Chapter 2003 - Probing

Partially Edited Chapter - Rubble

The word “dragon” stunned everyone.

Lie Qianhong blanched and looked at Ximen Borong, “Impressive, Alliance Master Xi. To think you managed to convince a Chi Dragon of all things to participate in our lowly conference.”

Ximen Borong smiled but didn’t respond.

On the battlefield, Lie Zhuoyang and all other Fiery Sand Sect disciples looked as pale as death.

An eighth level Divine Master who was a Chi Dragon… these words alone were enough to crush all the air in their lungs, much less their fighting spirit.

“A dragon. No wonder the Qilin Worship Alliance is so confident,” Lie Zhuoyang uttered through gritted teeth. Words could not describe how frustrated he felt.

Just like his father, he was well aware that the Fiery Sand Sect would lose their right to enter the Qilin God Realm if they lost to the Qilin Worship Alliance. It was a thoroughly unacceptable outcome, but what could they say against it when they were the ones who wholeheartedly agreed that the Qilin Abyss Conference should be decided by eliminating the “unworthy”?

“But,” Lie Zhuoyang ultimately couldn’t hold in his frustration, “The Qilin God Realm is a gift from the Abyssal Monarch where only the worthy may enter. Can you really claim you are worthy when you’re relying on outside help to win your battles for you…?”

Ximen Hong, heir of the Qilin Worship Alliance smiled at this, “If the Fiery Sand Sect thinks that outside help should be disallowed from the Qilin God Conference, then you may bring it up as a new rule during the next meet. But right in the middle of the conference? Don’t you think it’s a little too late, Young Master Lie?”

“It’s hardly our fault you couldn’t hire someone strong to fight your battles for you.”

“...” Lie Zhuoyang’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t say anything in response.

“What… what should we do, young master?” Every Fiery Sand Sect disciple looked to Lie Zhuoyang for instructions. After matching eyes with Lie Qianhong and confirming his intent once more, the young master let out a deep, frustrated breath and declared as calmly as he could, “The Qilin Worship Alliance’s reinforcement is a dragon and an eighth level Divine Master. We do not believe we are capable of fighting against it. We shall not waste everyone’s time and surrender this battle.”

The young master put strong emphasis on the word “reinforcement” as he announced his surrender..

The four words “eighth level Divine Master” also threw the Qilin God Domain into a long uproar once more.

“Hehe. A wise decision, Young Master Lie,” Ximen Hong said with a chuckle.

From the start until the end, the young master had not released a hint of profound energy. It was because he was certain that Long Jiang’s appearance would cow even the Boulder Profound Sect into immediate surrender, much less the Fiery Sand Sect.

“The Fiery Sand Sect has surrendered the battle. The winner is the Qilin Worship Alliance!”

To throw in the towel without even trying was generally considered to be a shameful act, but no one booed the Fiery Sand Sect or thought they were acting shamefully. It was all because the Qilin Worship Alliance was backed by an eighth level Divine Master Chi Dragon!

There were many outside helpers who had wowed the realm in the history of the Qilin God Conference. A good number of them had even single handedly won the conference for their side. While outside help made it near impossible to predict the outcome of the conference accurately, it also added a lot of spice and flavor to the mix.

Historically, no one’s helper had ever been this overwhelming.

There was also the matter that the ultimate consequence of this year’s Qilin God Conference was “elimination”.

It was no wonder the Fiery Sand Sect was so frustrated, but as Ximen Hong said, their complaint had come too late.

“The dragons…” Ku Xian sighed. “The dragons are the last surviving beasts in the world, and it is said that they have minimized contact with the outside world a long time ago. What on earth did the Qilin Worship Alliance give to convince such a powerful Chi Dragon to help them?”

Ku Xian’s doubts were shared by everyone.

Yun Che was especially shocked compared to all of them, however.

The dragons… are the last remaining beasts in this world?!

It was then Yun Che noticed an oddity he had never noticed before.

Before he took over the God Realm, it had always been dominated by the Western Divine Region. The Dragon God Realm’s dominance was so absolute that they had reigned supreme for over a million years.

Not only that, but the six strongest King Realms in the Western Divine Region were the Dragon God Realm, the Qilin Realm, the Blue Dragon Realm, the Emperor Chi Realm, the Myriad Manifestations Realm, and the Hui Dragon Realm. They were all beasts.

Conversely, all six Kingdoms of God ruling the Abyss were populated by humans, and even the Abyssal Monarch and the four High Priests were humans as well!

The dragons’ bodies, talent and lifespans far surpassed those of humans, which was why they were the indisputable lord of all beings of Primal Chaos until he showed up… So why were there no beasts in the Abyss?

Suddenly, Yun Che recalled that the qilin residing in the Qilin God Realm was the “final qilin” in the Abyss.

