Chapter 3387: The Dragon Clan's Live-In Son-in-Law
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon looked at Zhang Ruochen, then at the dazzling golden light in the distance, and said, "See that big cat?"
"No!"
Zhang Ruochen looked down at the ground.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon understood immediately. Her five slender jade fingers instantly transformed into claws, tearing through space and forcing Chi Xingtian, who was hiding underground, to emerge.
"Zhang Ruochen!"
Chi Xingtian roared, fleeing toward the Dragon Lord's location, convinced that Zhang Ruochen had betrayed him.
"It has nothing to do with me. You didn't conceal your aura well enough, and the God Venerable saw through it," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Xingtian frowned deeply, doubting himself. Was the God Venerable truly so formidable? Could his Heavenly Demon Escape Art and Ancestor Secret Techniques be completely transparent before her?
Zhang Ruochen reminded him, "The Dragon Lord is casting a spell to heal Master Fangcun. If disturbed, there will be great danger."
Chi Xingtian had originally wanted to seek justice from the Dragon Lord, but upon hearing this, his heart tightened and he quickly stopped.
In that instant of hesitation, the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon's heavy mace came crashing down, smashing Chi Xingtian half a body length into the ground.
Chi Xingtian propped up several Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription Divine Stele and shouted, "Long Ba, even if you kill me, I, Chi Xingtian, will never submit to you! Just because you broke through to the next realm before me—if not for that ten-thousand-year delay, I would have long since stepped into the Infinite Realm!"
"Boom!"
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon manifested a Heavenly Demon phantom behind her, erupting with Infinite Divine Power. Her heavy mace crushed the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription Divine Stele.
Chi Xingtian screamed in agony as his body was embedded into the stone tablets.
Zhang Ruochen watched with a pounding heart. This was a vicious strike—it didn't look like a sparring match.
It wasn't over!
The heavy mace fell again, driving Chi Xingtian, who had just crawled out, back into the pit.
Bolts of black lightning rained down with the mace. Chi Xingtian's screams were unending; his divine body was charred black, sparks flying from his seven orifices.
But his mouth was stubborn, and he roared, "I, Chi Xingtian, have an unyielding proud bone! Even if you suppress and kill me today, I will never yield."
The lightning strikes grew even denser.
Was this really going to beat Chi Xingtian to death?
What kind of heinous act had he committed to provoke such fury from the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon?
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, using it like a lightning rod to draw all the black lightning away, and said, "Eighth Aunt, if you keep hitting him, he'll die!"
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon glared at Zhang Ruochen with anger, annoyed at his meddling. But beyond the anger, there was more surprise and astonishment.
Before Zhang Ruochen could speak, she raised her heavy mace and swung it horizontally, stirring up a massive storm of demonic Qi.
"Clang!"
The Earth Cauldron flew out, blocking Zhang Ruochen.
The thunderous sound created ripples of energy that spread outward.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon's strike was neutralized, failing to harm Zhang Ruochen in the slightest.
She was even more shocked and was about to summon greater power to test Zhang Ruochen's depth.
A dragon roar sounded!
A golden dragon shadow flew over rapidly, condensing into the Dragon Lord's form before her.
A faint breeze dissipated all of the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon's divine power.
The Dragon Lord said, "What's going on with you two? We agreed on a matchmaking meeting—how did it turn into this?"
Matchmaking?
Zhang Ruochen looked down at Chi Xingtian lying spread-eagled in the pit, then at the still-fuming Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon, and couldn't help but be shocked.
But after a moment's thought, he felt there were many deeper layers to this.
After all, Chi Xingtian and the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon were contemporaries. In their youth, there might have been some entanglement. Seeing that the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon had actually cultivated the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" and walked the demonic path, Zhang Ruochen was even more certain of his guess.
It seemed Chi Xingtian wasn't exactly a rigid, straight-laced man either. Zhang Ruochen silently scorned him.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon put away her heavy mace, looking haughty and proud, and said, "I am a dignified God Venerable, and he wants me to marry into the Kunlun Realm? Is there even room for negotiation?"
"So what if you're a God Venerable? If I break through to the next realm, my combat power will definitely surpass yours," Chi Xingtian said slowly as he stood up from the pit, still crackling with lightning sparks.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon sneered contemptuously, "Break through first before you talk. The path to the Infinite Realm is not as easy as you imagine. You suffered such severe injuries in the Hell Realm, shaking your foundation—I'm afraid you don't have even a sliver of a chance."
"See that? You all see that? This woman is too harsh, too insulting to me. Fight me—if you have the guts, suppress your cultivation to the Great God level, and we'll fight at the same realm!" Chi Xingtian said.
"Fight if you want to fight. Do you really think you're invincible at the same realm? If I had achieved Heart-Stop a hundred thousand years ago, there would be no place for you in the 'Great God Treatise'!"
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon raised her heavy mace, spreading her black wings, and demonic Qi surged outward in waves.
Chi Xingtian commanded the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" Divine Stele, his battle intent boiling, but he didn't rashly attack. "First, suppress your cultivation to the same realm."
"You have the nerve to tell me not to use the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription'?" the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon retorted.
"Enough!"
The Dragon Lord felt a headache coming on and used Rule Divine Patterns to forcibly separate the two.
Chi Xingtian and the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon had always had an unusual relationship, built from their youth. One could even say the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon had feelings for Chi Xingtian.
According to the plans of the Dragon Lord, Tai Shang, and the higher-ups of the Dragon Clan Realm, having Chi Xingtian and the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon marry would serve as a bridge to closely connect the Kunlun Realm and the Dragon Clan Realm.
This could also form a deterrent to the outside world!
