LAVW – Chapter 76 Brother Qian Recommends Himself

As soon as Hua Qing finished speaking, Yuheng’s powerful divine sense swept across the Ten Thousand Beast Bone Forest, rapidly probing the area outside the tribulation zone.

Not a single wisp of celestial spiritual energy was spared.

Wu Chunshu and the others also immediately released their divine senses to search the surroundings.

Countless divine senses spread out like a vast net, expanding outward.

The old dragon’s soul hesitated for a moment before fleeing into the distance.

Although there were five cultivators undergoing tribulation present, only two were in the mid-stage of the tribulation realm. The rest were at the early stage. If the old dragon still had its true body, it wouldn’t fear these cultivators at all.

But as it was now just a soul, going up against five tribulation cultivators would be a struggle.

Moreover, the old dragon didn’t want to draw the attention of the Heavenly Dao.

If it were noticed by the Heavenly Dao, then body-snatching would become meaningless — it would be better off staying hidden.

Sensing that the old dragon had deliberately avoided the righteous cultivators, the demonic path ancestor forcefully suppressed the urge to rush forward.

She had to be patient. After all, the old dragon couldn’t escape now. The Ascension Path was a trap she had set specifically for it. Now that it had entered, it shouldn’t expect to come back out.

Without the direct nourishment of human fortune after leaving its host body, the old dragon’s soul would gradually weaken over time. The formation and curse power, however, would continue to affect the Earth Dragon’s body.

The old dragon fled swiftly, but the residual demonic energy in the celestial aura was too obvious.

“A demonic cultivator!”

“Very powerful — likely at the late stage of tribulation, but it escaped.”

Yuheng finished scanning the area around the bone forest and found nothing unusual. Hearing the others’ conclusions, he turned toward the direction in which the old dragon had fled, and his expression instantly changed.

“Not good — there are disciples of my Sword Sect in that direction!”

Mo Sanchi and a few others were exploring not far from the Ascension Path.

Helpless, Yuheng entrusted the bone forest to the familiar Wu Chunshu. He also called upon a tribulation expert from Divine Flower Valley to accompany him. The two then left together to pursue the fleeing demonic cultivator and rescue the disciples.

Back at the bone forest, Hua Qing took out a vial of potion, opened it, and tried to wake the little spirit beast.

Shi Qian was awakened by the stench. As soon as he regained a little consciousness, he immediately sealed his nose shut.

Only after he couldn’t smell anything anymore did he roll to the side and take a couple of deep breaths.

Hua Qing quickly recorked the vial and asked, “Brother Qian, what did you smell before you passed out?”

Shi Qian didn’t dare take a deep breath. He backed away further from Hua Qing before speaking amidst the rumbling thunder, “Squeak Squeak.”

It was the scent of another dragon.

As a half-dragon himself, Shi Qian could distinguish that it was the aura of a dragon mixed with danger.

And that killing intent was so intense — it had been aimed at Long Ye alone, but it had knocked him out cold from the stench alone. That could only mean one thing — that dragon was likely the big boss.

Shi Qian had grown numb to the utterly chaotic plot and the even messier character appearances. He could now accept them with calm composure.

There was no helping it — it had happened too many times.

Hua Qing’s eyes widened. “A dragon?”

How did another dragon suddenly appear in the cultivation world?

Wu Chunshu frowned as well and asked, “Any other information?”

Shi Qian thought for a moment, mainly struggling with how to give spoilers in a reasonable way.

But with the plot completely derailed, what he knew was probably no longer useful. At best, he could guide them toward discovering the old dragon’s identity.

Might as well go for it. Shi Qian made up his mind and said, “Squeak Squeak.”

It seemed to be a very, very old dragon. Really ancient.

An old dragon? When was the last time a dragon appeared in the cultivation world? The group fell into contemplation, trying to recall past events.

But before they could piece it together, thunder rumbled again in the distant sky.

Someone else was undergoing a tribulation.

