Chapter 60: Haggling with the Dragon

“Young man, you just need to gently remove those two Tiny Swords. Those Tiny Swords are incredible treasures, Innate Spiritual Treasures, Innate Spiritual Treasures! Even countless Tribulation Transcendents would covet such things. How about it, kid? Tempted? If your heart stirs, quickly remove them now! Moreover, once you remove them, I will be set free. Then, with the two of us, one human and one dragon… we can roam the entire continent! No, wait— at that point, even the realms of immortals and demons would lie within our domain!”

The Azure Dragon seemed uninterested in discussing Tang Ni further and once again attempted to lure him in.

“Young man, take them away!”

The Azure Dragon’s voice was thick with enticement.

“Young man, take them off!”

“Young man!”

The Azure Dragon’s relentless, bewitching voice gradually disrupted Tang Jinbiao’s thoughts. Tang Jinbiao, caught in his dazed shock, seemed bewitched and slowly reached his hand toward the Tiny Swords on the square table.

“Young man, take them off!”

The black mass off in the distance, seeing Tang Jinbiao had been ensnared, had no distinct features, yet one could faintly perceive a simulation of a human smile forming on its indistinct face.

Tang Jinbiao’s hand lightly touched the white Tiny Sword. However, there was no reaction; it felt just like a perfectly ordinary small sword. He picked it up gently.

Clank!

After the white Tiny Sword was lifted, Tang Jinbiao unconsciously let go of it, and it fell to the ground with a clear ringing sound.

Clank! Clank!

As the white Tiny Sword hit the ground, the iron chains covering the floor began rapidly retracting towards the black mass.

“Take it, take it, take away all of them!”

The voice of the black mass brimmed with excitement, clearly anticipating its imminent freedom.

Thump thump thump!

But right at that moment, Tang Jinbiao jolted, seeming to snap back to his senses.

“No!”

Seeing that half the chains on the floor had vanished and the white Tiny Sword lay discarded, Tang Jinbiao inwardly cried out in alarm. He frantically bent down to grab the little sword as if intending to place it back.

“Young man! Young man! Hear me out! I’ve already recovered ten percent of my strength! If I were willing to risk everything, even if it meant shedding half my cultivation level, I could escape this place immediately. Yet, I haven’t done that. I beg you, young man, to listen to me!”

Yet, at this crucial moment, the Azure Dragon grew anxious. However, it didn’t resort to force but instead continued to plead.

Now, seemingly because the Tiny Sword had been removed, the black substance instantly solidified and took the form of a dragon, though it still lacked limbs and horns.

Smack!

Tang Jinbiao paid no heed to the Azure Dragon’s frantic words behind him. With a light movement, he slapped the sword back into its place.

Clank! Clank!

Similarly, when the sword was placed back, there was no surge of spiritual energy; it was like reactivating an ordinary switch. Yet, despite that, the Azure Dragon immediately let out another cry of agony, followed instantly by chains shooting violently out from within its body, converging rapidly towards the square table.

“Argh!”

The Azure Dragon let out agonized howls, but it didn’t take the opportunity to attack. Instead, it forcibly endured the pain. It was gambling. Gambling that Tang Jinbiao would definitely pull out both Formation Cores at once again. Although it could have escaped moments ago, the cost was simply too high; it wasn’t worth it. It would rather endure continuing imprisonment than dare risk expending its origin source. If the origin source was damaged, escaping would only mean certain death.

Clang! Clang!

Tang Jinbiao saw the iron chains continuously erupting from the Azure Dragon’s body, converging towards the Platform Stage beside him. Startled, he immediately dodged to the side and waited quietly.

Gululu!

As the chains flew out, the Azure Dragon, which had already manifested its true dragon form, rapidly shifted once more towards that mass of dark, substance-like matter.

…

Huff huff huff!

“Little brother, how was that? Believe in my sincerity now? Just now I had a chance to escape, but I didn’t take it! I just wanted you to understand, we Dragon Clan value nothing more than our word! If you agree to my request, I can infuse you with supreme Demon Qi, making you the absolute peak existence on this continent in a short time!”

After nearly a full quarter of an hour had passed, the Azure Dragon seemed slightly recovered from its exhaustion, speaking weakly but projecting an image of heartfelt sincerity and firm resolve. Inside, however, it was sneering, “Hehe, if you dare agree, brat, I’ll deliberately increase the infusion of demon qi. I refuse to believe you won’t bodily explode then. When that happens, I won’t be breaking my promise! Even if the God-King behind you comes knocking, I can say it was your choice. I might even gain a powerful ally. Pity I don’t know if this kid was just bragging… A God-King has dimensional suppression. Even a realm like the Immortal Realm couldn’t withstand a God-King’s pressure. How could a broken place like the Mortal Realm?”

“Hmm?”

Tang Jinbiao didn’t know what he was thinking, his brow deeply furrowed in concentration, seemingly trying to see clearly into that mass of dark substance.

Of course, he couldn’t make out anything. He was just habitually acting cool!

Gululu!

