Chapter 979: Dragon Tamer

Yan Wang?

This guy is actually one of Yan Wang's people?

He's a subordinate of Huang Quan, who masters the space-time attribute?

Xiao Ren's eyes widened in an instant. As an assassin from the dark force "San Zhu Xiang," his intelligence network was extensive, but he had never heard of the codename "Water Ghost" before.

Yet, the infamous name of "Yan Wang Huang Quan" was something everyone knew.

This was a figure nearly on par with the "Sheng Nu Supreme"!

Due to the constraints from the higher-ups in Sheng Shen Hall, "San Zhu Xiang" typically avoided disrupting the order of the righteous path, even on assassination missions.

But organizations like "Sheng Nu" and "Yan Wang" were true dark forces—either defying worldly order or challenging the continent's rules, making them incomparable.

The former had openly declared war on Sheng Shen Hall and even engaged in overt and covert battles in the Yun Lun Mountains through the hands of saints.

The latter, though keeping a low profile, was, as Xiao Ren knew, relentlessly pursuing the "Lei Family Pupils" for years.

These matters were tied to the "Lei Clan Tragedy."

Rumor had it that the "Lei Clan Tragedy" even bore traces of the Imperial Control Bureau's involvement.

A character from such a terrifying dark force...

"No wonder he's so strong and masters the water element's profound meaning!" Xiao Ren's heart sank to the bottom, and as a fellow Tai Xu, he felt such despair that he couldn't even muster the will to resist.

His thoughts quickly returned from the opponent's identity to the main issue.

Xiao Ren hadn't forgotten that Water Ghost had revealed his identity purely due to his eccentric habits.

The second option he offered clearly had a mocking tone, like toying with an ant, but Xiao Ren had no means to resist and could only sigh:

"Senior, don't toy with me, and there's no need to test me.

"You know that in this forbidden barrier, I can't even mobilize my Ling Yuan, let alone send messages to the outside world to find someone to take my place."

Just moments ago, he called him "friend" as an equal, but now he switched to "senior"?

Xu Xiao Shou chuckled inwardly and shook his head. "You've misunderstood. What I mean isn't for you to find a 'substitute to die,' but to call someone to join you in death... That way, on the Huang Quan road, you'll have some company."

Xiao Ren was stunned.

How could this guy say such cruel words with such a calm face?

And without allowing any alteration to the meaning?

He took a deep breath: "Senior, I want to hear the third option."

"So, you're giving up on the second one?" Xu Xiao Shou smiled.

"No, I just want to hear..." Xiao Ren's words trailed off as he saw the Water Ghost's expression shift from relaxed to serious, and he quickly stopped himself.

Damn it!

This isn't giving choices at all!

You're clearly stripping away my options one by one and pushing me step by step toward the abyss!

Xiao Ren cursed inwardly but had no choice but to correct himself: "Yes, senior, I refuse the second option. I want to hear the third..."

"You've refused the first and second, so you'll have to accept the third." Xu Xiao Shou said without question, gently twirling the false "Yu Hai Shen Ji" in his hand.

The water currents pushed ripples through the deep sea, and the atmosphere solidified with his words.

Xiao Ren's face turned deathly pale, his eyelids twitching wildly. Suppressing his anger, he spoke politely: "Senior, may I have the qualification to know the content of the third option?"

"You do."

Xu Xiao Shou looked at him with a smile, like a compassionate bodhisattva, speaking calmly:

"The third option is that I give you ten breaths to flee.

"During this time, you can use any abilities you can access. If you escape my line of sight, you'll succeed, and I won't kill you.

"But if you fail to escape within ten breaths, the 'Yu Hai Shen Ji' in my hand won't mind claiming one more soul around its shaft."

Xu Xiao Shou stroked the divine spear in his hand, and the water rippled again with his movements.

Xiao Ren clung to this last straw, staring intently at the Yu Hai Shen Ji, and asked: "Senior, does that mean within those ten breaths, I can use any ability, and the forbidden barrier won't suppress me anymore?"

Xu Xiao Shou raised his eyes slightly, looking surprised: "Are you dreaming?"

Xiao Ren: ???

If the forbidden barrier is still active, how can I escape?

Am I supposed to escape with my life against you, the lord of the deep sea?

"Reprimand received, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiao Shou shifted his attention from the information panel and smiled: "I forgot to mention, you can't seek help from the outside, but in the deep sea, there are indeed good people.

"Within those ten breaths, no matter what method you use, if you can find someone and get a response from them, each person's response will add to your escape time... Ten breaths!

"I believe those sanctimonious Spirit Refiners from Sheng Shen Hall will help a pitiful person like you."

"And by extension, how wide your network is and how many Spirit Refiners in the deep sea will respond to you will determine how much longer your life lasts."

