The old man had two gigantic antennae on his head, and an aura of dignity emanated from between his brows.

The old man narrowed his eyes, surveyed Wang Zhan, then spoke with clear confusion, "How is it possible for a mere human like you to carry the aura of a dragon?"

Wang Zhan was taken aback. "Dragon?"

"Answer my question."

As he spoke, the elder's expression hardened considerably. He then lunged rapidly at Wang Zhan. Before Wang Zhan could react, he felt a large hand seize his neck, forcefully pinning him against the wall.

Wang Zhan's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Perhaps it's because I previously obtained a suit of armor called the Heavenly Dragon Armor. The dragon's aura might still be on it, which is likely why you're mistaken."

The old man narrowed his eyes, staring at Wang Zhan for a good while before flinging him aside. He then asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Where is the Heavenly Dragon Armor?"

Wang Zhan gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said, "Back then, in some ruins, I encountered an extremely powerful being. Later, a remnant soul emerged from the Heavenly Dragon Armor and helped me repel that powerful being, but then it vanished."

"Is that really so?" the old man inquired in a deep voice.

Wang Zhan quickly nodded like a puppet and said, "It's absolutely true. I have no intention of deceiving you. Besides, with such a huge difference in strength between us, I wouldn't dare lie to you; I still want to keep my life."

Wang Zhan could sense that this old man's strength was exceedingly formidable. If the other party wished to kill him, it would only take a flick of a finger, and he would have no chance to resist.

The old man squinted, glanced at Wang Zhan, and then said, "Although your cultivation is weak, junior, stumbling upon the Heavenly Dragon Armor is a stroke of fortune for you. I won't blame you for the guilt of trespassing here today."

"Pack up at once and leave this Venerable One's cave mansion."

Wang Zhan immediately understood. The mysterious Dragon Shadow seen outside was clearly related to this old man.

With all the puzzles solved, Wang Zhan showed no sign of leaving. He gave the old man a helpless look, then shook his head and said, "I do want to leave, but I have no way out. I was sucked into this place by a stone tablet. I don't even know what this place is, nor do I know who you are."

"This Venerable One is naturally not human," the old man said in a deep voice.

"You may address this Venerable One as Azure Dragon Venerable."

Wang Zhan nodded. He walked over to the Azure Dragon Venerable's side and then continued to ask, "Since you said our meeting is fated, now that I've accidentally entered your cave mansion, I wonder if you have anything to gift me?"

"You can't let me leave empty-handed, can you?"

"If that happens, and word gets out after I leave that the Azure Dragon Venerable is an extremely stingy person, it wouldn't be good for your reputation, would it?"

Hearing this, the Azure Dragon Venerable's expression turned grim. He clenched his fist, and Wang Zhan felt the ground shake violently. He quickly brandished his Deep Fire Blade to steady his body. Only then did Wang Zhan look at the Azure Dragon Venerable before him and slowly say, "I say, big guy, you really have no sense of martial virtue!"

"Didn't you say that our meeting is fated?"

"Now I'm preparing to leave. If you really don't want to give me anything, I won't argue with you. But I never imagined you'd actually try to attack a junior like me. If word of this got out, do you think it would be good for your reputation?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Hearing this, the Azure Dragon Venerable frowned slightly. Wang Zhan, however, grinned. It seemed his method was indeed having some effect. This Azure Dragon Venerable was already old and naturally valued his face greatly. This gave him an opening to exploit.

Thinking this, Wang Zhan quickly said, "So, for the sake of your reputation, why don't you quickly tell me if there's anything you can gift me?"

The Azure Dragon Venerable nearby frowned slightly. After thinking carefully for a long while, he finally said, "I didn't expect you, junior, to be so insatiably greedy. You entered my cave mansion, and I've already shown you the greatest mercy by not killing you. Yet, you, little rascal, still plan to get some benefits from me. Do you really think I'm so merciful I won't kill you?"

