Chapter 13: The Azure Dragon’s Horn

Mu Yuan’s “Thousand-Mile Ice Seal” instantly froze the overwhelming Yin energy in the air. The once formless wind swirls were forcibly frozen in midair, turning into large chunks of transparent crystals. As soon as they were touched by the energy waves of the two fighters, they shattered into ice crystals, falling to the ground and making crisp sounds!

“This guy is powerful, but he seems to be injured!” The two fighters exchanged energy waves, testing each other’s strength. Mu Yuan quickly realized his opponent’s energy reserves were insufficient. The Yin cold Zhenqi did not flow endlessly like that of the Qi Refining Third Layer. Seizing the moment, Mu Yuan threw out the few remaining Talismanic Seals he had. They transformed into several green orbs, using wood element to fuel fire, driving away the pervasive Yin energy!

The thin man was bombarded by these light orbs and became disoriented. The ghosts and Yin spirits released from his Soul Banner vanished like snow meeting boiling water. Heartbroken, he hurriedly shook the Soul Banner, recalling the Yin spirits. He stepped back and loudly shouted, “Fellow Daoist, please hold back! I was acting on someone’s behalf and had no intention of harming anyone!”

Hearing this, Mu Yuan showed a thoughtful smile. By then, Liu Yuanshan had arrived. The elegant prefect had been trembling with fear watching the battle. Mu Yuan smiled and said to Liu Yuanshan, “Prefect, the evil has been subdued. We will take our leave now. About the reward…”

Liu Yuanshan hurriedly replied, “It will be provided immediately, immediately! But… why not stay at my residence for a few days, so I can fulfill my duties as host?” His eyes kept drifting toward the thin man, and his tone was full of unease.

Mu Yuan laughed, “No need, no need. This fellow Daoist will leave with us. We have other matters to attend to, so we won’t stay longer.”

Liu Yuanshan promptly ordered his steward to bring the money. Five hundred taels of silver, as promised in the notice, were handed over. Mu Yuan weighed the silver notes in his hand, satisfied, and tucked them into his sleeve. When traveling in the mortal world, money was essential. His cheap master had sent him down without a single coin for travel expenses, leaving him constantly short of funds and budgeting carefully. Now, he had finally escaped poverty and reached a comfortable state!

“Let’s go, let’s go! Fellow Daoist, come with me to the city. There’s a Huangshi Restaurant with excellent food. We can talk in detail there!” Mu Yuan pulled Mo Xue along and casually said to the thin man, with an air of nonchalance.

“Hmph!” The thin man silently snorted in his heart but dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. He thought to himself that if he weren’t still injured, he wouldn’t allow Mu Yuan to act so arrogantly in front of him.

The three left the prefect’s residence and headed straight to Huangshi Restaurant. It was the first time Mu Yuan had so much money on him, and he was very excited. He called the waiter and ordered the restaurant’s signature dishes, filling the table. Finally, he requested a jar of aged wine. Picking up his chopsticks, he ate heartily and drank freely, overjoyed.

“Having money really makes a difference! Sister Mo, you never lack silver, but my cheap master didn’t give me a single copper coin when I came down the mountain. He said that since I was to experience worldly affairs, I should fully immerse myself in them. Only by experiencing the joys and sorrows of mortals could I ultimately transcend! He even claimed that without genuine experience, there could be no pure understanding. What nonsense is that!” Mu Yuan mumbled with a piece of crispy roasted suckling pig leg in his mouth.

Mo Xue chuckled softly but then seemed to have a sudden insight. She fell into thought, but Mu Yuan didn’t notice. He turned to the uneasy thin man and said, “Fellow Daoist, where are you from? How did you end up in this state? Tell us about it.”

The thin man sighed bitterly, “I am Chu Yunfei, a disciple of the Profound Yin Sect. I was originally traveling down the mountain when, a few days ago, I heard that a spiritual treasure had appeared in Dragon’s End Valley. I went to join the excitement but was spotted by two disciples of the Lianyun Sword Sect. They chased me all the way to Fengming Prefecture. I finally shook them off but was severely injured and passed out. The prefect’s wife found me and saved my life. She only asked me to help her, so I played a small trick on the concubine, intending to have the prefect drive her out of the household. I had no intention of harming anyone!”

