Chapter 634: The Lonely One and the Dragon, A Surprisingly Kindred Talk

Jiang Chen was sweating all over, his whole body trembling a bit.

He kept telling himself, "I must not think any more, must not think any more."

Yet those secrets seemed to possess endless power, making him unable to resist, constantly compelled to think and explore.

He tried to open his eyes, but it was somewhat beyond his control.

Antares, seeing something amiss, suddenly let out a dragon chant.

The dragon chant Roar pierced into Jiang Chen's soul.

At the same time, the nine‑colored Dragon Soul Crystal outside his soul also emitted a dragon chant, resonating with Antares's dragon chant.

Jiang Chen's soul was shaken by the dragon chant, and his whole body quivered, finally snapping back to consciousness.

Antares finally exhaled, "You stinky kid, what on earth are you thinking? Your soul almost went empty; that would damage your foundation."

Jiang Chen gasped heavily, feeling as if he had just escaped death.

His memory was a bit hazy, yet also suddenly clear.

The haziness concerned the question he had just been pondering; it seemed he had sealed his own thoughts, forcing himself not to think.

The clarity came from realizing why the few who had successfully obtained the source Skill avoided speaking of what they experienced inside the Secret Realm.

They certainly knew what the Secret Realm was like, yet never disclosed it, not a single word escaping their lips.

Not that they didn't want to speak, but that they couldn't, not even allowed to think about it.

Jiang Chen guessed they probably used self‑sealing, locking that memory away.

Antares, seeing Jiang Chen fall silent again, couldn't help leaning over and asking, "Hey, are you okay? Did you go stupid?"

Jiang Chen shook his head, "I entered the Yuan Shi Mi Jing."

"Isn't that normal? You were originally looking for the Yuan Shi Mi Jing; how did it turn out? Did you succeed?" Antares replied dismissively, its mind not probing deeper.

Jiang Chen said, "I succeeded; both Skills were successfully retained."

Antares, with a hint of excitement, "I told you, with your ability, if you couldn't keep a Skill, others wouldn't even dream of it. So? Was it hard!"

"It was fine; after a few trials, not too hard," Jiang Chen answered honestly; by his standards, it indeed wasn't very difficult.

"Indeed, your strength far exceeds your peers."

Roar!

Antares, midway through speaking, suddenly realized something was off and let out a roar, "You stinky kid, you still retain the memory of the Secret Realm?"

Jiang Chen hummed, "Yes."

Antares grew excited, "Tell me quickly, what exactly was the situation inside the Secret Realm?"

Jiang Chen asked oddly, "You don't know?"

"Obviously, if you knew why would you ask," Antares said irritably, "Since the previous era, anyone who entered has no memory of the Secret Realm."

Jiang Chen, now completely calm, "Didn't you claim to know everything?"

Antares gave a heavy hum, sounding agitated, "Stop the nonsense, speak!"

Jiang Chen smiled mysteriously, "You really want to know!"

Antares glared fiercely at Jiang Chen, "If you dare not tell, this dragon will swallow you whole."

Jiang Chen, of course, knew the creature was joking with him.

He immediately sat down and gestured for Antares to come closer.

Antares's large head lowered, almost leaning against Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen deliberately lowered his voice, "Inside the Secret Realm there is a pavilion, and within the pavilion a separate space. But before entering that space, I saw a scene."

"In the starry sky there were countless strong ones, an old man riding a green ox, violet qi surging like a galaxy."

Antares suddenly let out a dragon chant, cutting Jiang Chen off.

The deafening sound made Jiang Chen's ears ache, "What are you doing?"

He heard fear in Antares's dragon chant, and saw the same in Antares's eyes.

Antares shook its massive head, "Stop speaking, stop speaking."

Jiang Chen frowned, "What's wrong?"

Antares said gravely, "Remember, that one's matter must not be mentioned, must not be spoken outwardly. If spoken too much, it brings death."

Jiang Chen asked oddly, "I've already left the Secret Realm."

Antares shook its head like a wave drum, "Useless, completely useless; wherever you are, it's useless."

"Even if you reach the deepest part of the starry sky, as soon as you mention his name, it will be heard."

Jiang Chen could hardly believe it, "But I have no idea what his name is."

From start to finish, he only guessed that the old man on the green ox who offered him tea might be the legendary figure called "Laozi."