Xu Xiao Shou spread his hands, casually pronouncing judgment like a god controlling fates.

Xiao Ren was nearly driven mad by what he heard.

What kind of game rules are these?

Who plays with people like this?

I'm a Tai Xu, not some dog you're chasing around!

At one point, Xiao Ren even considered striking out, unleashing his final desperate move to take the Water Ghost down with him.

But the scene of Water Ghost controlling the waves in Yun Lun and destroying the evil sin bow's arrows was vivid in his mind.

Coupled with the abyssal depths and the forbidden barrier, any courage as a Tai Xu had long been eroded.

Xiao Ren held back from acting.

He felt it would only hasten his death.

Suppressing his fury, though his teeth ground together, Xiao Ren forced an ugly smile and asked: "Dare I ask, senior, we have no grudge or grievance, so why won't you spare me?"

Xu Xiao Shou laughed at the question.

No grudge or grievance?

You've already thought about taking my head for a bounty, and you talk about no grudge?

If we're being honest, I'm the most innocent one here. Why should everyone else get to take my head for cultivation resources while I just sit and wait to die?

Xu Xiao Shou laughed silently.

He laughed for a long time, until Xiao Ren felt a chill on his scalp, then he finally restrained all his emotions and said indifferently:

"Even if someone gets kicked by a dog on the road, they'd feel upset." His eyes turned cold. "I'm in a foul mood today and feel like killing someone to liven things up... Is this explanation satisfactory?"

The sudden shift to killing intent was as icy as a current that could freeze the entire deep sea.

Gazing at the indifferent eyes beneath the Water Ghost's golden beast mask, Xiao Ren's heart clenched, and he trembled with rage.

Is that it?

Just for that?

"There must be some fool who crossed this guy.

"And I'm just an innocent bystander, just passing through—why should I bear all this for him?"

Xiao Ren's mind roared, resenting both the malicious redirection from the Water Ghost and the unknown person who had provoked him.

—Why provoke this freak for no reason? It's insane!

"I..." He hesitated, unable to decide for a long time.

"No need for your indecision. I'll choose for you—it's the third option!" Xu Xiao Shou said coldly, pausing as if remembering something crucial: "Remember, during your escape, you can still use any means available, including exposing my identity to shift the hatred."

"And now, time is short. I'll start counting."

Xiao Ren looked up in shock, not yet grasping the full meaning of those words, not having time to say more...

"Ten!"

Xu Xiao Shou's death countdown began.

With a thud, Xiao Ren's heart took a heavy blow, feeling the water sphere's draining force intensify, leaving his body weak.

"Nine!"

The grim pronouncement continued without pause.

In that moment, Xiao Ren saw the man with the golden beast mask holding the spear as towering as the heavens, like a sea god incarnate.

He had thought about fighting desperately, even if it meant a bloody end.

But after all this time, for some inexplicable reason, the opponent's aura completely overwhelmed him.

By now, Xiao Ren's mind lacked even the slightest intent to act; it was as if he had lost the will to fight altogether.

"Eight!"

Three breaths had passed.

Xiao Ren finally realized he was afraid, too afraid...

Completely afraid!

So, it was better to follow the game's rules, find someone to respond, and extend his life.

"As long as I escape his line of sight, as long as I leave here..."

"I can live—I can live!"

Xiao Ren murmured silently to himself, afraid to waste time. He turned directly, his body shuddering as golden light burst forth.

"Roar—"

In the deep sea, a resounding dragon's cry echoed.

Immediately after, the water sphere around Xiao Ren shattered with a pop.

Horns grew on his head, golden dragon scales covered his skin, and his form rapidly elongated...

In mere moments, the small, round-eyed boy transformed into a ferocious hundred-zhang dragon with four claws and golden horns on its head.

"Swallowing Gold Dragon!"

Xu Xiao Shou witnessed this wondrous scene in the deep sea, feeling the dragon's might nearly overwhelm his own "Qi Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" aura.

He almost buckled under the terrifying pressure, his legs trembling.

Fortunately, prepared in advance, Xu Xiao Shou didn't show any sign of it.

From the soul memories of Jin Zu, he had learned:

Xiao Ren's true form was a "Swallowing Gold Dragon"!

This was nearly a innate sacred body combined with a royal throne form, possessing the special ability to grow by devouring metals, with physical toughness far surpassing ordinary royal thrones.

Jin Zu was familiar with most of Xiao Ren's other abilities.

But none of them could be used within the forbidden barrier.

Xu Xiao Shou didn't know if Xiao Ren had any hidden trump cards.

Regardless, when cornered, Xiao Ren could disregard everything, even bursting the water sphere to revert to his true form.

