RNP Chapter 861 Still Wants to Subdue
Chapter 861 Still Wants to Subdue
Long Tian saw through the struggle in her eyes, and his tone deepened, carrying a hint of elder brotherly seriousness: "Remember, you must report this matter truthfully to the clan elders when you return. You and I have both witnessed Long Shishen's strength; that 'Dragon Flame Break' could even cleave through the barrier of a thousand-year-old tree demon. It's no exaggeration to say he's a genius that appears only once in a century. If we can find a way to subdue him and make him work for our dragon clan, it will be a tremendous help to us guarding the ancient forest."
"Serve our dragon clan?" Long Jiao suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes filled with wariness and disbelief. "Brother, do you really think he would willingly submit to someone else? In my opinion, keeping such a powerful and uncontrollable expert around is always a hidden danger, like carrying a time bomb. It would be better to..." She made a swift throat-slitting motion, a ruthless glint in her eyes, "while he has no grudge against us now, killing him is the safest course of action."
Long Tian frowned, raising his hand to interrupt her, his voice resolute and unwavering: "Do you know how dire the Dragon Clan's situation is right now? The Fox Clan to the east, relying on their illusion magic, has repeatedly sneaked into our barrier; the Wolf Clan to the north is even more ambitious, having just swallowed the Bear Clan's territory to the west last month, and now they're eyeing the spiritual veins of our ancient forest. For years, we've been guarding this place, constantly fighting them openly and covertly. A slight misstep and we'll have a piece of our flesh torn off. Many of our young members have already perished." He took a deep breath, his voice heavy, "If we cut off our own arm now, do you really think those demon clans will let us go? Long Shishen's strength is enough to make any side wary. Keeping him alive will at least make those petty villains more cautious and dare not easily cross the border."
Long Jiao fell silent. The wind in the ancient forest still howled in her ears, as if echoing Long Tian's words. She gazed at the layered shadows of the trees in the distance, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns of light, and suddenly understood the deeper meaning of Long Tian's words. The Dragon Clan, seemingly powerful, was actually beset on all sides, like walking on the edge of a cliff, every step requiring utmost caution. What they needed most now was not to eliminate their rivals, but to accumulate strength, even if that strength carried unknown dangers. She slowly loosened her clenched fists, the aching in her fingertips gradually subsiding, and the resentment in her heart seemed to dissipate with the wind, fading somewhat.
"I understand," she whispered, no longer insisting on her own idea. She turned and sat down beside a smooth bluestone, cross-legged, and began circulating her Dragon Clan cultivation technique. Strands of spiritual energy flowed through her body, slowly nourishing her injured meridians. The burning pain in her wounds gradually lessened under the protection of the spiritual energy, but the image of Long Shishen's unfathomable eyes kept appearing in her mind—was what surged within those golden pupils indifference, or did it conceal a deeper scheming? Would this man truly become an ally of the Dragon Clan? Or was he himself a greater storm, destined to sweep through this ancient forest sooner or later?
Long Tian watched her quiet retreating figure and sighed softly. The wind in the ancient forest swirled up fallen leaves, drifting past their feet, as if silently recounting the ceaseless strife on this land. He raised his hand to press his temples, feeling as if the road ahead was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring his direction, yet he had no choice but to continue step by step.
The humans outside huddled at the edge of the forest, their feet seemingly rooted to the spot, none daring to take another step forward. The seemingly endless forest was right before them, yet no one dared to venture in lightly—after all, this was no ordinary forest, but the Mystic Forest, a place shrouded in legend within human territory.
Legend has it that this forest has been shrouded in thick fog since records began, a fog so dense it's like milk that can't be dissolved. During the day, you can't see a person more than three steps away, and at night, not even a sliver of moonlight can penetrate it. Some say that man-eating tree spirits lurk in the fog, preying on lost travelers; others say that those who go in never come out again, leaving not even a bone fragment behind, only occasionally echoing with screams from within the fog, sending chills down one's spine.
A few years ago, a reckless caravan, relying on its large numbers, tried to take a shortcut through the forest. However, they were swallowed up by a thick fog and disappeared without a trace after only half a mile. Later, someone found several torn hats with dark red stains on them on the outskirts of the forest. From then on, no one dared to mention crossing the forest again.
The hunters standing on the edge gripped their bows tightly, their eyes filled with apprehension. One of the older ones spat on the ground, his voice trembling, "Forget it, even if there were mountains of gold and silver inside, we wouldn't be alive to take them. This Misty Forest is too sinister; let's take a detour and not risk our lives."
Morning dew condensed into translucent beads on the grass blades, but it couldn't dispel the thick, impenetrable white fog at the edge of the forest. A dozen or so men who looked like hunters huddled behind an ancient tree, their bows and arrows already soaked with cold sweat, their eyes fixed on the churning fog—just half an hour ago, they had witnessed two golden and blue shadows sweep through the fog, the outline of dragon horns appearing and disappearing in the clouds, the dragon's roar shaking the ground.
"We can't go any further." The burly man leading the group swallowed hard, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Our ancestors said that the Misty Forest is a forbidden area, and we can't touch anything inside."
The tall, thin man next to him nodded repeatedly, the machete in his hand clattering to the ground: "That's a dragon... a legendary dragon that can ride the clouds! With our meager skills, we'd be nothing more than a mouthful of dust in there."
No one objected. The forest was like a colossal beast awakening, the white mist its breath, and every rustle of the leaves seemed to warn these intruders. In the end, they could only grit their teeth, turn around, and trudge back—this matter had to be reported to those above, to those powerful beings who could fly and disappear into the earth.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching all the major sects of the human race within half a day. The once tranquil outskirts of the Misty Forest were instantly filled with dozens of figures. Sword light and the spiritual energy of magical treasures intertwined in the air, making even the air feel scorching. At the forefront of the crowd, several white-haired elders sat cross-legged, their aura so oppressive that the surrounding young cultivators dared not even breathe—these were the supreme elders of various sects, who had lived for hundreds of years, usually in seclusion, but now they had all appeared together because of the news of the "dragon."
Wang Ran stood at the edge of the crowd, his face pale. As the inspector in charge of this area, he was the first to receive the news, but his hesitation delayed him by half an hour. By the time he arrived with his men, the powerful figures from various sects had already beaten him to it. Just as he was feeling annoyed, an aged voice suddenly rang out behind him, carrying an undisguised rebuke: "Wang Ran."
Wang Ran froze, slowly turning around to see Elder Xuan Chen of the Qingyun Sect squinting at him. The old man held a dragon-headed cane, its scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight—a treasure crafted from the bones of a thousand-year-old dragon he had slain years ago.