Chapter 512 - 504: The Weak Armored Dragon Cub

Chapter 512: Chapter 504: The Weak Armored Dragon Cub

He already had Xiaobai the Snow Qilin, but he thought of it more as a child. Besides, the Snow Qilin’s power was so immense that its every appearance in battle caused a major commotion. And since its identity was so special and sensitive, it couldn’t openly join him in battle on many occasions.

That was why he needed a Magical Beast partner who could fight beside him at all times.

The Lightning Armor Dragon was the best choice! It could deal damage, take a hit, and escape! Absolutely perfect!

"Yes, you’re right. That is, if the ancestral aura within me can truly help your children," Mu Chen said with a smile.

"Trust my perception and my judgment. You are... different from ordinary humans," the Lightning Armor Dragon King said confidently before continuing, "Since we’ve laid everything bare, there’s no need to beat around the bush and lead you all over the Outer Valley. Let’s go straight to the Inner Valley and see my children. Whichever one catches your eye, it will be their destiny—and yours as well."

With that, the Lightning Armor Dragon King turned and stepped through the large gate, with Mu Chen close behind. As he entered, he was startled to see several Lightning Armor Dragons lying prostrate just inside the Outer Valley’s gate. Their gazes were sharp, their spirits at their peak. The moment they saw him, an undeniable flicker of surprise appeared in their eyes, but it quickly softened into something gentler. ’They must have sensed the ’ancestral aura’ inside me too,’ he thought.

Time flew by. More than half a day had passed since Mu Chen left through the golden Mirror Screen. Outside the Mirror Screen, Zhu Jiuqian took a huge swig of wine and declared with satisfaction, "That’s the long and short of it. But every single one of those tales is a story you could tell for a lifetime, haha."

Feng Chaoming’s jaw hung open, stretching the massive scar that ran from his scalp to his cheek and giving him a terrifying appearance. "Incredible! Bizarre! That kid, Mu Chen, can actually wield four types of Attribute Elemental Power at once! And what did you just say? Wielding four Elemental Power Attributes isn’t even his limit? Then what is?"

Zhu Jiuqian chuckled. "According to the speculation of Dilaka, Shan Qiuhen, Linghai, and myself, the kid’s limit is wielding eight types of Attribute Elemental Power—all of them except for the Light and Dark Attributes! Eight types of Attribute Elemental Power... Tsk, tsk. Just thinking about it makes him sound like a monster! If he’s allowed to keep growing, I’m afraid it won’t be long before the entire Extreme Martial Continent knows his name!"

"Eight... types... My heavens." Feng Chaoming looked utterly dazed, but as a veteran who had witnessed countless wonders, he quickly composed himself. He wanted to disbelieve it, but he knew Zhu Jiuqian all too well. If there was one thing that man feared in his life, it was telling a lie! Getting Zhu Jiuqian to lie would be harder than taking away his wine gourd, Gourd Heaven!

"And that other kid you mentioned... the Son of Taotie? Are you pulling my leg? Aren’t *you* the Son of Taotie? How is it suddenly some little brat?" This time, Feng Chaoming was genuinely puzzled, but since he knew Zhu Jiuqian couldn’t lie, he decided to hear him out.

But to his surprise, Zhu Jiuqian just curled his lip in annoyance. "When did I ever say I was the Son of Taotie?" he snapped. "Isn’t that just some wild rumor you bored old fools came up with? I merely possess a fraction of the Divine Beast Taotie’s bloodline, that’s all. I’m a long, long way from being the true Son of Taotie! Besides, don’t you forget. The primary condition for being the Son of Taotie is being a Beastman. Sure, I’m in human form now, but my true form is a full-fledged Magical Beast. How could I possibly be the Son of Taotie?"

Feng Chaoming was taken aback for a moment, then it dawned on him. "I can’t believe I forgot that part of the legend. But doesn’t that make things even more troublesome? If that little guy is the Son of Taotie, his ultimate fate is to lose his mind and become nothing but a fighting machine. How can you dare to take on such a dangerous time bomb as a student after finding out?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s get one thing straight. I intend to take him on as a disciple, not just some student," Zhu Jiuqian said, rolling his eyes. "And as for that ’berserk state’ you mentioned... he’s already solved it."

"What?! Solved it?"

Feng Chaoming’s eye went wide. Zhu Jiuqian had lost count of how many times he’d seen that expression on him today, and he was secretly gloating. After all, Feng Chaoming was known throughout Holy Tomb Mountain as the most stone-faced person alive, second only to the Dean himself. They used to make bets on who could get Feng Chaoming to crack a smile or show any emotion. For hundreds of years, no one ever succeeded. And now, without any bet on the line, Zhu Jiuqian had managed to keep him in a state of shock for the better part of a day. It felt incredible!

"Doesn’t he have *that thing*?" Zhu Jiuqian hinted, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"What thing?"

"The Taotie Secret Technique, heheh..."

"...My heavens. There are freaks of nature every year, but this year is really something else..." Feng Chaoming sighed. He found himself growing impatient, eager for Mu Chen and Little Tiger to emerge. He had to see for himself if they were truly as incredible as Zhu Jiuqian claimed!

...

Back inside Holy Beast Mountain, after walking with the Lightning Armor Dragon King for about ten minutes, Mu Chen finally laid eyes on the Inner Valley he had spoken of.

