Chapter 184: Probing!

“I’ll give you two hours! If you can’t catch up to him, you have no reason to exist!”

Tang Jinbiao rode on the big yellow dog transformed from Azure Dragon, watching the faint black light in the distance. He squinted his eyes slightly and said softly.

“Master, my cultivation level is sealed. Now I only have Early-stage Golden Core cultivation. That person already has Mid Core Formation Stage cultivation. I simply can’t catch up. Aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for me?”

Azure Dragon, ridden by Tang Jinbiao below, was extremely unwilling in his heart but spoke humbly because he was now someone else’s enslaved lackey.

“Hmph, one hour!”

Upon hearing this, Tang Jinbiao said nothing more. He just showed a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. After a month, he had mostly figured out Azure Dragon’s character. He snorted coldly and spoke.

Azure Dragon had restrictions placed on him by Huang Biaozi. These restrictions were not simple ones, but personally imposed by God-King himself.

The restriction was named Divine Confinement Seal!

As the name implied, it could even bind deities. Even in his prime, Azure Dragon was only at Demon Emperor level. Huang Biaozi hadn’t applied the full Divine Confinement Seal on Azure Dragon, but only seven layers of it. Yet, even just seven layers were enough to torment Azure Dragon.

If the first layer of restriction was lifted, Azure Dragon’s cultivation level would instantly rise to Great Perfection of Core Formation, just a step away from Nascent Soul, and he could easily crush Tang Jinbiao. Even though Tang Jinbiao controlled the Divine Confinement Seal, he wasn’t fully confident. Azure Dragon appeared obedient on the surface, but deep down, he despised both Huang Biaozi and Tang Jinbiao, and would likely bare his fangs if given a chance.

Currently, Azure Dragon only had the equivalent of Early-stage Golden Core cultivation, similar in level to Tang Jinbiao. However, Tang Jinbiao understood how to use the Divine Confinement Seal, so he didn’t fear Azure Dragon. Instead, he constantly pondered strategies, wanting to make Azure Dragon willingly become his spiritual pet rather than feel like a thorn in his side as he did now.

Naturally, this Divine Confinement Seal was what Huang Biaozi once referred to as the Beast Taming Art. After all, Azure Dragon had transformed into a big yellow dog, so calling it a Beast Taming Art was perfectly reasonable.

Thump!

Azure Dragon jolted in alarm at this, his heart racing. He immediately retorted indignantly, “Master, I really only have Early-stage Golden Core cultivation right now! Great Immortal Huang planted seven layers of restrictions on me. If you just lift one, I’ll catch that bastard in mere moments. And you won’t have to lift a finger—I’ll go capture him myself. I know hundreds of ways to torment people: Sky Lamp torture, Pillar Burn, Hot-Cold Charring, and so many more. For example, Sky Lamp torture involves sealing or destroying a cultivator’s cultivation level, reducing them to mortals, then tossing them into an oil vat with only their feet exposed, burning them like lamps. The victim watches their feet slowly burn—oh my, it’s absolutely brutal! Pillar Burn is even worse, making people walk over red-hot copper pillars. And Hot-Cold Charring involves heating iron rods red-hot and thrusting them into anus, causing skin to char instantly…”

Seizing this moment, Azure Dragon, being no pushover himself, planned to threaten Tang Jinbiao into lifting his restrictions. He pretended to offer helpful advice while describing methods so horrifying that even hearing them chilled Tang Jinbiao.

Shudder!

Riding on Azure Dragon, Tang Jinbiao trembled upon hearing these malicious methods.

“Hehe, bastard, if you dare lift my restriction, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

If Tang Jinbiao lifted the restriction, Azure Dragon didn’t mind apologizing now. He would never spare Tang Jinbiao when the time was right.

“Oh, really?”

Although somewhat horrified, Tang Jinbiao still squinted at the nearly lost trail of Captain Wang. He curled the corner of his mouth slightly and asked with a faint smile.

Thump!

Tang Jinbiao said nothing else, but Azure Dragon suddenly felt an icy coldness radiating from the man on his back. It made him shiver uncontrollably.

However, to convince Tang Jinbiao to lift the Divine Confinement Seal, Azure Dragon decided to test the waters with a plea. “Yes, yes, Master. If you lift just one restriction, I’ll definitely catch that bastard and vent your anger for you. I swear I’ll be utterly devoted and devoted from now on, with no double-crossing. If I lie, may I suffer heaven’s punishment right here!”

At this point, Azure Dragon didn’t hold back and took an oath.

