Chapter 54: Staging A Comeback Against All Odds

When Xiao Ran arrived at the cell where the Deluge Dragon was imprisoned, he stopped in his tracks.

The cell door was destroyed, and the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains binding his body were smashed, scattering debris all over the ground.

The prisoner, however, was still inside the cell.

The Deluge Dragon had curled up into a ball and was hiding in the corner. His head was buried in his chest, and he was trembling violently.

He furtively raised his eyes to look at the approaching boots on the ground. His heart was almost in his throat as he cursed vehemently in his heart, “F*ck you, Three-Headed Dragon! You’ve really screwed me over big time.”

“Raise your head,” Xiao Ran ordered.

The Deluge Dragon raised its head meekly. It looked terribly pitiful and aggrieved, his eyes filled with resentment.

“Would you believe me if I said it had nothing to do with me?”

“I believe you.”

“Thank you! I knew you would believe me.” The Deluge Dragon was visibly relieved.

“Add another five bottles of dragon blood,” Xiao Ran said.

“I… ”

As he observed Xiao Ran’s expression turn icy cold, he swallowed the rest of his words and hurriedly changed tack. “I think it’s too little. You can add another bottle.”

“What’s going on here?”

“It has nothing to do with me. It was all the Three-Headed Dragon’s doing! He wanted to take me in as his follower and bring me away with him, but I sternly reprimanded him and refused.” As if afraid that Xiao Ran would not believe him, he added in the last few details.

“Since I’ve committed a crime, I must take responsibility for what I’ve done. I won’t leave my cell until I’ve washed away my sins, not even if someone puts a knife to my throat.” He proclaimed self-righteously.

“You are not escaping anymore?” Xiao Ran asked.

The Deluge Dragon shook his head vigorously. “I like the environment and everything here. I swear I will never escape!”

Xiao Ran retrieved the Three-Headed Dragon’s body from his belt and tossed it in front of him.

Looking at the corpse, the Deluge Dragon was still shocked, even though it had known how terrifying Xiao Ran was.

However, when he saw the Three-Headed Dragon’s corpse with his own eyes, he involuntarily jumped with fright.

He looked on nervously. “What … what are you doing?”

“Eat it,” Xiao Ran ordered.

“Is it for me?”

Happiness arrived too suddenly. Afraid that he would go back on his word, the Deluge Dragon nonetheless swallowed the Three-Headed Dragon’s corpse quickly.

Taking the initiative, he then stretched out his right limb and closed his eyes in humiliation. “No need to stand on ceremony. Feel free to take my blood.”

Xiao Ran cut his wrist and began to bleed him.

After consuming the Three-Headed Dragon, the Deluge Dragon’s evolution level had broken through to Level 2 of the Profound Realm. In addition to the six bottles that the Deluge Dragon had promised earlier, Xiao Ran drew another six bottles for a grand total of twelve bottles.

He put away the full jade bottles.

The Deluge Dragon was practically paralyzed. He lay weakly on the ground and smiled apologetically. “I have been very good, haven’t I?”

Xiao Ran glared at him sternly, scaring him into shutting up immediately.

He re-sealed his shoulder bones again, repaired the 10,000-year-old Mystic Iron chains scattered all over the ground, and then bound the chains to his body again.

“Don’t even think about escaping. The outside world is very dangerous,” Xiao Ran said.

“I finally got away with it. I was almost scared to death.” The Deluge Dragon thought inwardly and began to relax.

After checking the whole place over,

everything else in the Purgatory was intact. Other than the Deluge Dragon, the other demons were all securely imprisoned in cells.

He left the Celestial Dungeon and rushed towards the Dragon Lake Institute.

When he arrived there,

he found Little Zhou on the roof. Little Zhou was surprised by his late appearance. “Brother Xiao, I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I got held up.”

“Has something happened at the Celestial Dungeon?”

“It’s a small matter. It’s already settled.” Xiao Ran did not want to say too much.

Little Zhou took out a receipt and handed it to him.

“It’s a receipt from the Jade Manor. Odds of ten to one.”

At this point, Little Zhou became very excited and gushed, “The Dragon Lake Institute is too powerful. They won both rounds in a row. The Yin Incubation Institute has finally met their match. If nothing goes wrong, we will make a killing.”

“Just you alone?” Xiao Ran asked.