Judging by the intensity, it was weaker than Long Ye’s, but still at the tribulation level. It was probably Mo Sanchi.

“During a tribulation, we won’t need to worry about that demonic dragon’s interference.”

Demonic cultivator, dragon — Wu Chunshu simply referred to it as the “demonic dragon.”

The others followed suit.

“It might’ve been twenty thousand years ago. Our sect’s ancient records mention an evil dragon around that time… but the records are vague, and not much information remains.”

Now with a lead, Wu Chunshu and the others began recalling events from twenty thousand years ago.

Shi Qian was inwardly impressed that they had figured out the general direction from just a single clue.

— I’m really curious… Just how old are all you powerful cultivators?

But cultivators in the cultivation world all had excellent memories, practically photographic. Even ancient memories could be recalled — and now they could be put to good use.

Hei Mao sniffed his younger brother twice and still wasn’t at ease: “Squeak Squeak?”

Little brother, are you okay?

“Squeak Squeak.”

I’m fine, big bro. Don’t worry.

Right now, Shi Qian had his nose tightly covered, leaving only a small gap to stay alert. The moment the scent intensified, he would completely block it again—absolutely refusing to suffer a second time.

When something becomes too fragrant, it’s truly more terrifying than a foul stench.

Of course, perhaps it was just that Shi Qian hadn’t encountered anything truly foul yet. The bottle in Hua Qing’s hand was enough to make him wail in disgust.

He couldn’t think about it any longer—he’d throw up.

Shi Qian leaned against Hei Mao’s leg, feeling muddle-headed and extremely weak.

This broke the black-furred giant rat’s heart. It stood upright and scooped its little brother into one arm.

Long Hu also came over, still holding a yellow fruit in its tiger paw. “Awoo—”

Little one, eat this.

Shi Qian decided to trust it for now, took the spiritual fruit, and bit into it.

The fruit was sour, somewhat like a cross between lemon and hawthorn.

So sour that Shi Qian stuck out his tongue.

But when his tongue touched the air, a cool sensation spread through his mouth, instantly refreshing his mind.

Comforting—his head felt clearer too.

With a wrinkled “steamed bun” face, Shi Qian took two more bites of the fruit.

“Squeak squeak.”

Thanks, Long Hu.

Long Hu let out two low “awoos,” somewhat disgruntled.

Why did even his son call him Long Hu? But then again, this was the first time the little one had called him anything—so he was instantly satisfied.

“Awoo—”

Want more? Dad has plenty. Shi Hao has a ton.

Shi Qian: Why do you guys have so many of these ready… Don’t tell me—you’ve smelled that foul bottle Hua Qing has?

Now recovering, Shi Qian shook his head, declining the offer.

Before long, Yuheng returned with another tribulation-stage expert, along with several elders and disciples from the Sword Sect.

Apparently, aside from the “safe” Mo Sanchi, everyone had gathered over at the Bone Forest.

Yuheng also brought back a piece of bad news:

“The path down from the Ascension Road has been severed. The entrance and exit are sealed.”

Everyone’s expressions darkened. A foreboding omen. It felt like they’d walked right into a conspiracy.

Then came the mention of the “Old Devil Dragon.” Possibly the one from twenty thousand years ago. The oldest among them, Yuheng, spoke solemnly:

“If it’s that one, then we’re truly in danger.”

“That dragon was exceptionally gifted but innately wicked. After wreaking havoc in the Demon Mountains, it gathered a group of demonic beasts and infiltrated mortal kingdoms, feeding specifically on humans—and it especially liked defiling women.”

“At first, the cultivation world was unaware. Who knows how many nations were devoured by that group of beasts, leaving the common people destitute. In that region, people feared the very mention of dragons; just the sight of a demonic beast would terrify them to the core.”

“In truth, ordinary humans have no spiritual energy in their flesh. The dragon harmed them purely for fun—watching them struggle in death like playthings.”

