Chapter 108: Which Dao Lord of the Dao Court Is Your Father?

Page 1 of 3

“No, no. Fish roe and fry will do as payment,” the blue-scaled youth said at once.

“Didn’t you say before that your fish roe was difficult to hatch, and that the fry were precious too—that you absolutely never sold them outside the tribe? Why are you suddenly offering them for trade?” Azure Coral asked speechlessly.

“No, we never said we absolutely wouldn’t sell them!

“Let’s not even mention the roe. A great deal of it is infertile, and the tribe distributes it to us as a resource for food.

“The roe I just offered you was distributed to us by the tribe.

“Even after the fry hatch, some are culled during their growth. Those culled fry are also sold as resources.

“Besides, no matter how precious fish roe and fry are, they can’t compare with the blood essence of the Serpent Dragon. Serpent Dragon blood essence can increase our potential to transform into dragons,” the blue-scaled youth explained hurriedly.

“Being fish is perfectly fine. Why insist on becoming dragons?” Azure Coral asked, baffled.

“If such a tremendous opportunity were placed right in front of you, wouldn’t you transform into a dragon?” the blue-scaled youth asked helplessly. “Besides, only after ascending into the dragon race can we better protect our tribe.”

“Just don’t turn around and devour all the fish in your own tribe. Then I’ll consider it your victory. Dragons and fish are two entirely different species. Have you ever seen a dragon care for the fish tribe it once belonged to?” the snake-eyed youth said speechlessly.

“Don’t interrupt with your nonsense,” the blue-scaled youth snapped. “Aren’t you trying to trade for the blood essence too?”

“I’m a serpent myself, so naturally I want Serpent Dragon blood essence. After all, Serpent Dragons are giant serpents that have transformed into dragons. But you two seem rather far removed from that lineage. Will the blood essence of a White-Bellied Serpent Dragon really be useful to you? In my opinion, you might as well leave all of it to me.

“I’ll absorb one drop first. Once I gather enough treasures, I’ll exchange for the other two as well.”

At this point, the snake-eyed youth finally revealed his true intentions.

“Get lost! Stop dreaming! We absolutely won’t let a despicable little snake like you succeed in your scheme!” The blue-scaled youth glared furiously. “We will have the Serpent Dragon blood essence.”

“Suit yourselves.” The little snake gave a cold laugh.

Could a bunch of fish fry really digest Serpent Dragon blood essence? Wouldn’t they explode and die? Did they actually think they were Radiant Swordfish? They were nothing more than a group of eighth-rank Blue Carp. Who were they trying to fool?

Somehow, they had evolved a tribe and now thought themselves descendants of true dragons?

“The fish roe and fry are completely disproportionate in value to the Serpent Dragon blood essence. I won’t trade with you,” Azure Coral said, shaking her head decisively.

She was willing to use smaller Blue Beauty Clams to trade for fish roe, but she would absolutely never exchange Serpent Dragon blood essence for them.

She would never make a deal at her own expense.

“We… we…” The two blue-scaled youths grew anxious. For the moment, however, they truly had nothing comparable to the snake-eyed youth’s Powder Maiden Fruit. Their tribe was weak, and there were no powerful treasures in their territory.

What were they supposed to do? The Serpent Dragon blood essence was simply too important.

“Why don’t you go back and look around? Come find me again when you have a treasure,” Azure Coral suggested after thinking it over.

The two blue-scaled youths immediately looked dejected. Azure Coral waved them away, signaling them to leave.

The blue-scaled youths had no choice but to depart. Once they were gone, the snake-eyed youth also took his leave.

After they had left, the black-robed youth who had earlier fled in embarrassment when the blue-scaled youths approached came over again.

“How about I go back and search for a treasure? If I find one, I’ll come exchange it for the Serpent Dragon blood essence?”

“No trade. I don’t do business with people from the Celestial Court,” Azure Coral replied at once.

The youth’s expression changed dramatically.

“Are you even human? You actually dare oppose the Celestial Court? Don’t you want to live?” he demanded.

“Whether I’m human or not is none of your business. You even dare threaten me? Have you decided not to return alive?” Azure Coral immediately threw the threat back at him. Her eyes narrowed, and a trace of danger flickered within them.

“You…” Clearly, the black-robed youth had never expected her to threaten him in return. “Do you know who I am?”

“Which Celestial Lord of the Celestial Court is your father? Why don’t you tell me?” Azure Coral asked at once.

The black-robed youth fell silent.

How did she know?

A girl dressed in a dark green robe suddenly burst out laughing, unable to hold herself back.

“That’s hilarious! Wu Sheng, hurry up and tell us which Celestial Lord your father is. She’s already guessed it. Why are you still afraid to announce your identity?”

