He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 895 Dragon Slayer Finds Elder Qing 1

Long Shishen's gaze swept indifferently over Long Tian and Long Jiao before him, his golden eyes remaining completely calm. With a few words, he arranged the guard duties and cultivation matters of the secret realm, his tone revealing no emotion: "Remember, without my orders, you will remain in seclusion within this secret realm and cultivate diligently. You are not allowed to venture out even a step without permission. The barriers surrounding the secret realm have been reinforced. If anyone dares to trespass, or if you yourselves reveal your whereabouts and outside cultivators discover the presence of the Dragon Clan, then don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Long Tian and Long Jiao bowed respectfully, their dragon scales gleaming solemnly in the dim light of the secret realm. Long Tian stepped forward, straightening his back, the runes on his dragon horns glowing faintly, his tone carrying an undeniable solemnity: "Rest assured, my lord, with me here keeping watch, I will ensure that no member of the clan makes the slightest move. Anyone who dares to disobey your orders, you won't even need to lift a finger, I'll be the first to snap off their dragon horns!"

Long Shishen nodded slightly, his gaze lingering briefly on the two of them, as if assessing their resolve. After a moment, he slowly said, "I'll leave this place to you. Once I've dealt with the external affairs, I'll return to help you break through to a higher realm."

Upon hearing this, Long Tian and Long Jiao's eyes lit up, and their hearts leaped with barely suppressed joy. They knew all too well their current strength—they were still a long way from the legendary "Divine Transformation Realm" of the Dragon Clan, and even with ordinary cultivation, they would likely struggle to make any progress for another thousand years. But Long Shishen was different. This extraordinary figure among his peers had already touched the threshold of the Divine Realm. If he were to personally guide them, they might truly be able to glimpse that legendary realm. The two immediately bowed even more respectfully and replied in unison, "We will obey your orders, sir!"

Long Shishen said no more, his fingertips rapidly forming hand seals. A pale golden stream of light surged from his palm, exploding upon landing and transforming into a complex array covering a hundred miles. The array patterns moved like living things, their radiance flowing and completely enveloping the entire secret realm—this array not only concealed all dragon auras but could also withstand the full probing of a Mahayana cultivator, making it exceptionally sturdy. Having done all this, he turned and left, his black robes sweeping through the void, creating a silent current. He was still thinking about the message Elder Qingyi had just sent. That old man was always calm and collected, and would never bother him unless it was urgent; however, he didn't yet know what it was about.

Now, unbeknownst to the outside world, he has perfectly assumed He Yuzhu's identity. From the habit of slightly raising his eyebrows when speaking, to the subtle bend in his index finger when holding a sword, even the faint distance he shows towards Elder Qingyi, everything is imitated flawlessly. Meanwhile, the real He Yuzhu is peacefully asleep, trapped within a barrier deep within his consciousness, completely unaware of the storms raging outside, as if in an endless dream.

Long Shishen's figure flickered, transforming into a dark golden streak of light, and he instantly teleported out of the secret realm, heading straight for the mountain where Elder Qingyi had arranged to meet. He wanted to see what this human elder was so eager to find "He Yuzhu" for.

As he approached the mist-shrouded mountain peak, Long Shishen quietly withdrew all his dragon power, even adjusting his breathing to be indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human cultivator—he didn't want that old fox Elder Qingyi to notice anything amiss and expose his true identity. These human cultivators were extremely sensitive; even a slight leak of dragon energy could lead to a deadly trap.

He didn't notice that the unassuming black jade pendant beneath his clothes was now emitting a faint glow, as if some dormant power had been quietly awakened. The light was fleeting, as fast as an illusion, and quickly disappeared without a trace, leaving only the warm, smooth texture of the jade pendant itself.

Long Shishen was extremely confident in his disguise. Using the memories he had gleaned from He Yuzhu's consciousness, he not only knew all of He Yuzhu's plans but also recognized everyone around him. He even remembered the trivial incident three years ago when He Yuzhu lost half a jar of old wine in a chess game with Elder Qingyi. His words and actions would never reveal the slightest flaw; no one would suspect that this "He Yuzhu," who would haggle with merchants over a few taels of silver, was actually a transformed ancient golden dragon capable of overturning rivers and seas.

Upon seeing Elder Qingyi, he spoke first, his tone carrying a deliberately casual imitation, exactly like He Yuzhu's usual manner: "Elder Qingyi, the sun is almost setting. Did you summon me to this desolate mountain for something important? If it's just idle chatter, I don't have time to waste with you. The kitchen is waiting for me to go back and stew meat."

Elder Qingyi stroked his white beard, his gaze sweeping over He Yuzhu's face. He felt something was off about He Yuzhu today—although this man usually spoke casually, he carried an undeniable sharpness, but today he seemed to be wrapped in cotton, sounding soft and weak. But then he thought that this sect leader was always eccentric, and it was normal for him to be hot and cold at different times, so he didn't think too much about it and cupped his hands, saying, "It's not that I'm here to see you. It's that a jade token has been issued from above, summoning all human sect leaders to a meeting. In my guess, it's mostly related to the dragon race, as dragon activities on the border have become increasingly frequent lately."

Long Shishen's heart stirred slightly—the Dragon Clan? Had his clansmen left behind in the secret realm been discovered? Or had scattered dragons elsewhere caused trouble? On the surface, however, he remained calm, picked up the teacup handed to him by the elder, took a sip, and said casually, "Perfect timing. I've been preoccupied with trivial matters these past few days and don't know how things are going with the Dragon Clan. Tell me about any unusual activity at the border."

Elder Qingyi then recounted everything he knew, from the dragon clan's stockpiling of troops along the Black River to the several small-scale conflicts that occurred at Qingluan Mountain, even detailing which dragon clan forces had changed leaders. Finally, he changed the subject, his tone tinged with lingering doubt: "By the way, Sect Master, there's another strange thing—I heard that the demons in the Misty Forest vanished overnight. Now the forest is completely empty; not a single demon, let alone a beast, can be found. That used to be the demons' lair, its demonic energy so heavy it could crush a cultivator's spiritual sense. How could it suddenly become a death trap?"

Long Shishen looked up at him, his golden eyes flashing in the tea steam: "How did you find out about this? Do you have any concrete information?"

“I have a few old friends on the outskirts of the Misty Forest,” Elder Qingyi explained. “It was their message yesterday that said the forest, which used to be filled with demonic energy, is now eerily quiet, even the chirping of insects has disappeared. You must know that the Misty Forest is a place where the demon race has lived for generations, ruled by three demon kings for hundreds of years. How could it suddenly be empty? There must be something fishy going on here, and it might even be related to the dragon race.”