Chapter 573

Damn it, finally got the fish hooked!

The cold look on his face didn't stop him from cursing inwardly; before the other person could open their mouth, Erli cut in and spoke.

"Since you've shown up, stop trying to deceive others; I'm far smarter than them, and I don't like lies."

However, the other party completely ignored his near-threat request, pretended not to hear, and kept talking to themselves.

"Living long is truly a good thing, right? I never expected that as someone who only arrived in this world ten thousand years later, I'd still be able to see a big shot like you."

However, he couldn't just blame it on that, because strictly speaking, what that person said was all true—it just happened to be all about him.

"You are the blood-enemy of the giant dragon clan, the father of magic dragons, the Hand of Rebirth·Erli; at least in the field of alchemy, as a fellow practitioner, I must offer you the respect of a student."

Seeing his pretentious flattery, yet refusing to bend his waist even a bit, that sarcastic expression, Erli fell silent.

Actually, even if the two magic dragons were fighting each other as sisters, they fought fiercely, even knocking each other's mouths askew.

So when they spoke just now, they were vague and their voices weren't loud; even Erli, who was close by, almost couldn't understand.

I never expected that these two meaningless "father" sounds would directly reveal his true identity.

——Damn, what kind of ears does this person have!

It's aggravating to clearly cover one's face yet still be guessed at one's trail, especially when this loophole is exposed by others.

Thus Erli, angry, took a deep breath and fiercely glanced at the two dragons still kneeling on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.

But these are all hidden beneath the iron mask, so he can still stay calm and leisurely on the surface.

"Oh? Heh…"

He can even smile lightly and pretend not to care, probing in reverse.

"When did the Yangyue World produce someone as clever as you? Could you be an old acquaintance of mine?"

"Ha, I dare not claim to be an old acquaintance; I'm just a good person."

"Then I wonder what kind of good person you are?"

"A flashy good person, then."

Unfortunately, Ji Ming is too good at riddles and Tai Chi; he can truly just blurt them out.

Erli tried hard to probe, groped for a while, yet couldn't guess Ji Ming's true identity, and was instead led in circles.

Damn, it can't possibly be just a Holy Light Chosen One, can it?

A Chosen One who can fight better than the Holy Light Pope is truly overpowered, impossible!

But as everyone knows, what can't be obtained at the negotiation table can at least be contested on the battlefield.

Thus, after another two rounds of verbal sparring with that Chosen One, Erli quietly transmitted a thought to the two demon dragons.

【Negotiation broken, prepare to act】

!!!

What nonsense about the Demon Lord's throne, clearly my own little life is more valuable.

So the demon dragons' faces instantly lit up with ecstatic joy, finally a chance to atone and earn merit!

And I must say Erli truly is an honest man; once he says he'll act, he really does.

After proactively tossing out a proposal that would surely make the other think, "Join us; I can take you as a disciple and teach you everything I've learned, including how to create evil spirit demon dragons,"

The next second, his towering figure suddenly vanished into void; when he reappeared behind Ji Ming, he had split into a terrifying gaping maw, about to swallow him whole.

As the creator of the demon dragon race and the top alchemist of the Yangyue World for nearly ten thousand years, Erli could never still covet this human body.

He had long ago altered his own species, like the ever‑evolving Greisen, becoming a unique existence in this world.

If one had to assign him a name, it would be the Taotie of Huaxia legend.

He can obtain a being's DNA and talents by devouring any sentient life, thus evolving into a more perfect form—a true pervert.

If he were the protagonist of a novel with such overwhelming power, his days would be extremely enjoyable.

If he were a novel's antagonist with such power, he would surely become the ultimate villain of the story.

But unfortunately, he runs into someone like Ji Ming, a rather poorly regarded fellow.

Could it be that when he thinks he's ambushing Ji Ming, it's actually Ji Ming ambushing him!

So the next moment, the white silhouette before his eyes suddenly turned entirely black, oddly like carved onyx, followed by a violent explosion.

Chat?

Negotiation?

Talk with you?

