Chapter 43: The Goal is to Slay the Dragon

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Goal is to Slay the Dragon

"Yu, Huai, listen to my advice and cooperate well with Lord Li. He’s a good person. I was just too full of myself, which is why I ended up like this. It’s all true. Everything he says is true. Don’t make the same mistake!

"Yu, please inform the people of my Celestial Master’s Mansion. Tell them not to avenge me, but to support Lord Li with all their might. I deserve to end up in this state..."

Looking at Huaiyi and Yu Hai outside the cage, Murong Kaixin narrowed his eyes and rambled on with his persuasion. He didn’t know how to prove his worth while locked in a cage. After much thought, the only thing he could do was use himself as a cautionary tale for those who came after him.

Seeing a peer of their level like Murong Kaixin locked up like a dog, clinging to his last breath, yet desperately speaking well of his captor, the two Grandmasters exchanged a glance. A chilling sense of impending doom and sympathy for their fallen kind inevitably rose in their hearts.

"Murong..."

Yu Hai, the Grandmaster of the Celestial Dao Alliance, had barely spoken a word when a sudden voice rang in his ears. "The two Grandmasters grace us with their presence. Please forgive me for failing to ride out to welcome you."

Yu Hai and Huaiyi abruptly turned to look at the entrance of Sirius Valley. A young man stood there, looking at them with a radiant smile as he cupped his fists in greeting.

Their expressions stiffened simultaneously as they wondered when he had arrived.

Yu Hai reacted quickly. He immediately cupped his fists and smiled. "I, Yu Hai, greet Lord Li. It is my fault for intruding so presumptuously without prior notice. How could I possibly deserve Lord Li’s welcome?"

Huaiyi laughed it off and similarly cupped his fists to greet Li Ye. "Speaking of which, I still have to thank Lord Li for taking in my useless disciple!"

It was hard to be hostile to a smiling face. With just two short sentences, the relationship between them seemed to instantly draw closer. The two Grandmasters, who had just been feeling sorrowful at the sight, completely put Murong Kaixin out of their minds the next second. They could clearly distinguish the difference in value between a crippled Grandmaster and a rising star.

Not to mention, Li Ye seemed to hold the secret that could allow them to break through to the next level.

Seeing this scene, Murong Kaixin felt another pang of sorrow. If only he had been more alert back then, he wouldn’t have ended up in this wretched state!

Facts proved that when aloof, mighty experts laid down their pride, they were actually quite easy to deal with.

After Li Ye’s Fun People Club entered a virtuous cycle, the Demon Qi in his body had surged. His perception range had long since surpassed Sirius Valley. He had been keeping an eye on Murong Kaixin outside the valley. The moment the two Grandmasters appeared, he had sensed them.

Li Ye naturally wouldn’t wait for someone to announce their arrival. Once Murong Kaixin had served as an initial show of force, he immediately came out to enthusiastically welcome the two Grandmasters. This had nothing to do with being hospitable; it was purely to establish his dominance. So far, the results looked excellent.

Li Ye reached out and unhooked the cage. Carrying Murong Kaixin, he led the two Grandmasters into the valley.

The Red Flame Sect and the Celestial Dao Alliance were the two largest Martial World factions in Chu Country. By rallying them to his side, his sphere of influence would basically take shape.

After ordering someone to serve tea, Li Ye casually placed Murong Kaixin’s cage in the middle of the reception hall. "Since the two Grandmasters have come to Sirius Valley, you must already know my origins. In that case, I won’t waste words with nonsense."

"What does Lord Li mean by this?" Huaiyi asked. His eyes glanced at Murong Kaixin in the cage from time to time. He couldn’t figure out why Li Ye had brought him inside. If it was to establish dominance, it was entirely unnecessary!

"Grandmaster Huai, there is a matter I would like to ask for your assistance with," Li Ye said, getting straight to the point.

"Lord Li, please speak your mind," Yu Hai said with a smile.

"Dragon slaying," Li Ye said.

"Dragon slaying?" Huaiyi and Yu Hai asked in unison.

Murong Kaixin jolted violently.

"Lord Li must be joking." Huaiyi shook his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Where in the world are there dragons?"

"Grandmaster Huai, before I arrived, there were no Immortals in this world either," Li Ye said, casting a sidelong glance at him.

It was merely his guess that there were demons within the Divine Dragon Sect. Yu Fei and the others he had sent to investigate the Western Regions hadn’t returned yet, so Li Ye wasn’t entirely sure if the Divine Dragon Sect’s Divine Dragon was actually a demon. However, that didn’t stop him from assuming the Divine Dragon was real.

Rallying two Martial World bosses to deal with a common target was much better than having these two old fools suspicious of him and plotting behind his back. In this unfamiliar world, Li Ye trusted no one. However, he could guide their actions. He would lead them by the nose for a year and then run away. Who cared about what happened afterward?