“Our Lord is over there. He came way earlier than me and rushed over to occupy a seat before dawn. Apparently, he has even taken out all his retirement money. He bet a total of 200,000 taels on the Dragon Lake Institute to win.”

Little Zhou looked somewhat envious.

“Brother Xiao, I believe you now. A Grand Master is really too rich.”

“Work hard at developing your skills. You can do it too.” Xiao Ran patted his shoulder encouragingly.

Little Zhou’s face then clouded over as he said, “There’s another blind date in a few days’ time. When will it end?”

The third match began.

Xiao Ran took out the Source Consuming Pearl and used it as a medium to channel the Sanctifying Righteous Treasure Tome’s power to the maximum. It went wild, devouring the Immense Righteous Energy of the Yin Incubation Institute like crazy.

At the start of the battle, Zhao Jishan and the other higher-ups were prepared to make big sacrifices.

Contrary to their expectations, the mystery perpetrator did not appear. They ended their preparations, but the outcome of the battles gave them a rude awakening.

All of them had such icy expressions that water could almost drip off their faces.

At this moment, they could feel their Immense Righteous Energy leaking away from their bodies again.

It made their already foul mood worse. They were so furious that their nails dug into their flesh.

“Vice Principal, that guy has reappeared,” one of the higher-ups informed him urgently.

“I know.” Zhao Ji Shan was expressionless.

He took out another Numinous Treasure and activated the Immense Righteous Energy in it for Xiao Ran to devour.

“I want to see how many Numinous Treasures you guys have,” Xiao Ran commented scornfully.

All six matches had ended now.

The Dragon Lake Institute had won six consecutive matches. They had fought valiantly and saved the Imperial Court’s last bit of face.

Jubilant triumphant cheers erupted from the ground.

Zhao Jishan threw down a treasure with an icy expression and quickly left with his men.

He had no choice but to leave. In just half a day, he had already lost three numinous treasures. Even if the Yin Incubation Institute had a rich heritage, it could not afford to squander like this.

“I haven’t reached my limit yet,” Xiao Ran remarked.

The Source Consuming Pearl was still a little short before it reached its upper limit.

The battle had already ended. As he looked in the direction they had left, he murmured with narrowed eyes, “I might pop over when I am free.”

Little Zhou was jumping around on the roof excitedly. He was so overwhelmed with happiness. “Brother Xiao, we’re rich!”

Crash!

The weight was too much for the roof to bear. A big hole emerged beneath where Little Zhou was jumping and he fell down.

“F*ck!” Little Zhou cursed as he plummeted down.

“Hurry up and run! Are you waiting for them to make you pay?” Xiao Ran urged him.

Little Zhou sprang up in shock. He leaped up from below and fled outside without looking back.

The two of them ran out of the Dragon Lake Institute and bumped into Shen Yiming along the way.

“Why are you two running?” Shen Yiming asked curiously.

He was in a very good mood now. The Dragon Lake Institute did not disappoint him. They had preserved the honor of the Imperial Court and had helped him earn back all the money he had lost previously.

It was a grand total of two million taels!

“I broke a hole through their roof,” Little Zhou admitted honestly.

“That’s just a small matter. Look at how scared you are.” Shen Yiming rolled his eyes at him.

With a wave of his right hand,

“Let’s go! We’ll go to the Jade Manor to get our money. Tonight I’ll treat you guys to drinks at the Drunken Immortals Court. You can have as much fun as you want. I’ll pay for all the expenses.”

Little Zhou asked the question that had been bugging him, “My Lord, you’ve lost three rounds in a row previously, yet you still continue to bet on the Dragon Lake Institute. Aren’t you afraid of losing again?”

“Of course I am! I even took out my retirement money. How can I not be afraid?” Shen Yiming said.

“We’re on different sides. I still have to bet on our side even if I’m scared. It’s a matter of principle.”

“Hehe! I bet 30,000. Brother Xiao bet 300,000.”

Shen Yiming stopped in his tracks and sized up the two of them suspiciously. His gaze then fixed on Xiao Ran. “Really?”

He wanted to ask, “Where did you get so much money?” but he changed his mind at the last minute.

Everyone had their secrets, as long as they kept their principles.

“Why don’t I treat everyone instead!” Xiao Ran offered, admitting in a roundabout way that his winnings were the highest among the three.