My filial piety will never change

Ao Bibi raised her head and hummed softly, "But at least I can live a few more days and not die now!"

Ao Jiu said proudly, "To be honest, I'm not convinced I've lost to you. Cultivation, talent, and intelligence—everything is far superior to yours. But there's one thing I'm inferior to: luck. Ao Bibi, do you know why the dragon race never interacts with humans? It's because humans are the most cunning and treacherous. They're helping you this way simply because they covet our dragon race's treasures. If the dragon race becomes human slaves, will you have the face to face your ancestors, your parents, after you die?"

Ao Bibi, who had always had a bad temper, was unusually calm at this moment. "If it were before, I would have been in a state of panic, because this is the inner demon before my transformation. But now I want to say that luck is also a part of strength. I don't know what they think deep down, but I have gained so much from them. Even if they want my most precious things, I am willing to give them. Ao Jiu, the reason why the dragon race is declining is because of their complacency and internal strife, which has led to the depletion of resources in the South China Sea. And your recent actions have further plunged the South China Sea into disaster. Look at this turbid water, the fish and crabs that are no longer thriving, how can you still have the face to talk about the dignity of the dragon race in front of your ancestors? To put it bluntly, you are just a selfish guy."

Ao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head again in silence. This little girl, who he had once hunted like a dog, had already made him look at her with new eyes.

Seeing him silent, Ao Bibi continued, "If you still have a trace of attachment and concern for the dragon race in your heart, tell me everything you know."

Ao Jiu raised his head, looked at Zhao Yuchen and his group, and said in a deep voice: "I will tell you, but I will only tell you one person. As for whether you reveal it later or not, I have no control over it."

Zhao Yuchen and Sheng Ying looked at each other without saying a word, and left the matter to Ao Bibi.

She is now the Dragon King, and sooner or later she will have to stand on her own. She should be given ample room to develop.

Ao Bibi was quite touched by their trust. After they left, she looked at Ao Jiu again and said, "Let's talk about the spring first. Is it true?"

Ao Jiu said: "It's true."

"We searched your storage bag and your residence, but we didn't find the so-called compass."

"The compass is in the secret cave I built. I will tell you its location and how to open it later."

"What is the identity of the old turtle?"

"He's called 'Red Dragon.' He gave me the compass, asking me to join him in searching for the spring. But halfway through, I discovered the spring needed the Azure Dragon Token to truly reveal itself. A while ago, the Azure Dragon Token appeared and fell into your hands, and you were hiding in Yin Yang Valley. Due to the Yin Yang Valley's influence in the south, Red Dragon couldn't directly attack the human race due to the rules. I had no choice but to take advantage of the Continental Summit to lure you to the South China Sea and set a trap to capture you."

After Ao Bibi digested this information, she continued to ask, "Why did Hong Lu specifically help you find the spring?"

This question made Ao Jiu's eyes focus, and he said: "For the rise of the divine beast clan."

"The divine beast clan?"

"In ancient times, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, four great mythical beasts, supported the world and were revered and worshipped by countless gods. Their prestige was unmatched. After the great war, these mythical beast clans fell apart and gradually declined. Our South Sea Dragon Clan is descended from the Azure Dragon. The Red Tortoise is a descendant of the Black Tortoise, and the descendants of the Vermillion Bird and White Tiger have also each gone into seclusion somewhere.

The four divine beasts began as ordinary monsters, but after soaking in the spring, they gained divine power and transformed into divine beasts. Normally, simply allowing their tribe to soak in the spring's waters would give rise to numerous powerful individuals. However, the four divine beasts struck a deal to seal the spring. Afterward, they left behind a compass for future generations.

Thus, the Azure Dragon clan guarded the South Sea, while the Black Tortoise clan guarded the compass. As time passed, this matter was gradually forgotten by their descendants. Until a year ago, the Black Tortoise clan discovered the compass and an ancient message inscribed on animal bones deep within the altar, learning the aforementioned secret. They immediately joined forces with the descendants of the White Tiger and Vermillion Bird clans and the South Sea Dragon clan, intent on restoring the glory of the ancient mythical beasts.

The subsequent developments are clear. Hong Juan, acting as a representative, traveled to the South China Sea to seek out Ao Jiu, intent on finding the spring. After repeated attempts failed, he resumed his research, only to discover that he needed the Azure Dragon Order. He then hastily devised a plan to seize the Azure Dragon Order.

