Deal! The Golden Dragon King Bloodline!

Lu Guan leaned back against the sofa, his eyes lighting up.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

One of the Three Great Treasure Troves of the World, a blessed land that nurtured countless immortal herbs.

For Soul Masters, it was an unparalleled treasure land. Its vast reserves of natural essence would be enough to bring his War Lord Demon Body through a qualitative leap.

"Of course I know it." Lu Guan could hardly conceal the interest in his voice, though he showed no excessive fervor. "But as far as I know, the Tang Sect claimed that place long ago. With all the resources the Tang Sect has, what can your two families do? You want me to raid their territory?"

Yu Chenxiao waved his hands repeatedly.

"Forcing our way in is out of the question, of course. The Tang Sect guards the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well extremely closely. Soul Tool Arrays cover its perimeter."

"But our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has existed for twenty thousand years. Naturally, we have a few resources of our own."

Yu Chenxiao paused to gauge Lu Guan's reaction.

"We have a treasure that can bypass the poison miasma on the perimeter and even evade the Tang Sect's defensive arrays, letting you slip inside without a sound."

Lu Guan rubbed his chin. "You've kept a treasure like that for so long. Would you really be willing to hand it over?"

Yu Chenxiao smiled at that. "First, this item only works at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It cannot unravel other arrays. Second, anything can be a bargaining chip. This merely shows that you carry enough weight, Brother Lu. Third, it can only be used once."

Lu Guan pondered.

That bargaining chip certainly carried enough weight.

If he could really get into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and reap a haul, he could cultivate both his War Lord Demon Body and his Innate Secret Method much faster.

As for concealing his forging talent, that had always been negotiable. With resources on offer and relatively little risk, Lu Guan had no objection.

Besides, the Body Sect and these two families were all ancient powers in their twilight years. They could trust one another more than they could other factions.

"But... if you could uncover my forging talent, others can too... besides, how can you be sure I'll keep my word?"

Yu Chenxiao answered with a smile, a trace of pride on his face. "That is our concern, Brother Lu. You needn't worry about it."

"All right. Deal." Lu Guan was perfectly decisive.

Yu Tianheng and Ning Susu exchanged a glance, both breathing sighs of relief.

"The treasure isn't in Skysea City. Our family is rushing someone over with it." Yu Tianheng stood up. "It will be in your hands within five days at most, Brother Lu. Until then, we hope you'll keep your promise and refrain from revealing your true abilities in the forging competition."

"Of course." Lu Guan stood as well. "I'm a man of my word. Take the money, do the job. No messing around."

Having received a satisfactory answer, the two did not linger. They turned and left.

Silence settled over the room again.

Lu Guan looked at the piece of star iron on the table and casually put it into his Soul Tool.

There was no need to enter the forging competition. At his age, even Hundred Refinement would be an astonishing feat.

With no competition to attend and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's treasure still on its way, a trip home was inevitable. He could return to Eastsea City with Xu Xiaoyan!

Eastsea City.

"Xiaoyan, want to come over to my place for a meal?" Lu Guan asked.

Since he rarely came back to Eastsea City, he naturally had to visit home first. Xu Xiaoyan politely declined.

Lu Guan did not mind. It had only been a courtesy invitation anyway.

When he reached home, the rich aroma of braised pork greeted him.

Lu Guan changed out of his shoes and tossed his backpack onto the sofa.

Lu Beixuan was reading a newspaper in the living room. Hearing the noise, he looked up.

"Well, our family's great hero is back. I watched the recording of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition. Our boy did us proud! You've got real ability!" Lu Beixuan set down his newspaper. His words were teasing, but the pride on his face was impossible to hide.

The kitchen's sliding door opened, and Xu Ran emerged with a steaming plate of food, setting it on the dining table.

"You're back, Guanguan?" Xu Ran wiped her hands on her apron and peered behind Lu Guan. "Where's Na'er? Why didn't that girl come back with you?"

