The Secret Treasury Opens

After the mountain-range chase, Long Jiuyyao was getting closer and closer to his destination, but time was running out just as quickly. There were only a few days left.

He was still twenty thousand miles from his destination, and only ten days remained. At full speed, ten days would be more than enough to reach it—provided no other factors got in the way.

At last, ten days later, Long Jiuyyao and his beast arrived at their destination: a valley nestled between steep cliffs.

Long Jiuyyao looked at the several dragon-shaped stone pillars before him. In the center of the broad stone gate were six recesses.

"Time's up. Why haven't the Great Elder and the others arrived yet?" Long Jiuyyao murmured, gazing into the distance.

"Roar! Roar!" Jin Ming let out a series of low growls.

Long Jiuyyao looked toward the distant Shadow Figure. It grew larger and larger in his eyes, its outline gradually becoming clearer. A strand of blue hair slipped out from under its hood, and Long Jiuyyao spotted it with his sharp eyes.

He grabbed Jin Ming beside him and hid behind one of the dragon-shaped pillars. By the time he was safely concealed, the Shadow Figure had already reached the stone gate.

The figure took off its hood, revealing hair as deep blue as the sea. Though young, she already had the delicate, beautiful features of a budding beauty.

Hiding behind the pillar, Long Jiuyyao hardly dared to breathe. He never expected to run into her here. He stayed perfectly still, though he was also puzzled. In the Dragon Domain, no outsider could take part in this Secret Treasury expedition without the Dragon Clan's approval.

And he had never heard anything about her among the Dragon Clan. Could she be...

Time passed slowly. Just as the sun reached its zenith, a distant rumble of rushing wind suddenly echoed from the far edge of the sky.

The instant the wind roared, Long Jiuyyao, lost in thought, snapped back to his senses. He could feel the Yuan Power in the surrounding world beginning to churn.

"The Great Elder is here!"

Long Jiuyyao looked up toward the northern sky. A warship bearing the Dragon Clan's banner came flying through the air like a shooting star.

The warship was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it was above the valley. The group, led by the Great Elder, leaped down and landed before the stone gate.

The Blue Haired Girl, who had been sitting quietly nearby, opened her Spirit Eyes and smiled at the white-haired old man before her. "Grandpa Tian, you're here!"

Long Jiuyyao was surprised to see the usually imposing Great Elder smiling so warmly.

The Great Elder rubbed the girl's cheek. "Blue Girl, is Old Man Bai doing well?"

The Blue Haired Girl replied, "Father's doing just fine!"

Their exchange confirmed Long Jiuyyao's guess. He had thought she might be Old Bai's disciple, but he never imagined she was his daughter. The realization made him feel a little afraid.

If Old Bai found out that he had accidentally seen his daughter naked, wouldn't he come after me for it?

After chatting for a few moments, the Great Elder looked around but didn't spot the familiar figure he was searching for.

The girl was observant. "Grandpa Tian, are you looking for someone?"

The Great Elder nodded. "Your Uncle Yuan's son set out for this place alone a month ago. I don't know if he's arrived yet."

"Grandpa Tian, is he a young man with black hair and black eyes, with a lion following him?" Lan Xinhuang answered.

"Hmm? You've seen him?" The Great Elder nodded.

"I've seen him once. Since he's coming, I'll make sure to get to know him properly." Lan Xinhuang gritted her teeth.

Lan Xinhuang recalled that embarrassing moment at the lake, and fury surged within her.

The Great Elder didn't catch the deeper meaning in her words. He thought she simply wanted to make friends with him.

But Long Jiuyyao, hiding behind the pillar, felt a chill run down his spine. He decided he'd find a chance to sneak into the Secret Treasury.

The Great Elder watched the seal on the stone gate grow weaker and spoke up. "We won't wait any longer. Those with Secret Treasure Keys, step forward and enter the gate."

"This valley will remain open for only seven days. There are plenty of opportunities inside, so make the most of them."

After the Great Elder finished speaking, four people stepped out from behind him. They were the top five contestants in the Clan Grand Competition—with Long Jiuyyao, who was secretly hiding behind a pillar, all of them had arrived.

Liu Qing and the others fitted their Golden Scales into the recesses in the gate. A flash of light swept through, and the spot where they had been standing was now empty.

