Chapter 1152: Chapter 912: Are You Willing? (2)

Jiang Yuan knew how big a shock this would be to a Demon Cultivator, so he didn’t rush him. With a faint smile on his face, he patiently waited for an answer.

"Many thanks for your great kindness, sir." Once he recovered from the shock, Bai Yunqi immediately gave a solemn bow. "But I cannot accept this gift.

To take a shortcut to Ascend as a Divine Beast is indeed a grace that mortals in the dusty world wouldn’t even dare to dream of, yet once Ascended, one can only guard the Wilderness World and never leave again.

My aspiration is to follow at your side, sir, to go through fire and water for you. If I must guard this world, I will be unable to fulfill that vow, so although I am endlessly grateful for this favor, Bai Yunqi cannot accept it.

However, I do have a better recommendation—my true body, Huo Jun, belongs to the wood attribute and is highly compatible with the Cyan Dragon Divine Power. If he is willing to Ascend as the Divine Beast Cyan Dragon, I can also return his favor by offering flowers in Buddha’s name. I wonder what you think of this, sir?"

He hadn’t expected him to refuse, and Jiang Yuan fell silent for a moment.

Putting aside the Elder Dragon’s regret after losing his chance, back then he had firmly refused the Cyan Dragon Divine Power because he didn’t want to shoulder the responsibility; now even his contract pet Xiao Bai was giving up the shortcut to Ascension. It seemed becoming a Divine Beast wasn’t every Demon Cultivator’s wish after all.

"You swore to follow by my side. But what if..." he hesitated. "I’m not going to do any earth‑shattering deeds. I’ll just farm in this little courtyard, raise some chickens, ducks, and geese and such. I might not be able to find you more opportunities, nor have the ability to help you Ascend to the Upper Realm, you know?"

"Then I’ll farm in the little courtyard with you, sir, help water the fields and harvest crops. When you raise chickens, ducks, and geese, I’ll cut grass for them as feed. If you go to Outer Heaven to battle evil demons, I’ll be the first to charge in.

If in this lifetime Ascension is unattainable, that only proves Bai Yunqi’s cultivation is insufficient and his fortune inadequate. In that case, even if I receive the bestowed Cyan Dragon Divine Power, I may not be able to refine it into a true Divine Beast body."

Jiang Yuan glanced at the Cyan Dragon Divine Power, then at his contract pet, feeling it a bit of a pity to let it go just like that. He asked again, "There’s no regret medicine in this world; once this village is passed, you won’t find this shop again. If you regret it later, there won’t be a second Cyan Dragon Divine Power for you to refine."

"To follow you unto death, sir—Bai Yunqi has no regrets!"

Seeing his attitude so resolute, and since his aspiration lay elsewhere, further persuasion would be inappropriate. Jiang Yuan could only put the Cyan Dragon Divine Power back into his Storage Bag and said hesitantly, "Then as for Huo Jun... from Miss Cong He’s description, he seems somewhat lacking in virtue. I’m not sure he’s qualified to refine Divine Power."

Bai Yunqi stated, "Sir, the fact that you’re willing to give him a chance on my account is already a great blessing.

If he is not fated with the Divine Power, then he can only blame himself for not accumulating enough Yin Virtue. There are plenty of Snake Demons in the Wilderness World; those of good conduct should not be hard to find. If Huo Jun cannot bear this great favor, I will seek out another destined one for you, sir."

"No time like the present, let’s head out and take a look now!" Jiang Yuan thought that given the system’s usual quirks, it would most likely require the chosen target to acknowledge a master first.

So no matter who ended up with this clump of Cyan Dragon Divine Power, it would be his own pet anyway—fertilizer doesn’t flow into outsiders’ fields.

The Yingdi Mountain where Huo Jun was hibernating was in the Otherworld.

Fortunately, Bai Yunqi knew the exact location and coordinates. By using a Teleportation Scroll they could arrive directly without going to the Observatory, so no time was wasted.

"Whoosh!"

As soon as they landed, a bone‑piercing chill struck them, and the howl of the wind roared in their ears.

The Wilderness World was still in late autumn, but here it was already mid‑winter. Heavy snowflakes fell thick and fast, and the entire mountain range had long been buried under a deep layer of ice and snow for who knew how long. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I was wondering why he still hadn’t stirred even after I’d already Transformed into a Flood Dragon. Turns out winter came and he went into deep hibernation. If it hadn’t been winter, Huo Jun’s perception wouldn’t be this dull. He might’ve already tried to devour and fuse with me back when I was repeatedly advancing, to restore his strength."

Seeing this, Bai Yunqi couldn’t help but furrow his brows. "He was already severely wounded and in temporary slumber, and now it’s winter on top of that. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to wake him."

Back then he had taken form here in Yingdi Mountain, carrying his true body’s expectations, and left alone to seek opportunities to grow stronger. After years of separation, now that he had returned as an independent Flood Dragon, things were indeed no longer what they used to be.

"Sir, please come with me." He carefully recalled and distinguished directions, then found a cave entrance hidden by withered weeds and dead trees, explaining, "Huo Jun’s cave abode is beneath this mountain.

