All Sneaky Bastards

"Master, it's absolutely true." Hu Mei'er, the nine-tailed fox, looked at Tang Yuan with complete sincerity.

"Some years ago, I wandered into the Earth Flood Dragon's territory by mistake and learned that it was guarding this Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud.

"Four years ago, you saved my life and became the master of Huang You'er and me. You also asked about the Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud. I should have told you, but the Earth Flood Dragon was at Qi Refinement Great Perfection and far too powerful. I was afraid you'd be in danger, so I didn't say anything."

"Then why are you telling me about the Earth Flood Dragon now?" Tang Yuan frowned slightly.

"It's because the Earth Flood Dragon is about to break through to Foundation Establishment and will surely face a heavenly tribulation.

"If it fails to survive the tribulation, wouldn't the Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud fall right into your hands?

"But when the Earth Flood Dragon faces its tribulation, there will surely be strange phenomena in the heavens, which will inevitably draw high-level cultivators. Quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators might even go there.

"So it would be best if you didn't go, Master. If you do intend to go, you must be extremely careful and wait to see how things unfold. If things look bad, flee at once.

"Meier and Youer truly don't want anything to happen to you, Master..." Hu Mei'er gazed at Tang Yuan.

"You mean I should go hoping to pick up the leftovers? Fight if I can win, and run if I can't?" The corner of Tang Yuan's mouth twitched. Those two are afraid that if I die, there'll be no one left to bring them Spirit Stones and buy them pills, aren't they?

"That's exactly what I mean," Hu Mei'er said with concern.

Tang Yuan nodded. After thinking for a moment, he decided to make the trip after all. There was no helping it: he couldn't bring his cultivation in the Demon Realm back to the Human Realm. And in the Human Realm, because he cultivated a lower-grade sixth-rank Cultivation Method, his cultivation advanced far too slowly. Three years had passed without the slightest progress. Now he could only hope to obtain some heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Demon Realm and bring them back to the Human Realm, giving himself a few more means of staying alive...

In the Demon Realm, cultivators at Late-stage Qi Refinement could fly with their physical bodies alone, but Tang Yuan had still bought a Spirit Stone-powered spirit boat to conserve spiritual power and increase his speed.

With the aid of the spirit boat, Tang Yuan's flying speed was comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Following the directions Hu Mei'er had given him, Tang Yuan drove the spirit boat on his way.

After flying for seven days and seven nights, hurrying as fast as he could, Tang Yuan finally reached the place where the Earth Flood Dragon would face its tribulation: the Chaotic Constellation Sea.

The islands in the sea were as countless as the constellations in the sky.

Taking out the survey map Hu Mei'er had drawn, Tang Yuan wound his way back and forth, diving underwater one moment and passing through mountains the next. After another four hours and more, he reached a stretch of sea shrouded in mist.

Tang Yuan cast the Golden Light Shield and passed through the fog, finally reaching a deserted island several hundred li across.

Miasma hung over the deserted island. Dark clouds filled the sky, and thunder boomed amid flashes of lightning.

Tang Yuan frowned. Could the Earth Flood Dragon have faced its tribulation early? Am I too late?

Just as Tang Yuan was feeling somewhat disappointed, a male cultivator suddenly flew out of the miasma and came rushing toward him in a panic.

Tang Yuan had just taken out Azure Edge when he let out a sigh of relief. The newcomer was none other than an old acquaintance: Luo Ningran.

"Brother Tang, what brings you here too?

"Did you also come for the Earth Flood Dragon's demon core?" Luo Ningran was somewhat surprised as well.

Tang Yuan nodded. "Brother Luo, didn't you reach Qi Refinement Great Perfection last year? Why does your cultivation seem to have dropped to the Qi Refinement Tenth Layer now?"

Luo Ningran waved a hand. "Don't remind me. I failed to break through to Foundation Establishment last year. Fortunately, I had taken a Foundation-Fortifying Foundation Establishment Pill. That was the only reason my body wasn't destroyed and my Dao extinguished; my cultivation merely dropped to the Qi Refinement Tenth Layer.

"Speaking of which, have you asked your master for the Bi Crow Moon Gang Spiritual Qi again?

"This time, I want to buy two strands. Nine thousand Spirit Stones, take it or leave it.

"I want to refine two Foundation-Fortifying Foundation Establishment Pills this time. With the insight and experience I gained from attempting the breakthrough last year, I'll definitely reach Foundation Establishment this time."

"How could Bi Crow Moon Gang be so easy to ask for? Even with my master's Nascent Soul cultivation, it isn't that easy to obtain.