"Could it be that Lord Li wishes to lay a hand on the throne?" Yu Hai of the Celestial Dao Alliance thought himself clever. He glanced at Murong Kaixin, pointed upward, and lowered his voice.

Given that the Celestial Master protecting Chu Country had been beaten to the ground by Li Ye, it was inevitable for him to think this way.

Huaiyi suddenly saw the light.

"Grandmaster Yu jests. I come from a higher civilization. Even if my Skill Level only recovers by one percent, I would be like a founding god on this backward planet. Why would I covet the throne of a petty little country?" Li Ye scoffed and added, "When I say dragon slaying, I mean literal dragon slaying. Murong Kaixin, tell them..."

Murong Kaixin let out a miserable laugh and explained everything about the Royal Grandmaster Xiangli and the Divine Dragon Sect in full detail.

A Grandmaster’s credibility was obviously higher than Li Ye’s. After hearing Murong Kaixin’s story, Yu Hai’s face was filled with disbelief. "Is this true?"

"I’ve fallen to such a state; what would I gain from deceiving you?" Murong Kaixin shook his head. "From start to finish, the Celestial Master’s Mansion was merely a tool the imperial court used to balance the Martial World factions. It’s simply because you never incited rebellion; otherwise, the response awaiting you would have been an overwhelmingly devastating strike."

"So, there really are dragons in this world?" Huaiyi asked, stuttering.

"There are gods, dragons, Immortals, demons, and even the Insect Race and silicon-based species." Li Ye looked at the three people in the room. "The universe is vast and full of wonders. You can’t even leave this planet, so it’s perfectly normal that you haven’t seen these things..."

"Li Ye, I have heard of Immortals and demons, but what are these Insect Race and silicon-based species?" Yu Hai asked.

"The Insect Race are infamous thugs of the universe. Their physical bodies are extremely powerful, and they reproduce through the Insect Race Broodmother. Their offspring are similar to the insects you have here—worker bugs, warrior bugs, and so on. Their numbers are massive, and they are brutal and bloodthirsty. Wherever they pass, not a single blade of grass is left alive..."

When he spoke of the Insect Race, a hint of dread naturally flashed in Li Ye’s eyes. He shook his head slowly. "No race is willing to provoke them. For a planet like yours, if the Insect Race were to pass through, there would be absolutely nothing left in three days at most."

Yu Hai and Huaiyi exchanged a look, their brows furrowed. To their ears, Li Ye’s description of the Insect Race sounded like absolute fantasy. They were well-traveled and knowledgeable, yet even in mythological tales, they had never heard of the existence of an Insect Race.

"Are they Insect Demons?" Huaiyi asked.

"Not Insect Demons, but a true race." Li Ye picked up the teacup from the table, and a stream of tea shot onto the floor. In a moment, it etched out the appearance of the Insect Race Broodmother, as well as the images of screecher bugs, worker bugs, and the like.

There were far too many images of insectoids on Earth. With his Demon Qi and Inner Strength both capable of precise control, the Insect Race he drew was incredibly lifelike and looked extraordinarily terrifying.

"An Insect Race Broodmother is easily dozens of meters tall, and some even reach hundreds of meters. They can spawn at least several thousand worker bugs a day..." Li Ye continued. "If one day, you are able to follow me out of this realm and encounter the Insect Race in the universe, remember to turn around and run. No one is a match for them. Most importantly, there’s no benefit to defeating them anyway."

Inside the reception hall, Yu Hai and the other two stared at the Insect Race Li Ye had drawn. They all fell into silence, though it was unclear what they were thinking.

To be honest, having reached their positions, they instinctively doubted almost everything. There were very few things left that could deceive them. Coming to Sirius Valley this time was also to verify whether what their Elders had said was true. After all, every piece of information regarding Li Ye was too bizarre—so bizarre that it nearly subverted their understanding of the world.

They hadn’t expected that arriving here would only add to their confusion. Were it not for Murong Kaixin’s example right before them, combined with the unfathomable aura Li Ye exuded, both of them would have entertained the thought of capturing him and interrogating him thoroughly.

"As for silicon-based species, that is another type of civilization." Li Ye continued citing examples to solidify his fabricated identity. "You and I, including the Immortal Divine Insect Race, are classified as carbon-based civilizations. We have flesh and blood, and we think through a brain—which is a nervous system.

"Silicon-based civilizations, however, have no flesh and blood. They are based on silicon elements, and their bodies are composed of metals like steel. They obtain their abilities through electron transitions. Their learning efficiency is far higher than that of carbon-based civilizations, and they almost never make mistakes..."

Li Ye spoke with absolute conviction, but Yu Hai and Huaiyi only grew more confused. They couldn’t even form a basic concept of a silicon-based civilization in their minds.

Looking at the bewildered Grandmasters, Li Ye shook his head. "Why am I telling you all this? In the future, when my Skill Level is restored, I will take you off this planet. We can randomly find a civilized planet where you will have access to all the information you could want, and you can see for yourselves. Let’s get back to the matter of dragon slaying..."