Chapter 408: Young Dragon

Li Yi didn't know where the old man named Nanshan Bo had gone, nor did he pursue him, and he dared not touch him.

He squatted near the kitchen, gnawing on the dragon meat.

After one bite, Li Yi circulated his qi and blood to rapidly digest the essence of the dragon meat; once mostly digested, he took another bite, repeating this until the entire piece was consumed, his body now shimmering with silver light, his qi and blood surging terrifyingly, his entire frame brimming with boundless energy.

Moreover, the dragon meat seemed to possess some miraculous medicinal effect—he felt his major tendons being nourished, stretching, growing, and strengthening.

"No wonder some say 'dragon sinews, tiger bones'—it seems dragon meat nourishes the tendons, and this eight-hundred-year-old dragon's flesh is truly an irreplaceable medicine; if given to my Master and others to share, it could completely reshape their sinews and bones, allowing them to climb back to the peak of martial cultivation." Li Yi thought inwardly, also wishing to bring back something fine to honor his Master.

But this dragon cost eight hundred gold—he simply couldn't afford it, so he could only sneak a few bites here.

Then, suddenly, Li Yi remembered something.

At the marketplace where the dragon was sold, besides the eight-hundred-year-old giant dragon, there had also been a young dragon—perhaps he could afford that one.

He rubbed the crimson gold coin in his hand.

One crimson gold coin was worth one hundred gold.

Buying the young dragon would likely be no problem; if not, he could add some exotic fruit.

Thinking this, Li Yi quickly acted—he left the kitchen, bloated from eating, and walked toward the estate's exit; servants he passed merely bowed their heads to let him pass, neither stopping nor questioning him, allowing him to leave easily.

Outside the gate, the warrior Qi bowed respectfully to Li Yi and asked: "Where is the honored guest going?"

"I'm going to the slave marketplace to buy something," Li Yi said without concealment.

"Shall I accompany you?" Warrior Qi asked.

Li Yi thought for a moment—he realized Beihuang City was vast, and alone he felt unsafe—so he nodded: "Alright, thank you for your trouble."

Warrior Qi spoke to a companion, then followed Li Yi out.

Li Yi had an excellent memory—he quickly found the slave marketplace along the same route, and easily located the shop selling exotic beasts; yet he saw no trace of the young dragon—the cages now held other unknown exotic beasts, equally extraordinary.

"Owner, has the young dragon from yesterday been sold?" he asked directly.

The owner stepped forward and said: "Ah, it's the customer from yesterday—the little dragon lost its mother and refused to live on; while unattended, it mutilated itself. Though not dead, it's now broken and ruined, unfit for sale—I've placed it behind the shop, planning to cook it tonight. If you're interested, I'll have someone fetch it."

Li Yi said: "I'm interested."

The owner was delighted and immediately ordered a servant to bring out the young dragon.

Soon.

A burly man emerged from the shop carrying an iron cage; inside, ropes bound a young dragon, small in size, its body mangled, covered in bite marks, flesh blurred, skin torn, tendons damaged—its value greatly diminished, too unsightly to sell publicly.

Li Yi looked at the dying young dragon—he knew it couldn't be saved, so he bought it only to cook and eat; he asked: "Owner, how much?"

The owner thought a moment, then said: "Fifty gold. How's that?"

Fifty gold was half a crimson gold coin—within Li Yi's means—he immediately handed over the crimson gold coin without haggling: "I'll take it."

The owner took the crimson gold coin and grinned, immediately ordering a servant to pull the young dragon from the cage.

Nearby, Warrior Qi stepped forward and took the young dragon, holding it in his hand.

The owner also handed Li Yi five coins—likely change—but these five coins were not crimson gold; they were bluish copper, shimmering with strange light.

These were blue gold—one worth ten gold.

Li Yi now roughly understood this world's currency system; after taking the five coins, he left with Warrior Qi.

But as soon as they left the marketplace, he no longer wished to return to Xiu Xiang's residence—he told Warrior Qi: "Qi, I have other matters requiring me to leave Beihuang City. Please convey my farewell to Xiu Xiang, thank him for his hospitality; when I return to Beihuang City, I will surely visit to repay his kindness."

"Where are you going, guest? Do you need my escort?" Warrior Qi asked.

Li Yi said: "I'm going to travel alone—enough. Thank you for your protection this time; I have nothing to give you, but here—this remaining fifty gold is yours. Don't refuse it for being too little."

He took the bound young dragon from Qi's hands, handed him the five coins, then walked toward the outskirts of Beihuang City.

Warrior Qi did not follow—he wished Li Yi safe travels, then turned back alone to report to the merchant.

But Li Yi had already left the city, with no intention of lingering.

As soon as he exited Beihuang City, he sprinted in the direction he'd come; once alone, he immediately summoned Thunder War Machine from his storage artifact and boarded it, flying swiftly toward Shoucun Village.

Watching Beihuang City recede farther behind, Li Yi finally exhaled slightly in the cockpit.

This world had too many strong ones—every street teemed with them; it was utterly unsuitable for him now. Here, he walked on thin ice—fearing both provoking enemies and exposing his identity, drawing hatred; if he didn't leave quickly, trouble would trap him.