The qilins were the strongest beasts after the dragons, and yet they had declined until only one of them was left in this world?

How was that possible? Be it dragon or qilin, their constitutions should be far superior to those of humans at the same level. Logically speaking, they should be far more resistant to Abyssal Dust as well, so why…

Despite his doubts, Yun Che didn’t voice his questions. This should be common knowledge in the Abyss, and to ask it now would only draw unnecessary suspicion to him.

He side-eyed Helian Lingzhu. There was a perfectly willing and unsuspecting candidate he could ask later.

The second battle of the Qilin God Conference had been decided without a fight. The third battle would be fought between the Boulder Profound Sect, the Thousand Blade Sect and the Fiery Sand Sect to decide the third, fourth, and fifth place.

According to the rules, the last-placed sect would lose the right to enter the Qilin God Realm.

Everyone in the Fiery Sand Sect looked bleak and defeated, but the Boulder Profound Sect and the Thousand Blade Sect weren’t looking so hot either.

For many eras, they had been the champions and the first runners-up of the Qilin Abyss Conference. But now, they could only enter half the number of candidates they were used to at best.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

This was an outcome they could never anticipate, much less accept.

“Do not lose heart yet, Yang’er,” Lie Qianhong said in a low voice, “There is still a chance we might turn this around.”

He glanced at the Boulder Profound Sect and Thousand Blade Sect’s lineup. Yun Che had attacked his opponents with such ferocity that five out of the nine Thousand Blade Sect Divine Masters were still unconscious, and the other four were wounded pretty badly.

As for the last guy… he was still kneeling on the ground, unmoving. [1]

As for the Boulder Profound Sect, their strongest competitor, Zhai Liancheng was grievously injured and in a coma right now. Even if he woke up, there was a one hundred percent chance he would continue to feign unconsciousness.

The other nine participants only suffered minor injuries, but they all looked like they had just lost a war. It was highly doubtful they would be able to put up a good fight.

“I understand,” Lie Zhuoyang clenched his fists tightly and nodded. But just as the Fiery Sand Sect was doing their best to reignite their fighting spirit, the sect master of the Thousand Blade Sect, Wan Lei declared, “Sect Master Zhai and Sect Master Lie, our disciples have been grievously injured in the first battle. It would be quite unfair to us and the Boulder Profound Sect if we were to attend the next battle right away.”

“Therefore, I would like to suggest that we postpone this for at least forty eight hours.”

Lie Qianhong wasn’t going to accept this, of course. He erupted, “Your disciples’ injuries are a result of their own lack of strength! How can you use that as an excuse to postpone the Qilin God Conference? Have you no shame, Wan Lei?”

The survival and future of his sect was at stake. Only an idiot would put their “alliance” and “friendship” above it.

“Calm, Sect Master Lie,” Zhai Kexie replied calmly, “Sect Master Wai’s request is perfectly reasonable in my opinion, but my opinion doesn’t matter now, does it? It is up to Sir Knight to decide whether the battle should be postponed or not.”

Whatever retort Lie Qianhong had prepared died in his throat immediately.

Ximen Bohong said in an indifferent tone, “All who are worthy may enter the Qilin God Realm. To feature such an unfair battle would only disappoint the Abyssal Monarch.”

His words immediately extinguished the light of hope of everyone in the Fiery Sand Sect.

On the other hand, the Boulder Profound Sect and the Thousand Blade Sect let out a small sigh of relief.

“The battle between the Boulder Profound Sect, Thousand Blade Sect and the Fiery Sect shall be postponed for twenty four hours, and no more. How much you can recover during this period is up to you.”

Ximen Boyun wasn’t done, however. His gaze and tone changed as he declared, “While the battle between the three sects must be postponed for fairness sake, both the Helian Empire and the Qilin Worship Alliance are in near perfect condition. Therefore, the battle for first place may proceed now.”

Ximen Borong answered without hesitation, “The Qilin Worship Alliance doesn’t have a problem with this arrangement, Sir Knight.”

Yun Che nodded when Helian Lingzhu glanced at him. So, the First Princess stepped forward and declared, “The Helian Empire has no objections either.”

“Good,” Ximen Boyun nodded. It was at this moment his eyes flickered with hidden cunning. “However… I believe there is no need for this to be a ten-versus-two. A one-versus-one shall suffice to decide victory, don’t you agree?”

Everyone thought that his suggestion was reasonable. Usually, the Qilin God Conference was a battle between the greatest young geniuses of the Qilin Abyss Realm. Since most of them were on the same level, each and every individual’s strength played a huge part in the group battle. But if one of the participants was so strong that they could single handedly crush their opposition—Yun Che, who had crushed both the Boulder Profound Sect and the Thousand Blade Sect alone, and Long Jiang, who had cowed the Fiery Sand Sect into surrendering without a fight, then there was just no point allowing others to step on the battlefield. It would simply result in pointless injuries.