“Ruan Qingwu, don’t go too far. Even watching a spectacle should be done at the proper time. Whose side are you on, anyway? At a time like this, both of us represent the Celestial Court.” The black-robed youth’s expression became extremely ugly when he heard the girl laughing. He turned on her angrily.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

“Unlike you, all you know how to do is covet other people’s possessions,” Ruan Qingwu said with a light laugh. “No wonder people don’t want to trade with the Celestial Court. There are simply too many people like you, spending all day claiming to represent the Celestial Court while scheming against this person and that person. You’ve completely ruined the Court’s reputation. People have been cheated so often that naturally they don’t have a good impression of us!”

“You… Is there anyone like you, someone who ruins the Celestial Court’s reputation from within? I’ll have my father complain to your grandfather when we get back,” the black-robed youth said furiously.

“Go ahead and complain. My grandfather has always wanted to beat your father up anyway,” Ruan Qingwu replied.

As for why her grandfather wanted to beat him, did that even need explaining? In Ruan Qingwu’s eyes, the entire Wu family was rotten to the core.

“You… you…” The black-robed youth shook with rage. “I won’t stoop to arguing with you.”

With that, he swept his sleeve and disappeared into the crowd once more.

Ruan Qingwu looked again at the three siblings, Azure Jade and the others, as well as Ning Seven. She frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked, “Are you Ning Kunlun, the Daoist Son of the Ancient Sacred Church?”

“Do you know me?” Ning Seven looked at her in confusion. He did not recognize the girl before him.

“Zhang Lihua said that you and Xie Wu were the ones who provoked the Young Lord of the Black Wolf Clan, causing them to offend the Black Wolf Clan. Now the Black Wolf Clan has turned against us and insists that we compensate them with ten thousand virgin boys and girls.” Ruan Qingwu stared at him. “Did you really do it?”

“Do you think we could have?” Ning Seven said angrily. “Do you still not know what kind of person that Zhang Xingxing is? She was the one who flirted everywhere and attracted the Black Wolf Clan’s Young Lord. That Young Lord practices dual-cultivation absorption techniques. If he had taken my senior sister away, she would have been finished.

“Zhang Xingxing wanted to escape herself, but she brought the disaster down upon my senior sister, hoping my senior sister would die in her place. Unfortunately, the Black Wolf Young Lord didn’t intend to spare a single one of them. Zhang Xingxing herself nearly perished as well.

“I refuse to believe that your Celestial Court would make things difficult for the Black Wolf Young Lord merely to protect Zhang Xingxing!”

“Hahahaha! Zhang Xingxing—you really did know her before. I heard long ago that she didn’t join the Celestial Court from the beginning. She originally entered the Demon Sect. Could it have been your Ancient Sacred Church?” Ruan Qingwu asked curiously.

“You’re right. Zhang Xingxing was originally a disciple of the Ancient Sacred Church. Later, she was drawn into your Celestial Court, where she changed her name to Zhang Lihua.”

“So she really has such a thoroughly blackened past. No wonder she puts on airs all day and is so skilled at attracting men,” Ruan Qingwu said, evidently harboring no affection for Zhang Lihua either.

“She is probably still practicing the Bewitching Heart Art of the Ancient Sacred Church. That’s why men find her especially irresistible. The Bewitching Heart Art has one particular quality: it can beautify both the face and the body, making a woman endlessly alluring. I hear that quite a few women within your Celestial Court practice this secret art,” Ning Seven said.

“Wait. The Bewitching Heart Art belongs to your Ancient Sacred Church? Isn’t it an inheritance of one of our Celestial Court’s branches?” Ruan Qingwu asked, puzzled.

“What do you mean, an inheritance of one of your branches? It was brought over by traitors who defected from the Ancient Sacred Church. Come to think of it, the people of your Celestial Court seem especially fond of the women from our church. Every generation or two, one of your Daoist Sons comes over and lures one away.

“The lineage Zhang Lihua joined now was founded almost entirely by female disciples of the Ancient Sacred Church who were seduced by Daoist Sons of your Celestial Court and defected from our church.”

Ning Seven shook his head and complained, “I really don’t know whether to blame our female disciples for failing to maintain proper discipline, or your male Daoist Sons for being far too skilled at seducing people.”

Azure Coral and Azure Jade burst out laughing from the side.

Who would have thought that the Celestial Court and the Ancient Sacred Church shared such a spectacular, mutually destructive romance?

A smile also shone in Azure Emerald’s eyes.

“It truly is fascinating,” Azure Emerald said. “The Ancient Sacred Church keeps taking in the unlucky women whose hearts have been toyed with by the Celestial Court’s Daoist Sons in their worldly trials, while the Celestial Court keeps sending Daoist Sons to seduce the female disciples of the Ancient Sacred Church who practice the Bewitching Heart Art. Could there be some hidden secret behind all this?”

His words left Ruan Qingwu and Ning Seven equally awkward.

Even if there really were some hidden scheme or secret, how could they possibly know about it?

“Your name is Ruan Qingwu? Which branch of the Celestial Court do you belong to?” Azure Coral asked curiously.

“I’m from the Eight-Scenery Mountain Branch. Our branch specializes in alchemy. If you ever need anything, you can contact me,” Ruan Qingwu replied.

