Chapter 2477: Dragon Meat

That night, the Dragon Palace was utterly silent.

Ye Chen sat quietly in meditation. Immortal light surrounded him, and his stone body also emitted a glow. While not as brilliant as a sacred body, it was still striking. The profound Dao principles were the true essence.

After several days of sitting in seclusion, he had solidified his realm.

To this day, he had not broken through to the Kong Ming Jing, not because he didn't want to advance, but because he needed to strengthen his foundation. If he wished, he could break through in a single day and ascend all the way to the Sheng Ren Jing through the Dao—this was his shortcut, a god-level cheat bestowed by his destined tribulation.

"The Yu Nu Feng at this moment must be very peaceful."

He awoke at some point, flask in hand, sitting on the roof, quietly gazing at the misty sky. He could see the stars, but due to the surging sea waves, each one appeared hazy.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

As he watched, a series of thunderous roars suddenly echoed from the sea surface, shaking the Dragon Palace.

Putting aside his thoughts, Ye Chen stepped out of the Dragon Palace in one stride and soared upward to the sea surface.

The beach was quite lively, with two figures locked in battle. Well, not exactly two—it was more accurate to say one baby and one dragon, fighting fiercely.

The baby was incredibly adorable, still wearing a belly band.

The dragon, on the other hand, looked far more ferocious, radiating intense malice. Its massive dragon eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and its gaping maw could swallow a wild bull whole. It was unleashing lightning wildly, forcing the baby to dart around chaotically, with black smoke rising from the little one's body.

"Such a cute baby, and you can still bring yourself to attack?" Ye Chen sighed, finding a reef to sit on. Bored in the night, he decided to watch the spectacle.

But in the next instant, he changed his tune: "Such a cute dragon, and you can still bring yourself to attack?"

It wasn't without reason—he saw the dragon getting beaten.

The dragon had been arrogant, blasting lightning everywhere, which enraged the baby. The little one activated some power, summoning wind-fire wheels under its feet, wielding a fire-tipped spear, wearing a Qian Kun ring around its neck, and enveloped in Hun Tian silk. It transformed dynamically, with boundless magical power, incredibly fierce.

"Take that for scolding me, take that for scolding me."

Accompanied by the baby's childish voice, the scene that followed was gruesome.

That massive dragon was hammered mercilessly by the tiny figure, unable to lift its head. Its golden dragon body was torn to pieces, fresh blood raining down and dyeing the sea red.

"Can't judge by appearances!"

Ye Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. Though the baby was short, it was tough and powerful. A child like this would be a rare talent even in the various heavens, a genuine emperor-level prodigy.

Ah!

With a miserable cry, the dragon plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the beach.

Afterward, the baby mounted it. The little one, with its chubby, pink face—probably not even weaned yet—was brutally efficient. It stripped the dragon scales, seemingly planning to make armor from them, and then extracted the dragon tendons, apparently intending to go home and stew them for food.

Ye Chen clicked his tongue again. If even this kid was so ruthless, killing a dragon without a second thought, then the people in his family must all be tough characters.

As he watched, the baby finished up and glanced over. "What are you looking at?"

"Just passing by." Ye Chen smiled.

"Wanna eat dragon meat?" The baby blinked its big eyes, its teeth not fully grown yet, snow-white and clean. It had a handsome face and an astonishingly dominant bloodline.

"How could I impose?" Ye Chen said, though his legs moved on their own. He patted his behind and hurried over. A free meal? Might as well enjoy it.

"Come with me." The baby chuckled, taking unsteady steps, then summoning wind-fire wheels under its feet, speeding off amid wind and thunder toward a distant mountain range.

"Those wheels are pretty nice." Ye Chen stroked his chin.

In the quiet night, a dark forest was lit by a blazing bonfire, with a large iron pot set up. The pot boiled furiously, stewing dragon meat that filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

"Where are you from? I don't think I've seen you before." The baby tilted its little head.

"From outside." Ye Chen replied casually, grabbing a big ladle and stirring the meat in the pot, eagerly waiting to dig in. It was a good thing Long Jie and Qing Long Tai Zi weren't here, or they'd probably kick over the pot—they were all dragons, sharing the same ancestry, like distant relatives.

"Over there, Chen Tang Guan, my home. Come visit if you have time." The baby pointed into the distance, bloodthirsty in battle but innocently cheerful now.

"Your home's in the San Xian Realm, huh? Not bad." Ye Chen tasted the broth and added some seasonings. He was always happy to befriend people from the San Xian Realm. If they were from the Shang Xian Realm, though, he'd beat them on sight—he aimed to be the one who topples the Heavenly Palace.

"See that old man? He's my master, Taiyi Zhenren, a big official in the Heavenly Court." The baby pointed upward.

Taiyi?

Ye Chen turned at the mention, glancing toward the sky. Sure enough, someone was coming—a chubby figure holding a nearly bald fly-whisk, nothing like the skinny Tai Er Zhenren from Da Chu.

"A person from the Heavenly Court."

Ye Chen stroked his chin, already pondering something. Since this one came from above, he couldn't let him leave standing. A solid whack on the head in this direction would feel quite satisfying.

"Don't tell him I was here." The baby had already darted up and transformed into a stone.

Ye Chen didn't respond, focused on stirring the broth with the iron ladle.