"Too bad I couldn't save Jiang Jiang Mingtian and the others," Li Yi thought with regret, but he was powerless—only hoping Xiu Xiang might help him.

Yet once his strength grew, he would return here.

Thunder War Machine moved fast—breaking the sound barrier, it kept accelerating; within two minutes, it was again above Shoucun Village, though the villagers below knew nothing of the aircraft overhead—they remained immersed in grief over the loss of their Grand Priest and strongest warrior.

Li Yi oriented himself, directing Thunder War Machine toward the dense forest beyond the valley. Soon.

As the machine landed, Li Yi returned to the site of the earlier attack; he glanced around—the six high-energy beam cannons had been reduced to two intact ones; the rest were destroyed, yet their energy cores remained undamaged—likely because Ju Li Jiao's group had retreated hastily and left no cleanup.

After gathering everything and storing it in his artifact, Li Yi heard a familiar cry.

A Shan Yi flew in from afar, landing before him; nearby, the forest erupted in thunderous crashes—a beast resembling a wild ox charged through, roaring excitedly, arriving at Li Yi's side.

"Good—you're both safe," Li Yi felt joy.

This time, securing two exotic beasts meant his strength had greatly increased; combined with his awakened Divine Bloodline, his future potential was limitless. Though perilous, he'd gained far more than he'd lost.

"Head deep into the forest, leave here," Li Yi flipped onto Niu Niu's back and pointed in one direction.

Niu Niu charged forward, smashing through trees, carving a path with no hesitation.

Shan Yi cried out, flying above in pursuit.

As they advanced, the surrounding trees subtly changed—changes so gradual they were nearly imperceptible, yet Li Yi knew: they were crossing out of this barbaric world; the forest here had merged with the deep wilderness of Earth's Danger Zone, blending environments seamlessly, making distinctions impossible.

When you emerge from the forest, you'll find yourself in another world.

Earlier, Li Yi and his group had crossed over this way, unknowingly, and been attacked by Shoucun warriors.

After traveling a distance, Niu Niu suddenly halted, snorting, staring at an ancient tree.

Coiled upon the tree was a winged serpent, hissing in tension and urgency.

"It's the feathered serpent from before," Li Yi recognized it—he and Jiang Jiang Mingtian had spared it then, fearing poison; now he saw his judgment was right—this serpent was likely an exotic species from the barbaric world, immensely powerful.

Had he insisted on attacking then, all of them would have died peacefully.

A feathered serpent capable of poisoning souls—even Niu Niu, far stronger, dared not approach; a single bite would likely kill it.

Yet just then—

Shan Yi flared its wings, hurtling forward at astonishing speed, leaving a dozen afterimages, arriving before the serpent in an instant, then striking down sharply.

The feathered serpent, as if encountering its mortal enemy, had no time to react—it was instantly shattered in the skull, collapsing dead on the spot.

"Shan Yi truly is the feathered serpent's nemesis," Li Yi thought inwardly.

Then he recalled something—he cautiously approached, collected the serpent's venomous fangs, and immersed them in a glass vial.

As the venom drained from the fangs, the clear water in the vial turned emerald green.

The feathered serpent's poison was so potent—Li Yi realized he could now poison his Fei Mu Needles to compensate for their insufficient lethality.

"Good—another card in my hand."

He carefully stored the venom, then awarded the serpent's corpse to Shan Yi.

Li Yi dared not touch such a toxic body.

Shan Yi had no fear—it seized the corpse, devoured it in a few bites, leaving nothing.

After disposing of the feathered serpent, Li Yi rode Niu Niu onward through the forest.

Though Niu Niu was brutish, it was the most alert when danger neared—immediately halting, ready for battle.

If Niu Niu didn't stop, it meant no threat was present—or the threat was too weak to warrant stopping.

As Li Yi departed,

Beihuang City.

Xiu Xiang, hearing Qi's report, widened his eyes in shock: "What? Li Yi left?"

He suddenly found his copy of *The Book of Li's Destiny* far less appealing.

He'd recognized a gem, invited a great talent, a rare commodity—how could he leave after just one day without a word?

"Where did he go? I'll go find him," Xiu Xiang rushed toward the door, but Nanshan Bo blocked him.

Nanshan Bo said: "Don't you understand, Merchant? Li Yi doesn't wish to become your retainer, nor accept your favors—that's why he left without word. And as Qi said, Li Yi returned to the marketplace—clearly, he still cares for his lost companions; his departure also seeks them. If you pursue him, you'll only ruin it—make things worse."

"Then what should I do?" Xiu Xiang fretted.

Nanshan Bo said: "If you find his friends, Li Yi will return."

"That makes sense," Xiu Xiang thought, nodding repeatedly.

If his friends were found, how could Li Yi not come back?

Yet he regretted it—he should have told Li Yi he was leaving; he should have gifted him Kunwu artifacts, a hundred crimson gold coins, and war servants to aid his journey.

"Damn it—I was so absorbed in reading *The Great Wilderness Annals* that I neglected Li Yi," Xiu Xiang then clutched the scroll, gazing at the sky, pounding his chest and weeping bitterly.