Of course, he didn’t believe in such oaths himself. If they were reliable, there wouldn’t be so many villains in the world. His wording was slippery—if he regained his cultivation, he’d be a true Demon Emperor, and Heaven’s punishment in the Mortal Realm meant nothing to him.

He firmly believed Tang Jinbiao couldn’t spot the trick, or even if he did, wouldn’t cause a rift now. After all, the terrain in the Hundred Thousand Mountains was complex, and the person being chased was a Mid Core Formation Stage cultivator. Without Azure Dragon’s help, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t catch up.

“Hehe!”

Thinking of his seemingly vicious yet hollow oath, the big yellow dog transformed from Azure Dragon widened his mouth into a sinister grin, revealing white teeth. He deliberately slowed his pace a tad.

“Hmm, I see.”

After hearing Azure Dragon, Tang Jinbiao didn’t refuse outright. He lowered his head in thought, recalling the Beast Taming Art Huang Biaozi had taught him.

“Huang Biaozi placed the Divine Confinement Seal on Azure Dragon. Although he called it Beast Taming Art, it’s really about how to impose or lift these Divine Confinement Seals, and how to control them.

I don’t have a true Qi Sea in my body, but after the Frost Silver Spear’s transformation, my Qi Energy has reached an unusual range. Though not confirmed, my strength should be comparable to an average Mid Core Formation Stage cultivator. With the Frost Silver Spear, unless instantly killed by a Late Core Formation Stage cultivator, I could deliver a blow!

But I’m not at the Fourth Tier yet, so I can’t fly. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, without Azure Dragon’s help, catching Captain Wang is nearly impossible. As we go deeper, we’re bound to encounter many cultivators and Demon Beasts. Dragging things out is unwise.

The Divine Confinement Seal has seven layers. If I lift the first, his cultivation would instantly jump to Great Perfection of Core Formation. It would be a great tool for me, but also a huge threat. Azure Dragon is treacherous—his words aren’t trustworthy!

Back at Azure Dragon Pool, if Huang Biaozi hadn’t appeared urgently, I’d have been killed!

No, I lack absolute control over him, so I can’t risk lifting the restriction.

But if I don’t, with Azure Dragon’s current speed, we might lose track. If we miss this chance, who knows when we’ll find Captain Wang again? More importantly, what will his cultivation level be next time? Nascent Soul? Soul Refinement?”

Tang Jinbiao lowered his head to weigh the pros and cons. He badly wanted to lift Azure Dragon’s restriction and chase Captain Wang to recover the Talisman. Still, he feared losing control and found himself stuck in a dilemma.

Seeing the worried look on Tang Jinbiao’s face, Azure Dragon underneath him felt a flicker of joy. He thought to himself, “Hehe, kid, lift it. Lift it! If you dare, I’ll kill that bastard first, then send you to the afterlife! Don’t worry, I’ll serve you properly—life is such suffering; why bother living? All this fear day after day? I’m doing you a favor by sending you off—that’s devotion! Ha ha!”

Heh heh!

As Azure Dragon pictured his plan succeeding, his dog mouth stretched wider, letting out chuckling sounds. But he didn’t stop entirely. He kept following Captain Wang at a pace just slower than Mid Core Formation cultivation, ensuring Tang Jinbiao remained hooked.

“Azure Dragon is definitely up to no good!”

While mulling over whether to lift the restriction, Tang Jinbiao sensed Azure Dragon growing lazy. He narrowed his eyes and activated Frost Qi within his body.

Shudder!

With Tang Jinbiao’s Frost Qi flowing, Azure Dragon beneath him felt it instantly and trembled slightly.

“Bad!”

He worriedly thought this wasn’t good. To stabilize Tang Jinbiao, he quickly spoke out, “Master, don’t worry. I don’t want all the restrictions lifted—just one layer. Lift one, and my cultivation will instantly recover to Great Perfection of Core Formation. Catching that half-witted bastard will be a cinch!”

Saying this filled Azure Dragon with resentment. He hadn’t specified the layers earlier, just asking for any lift, but now laying it out threatened his plan. He compromised only to placate Tang Jinbiao’s anger; if Tang Jinbiao executed him, it was all over.

“Right!”

Hearing Azure Dragon, Tang Jinbiao suddenly had an idea. He snapped his eyes open wide as he recalled the Way of Deception taught by Huang Biaozi.

The current Tang Jinbiao wasn’t the same brat he once was, though he’d turned extreme—it was all forced upon him!

“Azure Dragon is always plotting against me. Why not use Huang Biaozi’s Way of Deception to play along?”

At this thought, Tang Jinbiao’s eyes lit up with clarity.