Ao Bibi said, "If the Azure Dragon Token is the key to finding the spring, why doesn't Hong Juan go directly to Yin Yang Valley to seize it? With his True Immortal strength, he is completely confident of obtaining it."

"He said it was based on the rules."

"What rules?"

"I don't know the details, but he takes this rule very seriously."

"But he finally took action. To obtain the Azure Dragon Order."

"Maybe he was forced into this."

"You're not hiding information anymore?"

Ao Jiu said: "That's all I know, but as to whether Hong Juan has concealed anything, I don't know."

"How many True Immortals are there in the other three tribes?"

"A conservative estimate is four more."

"Then they can easily sweep across Yin Yang Valley. Why would they ask you to design it? Oh, no need to explain, it's about those mysterious rules again..."

Ao Jiu did not continue the topic because that was all he knew.

...

Ao Bibi spared his life for the time being and went back to report the situation to Zhao Yuchen.

Zhao Yuchen and Sheng Ying analyzed the situation and felt that something was amiss. The former asked, "You are also from the dragon clan. Have you never heard of the four divine beasts before?"

Ao Bibi shook her head: "No, because they have never had any dealings with the South China Sea. The older generation has all died..."

Shengying said, "Now we have the compass and the Azure Dragon Token. Let's find the spring first!"

"Row!"

Based on the information provided by Ao Jiu, they got the compass.

The compass and the Azure Dragon Order have a strange connection. When the compass is activated, the Azure Dragon Order actually acts as a pointer, pointing the correct direction of the spring.

A shocking ancient secret is about to be revealed...

Chapter 96 Bet

"Qinglong is so cunning that the spring is right at his doorstep!" Zhao Yuchen exclaimed.

After positioning, everyone arrived at the correct location of the spring, which was right at the main entrance of the big bubble in the middle of the Dragon Palace complex.

Moreover, the spring does not need to be dug. Under the guidance of the Qinglong Order, it automatically opens a downward transmission channel.

Therefore, Ao Jiu's previous efforts to make the South China Sea a mess were completely in vain.

The transmission channel rotated slowly, and the Azure Dragon Order was glowing. As the owner of the Azure Dragon Order, Ao Bibi felt an inexplicable throbbing deep in her soul.

She took a deep breath and said, "It seems there's more to it than just a spring."

Zhao Yuchen said, "Let's leave one person outside to guard. The rest of us can go in and take a look."

Qian Qing said faintly, "Then Qian Qing stays."

"It's better for them to stay too. We can form teams of two to look after each other." Sheng Ying said.

Zhao Yuchen nodded and said, "Okay, Ao Bibi and I will go in. I'll leave the outside to Second Master and Qian Qing."

Without saying much, he and Ao Bibi jumped into the transmission channel.

...

After a dizzying spin, the two of them landed on solid ground.

The scene before them immediately made them feel cold in their hearts.

The dome was crimson, the earth was black and red. Everywhere I looked was desolate.

Apart from the vibrations caused by their arrival, there was no extra sound.

The compass has stopped turning, but the Qinglong Order is still providing guidance.

In order to uncover the secret, they had no choice but to move forward.

Huge black stones can be seen everywhere on the ground, and there are endless mountains in the distance.

But there was no sign of any living thing, not even a blade of grass.

The good news is that their cultivation has not been affected in any way, and they still have room to maneuver if they encounter danger.

After a hundred miles, a stream lay ahead, its water flowing gently and full of vitality. Its color was a touch red, almost purple, and thick foam was floating on it.

Ao Bibi's eyes widened. "Could this be the water from the spring..."

Zhao Yuchen shrugged and said, "Just go and take a look and you'll know."

Qinglongling went up along the red stream, and after walking for more than a hundred miles, he saw a huge skull looming.

As the distance got closer, the skull became clearer.

This skull stood three hundred meters tall and over a hundred meters wide. Its overall shape resembled that of some animal, with a long, sharp fang at each corner of its mouth.

The huge mouth opened slightly, and a large amount of red water spit out from it, forming a blood-red waterfall that fell into a large pool on the ground. The overflowing water gathered into a stream and flowed downstream.

The Azure Dragon Order was buzzing at this time, extremely excited, and immediately broke away from Ao Bibi's control and flew into the skull's mouth.

Ao Bibi was dumbfounded again: "My Azure Dragon Order!"

