The Battle Begins

Long Yin didn't know the source of that call, but he did know...

Ancestral Dragon Egg.

The call to arms is weakening... Could it be that someone has already entered the dragon egg?

There's no time to speculate anymore.

Cheng Yu composed himself; the most important thing right now was to find the exact location.

He subconsciously turned his head and glanced at his shoulder and back out of the corner of his eye—a seemingly ordinary spot, yet it held the true reliance of this journey:

A thought of the Demon Ancestor was quietly dormant.

His solo infiltration of the True Dragon's lair was never a reckless adventure.

Once that thing is found, it can be used to summon the Demon Ancestor's Dharma Body to descend.

At that point, the mission will be considered complete.

Unaware that several ghostly figures were silently following them from the shadows not far behind, Cheng Yu, who was plotting everything in his mind, did not notice them.

The leader, his black robes fluttering, was none other than Xuanye.

He only brought two Alien Race with him, one on his left and one on his right. The three of them blended perfectly into the environment, as if they were just a few inconspicuous wisps of darkness on the edge of the battlefield.

Xuanye's gaze was fixed on the two figures leading the way ahead, a cold smile playing on his lips.

The attack from the north has successfully drawn most of the True Dragon Clan's attention and high-end combat power, while our side has few manpower and will soon be defeated.

But so what?

The dragon blood had already been extracted; the next action was merely for amusement.

"One of these two knows about the dragon egg's existence, and the other knows its location."

"That saved me a lot of trouble."

He thought about it with great interest, a cold calculation flashing in his dark eyes.

That's right, the two of them were able to escape on purpose.

The purpose was to have them pave the way for them, step by step, towards that silent dragon egg.

Otherwise, given Xuanye's personality, he would never have kept prisoners.

Everything is going according to plan.

Now, the only variable beyond our control is Qin Wangchuan's location.

Thinking this, Xuanye's gaze passed over the chaotic battlefield and the layered palaces, landing on the outline of the oldest and most magnificent palace deep within the camp.

That is the core of the True Dragon Clan, and also the place where Qin Wangchuan is most likely to appear.

"Will Qin Wangchuan be there, or... has he not arrived yet?"

Xuanye muttered to himself, a hint of apprehension in his eyes.

Qin Wangchuan is powerful, and his mind is even more unfathomable.

If he were already in the main hall, my mantis-like act of stalking the cicada would likely have already been seen by those eyes that had a panoramic view.

"This is really troublesome."

"But that's more like it!"

The cold smile on Xuanye's lips faded, and a faint trace of apprehension flashed deep in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a stronger interest.

Risk and pleasure are inherently intertwined.

On the other side.

Cheng Yu stopped Long Yin, gazing at the distant mountain peak shrouded in misty Dragon Qi and ancient runes, and asked in a low voice:

Are you sure it's in there?

"Uh-huh."

Long Yin nodded vigorously, his face showing the certainty of having found his target. At the same time, his gaze swept over the vaguely visible figures of the guards around him, and he suggested:

"Since we're all True Dragon Clan, there's really no need for us to hide, right?"

"As long as we explain it to them, they shouldn't do anything to us."

His idea was simple: since everyone was of the same race, revealing his identity might allow him to pass.

Cheng Yu did not answer.

He sneered inwardly: 'That's how you see me. I'm a half -Demon Race!'

This aura can be disguised using Secret Method under normal circumstances, but it will be immediately exposed once he gets close to those powerful individuals.

As his thoughts raced, his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings.

This place is very close to the core territory of the True Dragon Clan. It is heavily guarded, with a sentry every five steps and a patrol every ten steps. There are also unknown restrictions and formations hidden in the shadows.

Approaching that Sacred Mountain without being detected is practically an impossible task.

'Perhaps... I can use him as bait to attract the attention of these True Dragons, creating chaos, and then I can sneak in.'

A cold-blooded thought naturally surfaced.

From birth to adulthood, every step of Cheng Yu's life has been filled with calculation and weighing of options; utilizing everything available has long been second nature to him.

'But you only get one chance. What if the location he gave you is false, or there's no source of the call inside at all...'

An instinctive bout of paranoia struck.

It was simply impossible for him to completely trust a boy he had known for less than a month who was excessively naive.

The problem is, there doesn't seem to be a better solution right now.

The distant roar of the main battlefield could be faintly heard; the longer the battle dragged on, the greater the uncertainty would become.

'Should we gamble?' Cheng Yu pondered this dangerous thought over and over.

Just as I was thinking, suddenly--

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two sharp, almost tearing sounds came without warning from the shadows very close behind them!

The speed is terrifying!

Cheng Yu's hair stood on end. His fighting instincts kicked in, and he jerked his head around, his vision catching just as he caught the outlines of the two dark lights—

They were just two inconspicuous pebbles!

But the gloomy aura swirling around it stung his very soul!

That's too fast!

There wasn't even enough time to completely dodge!

"Roar--!"

Cheng Yu subconsciously let out a deep dragon roar, and his neck and cheek were instantly covered with fine Dragon Scale that protected him.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds.

A pebble struck his Dragon Scale -scaled shoulder blade, while another grazed his side.

Even with the Dragon Scale protecting him, a cold and eerie power still penetrated his body, causing his Qi and Blood to churn.

He was thrown back more than ten steps by an uncontrollable force, barely managing to regain his footing.

Long Yin's situation was much worse.

With a muffled groan, he tumbled over a hundred meters away like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a rock before coming to a stop, raising a cloud of dust, and falling silent for a moment.

"Who goes there?!"

This sudden commotion instantly shattered the tranquility surrounding the Sacred Mountain.

The surrounding Dragon Guard arrived quickly upon hearing the news.

Upon seeing that they were two members of the clan with dragon horns on their heads, the Dragon Guard' faces first showed anger, clearly believing that some juniors were causing trouble.

But the next second, when they took a closer look at the aura emanating from Cheng Yu, their expressions changed drastically!

"Wrong!"

"Foreign enemies have invaded! Defend the Sacred Mountain!!"

The leading Dragon Guard let out a long, sharp roar, the sound waves instantly spreading in all directions.

In an instant, countless auras swiftly locked onto the area, forming a net that completely enveloped it.

Cheng Yu's face was extremely pale. He slowly straightened up and subtly touched the spot on his back where he had been hit.

Not only was he in excruciating pain there, but a chilling aura also lingered, making his disguise even more unstable.

"The aura of Alien Race..."

He quickly turned around, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the stones had come—

There was only shadow there, and no one was there.

But Cheng Yu knew that there was definitely Alien Race following them, watching them like a venomous snake.

The fact that the two of them managed to escape from the battlefield was entirely due to the enemy deliberately letting them pass!

"Damn Alien Race! How dare they use me as a pawn!"

Cheng Yu cursed inwardly, a surge of anger rising within him, feeling betrayed and manipulated.

But the current situation is beyond our control, and anger is useless.

Once captured by these ferocious Dragon Guard, Soul Search and spirit-refining would be the least of their worries; all plans would be rendered futile.

The only way...

A resolute glint flashed in Cheng Yu's eyes. He suddenly looked up at the Dragon Guard who were rapidly closing in.

He ceased his restraint, formed hand seals, and shouted loudly:

"Cheng Yu, respectfully request the Demon Ancestor to descend!"