Chapter 16: Dragon Scales

Xia Jiuxuan stripped Xia Fu of all his resources and severed both his arms.

“Ahhh! Xia Jiuxuan, you’ll die a miserable death! Young Master Zhong will tear you to pieces! If you’ve got the guts, kill me! I’m not afraid of you!”

Xia Fu writhed on the ground in agony, his screams echoing with misery.

“Kill you? That would be too easy. Leaving you crippled for life is much better,” Xia Jiuxuan said, sealing his vital acupoints and severing his tendons, inflicting pain so intense that Xia Fu could neither live nor die.

At last, Xia Fu understood the torment of wishing for death but being unable to obtain it.

A while later, Xia Jiuxuan extended two fingers like a sword and carved a line of words onto Xia Fu’s chest:

“Come quickly to meet your death.

Signed: Xia Jiuxuan.”

His purpose? To ensure that Xia Zhong would have no peace when he saw these words, and to let him die amid endless rage and resentment.

“Get out of my sight.”

Xia Fu hadn’t expected this audacious man to leave him alive instead of killing him.

“Fine, fine, fine! You’ve done this to yourself, and you’re doomed, useless fool!” Xia Fu’s mind finally cleared; as long as he survived, Young Master Zhong would avenge him.

“When Xia Zhong arrives, make sure you come along. I’ll take your dog’s life as well,” Xia Jiuxuan said coldly.

“Of course, as you wish. I’ll be there to watch Young Master Zhong kill you with my own eyes!” Xia Fu gritted his teeth and crawled away.

He knew Xia Jiuxuan had undergone a tremendous change and now possessed some fighting power.

But so what? Xia Zhong’s strength and background were beyond his comprehension. Xia Jiuxuan was nothing but a frog in a well, walking blindly to his own doom.

Soon, regret and despair would follow.

…

Xia Jiuxuan returned to the hidden cave and inventoried his gains.

“Nine hundred pieces of crystal, eight types of demon blood, tuckahoe grass, Zanggu flower…”

With just a glance, Xia Jiuxuan understood that these herbs could be used to refine a pill called Golden Body Pill.

Taking one would rapidly condense the surrounding spiritual energy, forming a defensive layer.

However, Xia Jiuxuan had no intention of wasting so many ingredients on useless pills; these materials were perfect for tempering little Ranran’s body.

He found a massive stone and, using a black iron spear, carved it into a cauldron.

Adding the right amount of demon blood and herbs, he refined the concoction and prepared for Ranran to bathe in it. Later, he would employ a secret method to begin the tempering process.

“Ranran, it’s time for your bath.”

“Hmmph, I don’t want to.”

Seeing the demon blood, Ranran felt instinctive aversion.

“What’s this? Not listening to your second father now? Careful, or I’ll spank your little bottom.”

Ranran looked aggrieved.

“But I don’t know how to bathe. Sister Linghua always helped me before.”

“Ranran has grown up now and needs to learn to bathe herself. Hurry up, jump in.”

“Oh…”

Ranran reluctantly jumped into the stone cauldron.

“Wow, this feels so nice.”

The specially prepared demon blood bath was warm and comforting. All her reluctance vanished as she settled in.

“See? Your second father gives you only good things, yet you won’t listen.”

“Ranran knows she was wrong. I won’t make Second Father angry again.”

“That’s better. Now, use the breathing technique I taught you earlier.”

“What breathing technique?” Ranran looked confused.

“…”

Xia Jiuxuan was speechless, then said, “Just like when you sleep…”

“Ah, I know! That’s easy. Watch me, Second Father.”

Ranran grinned, crossed her little legs, and began the breathing practice. Within moments, she slipped into a state of total immersion.

“This girl has remarkable talent,” Xia Jiuxuan thought with immense satisfaction. One day Ranran would grow up, and he couldn’t always be at her side.

In the future, only if she was strong enough could she live well.

Two days passed.

Ranran’s first body tempering was complete, and Xia Jiuxuan opened her meridians, allowing her physique to reach its full potential.

At only five years old, she was already at the second innate stage.

Moreover, even if Ranran did nothing, her body would automatically absorb the world’s spiritual energy, cultivating faster than so-called geniuses.

By Xia Jiuxuan’s estimate, within half a year, Ranran would step into the Palace realm on her own.

Who in the world could match such speed?

Xia Jiuxuan himself had also advanced a stage, now at the seventh innate stage.

“The two new puppets are quite good. Their cultivation speed is much faster than I expected.”

These two puppets came from an external sect; though they were servants, their talent was no worse than the four young masters of Dragon Den City.

Ten puppets cultivating together—such speed was astonishing.

However, there was a caveat: Xia Jiuxuan was still in the basic innate realm. Once he broke through to the Palace realm, these puppets would be useless.

Because their original bodies were never qualified to enter the Palace realm.

Even as puppets with tenfold cultivation speed, their essence could not be changed.

So, in the future, he would have to capture even more talented people to aid his cultivation.

Checking the time, it was nearly right.

Xia Jiuxuan prepared to head to his final destination: the underground palace where the Black Dragon was chained.

Once he obtained the dragon blood for Ranran’s second tempering, her physique would reach another peak, nearing an ultimate limit.

He journeyed onward.

Along the way he encountered many powerful monsters, but Xia Jiuxuan avoided them, determined to first inspect the underground palace.

With his current speed, he and Ranran traveled hundreds of miles in just an hour.

At last, they arrived at the entrance to the palace, nestled within a canyon guarded by a natural maze.

At the mouth of the cave lay dozens of skeletons, all victims of the maze.

As for Xia Jiuxuan, he had no worries. He knew this maze inside and out; as long as he didn’t deliberately trigger its traps, there was no danger.

After entering, at each labyrinth junction he made the correct choice, quickly descending deep underground.

He reached his destination—a vast subterranean nest.

The chamber was expansive, like a plaza.

In the middle stood a raised platform, surrounded by enormous black iron chains.

Yet, the Black Dragon’s figure was nowhere to be seen between the chains.

“Escaped?”

Xia Jiuxuan felt a pang of disappointment.

Unexpected—the Black Dragon had somehow broken free, even from chains inscribed with divine runes.

“Second Father, this place is scary,” Ranran whispered, sensing a terrible, indescribable aura.

It was normal; Ranran was no ordinary child now and her senses were exceptionally sharp, picking up the lingering ferocity in the air.

“Don’t be afraid. Second Father is here.”

Xia Jiuxuan carried Ranran to the platform, where several large dragon scales lay scattered.

“Excellent.”

His eyes lit up. If he couldn’t get dragon blood, finding dragon scales was still a stroke of luck.

The defense of the dragon race was said to be unrivaled.

At the same realm, whether man or beast, none could penetrate dragon scales.

Once separated from the dragon body their effect diminished, but they were still much stronger than ordinary materials.

What others considered waste, Xia Jiuxuan regarded as treasure.

With these materials and his unrivaled forging skills, he could craft two sets of armor and weapons.

As for his forging skills? There was no need to ask—he himself had set the rules for forging in this world. Why bother learning any forging techniques?

It was a simple matter for him.

Xia Jiuxuan stowed the dragon scales and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, a strange beam of black light shot out from beneath the platform.

An overwhelming aura instantly enveloped Xia Jiuxuan.

“Not good! The Black Dragon hasn’t escaped!”

This time, even Xia Jiuxuan was nervous.

If the Black Dragon had still been bound, he could have easily extracted blood.

But now, it seemed the Black Dragon had broken free; if its strength remained intact, Xia Jiuxuan had no chance of victory.

That was a monster capable of crushing low-level Saint realm beings with ease.