As he said this, he was about to chase after him.

"Do not impulse."

Zhao Yuchen pulled him back, causing him to fall on his butt.

Ao Bibi stood up, rubbing her buttocks and said, "This is not the spring I imagined!"

Zhao Yuchen used the Eye of Insight to scan the skull and the pool of water, but found nothing, which meant that the level of this object exceeded his current ability.

After stroking his chin and thinking for a moment, he said, "This pool of water isn't normal."

Ao Bibi patted her chest and said, "Just try it and you'll know. My ancestor turned into a dragon after soaking it. This means that at least for the dragon race, there are no side effects."

"you sure?"

"Well. You can only know the specific situation after trying it. Isn't this the purpose of your coming to the South China Sea? The only thing I can do now is to explore the way for you..."

Zhao Yuchen patted her butt gently and said, "If there is anything unusual, speak up immediately and I will help you immediately."

Ao Bibi smiled brightly: "No venture, no gain. Bibi, go!"

After saying this, an old dog turned over, dived into the pool and disappeared.

I thought she would stick her head out soon, but after waiting for half a minute, there was still no movement.

Zhao Yuchen muttered, "Is he drowned?"

The Eye of Insight was broken, and his spiritual sense was unable to perceive the situation in the pool. The battle-hardened Zhao Yuchen realized that it was a bit hasty to let Ao Bibi enter the pool.

Just as he was about to approach the pool to investigate further, the entire pool began to shake violently and a large amount of bubbles emerged.

boom!

A blood-red dragon burst out of the pond and soared into the air. Its scales fell off bit by bit, the red faded, and was replaced by new silver-white scales.

After flying in the air for a while, it landed on the ground and turned back into human form. It was Ao Bibi.

Although her cultivation level has not changed at this moment, her temperament has changed greatly. She no longer has any worldly air and exudes a divine glow.

"It worked! This water really works! I feel full of energy!" Ao Bibi was so excited that she was about to take off her clothes and have a party.

Zhao Yuchen also breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I'll try it too."

Ao Bibi suddenly stopped smiling and pulled him back, "Don't go."

Zhao Yuchen was puzzled: "Why?"

Ao Bibi said, "This pool of water seems to be only useful for the monster race, and has no effect on humans."

"how do you know?"

"I know its properties after soaking it. So don't go."

"Then where is your Azure Dragon Token?"

"I have already become a divine dragon. The Azure Dragon Token has little effect on me. I don't need it. Let's go."

Zhao Yuchen pinched her cheek and said, "Tell me, what are you hiding?"

"Oh, let's go!" Ao Bibi took his hand and started running!

"Hahahaha!!!!" The skull suddenly laughed. "Youngster, since you're here, let's make the deal! Simply sign a contract with me and, within the specified timeframe, kill enough qualified creatures. By contributing their blood and energy to me, you'll gain a chance to transform."

"I see. There really is no such thing as a free lunch in this world." Zhao Yuchen looked at Ao Bibi. "Do you agree?"

Ao Bibi's face turned pale and she lowered her head. "Once I enter the pool, I either die or sign a contract. I have no choice. I know you don't like to kill people for no reason. You must not make this deal."

Zhao Yuchen asked: "Do you like killing for no reason?"

Ao Bibi said sadly: "Of course I don't like it..."

"Then let's erase this contract." Zhao Yuchen said softly.

"Haha!" The skull laughed again. "You ignorant brat! How can someone like you, who doesn't even have the cultivation level of a True Immortal, erase my contract?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuchen also smiled. "Since you are so confident, let's make a bet. If I can erase the contract, you will become my subordinate and unconditionally help my people transform. If I lose, I am willing to recruit more people for you and kill more lives for you. How about it? Or are you afraid of losing and dare not bet with an ant like me?"

"Hmph! Don't try to provoke me, young man. You're doomed to lose! Let's gamble!"

Chapter 97 Dead, but not completely dead

Both parties immediately used their respective divine thoughts to swear a blood oath and conclude an agreement.

The skull wasn't a fool, and wouldn't let Zhao Yuchen drag it out indefinitely. He only gave him twenty-four hours, during which he couldn't leave this world or kill his target. If Zhao Yuchen didn't succeed when the timer expired, he would lose.

The spiritual oath was taken and the bet began.

The two men moved away from the skull and found a relatively secluded area to set up camp.