Chapter 44: The White Jade Capital in the Heavens (Please subscribe! Please vote for monthly tickets!)

The Azure Shadow had slain the White Dragon, and the earlier appearance of the auspicious rosy clouds was enough to prove that a young dragon had been born.

In that case, would an existence more powerful than the Heaven-Demon White Dragon sit idly by and allow the traces of a young dragon to vanish without pulling the weeds out by the roots, leaving a potential threat for the future?

Sure enough.

Just as alarm bells rang in Shao Heng's mind, in a mere instant, her three illusory bodies formed from moonlight were all shattered. She was sent flying by a massive force, knocking down six tall trees in succession before finally crashing to the ground.

"Pfft."

Shao Heng spat out blood, which even contained fragments of her internal organs. Her bones and muscles were broken, leaving her unable to crawl up.

She had never sustained such heavy injuries, but instead of immediately activating 'Ze Sifang' to heal, she first manipulated the death qi within the young dragon to dissipate automatically. Only then, enduring the excruciating pain throughout her body, did she feed herself a Spring Return Pill.

"Greetings, Senior. I have captured this young dragon for you in advance. I leave its disposal to you."

While coughing up blood as she spoke, Shao Heng obediently lifted her wide sleeves to reveal the little dragon.

Previously, this dragon had been intent on fleeing, but now it hurriedly tried to burrow deep into Shao Heng's sleeve. Unfortunately, she gripped its head tightly, leaving it with no choice but to lash its tail in panic.

A shadow descended from the horizon.

It was a woman, dressed in a black-and-white long gown reminiscent of ink-wash landscapes. She held a longsword of azure and silver. Her features were as exquisite as a painting, and a white lotus mark adorned her forehead, yet she appeared incredibly vivid and lifelike.

She did not speak; she merely reached out a hand, and the little dragon was instantly pulled toward her by a sudden suction.

The sudden tug of the spell sent a jolt of agony through Shao Heng's broken bones, which had not yet been repaired by the medicine, fueling a surge of rage.

She cursed everything in her heart—cursing the White Dragon for being useless and being easily slain by this person, cursing the person for being shameless enough to snatch things from a junior...

Yet despite this, Shao Heng remained submissive on the surface, bowing her head in humble silence.

This woman could slay a Heaven-Demon; with such cultivation, no matter how resourceful or calculating one might be, it would be futile against such overwhelming power. Attempting to flee would be sheer stupidity. Shao Heng simply didn't bother getting up, remaining on the ground to "await her judgment."

The woman standing in mid-air took the little dragon and tied it into various knots, turning it over and over as if playing with a toy, before finally laughing loudly.

"So this is what the True Dragon clan looks like when they are young—just like a piece of hemp rope."

She flicked the little dragon's head and said, "Feel free to hate me; I don't care."

"Who told your father to offend the wrong bird? Kong Feihuang of the Peacock Clan made a deal with me to kill your father. I wanted that item, so he simply had to die."

Shao Heng was even more shocked. Great cultivators had their own titles.

A Golden Core cultivator of the Fifth Realm was called a *Zhenren* (True Person), and a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Sixth Realm was called a *Zhenjun* (True Lord). Only a Seventh Realm cultivator, who had touched the true essence of the Great Dao and mastered the Laws, could refer to themselves as "Zun" (Venerable/Exalted).

Shao Heng clenched her fists, her heart pounding like a drum.

Even so, she felt not the slightest regret for her previous action of capturing the little dragon.

Crisis and opportunity—if you split the word "crisis" apart, do they not represent danger and chance existing side by side?

If she obtained the young dragon and tamed it, it would provide endless precious materials and treasures. When Shao Heng made her choice, she was prepared to bear the risks. Any regret was meaningless, for even if she were given another chance, she would make the same choice.

After the female cultivator grew somewhat bored of playing with the little dragon, she turned her gaze toward Shao Heng.

The lotus on her brow shimmered, and Shao Heng felt a sudden force wash over her, as if every inch of her being was being swept through and thoroughly inspected.

Divine Sense!

The Divine Sense of a Seventh Realm cultivator!

Shao Heng's expression changed drastically, and her body tensed, but she quickly feigned a look of terror, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at the woman.

