Nightmare Dragon Pearl

No wonder he was a demonic sect disciple—Yang Ning had to admit, he was tempted.

Not to mention the dragon pearl itself, even just the ability to turn silverfish into Seven-Colored Rainbow Silver Fish after soaking it in water meant this pearl was something he couldn't give up!

But—

"Why would Taiheng Sect not tolerate me just because I took this dragon pearl?" Yang Ning asked. "I could just hand over the inheritance inside, couldn't I?"

"You can try!" Tuo Buchuan shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be dead by then, so I won't be around to control you!"

Yang Ning fell silent. Are you really that confident in Taiheng Sect, believing they'll definitely target me?

Logically, handing over a cultivation method should be a win-win situation.

But Yang Ning had also walked out of five thousand years of history, and he knew very well that sometimes, just because you wanted a win-win didn't mean the other side was willing to let you win.

Developed countries wanted developing countries to stay forever developing; the rich wanted the poor to stay forever poor—it was perfectly normal.

"But after I take this dragon pearl, what if you expose me?" Yang Ning asked. Wouldn't that mean he'd have no choice but to oppose Taiheng Sect, even if he didn't want to?

At the very least, he'd have to go against Lin Tianheng!

Even though they were already rivals now, Lin Tianheng didn't know that. Yang Ning was in the shadows, while Lin Tianheng was in the light!

"Tch!" Tuo Buchuan laughed. "If I went and told Lin Tianheng, he'd just crush you and take the inheritance himself. What good would that do me? Do I look like someone who helps others for free, especially someone who's going to kill me?"

"And if I take the dragon pearl but don't do anything?" Yang Ning pressed. "What if I don't hand it over and just coexist peacefully with Taiheng Sect? Wouldn't your trap be for nothing?"

"Then that would just mean I didn't know Taiheng Sect well enough, and I'd have to accept my fate," Tuo Buchuan sighed, his expression turning grim again. "So, are you taking it or not? If you keep stalling, I'll pick someone else—you're not the only bookboy around!"

"One last question!" Yang Ning hurriedly asked. "You stole something from him and gave me the dragon pearl—how are you going to explain to Lin Tianheng where it went?"

"Pfft, I've got plenty of pearls in my ring. He has no idea which one was the dragon pearl, so how would he know which one it was?" Tuo Buchuan's face darkened even further as he spoke. "Just thinking about my century's worth of collection falling into his hands makes me sick. Enough nonsense—hold out your hand!"

"If I take this dragon pearl, won't the Nightmare Qi corrode me?" Yang Ning asked again.

"So many questions! I carried it the whole way and nothing happened to me. It won't corrode you that easily!" Tuo Buchuan pointed a finger, and a cut opened on Yang Ning's palm. Then he grabbed the dragon pearl and pressed it into the wound.

"Ah!" Yang Ning screamed. The dragon pearl's recognition process required blood?

Not troublesome—too simple, more like!

"So it really is you! Why?" Watching the blood seep into the dragon pearl, Tuo Buchuan stared blankly at Yang Ning. He had never heard of a dragon pearl choosing its owner. Maybe he'd never seen one before, but the biographies and notes left by his predecessors never mentioned anything like this either!

Could it be that those who obtained dragon pearls were exactly the ones the pearls had chosen, and he was just a delivery boy for the chosen one?

Seeing Yang Ning's face turn pale, Tuo Buchuan wordlessly scooped up a few Seven-Colored Rainbow Silver Fish from the water and, without even cutting them, stuffed them directly into Yang Ning's mouth.

A Body Tempering Realm cultivator could eat anything—even fish bones could be chewed up and swallowed. Tuo Buchuan had grown up in the Myriad Saint Demonic Cult and had eaten this way since childhood, so he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Yang Ning, however, nearly choked to death, but driven by survival instinct, he accepted everything, swallowing one fish after another.

Half an hour later, the dragon pearl in his hand flashed with light and suddenly vanished before their eyes.

"It's done!" Tuo Buchuan said with a look of resentment. "You can go now!"

