Proofreader: Papatonks
“What?!”
Startled, Zhuo Fan waved his frantic hands in refusal, “Out of the question. No! My ring can only hold items and nothing living. They could still find out even if you give me a living storage ring. Why would I suddenly change my storage ring anyway? There’re so many things that can go wrong…”
Zhuo Fan shook his head nonstop, wanting nothing to do with this crazy plan.
[I gave this old coot a map already. And since it’s an item, even if the Double Dragon Manor gets their hands on it, it will not get to me. Unless Danqing Shen runs his mouth.]
But the best in western lands was that easy to catch? Please!
So Zhuo Fan helped him without worry and got him off his back since he was holding the same prized possession.
Now though, this was entirely different. Once the Double Dragon Manor discovers this, he will lose everything.
It made no sense to risk it for nothing at all.
So Zhuo Fan did all he could to get this old coot as far away as possible. The best would be if they never talked again.
“Humph, boy, as a team leader, even if coming from a lower-three sect, who’d believe you have such a puny storage ring? What do you take me for, a three-year-old? No one would believe you!” Danqing Shen saw through his plan in a heartbeat, “Are you aiming to get away? Too late for that now!”
Zhuo Fan sighed, “Senior, you don’t know this, but I am but a simple laborer back in the sect. That Hui Xiong from Beast Taming Sect was right. He fought all our elites, and with no better choice, we, from the Labor Office, had to step in. We’re all laborers, so there’s nothing we can achieve.”
“A mere gang of laborers wiped the floor with the middle three sects and lower three sects’ elites? Try announcing it to the world. See how the other disciples will react.”
Danqing Shen’s face turned sinister, “Boy, you’re already in cahoots with me. So you have no choice but to help me either way. When I get the sacred sword and leave, I won’t involve you anymore. But if you don’t want to help me, when I get the sword, I’ll tell everyone who gave me that map, even thank you for it, ha-ha-ha…”
Danqing Shen’s smile was pure evil.
Zhuo Fan’s face twitched, and he sighed before nodding. “It seems I don’t have much of a choice. I really am stuck with you.”
“Ha-ha-ha, that’s better. There’s no way my gift was for nothing.” Danqing Shen laughed.
Zhuo Fan frowned, “Senior if I do take you, how will you get out? This time, the opponent isn’t easy and won’t have the time to mind other things or play with them. Then there are monitoring arrays all over the place. Once you appear, you’ll be exposed.”
“He-he-he, not to worry. Thanks to your words last time, I have found a way. We’ll make a diversion. You fight tooth and nail in the battles and, amidst the chaos, use the first chance you get to throw the ring in a monitoring array’s blind spot. Then you just lure them away. Once you get everyone’s attention, I’ll just slip away and go for the sacred mine. Out of sight, out of mind!”
Zhuo Fan’s brow shook, and he nodded. Wasn’t that the same move he used? Then again, since it worked once, it should work again. Although…
Zhuo Fan’s eyes roamed around in thought, putting on a heavy look, “Just that, senior, you should know that I defeated Yan Mo once. The nine sects’ disciples are easy to deal with, except one…”
“You mean Ye Lin?” Danqing Shen had already guessed what he tried to say.
Zhuo Fan nodded, “Senior, Ye Lin is beyond anything I was expecting and even makes me feel like I fall short. If I throw the ring too soon, the exalted will surely find it odd. Only when I fight Ye Lin will it look like an accident when I throw it. “
“Making excuses again, boy? You sure are crafty.” Danqing Shen’s eyes lit up.
In fact, he already knew that in the Double Dragon Manor, anyone’s actions were under the Exalted Double Dragons’ scrutiny.
Though he also knew that a simple ring throw might raise suspicions, it was not enough to halt the match and investigate. They weren’t that paranoid.
Only when the Atlas Sword is taken away would they look into it. However, Danqing Shen would be miles away at that time, leaving Zhuo Fan high and dry.
From the start, Danqing Shen only thought of how to leave with the sword and nothing else, not even what happened to Zhuo Fan afterward.
If he didn’t, that didn’t mean Zhuo Fan couldn’t as well. What struck Danqing Shen as shocking was how this boy already came up with a plan in this short time.
The both of them knew each had their designs, yet neither one spoke.