After all, if the Kunlun Realm and the Dragon Clan Realm united, they could completely counterbalance the Four Dominant Worlds and gain more say in the Heavenly Court.
Who would have thought that just trying it out would nearly lead to a fatality?
Although the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon was the Dragon Lord's sister, they were close in age and had the best relationship among their siblings. She neither feared the Dragon Lord's cultivation nor put on airs as an older sister. She said, "I didn't even mind that he's only at the Great God level, and he still dares to push his luck. This is non-negotiable. Either he marries into the Dragon Clan Realm, or you find someone else for this marriage alliance! It's just a formality anyway!"
Chi Xingtian laughed loudly, "Haha! A female demon if I ever saw one, destined to die alone. You look down on me? I look down on you too! Compared to Princess Shenba, you have nothing womanly about you!"
Zhang Ruochen finally understood why Chi Xingtian had been beaten. Just before the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon erupted again, he teleported between them and said, "Let me say a fair word! Great God Chi Xingtian, Eighth Aunt doesn't look down on you at all—on the contrary, she has deep feelings for you. Think about it: knowing you can't break through to the Infinite Realm, she still agreed to the marriage alliance. Isn't that a form of self-sacrifice? If a woman treated me like that, I'd agree even if it meant marrying into her family!"
The Dragon Lord nodded inwardly. When it came to emotional issues, Zhang Ruochen really had some skill.
Zhang Ruochen himself thought he could turn hostility into friendship, turning enemies into in-laws. But unfortunately, he was dealing with two hard-headed characters who didn't follow the usual rules...
Chi Xingtian said, "Self-sacrifice? I, Chi Xingtian, stand tall and proud, with an iron backbone. I've lived alone for hundreds of thousands of years. I've fought heaven and earth in the Hell Realm and the Paradise Realm. Would I bow to her? Marrying into the Dragon Clan Realm and living under a woman's protection—wouldn't I be laughed at by all the cultivators in the world? If you think she's so devoted, why don't you marry her yourself?"
The smile on Zhang Ruochen's face gradually froze.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon said, "I already said we should swap the marriage alliance. If I marry Chi Xingtian, I'll end up beating him to death sooner or later! Zhang Ruochen will do. The Dragon Clan Realm can pick a proud daughter of heaven to marry him. If the Dragon Clan Realm directly allies with the Sword Realm, the impact will be even more far-reaching. The Heavenly Palace will have to take our opinions seriously in the future! That girl from Fifth Brother's family can give it a try—they have a connection anyway."
Zhang Ruochen felt he shouldn't have stepped in and quickly said, "I'd better not get involved in your affairs!"
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon showed displeasure and said, "You've already stepped forward—why back down? You, Zhang Ruochen, are no pure and innocent saint. It's not like you've never agreed to a marriage alliance before. Are you looking down on our Dragon Clan Realm? Do you think we're not strong enough?"
"That's not what I meant."
Zhang Ruochen tried his best to maintain a smile, not daring to provoke her.
A female tyrannosaurus and a female demon—who would dare to offend her except Chi Xingtian?
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon had already witnessed Zhang Ruochen's cultivation and was shocked. In just a few thousand years, this boy had already achieved the combat power to be called a king or a venerable. He was like a future Primordial Ancestor about to emerge.
With such talent and potential, plus the resources of the Sword Realm and the support of many great figures, letting him go would be a huge loss for the Dragon Clan Realm.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon looked at the Dragon Lord and secretly transmitted a message, reminding him, "You are a member of the Dragon Clan Realm!"
"Don't force this. What's forced may not be good!" the Dragon Lord transmitted back.
The Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon said, "Fine! Then I'll marry Chi Xingtian, and I guarantee I'll beat him to death. Anyway, killing a husband—no one can interfere."
The Dragon Lord sighed, looked at Zhang Ruochen, and said, "I can dissolve the Asura Soul-Sealing Seal, but I can't preserve Fangcun's cultivation. Go find Tai Shang and ask him to invite Fifth Brother to join forces. There should be a way to achieve both."
Zhang Ruochen felt like he had been sold out. What kind of mess was this?
The Dragon Lord said, "The Saint Monk's death made you what you are. If he were still alive, he would surely hope that his youngest disciple could save his senior brother. Fifth Brother won't stand by and watch someone die, but after all, he is the master of the Dragon Clan Realm. Sometimes, he may not act purely on emotion and will consider interests. If I or Tai Shang go to beg him, he will still set conditions."
The Dragon Lord spoke plainly, then secretly transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, "Blame yourself for not knowing how to keep a low profile. You showed your strength in front of Eighth Sister, and she won't let you go easily. Believe me, news of your strength will soon reach Fifth Brother.
"Don't look so gloomy. That proud daughter of heaven from Fifth Brother's family is no worse than your few confidantes. I don't know how many descendants of the Twenty Heavens have wanted to form a marriage alliance, only to be rejected at the door. For you, it's not a loss at all!"
Was it a matter of loss or not?
Zhang Ruochen believed that with his current cultivation, he had already moved past the stage of relying on marriage alliances for self-preservation.
Besides, with the Dragon Lord around, the Dragon Clan Realm and the Sword Realm could never be separated.
The Dragon Lord also seemed to find the Eight-Winged Yaksha Dragon a headache. Avoiding her, he secretly transmitted, "If you really don't want to, no one can force you. But since you've already formed marriage alliances with other forces, Fifth Brother will inevitably overthink things. He is the most proud. If you refuse him, you offend him. Go to the Kunlun Realm first. Perhaps Tai Shang has his own methods, and you won't have to beg Fifth Brother."
(End of this chapter)