Mu Ran didn't expect that he would run into Han Xuhan, of all people, after sneaking inside Chen Yan's private cabin in the Infirmary. Through the window, watching his underling sitting next to the Array-bed, talking to the unconscious Chen Yan in a low voice, Mu Ran's curiosity was piqued.
The reason why he could sneak into this place was because... he was extremely handsome. There was no other way of putting it.
The ladies working in the infirmary couldn't resist his charm. He was, after all, a dragon among men.
But how did underling Xuhan get access here? Everyone knew he was directly or indirectly responsible for Chen Yan's current near-death state. Who would allow him to spend even a second alone with Chen Yan?
Suspicious, Mu Ran immediately restrained all traces of his aura and cast a masking spell on himself.
Turtle Dragon Death Breath Cycle! Activate!
Astral Projection: Secondary Body! Activate!
To anyone watching, he would resemble a wide bar on the iron door of the cabin. Even if someone were to stand next to him or touch his body, their senses would be fooled as long as their cultivation was below the Soul Reformation realm.
From here, eavesdropping on Han Xuhan was as easy as reading a woman's heart, heh!
"Senior Brother Yan, I'm a bit sad right now," he heard Han Xuhan mutter morosely. True to his words, the gaze with which he scanned Chen Yan's constantly twitching face was filled with regret and dismay.
"Since arriving in this world, I haven't felt the joy of scheming and being outschemed by an opponent on equal footing with me. Our little contest was fun while it lasted. If I had known that you had such potential, I'd have treated you as a thick golden thigh.
But you had to act like a stupid greedy pig and hide your cultivation level for all kinds of reasons... What other choice did you leave me with? Tch~"
Shaking his head ruefully, Han Xuhan stared at the array-covered wall next to the bed, eyes blank.
"Sure enough, in the world of cultivation, being low-key, hiding your true self, or even keeping your cultivation level a secret, are not infallible strategies. All it takes is one coincidence, one cunning opponent, one wrong move, and boom—your lifelong efforts, gone!
I'm sure you had grand plans, Senior Brother. And I know most of them had nothing to do with me. You're bearing the weight of a great clan's expectations, carrying secrets that could get you killed by powerful enemies all over the world, from what Sister Xiao Mei told me.
This contest was perhaps just a minor step in your eyes. You had a proper strategy, a plan with no holes, and a few aces up your sleeve. Unfortunately, knowing the greater picture made you lose track of the minor details.
You never imagined that I'd not play by the rules at all. You never foresaw that I could push forward a senior cultivator willing to commit a crime, willing to sever their relationship with the Crimson Snow Sect. You never paused to think whether I might have a goal beyond just self-preservation."
Suddenly, a mischievous smile surfaced on Han Xuhan's face. He looked back at Chen Yan and said in a haughty tone, "Otherwise, someone as smart as you should have gotten the hint I dropped right away.
That day, just before our duel, I gave you a final warning in hopes of getting you to back down. But I suppose you were too far into the road to care."
Mu Ran's eyes widened. He had heard everything said between Han Xuhan and Chen Yan before the duel began that day. While their exchange had been mind-boggling in its own merit, did Han Xuhan really do something so outrageous without anyone noticing at that time?
Fortunately, Han Xuhan continued to brag, letting him in on the secret.
"Back then, you asked me, if the entire outer court unites against me, would I have any choice but to give up? I told you back then that such a situation could never arise under my watch. I would never let the outer court disciples band together against me.
Your question was just a veiled manner of inquiring what I would do in case I lost control of the situation. My response was essentially an indication that if the possibility exists, I'd never let the situation reach that trigger.
So, facing you, how could I let there exist the remotest possibility of you emerging victorious? Whether I won or lost didn't matter to me as much as ensuring that you wouldn't walk out of that arena."
Han Xuhan silently stood up and stretched his arms, saying with a sigh, "Now look at you, lying on a bed, unconscious, battling to hold on to the last trace of your sanity. I'm sad that you can't hear me gloating and showing off. Takes away half the fun. The one who can appreciate schemes the most is the one who has been harmed by schemes."
Mu Ran let out the breath he had been holding until now. So the reason for this visit was nothing but Han Xuhan wanting to reminisce and brag shamelessly!
'What a terrible habit! Why does my underling sound more and more like an irredeemable villain?'
Mu Ran couldn't help but criticise his behavior. In his impression, most of the evil cultivators he had encountered outside the sect had this wretched habit, running their mouths to assert their superiority over fallen opponents.
How should such a habit be cut off? Hypnotizing him could work miracles. Mu Ran's thoughts raced. Perhaps using hypnosis, he could remodel his underling's other annoying habits as well.
For example, his roundabout manner of speech, his overthinking, his extreme paranoia, lowering his guard around me, sharing his innermost secrets with me....
While he was getting lost in a dreamland of wonderful possibilities, he heard Han Xuhan whisper something to Chen Yan once more.
"I do hope you survive this trial, senior brother Yan. Just like every other senior disciple affected by the fog, you'll end up getting a glimpse of the true face of the Crimson Snow Sect.
The things you'll see during your coma are all significant secrets, fiercely guarded by our Sect Master. So, if you wake up, he won't let you off the hook so easily, hahahaha!"
As Han Xuhan laughed, clearly enjoying himself, sounds of footsteps came from outside. Mu Ran's heart clenched for a moment as he noticed an unfamiliar older man walking towards the cabin hurriedly.