“When the sects above those mortal nations intervened, they were defeated by the demonic beasts. Only a few managed to escape to deliver the news. That evil dragon even devoured the sect’s treasured artifact, instantly raising its cultivation to the tribulation stage.”

“Later, dozens of sects joined forces to hunt it down, but none succeeded in killing it. Several sect leaders spent a hundred years hunting it, eventually sacrificing their lives to suppress the dragon within a massive formation. The formation was later reinforced with curses from both the Wu and Ghost clans.”

“To eliminate the dragon’s followers, the cultivation world waded through rivers of blood. It was then that human-beast hybrids began to be viewed with disdain, their bloodline considered tainted.”

“So much time has passed… we all thought that dragon must have died under the curse.”

“It’s a ground dragon—skilled in manipulating the power of the earth. If it has returned and joined hands with demonic cultivators to uncover underground secret realms, then that’s very plausible.”

Yuheng was the most senior among the tribulation-stage cultivators, and knew the ancient history best.

Shi Qian listened silently, saying nothing as the old tales of the dragon unfolded once more.

“What cultivation level is the dragon now? Can we defeat it?”

“I’m afraid—” Yuheng shook his head, “we can’t.”

“Its aura is too strong. Even the most powerful tribulation-stage cultivators I’ve seen are far below it.”

“What if we gather all the tribulation cultivators on the Ascension Road?”

Wu Chunshu knew that there were more than just the five of them on this path.

If dozens of tribulation-stage cultivators joined forces, the outcome could be vastly different.

“It might be worth a try.”

With that, Elder Yuheng drew his sword and carved a sword symbol into the sky. The other tribulation-stage elders followed suit, marking the air with their sect symbols or personal seals to call the others over.

Shi Qian, still thinking about the old dragon, suddenly recalled the mysterious token he’d found at the very beginning.

He stretched out his paw and started searching through his storage ring. It wasn’t until more tribulation cultivators began arriving that he finally dug it out.

Before he could even pass the diamond-shaped token from the newbie village to anyone, Wu Chunshu’s gaze landed on it first.

“That token… it’s awfully strange.”

Shi Qian explained with a chirp: “Squeak Squeak.”

Hua Qing interpreted,

“Brother Qian says he found it outside the secret realm.”

“Squeak Squeak——”

It used to have many small black beads on it, but as more young cultivators died inside the realm, the beads began turning red. Once fully red, they’d fall off and sink into the ground.

The old dragon was an earth dragon, master of the earth’s power. Now that Shi Qian thought about it, those red beads might also be linked to it.

Wu Chunshu took the token and examined it carefully.

“Indeed. This is an ancient formation token. The old runes on it can transfer fate.”

“That demon dragon is actually stealing our human race’s fate, in collusion with demonic cultivators!”

“How foolish those demonic cultivators are—what good does it do them to help the dragon?”

“No wonder it escaped… so many lives…”

“Today, we must kill this dragon! To honor my disciples.”

Speaking of the past ten-plus years, even tribulation-stage cultivators couldn’t stay calm. They were human too—how could they be heartless? Even without descendants, they had disciples and apprentice-grandchildren…

And with that, Shi Qian finally understood the full picture of the old dragon’s cooperation with the demonic cultivators.

He was also secretly shocked by the old dragon’s scheming.

Shi Qian had originally thought the old dragon was just a plot device boss—a tool meant to help Long Aotian level up.

Because from the original plot, nothing from the old dragon’s side was ever shown from Long Aotian’s perspective. It was just like hitting a final difficult boss before the end, there solely to help Long Aotian achieve his ultimate milestone.

Then, they’d sacrifice Long Aotian’s woman and child to evoke tragedy, deepen the emotional weight, and reasonably justify a sudden power-up.

But honestly, in a story so full of melodrama and shallow emotions, even when he saw the “Little Grandmaster” lose her child, Shi Qian wasn’t moved. He couldn’t genuinely feel Long Aotian’s pain.