Could it be that Ji Ming's true form never appeared at all from start to finish.

It was earlier, it is now, but it's just two shadows toying with you!

And while that shadow self‑detonated, briefly capturing all his attention, two figures—one golden, one silver—suddenly flashed behind him.

The overwhelming pressure radiated outward, letting Erli truly feel the same heart‑ripping sensation his daughters just endured.

Ninety‑level!

Two ninety‑levels!

He hurriedly turned back, but discovered that one of them was an old acquaintance, and a person who could never have been here!

Although those two demon dragons lack the teleportation technique that lets them walk through void, they had already taken dragon form, attempting to strike Ji Ming from another direction.

"Father, I will assist... uh."

But upon seeing the being behind Erli, they froze on the spot, their movements stiff.

Because that other figure was also a former acquaintance of theirs who could not possibly be here!

As for the identities of these two heavenly reinforcements...

Who else could they be?

Naturally, they are the archangel Sylvia who perished in a self‑detonation in the Dark Flame underground fortress ten thousand years ago, and the silver dragon Bu Long Fei Er De who died five thousand years ago under an evil spirit demon dragon siege.

That's right, Ji Ming just said they were busy, but that doesn't mean they're still busy now.

He was previously chatting and fooling around with E'erli, actually just to stall time until they could rush over through the dungeon's teleportation array.

Since they're here now and E'erli has also shown his true colors, there's nothing left to discuss.

"Don't rush!"

However, before that, Ji Ming first appeared above the heads of the two demon dragons, one with All‑Methods Withered, the other with All‑Methods Ruined, both cursed and passed by.

"Um…"

Although the level gap ultimately means that even with stronger arts, Ji Ming couldn't deplete the two demon dragons' health bars with just those two spells.

Yet by wearing them down, he managed a strong suppression, sacrificing his own disconnect to have the two dragons stay as idle companions.

…But the price is Ji Ming's; what does it have to do with Ji Ming's shadow?

So, using the power of shadows, he created two clones, and Ji Ming controlled them to lift the two demon dragons' heads.

"Bu Long Fei Er De! Look closely at their faces—were they the ones who killed you back then?"

Bu Long Fei Er De: "Huh?"

All one can say is that laziness is destiny; at this point, Bu Long Fei Er De still looks a bit dazed and hasn't figured out what's going on.

After hearing Ji Ming's question, he squinted, glanced into the distance, and then nodded repeatedly.

"Right, right, it's them!"

Then, expressionless, he performed a precise ceremonial gesture.

"Only, why have their levels dropped so low? At first I didn't even recognize them; I recall that five thousand years ago they were over ninety levels."

Black-Red Demon Dragon: Who's gotten weaker? Who's being blamed for getting weaker, who?

As an alchemical creation without reproductive ability, the Evil Spirit Demon Dragon increases its numbers mainly by hunting living great dragons.

In fact, even the Red-Black Demon Dragon itself was fashioned under E'erli's command, from the corpses of powerful dragons slain by other demon dragons.

So the previously peaceful Bu Long Fei Er De fell victim to its poison five thousand years ago essentially because her "White Mist Guard" reputation was too renowned.

After all, even though she's a lazy dragon, having lived several thousand years without ever having a mishap, how abundant must her treasure be?

This overly legendary tale attracted countless dragon slayers, letting her hoard experience, gradually feeding her up to over ninety levels.

If she weren't genuinely lazy, truly unwilling to become a chosen worker, she would have given her all, burning herself to the point where even her soul was nearly annihilated.

Perhaps what Ji Ming sees today are the Black-Red-Silver three sisters.

Leaving aside how odd the title "Silver Demon Dragon" sounds, let's not discuss how she should evaluate the two impeccably righteous Rainbow Sisters.

Just the extremely energetic Bu Long Fei Er De… uh, Ji Ming thought, and even found it somewhat frightening.

So after five thousand years, the ill‑fated Silver Dragon's dead body was revived, and the wild, untamed demon dragons became a pair of weaklings.

Perhaps… that's a kind of retribution.

"Very good!"

