Capturing Mu Jiao

"Humans, are they delicious?"

This simple question, falling into the ears of Mu Jiao, struck like a thunderclap, causing his expression to change drastically.

"How did you discover it?"

Subconsciously, Mu Jiao asked Jiang Yuan.

He wasn't nervous, but rather found it inconceivable. He had been extremely secretive about his habit of eating humans; even the Xuanshan Clan, who interacted with him frequently, had never noticed.

How could Jiang Yuan, who had just come out of seclusion and only walked a short distance with him, have seen through it?

"So you admit you eat humans?"

Jiang Yuan hadn't actually known if Mu Jiao ate humans; he had merely suspected it was possible and decided to test him. He hadn't expected Mu Jiao to forgo all excuses and admit it directly.

Very well, so he dared to eat humans. At this moment, Jiang Yuan had one more reason to kill Mu Jiao.

There were many creatures in this world that ate humans. Jiang Yuan couldn't kill them all, but he could kill every one he encountered, and that was enough.

"That's right, I eat humans, and I've eaten quite a few. I must say, you humans are delicious, and consuming you even boosts my cultivation."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but my cultivation has already risen from the Sixth Heaven of Heavenly Immortal to the Seventh Heaven. This is the benefit eating humans brings me, saving me thousands of years of bitter cultivation."

Facing Jiang Yuan's interrogation, Mu Jiao felt no shame, but rather pride, even provocatively flaunting the benefits he gained from eating humans.

"You aren't even bothering to pretend anymore. Are you certain you have me in the palm of your hand?"

Jiang Yuan was not as angry as Mu Jiao had imagined; instead, he spoke to him calmly.

Angry? Of course he was angry, but there was no point in arguing with a dead man. At this moment, in his eyes, Mu Jiao was already a corpse.

"You are very confident?"

"Do you think that after reaching the Heavenly Immortal realm, you can rival me?"

Mu Jiao wanted to laugh. He felt that Jiang Yuan was truly getting ahead of himself, thinking that after becoming a Heavenly Immortal, he could converse with him as an equal. How could that be possible?

The Heavenly Immortal realm had twelve layers, each a heaven unto itself. Even if Jiang Yuan had extraordinary talent and entered the realm at the Third Heaven, he was still four heavens behind him at the Seventh Heaven.

With a gap of four full heavens, unless Jiang Yuan was an Innate God and Devil, it was absolutely impossible for him to overcome someone who was an Innate True Spirit.

Was Jiang Yuan an Innate God and Devil?

Thinking of this, Mu Jiao couldn't help but laugh. Had he gone mad with joy to even entertain such an absurd thought?

"I must say, I admire your courage. Knowing that I intend to harm you, you still dared to leave the Human Race with me. This is truly..."

Mu Jiao had intended to praise Jiang Yuan, but once the words reached his lips, he couldn't think of anything other than "overestimating one's own strength."

Knowing he meant to do him harm, yet still following him away—if this wasn't arrogance, what was? It wasn't as if he, at the Third Heaven of Heavenly Immortal, truly possessed the strength to contend with a Seventh Heaven Heavenly Immortal, could he?

"I originally intended to let you live a little longer and deal with you once we reached the Dragon Palace, but since you are so impatient to seek your own death, I shall grant your wish."

To avoid any complications, Mu Jiao stopped mocking Jiang Yuan and moved to attack, intending to capture and kill him.

"Go!"

With a thought from Mu Jiao, a brilliant Dragon Pearl rose, casting down ten thousand rays of light as it swept toward Jiang Yuan.

"Sigh, you don't even have a decent treasure. It seems I overestimated your status in the Dragon Race."

Looking up at the Dragon Pearl, Jiang Yuan sighed in disappointment. Although the Dragon Pearl was good—formed from Mu Jiao's own cultivation—it was not a powerful Dharma treasure.

