Silver Dragon Scale, Spirit Life Metal!

A silver dragon scale lay in that fair, delicate hand, radiating a faint seven-colored glow. It had been strung onto a necklace with some unknown material, looking rather fitting.

Xu Tianchen was instantly full of question marks.

Alright, alright, no wonder there was no Black Dragon Reverse Scale—it had been replaced with a Silver Dragon Reverse Scale! Weren't a dragon's reverse scales supposed to be precious? Was she really just handing it over so casually?

Di Tian's Black Dragon Reverse Scale had fallen off during a heavenly tribulation, so that was one thing.

But the Silver Dragon King did not seem to need to undergo lightning tribulations. Could this Silver Dragon Reverse Scale have been cut off by the Asura God King's sword?

Bi Ji noticed Xu Tianchen's daze and, afraid he might misunderstand further, took the initiative to explain.

"This scale is where I normally reside. I know it would be inconvenient if I followed you at all times. So I will usually stay inside it. If you wear it, you can contact me whenever something happens, and I can emerge from the scale at any time."

And what else? Could she really guarantee that this scale had no other functions besides serving as her residence?

Could there be some little female dragon who had been cooped up for who knew how many years secretly watching him through it?

Still, Xu Tianchen did not openly refuse. After all, he was alone in the other side's stronghold right now. Even the weakest one here, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was someone he could not defeat. Wearing the scale was barely acceptable. Putting himself in their shoes, he could not simply trust a human stranger either.

Understanding it was one thing, but having it happen to him was another matter entirely.

Damn it. Sooner or later, he would show Star Dou Forest what it meant to send a meat bun after a dog and never get it back.

No, wasn't that calling himself a dog? He should let them experience what it meant for a clay ox to vanish into the sea.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Xu Tianchen put the Silver Dragon Scale around his neck.

"Alright." As he spoke, Xu Tianchen displayed it for Di Tian and Bi Ji to see.

Di Tian nodded in satisfaction. Then, with a turn of his large hand, a thumb-sized piece of metal appeared in his palm. It glowed with a pure, gentle azure light, like a blue crystal.

The instant it appeared, even the Life Force in the surrounding air became richer.

This was Spirit Life Metal!

"Di Tian, you..."

"This is one portion of the resources we are giving you in advance."

When Scarlet King saw the item in Di Tian's hand, all six of his canine eyes widened. He hurriedly opened his mouth to question Di Tian, only to be interrupted before he could finish.

Even Bi Ji's face was filled with shock. She had not expected Di Tian to take out Spirit Life Metal.

Xu Tianchen accepted the Spirit Life Metal Di Tian handed him and carefully held it in his palm.

"Judging by your expression, you already recognize what this is. Then you should know how precious Spirit Life Metal is."

Of course Xu Tianchen knew how precious Spirit Life Metal was. In the original story, Electrolux had mentioned that all the Life Force contained within Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who possessed a million years of cultivation, was merely equivalent to a teardrop-sized piece of Spirit Life Metal.

Though it was only thumb-sized, Spirit Life Metal symbolized the Life Force of an entire world. This was Star Dou Forest's treasured possession. They were really willing to pay such a huge price.

They must have scraped this from the Silver Dragon King. After all, all of Star Dou's Spirit Life Metal had been taken by her to heal the wounds left behind by the Asura God King.

It really was not easy. Was this the classic stick-and-carrot approach?

Xu Tianchen's original plan had been to first obtain the Soul-Devouring Blade, then find the Golden Tortoiseshell, kill the turtle, and take its gold.

Then he would use those two pieces of Spirit Life Metal as bait for Xu Tianchen fishing, with Electrolux taking the hook.

Therefore, once Web developed, he would have Web search for the whereabouts of the Soul-Devouring Blade and keep an eye on the still-newborn Huo Yuhao.

"I know what it is, but I don't know how to use it."

There was a trace of helplessness in Xu Tianchen's tone. One of his goals in luring Old Electrolux was to fuse with Spirit Life Metal and absorb it properly. Otherwise, he might end up like that Golden Tortoiseshell and leave himself half-dead.

"It is very simple. There are two methods. First, you can place this piece of Spirit Life Metal inside that Silver Dragon Scale. It will extract the Life Force to nourish your body and increase your cultivation speed. Furthermore, it will benefit Bi Ji when she stays inside later."

"The second method is to use a technique to directly absorb the Life Force within the Spirit Life Metal. Normally, it is used for healing injuries, though it also strengthens the body. However, directly absorbing it would be somewhat wasteful. Naturally, I will teach you this technique as well."

After saying that, Di Tian handed Xu Tianchen a beast-hide scroll. The writing on it was somewhat crooked, but still understandable.

"Alright, then Bi Ji, go in first."

Xu Tianchen spoke to Bi Ji, whose face was still slightly flushed.

Bi Ji nodded, then transformed into a stream of emerald-green light and flew into the Silver Dragon Reverse Scale.

Seeing Bi Ji's flushed face and Di Tian's strange gaze, Xu Tianchen became even more certain that this was some earth-shattering plan devised by the King of Freebies.

Especially with Di Tian standing right there. All he could say was that Di Tian truly lived up to his reputation. In Di Tian's heart, there was no such thing as betraying the Dragon Clan.

"Bi Ji, can you hear me?"

Xu Tianchen lowered his head and used his spiritual power to touch the Silver Dragon Reverse Scale, transmitting his words.

"Yes, I can hear you."

Bi Ji's warm, gentle voice echoed in Xu Tianchen's mind like the morning sun.

Inside the Scale

Bi Ji sat on a swing. Beside her was a miniature Lake of Life, as well as a small wooden cottage. Tall trees and dense forest surrounded the area.

This was a space personally refined by the Silver Dragon King, allowing Bi Ji to live within it. After all, Bi Ji had made this sacrifice for the future of soul beasts, so she could not be treated too poorly.

There was no real difference between this place and the Lake of Life outside. Even the density of the Life Force was extremely similar. The only difference was that there was no variety of weather—only sunny days.

Still, it was more than enough for Bi Ji to live here.

"Bi Ji, I'm putting it in now. Feel it for yourself too."

As Xu Tianchen spoke, he pressed the Spirit Life Metal against the Silver Dragon Scale. Then, with a thread of spiritual power attached to it, the Spirit Life Metal transformed into a stream of blue-green light and disappeared.

The next moment, Xu Tianchen felt a steady stream of Life Force flowing out from the scale on his chest and circulating through his entire body. His body immediately felt warm and comfortable beyond words.

"Mmnh!"

Because they wanted to know what effect Spirit Life Metal would produce, their spiritual connection had not been severed. Bi Ji's soft moan was transmitted into Xu Tianchen's mind.

Though Xu Tianchen could not see Bi Ji's expression, he knew that the Emerald Swan might have become a crimson swan by now.

"How does it feel?" Xu Tianchen asked.

"Very good. It is also very suitable for my cultivation."

Bi Ji's voice still carried that gentle, water-like warmth, but her tone was somewhat hurried.

Xu Tianchen did not continue teasing Bi Ji. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Di Tian, who stood nearby.

"By the way, Senior Di Tian, I obtained a dragon egg before. Could you help me take a look at it?"