Chapter 696: Secret Art and Cooperation

Luo De patted the black flame on his shoulder.

It didn’t extinguish—it clung like a persistent parasite, spreading to his palm and refusing to die.

The +21 Dragon Scale Art, combined with Luo De’s innate fire resistance, was enough to withstand the flame.

But the flame wasn’t just fire—it carried the same resentment energy as Mei Gan, the bone dragon whose body was forged with the aid of the Curse-Dragon Naolin.

Its property of eroding all resistance was steadily taking effect.

Luo De crushed a Ring of Water Manipulation.

Sssss—

Apart from a violent burst of steam, the flame was barely affected.

He glanced at his panel.

As expected, a message about domain collision had already appeared.

【Triggered Domain Collision Check!】

【Defensive Domain·Basic (Luo De): 58】

【?? Domain·Basic (Mei Gan Ula Richmond): 83】

【Result: Failure!】

Though the black flame couldn’t harm him yet, its unextinguishable nature meant overcoming his defense was merely a matter of time.

Only a domain could oppose another domain.

“Annoying.”

The brief exchange made Luo De realize Mei Gan’s spellcraft was far from negligible.

Though he’d shattered her defenses, he had no counter to either the black flame or her forced expulsion spell.

Even if his direct damage exceeded Mei Gan’s limit, she could still easily escape.

Such an elusive opponent was the worst kind—Cuiyu City wasn’t far from Nao Lin’s open-air labyrinth; who knew if she’d already realized something?

Luo De kicked away Tally, who tried to cling to him.

He rummaged through his spell satchel with one hand.

Not long after.

A piece of black bone appeared in his hand—the contact item from their earlier essence trade.

Without hesitation, Luo De acted directly.

“Mei Gan, let’s talk.”

They were still in the casino manager’s office.

Now, it was no longer luxurious.

Sword scars split the walls; shattered crystal fragments mixed with debris and dust on the floor; documents, drinks, ledgers lay overturned and scattered.

The bone dragon Mei Gan sat stiffly on the sofa, her diamond-patterned wine glass still bearing a purple lip print.

Wine clung to the glass, sliding down coldly.

“You destroyed all my wine—and you dare come back?”

Before her.

Was Luo De, bare-chested, five massive claw marks on his back and chest boiling with black flame.

He shrugged, thick-skinned, swept the crystal shards off another sofa, and sat down heavily.

Come to think of it.

Mei Gan hadn’t actually done much.

She’d asked for Nao Lin’s location politely; it was the overprotective forest warden who struck first; she only retaliated after her force field was shattered.

But Luo De didn’t care.

“What’s your success rate with that ancient secret art?”

Mei Gan poured herself another drink, seemingly too lazy to answer.

“So it’s low, then.”

Luo De smiled and pulled out the nearly emptied Thousand Throats Lord Am, tossing it openly toward her:

“You want a divine spark, don’t you? I have one ready—why gamble on such negligible odds?”

The sand-ball form of Thousand Throats Am hung motionless mid-air.

Slowly floated to Mei Gan’s face.

“The second deity after the Goddess of Magic?”

“No. We dug this up from a tomb. Perhaps Mistralla wasn’t the first deity in this reality.”

“What are you talking about? Your Goddess of Magic is a confirmed deity across all planes—real and otherwise. Don’t you disrespect her by speaking her name so casually?”

“I’m her father. What’s the problem?”

“Heheh. Ignorant.”

After smashing her wine cabinet, Mei Gan’s attitude toward Luo De plummeted.

She ignored him, studying the sand-ball before her.

Then her golden vertical dragon pupils sharply contracted.

“No! This is Bone Sand Offspring?! But how is it in the reality dimension?”

“What’s that?”

“A cosmic entity from the astral planes. Naturally low-intelligence, often captured by powerful beings to serve as laborers. Bone Sand Offspring share a psychic link; control the mother, and you control them all. If one ascends to godhood, it would never abandon the others—yet their status remains this low.”

“But it’s here—in reality—in a tomb buried for who knows how long. That’s why I say Mistralla wasn’t the first to ascend.”

Mei Gan’s expression grew far more grave than usual.

“You’re a magic ignoramus—I won’t blame you. The Goddess of Magic’s divine authority when she ascended far exceeded the limits of spells; it inevitably shaped the plane, birthed laws. But the chaotic, authority-less astral planes show no trace of any deity ever having been born.”

Luo De crossed his arms.

“Then explain how this thing got here.”

“.”

Mei Gan frowned, silent.

“I don’t blame your magic scholars for being rigid—but you can’t ignore objective facts. This living divine spark is right here—how could it be wrong? Not just this—I know the sealing locations of dozens of evil gods from the First Epoch.”

Bluffing.

Mei Gan clearly wasn’t listening.

Her fingers hovered over the sand-ball, caressing it lovingly; with a graceful tap, a contract coalesced from spiritual energy.

“Interesting… I accept the deal, Luo De. I won’t seek Nao Lin for now. If I discover how to strip the divine spark, I’ll share it with you.”

“Agreed. But I’ll come regularly to suppress Thousand Throats Am.”

Mainly to harvest the mycelial cores.

“Do as you like. I’ll stay here at the Crown Casino for now.”

Tally pouted and leaned over, tugging at Luo De’s unburned arm.

“Hey—can’t you put out the fire on your body first? I want to hug you.”

“Hey—can you put out the flames on Master first? I want to hug.”

Windwall Forest, Forest Guard Cabin.

Luo De propped up his pillow, staring at the faint glow of the trees beyond the window, lost in thought.

Beside him, Tally, radiant with sweet satisfaction, breathed softly in sleep, clinging tightly to his arm.

The silk sheet hung loosely around the succubus’s waist, outlining a full curve at her hips.

Two steep mounds rose with her breath, trembling slightly; below them, her waist narrowed sharply—an exquisite line.

“Objective facts are one thing—but you can’t ignore expert opinion.”

Regarding first ascension.

There was a contradiction that could not be avoided.

Luo De had never fully believed the mage scholars’ claim that “Mistralla was the first deity in history,” thinking their view was limited by reality’s constraints.

But now that Mei Gan, a bone dragon who’d long roamed the astral planes, held the same view, he had to take it seriously.

But when Megan, the bone dragon who had long roamed the alternate spaces, held the same view, he could no longer ignore it.

then

the evil gods sealed beneath Shiying Town, the Thousand Throats Lord Am, the Moon Goddess Lu Ka…

Where did they come from?

(End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)