Soon, Taiyi Zhenren arrived, landing gracefully. He eyed Ye Chen sideways, then glanced at the stone the baby had become, his eyes shifting.

When he saw the iron pot, he rubbed his eyes instinctively, even climbing up to sniff it. The pot was huge, the meat aromatic—it was undoubtedly dragon meat, and of high purity, not from an ordinary dragon.

"You little rascal, get up!" Taiyi Zhenren scolded, kicking the stone. He'd recognized the transformation technique the moment he landed—nothing escaped his eyes.

The baby turned back to human form and chuckled.

"What's this?" Taiyi Zhenren exclaimed.

"Dragon meat."

"I know it's dragon meat—who's is it?"

"The Dragon King's third prince."

"I..." Taiyi Zhenren nearly choked, almost falling into the pot.

"He started it by scolding me." The baby pouted.

"So you killed him?" Taiyi Zhenren glared, stroking his beard. "Do you know who the Dragon King is? A major lord in the heavens, commanding over eighty percent of the Heavenly Court's water armies through the dragon clan. He could flood all of Chen Tang Guan in an instant."

"I handle my own messes."

The baby was stubborn, small but full of responsibility.

Taiyi Zhenren opened his mouth to scold more but noticed Ye Chen, who was still diligently sprinkling seasonings into the pot and humming a tune, in high spirits.

Taiyi Zhenren straightened up, setting aside the baby for now, and seriously sized up the young man. With the dragon clan being so formidable, this guy acted like it was nothing, stewing the broth to perfection with expert chef skills.

"You little stone spirit, where are you from?" Taiyi Zhenren asked. No wonder he was from above—his speech was so refined. Those who knew called him an official; those who didn't might think he was some underworld boss.

"Hong Jun is my uncle."

"Which Hong Jun?"

"The boss of Gao Lao Zhuang."

"You little rascal, trying to fool me?"

"Come on, old man, over here." Ye Chen slung an arm around Taiyi Zhenren's shoulder, not caring if he wanted to, and led him off. From behind, they looked like buddies heading into the dark night.

Ah!

Then came a resounding, miserable scream.

When Ye Chen returned, he wiped sweat from his brow, a big "satisfied" expression on his handsome face.

As he'd said, anyone from above—beat them one by one. No need for their bluster.

"Wow, you're that strong!" The baby glanced at the downed Taiyi Zhenren, then looked Ye Chen up and down, not even concerned about his master's fate. This teammate the baby had pulled in was really something—a Ling Xu Jing cultivator had just hammered a Sheng Ren.

"Come, have some soup." Ye Chen acted casual, serving it in a basin instead of a bowl.

"Do you like dog meat?" The baby floated in the air, unafraid of the heat, reaching into the pot to grab meat. The dragon it had slain was quite meaty.

"It's alright." Ye Chen gulped down some broth.

"Great!" The baby chuckled. "Let's stew Xiao Tian Quan sometime. That thing's vicious, always swallowing living beings and biting me every time it sees me."

The meal was delicious and satisfying.

Late into the night, the baby left, dragging one of Taiyi Zhenren's legs as it went, heading home. Even from far away, it waved back at Ye Chen. "I'm Nezha."

"That kid has a bright future."

Ye Chen remarked meaningfully, then turned and vanished into the night.

Back at the seabed Dragon Palace, someone stood at the gate.

It was a young man in white robes, fanning himself lightly. From the front, though, he didn't look very manly—his face was fair and delicate, powdered and rouged, with willow-leaf brows that were clearly inherited. At first glance, he could be mistaken for a woman.

Ye Chen passed by and glanced at him. He wasn't a human cultivator—he was a Wu Gong Jing.

"Halt." The white-robed Wu Gong Jing said coolly, "This is my senior brother's residence. Who are you?"

Ye Chen understood from that—the guy wasn't visiting; he was here for family. Who knew how long he'd been waiting? The Dragon Palace had barriers, so he couldn't get in and was stuck at the door.

"It's his place, but he sold it to me." Ye Chen shrugged.

"A mere stone spirit, daring to deceive me?" The white-robed Wu Gong Jing snorted coldly and struck with a palm. In truth, he'd set his sights on Ye Chen's stone spirit essence—if he devoured it, his cultivation would soar.

Smack!

Even underwater, the slap echoed loudly.

The Wu Gong Jing's palm missed, but Ye Chen's landed perfectly, sending the man's handsome face askew. Kong Ming Jing? Impressive, but his senior brother wasn't even a match, so where did his confidence come from?

"You've underestimated me." The white-robed Wu Gong Jing snarled viciously, opening his mouth to spew demonic mist—not ordinary mist, but the kind that could dissolve a cultivator's body on contact.

Ye Chen was straightforward in comparison, swinging a stick that reduced him to a mist of blood. Only a faint primordial spirit remained, too stunned to react before Ye Chen sealed it and used Tun Tian Mo Gong to absorb its power.

The white-robed Wu Gong Jing died feeling frustrated. This was too quick—he hadn't even used his many immortal arts. Was this just delivering his head on a platter?

"You're way poorer than your senior brother."

Ye Chen collected the storage bag, tallying its contents as he opened the Dragon Palace's gate. The bag had no treasures, just a pile of rouge and powder.