But he wasn't certain; it was all just his speculation.

Antares said, "You've seen him, you can picture his form, and with your words, that's enough for him to hear."

Jiang Chen couldn't help asking, "Is he really that terrifying?"

Antares solemnly replied, "His terror is beyond your imagination. Remember my words: do not mention, do not think, do not ask."

Do not mention, do not think, do not ask.

Antares's tone was very heavy, making Jiang Chen realize the seriousness.

Previously he had been pondering the details of what happened in the Secret Realm, trying to infer what the outside world was like.

Among them were many scenes of "Laozi," as well as countless strong ones, including the source bird.

He thought too much at once, unable to extricate himself.

Especially in his mind, the image of that old man suspected to be "Laozi" kept resurfacing repeatedly.

It was like being under a curse, preventing him from breaking free.

Now, hearing Antares' words, Jiang Chen realized the seriousness of the matter.

Even when facing the Dragon God, Antares felt no fear.

But now, it is truly afraid.

An existence that even Antares fears is something we really cannot contemplate.

Jiang Chen made a decision: to seal this matter deep in his memory and not touch it until he possesses great strength.

However, his heart was still uneasy, and he couldn't help but say, "Antares, have you ever heard the name Ghost Husband?"

Antares' scaled dragon head inverted like a blade; he slowly turned his head, his expression a bit stiff, and asked, "You. Where did you hear that name?"

Antares' reaction made Jiang Chen sense a problem. "It was in the Secret Realm; that guy tried to kill me. But because of the Secret Realm's rules, he couldn't act against me."

Antares' eyes whirled rapidly, and he suddenly shouted, "I understand, I understand—so he actually went there."

Jiang Chen asked, "Is the Ghost Husband terrifying? More terrifying than that one?"

Antares shook his head. "The Ghost Husband isn't terrifying; he's cruel. Compared with that one, the Ghost Husband isn't even a fart."

"I'll tell you again about what happened in the Secret Realm."

Jiang Chen cut Antares off, "Don't worry, I know my limits. I'll just say a word to you, and then I'll never bring it up again."

Only then did Antares feel relieved; he knew Jiang Chen—once he said he wouldn't mention it again, he truly wouldn't.

Jiang Chen's caution, even for it, warranted the character 'fu'.

Jiang Chen shifted the topic, talking about his experience on the Wind and Thunder Continent.

He spoke of the massive beast hidden beneath the Thunder and Lightning Mountain.

Mentioning it energized Antares, who shed his earlier caution and began to speak freely.

"That guy, he was the symbiotic beast of the Thunder God, later becoming the Thunder God's mount."

"After the Thunder God fell in battle, it was gravely wounded and has been sleeping beneath the Thunder and Lightning Mountain to recover."

"The Thunder Tree actually grows on its body; it uses the Thunder Tree to Absorb the power of thunder and lightning, restoring itself."

"As for why it can be on the Wind and Thunder Continent, that's naturally the work of this dragon."

"But you needn't worry; it usually sleeps, and even when awake it cannot leave that area."

"If you want to level up using the Thunder Tree, just keep your distance from it. Want me to greet it so it won't attack you?"

Antares returned to his former self, completely casting the earlier incident out of his mind.

Jiang Chen hadn't expected that being to be the Thunder God's symbiotic beast.

No wonder it's so powerful.

It can stay on the Wind and Thunder Continent unbound by the laws because of Antares.

Jiang Chen said coldly, "Do you know you almost killed me?"

Antares clicked, "Heaven knows you wanted to strike the Thunder Tree; if you hadn't mentioned it, this dragon would have long forgotten it."

"This dragon has lived countless years, witnessed countless eras and events, done too many things—how could it possibly remember such a trivial matter?"

Jiang Chen chuckled, "You, this guy, only sleep and sleep—how much can you actually accomplish?"

"And you never rise early without profit; if you're helping the Thunder God, there must be a reason."

Antares muttered, "When this dragon acts, it naturally has its own reasons."

The two exchanged banter, trading words back and forth.

Jiang Chen usually says very little and rarely interacts with others.

But when he's with Antares, he talks quite a bit.

At first, his chatter was only to extract some information.

Later, he truly regarded Antares as a friend.

Antares is also lonely; he's had no friends for many years.

The lonely man and dragon happened to find each other.