He had assumed that an Innate exotic species like Mu Jiao would be a key focus of the Dragon Race's cultivation and would have an Innate Spiritual Treasure for protection.

But now it seemed he had thought too much. While Mu Jiao's talent was not poor, it was clear he was not highly valued by the Dragon Race and had not been bestowed any major treasures.

How could Jiang Yuan, who had been prepared to make a huge profit, not be disappointed?

"Receive!"

While lamenting, Jiang Yuan also made his move.

He understood the principle that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, so he unleashed his full power from the start, utilizing a divine ability specifically designed to suppress the Dragon Race.

All dragons in the world originated from the Ancestral Dragon, and thus, the Ancestral Dragon could suppress all members of the Dragon Race. Jiang Yuan's ability to suppress the Dragon Race was the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image.

ROAR—

Accompanied by a majestic dragon's roar, the massive Dharma Image of the Ancestral Dragon manifested behind Jiang Yuan, radiating boundless majesty.

Instantly, the smile vanished from Mu Jiao's face, replaced by terror and disbelief.

He could not understand, nor could he accept, how Jiang Yuan, a member of the Dragon Race, could condense the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image—something even few within the Dragon Race itself could achieve.

"Do you wish to continue? Mu Jiao, surrender."

Once the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image appeared, the battle was essentially over. Mu Jiao was not even a True Dragon; how could he resist the divine might of the Ancestral Dragon?

Under the majesty of the Ancestral Dragon, let alone resisting, he couldn't even move. He could only revert to his original form and tremble in place.

"Father, save me!"

Mu Jiao was quite pragmatic; seeing he could not defeat Jiang Yuan, he immediately called out to his father, Mu Longbo, for help.

"Stubborn and unyielding!"

Jiang Yuan reached out his hand, grabbing toward Mu Jiao. As he moved, the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image behind him also bore down upon Mu Jiao.

Under the pressure of the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image, Mu Jiao's body shrank smaller and smaller until, in the end, it was no thicker than a chopstick and only a foot long, easily caught in Jiang Yuan's grasp.

"You are too weak!"

Looking at the Mu Jiao in his hand, Jiang Yuan felt a sense of boredom. He did not know if he was too strong or if Mu Jiao was simply too weak; the bitter struggle he had imagined never occurred. Mu Jiao was not even a match for a single blow, having been instantly defeated by him.

This left Jiang Yuan feeling quite helpless. He had wanted to use Mu Jiao to test his own strength, but was this really all there was to it?

At this moment, Jiang Yuan vaguely understood why Mu Jiao was not valued by the Dragon Race. If the prodigies of the Dragon Race were at this level, then the Dragon Race was truly finished, with no future to speak of.

"My son!"

Suddenly, an urgent cry rang out; it was Mu Jiao's father, Mu Longbo, who had arrived. He was a dignified middle-aged man wearing a golden crown and dressed in black robes.

"You..."

Seeing Mu Jiao held in Jiang Yuan's hand, Mu Longbo was worried for his safety but dared not step forward to save him, for he sensed danger emanating from Jiang Yuan.

This immediately made him realize that the person before him must possess great treasures and was no ordinary individual.

"My name is Di Yuan, a disciple of Lady Nuwa. Your son sought to seize my bloodline to aid his own transformation into an Innate God and Devil."

Knowing what Mu Longbo wanted to ask, Jiang Yuan stated his identity before the other could speak.

With Mu Jiao captured, there was no longer any need for him to hide his identity. At this moment, he could loudly declare to the world that he was a disciple of Lady Nuwa, Di Yuan of the Human Race.

In an instant, the expressions of both Mu Jiao and Mu Longbo changed.

The former was filled with disbelief, even more exaggerated than when he had seen Jiang Yuan manifest the Ancestral Dragon Dharma Image. The latter was shocked, never expecting his son to be such a troublemaker, having poked a hole in the sky itself.

This was not a request for him to save someone; it was clearly a summons for him to come and die.