The pool wasn't large, perhaps only a few dozen square meters, and the water within was crystal clear. The morning breeze brushed across it, stirring up delicate ripples.

Seeing this small pool, Zhang Yang was suddenly reminded that on the vast Yinlong Mountain, he hadn't discovered a single source of water before. Finding such a small pool here was indeed a rare occurrence.

Zhang Yang only glanced at the pool before his gaze swept to the side.

Wuying had already darted to the other side of the water, standing among several stalks of different grasses.

The difference, he noted, was that these grasses were not green but red. They were short, bifurcated in the middle, and some even bore small green flowers at their tips.

Red flowers, green grass—these were the exact opposite of the usual; they were green-flowered, red-stalked.

"Yinlong Grass!"

Zhang Yang paused slightly, then a look of surprise immediately crossed his face.

Qu Meilan had told him that Yinlong Grass was characterized by green flowers and red stalks; this was its defining feature, and no other plant on Yinlong Mountain displayed this trait.

Yinlong Grass. He had finally found it.

Zhang Yang quickly stepped forward, suppressing the slight surge of excitement within him.

Wu Zhiguo could be saved. Not only had Zhang Yang found the Yinlong Grass, but he had found the flowering variety. With the Yinlong Grass flower, he could lure the Gu worms out of Wu Zhiguo’s body, thus achieving the goal of curing the curse.

He crouched down and carefully dug up one stalk of flowering Yinlong Grass, placing it on his body.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Yang dug up a few more stalks.

Yinlong Grass was incredibly rare. Besides its use in attracting Gu, this type of grass had many other functions. Zhang Yang wanted to take a few more back for research.

After digging up five stalks, Zhang Yang stopped. These five were sufficient.

He also secretly noted the location, thinking he could return for more if needed, provided he didn't disturb the powerful spirit beast residing on this mountain.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Wuying suddenly cried out urgently. Lightning also straightened its body, its small eyes darting around Zhang Yang nervously.

Zhang Yang felt a dreadful premonition. He scooped up Lightning and grabbed Wuying, then bolted down the mountain.

The information Wuying conveyed was: an unknown, powerful life form was approaching. There were no other life forms on the entire mountain, so the sudden appearance of a 'powerful life form' meant only one thing, even to a fool like Zhang Yang.

At that moment, Zhang Yang cursed his own slowness, wishing he could escape Yinlong Mountain as fast as lightning.

"Roar!"

A tremendous sound echoed, causing Zhang Yang's body to suddenly shudder. Running at full speed, he could only halt, otherwise, he was certain to crash to the ground.

Steadying himself, Zhang Yang looked up.

The moment he lifted his head, his mouth fell open, gaping widely as he stared ahead blankly.

Wuying, held in his palm, suddenly poked its head out, also looking ahead. However, its small face held a flicker of confusion, perhaps even incomprehension.

Lightning had climbed onto Zhang Yang's shoulder by this time, staring ahead foolishly. Lightning’s expression was no better than Zhang Yang’s.

Before them, a colossal spirit beast materialized in the sky—Zhang Yang could only describe it as such for the moment.

Before them was a gigantic dragon head, a true dragon head, identical to the totem described in legends: deer antlers, horse muzzle, goat whiskers.

This dragon was enormous. Its massive head was more than a dozen times larger than the head of the Golden Crown Python. The colossal dragon opened its mouth and gazed down at them in the air.

The dragon remained motionless, yet Zhang Yang could already feel an immense pressure—a pressure stemming from a vast difference in rank. This pressure gave him a sensation of utter irresistibility.

Zhang Yang had never imagined that Yinlong Mountain truly housed a giant dragon. The legendary Chinese dragon, existing for five thousand years in tales, was real.

This discovery brought him no joy. After all, he had trespassed onto someone's territory, and now being discovered by this terrifying giant dragon, his fate was easy to imagine.

Zhang Yang didn't bother speculating about the dragon's strength. Whether it was Tier Four or the legendary Tier Five, it was infinitely stronger than him. Before this dragon, he likely couldn't even mount a resistance.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Wuying suddenly shrieked, barking at the dragon in the sky.

Wuying was minuscule, while the dragon was exceptionally vast. The tiny Wuying seemed entirely fearless of the massive creature.

Zhang Yang swallowed hard. He desperately wanted to stop Wuying’s cries to avoid enraging the dragon, but he was completely unable to do so.

Compared to this giant dragon, both the Golden Crown Python and that long-armed spirit ape seemed like mere toddlers. The spiritual pressure emanating from the dragon made it difficult even for Zhang Yang to breathe.

This spiritual pressure was too powerful, a suppressive force that transcended rank, effective on all living things. Since Zhang Yang was human, he was also subject to its influence.

"Roar!"

The dragon suddenly raised its head and let out a massive cry. Zhang Yang felt the very ground tremble.

However, the spiritual pressure seemed to ease slightly. Zhang Yang quickly looked around, searching for any chance to flee.

He knew in his heart, though, that even the thought of escape was a luxury he could scarcely afford.