Everyone’s eyes immediately centered on Long Jiang and Yun Che.

“Sir Knight’s suggestion is very reasonable,” Ximen Borong answered. He would be crazy to turn down this suggestion. He then looked at Long Jiang and adopted a respectful and even obsequious tone, “What do you think, Venerable Dragon?”

“...” Long Jiang didn’t respond. In fact, her aura was so subdued that even the person standing closest to her could barely sense it.

Ximen Borong smiled, “Venerable Dragon isn’t fond of speaking, but since she hasn’t objected to the arrangement, it means that she agrees with it. Now, will the Helian Empire—”

Yun Che rose to his feet and stepped out into the open, “The eight rotten seafood behind me already stink beyond imagination, and I cannot be bothered to take out the nine small fries on the other side either. This is for the best.”

In one sentence, he had insulted both his allies and his enemies. The Helian disciples were so ashamed that they didn’t even dare to look at Yun Che. The Qilin Worship Alliance disciples were angry… but no one dared to say a thing either.

Yun Che blurred and appeared on the battlefield. Then, he stared at Long Jiang and waited for her to step onto the battlefield.

For some reason though, Long Jiang was still standing outside the battlefield. She was neither moving nor saying anything.

A long silence later, when Ximen Borong was about to speak up once more, Long Jiang finally made her move. Her grayish white robes billowed as a deathly aura swept her into the battlefield. She then looked up and met Yun Che’s eyes.

Mo Cangying’s eyebrows twitched. Previously, Yun Che had seemed completely unconcerned with the conference. Even when he was crushing the Boulder Profound Sect and the Thousand Blade Sect, it looked like he was toying with ants rather than fighting. This was the first time he took the initiative.

Is he… interested in Long Jiang for some reason?

Ximen Boyun slowly rose to his feet. He decided that this battle was worthy of him, a noble Abyssal Knight, to raise the curtains.

“This battle shall decide the champion and the first runner-up of the Qilin Abyss Conference. Although it is a duel, the rules are the same.”

“Participants, you may begin!”

Ximen Boyun’s expression was calm, but his spiritual perception was utterly focused on Yun Che.

Long Jiang wasn’t just an eighth level Divine Master, she was also a Chi Dragon far stronger than her human counterpart.

Coincidentally, Yun Che’s thrashing of the Boulder Profound Sect and the Thousand Blade Sect could only be done by at least an eighth level Divine Master.

It was natural that the lower Divine Masters couldn’t force him to reveal his true strength… but what about Long Jiang?

He was desperate to find out who Yun Che really was.

“Oh my god, this is so exciting!”

Meanwhile, Hua Caili could no longer suppress her excitement and anticipation.

She had thought that this conference would bore her out of her wits, but her expectations had been defied again and again.

“Auntie auntie auntie! Who do you think would win?” She couldn’t help but ask, “What if a peak Divine Sovereign actually defeated an eighth level Divine Master Chi Dragon? Do you think it would surprise even Father?”

She could hardly wait to see Father scoffing in disbelief and slow shock and realization.

Hua Qingying replied, “She is neither an eighth level Divine Master nor a Chi Dragon.”

“Huh?”

The girl’s eyes bloomed in surprise.

“The Scarfaced Dragon Girl,” Hua Qingying added, “I’ve heard of her before.”

“Ah!?” The girl was so shocked that her mouth fell open.

Not many people were worthy of her aunt’s attention, so for her to say that she had “heard” of this “Chi Dragon” before…

Yun Che made the first move.

He charged forward without any fanfare and surrounded himself in crimson lightning. Then, he executed the Sky Wolf Slash with his own arm.

His sword projection took the form of a wolf and let out a soul wrenching roar.

Long Jiang slowly raised her arm and formed a massive white claw that was several feet wide. It met the Heavenly Wolf’s silhouette head on.

Boom!

The Heavenly Wolf bit the claw, and the claw tore at the Heavenly Wolf… In just a breath, both energies had killed one another and crumbled into dust, leaving behind only a floor of devastation.

After that, neither combatant made a move for a long time.

Their first exchange looked very casual, but it was still the draconic might of an eighth level Divine Master. When the battlefield fell silent, everyone’s heartbeat seemed to come to a stop as well. They were even holding their breath and staring at the battlefield with wide eyes.

It was because a disastrous level of power might erupt on the battlefield a second later.

Helian Lingzhu’s fingernails were dug deep into her palm. She didn’t even notice that her fingers were bent a little too much.

His opponent was a Chi Dragon. How could she not be afraid for Yun Che?

Everyone thought that the duo was gathering their strength for the next attack, but they couldn’t be more wrong. They were… talking to each other via sound transmission.

