Death Underworld Dragon

"Could this be some kind of sealing formation?" Chen Tong studied it closely, puzzled for a moment. Then his expression darkened, because he felt Guanyin drawing closer.

"Fine! I'd like to see whether you dare follow me in!" Chen Tong gritted his teeth and walked straight through the swirling portal, disappearing inside.

A moment later, Guanyin arrived as well. Looking at the enormous whirlpool before her, she furrowed her brow. After studying it for a long while, she still shook her head.

"Forget it. Perhaps this is fate." She let out a sigh, its meaning unclear, then quickly flew away.

She didn't dare enter the swirling portal. For one thing, there wasn't much time left. For another, the Sea of Death was far too strange. And even if she found Chen Tong, in his current state, it would be difficult to take him away.

Inside the swirling portal, Chen Tong looked around with the curiosity of a child.

The surrounding area was still part of the sea, but unlike the waters outside, this sea had formed a passageway. The passage was transparent and looked no different from the surrounding seawater, yet it was sealed off from the outside by restrictions all around it.

"What kind of place is this?" Chen Tong slowly made his way forward, taking great care with every step.

As he walked, he suddenly spotted glimmering points of light up ahead. In this dead, silent sea, they were nothing short of a miracle.

Chen Tong didn't think much of it and hurried toward the lights. But when he was only a few dozen meters away, he quickly stopped, his face tense as he looked around.

These weren't points of light at all. They were the glow of bones. From a distance, he hadn't realized what they were, but up close, this damn place looked like a mass grave.

The skeletons came in all shapes and sizes. The place looked almost like somewhere a creature had gone to relieve itself. At the thought, Chen Tong's hair stood on end, and he nervously scanned his surroundings.

There couldn't be any living creatures in the Sea of Death. If there were, they had to be dead things born from death energy. No, this place is too dangerous. I need to get out of here, fast.

Chen Tong glanced around and suddenly noticed quite a few things near the skeletons. He picked up a few precious pills and tossed them into his storage pouch, then hurried back the way he'd come.

[Beep! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a hidden quest: Subdue the Death Underworld Dragon]

"Hmm...!" Chen Tong froze. "What the hell is a Death Underworld Dragon?"

"System...!" Just as he was about to ask the system, the seawater began to tremble. Before long, an enormous head, as big as half a mountain, loomed above him.

Chen Tong was stunned, with no idea what was happening. Panicking, he didn't know what to do. Then he suddenly felt something above him and slowly looked up.

"Ah!!" Chen Tong screamed and collapsed onto the ground. "W-what is that?"

The head was pitch-black and unimaginably huge, with two blood-red eyes. It slowly lowered its head, and only then did Chen Tong realize it was a dragon's head.

Chen Tong wasn't afraid of dragons, but it depended on the dragon. This one made him feel as if he were suffocating. Even a being as mighty as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal would be nothing but an ant before it.

"Th-this is the Death Underworld Dragon the system mentioned? And I-I'm supposed to subdue it?"

As soon as Chen Tong finished muttering, the Death Underworld Dragon opened its mouth as if to swallow the sun and moon, then suddenly roared at Chen Tong, who was sprawled on the ground. It seemed to be saying, "Come out! Let me eat you like a good little snack."

"Damn it! This system is deliberately trying to screw me over!" Chen Tong thought, then turned and ran back the way he'd come.

With that roar from the Death Underworld Dragon, the skies above the Sea of Death had already changed dramatically. Vast waves of death energy began spreading recklessly in every direction.

"Hmm...?" The Jade Emperor looked puzzled in the sky. "Taibai, what on earth is going on?"

"Your Majesty, I... I don't know either," Taibai Jinxing replied. Just then, a flash of white light appeared over the sea. "Your Majesty, the Bodhisattva Guanyin has emerged."

"I know." As the Jade Emperor spoke, he waved his hand. A purple light flashed, and his illusory figure appeared in front of Guanyin.

Guanyin had just emerged from the sea. The death energy had left her utterly exhausted, and before she could recover her breath, the Jade Emperor appeared before her.

"Jade Emperor!" Guanyin first paused in surprise, then looked toward Taibai Jinxing beside him. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Why are you two here?"

"Heh..." The Jade Emperor gave Guanyin a faintly mocking smile. "That's what I should be asking you, Bodhisattva Guanyin!"

"Since you haven't brought Chen Tong out, I assume you've already obtained what you wanted."

Guanyin's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that, Jade Emperor? I don't understand."

"Don't understand, or pretending not to?" The Jade Emperor gave her a meaningful look. "That commotion just now was your doing too, wasn't it?"

"That commotion?" Guanyin glanced down at the sea and denied it. "Of course not."

"Heh... Whether it was or not, I'll say the same thing: you know the truth in your own heart." The Jade Emperor's voice was cool, his expression unreadable. "Still, I was thinking you could come back to the Heavenly Court for a visit. What do you say?"

Guanyin looked deeply at the Jade Emperor, then closed her eyes, as if she had resigned herself to fate. "Very well. I'll do as you say."

She knew there was no point in explaining herself now. Besides, her energy was extremely unstable, and she urgently needed to recover. In that case, she might as well go along with his wishes.

Beneath the sea, the Death Underworld Dragon swung its enormous body and slammed into the passage. Inside, Chen Tong was tossed around by the shockwaves.

Strangely enough, this invisible restriction was able to block the Death Underworld Dragon's attacks. Chen Tong had noticed this and finally felt a little relieved.

"Damn, this terrifying thing wants me to subdue it! System, have you lost your mind? Oh... wait! You don't even have a brain."

Despite his complaints, Chen Tong still felt a little tempted. If he really could subdue this beast, wouldn't he look incredibly cool wherever he went in the future? But how am I supposed to do it?

"Rumble!!"

The Death Underworld Dragon glared at Chen Tong with blood-red eyes. Its eerie, heart-chilling fangs dripped with drool, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in decades staring at a lamb.

"Damn, I'm not even enough to get stuck between your teeth. Do you really have to drool like that?" Seeing its expression, Chen Tong shuddered.

"Human, I shall kill you." A deep, hoarse voice rang out.

"Uh... you can talk?" Chen Tong stared at it in disbelief.

"Hmph! I have cultivated my form for millions of years. How could a mere language pose any difficulty for me?"

"Then why the hell didn't you say something sooner?" Chen Tong shot it a look. He'd thought this thing was a dead creature with no consciousness. He hadn't expected it to be alive.

"Hmph! Human, you trespassed in my forbidden ground and stole my things. I should have torn you to pieces. What's more, you are a living being, so you and I were destined to be sworn enemies."

"Uh...!" Chen Tong was dumbfounded. "Aren't you a living being too?"