The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Watching the wolf-rhinoceros gradually disappear into the distance, Lu Xiaosan seemed to be pondering something.

He glanced sideways in thought, and after a while, finally turned to Wen Ying beside him. He hesitated, looking quite troubled.

He met Wen Ying's gaze and saw a hint of resentment in her eyes, which made him realize that she already knew what he meant.

"Brother Lu, how come you've lost even this much confidence?" Wen Ying asked him, tilting her head.

Lu Xiaosan raised his head and said, "Hmph, it's not that I lack confidence!"

But his eyes quickly dimmed, as if he had thought of something, "I...I'm just scared..."

Wen Ying smiled and said, "That's because you lack confidence. I've always believed that you can take down that evil dragon with your own hands and prevent anyone from getting hurt."

Looking at her expression, Lu Xiaosan was unsure whether to feel sad or happy...

Because of that axe blow from the wolf rhinoceros, he experienced what it meant to feel regret when facing death.

Such resentment was utterly insignificant compared to the self-blame and sorrow he felt for almost losing Wen Ying because of his recklessness.

He was already determined to take down that fool, and he hadn't even considered the possibility of his own defeat. However, if Wen Ying went with him, he would inevitably have some reservations...

After much deliberation, the best course of action is for me to go into battle, while she takes her two elder brothers to wait on the shore.

Just as Lu Xiaosan was about to speak, Wen Ying interrupted him.

"So, you'll take me with you, right?" Wen Ying looked at him with a smile, her azure eyes carrying a hint of authority.

Lu Xiaosan was filled with mixed emotions, and finally, like a woman, she stammered, "You...I..."

"Stop talking, I know you want me to leave. But you should know that I don't have a water shield on my head, and I can't live without your Buddhist beads..." Wen Ying said with her hands on her hips in an almost commanding tone.

"It's okay, we'll just wait here. We'll make you a hood when those two lazybones wake up, like this..."

“I think it will be another hour or so before they wake up. If things are really as chaotic as your second brother said, do you have the patience to wait?” Wen Ying deliberately pressed on this point.

Lu Xiaosan panicked, "I!!" Then his face darkened, "No..."

Wen Ying was overjoyed and stepped forward to hug his arm, laughing, "That's right, what patient would shake off their doctor?"

He figured most people would avoid him like the plague, but now that she was embracing him with such a lovely and beautiful smile and saying those words, he was quite surprised.

As a result, Lu Xiaosan's defenses completely collapsed, leaving only her cheeks faintly flushed, and she could no longer utter any rebuttal.

However, he still tried to hide his crumbling defenses. He deliberately turned his head to the side and tried to remain calm, saying, "Ahem, well... then you'd better stay close to me and never stray from the Buddha's light!"

Wen Ying smiled and replied, "Okay," then hugged him even tighter.

This hug made Lu Xiaosan feel a sense of tension she had never experienced before.

He looked around, trying to quickly escape this feeling that warmed his heart but made him feel uncomfortable all over.

He finally caught sight of the two unconscious men on the ground, and hurriedly asked, "Then... what about the two brothers? Are we going to drag them along to fight that stupid fish?"

“No need. Just leave them here. As long as the dragon doesn’t destroy this place, they will be safer,” Wen Ying said.

Lu Xiaosan nodded at the two older brothers, but then seemed to suddenly see the strange eight-knife's face twitch. "Hmm? Could it be... could it be that he's afraid of dying and is pretending on purpose!" Lu Xiaosan thought to himself.

With a malicious smile, Lu Xiaosan walked up with Wen Ying, saying insincerely, "Big brother, you two sleep here first, I'll come back to save you after I've helped second brother."

As he was speaking, his hand somehow ended up in the armpit of the eccentric man, and he started scratching and clawing wildly...

"Hmm!" The strange eight-blade seemed to let out a very soft exclamation, but unfortunately, it was only that one sound. In addition, there was an iron cover over his mouth, so his expression could not be seen at all.

Lu Xiaosan pondered, "Hmm... I can't tell. I wonder what the other brother is like?" After saying that, he was about to go and test the powder of Laoshan.