"Wait a little longer. I'll do my best to get you two strands within twenty years." Tang Yuan curled his lip. The main issue was that he still couldn't forge Bi Crow Moon Gang himself.

Luo Ningran nodded in agreement, showing little disappointment.

"Speaking of which, what's going on inside? Did the Earth Flood Dragon survive its tribulation?" Tang Yuan looked toward the mountains shrouded in miasma.

"Don't remind me. The Earth Flood Dragon is still facing its tribulation, but I advise you to leave quickly too." Terror showed on Luo Ningran's face. "Although that Earth Flood Dragon's cultivation is only comparable to Qi Refinement Great Perfection, its Divine Ability is extremely bizarre.

"The three Foundation Establishment cultivators who joined forces to kill it just now were all swallowed and eaten. More than a dozen Late-stage Qi Refinement and Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivators died too. I only managed to escape by luck because I had a Law Treasure from my Lineage.

"The Earth Flood Dragon is setting up a formation now. Once it's complete, no cultivator will be able to escape. I advise you to leave quickly too, Brother Tang."

"It's fine. I won't enter the miasma; I'll just watch from here. What if the Earth Flood Dragon fails?" Tang Yuan raised his eyebrows.

"Brother Tang, just watch the excitement here for a little while. I doubt you'll get to pick up any leftovers. Nine times out of ten, this Earth Flood Dragon will survive its tribulation.

"I slashed it just now, and it set its sights on me. I have to withdraw first." Luo Ningran patted Tang Yuan on the shoulder, formed a hand seal, and flew south through the air.

Tang Yuan put on the Wall God Robe, concealed his presence, and hid himself.

After he had waited quietly for more than an hour, three enormous bolts of lightning struck down from the sky at intervals, and the miasma among the mountains gradually dispersed. Only then did Tang Yuan head toward the mountains. There had been no sign of ascension, and three bolts of heavenly tribulation lightning had already struck. It seemed the Earth Flood Dragon had most likely failed its tribulation.

When he flew to the mountaintop, the carnage that met his eyes made Tang Yuan's stomach churn: cultivators' severed limbs and scraps of internal organs lay scattered everywhere for several li around.

The Earth Flood Dragon, with two horns on its head and two claws on its body, was more than ten zhang long. Now its scales had burst apart, its eyes were wide open, and its body lay coiled on the ground, charred black and without the slightest breath of life.

A palm-sized azure jade box lay at the center of its coils, guarded by the Earth Flood Dragon.

According to Hu Mei'er, the Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud was inside the jade box.

As a fellow member of the serpent race, Tang Yuan couldn't help feeling a little saddened at the sight of the Earth Flood Dragon, which had failed its tribulation.

Tang Yuan revealed himself and cupped his hands in salute to the Earth Flood Dragon. "Senior, please rest in peace. I won't take your demon core.

"Once your eyes are closed, I'll cremate you myself, so your corpse won't be left exposed in the wilderness, Senior."

Tang Yuan did not rush to take the jade box. Instead, he first reached out to close the Earth Flood Dragon's eyes.

He had just closed its eyes and had yet to pay his respects again when sinister cackling suddenly rang out all around him.

"While the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind! It seems the five of us will render our master an immortal service this time. Your senior brother didn't make you lie in wait on this barren mountain for seven days and seven nights for nothing.

"Not only can we obtain the Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud this time, but we can also get the Earth Flood Dragon's demon core. As for its bones, they can be made into several fine staffs.

"That wicked flood dragon wantonly took the lives of more than twenty of our fellow disciples, yet this human cultivator actually paid his respects to it.

"How merciful, how merciful.

"Let's make this human cultivator's skin into a pellet drum and his skull into a ritual bowl, to deliver him from the evil karma he has incurred."

Five yellow-robed Buddhist Cultivation practitioners suddenly sprang out of the surrounding woods and gradually closed in.

Without a word, one of the Buddhist Cultivation practitioners immediately threw out a string of kapala prayer beads, sealing the jade box in place.

Hearing that the Buddhist Cultivation practitioners intended to make him into Law Artifacts, Tang Yuan couldn't suppress a shiver. *Damn it, I was careless. With so many sneaky bald donkeys around, I should have waited longer.

All five of them have higher cultivation than me. It seems this Dragon Skeleton Jade Mud isn't destined to be mine.

"You five bald humans dare to covet this venerable one's life-bound golden core?" The Earth Flood Dragon suddenly opened its eyes and raised its body.

"Damn, so this Earth Flood Dragon wasn't dead after all.

"After all that, everyone here's a sneaky bastard." The corner of Tang Yuan's mouth twitched, and he let out a quiet breath...