strange about talking?” the giant White Tiger scoffed, shaking its head. “I, Second Master, can not only talk but also sing and dance. I was once a dashing handsome tiger that captivated countless female tigers.”
“It’s over, it’s over,” Xing Chen swayed precariously, muttering, “Either I’m dreaming, or this world has gone completely mad—an arrogant master and a White Tiger obsessed with reminiscing.”
“Enough nonsense,” the knight calling himself Aries Daoist asked brazenly, “Are you passing through, or breaking in?”
“What’s the difference between passing through and breaking in?” Xing Chen finally managed to steady his nerves. Thinking this was the Crouching Dragon Manor, perhaps encountering anything bizarre was no longer shocking.
“Passing through means we boil you to eat,” the White Tiger called Second Master declared. “Breaking in means we roast you to eat.”
“Good heavens, it’s eating either way,” Xing Chen snapped back, “You’re quite clever with your terminology.”
“It seems we’ll just have to roast you then,” Second Master White Tiger roared and lunged forward again! His sharp claws slammed down overhead like thunder.
This level of force was something Xing Chen and Moonying couldn't withstand directly.
The two could only retreat and dodge repeatedly.
For a time, the wide-open wilderness became a chaotic scene with the giant White Tiger chasing the two small figures, smashing rocks all around them, kicking up dust everywhere.
“Hahahaha, have you seen the strength of Second Master?” the great White Tiger roared triumphantly. “Surrender quickly, you two little things.”
“Strange, his strength is considerable, but his speed is utterly subpar,” Xing Chen quietly asked, “Lan Ye, do you see anything unusual?”
“Based on the combat data analysis, our side has an absolute advantage in speed combat. This infers an eighty percent chance of victory for us,” Lan Ye reported a number that Xing Chen found hard to believe.
“Eighty percent?” Xing Chen was stunned. “Are you sure there’s no mistake?”
“It is correct. The opponent is merely bluffing,” Lan Ye replied.
“Interesting, so it’s a paper tiger after all,” Xing Chen laughed heartily.
“What paper tiger?” The elegantly posed knight became furious. “Xiao Bai, tear them apart!”
Roar! The great White Tiger charged forward with immense momentum, protesting to its master while roaring, “Stop calling me Xiao Bai, I’m not little anymore!”
As it spoke, its sharp steel claws struck down again from above.
Swish! Xing Chen and Moonying easily dodged the White Tiger’s lunge! At the same time, they noticed something: this great White Tiger, despite its ferocious appearance, only repeated the same few moves; there were no variations!
“I say, is this all you’ve got?” Xing Chen spoke provocatively, but inwardly, he remained cautious. Who could guarantee this guy wasn't feigning weakness? Xing Chen himself had used that trick often, and it always worked.
The tactical computer’s data was merely a reference index; the actual outcome depended on tactical execution and on-the-spot performance. Therefore, Xing Chen dared not relax for a moment.
“How dare you look down on me!” The great White Tiger became enraged. “Master, show them something impressive!”
“Watch my Invincible Fire Talisman, Sky Full of Flower Rain!” After several exchanges where the great White Tiger couldn't even touch a hair on them, the knight, as the master, felt his reputation tarnished. He violently waved the golden Profound Heaven staff!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Amidst piercing shrieks of air being torn, countless sharp beams of light surged forth!
These were Soul Fire Talismans, imbued with dense Spiritual Power Daoism! Their familiar golden glow immediately told Xing Chen that these Soul Fire Talismans were no less powerful than those used by the mysterious Daoist he had encountered before!
“What powerful fire talismans,” Xing Chen’s expression shifted slightly, though he still found the speed of these talismans lacking.
The two simply stepped aside simultaneously and vanished from their spots like phantoms.
Smash! Rumble! Missing their targets, the barrage of fire talismans instantly hit the ground, shattering the surrounding rocks into pieces—it was like a disaster scene from a nuclear explosion!
Phew! That was close; if they had been hit, they would surely be dead! Xing Chen and Moonying, having dodged, reappeared like ghosts twenty meters to the left of the great White Tiger.
“……” The Aries Daoist on the White Tiger’s back was struck dumb. “Im-impossible, they actually dodged my Sky Full of Flower Rain.”
“It seems your moves aren't working well,” Xing Chen chuckled lightly.
“Damn it, take this next move!” The Aries Daoist rapidly spun his golden Profound Heaven staff. The Soul Fire Talismans, filled with Spiritual Power, surged forth like machine gun bullets!
Good heavens, what terrifying Daoist Spiritual Power! Xing Chen and Moonying dared not be slow and dodged rapidly. However, the Aries Daoist’s Daoist Spiritual Power seemed endless, relentlessly pursuing the two figures as they fled.
But no matter how dense and furious his Soul Fire Talismans were, they couldn't scratch the surface of Xing Chen and Moonying, who moved like ghosts.
This fellow’s combat data suggested he was five times stronger than Xing Chen and Moonying combined, yet his current performance felt like using a cannon to shoot sparrows.
This outcome was somewhat unexpected.
Xing Chen made a feint, spotting an opportunity, and flashed forward. The Dragon Shadow Sword swept out a magnificent half-moon sword qi, striking the Aries Daoist like lightning.
The Aries Daoist didn't even have time to react!
With a loud boom! The Aries Daoist was blasted into the air and then slammed heavily onto the ground.
“……” This time it was Xing Chen’s turn to be stunned. “So weak.”
“Master, are you okay?” The great White Tiger cried out in alarm and swiftly ran to the Aries Daoist’s side.
“It hurts so much,” the Aries Daoist staggered up, looking shocked. “The enemy is too strong, let’s retreat first.”
The great White Tiger opened its mouth, picked up the Aries Daoist, and bolted!
Xing Chen, having finally caught a live one, was unwilling to let them go just like that. His figure flickered, and he shot forward like lightning, passing over the White Tiger’s head to block their path.
“Just leaving like that?” Xing Chen wore a sly smile. It seemed this White Tiger and Aries Daoist had no hidden trump cards left.
“Hey, kid, what are you trying to do?” Seeing Xing Chen and Moonying slowly approaching, the man and the tiger became somewhat tense. “Let me tell you, know when to quit, don’t push too far, okay?”
“Heh heh, weren’t you the ones pushing too far?” Xing Chen grinned maliciously.
“If you come any closer, I’ll call for help,” the Aries Daoist looked rather pitiful, like a respectable woman being harassed by hooligans.
“Call for help?” Xing Chen was speechless, finding the guy utterly ridiculous!