In reality, her heart was racing with joy. The layer of dim grey light covering her entire dantian was continuously shrinking, wrapping both the grey cocoon and the [Azure Emperor] runes together. The Divine Sense, which she could not resist, swept over her without detecting any abnormality!

At the same time, Shao Heng became even more curious: where did this small grey cocoon come from, and what kind of divine ability did it nurture that even a Seventh Realm cultivator could not see through its mystery?

But the woman in the sky suddenly furrowed her brows, causing Shao Heng's heart to race. Had she misjudged? Had this person actually discovered the grey cocoon?

The woman suddenly acted, forcibly seizing one of Shao Heng's storage rings and taking something out of it.

A single page of golden paper.

Shao Heng quickly remembered that she had obtained this by chance among the halls of the Myriad Law Pavilion. It was blank, and after she had tried various methods without finding anything mysterious about it, it had gradually been left idle in her storage ring.

The female cultivator was clearly startled by this object. Did she know what this golden paper was?

"A mere Qi Refinement stage cultivator like you actually managed to obtain..."

A thousand responses flashed through Shao Heng's mind, but finally, she showed a sincere expression and answered truthfully, "Replying to Senior, I am a disciple of the Zhenyi Yuan Sect. This golden paper suddenly drifted in front of me within the sect. Although it has no words, I thought it was some sort of heavenly opportunity, so I kept it in my storage ring."

"What is your name?"

"Replying to the Venerable, this junior is called Shao Heng. 'Shao' as in young, and 'Heng' as in Duheng."

The woman pointed her finger at the golden paper, causing ripples to spread like water, until finally, two ancient immortal characters surfaced in the very center.

"It really is yours..."

"An opportunity? You could call it an opportunity, but for you, going to that place is a death trap where survival is nearly impossible."

Shao Heng took a deep breath and asked, "May I ask, Venerable, what place is it?"

The woman released her grip on the golden paper, letting it flutter in the wind. It eventually drifted back down in front of Shao Heng, allowing her to see the two immortal characters in the center clearly.

Even though she did not recognize this type of script, she was absolutely certain it was her own name.

'Shao Heng.'

"You want to know what this is? Then I shall tell you: since it appeared before you of its own accord, it is not that you obtained it, but that it has chosen you. By obtaining this Flying Immortal Command, you have gained the qualification to enter 'Baiyujing'."

Baiyujing?

Shao Heng had once heard the poem: *"Above lies the White Jade Capital, with twelve towers and five cities. Immortals stroke my head, binding my hair to grant me longevity."*

Her thoughts raced, but faced with a completely unknown term, she could not reach a conclusion.

*Thud.*

The little dragon was tossed in front of her. Its slender body had been tied into a plum-blossom knot by the woman, and its eyes were silently weeping.

Shao Heng suppressed the urge to collect the dragon's tears, waiting for the woman's next move.

"I am truly both wary of you and curious about you. To be chosen by the Flying Immortal Command without even stepping into the Three Middle Realms..."

"But I really want to see what kind of faces those old fossils will make when you enter Baiyujing, after they have spent lifetimes desperately seeking that command."

"Remember this: my name is Yin Liu. Consider this little dragon a meeting gift. Take it and play with it. On the day you step into Baiyujing, hahaha..."

Shao Heng immediately raised her head and responded, "Thank you, Senior!"

But when she looked toward the sky, Yin Liu had already vanished without a trace.

Shao Heng immediately activated 'Ze Sifang' to heal her injuries. With the prior effect of the Spring Return Pill, her bones and muscles were now basically reconnected.

She scooped up the knotted little dragon and discovered that five small bracelets had been placed around its neck and claws. Upon closer inspection, they were made of woven silver willow branches.

She pried open the dragon's mouth, injected death qi into it, and then smiled sinisterly, "You've fallen back into my hands again, hehehe."

Shao Heng untied the knot and coiled the dragon around her forearm.

The little dragon seemed to have lost all strength and means; its eyes were dull and grey as it allowed her to manipulate it at will.

However, Shao Heng didn't care about that.

If she couldn't get its loyalty, getting its body was enough!

With Yin Liu's cultivation, she had certainly cleared the surrounding area upon her arrival; no living creature would dare to spy.

Nevertheless, Shao Heng performed the Face-Changing Technique once more to give herself a different face before heading back toward the direction of the Zhenyi Yuan Sect.