At first, Mu Chen had assumed the so-called Inner Valley was simply a resource-rich section within the Outer Valley, which was built out of Profound Magnet Gold Stone. But now he saw that his understanding had been too simplistic. This Inner Valley was a true valley! A valley within a valley!

A "valley within a valley" referred to a more secluded, sunken area nestled inside the main one. This place could also be considered a valley in its own right. Hidden by the Outer Valley, almost no natural predators could get inside. Just like the Outer Valley, the Inner Valley’s main Defense Barrier was made of that same Profound Magnet Gold Stone—the kind that made one sigh with regret just looking at it. Furthermore, the stone here appeared to be of an even higher quality.

Moreover, if the Outer Valley’s defense was a simple encirclement, then the Inner Valley’s defense was an inescapable net cast from heaven to earth! They had used countless slabs of Profound Magnet Gold Stone to form an eggshell-shaped enclosure, completely sealing off the sky above the Inner Valley. Only a few small openings for light and a single door-like passage, just large enough for one Lightning Armor Dragon to pass through, remained.

’This defense is practically a natural fortress,’ Mu Chen thought. ’It’s no exaggeration to say that if this were in the Outer Realm, it would be a pass where one man could hold off ten thousand! But... what a waste of Profound Magnet Gold Stone!! Are there really that many dangers on this Holy Beast Mountain?!’

"Come on in. It might look tightly sealed from the outside, but there’s plenty of light inside."

As it spoke, the Lightning Armor Dragon King headed toward one side of the Inner Valley. It chuckled and said, "A little while ago, the children would have been resting. But now that the other clan members are back, they’ve surely taken them out back to play. Follow me."

Mu Chen nodded and followed. For some reason, as he took that step, a feeling washed over him—a familiar feeling, one that made his very spirit tremble...

"It’s the Clan Leader! The Clan Leader is back!"

Soon, as he followed the Lightning Armor Dragon King to a grassy meadow, the sound of cheerful, childish laughter drifted over from the far side!

Mu Chen looked toward the sound, and his eyes lit up. In the distance, dozens of small Lightning Armor Dragon whelps were stumbling toward them on their chubby little feet.

The Lightning Armor Dragon King’s eyes were filled with gentle affection as it gazed upon each and every whelp. Mu Chen, too, sized them up. As they drew closer, he finally got a clear view of the young Lightning Armor Dragons.

They were all tiny, perhaps only a third of his height. Their bodies looked pink, tender, and incredibly soft. With their endearingly clumsy appearance, they were exceptionally cute, their large, diamond-shaped eyes filled with innocence and purity!

Because they were so young, their tender, pink bodies had not yet grown a full set of armor plates. Even without the armor, however, one could faintly see silver, diamond-shaped crystalline scales on their skin. These scales shimmered softly in the sunlight, and this embellishment added a touch of majestic grace to their adorable appearance.

On top of each of their heads was a silver, lustrous bump. Clearly, in a few years, this protrusion would grow into one of their primary weapons: the Thunder Spin Horn!

"Clan Leader! Clan Leader!"

In no time at all, Mu Chen and the Lightning Armor Dragon King were completely surrounded by dozens of adorable whelps. The little ones then began to quickly clamber up the King’s massive tail and onto its broad back.

"My children... did you sleep well?"

To Mu Chen, being swarmed by the whelps was just noisy, but for the Lightning Armor Dragon King, it was pure bliss.

"Yes!"

They replied in unison, but one of the whelps, one with an exceptionally gentle voice, suddenly spoke up, "It’s just... Xiaohai... he..."

"Xiaohai? Why are you bringing him up?" a whelp, the largest among the dozens, snapped with a disdainful glare. "That idiot isn’t one of us! He’s hideous! And he’s so weak! Even the Tier One Magical Beasts we use for food can bully him!"

"But... but..."

"Mei Mei, I don’t want to hear another word from you in his defense! Remember, *I* am the successor to the Clan Leader for this generation!" the largest whelp, He Chi, declared.

"Ah! Here comes that ugly thing!"

Another whelp stretched out a short arm, pointing toward the meadow. Mu Chen had been taking it all in. Following the whelp’s gesture, he finally saw the one they called Xiaohai...

His first impression was that it was, indeed, very ugly. Its body was as black as charcoal, its slightly plump frame less like an Armored Dragon and more like some kind of turtle-type Magical Beast. Its back was somewhat rounded and hunched over. Worse, two tumor-like lumps of flesh grew from its shoulder blades, pulsating grotesquely every so often. It was a disgusting sight.

Its head was slightly larger than that of a normal Armored Dragon whelp. But while the other whelps had a single bump on their heads, this one... had two more tumors, identical to those on its back, growing on either side of its head. There was even one on the tip of its nose.

Its limbs, by contrast, were far thicker than those of a normal whelp. Not only that, while the other whelps’ forelimbs were slender and short, its were extremely stout, nearly as thick as its own hind legs. As a result, its body was twice the size of even the strongest of the other Armored Dragon whelps. All things considered, if it were crawling instead of walking upright, no one would ever have classified it as a member of the Earth Dragon Species.

This... was the one the other Armored Dragon whelps called a clumsy idiot. The one who could be bullied by the Tier One Magical Beasts meant to be its food.