Zhang Yang’s heart was filled with bitterness. Dragons were mythical creatures, beasts existing only in folklore. How could one be standing alive before him?

If dragons existed, did other legendary divine beasts also exist?

Alas, Zhang Yang could only ponder this alone; no one could give him the answer.

Zhang Yang recalled Qu Meilan’s words again.

When Qu Meilan first mentioned a dragon on the mountain, Zhang Yang hadn't believed her, thinking it was an exaggerated legend—a powerful spirit beast mistaken for a dragon.

Now he understood. Everything Qu Meilan had said was true. A real dragon did exist here.

After a few glances, Zhang Yang’s mood immediately plunged back into the depths of despair.

He was still halfway up the mountain, far from the base, and the giant dragon was directly in front of him. Escaping head-on was out of the question.

His only path was retreat, which meant running further up the mountain. If he ran back uphill after having ascended from below, this dragon could catch him in the blink of an eye. He wasn't naive enough to think running backward would save him from the dragon.

Running backward meant heading toward the dragon's lair.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Wuying cried out a few more times. Zhang Yang had already abandoned the idea of flight, gripping his Cold Spring Sword tighter.

The opponent was overwhelmingly powerful, yet Zhang Yang was not without the will to fight. Even knowing death was certain, Zhang Yang was unwilling to simply wait for it.

To die fighting—this was the proper dignity of a cultivator.

"Roar!"

The dragon roared again. Just as Zhang Yang was about to charge forward with his sword, fearing that waiting longer would leave him paralyzed by the spiritual pressure, rendering him utterly defenseless, he stopped.

No, defenseless against a dragon.

Just as he was about to move, Zhang Yang froze, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

The giant dragon lowered its head and began making sounds toward Wuying. Its roar was no longer the imposing, majestic sound from before, but rather high-pitched 'jee-jee' sounds, just like Wuying’s.

One could not begin to imagine the effect of such a terrifying dragon squeaking like a common mouse.

The next moment, Zhang Yang’s mouth widened again, large enough to swallow a fist—as wide as possible.

This terrifying dragon began to shrink rapidly. Under his gaze, in a short while, the dragon transformed into a creature the size of Lightning. From its appearance, it resembled a rodent-like spirit beast.

Looking closely, it bore a striking resemblance to Wuying—it was essentially a gigantic version of Wuying.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Upon seeing the dragon's transformation, Wuying leaped up joyfully. In a few bounds, it slipped off Zhang Yang and rushed toward the transformed 'Great Wuying.'

The Great 'Wuying' also chirped, its voice seemingly carrying a note of excitement.

Zhang Yang was utterly dumbfounded. His mind was blank; everything unfolding before him transcended his imagination. He had no clue what was happening.

The mysterious, terrifying dragon suddenly turning into a giant Wuying—this transformation was too extreme. If it hadn't happened right before his eyes, Zhang Yang would never have believed it.

The dragon’s voice was louder than Wuying’s as they chirped back and forth.

Suddenly, Zhang Yang felt a chilling wave of oppression. He quickly turned his head and realized the Great 'Wuying' was looking at him. Stared at by this creature, Zhang Yang felt incapable of even moving.

Zhang Yang finally remembered that regardless of its current form, this was undeniably a powerful spirit beast.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Wuying suddenly cried out again, its tone very urgent. The Great 'Wuying' immediately turned its head to look at the little Wuying.

One large, one small, two spirit beasts of similar appearance conversed in hushed tones right there.

After a short while, the Great 'Wuying' patted Wuying’s body and spat something out.

Wuying quickly scrambled forward, snatched the item, and devoured it in a few bites. Wuying seemed extremely delighted.

The Great 'Wuying' watched it for a few moments, then looked at Zhang Yang one last time. After letting out a few soft chirps, it slowly began crawling toward the mountaintop. Halfway up, it paused and called out a few times, looking back.

This time, it was calling to Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yang suddenly felt a strange sensation wash over him.

It seemed this Great 'Wuying' was admonishing him to take good care of Wuying, or else, no matter where he was, it would not spare him.

This felt like both a warning and a threat. After issuing the threat, the Great 'Wuying's speed increased instantly; Zhang Yang couldn't see its figure almost immediately.

"Jee-jee-jee!"

Only after the Great 'Wuying' departed did Wuying start chirping excitedly again, reminding Zhang Yang of something.

After another short while, Zhang Yang finally reacted: the terrifying 'dragon' was gone. The powerful spirit beast of this mountain had actually let them go.

Only then did Zhang Yang realize his back was covered in cold sweat.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Yang dared not question Wuying. He quickly scooped it up and rushed down the mountain. Passing the cave, Zhang Yang did not forget to bring Qu Meilan out.

Leaving Qu Meilan behind meant that once her Turtle Breathing Technique wore off, she could not escape her ultimate fate. Especially after witnessing that horrifying 'dragon,' Zhang Yang believed that even those whose minds had been forcibly hijacked by aphrodisiacs would not fare well in the end.

………… Third chapter update, making up yesterday's guaranteed chapter. There's more to come!