Chapter 226: Rumors of Dragon Species in the Grotto-Heaven

Chen Xiyi followed the people from the Dongfang Aristocratic Family off the plane very discreetly in Jingzhou.

The Dragon Family had waited for a long time and received their group. There were no clichéd incidents like someone stepping forward to provoke them or anyone trying to use them as a stepping stone.

No one in their group had a face that invited mockery or carried an aura of hatred.

Throughout the journey, the members of the Dragon Family were very respectful and did not act arrogant or look down on anyone.

After all, both were Hidden World Clans. Although the Dragon Family might be stronger overall than the Dongfang Family, it was still uncertain who would win in a real contest.

When dealing with forces of similar scale, it was natural to show full respect rather than immediately trying to intimidate or make sly remarks.

Any Noble Family that lacked such basic sense would have long vanished into history, and certainly would not have the ability to control a nation’s capital.

Dongfang Wu chatted with Long Yi, who had come to pick them up.

The two could be considered old acquaintances, as they belonged to the same generation.

Dongfang Wu was the younger brother of Dongfang Wen, whom Chen Xiyi had previously killed. One was skilled in civil affairs, the other in martial arts. Originally, Dongfang Wu, as the younger brother, was meant to assist Dongfang Wen. But after Dongfang Wen’s death, he took over.

Thus, he was considered the face of the Dongfang Aristocratic Family. Of course, Long Yi was not in such a position; although he was also from the main lineage, his status was not high.

All the Hidden World Clans sent their younger generation to participate in this so-called Hidden Realm Cave Heaven. The family heads would definitely not come.

Those who took it more seriously sent their future heirs, while those who saw little meaning in it simply sent a main-line descendant.

Sending a branch family member was out of the question, as it would be seen as impolite.

Therefore, the Dragon Family members sent to receive them were naturally from the main lineage.

Otherwise, if others showed you full respect and you did not reciprocate, there might be no immediate loss in terms of benefits, but it would harm relationships and ultimately lead to losses.

“And this is…” Long Yi asked, looking at Chen Xiyi sitting next to Dongfang Wu.

Dongfang Wu smiled and gave a vague reply: “This is Mr. Chen, an expert we invited. Our Dongfang Family will rely entirely on him this time.”

Long Yi looked at Chen Xiyi with greater regard, immediately smiling and extending his hand: “I failed to recognize true gold. Please forgive my oversight, Mr. Chen.”

“You’re too kind. I must thank the Dongfang Family for their trust,” Chen Xiyi said, shaking his hand.

“Mr. Chen is talented and shines wherever he goes,” Long Yi said without overthinking it, continuing the polite exchange. He did not look down on Chen Xiyi because of his young appearance, remembering the phrase “accomplished at a young age.”

In Long Yi’s eyes, this person was likely a consultant hired by the Dongfang Family.

Older consultants might have more experience, but that didn’t mean younger ones were incompetent. As someone who dealt with various parties, Long Yi knew it was most taboo to judge by appearance or show disrespect. Being kind to others was true win-win; unless forced, one generally did not make enemies needlessly.

After some more polite conversation, Long Yi resumed chatting with Dongfang Wu.

Dongfang Wu began to subtly inquire about matters related to the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven.

Long Yi was straightforward and seemed willing to share some relevant information now that the guests had arrived.

“Not long ago, there was an earthquake in Jingzhou. Although such an event is rare, occurring once in a hundred years, that wasn’t the main point. A large hole opened up on the southern Immortal Peak, and inside was a small world like a Grotto-Heaven.”

“It wasn’t just a hollow mountain but an entire world. You could look up and see the Sun, clouds, and even some plants and animals that have never been recorded.”

“So, our clan leader invited Noble Families from everywhere to jointly develop it,” Long Yi said.

But Dongfang Wu, hearing this, teased: “It’s been a while since we last met, but you’ve picked up the bad habit of telling only half the story. Surely you’re not holding back on the dangers inside the Grotto-Heaven? Since you invited us, you’ve already decided on joint development. If you don’t tell us now, we’ll find out once we go in anyway.”

Dongfang Wu was no fool; when painting a rosy picture, people never mentioned the downsides, only exaggerated the positives.

There must be something in the Grotto-Heaven that even the Dragon Family couldn’t handle; otherwise, they would never share such a great benefit.

In fact, Dongfang Wu suspected it might not be a benefit at all but a bomb capable of blowing Jingzhou to pieces.

Otherwise, who would share a real advantage?

Hearing this, Long Yi could only smile wryly: “There are monsters in the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven.”

“Monsters?” Dongfang Wu was stunned, immediately thinking of unclean entities.

“Yes, monsters. They use dark magic and have very strong bodies. From multiple investigations and a few records, we found they seem to have the bloodline of legendary dragons. These monsters either have dragon horns or are covered in dragon scales; most are dragon species.”

“If it weren’t for some restriction in the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven preventing these dragon species monsters from coming out, Jingzhou would probably have become a land of monsters by now,” Long Yi said helplessly. He had been inside himself, along with a special combat team trained by the Dragon Family, and the result was heavy losses—many people died there.

These dragon species monsters were practically impervious to blades and spears. Even those that could be harmed by firearms used dark magic to defend themselves.

The most extreme case was when a Black Mist swept over; whether bullets or people’s clothing, everything turned into a pool of pus.

But he didn’t mention these details, simply categorizing it as dark magic.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiyi was pondering one thing: clearly, this was not a local product.