The physical strength of a "Swallowing Gold Dragon" could sustain it in the deep sea, enduring immense pressure for a long time and potentially counter-killing someone at the mere Zong Shi realm like himself.

This was why Xu Xiao Shou hadn't taken the initiative to kill.

He had many ways to kill in the deep sea.

But to eliminate a Tai Xu, the only reliable method might be to let the water sphere burst and use the pressure to crush.

Clearly, that didn't apply to Xiao Ren.

Or rather, it required sustained pressure to wear him down!

Every Tai Xu had trump cards.

Like Jin Zu's "Marrow-Sucking Heart" or Xiao Ren's "Swallowing Gold Dragon."

Xu Xiao Shou knew he had to tread carefully to resolve the trouble; otherwise, he was more likely to be the one eliminated.

"Remember what you said!"

In the midst of the shock, the Swallowing Gold Dragon, its body slightly distorted under the pressure, suddenly turned back. Its massive dragon eyes, larger than a person, struggled to lift their lids, flickering with dim golden light. Though it spoke in human words, the tone was still thick with fear.

Water Ghost was truly formidable... Xu Xiao Shou couldn't help but marvel at himself. Without the Water Ghost guise and the "Qi Swallowing Mountains and Rivers" passive state, his bluff might have been seen through, and Xiao Ren could have swallowed him whole on the spot.

"Seven!"

Xu Xiao Shou continued counting calmly, as if the giant dragon before him was no more than an ant.

In reality, due to the shock, this count had delayed a full three breaths.

As the Swallowing Gold Dragon turned back, all it saw was the composed figure of Water Ghost standing with his spear, deepening its despair.

Even under the deep sea's crushing pressure that the "Swallowing Gold Dragon" could barely withstand, Water Ghost remained so at ease. How could that inspire any resistance?

Xiao Ren didn't waste another glance. Unconcerned that his hundred-zhang form was cowed by what seemed like a mere ant, he turned and fled.

"Roar—"

The dragon's cry resounded as the Swallowing Gold Dragon broke through the water.

Even in the deep sea with its extreme pressure, its speed was faster than a typical water sphere's fall.

This was nearly as fast as a Wang Zuo Dao realm expert traveling on land, but in Xu Xiao Shou's eyes, it was nothing.

The foundational abilities from Imitator allowed him, as Water Ghost, to move more freely underwater than on land.

"Come on!

"Unlock new achievement successful... Dragon Tamer!"

With a mysterious smile, as if playing a game, Xu Xiao Shou swung the false divine spear in his hand and kicked off, gliding like a sea god and easily matching the Swallowing Gold Dragon's speed.

Can't shake him off...

Amid the water-breaking flight, since his spiritual thoughts couldn't be used, Xiao Ren's transformed Swallowing Gold Dragon occasionally glanced back.

But every time, a ghostly figure followed closely without fail.

Xiao Ren despaired.

He finally understood why this Yan Wang member was codenamed "Water Ghost."

He was truly the underwater Yan Wang, with a temperament as ghostly as his actions, every word and deed revealing an inhuman perversity.

"Damn bastard..."

Xiao Ren cursed inwardly, yet he couldn't ignore the counting voice behind him, going from "seven" to "five," then quickly to "three"...

"Three breaths!

"No time left!

"My life is down to just three gasping breaths!"

Xiao Ren's dragon eyes welled with hot tears.

He felt so humiliated!

He was a Tai Xu, mastering the incredibly powerful and indestructible metal attribute.

But because of this ghostly bastard and the forbidden barrier in the deep sea...

Everything had become meaningless!

Aside from transforming into his dragon form to endure the pressure and flee, he could do nothing!

Even his curses had to be hidden in dragon roars that the pursuer likely couldn't understand... Damn it, damn it, damn it!

"I have to find someone, I must find someone. I haven't lived enough, I'm still so young, I haven't even killed Xu Xiao Shou..."

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."

Xiao Ren suddenly felt like crying.

For the long-lived Swallowing Gold Dragon, he was still just a child and shouldn't have to endure all this.

"One!"

In his chaotic thoughts, the counting voice behind him reached "one"!

The Swallowing Gold Dragon in its transformed state suddenly lost all strength and stopped resisting, letting the water pressure drag its body downward.

In that moment, he even felt there was no time left to turn and fight.

Because the count had ended, and the dragon was doomed...

In a critical instant, as the Swallowing Gold Dragon sank, a vague water sphere outline appeared in the distance.

Xiao Ren's dragon eyes lit up, like spotting a lifesaving straw. In that moment, he completely abandoned his Tai Xu dignity, enduring his dragon form as he wailed like a child:

"Save me, save me!

"Water Ghost from Yan Wang is chasing me—please save me!"