Instead, he felt more sympathy for the Little Grandmaster. A mother losing her unborn child—she was undoubtedly the one who suffered the most.

Now, though, listening to the increasingly violent thunder outside, Shi Qian couldn’t help but glance a few more times toward the black dragon.

At present, they’d encountered the boss too early in this “secret chamber.” Even if Long Ye successfully passed the tribulation, he was still only at the early stages of tribulation-level cultivation. How could he possibly defeat the cunning and devious old dragon?

The first child of destiny had been tricked into becoming a demonic cultivator by this same old dragon—who knows how many years he’d worked for him unknowingly? He was truly the king of tragic characters.

Aside from Shi Qian, the others were also deeply troubled and couldn’t help but worry, each thinking about what they could do next.

Yuheng and the rest quickly settled on a basic action plan.

They would wait until everyone had arrived, make a few more arrangements, then act immediately.

Hearing the counterattack plan, Shi Qian withdrew his gaze from the black dragon and raised his little paw: “Squeak Squeak!”

I can roughly sniff out where the old dragon is.

Hei Mao only understood that it was dangerous, and that another dragon was bad. He unhappily wrapped both arms tightly around his little brother.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Brother, you’re not going.

“Squeak Squeak!”

My nose is better than yours.

As he spoke, Hei Mao nudged his little sister’s leg to keep her quiet. He knew the others couldn’t understand what his little brother was saying.

Hua Qing stumbled a little and forced a bitter smile. “General, pushing me won’t help. This is a serious matter; we can’t act on our personal feelings right now.”

Shi Qian’s pair of black eyes stared at Hua Qing. “Wuwu.”

A muffled: “Don’t listen to my brother.”

Of course Hua Qing couldn’t bear it either, but he could only harden his heart and say, “Brother Qian says he can smell the general area where the demonic dragon is. He wants to lead us to him.”

But before Hua Qing finished speaking, Shi Qian was already thoroughly pinned under Hei Mao’s belly, completely hidden, not a sliver of daylight visible.

Shi Qian understood very clearly—it actually wasn’t that dangerous.

He’d be moving with the tribulation-level powerhouses, so escaping shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Besides, he had already learned teleportation, and Hei Mao also controlled space powers.

Still, being pressed down so tightly by Mouse Bro, not even a crack of sky visible, made him deeply moved.

The cultivation world did have its good points—look at him, scoring such a great Mouse Bro for free.

But could he not be squashed so sincerely?

Shi Qian felt like he was about to be flattened into a pancake.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Bro, you’re going to crush me!

Hei Mao hesitated for a moment, then finally chose to leave his brother a little gap. After all, he knew he wasn’t light—he was getting heavier by the day. Plus, he had a dragon-tiger squatting on his back, helping to hide the little cub—double the weight.

Shi Qian squeezed his head out through the gap: “Squeak, Squeak Squeak.”

Bro, you’re so heavy.

Just after complaining, he saw a heavy black-and-white striped tail swaying slowly in front of him.

Shi Qian: …

Ah, so that’s it.

He suddenly lunged, crawled out from under Mouse Bro’s belly, and bit down hard on that striped tail.

The dragon-tiger felt a sudden weight on its tail, turned around, and saw that it had somehow fished up a little cub.

The dragon-tiger batted at the cub beside him with its tiger paw: “Awoo awoo—”

Little cub, hide properly!

Out from under Mouse Mountain, and straight into Tiger Arms.

Hei Mao’s tail was gone now too. Shi Qian let out a long sigh.

A mother mouse running while pregnant, raising the cub, only to kick it out of the nest later—there was a reason behind that, clearly.

Just then, Shi Qian saw Master Chan Hua rushing over, carrying two burly martial-monk junior brothers on his shoulders.

With the two large men on his shoulders, the already slender Chan Hua Master looked even more frail.

Wait—Master, are you sure you’re not doing this backwards?