In this world, “dragon” was just a term, and there was no such ingredient among Supernatural Chefs.

Dragons might be strong, but not all of them could be that powerful. After all, even the ice sculpture left by the First God of Cuisine from long ago could freeze the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance, forming the North and South Poles. Even if dragons did exist, they would merely be ingredients in the kitchen or part of dragon-related recipes.

The absence of dragon-related recipes or ingredients in various records was enough to show that dragons were not native species.

The God of Cookery Contest had only been held for 1,820 years, but the intertwined history of the Bright Chef World and the Dark Chef World was too ancient to trace.

One must remember, before the God of Cookery Contest unified the Bright and Dark Chef Worlds, the combat power of both chef worlds was at its peak.

‘Dragon species monsters—tsk, it must be related to the source of the Peach Blossom Luck bloodline.’

With so much evidence, along with this sudden appearance, Chen Xiyi found it hard not to think in that direction.

‘Perhaps the source of the Peach Blossom Luck bloodline is preparing to emerge from the shadows.’

The Peach Blossom Luck Bloodline Bearers might have matured, so the other party was ready to reappear.

And the earlier earthquake was surely a sign.

Of course, it could also be an accidental occurrence.

‘Dragons are inherently lustful, but each dragon has its corresponding inheritance. So…’

‘Hiss… If my guess is correct, then every Peach Blossom Luck Bloodline Bearer could be renamed as dragon-people. Moreover, the dragon genes might be hidden deep within the inheritance, not dominant like the dragon species monsters in the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven, but recessive.’

This speculation had some basis. After all, which individual could simultaneously create half-siblings?

‘Once I check the monsters in the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven, I’ll know for sure. If they truly are half-siblings to the Peach Blossom Luck Bloodline Bearers, then that dragon is truly formidable.’

‘Not only is there no Reproductive Isolation, but it can also achieve genetic-level fusion and disguise.’

Chen Xiyi had previously seen that the genes of Peach Blossom Luck Bloodline Bearers were the same as ordinary people; they just had additional inherited memories.

So, if this were confirmed, then the inheritance must be problematic.

However, this issue likely targeted those Peach Blossom Luck Bloodline Bearers—such as turning them into dragon-people or directly using them for Blood Sacrifice by the source.

Therefore, Chen Xiyi grew increasingly interested in those dragon species monsters.

“So, have you obtained any corpses or body tissues of the dragon species monsters?” Chen Xiyi asked.

Long Yi glanced at Dongfang Wu and, seeing no reaction from him, replied to Chen Xiyi: “No, we haven’t. These dragon species monsters are very powerful. We couldn’t kill any, let alone obtain body tissues.”

“So, you actually don’t know much about this Hidden Realm Cave Heaven full of dragon species monsters?”

“Yes, we don’t know much.”

Long Yi answered Chen Xiyi’s question frankly.

Of course, they had some understanding, and he hadn’t revealed all the information.

Everyone had their own interests, let alone an entire family.

This gathering was only to give each Hidden World Clan a chance to observe. Only after each family’s representatives reported back would true cooperation begin. For now, it was just an inspection phase.

The Dragon Family’s idea was simple: they could share the big cake of the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven. As the owners, they would take the largest share and also solve the problem of the dragon species monsters inside.

Otherwise, the Dragon Family would not feel at ease.

Of course, without eliminating the dragon species monsters, the Hidden Realm Cave Heaven could not be developed. So this was a general trend.

To gain something, one must lose something; to save costs, they had to give up some benefits.

In fact, the Dragon Family did have a solution: they could use the immortal ice sculpture left by the First God of Cuisine to replicate the method of freezing the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance.

But that was not in their best interest. After all, using this ice sculpture would diminish its power with each use. Given the current situation, the Dragon Family preferred to share benefits rather than use this national-grade ice sculpture.

The ice sculpture was for critical moments. The current situation was not critical, and there were other solutions, so naturally, they wouldn’t use it.

If used once, there would be a second and third time. If they used it for every difficulty, what would they do when facing extinction later?

“By the way, all seventy-two Noble Families from across the land will gather in Jingzhou this time, right?” Chen Xiyi suddenly asked.

Although Long Yi found Chen Xiyi’s shift in topic somewhat abrupt, he still replied: “Yes, they will all come, and they are all from the main lineage.”

“Good, it seems this will be a grand feast,” Chen Xiyi said with a strange tone.

Dongfang Wu suddenly looked up, as if realizing what Chen Xiyi intended to do.

But Long Yi didn’t understand the situation and instead nodded in agreement: “Yes, it’s been unknown how many years since all seventy-two families last gathered.”

“Then we’ll have to trouble you to make introductions then,” Dongfang Wu said, following Long Yi’s lead.

“It’s no trouble at all, just a small matter,” Long Yi naturally agreed without objection. Such polite words were easy to accept; introductions would naturally be handled later. For them, introductions might not even be necessary—socializing was practically second nature.

As long as they weren’t spoiled brats or mindless individuals, social skills were a basic ability for these Noble Family members.

Without social skills, one wouldn’t get far anywhere.

Even daily management work required these social skills. Without a certain social charm, being blunt and straightforward could turn workplace friction into enmity, even leading to serious consequences.

After driving to the place arranged by the Dragon Family, Long Yi quickly coordinated and settled them in before hurrying off to receive guests from other Noble Families.