Mu Yuan grunted softly, picked up another piece of venison, and chewed it heartily, very satisfied. He said carelessly, “I knew it had to be some family dispute fueled by jealousy. Those Yin spirits possessed her but meant no harm. Never mind, never mind. You mentioned Dragon’s End Valley—what exactly is inside?”

Chu Yunfei said, “I truly don’t know. I stayed in the valley for two days but didn’t see the Spiritual Treasure before being chased away.”

Mu Yuan smiled and stared at Chu Yunfei, “Dragon’s End Valley is a thousand miles from here. The disciples of the Lianyun Sword Sect are so selfless? They abandoned the spiritual treasure to chase you down, claiming to eradicate evil? That’s rare!”

Seeing the inexplicable smile on Mu Yuan’s face, Chu Yunfei felt a pang of fear and vaguely replied, “These righteous disciples always preach about upholding justice. It’s not unusual!”

Mo Xue smoothed her hair by her temple, as if unintentionally, and said, “Perhaps Fellow Daoist obtained something in the valley, which led to you being tracked all the way here!”

Just as Chu Yunfei was about to deny it, he noticed Mu Yuan’s Iron Sword trembling slightly behind him, and Mo Xue’s Starlight Bracelet emitted a clear, trembling chime. His heart shook, wondering how these two could be so perceptive. He vaguely said, “Actually, it’s nothing much. I just took a piece of bone. If you’re interested, you can take a look!” He took out a translucent, jade-like pointed bone from a pouch at his waist and placed it on the table, his eyes flickering.

Mu Yuan casually picked it up, not minding his greasy hands, and rubbed the bone until it shone. After examining it for a while, he asked suspiciously, “It seems like a dragon’s horn. Sister Mo, do you recognize it?”

Mo Xue looked at him disapprovingly, took out a handkerchief, and wiped off the grease. After examining it carefully, she said gravely, “It is indeed the horn of an Azure Dragon. Legend has it that Dragon’s End Valley is the burial ground of ancient divine dragons. This must be related to that.”

Mu Yuan shook his head and returned the Azure Dragon’s horn to Chu Yunfei, “In that case, we should go and check it out. It’s said that dozens of ancient divine dragons were slaughtered by the celestial deity Nezha and buried in Dragon’s End Valley. The auspicious energy soaring into the sky must be related to this. Ancient divine dragons were a powerful race that roamed freely across realms. Obtaining anything from them would be extremely precious!”

Chu Yunfei hadn’t expected Mu Yuan to return it and hurriedly put it back into his pouch, his eyes gleaming, “Are you two also going to Dragon’s End Valley? Why don’t we travel together?”

Mo Xue snorted coldly, “Travel with you? Wouldn’t that attract pursuit from various sects?”

Chu Yunfei hastily said, “I had a chance encounter and accidentally learned a spell to change my appearance. I won’t cause any trouble for you two!”

“Oh?” Mu Yuan became very interested upon hearing this and asked eagerly, “That’s a good spell! Why don’t you teach it to me? That Soul Banner of yours—you also obtained it by chance, didn’t you?”

Chu Yunfei asked curiously, “How did you know?”

Mu Yuan scoffed, “It’s not difficult to figure out. During our fight earlier, although you were fierce and your Yin energy swept through, your own Magical Power had a slight hint of firmness. It clearly didn’t match the artifact, so it couldn’t have come from your sect. Otherwise, with all the vengeful spirits on that banner, I wouldn’t have let you sit here so easily!”

Chu Yunfei chuckled grimly, “Young friend, you are truly clever. A few years ago, I accidentally entered a cave in the mountains and found this Soul Banner. I thought it was somewhat mysterious, so I started using it. I’ve never killed anyone to refine it. There was a refinement method in the cave, but it required cultivating a technique called the Nine Revolutions of the Heavenly Demon. I haven’t even completed my Profound Yin Great Method’s Elixir Formation yet. Trying to learn another technique now might delay my progress and cause conflicts. I planned to study it after reaching the Sixth Layer Core Formation. This Soul Banner requires the Nine Revolutions of the Heavenly Demon to unleash its full power. Using the Profound Yin Great Method to activate it only allows for some simple functions. But for now, I have no other artifacts, so I have to make do with it!”