Lu Guan picked up an apple from the coffee table and took a bite, answering indistinctly, "I asked her when I left. She said she had something to do and wasn't coming back."

Xu Ran shook her head. "Oh, Na'er works so hard at her cultivation. I hope she doesn't wear herself out."

With that, she went back to her work.

Having answered Xu Ran's questions, Lu Guan began chewing his apple more and more slowly.

A problem suddenly occurred to him.

Na'er? Was she really that hardworking?

Would she skip coming home to have fun just to cultivate?

The more Lu Guan thought about it, the more something seemed off. He took out his Soul Communication Device and called Na'er.

"Ring... ring... ring..."

No one answered.

Lu Guan called again. Still no answer.

Huh?

Next time, I'm not answering her calls.

Lu Guan shook his head. Would Na'er really ignore his calls?

Surely she hadn't grown that bold.

Lu Guan found Leng Yaozhu's number and called her. As Na'er's teacher, she would surely know what Na'er was doing.

The call connected quickly, and Leng Yaozhu's voice came through.

"Lu Guan? Did you need something?"

"Aunt Leng, is Na'er with you? I can't reach her."

Leng Yaozhu replied from the other end, "Na'er isn't with me. She and Gu Yue both asked for leave, saying they wanted to look around nearby. Those two girls usually don't get along. It's rare for them to go out together."

"Gu Yue and Na'er asked for leave together?" Lu Guan seized on the key point.

"Yes. Don't worry. With Gu Yue there, nothing will happen."

After exchanging a few more words, Lu Guan ended the call. Holding the device, he frowned more deeply by the moment.

Gu Yue and Na'er, together.

If those two had joined forces, it definitely wasn't anything simple.

Others might not know their true identities, but Lu Guan did.

Oh, Silver Dragon King, Silver Dragon King.

When things strayed from the ordinary, something sinister was surely afoot.

Anything that could get both of them to act together and temporarily set aside their differences most likely concerned Soul Beasts!

And there were some matters Lu Guan could get involved in himself.

For instance-

The Golden Dragon King Bloodline! Tang Wulin!

At that thought, Lu Guan could not help feeling tempted. But after considering it, he took no action.

Ever since he had broken through to Soul Elder and learned that little Nightmare could devour Nightmare's blood essence, Lu Guan had entertained ideas about the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.

After all, the Golden Dragon King was part of the Dragon God. His power was beyond question.

With the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, Lu Guan could try merging with it himself, or let little Nightmare try it.

But that was far too fanciful.

Never mind how he would snatch food from a tiger's jaws. Even if he succeeded, what if Gu Yue turned her spear on him? How would he survive the Ferocious Beasts? Was he supposed to pin his hopes on the God of Love intervening too?

At that thought, Lu Guan stopped dwelling on it and dug into his food.

After dinner, Lu Guan headed for his bedroom.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The air around him suddenly changed.

The familiar furnishings vanished in an instant. His desk, wardrobe, and window were all swallowed by a thick layer of darkness.

As far as he could see, there was only endless darkness.

Lu Guan immediately went on alert, the blood and vital energy inside him surging to a boil.

Without any conscious prompting, his War Lord Demon Body burst forth!

Dark red demonic markings spread over his entire body. Six thick arms flung wide in the darkness, and the phantoms of five ancient weapons formed in his palms, giving off a piercing hum.

His Demon Body was warning him!

And its reaction was more violent than ever before!

All four of Lu Guan's eyes opened at once, warily scanning his surroundings.

A faint speck of light appeared in the deepest part of the darkness.

A stooped figure slowly emerged.

It was an old man.

The old man's body was translucent and frail to the extreme, as though a single gust of wind could scatter him.

The old man raised his head, his gaze passing through the darkness to settle on Lu Guan.

His shriveled lips parted slightly. "Child..."

His voice was hoarse, laden with the weariness of countless ages, and it rang directly inside Lu Guan's mind.

"Help me..."