"I..." Yang Ning had eaten a lot of fish, but the sudden blood loss hadn't been replenished yet. He looked even more withered than Tuo Buchuan. Already severely injured, he barely managed to stand and nearly fell after taking just one step.

"Right, this is yours!" Tuo Buchuan handed over the talisman, the Spirit Artifact chisel, and a bottle of Grain Abstinence Pills.

"What about you?" Yang Ning put the items away and swallowed a Grain Abstinence Pill first. Made from top-grade medicinal ingredients, it was perfect for replenishing blood.

Mm, after eating it, his body did feel much better.

Before leaving, Yang Ning adjusted his mood and, at the right moment, showed a hint of concern.

After all, logically speaking, Tuo Buchuan had told him many truths that would have taken years to uncover.

Whether they were true or false, or if there was ulterior motive, at least it would make him more cautious and not blindly trust the sect. From the results, it had ultimately helped him.

Of course, this might also be Tuo Buchuan's goal, but Yang Ning would judge the truth for himself.

Right now, Yang Ning was a naive twelve-year-old boy, so he should show emotions like conflict and reluctance.

"What else can I do? Die!" Tuo Buchuan waved his hand. "But I won't die at Lin Tianheng's hands. By the way, do you have any enemies? If so, I'll take them out for you!"

"Uh, no." His only two enemies were Zhao Bu and Lin Tianheng. Zhao Bu had already been killed by Lin Tianheng, and as for Lin Tianheng, Tuo Buchuan couldn't beat him.

Besides, there was no way Yang Ning would tell Tuo Buchuan about his hostility toward Lin Tianheng.

"Alright then!" Tuo Buchuan nodded. "Take the water route—fewer traces. You know how to swim, right?"

"Mm!" Yang Ning nodded. He hadn't known before, but after learning the Calm Lake Lone Boat Meditation Method, he did.

"Then just go from here!" Tuo Buchuan pointed at the waterfall beside them. "Every extra step you take increases the risk of exposure. Just jump!"

"Uh..." How high was it out there? Would he die from the fall?

He was still severely injured!

But Yang Ning also felt that Tuo Buchuan had no reason to invest in him only to screw him over now.

Jump it is!

Yang Ning took two running steps and leaped, but before he could fly two meters, he felt a tremendous force surge from behind.

It was the impact of the waterfall, falling from a height of over a thousand meters!

"Damn it!"

Watching Yang Ning's figure vanish into the waterfall, Tuo Buchuan blinked.

Since he was chosen by the dragon pearl, he probably wouldn't die that easily. If he did, then this pearl of mine would have been given for nothing.

Too bad he himself was about to die, with no chance to verify it.

Turning his head toward the Seven-Colored Rainbow Silver Fish in the stream, Tuo Buchuan's eyes lit up. He reached out and scooped up over a dozen, hauling out all the remaining fish at once.

Then, he only ate the midsection—just one bite each!

Though these were merely mortal delicacies, even a Golden Core True Person would enjoy them. If Lin Tianheng saw this ground littered with Seven-Colored Rainbow Silver Fish, each bitten only once, wouldn't he be furious?

Hahaha!

"Oh right, there's also this footprint and blood!" Just as he was about to clean up the spot where Yang Ning had lain, Tuo Buchuan realized the ground was already spotless.

Not only was the blood from the sliced palm gone, even the drops that had fallen earlier from his twisted arm had disappeared. His job was easy—he only needed to lie down in place for a while and cover up the traces.

"This dragon pearl sure eats cleanly, huh. Could it be a blood dragon?" Tuo Buchuan scratched his head. What inheritance did the Blood Dragon Pearl carry? The Bloodthirsty True Scripture?

This inheritance was a bit too conspicuous. It would be discovered after just two uses.

Hope he's fine!

Tuo Buchuan extended his finger again and began carving words into the wall—curses passed down through tens of thousands of years of verbal warfare and mockery among the disciples of the Myriad Saint Demonic Cult, greetings directed at the other party's parents and Dao path. He filled the entire wall with them.

"Lin Tianheng, even in death, I'll make you sick!"