Danqing Shen felt a little guilty being found out he wanted to cast him off once he was done with him. Maybe because he wanted to make up for this shame or just to ease this sharp devil’s worry, Danqing Shen began to analyze his opponent. “Ye Lin is no less strong than you. But he had yet to show all he had, and I can’t make a correct assessment of his power. Whether or not you fight him, you must be very weary of that golden flame. It is truly strange!”
“I already have a way to deal with that golden flame. The only problem is that I don’t know his soul form.” Zhuo Fan turned heavy, “I assume his soul has to be a heaven dragon soul as well. But how are two heaven dragon souls going to fight? I’m not sure about this matter and wish to ask senior to share your experience in fighting with heaven dragon soul.”
“What, he has a heaven dragon soul? How do you know?” Danqing Shen’s heart shook.
He never imagined western lands would be so rich in talent to have another heaven dragon soul.
Zhuo Fan gave a firm nod.
[The grand Decimating Dragon Ancestor can’t give his inheritor the heaven dragon soul?]
Since the guy was on his side, the least he could do was give him the same soul, right? Even if Zhuo Fan hadn’t seen his soul, he was more or less sure based on the guy’s inheritance.
But his heart only became heavier because of it.
Who would know a heaven dragon soul better than a dragon ancestor? When the two heaven dragon souls fought, the punk would get the upper hand against him, who had no teacher.
That would lead to being at a disadvantage in soul and body powers. That would mean he would lose for sure.
Looking Danqing Shen in the eye, Zhuo Fan’s entire hope for winning rested on this senior’s experience. While still lacking compared to dragon ancestor’s, at least it was better than nothing. “Senior, the master of this guy is incredible, understanding heaven dragon soul as well. Because of it, the guy has to have a complete grasp of the heaven dragon soul. I hope senior might give me so advice, at least to tie. If not, then I would easily be pushed back and soon defeated. I won’t have the time to throw the ring, and sir’s plan will fail.”
“Fine, now stop trying to blackmail me. I get what you’re saying. Since you’re going through such dangers for me, I will give my all to help you.”
Danqing Shen pondered, “Zhuo Fan, do you know swordsmanship?”
Ugh!
Zhuo Fan muttered something, then shook his head, “Just a little.”
Of Sacred Domain’s Eight Emperors, only Sword Emperor was obsessed with this for ages. While he, the Demonic Emperor, was known for his cunning and body strength. He knew very little about Sword Emperor.
“That will make my help even less useful.” Danqing Shen sighed, “You know that my first soul is a sword, having been immersed with the sword for so many years. Only later did I form heaven dragon soul and unite them to form the Dragon Cleaving Art. The sword’s appearance trembled the world, making Azure Dragon howl and the seas froth! If you knew swordsmanship, I would’ve guided you through this art to use heaven dragon soul with it. You’d surely be unstoppable, even against that golden flame. A real shame…”
Zhuo Fan’s face twitched, and he sighed, “Senior, I mean no disrespect, but that master’s understanding of heaven dragon soul is far better than yours. Sir has Dragon Cleaving Art, so does that mean he doesn’t have some other mystical art as well? I fear there might not be anyone better at using heaven dragon soul than him. I just want to know is how to use the heaven dragon soul to fight another heaven dragon soul.”
“Heaven dragon soul is the strongest sword. Defeating it isn’t impossible though. But that would mean your strength needs to be everything.”
Danqing Shen turned serious as he said, “Heaven dragon soul is strong but only as strong as the user. Otherwise, we would have the whole world under our heel with so many heaven dragon souls in the western lands. Alas, the strongest land on this continent is the central area. So while a soul is of amazing help for an Ethereal Stage cultivator, it is just a tool. What matters, in the end, is one’s cultivation.”
“Also, you are wrong about something. One’s domain limits his understanding of the heaven dragon soul. My domain is within the sword, so when the sword combined with the dragon soul, they formed the Dragon Cleaving Art. You might say that his master is much better at using the heaven dragon soul, but his domain limits that. He might not have the same understanding I have of a sword combined with the dragon soul. Everything is about perspective. Different people holding the same item would reach different conclusions and uses. No one is better in this.”
“Zhuo Fan, I know you are wise, filled with plenty of ingenious moves. If you can just combine all that power of yours with the dragon soul, then it might not be as inferior as that senior’s understanding of the dragon soul.”
Zhuo Fan shook and stood dumbfounded, having seen the light…
