Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

The Ancient Dragon Lair was a land of ruins.

Back then, a great battle happened for some reason, causing the underground channels of spiritual qi to collapse and severe leakage of spiritual qi. Cultivation became extremely difficult in this place. This was likely the main reason the dragons had relocated. In the years that followed, few demons or monsters ever appeared here.

However, after countless years of recovery, the Ancient Dragon Lair had regained about thirty percent of its former vitality. At the very least, its spiritual energy was now comparable to that of ordinary regions in the outside world. While it wasn't ideal for cultivation, it was enough to sustain life.

It was surprising, however, that a demonic dragon would choose to return to this place now.

According to the three from the High Moon Kingdom, the Far West had been unusually chaotic in recent years, with frequent demonic disasters affecting the kingdoms in the Western Regions. This demonic dragon was probably from the Far West.

Thus, Chu Liang proceeded with extreme caution.

He instructed the three youths to stay behind and follow stealthily. Then, he turned into a gust of wind, slicing through the sky and reaching the source of the dragon's roar in no time.

On a distant cliff, a massive tree branch jutted out, shaped into a nest-like structure with vines and greenery. It was as large as a palace.

At the edge of the nest crouched a black-winged draconic descendant, its wings outstretched. Its crimson eyes, inky black scales, and menacing demonic aura sent chills down the spine. The strong scent of blood emanating from the nest revealed it to be a wicked and corrupted creature.

In the middle of the nest was a pile of bones, and nearby lay several unconscious women.

It was clear that the dragon responsible for abducting young women was right in front of him.

As Chu Liang drew closer, the dragon seemed to catch his scent. It froze mid-stretch, narrowing its eyes as it scanned its surroundings cautiously.

"Grrr—"

Seeing this, Chu Liang decided to reveal himself. With a powerful leap, he transformed into a five-colored True Dragon and shot into the sky!

The dense, overwhelming power of his dragon breath made the black-winged dragon shudder at first. But its ferocious instincts quickly took over, and it bared its fangs at Chu Liang with a vicious roar.

"Roar—"

Chu Liang responded with a dazzling burst of light from his twin horns.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lightning and fire struck the black-winged dragon at the same time, slamming it to the ground. It howled in pain, writhing in agony.

With just one strike, one of its wings was burned to a crisp, and the other was broken. It would never be able to fly again.

It was furious. It raised its head and spat a blood-red beam toward Chu Liang. Yet with a sharp whistle of wind, Chu Liang twisted slightly and dodged the attack. Enhanced by the breath of the Wind Dragon, his speed far surpassed that of the black-winged dragon.

Chu Liang landed and unleashed a powerful burst of Divine Dragon Fire from his mouth.

Boom—

"RAAAAAAAR!" The black-winged dragon let out a gut-wrenching wail as the fire burned through its scales, reducing them to ash with loud crackling sounds.

At this point, the black-winged dragon had completely lost the will to fight. It just wished that it could escape with its life.

Despite the searing pain, it rolled over and made a desperate attempt to flee, leaping dozens of zhang in a single bound.

Meanwhile, after transforming into a dragon, a slim, purple-gold, scale-shaped mark appeared on Chu Liang's forehead.

At this moment, the scale on Chu Liang's forehead started flashing brightly. Then, a massive divine thunderbolt of extreme thickness descended from the heavens. It was Chu Liang's first time using the Dragon God Mark. As he was unsure of the power of this Dragon God Mark, he unleashed it at full strength.

Crack—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of deafening explosions rocked the mountains, making the entire cliff shake violently.

The black-winged dragon, already weakened with its scales destroyed by the Divine Dragon Fire, was instantly engulfed by the lightning strikes. Its defenses crumbled, and its body was torn apart.

Like the legendary Five-Lightning Heart of the Sky, when the divine lightning finally dissipated, all that remained were countless scales raining down to the ground with a crackling sound.

The massive demonic dragon had been completely reduced to dust by the lightning.

Such terrifying divine lightning.

Even Chu Liang was shocked by the strength of the Dragon God Mark. Although the attack had drained almost all his energy, the combination of divine lightning and fire created an unbelievably destructive force.

"Esteemed senior!"

As the dust settled, the three youths rushed to the battlefield. Hearing the thunderous noise ahead, they grew worried and ran straight toward Chu Liang, not bothering to stay stealthy.

But upon arriving, they saw only Chu Liang standing there.

The three surrounded Chu Liang, their faces tense as they warily scanned the area. "Where's the demonic dragon?"