“Little brother, rest assured, I wouldn’t tamper with the demon qi…”

Naturally unaware of Tang Jinbiao’s thoughts, the Azure Dragon mistook Tang Jinbiao’s expression for spotting its scheme. It backtracked, but halfway through it realized it had slipped up and hastily rephrased, “No, no! Little brother, if you agree to set me free, I will definitely repay you!”

“Oh? So you were planning to tamper?”

Hearing this, a faintly ironic smile touched Tang Jinbiao’s lips, a picture of utter nonchalance. Inside, however, he cursed fervently, “Damn it, that damned Huang Biaozi! Where the hell is he at this critical moment?! How am I supposed to handle this?! Shit, this is a genuine, bona fide Demon King!”

Those few fleeting moments taught Tang Jinbiao clearly that if this Azure Dragon were truly freed, it would be no easy opponent. But then he remembered something Huang Biaozi once said: Amongst cultivators, strength was defined by cultivation level, but fundamentally, it was about aura. Thinking of this, he acted cool without hesitation.

“Hehe, misunderstanding, little brother, pure misunderstanding! We Dragon Clan value reputation above all. For something as vital as a life debt, how could we possibly be dishonest?” The dark substance formed by the Azure Dragon gave an awkward chuckle as it spoke.

“Hmph, spare me the bullshit. What I want to know now is, if I release you, how exactly will you repay me? Also, what’s the deal with ‘Tang Ni’ inscribed on that tiny sword? If your explanation satisfies me, I might consider letting you out!” Tang Jinbiao snorted with disdain. Although he desperately wanted out, he realized this place seemed like a sealed space. With his current strength, escape was impossible. Trapped without options, he had no choice but to seek the tiger’s skin.

“Really?”

Hearing this, the Azure Dragon sensed a glimmer of hope, though it sounded unsure. It quickly added, “Fine! I promise! If you free me… I won’t infuse you with demon qi after all. Because you, even though you’re a Body Refiner, your body’s foundation is far too weak. You simply couldn’t withstand even the slightest infusion of demon qi. It would drive you insane or make you bodily explode! I admit it! I was planning to use you earlier. Since you are being so sincere, I’ll be direct.

“If you release me, the two Spiritual Treasures left by Tang Ni? I won’t take either. Both can be yours!

“And aren’t you a Body Refiner? I see the cultivation technique you’re practicing seems quite rudimentary. If you want it, I can pass on a set of True Demon Cultivation Arts from the Demon Realm! If you could cultivate that art to its pinnacle, ascending to the Immortal Realm isn’t out of the question!

“A legend circulates in our Demon Realm. Countless years ago, a mighty one cultivated that demonic art. Relying solely on it, he withstood eighty-one bolts of Heavenly Tribulation lightning! And ultimately, he ascended to the Divine Realm! The Divine Realm! What an unimaginably distant place! Even in my prime, honored as a Demon Emperor, I was far, far from ascending to it! It defies imagination! Do you even comprehend the concept of eighty-one Heavenly Tribulations?

“In the Immortal and Demon Realms, countless mighty ones ascend to the Divine Realm facing merely nine tribulations. Yet even then, countless perished mid-tribulation! But that mighty one cultivated in that demonic art endured eighty-one! What does that mean?! Hehe, words like ‘shake heaven and earth’ couldn’t even begin to describe the sheer terror of that scene!”

“Mn, strong. Truly strong. I’ll consider what you said. However, what I want to know more about now concerns Tang Ni. And also, how did you end up trapped here?” After hearing the Azure Dragon’s lengthy spiel, Tang Jinbiao’s face remained inscrutable, neither joyful nor sorrowful. He nodded placidly but continued cursing Huang Biaozi internally. Simultaneously, he quietly established a connection with the black bead inside his Storage Pouch. “Damn it, Huang Biaozi you son of a bitch!” He raged inwardly at the bead. “If you don’t get back here soon, I’m fucking finished!”

“Is this brat secretly contacting that God-King right now?” Observing Tang Jinbiao’s cool indifference, the Azure Dragon felt a flicker of suspicion. It genuinely believed its offer was immensely tempting, yet Tang Jinbiao remained unmoved, giving it a slightly chilling unease. Had it known Tang Jinbiao’s real thoughts, it probably would have cursed furiously.

Seeing Tang Jinbiao remained impervious to offers or threats, the Azure Dragon had no choice but to elaborate. “As for me being trapped here… that story began five thousand years ago. I was then one of the Demon Emperors of the Demon Realm. My cultivation level was profound, unparalleled. I sowed slaughter across countless worlds throughout my life. Later, feeling truly bored and alone, I attempted to breach that Heavenly Tribulation the mighty all tremble at.

“Clearly, somehow, this news leaked. All my enemies laid an ambush at the very spot I chose for my Tribulation Transcendence. Luckily, I wasn’t in haste to transcend the tribulation, otherwise you wouldn’t be seeing me now, kid. Enraged, I naturally battled them. But they were no ordinary foes! Each was a supreme peak overlord of the Demon Realm! And there were many. Two fists cannot defeat four hands!

“That battle raged for seven days and seven nights! I slew three of their Demon Emperors and forced four others to flee! Yet still, two Demon Emperors pursued me relentlessly. At the critical juncture, cornered and out of options, I was forced to… attempt to transcend the Heavenly Tribulation right then and there…”