Chapter 43: I'm Here to Beat You Up (Please subscribe! Please vote for monthly tickets!)

Shao Heng let out a soft chuckle.

She guessed that when the young dragon said she smelled good, it was likely referring to the few drops of [Azure Emperor] spiritual liquid remaining within her body.

After all, seeing how Duobao consumed the spiritual liquid as if it were sweet dew, Shao Heng knew that the liquid she condensed was not only effective at accelerating the growth of spiritual plants and precious herbs, but also possessed a massive attraction for beasts.

As for its father's aura? It must have been referring to the several bottles of dragon blood she had collected. To be able to smell it even through a storage ring meant she would have to use it all up as soon as possible to avoid potential trouble.

Shao Heng suddenly approached the small pool with a smile, a handful of emerald water already condensing in her palm.

"I was specially sent by your father to deliver spiritual liquid to you. Do you want to drink it?"

Even though the True Dragon race possessed astonishing intelligence, this little dragon was still a newborn and had not yet learned how to properly use its new brain. Dazed by the fragrance of the [Azure Emperor] spiritual liquid, it sniffed repeatedly with great intensity.

"I want to drink."

Shao Heng walked to the edge of the pool and poured the liquid inside. The young dragon immediately opened its mouth wide, swallowing every single drop without leaving a trace.

It smacked its lips as if savoring the taste, then hurriedly let out a dragon roar.

"More."

Shao Heng brushed the dust off her clothes.

"What a gullible, stupid dragon. I didn't come here to feed you."

"A human slave? Blood food? Neither."

"I came here to beat you!"

This young dragon was born with magical powers, but currently, it was only at the early stage of the First Realm.

Hidden within the spiritual liquid Shao Heng had previously condensed was the death qi of the 'Frost Under Heaven.' Both the spiritual liquid and the death qi were catalyzed by the [Azure Emperor] and shared the same origin. Combined with her deliberate manipulation, the death qi was masked by the spiritual liquid, making it impossible for any other dragon to detect the anomaly.

With a wave of her right hand, the death qi erupted instantly. The young dragon immediately flipped onto its belly in the water, writhing in pain.

"Open the white mist. Don't play dumb with me," Shao Heng snorted coldly.

What "misunderstanding" about her being a human slave or blood food? It clearly had those intentions all along and was merely feigning innocence.

Seeing that the dragon made no attempt to command the surrounding white mist to change, she swiftly extended her left hand, reached into the pool, grabbed the dragon's head, and forcibly suppressed it with her full magical power.

Shao Heng swung her right hand in a wide arc, using her waist and elbow to deliver a massive slap to the young dragon's face.

The dragon roars were incessant, and the slaps were relentless.

Only after the young dragon's eyes filled with tears and it stopped its frantic shouting—enduring the excruciating pain of the death qi running amok—did Shao Heng snort coldly, "Now I am even more certain."

"That white dragon is likely struggling to save itself right now, caught in a life-or-death crisis."

Therefore, after Jiang Yunjiang had managed to break through the white mist, the white dragon should have sensed it, yet it had failed to arrive. Furthermore, this young dragon, having nearly lost its essence blood, was still preoccupied with trying to get food from her instead of immediately notifying the white dragon to come and avenge it.

Caution can be a life-saving charm, but it can also cause one to miss a great opportunity.

Jiang Yunjiang was overly cautious; after her short dagger failed to strike, she immediately fled. Had she stayed a moment longer, a woman of her intellect would surely have realized this. Coupled with the "dirty thing" assisting her, even if she didn't take the essence blood, this young dragon would likely have fallen into Jiang Yunjiang's hands.

Shao Heng's left hand gripped the young dragon's neck tightly, clearly feeling its body stiffen.

Though she was confident, she only had about seventy percent certainty. However, the young dragon's current reaction sent a surge of wild joy through Shao Heng's heart, to the point where it felt somewhat surreal.

The True Dragon race used dragon seals to enslave other living beings at will, but were those other beings not also coveting this treasure trove?

Dragon blood, dragon tears, dragon scales, dragon marrow, dragon bones, dragon horns... even dragon saliva—anything with the word "dragon" in it was a rare and precious treasure!