But the man's gaze slipped past Mu Ran's position in front of the door without stopping. Clearly, his cultivation wasn't high enough to see through the cloaking technique.
"Junior Xuhan, some Elders are coming over to visit that kid. Is your business done there? I'll get in trouble-"
"I'm done, I'm done. Let's go!" Han Xuhan said quickly as he rushed out of the room. But when he tried to lock the door of the cabin behind him...
"Good heavens! Why is the door easy to open but so hard to close? How did it get heavier? Did it eat a whole damn dragon while I was in the cabin?"
Black lines surfaced on Mu Ran's forehead as Han Xuhan pushed, slapped, and kicked the door towards the doorsill. In the process, a few slaps and kicks landed on his body. Alas, he had no way to retaliate without losing his cover.
Alongside the door, Mu Ran was locked up inside the cabin. Han Xuhan chatted with the man as they walked away.
"Thanks for all the help, Senior Gu. My research on illusion spells has made incredible advancements since you allowed me to experiment on all the disciples in the Infirmary affected by the fog. I'll surely repay you when fate allows!"
The other guy said with an honest laugh, "I didn't contribute as much as my wife did. If she hadn't let you read her notes on illusion-crafting and the diagnosis of those fogsick kids..."
"I know, I know. As for the matter of letting your son attend our law lectures in behind the Elder's back, leave it to me..."
Mu Ran had heard enough at that point. He could piece together the entire picture. Han Xuhan befriending this healer knowing his weakness, then figuring out that huge secret behind the fog, then laying a fatal trap for Chen Yan using Xuan Zi as a chess piece...
Tch~ This matter was so complicated that just thinking about it gave Mu Ran a headache.
Of course, the noble Dragon soulshard inside him has already revealed this secret to him on his very first day as a disciple of the Crimson Snow Sect.
It was the reason why he hadn't even participated in the mountain peak recruitment ceremony, too busy running around the sect's periphery to verify his suspicions.
As if awakened by his recollection, the dragon's solemn voice resounded within his spiritual world.
"Is it the time for you to doze off? Remember what you're here for! If you can steal some attributes of this newborn spawn of Qiong Qi, you can give our dearest enemy a surprise he'll never see coming. The more your physique mutates, the more paths we can take in the future!"
Qiong Qi's bloodline...
Mu Ran's spirits surged as he looked at Chen Yan lying quietly on the Array-bed. Zhao Weiqing would never expect that he, Mu Ran, would be able to absorb the physique of a primordial scourge in this remote corner of the macrocosm. Fortune surely favors the righteous and the bold!
"Zhao Weiqing, the next time we face each other, my Dragon Soul shall finally become complete!"
Tens of thousands of Light-years away, on a barren planet, inside a similarly restricted infirmary cabin, an obsidian coffin trembled.
The blurry image of a man with a human head and a dragon head on the coffin began to twist and crack apart. Black ichor slipped out through the cracks, pooling in the floor, emitting a hissing noise as it burnt the polished marble surface.
The unrestrained, chaotic breath of an early Soul Reformation realm cultivator spread out like an overwhelming ocean tide.
But that was just the beginning.
The spiritual pressure mounted as more and more cracks formed on the surface of the coffin.
Mid-Soul Reformation Realm!
Late Soul Reformation Realm!
Peak Soul Reformation Realm!
A brilliant diagram of light and shadow formed above the cabin. Purple heavenly tribulation clouds began to slither out of the void, forming a vortex miles above in the smog-filled sky.
But that wasn't the end!
The spiritual pressure leaking out of the coffin was still rising uncontrollably!
Stepping into the heavenly way, it leapt directly into the Dao Genesis Realm!
The air, the light, the gravity, and the cosmic laws surrounding the black coffin seemed to twist slowly. A willpower capable of bending heaven and earth was conscious here!
Outside the cabin, an old man broke out of meditation and stood up. He dusted his form-fitting black robe adorned with gleaming medals, and adjusted the bowl-shaped hat on his head.
"His highness has won this bet. This brat turned out to be worth the effort," he muttered, watching the silent streaks of purple lightning in the sky.
In an unknown void, or perhaps, in a void between voids, a single eyeball floated inside an ocean of red blood. Its iris was a chaotic mixture of green, gold, and yellow. Streaks of icy blue light pulsed inside the deep black pupil.
Each color of the eye seemed to leak out and blend into the void, forming smokey threads that could bewitch a soul beyond redemption.
At this moment, as if alarmed upon sensing something, the eyeball jerked upwards and floated towards the surface of the red ocean. A mouth-like shape, made of congealed blood, surfaced alongside, whispering a faint exclamation.
"Trying to devour my child?! Who is so capable? Let me see you!"
The void began to split open. Above the void lay an ocean of stars split by a sword. Below the void, an ocean of spiritual energy seethed in silence.
A moment later, as if erased from a painter's canvas, the void, the eye, the ocean of blood and spiritual energy, all winked into nothingness. Only the trembling threads of karmic laws remained there as proof.
Those threads extended deep into the sea of stars, encircling the sword scar that separated this world into two, and gathering towards a small star right near the edge of the scar.
Anyone watching this star could foresee... A grave crisis.
[ End Of Volume Two ]
Chapter 279: 279: Volume 2 Side Story: Dragons And Dreams
11 min read