The Greed That Gathers

The central region of Dragon Island buzzed with anticipation. Many alliances expected an inevitable great battle between Kailo, Wang Tong, and Xiao Chen. Kailo had been a celebrated genius Spiritist of illusion among the Western tribes even before arriving on Dragon Island. Wang Tong, the inheritor of the dreaded Little Li Flying Dagger, came from a similarly fearsome lineage. As for Xiao Chen, though his name had been unknown before, his recent exploits on Dragon Island could only be described as overwhelming and terrifying. The upcoming clash promised to be a battle of dragons and tigers.

Yan Qingcheng had already locked in a deadly enmity with Xiao Chen, and her status as the Undying Successor made her a force to be reckoned with. A dark undercurrent swirled beneath the surface calm.

Just then, news of the Purple Dragon King spread. Yan Qingcheng, Kailo, and Wang Tong had led a group to corner the young Companion Dragon King, but it had fought back fiercely. Though wounded, the juvenile dragon king managed to break free, killing all who were weaker in its escape. The news sent shockwaves through the island. They had come to Dragon Island to compete for the dragon kings—beings that, when fully grown, would make even gods tremble. The possibility of taming one in its youth was a dream beyond compare.

But the most powerful of all was the Ancestral Dragon, the sovereign among kings. The young experts had heard before coming here that the sealed Dragon Island might one day be unsealed because of the Ancestor Dragon—though that was centuries away. A young dragon king needed at least decades to mature, and the Ancestral Dragon ten times longer. The cultivators on the island, all young men and women, knew they could never leave. But if they could obtain a dragon king cub, they would secure an invincible position on this primordial island for years to come. The thought stirred great waves in every heart.

It was at this sensitive moment that someone revealed they had seen Xiao Chen, along with three skeletons, carrying four gleaming dragon eggs as they traveled westward through the Dead-Silent Forest. This news caused great surprise. What did Xiao Chen intend by stealing dragon eggs? Soon, many connected the dots: Xiao Chen wanted to obtain a Companion Dragon King by stealing eggs!

A newborn Companion Dragon King, even in infancy, was already formidable and hard to subdue—the failure of Yan Qingcheng, Kailo, and Wang Tong was proof. Many speculated that Xiao Chen was executing a "Dragon King Rearing Plan." Dragon eggs did not require incubation by a mother dragon; in the nourishing essence of heaven and earth, they would hatch on their own. The cultivators unanimously concluded this was a mad plan.

If Xiao Chen knew what they were saying, he would be shocked. Raise dragons? He was eating them!

The young experts could no longer sit still. It was as if a fire had been lit in their hearts. Many wished to find Xiao Chen immediately and get to the bottom of it. Some even wanted to imitate him and steal dragon eggs themselves, but that would be courting death. After the Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon and the Serpent-Elephant Dragon had their eggs stolen on the outer reaches of the island, all the dragons had been alerted to the danger. On the inner island, the recent theft had further tightened every dragon's nerves. That very day, several cultivators died or were injured while attempting to steal eggs. This only increased the dragons' vigilance. Xiao Chen's three thefts had effectively sealed the opportunity for everyone else. No one dared to raid the dragon nests again.

But human greed is a powerful thing. The thought of a dragon king's might and mystical nature stirred everyone. Someone then proposed: If they plundered Xiao Chen instead, the danger would be relatively small, yet they could achieve the same goal.

Hearts wavered.

The monk Yizhen grew worried. He wanted to warn Xiao Chen but could not find him. He knew that if someone incited the crowd, a great number would go after Xiao Chen and his dragon eggs. If that happened, no matter how strong Xiao Chen was, he would be in grave danger. The next day, Yizhen's fears came true. Many had already been stirred up, eager to hunt down Xiao Chen and seize the eggs. Among them, the Forest Clan expert Yarode played a key role, fanning the flames behind the scenes. Yizhen suspected that the Undying Successor Yan Qingcheng, the illusionist Kailo, and the Little Li Flying Dagger successor Wang Tong were also manipulating from the shadows—after all, they had just suffered a major setback.

However, none of the cultivators who set foot on Dragon Island were simple characters. Many young experts saw through the hidden manipulation. In response, a number of them proposed that since the inevitable battle between Kailo, Wang Tong, and Xiao Chen was coming anyway, it might as well begin early. They would accompany the group to witness a fair and open settlement of the feud.

Many coveted the dragon eggs in Xiao Chen's hands and used this pretext to wade into troubled waters. Pushing Kailo and Wang Tong to the front was a clever move. Kailo and Wang Tong were not worried. They had intended to fight Xiao Chen anyway. Mobilizing this many cultivators was a way to build momentum and leverage the crowd's greed into a force that would put immense pressure on Xiao Chen. Even if they never raised a hand, others might act. Despite the pretense of impartiality, many in the crowd had ulterior motives.

Numerous cultivators from various alliances secretly joined the expedition. On the surface, it was all proper—they were going to witness a decisive battle. But many had other intentions. The group passed through the dead Silent Primordial Forest and soon reached the land of falling snow. All marveled at the spectacle. They paused before the snowy mountains.

Now, nearly a hundred people had gathered before the snow peaks, and more were still arriving. Of course, only a minority were truly greedy. Most who came later were purely spectators, for Xiao Chen's recent fame had grown so great that nearly every alliance that heard the news rushed over.

Morning in the snowy mountains: sunlight shone, but the air was bitingly cold. On one snowy peak, Keke rolled about happily. It did not fear the cold. The soft snow was as comfortable as a feather bed to it. Deep within an ice cave, the three skeletons and Xiao Chen were wholly absorbed in cultivation.

Golden radiance filled the cave with dazzling light. After countless refractions, it spilled out onto the snow, wrapping the ice world in clouds of colors. The Lion King Dragon egg contained incredibly thick life essence. Splendid golden light flowed like liquid waves into Xiao Chen's body. After a night of absorption, the golden glow gradually dimmed. The right Shoulder-Well acupoint was like a bottomless abyss, greedily drawing in the immense life essence. All the golden radiance converged toward a single point, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. At last, a brilliant light point condensed: the right Shoulder-Well acupoint had been divinely transformed!

This result did not surprise Xiao Chen.

Left Shangqiu Acupoint, Right Shangqiu Acupoint, Central Court Acupoint, Left Shoulder-Well Acupoint, Right Shoulder-Well Acupoint—five major acupoints in his body had now condensed into radiant light points, fully divinized. A faint connection seemed to form among the five divine acupoints. Imperceptibly, life essence slowly circulated among them, letting Xiao Chen feel the vast surging of life vitality within him. He felt as if he now had two lives!

The abundant life essence made even his skin flow with a crystalline light. Looking inward, he could see that his flesh and bones were filled with luminous colors, as if they had been tempered, glittering with a precious radiance. Every inch of his flesh was filled with power. His body felt as if it had been forged from refined steel. Xiao Chen had the distinct sensation of being reborn.