“I knew you weren’t a Chi Dragon,” Yun Che was the first one to speak.

“...” Long Jiang kept quiet for a few breaths, but in the end she responded, “I do not believe we know each other. Why must you expose my secret?”

“I’m not interested in exposing your secret. If I was, I wouldn’t be talking to you via sound transmission,” Yun Che said indifferently, “What I really want to know… is what draws a dragon like you to the Qilin God Realm.”

“What about you? What draws you to the Qilin God Realm?” Long Jiang countered.

“Relax. Whatever it is that you’re seeking, I guarantee that it is not what I’m seeking,” Yun Che declared with absolute confidence.

“It better not,” Long Jiang replied coolly. She didn’t answer Yun Che’s question. Instead of pressing her further, Yun Che continued, “The Qilin Worship Alliance is placed second and guaranteed to enter the Qilin God Realm. Therefore, you have already achieved your objective. Ximen Boyun is clearly using you to expose my secrets, and I’m sure someone like you isn't interested in being used as a tool, are you?”

“Plus,” his lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach the eye, “You don’t want to expose your true strength, do you?”

“... Right back at you,” Long Jiang replied as coolly as ever. It was as if she was born without emotions.

Yun Che asked, “Should we end this with a draw then?”

Long Jiang replied, “That would be for the best!”

Their auras matched, and they moved at the same time.

The audience’s heart rate skyrocketed… but what they saw didn’t match their expectations at all. The duo bumped against each other lightly before pushing each other all the way to the edge of the battlefield. They went out of bounds at the exact same time almost like this was a choreography, not a battle for supremacy.

Before the crowd could understand what the hell just happened, Yun Che declared, “It would seem that this match is a draw. Since we are both champions, I believe both sides should be allowed to enter three hundred and fifty candidates into the Qilin God Realm. Please announce the result, Sir Knight.”

“~！@#￥%...” Ximen Boyun couldn’t breathe for a second. His chest hurt so much it could explode. His gaze stabbed into Yun Che like a dagger, but the young man’s face hadn’t so much as twitched. It was like he didn’t even exist to Yun Che.

On the other side, Long Jiang turned away and stepped into the crowd. It wasn’t long before her silhouette and her aura had completely disappeared.

“That’s fine,” Ximen Borong messaged Ximen Boyun, “We can always look into Yun Che after we enter the Qilin God Realm.”

Ximen Boyun frowned but declared in a calm voice, “Since this battle has ended in a draw, the—”

“Wait!”

It was at this moment a loud cry pierced through the air. When everyone turned to look, they discovered that the man who dared to interrupt an Abyssal Knight… was Lie Qianhong, sect master of the Fiery Sand Sect.

Ximen Boyun’s frown deepened as he asked in a dark voice, “Do you have something to say, Sect Master Lie?”

Zhai Kexie, Wan Lei, Ximen Borong and even the Fiery Sand Sect were completely caught off guard by this. No one knew what he was trying to do.

Lie Qianhong sucked in a deep breath before saying solemnly, “My apologies, Sir Knight. I have interrupted you regarding a most important matter.”

He then looked in Yun Che’s direction and began, “We know nothing about Yun Che, and his cultivation is bizarre to say the least. All I know about him is that he had suddenly appeared in the Qilin Abyss Realm a month ago, and that the First Princess of the Helian Empire brought him to the imperial family. That is all. I have good reason to believe that the Helian Empire themselves know next to nothing about him.”

“...” Helian Lingzhu’s eyes turned, but she couldn’t say anything.

It was true she knew nothing about Yun Che because Yun Che himself knew nothing about himself. He was amnesiac.

Helian Lingzhu’s change of expression didn’t escape Lie Qianhong’s eyes. His smile grew wider as he continued, “In that case, I have good reason to believe that she doesn’t know his true age either.”

“... !!” Helian Lingzhu suddenly realized something and turned deathly pale.

“...” Yun Che rubbed his nose.

“Also!” Feeling much more confident, Lie Qianhong looked at Long Jiang and raised his voice, “Everyone knows that a dragon is extraordinarily powerful, but they do have a big flaw, and that is they need a long time to grow into their power. If a human needs several hundred to thousands of years to become a Divine Master, then a dragon would need much more time than that.”

“In the Qilin Abyss Realm, no one has ever been able to cultivate to the eighth level of the Divine Master Realm in six hundred years. Human geniuses like this must be rare even in a Kingdom of God… not to mention that this Long Jiang is a Chi Dragon!”

“Therefore!” By now, Lie Qianhong’s voice had become so loud that the whole place was booming, “I have good reason to believe that neither candidate is within six hundred years old!”

1. this is the guy who got his balls crushed by the Liancheng Sword and never would stand up again. In more ways than one. ☜