But after receiving Bu Long Fei Er De's affirmative reply, Ji Ming didn't rush to let the two clones act; instead, he discussed terms with E'erli again.

"Although that Silver Dragon is lethargic to the extreme, she indeed ran errands for me today when the incident occurred, so as a leader I must find a way to repay her for this killing."

"But every grievance has a source, every debt has a holder; I'm a decent person, I like directed revenge, not a pointless expansion for a momentary thrill."

"So here's the deal: since I respect you, I'll call you senior for now; you keep these two demon dragons, give me and the Holy Light Church an explanation, and I'll let you leave. We'll meet again next time, okay?"

E'erli didn't say the absurd villain line "What if I don't keep them?", but instead burst into sudden laughter.

"Heh, you haven't even acted yet, and you already think you've got me today? What if you can't eat me?"

"Uh, that sounds even dumber?"

So Ji Ming also laughed.

"Can't eat me? Ha, if you can't, at least I can run! Do you have that confidence?"

Now the duel between them became mysterious; Ji Ming can't guarantee he'll win, and the opponent can't guarantee a safe exit.

But the issue is, although Ji Ming can't guarantee victory, he can at least guarantee he won't lose—if needed, just open a teleport array and flee together.

And E'erli not only can't guarantee a win, but can't even be sure of a respectable loss or safe escape; he's already a layer beneath Ji Ming's confidence.

So after a period of silence, E'erli still chose…

Bang!

Suddenly, a sharp, chilling cold surged, even Angel Xi Erwei Ya felt her energy flow seem to pause for a heartbeat.

But although she said nothing to E'erli, the deep sea of blood feud needed no words!

Thus Xi Erwei Ya, without hesitation, thrust her magical longsword outward, flashing a dazzling blaze toward E'erli's retreating figure.

However, E'erli once again activated Void Walk, like a sneaky rogue, instantly teleporting behind Ji Ming.

"Die!"

But there was only one or two, not three or four.

Even if he started with a wide‑area ice seal plus magical seal combo, it couldn't stop Ji Ming's escape.

"Lao Ge, release the late!"

Because after saying "Do you have that confidence?", Ji Ming had already swapped his real and fake bodies, using his shadow to deceive again!

Seeing the hard‑won Ji Ming turn into a dissipating illusion, E'erli's mindset truly wavered.

"Shameless! Crazy…"

Unfortunately, before he could finish the second insult, he quickly raised an ice wall in front of himself.

There's no way; under the revenge buff, Xi Erwei Ya's current offensive drive is just too strong.

His front foot had just flashed light to E'erli, and his rear foot's forty‑meter‑long light blade was about to slash his head.

—Run fast, don't lose out by not running!

Thus the two demon dragons never got the dry father's rescue; they saw E'erli vanish without looking back, teleporting a thousand meters away.

……

Ah, relying on people makes them walk away, relying on mountains makes them collapse, little sister, if you want to survive, you still have to rely on yourself!

Yeah, older sister, but Father is so powerful, these are just two defeated underlings, he must have let them win on purpose.

Yeah, he surely can escape death, we should still focus on ourselves first.

Hmm!

Sisterly affection deep. jpg

But just as they finally broke free from Ji Ming's suppression, planning to slip away unnoticed in the darkness under the lanterns.

Eh???

They suddenly felt their heads dizzy, and everything before them changed; even the close sisters who had just reconciled beside them vanished.

Question: Why does Bu Long Fei Er De, a silver dragon with low presence that has never guarded anything, have the title 'White Mist Protection'?

Because as a super slacker monster that survived the Light-Dark War unscathed and has appeared in many literary works, it's a legendary internet-famous dragon.

After enduring various harassments from countless adventurers, she, unable to tolerate it any longer, devised a permanent solution.

Could it be that I filled the mist around my lair with hallucinogenic fog, trapping all adventurers outside?

If they are honest, I just dispel the illusion as a warning and let them go on the spot.

If not honest… I'll keep them trapped until they become honest, then let them go!

Isn't this exactly the so-called 'White Mist Protection'?