Wang Zhan quickly waved his hands and said, "I never said you were a merciful person. After all, one can tell from your means that you're the kind of big shot who kills without batting an eyelid. According to what you said, all the demonic beasts on the Summit of Thousand Peaks have died at your hands. This not only shows how terrifyingly strong you are but also how fearsome you are."

"Insolence!"

The Azure Dragon Venerable instantly rushed towards Wang Zhan. A huge Dragon Claw slammed down towards Wang Zhan's chest.

Wang Zhan's expression changed, and he instinctively raised the Deep Fire Blade in his hand to meet the huge Dragon Claw.

With a loud BANG, Wang Zhan was knocked back several steps, his expression turning much uglier. He clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood, yet he showed no fear. Instead, he looked at the Azure Dragon Venerable before him and said, word by word, "I say, why are you, such a figure, so unscrupulous? Didn't I just say it? What skill is there in bullying a junior? After all, the difference in strength between us is too vast. Even if you kill me here, what sense of accomplishment or benefit would that bring you?"

The Azure Dragon Venerable stood with his hands behind his back. He glanced at Wang Zhan with satisfaction and nodded with a smile. He had to admit, although this little fellow before him was young and glib-tongued, his strength was indeed rare.

Thinking of this, the Azure Dragon Venerable decided to tease Wang Zhan a bit more. His gaze turned cold as he suddenly said, "Weren't you just proclaiming that you were going to go out and ruin my reputation? If I kill you here, how could you possibly get out alive to say anything?"

"So, this still has many benefits for me. Alright, kid, stop your nonsense here. Quickly tell me your last affairs. Let me see if you have any unfulfilled wishes; This Venerable One might be able to help you fulfill them."

Wang Zhan showed no fear. He immediately approached the Azure Dragon Venerable before him and said with a smile, "Believe it or not, I really do have something I need your help with. And you can help me with ease. It just depends on whether you're willing or not."

"But rest assured, I never force anyone to do anything. And if you don't have this ability, then I won't say more."

Hearing this, the Azure Dragon Venerable's expression instantly changed. He felt as if his pride had been thrown to the ground and trampled mercilessly. The next second, his eyes widened, and he said coldly, "Kid, where do you get off spouting so much nonsense? Don't you know how terrifying This Venerable One's strength is? Even if you wanted me to pluck the stars from the sky, I could do it for you. Let me tell you frankly, there's nothing in this world This Venerable One cannot do."

Wang Zhan grinned and quickly said, "Well, in that case, why don't you just give all your cultivation to me, so I can surpass you? That way, I could die content."

Hearing this, the Azure Dragon Venerable's eyes widened. He shot straight up into the air, so angry his beard was practically standing on end. "You despicable and shameless junior! How dare you plot against me here?"

"If I really did as you said and passed everything on to you, wouldn't you, kid, then lord over me and then just eliminate me? I bet you wouldn't show any mercy then!"

Wang Zhan grinned, not hiding his thoughts. He folded his arms, glanced at the Azure Dragon Venerable before him, and then said, "Alright, everyone knows what the other is thinking. Besides, you don't intend to kill me, so why keep trying to scare me here?"

"Who told you I don't want to kill you?"

The Azure Dragon Venerable muttered irritably, "You're full of ill-intent, kid. I wish I could kill you right now; this world would have one less scourge."

"It's you, kid, who's been wasting time here."

Wang Zhan grinned and quickly said, "Alright, I won't joke with you anymore. However, I'm very curious why you've always been here. I can feel that your strength is extremely formidable. I imagine there's no place in Heaven and Earth that could possibly trap you, right?"

Hearing this, a flash of pleasure first crossed the Azure Dragon Venerable's face, followed by a helpless shake of his head. He sat down to one side, sighed, and then slowly said, "You do have some discernment, kid. But choosing to remain here is my own wish; it has nothing to do with others, nor can anyone force me to stay here."

"Everything... is merely for atonement."

"Alright, we've only met by chance. There's no need to tell you so much!"

"If there's nothing else, scram!"