Now that I’m no longer his avatar, I can’t break through the layers of Restrictions to go straight in. We can only enter through this cave, follow the underground dark river, and go knock on his door."

Jiang Yuan found it all rather novel. As he followed along through the cave, he asked, "Are there any of the Human Race in this world? How did you end up running off to the Wilderness World back then?"

Controlling his sword and flying through the dark yet spacious cave, Bai Yunqi replied, "In this world, the Human Race is the majority; Demon Cultivators are actually fewer. However, when I had just taken shape, the Spiritual Energy of this world was already not very dense.

Huo Jun is stubborn to the core. He firmly believed that only with his feet planted on the land where he was born could he attain the Dao and advance smoothly.

So no matter where he was, he had to rush back to this world, even near Yingdi Mountain, to undergo Tribulation Crossing. As a result, he failed his Tribulation Crossing, fell off a cliff, and with Spiritual Energy critically lacking and no supplements, could only hole up in his cave abode and try to condense an avatar to save himself.

He paused for a moment, then sighed. "If he hadn’t been so superstitious and insistent on returning here for Tribulation Crossing, maybe he would’ve advanced smoothly in some other world.

After I was born, I shared part of his memories and learned that the previous two avatars had all inherited the true body’s mule‑headedness: one died in a heaven‑collapse, the other in an earth‑fissure. So I decided not to repeat their mistakes. I went wandering outside, heard that the Wilderness World would descend at night and thought it sounded interesting, so I went.

Later, after my Realm improved, I went to the Netherworld to follow up on clues the true body had found. I didn’t expect Senior He to recognize me. I couldn’t beat her, and I couldn’t argue with her, so I could only flee the Netherworld and didn’t dare go back casually.

After that, I happened upon some Evil Cultivators causing trouble and stepped in. Although I killed those Evil Cultivators, I was severely injured myself and could only sleep at the bottom of Hidden Dragon Lake."

"So you were gravely injured fighting Evil Cultivators; you never mentioned that before." Jiang Yuan suddenly understood.

Bai Yunqi shook his head with a wry smile. "It’s nothing worth talking about. After all, my conduct when I first met you, sir, was hardly anything to be proud of.

I’ve always been combative by nature, but that was the only time in my life I was wounded so badly.

After slaying those Evil Cultivators while outnumbered, I was gravely injured and floated downriver to Hidden Dragon Lake, then fell into slumber. I figured that once my injuries were a bit better, I’d wake up and go look for some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to slowly recover. I never expected to sleep for so many years.

Forcibly awakened by the villagers of Riverfront Village using a Blood Curse, I found that not only had my injuries not healed, even my Realm had fallen. I was instantly filled with rage.

I recalled what the Evil Cultivators had done—if they hadn’t run into me, who knows how many innocent lives they would have snuffed out. Yet even though I carried out Heaven’s will in their place, I was still on the verge of death with no one to save me.

As a dark thought rose in my heart, I began to think: those Evil Cultivators had lost all conscience and yet weren’t struck by lightning, while I, who did good and accumulated virtue, saw no reward. Rather than wait to die at the bottom of the lake, I might as well swallow a clean and pure human soul, use that half of the Devouring Technique to refine it and heal my wounds. At worst, I’d just take a few extra bolts during Thunder Tribulation later. A helpless act like that would still be far better than what Evil Cultivators do."

Speaking of this, he also felt quite emotional. "Thankfully, I met you, sir, and didn’t step onto that path of eternal damnation. As the saying goes: ’Do not do evil just because it’s small.’ Once you tear a hole in your bottom line, your expectations of yourself will keep dropping. By then, there truly would be no chance to return to the right path."

"In that case, perhaps our meeting was the reward for you slaying those Evil Cultivators." Jiang Yuan was also deeply moved after hearing this. Back then he had relied on paper effigies, coaxing and tricking Xiao Bai into being taken home, never expecting there was such a prelude.

"Yes, I was just one step away. Fortunately, I lost to you and got taken back to the small courtyard. Otherwise... when the Ghost Realm descended, with me already grievously wounded and trapped inside, I’d likely have been doomed forever."

As they spoke, the two had already reached the dark river beneath Yingdi Mountain. As they went deeper, a brilliant light flared ahead, and they were blocked by an invisible Barrier.

Outside the mountain, snowflakes drifted down; here, the temperature wasn’t that low. They could occasionally see a few tufts of green plants, but in the dimness there was not a trace of vitality. The oppressive dead air in the silence made it a bit hard to breathe.

"Bang!"

Without hesitation, Bai Yunqi unleashed a big move at the Array and simultaneously released his own Flood Dragon aura, calling loudly, "Huo Jun, time to get up!"

The ground trembled slightly, and his voice echoed through the vast cavern underground.

A colossal snake lay coiled in the darkness. Sensing the nearby aura that was at once familiar and strange, its scales quivered, its tongue flicked out, and it slowly opened its eyes. "Who’s there? Why do I smell the aura of a Flood Dragon?"