Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 538 Dragon Vein True Spirit
"An illusion? You saw through it?"

Yun Xiao stared intently at the dragon vein tortoise before him, its size comparable to a mountain.

Lu Zheng said, "Didn't the Taoist priest say that there was something wrong with the dragon vein here? Since we can't see it, there must be some kind of illusion to deceive others from peeping."

Yun Xiao chuckled and said, "You trust me, don't you? Whether this is a smokescreen or not, we'll have to get closer to see, but it could easily cause a disturbance..."

With a flick of his sleeve, Yun Xiao conjured up a pile of spiritual materials.

He planned to concoct several array plates and make a few jade talismans as a precaution.

Yun Xiao said to Lu Zhengdao, "Do you have any materials on you? You can contribute some now..."

Lu Zheng asked, "What does the Taoist priest need?"

Yun Xiao opened his mouth and recited a long list of materials.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng searched his little world and found some items, which he then gave to Yun Xiao.

Yun Xiao clicked his tongue and said, "You really have all sorts of things on you."

"Oh, right, I think he has some kind of secret-concealing treasure on him, wait a minute..."

While making the array plate, Yun Xiao instructed, "If this dragon vein has really been tampered with, it will inevitably attract powerful barbarian warriors. My avatar can't withstand the strain, so you young people will have to bear the brunt..."

"If we really can't beat them, I have a backup plan. We're all lucky people, so we're sure we won't be in any danger."

Hearing Yun Xiao's explanation, Qing Wan felt uneasy.

Qingwan couldn't help but say, "This dragon vein has a lot of luck. If those people can change the dragon vein here, they will definitely be able to control it. When such a large dragon vein is suppressed, even if we have great fortune, it won't be enough to sustain us, right?"

Qingwan was somewhat aware of the methods used by certain high-level cultivators.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but say, "You little girl, are you afraid of having your luck diminished? If that's the case, I'll find a way to make it up to you later! If things really turn out as I suspect, we've uncovered a huge conspiracy. When we get to Chengdu, even the Emperor will reward us..."

Yun Xiao felt that since he had come all this way, he couldn't have come for nothing; he had to do something to gain some benefits.

Before long, Yun Xiao concocted several magical artifacts and then led Lu Zheng and the other two to approach the dragon vein.

Lu Zheng activated a treasure on his body to conceal the aura of the crowd.

As they approached the dragon vein, the dark earth vein energy was as thick as mist, permeating the area around Lu Zheng and his companions.

"pity……"

Yun Xiao muttered to himself that such dragon energy was not a good thing for them; it was a highly poisonous substance.

If it were a local cultivator, they would probably regard such dragon energy as a treasure.

Passing through the thick dragon energy, the group slowly arrived at the belly of the giant black tortoise.

The manifestation of this dragon vein is not a physical entity, but a spiritual one, which is why it is possible to reach the center. However, reaching the center of the dragon vein directly is not an easy task.

Yun Xiao looked at the dragon vein spirit body so close at hand, took a deep breath, and said, "Whether it's real or fake, we'll know once we test it..."

If this giant tortoise is an illusion, he has the ability to create an opening in it.

If it's the dragon vein itself, then there's nothing to say.

Yun Xiao made a hand seal, and several array plates shone brightly. Countless tiny magic seals were generated in the blink of an eye, turning into a beam of white light that struck a spot on the belly of the giant tortoise.

For a dragon vein thousands of feet in size, this attack is almost negligible.

Yun Xiao looked serious as he watched the white light slowly break through the dragon energy, then beckoned Lu Zheng and the others to follow him in.

Yun Xiao sensed the surrounding aura and whispered, "It should be an illusion. This is not the real main body of the dragon vein. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to break through a gap..." Yun Xiao had seen some dragon veins before. Even inactive dragon veins had a stronger pressure the closer you got. It wouldn't be so easy to penetrate into a dragon vein.

The group walked slowly for over a hundred feet when they suddenly felt the dragon energy around them thinning.

After walking a little further, the space suddenly opened up.

A colossal creature appeared in everyone's sight.

It was a black, dragon-shaped creature, coiled up where the dragon's aura was permeating.

Around the black dragon, there were also chains of spiritual energy binding it.

The other end of those chains comes from nothingness, and its destination is unknown.

Looking at the black dragon, Yun Xiao couldn't help but say, "I knew it, this is the real dragon vein..."

Yun Xiao's eyes flashed with a strange light; the true Southern Frontier Dragon Vein was inside the giant tortoise.

Yun Xiao examined the half-dead dragon vein before him and clicked his tongue, saying, "Interesting, they really have guts!"

"The black tortoise we just saw is, in essence, the southern border's dragon vein that had been suppressed for a long time. However, someone tampered with the dragon vein and the stone tablet, weakening the seal. They then gathered the main dragon vein energy into a new dragon vein, which became this black dragon. The large tortoise outside was just an empty shell, used to deceive people..."

"They made arrangements inside the dragon vein, slowly absorbing and diverting the dragon energy from this place..."

“The Shu government wouldn’t come to see this place for ten years. If we hadn’t come here, they would have had to move this dragon vein away in a few years.”

"When something unexpected happens in southern Xinjiang, no one will know what's going on!"

Yun Xiao shook his head, thinking to himself that the government really didn't take the Southern Frontier Dragon Vein seriously. Hadn't they noticed anything unusual all these years?

Upon hearing this, Qingwan couldn't help but ask, "Shall we report this to the authorities?"

Yun Xiao stroked his beard, his eyes darting around. Going directly to the authorities would be the safest way, but he wouldn't get any benefits.

If they solve the problem of the dragon vein, they will receive the greatest credit.

In fact, even if one were to file a complaint with the authorities, they would still need to invite a highly skilled person to resolve the issue.

If we're talking about truly exceptional individuals, Yun Xiao felt that, apart from himself, there was probably no one else in the entire Southern Frontier region…

Although he is just a dharma body, he can still use many techniques if someone cooperates with him.

Just as Yun Xiao was lost in thought, the dragon vein that had been entrenched there suddenly trembled.

The black dragon seemed to sense something, slowly opening its eyes and looking at the location where Lu Zheng and the others were.

The black dragon's eyes were filled with endless weariness and pain; as the dragon vein of the southern border, it had become a living being.

Being suppressed for hundreds of years is nothing to it, after all, as a dragon vein, it can only live in one place. It's just that its power can no longer be released at will as before.

In recent years, however, some people have been constantly draining its dragon energy, making it weaker and weaker, and even causing it to feel continuous pain.

If things continue like this, the dragon vein will realize that it is doomed to perish.

The black dragon looked towards where Lu Zheng and the others were. It didn't see any people, but it could sense that there were living beings there, and that there was hope for its release. This was the intuition of an extraordinary being.

"Roar……"

The black dragon slightly opened its mouth and let out a weak yet pleading roar.

(End of this chapter)