"You... you are a bad person," the young dragon growled in a low voice.

"You... you said before that you wanted to maintain harmony between humans and dragons."

Shao Heng gave it another massive slap.

"Yes, I am that bad."

"Harmony between humans and dragons? You were the one who wanted to eat me first. You destroyed the fundamental trust between humans and dragons, do you understand? You dragon traitor!"

The young dragon did not argue; it was exerting all its strength to suppress the pain within its body.

Unfortunately, the death qi was like a maggot in its bones, wreaking havoc inside. Any attempt to risk everything to perform a bloodline secret technique was immediately interrupted by the death qi.

Before the 'Frost Under Heaven' had invaded the body, it could have been destroyed through forceful means. But once it invaded, it was like a parasitic plant, constantly absorbing the opponent's vitality in a continuous cycle. Unless one possessed magical power far exceeding Shao Heng's realm to counter it, it would be difficult to uproot.

This young dragon clearly did not meet those requirements, leaving it helpless. Its youthful dragon face showed struggle and agony, yet due to the constant slapping, it did not dare to roar again.

Controlling the chaotic death qi, Shao Heng demanded sternly, "You can definitely control the white mist. Open it for me."

Seeing the slap about to descend, the young dragon waved a claw, and the walls turned back into mist.

Shao Heng grew even angrier. "I clearly saved you earlier, sparing you the agony of having your essence blood taken. Yet you controlled the white mist to trap me here. Hmph, truly a naturally wicked dragon."

The slap fell nonetheless, hitting even harder.

With a forceful swing, the slender little dragon she had captured was instantly wrapped around her forearm. As the chaos of the death qi eased slightly, the dragon demon did not dare to struggle further.

"The True Dragon race must have methods to mask their aura. Hide your dragon breath properly. If you are discovered, I will throw you out immediately. I don't believe anyone else is as kind-hearted as I am; you might find them skinning you alive and pulling out your tendons."

Shao Heng took out a wide-sleeved outer garment, put it on, and charged toward the outside of the white mist.

She had already obtained the two spiritual herbs, and since there were no other urgent matters, she decided to return to her sect to hide for the time being.

As Shao Heng rushed out of the white mist and performed her escape technique, she thought to herself.

"Once I return to the sect, even if that white dragon doesn't die and comes chasing me, the powerful cultivators of the Zhenyi Yuan Sect will step in to negotiate. At worst, I can just hand over the young dragon. Given the reputation of the human race's strongest immortal sect, if the Zhenyi Yuan Sect hands me over under pressure from the True Dragons, they will inevitably suffer the reputation of the human race showing weakness to the dragon race."

"Even in the worst-case scenario, I will proactively expose my true cultivation and the [Azure Emperor] divine abilities. Even if it highly likely leads to the exposure of the Gray Cocoon when the elders inspect me, at least I will be safe for the time being."

She fled with all her might. After about two quarters of an hour, she had left Danyang Mountain and was darting through the mountain forests.

Suddenly, a massive *boom* echoed from the horizon, followed by a dragon roar filled with agony. The roar faded from strong to weak, its final echoes allowing one to clearly hear the resentment and regret within.

While fleeing, Shao Heng diverted her focus and looked back. There was no sign of the white dragon, but in the bright daylight, she could see that the distant clouds had been stained crimson with blood.

"That white dragon is likely dead."

She felt a dampness and pulled back her sleeve; the young dragon on her forearm already had tears in its eyes.

Shao Heng hurriedly took out a jade bottle, catching its tears as she ran.

"Oh dear, how pitiful," Shao Heng said, showing no intention of comforting the dragon, but rather mocking it.

True Dragons were arrogant and were said to rarely shed tears; thus, these dragon tears were incredibly rare and precious.

By the time Shao Heng had collected two bottles, the little dragon glared at her indignantly and turned its head away to suppress its tears, unwilling to let this bad person profit.

Meanwhile, Shao Heng operated the [Three Thousand Mile Moon] at full capacity. The tension in her heart did not relax because of the white dragon's death; instead, it tightened even further.

The death of the white dragon was, in fact, an even greater crisis for her!