Chu Liang replied calmly, "It's everywhere."

…

After Chu Liang reassured the three youths that they weren't surrounded, they quickly leapt into the air and climbed up to the dragon's nest, calling out loudly for their princess.

Chu Liang followed, only to see their faces fall with disappointment.

The lair was filled with the stench of blood, and piles of bones told of countless innocent lives lost. The few young women who had survived sat trembling, their eyes filled with fear, clearly traumatized by the horror they had endured.

Qi Lingmu shook his head and said, "Our princess isn't here."

Qi Lingyue frowned, her gaze fixed on the pile of bones. "Could she have…"

"She wouldn't!" Qi Lingshan said firmly. "The princess is blessed with good fortune. There's no way she ended up as food for the demonic dragon."

"Exactly," Chu Liang agreed. "You mentioned she's only been missing for two days. Judging by the condition of these bones, they've been here for months. It's likely she wasn't taken by this dragon at all."

"You're right, esteemed senior. We can't give up hope," Qi Lingmu said. "We'll go back and continue investigating, and we will find the princess."

He then turned to Chu Liang and said, "We're deeply grateful for your help, esteemed senior. Why not come back with us to Grand Wind Hall and let us host you?"

Chu Liang was tempted to decline. He had been away for too long and wanted nothing more than to return to Mount Shu.

However, Chu Liang remembered that before disappearing, he had killed the Thirteenth Prince of the Yu Dynasty. He wasn't sure how things had played out since then. If the Celestial Charm Sect had managed to pin the blame on him, going back unprepared could cause trouble.

It was safer to gather information before showing up again.

Moreover, the High Moon Kingdom held a critical position. With Red Cotton Peak and Taotie City fiercely competing for its Crimson Moon Celestial Grass, forming good relations there could be helpful for the Mount Shu Sect.

But most importantly, there was the message he saw in the United Hearts Jade inside his storage artifact.

With that in mind, Chu Liang nodded slightly and said, "That works."

Qi Lingmu raised his hand, summoning a small airship into the sky. It was a sleek and elegant craft, big enough to seat four or five people.

He turned and gestured, saying, "Esteemed senior, please."

Qi Lingshan chimed in, "Take the esteemed senior and the girls back on the airship. I'll fly back with Ah Yue[1]."

He added wistfully, "I wish I had one too."

Qi Lingyue chuckled, "That's what you get for not winning the grand competition. If you had, that airship would've been yours."

Chu Liang smiled and said, "Why not take mine? It's a bit bigger, and we can all fit."

With that, he raised his hand and summoned the Lianglong.

With a thunderous roar, a massive airship appeared in the sky, its size overshadowing even the nest nearby. Though its colorful design was a bit garish, its materials and craftsmanship were unmistakably top-notch.

Compared to this, Qi Lingmu's small airship looked like it had disappeared completely.

You call this "a bit bigger"?

Chu Liang had once been among the wealthiest in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, let alone when compared to youths from a small kingdom in the Western Regions. Their jaws dropped at the sight of such lavishness, and they looked at him with even greater admiration.

Qi Lingshan said in surprise, "I never would've guessed! Your clothes looked so shabby, but you turned out to be so impressive."

"Ahem," Chu Liang chuckled awkwardly. "It's called 'beggar chic.' You wouldn't get it."

As Qi Lingyue boarded the airship, she laughed and said, "Esteemed senior, you're amazing. Your beggar chic really makes you look just like a real beggar."

Once aboard, they were even more astonished.

Not only was the airship's exterior crafted from premium materials, but the interior was also equally remarkable. The interior was adorned with intricate formation patterns and equipped with top-tier enchanted tools. Its level of luxury was beyond anything they could imagine, even if they spent their entire lives exploring the Western Regions.

"Guide me to the destination," Chu Liang said with a slight smile, and the Lianglong roared to life.

While piloting the airship, Chu Liang extended his divine sense elsewhere.

Earlier, he had noticed that the United Hearts Jade was packed with messages—dozens of them, all from Jiang Yuebai over the years.

It seemed she had sent a message to him through the United Hearts Jade every time she arrived somewhere new, even though she never received a reply.

I'm leaving Mount Shu… where are you? When will you return?

I'll be traveling across the Southern Regions with my father…

We're heading to Muzhi City…

Six years' worth of messages flooded into Chu Liang's heart all at once.

The most recent one read: We're going to the Western Regions.

1. Referring to Qi Lingyue ☜