To everyone's surprise, Wen Ying said, "Let's... forget it. If this is their choice, then we shouldn't try to force them to change it..."

Lu Xiaosan was taken aback upon hearing this, "But...we're brothers..."

Lu Xiaosan pondered for a moment, then said firmly, "I believe in them. Once they've rested enough here, they'll come looking for me and my second brother!"

“Well, since you believe them, I believe them too,” Wen Ying said.

"Let's go, little golden retriever." After saying that, the two of them, holding their prayer beads, walked together in the direction the wolf-rhinoceros had come from.

As we walked along the dark passage, the light gradually brightened, and the road ahead opened up.

At the top of the stream, there was a bright opening. The two floated upstream with the current and came out of the opening into a dilapidated hall.

Inside the hall, the rumbling sounds could be clearly heard, each accompanied by violent tremors.

"It's probably that stupid fish."

The two rushed outside the hall, and the scene before them left them speechless.

But above the ruined city, the sky above the lake, which should have been a clear blue, was now obscured by something dark.

In the darkness, there were only two enormous red spheres, as bright as the sun, which were the dragon's two eyes.

It can be vaguely seen that what covers the entire lake is only the head of the dragon.

At this moment, the dragon's head began to turn slightly, and booming roars continued to echo...

“No wonder…no wonder your second brother tried to stop you…such a behemoth…who else but me would believe that you can subdue it?” Wen Ying said in a trembling voice.

As it spoke, the dragon's eyes suddenly glared angrily, and red light burst forth from its mouth.

The scene was as if a thousand miles of lava had spewed forth, followed by a sudden burst of red light at the southern end, and everything was reduced to nothingness in the crimson waves…

Wen Ying covered her mouth, staring incredulously at everything before her. "He had clearly transformed into a dragon, yet...why did he kill his own...people...and destroy his own home? Was he out of his mind? Or is this simply his nature?"

"This guy has completely gone mad. He's forgotten who he is! Well... I have no reason to spare his life," Lu Xiaosan said angrily.

The intense firelight illuminated the enormous dragon head in the sky, making it flicker between light and shadow.

Only then did we realize that, apart from the eyes, the rest of the dragon was still a stone carving.

"Hmph, you're just a stinky fish turned into a big rock, how could you be a match for me! Little Golden Hair, stick close to me!" Lu Xiaosan said sternly.

"Hmm." The two of them flew towards it swiftly, relying on the prayer beads. They moved so fast that even though they flew so far, the distance between them and the giant dragon seemed to remain unchanged.

It is so enormous that perhaps only by flying out of the city can one truly feel the change in distance between them.

"Hey! You lowly, stupid fish, you stinky fish, your grandpa's here!" Lu Xiaosan shouted hysterically at the dragon.

But the dragon didn't even glance at it; its giant red eyes were fixed on one direction.

What he was looking at was only a tiny black dot.

As they flew closer, they realized that the black dot was none other than a wolf-rhinoceros.

"Stop, Father, there are innocent people outside..." the wolf-rhinoceros said to the dragon, holding a giant axe.

The dragon glared angrily, showing no intention of backing down despite its son's request.

Seeing the look in its eyes, the wolf-rhinoceros shook its head self-deprecatingly. "What am I doing? From the moment you became like this, you were no longer my father. And I can no longer rely on you..."

The wolf-rhinoceros looked down at the giant axe in its hands, its hands trembling involuntarily, its eyes filled with regret, remorse, and anger.

He wanted to fight to the death, but in the end, the guy in front of him was still his own father, Yan Ci. Even though he had made up his mind, it was difficult for him to swing his full strength at him.

"If that's the case, I might as well die at my father's hands. That way, I won't be disobedient to my father, and I'll be worthy of the creatures of East Lake..." Wolf Rhino thought to himself.

The wolf-rhinoceros was about to let go...

"Ta Ye, you ugly, stinking, stupid fish, you'll never be worthy of becoming a dragon. Even if you do, I'll tear you apart!" Lu Xiaosan's voice came from afar.

The dragon's eyes instantly flipped, and its cold, knife-like red eyes locked onto Lu Xiaosan, who was as insignificant as a sesame seed.

His words must have hit a nerve.