In truth, Ruan Qingwu herself wanted to trade with Azure Coral. She had also taken a liking to the Blue Beauty Clam from earlier.

“What good pills do you have on hand right now?” Azure Coral asked.

“I don’t have any particularly fine pills. Most of them are things I refined myself—ordinary pills,” Ruan Qingwu said.

“Do you have anything that can increase physical strength and improve the body?” Azure Coral asked.

“I do. I have a kind of Turtle Essence Pill. It doesn’t create resistance, so it can be taken continuously. It increases vital essence, spirit, and energy, strengthens the constitution, and improves the body. It’s especially effective for frail children suffering from congenital malnutrition,” Ruan Qingwu explained.

“Give me one to try,” Azure Coral said immediately.

Ruan Qingwu smiled and handed her a pill.

Azure Coral tossed it into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it. Before long, her expression turned disappointed.

“The medicinal power is too weak. It only amounts to a tiny sliver, less than the thickness of a chopstick. Even if I ate a hundred of them, it wouldn’t make much difference.”

“My Turtle Essence Pills can’t compare with the Powder Maiden Fruit you just ate. Mine are genuinely low-grade pills, while that was a true rare treasure. Besides, I used five-year-old Inkflower Forest Turtles from the turtle pond at home. They had only just reached the age at which they could be used medicinally.

“My grandfather and father use turtles that are a hundred years old. The medicinal power of the pills they refine is far greater than mine.

“My grandfather once used a thousand-year-old turtle to refine Turtle Essence Pills. Those were truly incredible. I heard they could extend one’s lifespan by twenty years.”

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Ruan Qingwu explained this to Azure Coral.

“So the older the turtle, the better the effect of the Turtle Essence Pills?” Azure Coral asked.

“Yes.”

“How old a turtle can you refine into pills? Or a tortoise?” Azure Coral asked.

“My skills aren’t very good yet,” Ruan Qingwu said with an embarrassed smile. “I can only refine turtles and tortoises that are less than ten years old.”

“What about Black Tortoises, Ink Tortoises, Dragon Turtles, Dragon Ao, Frost Turtles, Dragon Tortoises, Spiral Turtles, or Dragon-Shelled Turtles? Which of those could you use?” Azure Coral asked.

“Ahem. Whose turtle nest did you raid?” Ruan Qingwu asked in astonishment.

“Just tell me which ones can be used,” Azure Coral said.

“Are they corpses?” Ruan Qingwu asked faintly.

“Live ones.” Azure Coral rolled her eyes impatiently. Who would want to carry corpses around? She had already fed them to the fish fry long ago. Otherwise, she would have tossed them to Wine Spring and Clear Spring for storage food for their bird ancestor and cat ancestor.

After spending so long in such a vast stretch of ocean, could they possibly have been short of food?

“Then get me a Spiral Turtle and kill it. The kind with spiral patterns on its shell!” Ruan Qingwu said. “There’s still time, so I can refine a furnace of Turtle Essence Pills for you to try.”

“All right.”

Azure Coral immediately tossed out a Spiral Turtle about the size of a copper basin.

It was still alive. The moment it appeared and saw so many people, it tried to flee.

Azure Coral pinned it down with one foot, then tapped it on the head with her little hand.

The little turtle promptly passed away.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“All right, all right.” Ruan Qingwu happily accepted the Spiral Turtle. This was her first time using such a rare creature to refine pills.

Several youths and girls from aquatic clans changed color almost simultaneously, then instinctively moved away from Azure Coral and the others.

That was a genuine Spiral Turtle, born at the eighth rank.

And it had been captured and handed over for pill refinement without a second thought.

That little girl also carried a huge number of sixth-rank Radiant Swordfish fry.

It was practically like taking the lives of all of them!

If they did not still need to remain there for the qualification examination, they would have fled already.

Ruan Qingwu truly was an exceptional alchemist. Although this was her first time using a Spiral Turtle as an ingredient, she handled everything with impressive competence, feeding fierce flames beneath her alchemy furnace.

Before an hour had passed, the fragrance of pills began to drift out.

Turtle Essence Pills were indeed excellent medicines for strengthening the constitution and improving the body. The fragrance alone made one feel refreshed from head to toe. The more one smelled it, the more one wanted to.

“What a wonderful fragrance.” Azure Coral inhaled deeply, then stared even more intently at the alchemy furnace.

Azure Jade silently folded her arms and watched as well, looking eager.

Azure Emerald coughed several times. He had never eaten a Turtle Essence Pill, but judging by the fragrance, the pill should be quite good.

“That girl from the Celestial Court is an incredible alchemist,” Azure Emerald said in surprise.

“She’s a direct disciple of Eight-Scenery Mountain,” Ning Seven replied with a smile. “The alchemical techniques of the Eight-Scenery Mountain lineage are famous far and wide, ranking among the very best in human territory. The various pills produced by that lineage are even sold to foreign races.

“Among the foreign races, the reputation of the Eight-Scenery Mountain Lord is greater than that of the Celestial Court’s Daoist Patriarch.”

Yuewen

Page 3 of 3