After Liu Qing and the others entered, Lan Xinhuang looked around, unwilling to give up, but still couldn't find Long Jiuyyao.

"Bastard, now that I know who you are, you can run from the monk, but you can't run from his temple," Lan Xinhuang thought viciously.

Then she entered the valley as well.

Long Jiuyyao didn't immediately emerge from behind the pillar. He waited ten minutes before finally showing himself.

Pretending he had only just arrived, Long Jiuyyao greeted the Great Elder, then fitted his Golden Scale into the stone gate and went inside.

Once inside, Long Jiuyyao found six more doors before him. The first five stone gates had already been opened, and the last one was opened by Long Jiuyyao, who had arrived later than the others.

Beyond the gate, a road Made of Azure Stone stretched out before him. When Long Jiuyyao took his first step, the pillars lining the road suddenly lit up with flames, illuminating the dark stone path in the distance.

At the same time, an oppressive feeling bore down on him, making the Yuan Power flowing through his body sluggish.

Dark Gold Radiance flickered over Long Jiuyyao's body, dispelling the sudden pressure. Then the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd inside him suddenly shot out of his body, as if no longer under his control.

The Dragon Halberd streaked forward like a Shadow Figure, as though something ahead were drawing it in.

Long Jiuyyao was slightly surprised. He leaped onto the lion's back. "Jin Ming, catch up!"

At his command, man and beast turned into a streak of gold and raced along the Azure Stone road, following the direction indicated by the Dragon Halberd.

The silent Azure Stone road echoed only with the sound of Jin Ming's paws striking the stone and the rush of wind from the Dragon Halberd up ahead.

Long Jiuyyao had no idea how long they had been running. He only knew it had been a long time.

Long Jiuyyao's gaze sharpened. He patted Jin Ming, and the latter immediately stopped. His eyes turned toward the seemingly ordinary Stone House behind the Dragon Halberd. From within, he sensed a familiar fluctuation of Yuan Power.

He leaped off Jin Ming's back and hurried forward, but the moment his palm touched the stone door, a powerful surge of energy hurled him backward.

Long Jiuyyao clenched his hand slightly. The Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd, which had been some distance away, appeared in his grasp. As he slowly channeled Yuan Power into it, its sealed Halberd Blade began to glow faintly.

Long Jiuyyao spun around and thrust the Dragon Halberd straight at the center of the stone door. The explosion at the instant the Halberd Blade struck the door sent him flying several yards back, but the door remained completely unharmed.

Long Jiuyyao planted the Dragon Halberd in the Azure Stone floor and walked forward slowly. "Since brute force won't work, I'll try wearing it down."

With a thought, Long Jiuyyao released his spiritual power. It wound around the stone door, thread by thread, and quickly seeped inside. After a short while, the door suddenly began to tremble. Then, to Long Jiuyyao's delight, it slowly swung open with a rumble.

As soon as the stone door opened, the Dragon Halberd, still planted in the floor, darted inside first. Long Jiuyyao followed close behind. A sudden, blinding light struck his eyes, making him squint. Only then did he notice the walls inside the Stone House were covered with images of different demon beasts, each surrounded by a fierce aura.

Long Jiuyyao touched the Kunpeng Spreading Wings Diagram before him. The image on the wall seemed to sense his touch and blazed with brilliant light, merging with the glow released by the mysterious symbol on his brow.

A moment later, Long Jiuyyao stepped into a dream!

At that moment, Long Jiuyyao stood proudly among the clouds. A Kunpeng flew past him, fast as lightning and thunder, too quick for the naked eye to follow.

"I've long heard that the Kunpeng Clan, one of the Four Hegemons of the Demon Domain, commands Spatial Power and is the fastest in the Demon Domain. With a light beat of its wings, it can cross from Inch to Horizon in an instant. Seeing it today, I can say the legends are true." Long Jiuyyao murmured in amazement.

The dream vanished in an instant. When Long Jiuyyao came to, he looked toward the other images on the walls, searching for the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd at the same time.

As he continued onward, Long Jiuyyao saw countless demon beasts. He saw two of the Four Hegemons: the Kunpeng and the Nine Phoenix.

The farther in he went, the stronger the connection between Long Jiuyyao and the Dragon Halberd became. At last, before the image at the end of the wall, he spotted the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd floating in midair.